The Hunnic Empire in 434 A.D.

Atilla, leader of the Hunnic Empire in 434 A. D. , is most famous for sacking many towns in Eastern Europe, and in Rome particularly. He was a fierce fighter, and was known to be as savage as they get. He was a constant nuisance to Rome never leaving them completely alone in his thirst for money, and power. It seemed as if Attila could not be satisfied with any amount of money, and was definitely never satisfied with the state of his empire always wanting more expansion. Attila saw his first taste to power in 434 A.D. after the death of his uncle Rugila (â€Å"Heritage History†). He and his brother, Bleda, were both next in line to control the Hun tribes. Attila’s men were scattered, and a few disagreeing nobles fled to Rome to seek refuge. Attila’s first important move as a leader was the negotiation for his men back. Bargaining with the Eastern Roman Emperor Attila received his men back, 350 Roman pounds, and open trade with Roman merchants. The deal was looked at as an early success for Attila (â€Å"Heritage History†).I think that the first deal between Attila and Theodosius II was a mistake on the Roman Emperors part. I think that this gracious and kind act on the part of the Romans opens the door for Attila’s greed and hunger. Theodosius should have recognized the death of the Hunnish empires leader, been stern with Attila, and maybe even threaten to wipe him out. After all they were in disarray, were not truly unified, and would have been an easy target to take out at the time. Instead he helped the Hun’s have an opportunity to grow, and come back wanting more.Theodosius obviously did recognize the Huns to be a threat, because when the Huns did recede, as a part of the treaty, he began reinforcing his walls as if he was getting ready for an attack (â€Å"Heritage History†). The Romans did not see the Huns for about five years, and then in 440 A. D. , after being defeated in Armenia, Attila set his eyes to Rome. First he laid waste to the merchants that had been setup as a part of the treaty, and then he began attacking forts alongside the river of Danube (â€Å"Heritage History†). Attila broke the first treaty between him and Theodosius, and it actually ended up working out better for Attila.Soon after Attila began pillaging through Eastern Rome the Vandals began an attack on Carthage, the wealthiest city in Rome. Troops were called away to help stop the attack in Carthage, leaving a big void for Attila and his brother to run through in 441 A. D (Gordon). In 442 A. D. Theodosius recalled his troops from Sicily, believing that he could stop Attila and beat the Huns. Theodosius had a chance to reason with Attila before he sent all his troops to oppose him, but his pride forced him to refuse Attila’s demands (Gordon).It would have looked better for him if he would have just met the demands, because he was defeated by Attila twice just outside of Constantinople. Attila neve r actually breached the walls at Constantinople, but he did come very close. The city was well guarded with two sets of walls around it. Theodosius admitted his defeat around 443 A. D. and had to meet the harsh demands of Attila. Attila received roughly 6,000 pounds of gold from the Romans, and charged them a yearly tribute (Gordon). To say that Attila was a problem for the Romans is to say the least, he was very close to overrunning them and ending their existence.Attila, satisfied with what the treaty had brought him, withdrew himself back into the heart of his empire to plot more about how to take over the Romans. It was during this time, around 445 A. D. , that his brother Bleda is mysteriously murdered (â€Å"Heritage History†). Not much is recorded as to the actual cause of death, but it is a well-accepted notion that Attila had him killed so that he could have absolute power. Attila, having all the power to himself now, began another campaign against Rome in 447 A. D. He would face a former adversary Arnegisclus in the Battle of Utus.Even though Attila had beaten Arnegisclus in the 443 campaign, the Battle of Utus was a fierce and bloody one for both sides (â€Å"Heritage History†). Severe losses took place on both sides, however the Huns came out victorious. Arnegisclus was knocked down from his horse, and was eventually killed while on foot. Attila in 450 A. D. decides to make and alliance with Valentinian III, a Western Roman Emperor, and attack the Visgoths. Attila had be diplomatically bribed towards the alliance, and he had a good relationship with one of the emperor’s general Aetius (â€Å"Heritage History†).Things looked to finally be smoothed out between Attila and the Romans, but then Valentinian’s sister ruined it all. Honoria was the name of Valentinina’s sister, and when she was displeased with her arranged marriage, she called out for Attila to take her hand in marriage. Attila took the proposal ve ry seriously and accepted, and was angered when Valentinian told him that his sister was not being genuine (â€Å"Heritage History†). Attila began making his way through the Roman Empire sacking cities on his way. Aetius began drawing his army to make a stand against Attila, and they met sound where around Orleans for the Battle of Cataluanum.This battle is said to be one of the most important battle in the history of Europe and Christianity, because if Attila would have clearly won then he could have annihilated Roman culture, and Christianity could have been lost (Gordon). In the battle both sides suffer heavy losses, but the Huns are said to be the victors even though it wasn’t much of a victory. The damage done was enough to slow Attila and his army down from making their way to France. Attila, still wanting to claim his bride, sets for Italy (Gordon). There are a few different stories as to why Attila did not end up attacking Italy.One is that Bishop of Rome Leo I met personally with Attila asking him to withdraw his army from Italy. What I think was the most reasonable answer for the withdrawal was the fact that Attila had suffered major losses, and it was said that his armies were suffering from disease and starvation (â€Å"Heritage History†). Whichever story is true Attila withdrew either way vowing to return. On his way home from Italy, Attila marries a young girl named Iidko, and on the morning after his wedding he is found dead, in a bed of blood.The story is that Attila after a night of drinking suffered a massive nosebleed while lying down in his bed, and he drowned in his own blood. There are more theories on the actual cause of death of Attila. Some think that there was foul play, and that his newly wed wife killed him in his sleep, and some think he had a massive hemorrhage causing internal bleeding. After the death of Attila the Hunnic Empire was passed onto his sons, but there was much arguing over who had the most power . After a year or two the Huns were no longer an empire, and were blended into Germanic tribes across Europe.Attila the Hun took the Hunnic Empire farther than it ever dreamed to go, and thankfully, to us Christians, he was stopped eventually. Gordon, Richard. â€Å"STOPPING ATTILA The Battle Of Chalons. † Military History 20. 5 (2003): 34. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Victory Secrets Of Attila The Hun. † Success 40. 2 (1993): 42. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Battle of Chalons: Attila the Hun versus Flavius Aetius. † Military History. (2006): n. page. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Attile the Hun. † Heritage History. Heritage History, 2007. Web. 11 Oct 2012. .

Case Study: Our Perfect Wedding Essay

Claire has done a reasonably good job about target markets for her new web based business, and understands the relevant needs quite well. But for the marketing mix, she as fallen short because it’s not clear whether this business involves one strategy or several strategies. For example, a marketing mix that appeals to engaged couples would not be the same as a marketing mix that appeals to the companies that pay for web pages. Claire’s target markets are engaged couples /newlyweds (for gift registry); companies that target newlyweds with both goods and services (with the advertising of web pages); and friends and family of the couple to be married (whom the advertisers want to reach). Claire has done a reasonably good job about target markets for her new web based business, and understands the relevant needs quite well. But for the marketing mix, she has fallen short because it’s not clear whether this business involves one strategy or several strategies. For example, a marketing mix that appeals to engaged couples would not be the same as a marketing mix that appeals to the companies that pay for web pages. Claire’s target markets are engaged couples /newlyweds (for gift registry); companies that target newlyweds with both goods and services (with the advertising of web pages); and friends and family of the couple to be married (whom the advertisers want to reach). What may or may not be obvious at first is that there is little about this business that requires that it be focused only on customers or advertisers in the same city or metro area. To the contrary, gift-givers who are inclined to get on the internet to check a wedding registry might be equally willing to order gifts from distant companies (advertisers), especially if the company provides special services such as gift wrap, personalized gift cards, and delivery direct to the recipient. Even for local customers, there may be a number of mail order, catalog, and specialty retailers in distant locations who are interested in reaching this target market. Simply focusing on retailers or service providers in the local area to generate website listings and advertising revenue may not make sense. Similarly, there is little reason that the registry service should be limited to local couples-a user of the Internet usually doesn’t know or care whether the base operation for a website is nearby or far away. To the extent that there are advantages of localizing aspects of the service, Claire could potentially set up a segmented approach in which different parts of the website were designed to appeal to people from different areas. As a start, for example, she might think about retailers or advertisers who have facilities or base operations in her own area but who also are targeting customers in other places. Let’s think about the marketing mix that Claire offers for each of these target markets. For each group: What is the specific product (and what are its benefits)? What is the price of obtaining those benefits? How are the benefits promoted? And (to a lesser extent) what is Claire’s role in the place arrangements between the advertisers and their customers? How does her current geographic focus come into play? The benefits for engaged couples seem pretty clear. The $20 price to register is not a big investment if it saves time and leads to the desired gifts rather than things that are not of interest. So, it is unlikely that price sensitivity should be big concerns unless other services appear that will provide the service (and/or other superior benefits) for free. This is certainly a possibility because revenue from advertisers could pay for the services provided if enough advertisers and customers can be attracted. If the couple doesn’t know about the service and doesn’t know to look for it, they won’t sign up. There is also some evidence for this diagnosis because the main flurry of activity came after Claire finally got some attention with publicity. That attention and interest simply wasn’t forthcoming from her limited advertising. Claire should work harder to get more publicity. There also seems to be a very important role for word-of-mouth referrals here. For example, there is no explicit discussion in the case about how friends and family of the couples are supposed to learn about the website, but it would certainly make sense to develop ideas that could be shared with the registered couples about how to inform gift givers about the website, what it is supposed to do, and how it is supposed to work. Furthermore, the relationship with couples who do sign up needs to be a close one, even if for only a short time period. Most couples are not going to be repeat customers but on the other hand, couples who are about to get married often know others who are at the same life stage; especially the among the younger first time married. Claire needs to think about how to stimulate word-of-mouth referrals so that people who do sign up help to bring in additional customers. Since she doesn’t have a lot of money, one way to do this is to think in terms of marginal revenue from new customers and what it might cost her to acquire a customer. It might be better and cheaper to offer couples who recommend the service to a friend a $5 or $10 â€Å"rebate† on the $20 fee, or perhaps she could enter them in a bi-monthly drawing for some more substantial prize like a honeymoon trip. So far, Claire has not done a particularly good job of giving advertisers a reason to buy into her service. She is basically selling a professional service to them, but most of them can’t evaluate it in advance and they are unclear about its benefits. The comparison with the cost of a Yellow Pages ad is interesting because it provides a sort of reference price for the advertiser. Yet, the advertiser probably sees some sort of Yellow Pages listing as a must buy. Perhaps this sort of website advertising will become a must buy, but probably not until more of these companies target customers who think of the web as â€Å"the place† to look for this sort of information. Claire is also being a bit production-oriented in the way she is thinking about her product. She designs web pages in her other job, and so she is thinking about potential advertisers who need a web page. But companies that already have a good web page might be more interested in something else, like a banner ad or button ad at her website that would allow a net surfer to click over to get their existing message. Companies that have already invested in a website know that they face the same problem that Claire does–they want to attract people to the site. So, for them the value of banner ads (perhaps at a lower cost, or even with the fee based on the number of click-through from Claire’s website) might be easier to see. Claire also might think about the pricing arrangement for advertisers. She currently bundles the price of the on-time service of preparing the web page and the ongoing online web page. She might want to charge separately for the preparation of the web page and/or allow customers to have something more elaborate than a single page. Claire’s service in many ways operates with the same approach as a magazine attracting an audience and advertisers who want to reach that audience. Yet, most companies that sell advertising media time and space rely on personal selling and/or offer incentives to advertising agencies or others that refer business. Claire hasn’t done much personal selling to advertisers, even after her direct response mailing didn’t work. The case offers several hints why she didn’t like the job she had doing personal selling, and she is busy doing other things. It is likely that if she is going to need to get help if the personal selling parts of her promotion blend is going to be handled well. Since she doesn’t have a big budget, she might think about trying to find someone who would sell advertising space on her website on a straight commission basis. That way, she would not have much expense until she had revenues. Of course, the salesperson would still need to have a good story to tell, and that might depend on having a way to better establish the link between the advertiser’s sales and visits to the websites. For example, if Claire could convince advertisers to offer a small discount to customers who purchased because of the website she might be more successful in getting customers to tell the advertisers that â€Å"I am an OurPerfectWedding. com† customer. The case also portrays her as a doer not as a planner, which is in part true. She had an idea but doesn’t have a detailed plan for what needs to be done. Rather, she hasn’t yet really made the investment of time and money to give her idea a chance to work. She’s a doer when it comes to some things but has not really been a dedicated doer when it comes to getting this business started. She probably wouldn’t have the time to do that unless she gave up her full-time job or really cut back on her social life. While it is not hard to think about different things that Claire could do, what is perhaps more relevant is what is she willing to do.

CHINA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

CHINA - Assignment Example 244). It is, therefore, vital to find out how China has been able to change its economic geography to become a global economic market. The emergence of China and its transformation has challenged many geographers. They are constantly seeking to find out the forces behind Chinas transformation (Williamson 54). Other questions that intrigue economic geographers are how transition and reforms shape regions and if the diverse regions of this country are getting equal benefits from this economic transition. Regional inequality is an important element in economic geography as it draws attention of the proponents of convergence and divergence economies (Zhang 247). On the other hand, it has been important to socialist countries like China that have gone through numerous transitions and reforms. China’s economic success is much attributed to its diversity in terms of size, identity and history. One of the pioneers in Chinas economic policies is Mao, who developed a unique regional policy for the country (Williamson 53). While emerging as an economic giant, China had to deal with the problem of regional inequality. The citizens were much worried of social stability and equity that made Chinese leaders fully to commit themselves to ensuring that they accelerate economic growth, especially in the most interior provinces (Xu and Tan 68). Thus, the Chinese government has increased infrastructure budgets for poorer provinces almost every year. Besides, the country’s growth after 1 978 indicated an existing gap between income and growth rates in the coastal and inland provinces. The divergent in China’s regional income finds its root from preferential policies (Fan and 299). Though the inland provinces did not benefit much from these policies, China’s economy depends on the coastal towns. By focusing on coastal towns, this country has been able to engage in international trades thus transforming it into a market

Gun control memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gun control memo - Essay Example As such, this brief analysis will seek to consider the debate from the perspective of the pro-gun control movement. In such a way, it will be the express goal of this author to relate to the reader some of the most powerful arguments in favor of further gun control and the rationale behind these (Winkler 41-43). The first, and perhaps most contentious of the issues that this analysis will seek to discuss, is the issue of whether or not the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution sought to convey individual gun rights to the citizen. Although the law has long been interpreted to mean just this, the fact of the matter is that when one reads the Second Amendment from a literalist perspective, it is quite clear that the Second Amendment is speaking to the needs of the states and individual regions of the newly formed United States to form a militia as a means of protecting the Republic (Egendorf 54). In such a way, the Second Amendment can and should be interpreted as little more than admission from the Federal government that it promises not to infringe upon the rights of the militias (National Guard and Army Reserves) to maintain a stock of weaponry for the purpose of defense and securing the borders of the new nation (Lott 32). This particular argument hinges upon interpretation o f the Constitution; one of the most contested documents within the political spectrum. However, from a rhetorically honest standpoint, the text of the bill specifies specifically what it denotes; i.e. the right of the states and by extension the militias under their control to retain weapons. In short, such argument is valid; however, it cannot be used to engage those members of the pro-gun persuasion because they have almost invariably chosen to interpret the document by a wholly different standard (Winkler 12). The second argument, which will be utilized

Detroit Economic Bailout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Detroit Economic Bailout - Essay Example Microeconomics has been described as the scientific field focusing on the ‘behavior of individual households and markets’ (Saunders and Gilliard 18); emphasis is given on ‘the criteria used for defining the level of prices and for allocating resources’ (Saunders and Gilliard 18). Microeconomic variables have a critical characteristic: they refer to economy as related to the level of households and not to the level of a region (Dow and Hillard 6). At the level of households the performance of economy can be evaluated through variables such as consumer spending, prices and wages (Dow and Hillard 7). These variables will be used below in order to justify the potential positive effects of bailout on the daily life of people in Detroit. Certain microeconomic concepts will be also used, as appropriate, for making clear the relationship between economic decisions and economic performance at household’s level. The decision of Detroit’s governors to ask for a Federal bailout has faced strong criticism. The success of a similar plan used for the city’s two major auto companies, Chrysler and General Motors (Maynard 2013) is often used for justifying the necessity of Detroit’s bailout. ... At a first level, an aid of $300m has been decided to be granted to Detroit (Isidore 2013). This sum of money will not be used for paying part of the city’s debt, which is estimated to $18-$20 billion (Isidore 2013, Proctor 2012); about $150m of the total aid to Detroit will be given as a program for ‘refurbishing/ cleaning abandoned properties’ (Isidore 2013) and about $140m for the improvement of the city’s transportation system (Isidore 2013). Other programs referring to indirect benefits for the city, such as the hiring of public servants, have been also approved aiming to help the city to recover (Isidore 2013). So far, the Congress has been opposed to the provision of financial aid to Detroit on the basis that such claims could be set by other cities (National Report 2013). President Obama has decided to bypass Congress and proceed to the financial support of Detroit so that the expansion of the crisis is controlled (National Report 2013). The value o f the bailout of Detroit can be understood by presenting the statistics related to the city’s economic performance at household level. In 2009 the average household income in Detroit has been declined by a percentage of about 92% compared to 2000 (Figure 1). Detroit, Michigan: -92.2% Michigan: -98.8% Figure 1 - Median Household income in Detroit and in Michigan in general, from 2000 to 2009 (Source: City Data) The scheme for the bailout of Detroit could enhance the city’s average household income in the following way: by increasing the public servants working across the city households across Detroit could be given an important financial relief, a fact that would lead to the

Survey result section with pie charts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Survey result section with pie charts - Essay Example From the results, some teachers felt that direct instruction to the students either individually or in class was an effective method. The numbers were however less (12%) as compared the group the group that preferred a cooperative learning approach moderated by the teacher (76%). In this method the learners would choose the topic of their liking and research on it before teaching their fellow students. None of the teacher preferred thought it was a good idea for the learner to be left to acquire the knowledge alone. This would deny the learner a chance to have a different perspective of the concept like the peers. The case study results indicated that 65 percent of the teachers (15) preferred to resolve the situation by dividing the students into mixed groups and letting them assist each other in learning (Answer 1). Some 22% of the teachers interviewed (5) thought it suitable to teach the whole group at the pace of the slow learner (answer 2). The remaining 13% or 3 of the interviewed teachers thought that the teacher should divide the student according to ability and teach them differently (answer 3). None of the teacher interviewed thought that teaching at the pace of the high level learning ability students was beneficial. From the results, a majority preferred the approach of combining the higher level learning ability with the low level learning students. This means that the students could cooperate with each other to effectively acquire the knowledge from their peers better. It should be noted that it is difficult to determine the learning pace of the slow students. This explains the reason why the method of mixed ability grouping was preferred by the majority. Dividing the group into two was not proposed by many. This because it would be difficult to foster social leaning between the learners and how the learners would benefit from each other is not

Federalist Papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Federalist Papers - Essay Example For Madison, the faction in a government creates a problem because a certain select individuals who are minorities are inimical to the greater good. Individuals being men, are predisposed to advance interests favorable to him and this creates a problem in public service. Moreover, when faction rules the government, the people belonging to such faction will only advance their own self interests rather than public good. Being such, government agencies will just become a vehicle of private greed instead of an instrument that will serve greater good. Madison pointed out that a government dominated by a faction is no longer a democracy because it only serves the narrow interest of few people. In sum, factions create problem in government because self-interest will rule instead of advancing public interest and public service. The strength of the Federalist Paper No.10 lies in its proposal on how to address the faction in government and how to at least minimize its adverse effects. In the Federalist Paper No.10, the idea of a republic is proposed as a solution to the problem posed by a faction. This proposed republic is different from the pure and populist democracy because it is capable of protecting minorities and promotes greater good than pure democracy which could become a vehicle that will be used by factions. According to the Federalist Paper No.10, the weakness of a republican government can be reduced through the mechanism of representation. This kind of mechanism allows a greater probability for capable leaders to be elected than just those who are popular but only represents the interest of a faction. Having capable leaders to be elected in office is favorable to people because they would tend to craft policies that serves the greater good and will tend to advance the interest of the many instead of the few such as those interest inherent in a faction. Also,

Contrasting learning and intellectual disabilities Essay

Contrasting learning and intellectual disabilities - Essay Example Students with learning disabilities need alternative learning methods, in a manner similar to a student who needs glasses to see (Hallahan, 2011). They require help, and with it they work as much as their peers. Intellectual disabilities, on the other hand, are those that decrease the cognitive skill of the student in a major way (Hallahan, 2011). Some of the similarities between students with learning disabilities and students with intellectual disabilities are that they have low expectations, are academically and socially unwary, lack of self drive, are poor in interpreting important things, poor family preparation for school and have gaps in technology access (Hallahan, 2011). What I would like to explore more about is how intellectual disabilities decrease the cognitive process of a student and how a student might be helped to grow from this challenge. As I was conducting my study, I learned that intellectual disability is worse compared to learning disability; therefore, it would be vital to find ways to assist students whom this condition is

Control Mechanisms Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Control Mechanisms Paper - Essay Example Positive reactions accelerate the productivity of organizations. Positive reactions comprise of an increase in motivation among a company’s workforce, an addition in innovation and invention among employees, instill beliefs and values that build the company and an increase in output among others. (Conway, Andrew 42) On the hand, negative reactions are meant to decrease the output of an organization (Scott, John, 1971). The reduction is usually a previous level of productivity that might have been offset and increased to add the productivity of a company. The reduction in output decisions arise when a company’s productivity goes out of hand and becomes difficult to manage. Negative interpretation of a control mechanism by employees may be perceived as lack of independence. Negative control mechanisms that isolate some employees from others may demotivate the employees neglected by the mechanism. For example, a mechanism that separates subordinate staff from the senior staff may demoralize the subordinates and result to low productivity (Scott 21). Negative reactions are contrary to the positive ones as they decrease productivity of a company. Along with a decrease in productivity is a fall in motivation among employees and decrease levels of innovation. Set objectives of a company may als o have to be

The Moral Justification of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

The Moral Justification of Capitalism - Essay Example A peaceable community in that wisdom recognizes property rights; indeed, a property right is nothing but a right to go on with action involving the thing owned, on ones own provisos and standards, unless and until the user employs it to abuse the rights of others. Once we have these ready, we do not call for the discourses on tribal loyalty, custom, legislation, theories on what is moral or not and the like. Indeed, all those discourses and theories involve major costs and key liabilities to conflict. The essence of this paper is to give a description of the prevailing attitudes toward capitalism and the challenge to learn why those viewpoints are all completely erroneous. The body of this presentation will articulate some illusory claims to the contrary. The demand to look into the moral justification of capitalism is set on the prevailing attitudes that critics have drawn and the belief that the system is completely wrong and it has caused massive destruction in the economic and political realm. These misconceptions based on superstitions and stereotypes cause those without intellectual bravery to falter on their standpoints and beliefs in support of capitalism. The argument floated by critics of capitalism is not watertight. Reisman asserts that the profit motive, which in time has become the sole cause of starvation wages, drives capitalism. The critic’s further claim is that capitalism is the root cause of child labor, inflation and depressions caused by indiscriminate depletion of the resources of the planet. A further argument is that Capitalism is akin to imperialism and it is responsible for the unending wars, racism and tribalism. What is more, the enemies of capitalism blatantly challenge saving, a major attribute of capitalism, claiming it is a form of hoarding. When people compete for resources and profits, they use the laws governing competition and free market; laws that they say belong to the jungle.

Literature Contrast Essay Example for Free

Literature Contrast Essay Compare between A Clear Well-lighted Place and A Rose for Emily Abstract: Hemingway and Faulkner both were winners of the Nobel Prize in literature, and had world-wide fame. Although they were close friends, they created rather distinct literary world for their readers. A Clear Well-lighted Place and A Rose for Emily are rather typical of their works. This essay aims to reveal the differences and uncover their unique appeal through analyzing these two novels from four perspectives: theme; character; characterization; writing style. Key Words:Hemingway;Faulkner; theme; character; characterization; writing style. Introduction: A Clear Well-lighted Place expresses an old man’s loneliness and despairs for life. The old man wanted to stay up in the bar and kept drinking, while the young waiter complained a lot and drove him away, but the older waiter showed more sympathy. A Rose for Emily is also a sad story about a girl named Emily who was raised by her father and forbidden to contact with outsides. she poisoned her boyfriend and kept his corpus beside her till death. . Theme The theme of a novel is its controlling idea or its central insight. Being an idea or an insight, the theme should be capable of unifying the whole novel. A Clear Well-lighted Place is the one of early works of Hemingway. The depression and hopelessness left by the world war were not easy to be erased. People may be rich, like the millionaire, but when night dawned, his loneliness and despair for this world force him to find a clear well-lighted place, for light symbolized hope. Faulkner’s work mainly depicted life in Southern slavery-based society, and try desperately to reproduce a south town around the civil war and focused on people’s stubbornness: they refused to admit the original south was gone. This story spanned about 74 years telling a life being restricted and isolated and in return try to isolate others. Character The old man’s character is complex, being depressed and wearisome, but still kept his dignity; rich, but unhappy; mature, but lost his belief. For example, â€Å"It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. †(A Clear Well-lighted Place. Ernest Hemingway) This paragraph is at the beginning. He would rather spend the time sipping alone. Besides, he chooses to sit under the shadow instead of the light, and the shadow symbolize the gloom and despair. However, in the William Faulkner’s novel, A Rose for Emily , arrogance, mental confusion, stubbornness and a nature passion for love have all together shaped Emily, and have eventually led to her doom. Her loneliness accompanied her for her whole life. I want some poison, she said. Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? Id recom I want the best you have. I dont care what kind. The druggist named several. Theyll kill anything up to an elephant. But what you want is Arsenic, Miss Emily said. Is that a good one? Is . . . arsenic? Yes, maam. But what you want I want arsenic. (A Rose for Emily. William Faulkner) This is a conversation about Miss Emily. From the dialog between Miss Emily and druggist . when the druggist did not finish, Emily interrupted in and say she did not care. We can see her arrogance. When the druggist asked many times about her want, Emily pay no attention and repeated the word arsenic again and again. It showed her stubbornness. Characterization In the dramatic Characterization method the author form our opinion of the characters from what they do and say, from their environment, and from what other characters think of them. Just like the story in A Clear Well-lighted Place, Through the monologue of the older waiter, we know the old man’s loneliness and desire for light and hope. Through the old man’s own behaviour, like staying up under the shadow, we know his despairs and gloominess. In the analytic method the author comments upon the characters, explaining their motives, their appearance, and their thought. The narrator of A Rose for Emily is called first person . The author uses much comments upon the characters. For Emily, he shows more sympathy than blame, and he owe her tragedy to the unjust doings of her father. Writing Style Their images in A Clear Well-lighted Place are shown vividly with concise and plain words, and refined rhetorical skills. Ernest Hemingway advocates using the simplest and fewest words, direct description and short sentence. For example,In the daytime the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. (A Clear Well-lighted Place. Ernest Hemingway) In this excerpt, few adjectives and no difficult words are used. Also there are no long sentences and compound sentences. While Ernest Hemingway pursues the beauty of simplicity, his friend William Faulkner become a master of a rhetoric, highly symbolic style . which will employ many long complex sentences. For example, When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument , the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant—a combined gardener and cook—had seen in at least ten years. (A Rose for Emily. William Faulkner) Notice the dash, commas and the clauses. In fact, clauses found in the sentence are in opposition of each other, and so Faulkner successfully depicts a sound scene within one sentence. Conclusion We have studied two classical novels from the four perspectives: theme; character; characteristics; writing style. Both novels told sad stories, but their theme are distinct. The first story lasted for one night while the second one spanned for 74 years and covered much more content. The old man and Emily shared the loneliness, but the other features varied a lot. The first story was short, simple and full of philosophical meanings, nevertheless, Faulkner’s lengthy and obscure. Despite of all these differences, they made good impression on reader. One is like the sharp mountain, clear, simple, but not easily to climb, while the other is a lengthy river, twisted, obscure, and need you to dive in to feel it. References: [1]  ·. [M]. : ,1983: 32. [2] ,. â€Å" †[J]. ( ) ,2010,( 7) : 105 107. [3] . [M]. : ,2002: 6. [4] Justus,James H. Hemingway and Faulkner: Vision and Repudiation [J]. The Kenyon Review,New Series,1985,7( 49) : 1 14. [5] Philip M. Weinstein. ———  · [M]. : ,2000. [6]  ·. [M]. : ?,2006.

Burger King HR Essay Example for Free

Burger King HR Essay Burger King is a Fast food restaurant first opened on December 4th 1945 in Miami, Florida by two gentlemen James McLamore and David Edgerton. However the first Burger King was not known as we know it today as it was firstly launched as Insta Burger King. Although it started off as a simple fast food service it is now a large international chain of fast food restaurants. To this day there are now more than 11,200 restaurants in 91 countries worldwide. Up until 1989 Burger Kings biggest competition was Wimpy until they were bought out by the largely growing Burger King. At present, Burger King is a major franchise across the world, also owning over two hundred Hungry Jacks restaurants across Australia. With over fifty years of experience Burger has vastly grown in the Fast food Industry and dominates a large market share along with other Fast Food restaurants such as McDonalds and KFC. Roles and Responsibilities In this section I am going to explore the different roles and responsibilities of the different positions available in Burger King. Roles and Responsibilities of a Manager A manager runs the business on a day-to-day basis and is responsible for specific tasks such as organising resources for the business. A Burger King Manager ensures Burger King runs smoothly and that employees are working well through monitoring their work and motivation. There are five key business areas that Burger King believe their managers need to focus on in order for their restaurants to be run efficiently and achieve high standards. These are: * Operations: Delivering top quality products and restaurant cleanliness * Financial Control: Maximising profits, controlling cash * People Management: Driving results through people; providing development training * Sales Building: Maximising sales at every opportunity * Customer Service: Delivering the Customer Promise 1 Burger King looks for people with passion for their work. Some of the key things Burger King looks for in their managers are: * Outstanding customer service * Great communication skills * Energy, enthusiasm and a hands-on approach * Ability to thrive in a team build working relationships * Responsible flexible 2 * The ability to problem solve Roles and Responsibilities of a Supervisor A supervisor has the power to give instructions, administer disciplinaries and is responsible for the work and conduct of other employees For Burger King supervisors this ensures employees are monitored and that Burger King runs smoothly. A supervisor is usually the first step away from management and can be promoted to management easily. However a supervisor does not have the authority to hire fire employees or the authority over budget. The role of supervisors at Burger King is to promote excellent customer service and that all brand standards are reached. They have to have the ability to motivate their workers and encourage team work especially at busy times throughout the day. Also a Burger King supervisor would need to carry out the instructions of managers and ensure that employees are working well and completing all tasks to the highest standards but in the quickest time possible. When talking to a Burger King employee he spoke about the five minute rule. This means that all food order had to be done in the period of five minutes otherwise a refund could be requested. This benefits burger king as it keeps the waiting time down to a minimum of 5 minutes and keeps the customers flowing in and out of the restaurants. Supervisors need to ensure that this rule is being met through motivation of workers so that profits are not lost. Roles and Responsibilities of an Employee An employee tends to complete the main day-to-day tasks of a business. Employees can either be working full time or part time. Full time workers usually work more than 40 hours a week and get certain benefits such as health insurance and a higher wage. Part time workers usually work less than 40 hours a week and get paid less than that of full time workers. Many people who work part time tend to do other activities during the week such as other jobs or higher education. Whether being a full time or part time employee both should receive the same benefits such as receiving same pay per hour and health plan. Burger King employees tend to do a variety of tasks such as serving customers, working in the kitchens and operating the tills. Employees of Burger King who operate the tills and take orders need to ensure they present themselves in a respectable way and are friendly and helpful as they will be interacting with customers on a daily basis. This helps Burger King to uphold their well known brand and business for themselves as they need to ensure that it is portrayed in the right way. Qualities for Burger King For every position in Burger King there are qualities that you will need to suit it. In this section Im going to explore the different qualities needed for the positions at Burger King. Qualities needed for a Manager To be a successful manager at Burger King you need to ensure that you are adaptable in all situations and have initiative needed to deal with tricky situations. Burger King looks for managers who have good communication skills and customer relations as they will be working with customers daily. Managers need to make sure that employees are enthusiastic and have energy as theyll be dealing with main aspects of the fast food restaurant such as cleanliness and the production of top quality products. Qualities needed for a Supervisor Burger King looks for commitment and responsibility in their supervisors. This is because they need to be there to supervise their employees to ensure that they are working well. Also make sure that all resources are available so that employees have the materials they need in order to work. Also a supervisor needs the confidence to be the voice of the employees and voice any worries to the manager so that customers do not bombard Burger King. Also, they need to be respectful and courteous when handling situations and motivating the employees as if not they will not be providing a good role model. Qualities needed for an Employee An employee needs to have a number of qualities in order to succeed at working at Burger King. Some of these qualities consist of: * Common Sense * Urgency * Flexibility * Customer Focus * Respect for others * Teamwork * Honesty * Pride in performance3 Employees will be either working with customers or in the kitchen. They need to ensure that their service is fast but of the best quality to withhold the Burger King fast food name. Employees on the tills have to make sure that they are friendly even when dealing with tricky customers and learn to be patient. Staff in the kitchens needs to be hygienic and be able to work under pressure when complying with the five minute rule. Qualifications needed for Burger King In this section I am going to explain the qualifications needed to fulfil the different job positions available for Burger King. Qualifications for an Employee For a new employee applying for a job at a Burger King fast food restaurant there is not any specific qualifications needed. As there is no true skill to being a till operative or part of their kitchen staff, Burger King focus more on the qualities and personalities of their employees, rather than what qualifications they may or may not have. I dont think it is essential for Burger King to have highly qualified till operatives and kitchen staff, as before they begin working in their specific area, they undergo extensive training. This training will teach all new employees how to get the most from their job and also how best to represent Burger King. Qualifications for a Supervisor For a Supervisor there are also no specific qualifications needed to carry out this position. However, Burger King does look for someone with previous experience of supervising a team. In the hierarchy of jobs in Burger King we can see that supervisors are only just above employees. This means that is only a small step to be promoted from an employee to a supervisor, or which their skills would already be from working in Burger King previously. I believe that Burger King should look for at least five A-C grades at GCSE level when recruiting a supervisor, as this shows that not only are the candidates good in these specific areas, but also have the drive to succeed and achieve highly. Burger King needs to have an enthusiastic supervisor who would be able to motivate a team to work well, not just someone looking for higher pay than a lower employee in the hierarchy. Qualifications for a Manager Like the employee and supervisor roles, managers also are not required to have any specific qualifications. However, similar to the supervisor position Burger King looks for previous experience of managerial work. This is essential as they need someone who would be able to deal with tricky customers and also a leader to motivate their team. Without experience, candidates may not be able to cope under pressure or realise the initiative theyd need to use in complicated areas. I think that it is essential for a manager to withhold at least five A-C grade GCSEs as it shows dedication and enthusiasm for their work. It may also benefit Burger King to advertise for people with a specific qualification in a managerial subject, such as Business Studies. This could only improve the running of the largely expanding fast food chain, as with more knowledge on businesses, more improvements can be made. Training Employee training is a necessity as it is a way in which your skills can be developed and motivation to be increased. Training relates to employees gaining specific skills and abilities to perform well in their jobs. Training at Burger King can vary depending on the position that is being fulfilled. For each member of the management team the fast food restaurant expect a minimum of 12 weeks on-job and off-job training. The usual on the job training programme for a manager during this period is shown below: Weeks 1-3 * Gaining Product Knowledge * Leaning the job of a crew member * Counter Service * How to make a whopper * Equipment Knowledge * Supervisory Skills Weeks 4-5 * Basic Food Hygiene * Supervisory Skills Course * Supervisor Evaluation (observation on the job) Weeks 6-8 * Shift Control Skills * Loss Control * Shadowing Manager * Daily Administration * People Management Week 9 * Food Safety and Product Quality * Basic Management Training Course * Roles and Responsibilities * Team Work * Customer Service Weeks 10-12 * Shift Running (Under Supervision) * Feedback on management Skills All employees who undergo training at Burger King are not charged however they are expected to fund for the normal living expenses such as commuting and accommodation costs. For new employees such as till staff and kitchen staff Burger King has a Right Track Training Programme to ensure they have the best start to Burger King. This training programme is a comprehensive induction and training programme covering everything from Health Safety and Food safety through to working in the dining area, front counter or kitchen and how to make each product. Through providing an induction to all new staff it allows new staff to see how theyll be working, where theyll be working and who their fellow employees are. Also how things are done to help them fit in. Burger King believes that all their employees will learn what they need to know by shadowing which is when they work alongside others as well as using their new interactive DVD Programmes. It would be beneficial for Burger King to carry out an appraisal system but instead of annually it may be more favourable for them to be carried out every few months. This would then help employees to see what they are working well at and what things to improve on; these could then be made into targets which success could result in promotion or pay rise. The quicker employees feel wanted, the quicker they are earning money for Burger King. From reviewing staff progress more frequently it may give employees more motivation to stay working at Burger King for a longer period as they now have aims and goals which could improve their career. This would mean less training costs for Burger King and also in the long run a low staff turnover. At present I believe the techniques that Burger King is using to train their employees and managers, such as shadowing and induction programmes are effective in what they are doing. However, if Burger King want to ensure that employees stay in the job for a longer period it may be beneficial for them to do other training techniques such as training weekends away. This will build team skills and also allow employees to interact with staff from other sectors in which they work in. Motivation in Burger King In this section I am going to explore the different motivational theorists and see how their theories affect Burger King. Motivation is having the desire and willingness to do something. A motivated person can be reaching for either a long-term goal or a short term goal. Motivation is important as if employees are motivated to work; it increases the quality of products and therefore the reputation of a business. This is a major factor within Burger King as they are known for a high staff turnover. However, if their staff were more motivated and saw the long term opportunities for working for Burger King, they may be more willing to stay on and try for promotion. Abraham Maslow- Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Maslows theory mainly revolved around psychology and stated that, As humans meet basic needs, they seek to satisfy successively higher needs that occupy a set hierarchy. This is Maslows hierarchy of needs: Maslow believes that when the first stage is completely fulfilled only then will an employee be motivated enough to step up to the next level and complete it. For example only when an employee has basic needs such as food drink and sleep will they then be able to progress onto their safety needs such as security, limits and protection. In terms of Burger King Maslows theory wouldnt largely affect them. However for all people to work well certain needs need to be fulfilled such as sleep, food and drink. For Burger King Employees I believe that they only really need to concentrate on the first two stages as many employees do not stay long and are only there for the short term. Burger King does provide good hygiene conditions and security. Belonging and Love needs arent really met as although they work in teams Burger King do not provide team building activities such as weekends or any social events. This theory mainly addresses the needs of employees. Frederick Winslow Taylor Taylors primary idea was that workers are mainly motivated by pay. Therefore his theory was that if you break down production into a set of small tasks and only pay for the amount of product each employee produces, this would motivate staff and increase productivity. At the beginning this seemed like a good idea as productivity increased and workers were only paid for how hard they worked. They began to build specialised skill for the specific area and businesses were more efficient as less staff were needed. However, employees soon became to dislike Taylors approach to motivation as they were given boring, repetitive tasks and were being treated no better than human machines. Certain aspects of this theory do apply to Burger King. Burger King pays their employees hourly, not piece rate, and has set areas in which people work- these can either be tills or kitchen staff. This provides competition between the two areas which can build motivation as to which area can work the best. However Burger King wouldnt realistically be able to pay employees on their productivity as each area has different tasks, some of which cant be measured, such as working on the tills. This theory addresses mainly the performance of employees. Frederick Herzberg Herzberg believed in a two-factor theory of motivation. Job Enlargement- Workers would be given a greater range of tasks to perform (not essentially more challenging) which should make the work more interesting. Job Enrichment- Involvement of workers being given a wider variety of more intricate, interesting and demanding tasks surrounding a complete unit of work. This should then give a greater sense of achievement. Herzberg used a survey to investigate what people liked and disliked about their jobs and with these results he put them into two categories; motivators and Hygiene Factors. His two factor theorem is shown below: Motivators Hygiene Factors Achievement Company Policy Recognition of achievement Supervision Meaningful and interesting work Pay Responsibility Interpersonal Relations Advancement Working Conditions For Burger King they need to ensure that all hygiene factors are covered so that workers feel safe and happy to be working in a clean environment. For example clean work surfaces and floors. Burger King does already achieve highly good hygiene factors however theyre not providing the best motivation. With this they dont have any achievement within their working days and simply work for pay. This lacks fun and could mean that employees would work better if they had something to look forward to. This theory addresses both the needs and performance of employees. PEST In this section I am going to explain how PEST affects the recruitment process in Burger King. From identification of a role to managing change inside the company PEST influences how Burger King plans and responds to these influences as it effects the entire recruitment cycle. Pest analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business. PEST is an acronym which stands for: P- Political E- Economy S- Social T- Technology When referring to pest you need to think about the following: POLITICAL Local Authorities Central Government Parliament Minimum Wage Base Rates Privatisations ECONOMIC/ LEGAL Laws Health and Safety Dismissals Monopolies Mergers and Takeovers Consumer Protection SOCIAL Trends Laws Habits TECHNICAL ICT Telecommunications Production Human Resources Marketing PEST can be used by businesses to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition, or idea. Many businesses use PEST analysis for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research reports. PEST analysis is most helpful before completing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). PEST can essentially be useful when a business is expanding into new countries and markets as it helps guide a company from making costly mistakes, unfounded assumptions, and help effectively adapt well into a new environment, when considering recruitment and selection. Pest in terms of Burger King Political Minimum Wage- At present Burger King do comply with the national minimum wage, however if they were to expand into new countries the minimum wage may be different. If it were increased it would mean that Burger King would be paying more for staff and may have fewer funds for other factors of the business such as new technology. If the minimum wage was decreased then this would mean more funds for other factors of the business. Laws- Burger King needs to take into consideration different laws in different countries. In some countries the consequences of breaking these laws could be ominous especially in China where they use capital punishment. Also laws that in force who can be employed by Burger King, for example women and children. Economic Health Safety- Burger King need to ensure that their health and safety is of the highest standards. If Burger King were to expand into less developed countries it may mean that they need to improve their health safety aspects. Therefore they would need to consider training within their recruitment process. Monopolies Mergers Takeovers- If Burger King where to expand into other countries they need to ensure that there arent other fast food restaurants who dominate the fast food market as they are less likely to build there own customer base. Also less people would be willing to work for them compared to competing restaurants, which would mean Burger Kings recruitment levels would fall. However, if other countries have fast food restaurants that are not well known, Burger King may be able to takeover these smaller restaurants and expand the Burger King brand. Social Trends- Burger King needs to take into account what the favourite foods are in certain countries. For example the Whooper Burger may be favourable in certain countries but in others it may be the Cheese Burger. Habits- As Burger King operate in a number of countries they need to be aware of the language barriers which will occur. To ensure these are fulfilled Burger King needs to employee staff who speak the language of the country they are operating in. Therefore training aids would have to be converted into the chosen language. Technical ICT- As technology is always changing and more developed in certain countries, Burger King needs to ensure that they are up-to-date if they want to be the best fast food restaurant. For instance they need the best till operations so that transactions are fast and comply with the five minute rule. Also as technology changes it will affect the job training that Burger King offers employees. Production- If Burger King used advanced technology it may mean that they could produce their products in bulk and therefore save time and reduce the costs of their production. With production being affected Burger King would have to look at how to ensure consistency in training and staff development. Through using PEST Burger King can evaluate what areas they need to consider when expanding into new countries. It would be beneficial to use PEST as it would be easier for Burger King to adapt to new surroundings if they knew the trends and laws they need to abide to. This means that in the future they could expand into new countries with less difficulty. Recruitment Documents In this section I have created my own personal specification and Job description and will evaluate individually. Job Description Post Title: Manager Responsible to: Director External Contexts: Members of public and other stakeholders Internal Contexts: Other managers and all general staff Salary: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,600 Job Purpose To take responsibility for your section by making key decisions, ordering goods and leading, motivating and training your team. To enthusiastically lead and motivate the restaurant team to achieve the highest standards levels of customer service satisfaction. Main Duties and Responsibilities * Manages all daily operations of Burger King to maximise sales and a positive customer experience. * Motivating and training your team to ensure the very highest standards are maintained. * Ensures great food is promptly delivered in a clean and inviting environment. * Take full responsibility for your section to ensure that all transactions run smoothly. * Ensures that each visit by a customer results in a friendly and personalised service. Rewards In return for your dedication and hard work we offer a competitive salary as well as the following benefits: * Medical and Dental insurance * Paid holidays * Vision Care * Life insurance * Bonus Program * Career Advancement Opportunities Analysis of Job Description A job description is a written statement of what a job holder does how it is done, why it is done and the skills needed to perform the job. These include the purpose, duties, equipment used, qualifications, training, physical and metal demands and working conditions. I have created a job description for a managerial position at Burger King. I believe that my job description is effective as the main purpose of it is to describe the roles and duties that the job position undertakes. These need to be in a job description so that the potential employee knows what duties they will be carrying out if they apply for the job. Also in my job description I have added in the rewards of working as a manager in Burger King so that new recruits can see what they will get in return for their dedication to the job. This is effective because it could persuade them to take the job as there are many benefits. I have chosen to layout my job description with headings and sub-headings for each section as it brakes down the information and provides a well ordered recruitment document. Also I researched into the types of job descriptions that Burger King use and used this as a template. Also, I have used the Burger King logo at the top of my document so that all candidates can see what the job is for, before actually reading it. By creating a job description it ensures that only people who believe they can complete the duties of a manager apply to the job and therefore do not waste the time of Burger King. Personal Specification Job Title: Burger King Manager Responsible to: Director Salary: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,600 There are a number of qualities that we look for in our manager. These consist of: * Adaptable in all situations * Initiative to deal with tricky situations * Good communication skills * Good Customer Relations * Enthusiastic and energised * Flexibility * Team work * Respect for others * Pride in performance Burger King takes pride in being one of the leading fast food retailers. Our managers need to have the skills to motivate their team and the assertiveness to ensure all work is done smoothly. Also both written and communication skills will be required as you will be working with people daily and also need to write reports on your employees, to ensure that their progression is recorded. The relevant work experience that we look for is four or more years in a management or supervisory capacity in a restaurant or in the retail/ hospitality industry. Qualifications The qualifications we require for our managers are: * High school diploma or equivalent, with two years of college or equivalent preferred * Strong math and Windows-based computer literacy * Reliable Transportation * Open/Flexible Schedule Analysis of Personal Specification A personal specification is drawn up from the job description and describes the knowledge, skills and attributes that are essential to perform jobs. The criteria must be specific, measurable, and justifiable in relation to the job requirements. I have created a personal specification for a managerial position at Burger King. I have created my personal specification so that it relates to my job description and reflects the skills required for competency in the role, as directed in the job description. I believe that this is effective so that the skills on my personal specification relate to the job in hand. My personal specification is successful as is it contains both the skills and qualifications needed to comply with the job. These are needed in a personal specification so that potential employees know what they need to have a chance with getting the job. Without these, Burger King would get too many people applying for the job who are not suitable. I have chosen to layout my job specification with headings, sub-headings and bullet points for key information as this brakes down the information and provides a well ordered recruitment document. Also I researched into the types of job descriptions that Burger King use and used this as a template. Also, I have used the Burger King logo at the top of my document so that all candidates can see what the job is for, before actually reading it. By creating a personal specification it ensures that only people with the given qualities and qualifications apply to the job and therefore do not waste the time of Burger King. Interview Process In this section I am going to explain the preparation of an interview, what a good interview consists of and analyse an interview that was carried out. An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee. Interviews can be divided into two rough types, interviews of assessment and interviews for information. Preparation for an Interview Before an interview can take place there are a number of factors that need to be considered. Firstly, a business needs to have already produced a job description and personal specification, to which they can compare the candidates qualities and previous work experience to. Not only can these documents help identify a candidates personality traits but also a guide to base the interviewers questions around. Before an interview can take place it is essential you know you are going to ask the candidate. These questions need to relate to all recruitment documents including the personal specification, job description and job advert as they focus on the type of employee needed for their company. The questions need to test the candidate on whether their skills are the best suited for the job in hand and to see how they compare to other potential employees. Questions for Interview It is vital that the right sorts of questions are asked during an interview as these will determine whether the candidate suits the job or not. To get the most potential from a candidate it is in the best interest of the business to ask both open and closed questions. A closed question limits responses to a set number of options, such as yes and no, however these could be used at the beginning of an interview to create a more welcoming atmosphere, for example, How are you? Open questions require the person answering to provide a response in their own words, for example, How would you motivate a team? These questions are essential to find out the most about a person including key areas such as skills, qualities and personality. The key to any good interview is to develop on the answers given by the candidate and extend the knowledge of that area, i.e. What examples could you give me of when you have carries that out? The questions asked need to be relevant to the position advertised which is why relating them to the recruitment documents are so important. If you are interviewing for a managerial position you wouldnt ask, How would you deal with difficult customers? as it is unlikely for a manager to spend much time communicating with customers. The Interview Task For this task we were put into groups and carried out a panel interview for a managerial post at Burger King. Before we carried our interview out for a managerial position at Burger King there were a number of factors we needed to consider: * What questions would be suitable and relate to the recruitment documents. * What were the main skills we were looking for to fulfil the position. * How did their personality reflect their interest in working for Burger King. * How were we going to judge their: Appearance Attitude Body language As the interviewers we decided that it was a necessity for us to dress smart as we would be representing Burger King. On our panel we had three people, all carrying out the same role of asking the candidate questions in turn. We used three people as we were interviewing for a managerial position, which we believe would require more than one opinion on the candidates. This way the interview is less biased towards the potential employee as there is more than one opinion. The type of questions we decided we were going to ask was: * Did you find us ok? This helped to create a welcoming atmosphere, to calm any nerves of the candidate. * How have leadership skills benefited you in your previous job? This helps the interviewer get a greater understanding of a candidates previous work experience. This could also be checked up on through references. * How do you think your managerial skills can help our business? This helps the interviewee voice the skills and qualities they could potentially bring to Burger King. This is an open question which candidates could go into depth with and best promote themselves. * What do you know about the history of the company? This allows the interviewer to see how much a candidate actually knows about the business of whom they may be soon working for. The more they know about the business suggests the more interested they of having a long-term career there. * If one of the workers was not working to the full of there potential, how would you motivate them? This is an essential question to be asked for a managerial position as they would be in charge of a team, or which they will need to motivate to work well. * If there was an unsatisfied customer, how would you deal with them? This can help the employer get a fuller understanding of how the candidate would work on the spot and in tricky situations. * If one of your employees were late more than once, how would you deal with this? This is a good indication of how the potential employee would discipline their staff. Analysis of my Interview During our five minute interview we were able to ask a variety of questions relating to the role of manager as Burger King. For this position, we were looking for a candidate with previous managerial experience, who had a keen interest in the history of Burger King and presented themselves well. Whilst carrying out the interview there were a number of things that our group did well: * Asked questions relating to the position of manager. * Asked both open and closed questions. * Kept eye contact with candidates whilst answering and asking questions. * Showed a keen interest in what the candidate had to say. * Had an open body posture, i.e. Arms on the desk not crossed. 1 http://www.burgerking.co.uk/CompanyInfo/careers/index.aspx 2 http://www.burgerking.co.uk/CompanyInfo/careers/index.aspx 3 http://teenzone.monster.co.uk/articles/fastfood/page4/

Why Are Business Ethics Important?

Why Are Business Ethics Important? Nowadays for the company or the business man, making more money is not their only target because they should pay attention to other important issues .Therefore business ethics emerge as very significant for modern society and Modern Corporations. Further more, if they make decisions in business ethics, then these companies will have good reputations. This can be very helpful long-term. This essay focuses on how Apple company using business ethics and how Apple motivates their employees. In this essay, I have very clearly defined business ethics. Then it will talk about why business ethics and motivation are important. On the other hand, Motivation is a vital factor in an organizations success. It is defined as the energy that drives an individual to continue working on something. By developing motivation, the management is able to create a pool of workers who are passionate, hard working, ambitious, and committed not only to their jobs but also to the goals of the organization. Lastl y, motivation is encouraged by promoting needs such as pay, job security, interesting work environment, and healthy relationships among peers. This essay, which is composed of three parts: why business ethics and motivation are important, the literature review and some research of how Apple company using business ethics and how Apple motivates their employees. Why are business ethics important? Business ethics is currently a very prominent business topic, debates and dilemmas surrounding business ethics have attracted a lot of attention from various quarters. The only reason that business ethics is becoming more and more important and it has had a big impact on our communities. According to my research, there are many reasons why business ethics might be regarded as an increasingly important area of study. In summary, I can suggest the following reasons why a good understanding of business ethics is important. Firstly, the power and influence of corporations in society is greater than ever before. Evidence suggests that many members of the public are uneasy with such developments (Bernstein, 2000). For instance, one recent poll of more than 20 leading economic nations revealed that almost 75% of residents believed large companies had too much influence on the decisions of their government (Cywinski, 2008). Secondly, business has the potential to provide a major contribution to our societies in terms of producing the products and services that we want. It also provides employment, paying taxes, and acting as an engine for our world development. As a 2008 global survey conducted by McKinsey shows, about 50% of business executives think that corporations make a mostly or somewhat positive contribution to society, while some 25% believe that their contribution is mostly or somewhat negative (McKinsey Quarterly, 2008). Thirdly, business malpractices have the potential to inflict enormous harm on individuals, on communities, and on the environment. For example, the BP gasoline company, because it made a mistake, polluted large acreage of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Further more, few businesspeople have received formal business ethics education or training. Business ethics can help to improve ethical decision-making by managers or decision makers. The knowledge of business ethics can help them to correctly identify, diagnose, analyze, and provide solutions t o the ethical problems and dilemmas they are confronted with. Why are motivations important? First of all, the term motivation derives from the Latin word movere, meaning to move (Tansky, 2003). To be successful or even more successful, nowadays both private and public corporations need to maximize the use of their employees skills. Aslan (2011) said Employees were considered as solely one of the inputs during the factories production process in the initial stages of the industrial revolution. And further more, human resource management is the most critical part fororganizations in todays highly competitive business environment. Therefore, make the organization effective through motivating employees that is the primary task of any managers. It is obvious that motivation can be main factors that determines the work performance of employees. And therefore an organizations success mostly depends on the highly motivated employees. But how do we motivate our subordinate? Maslow need tneedsy already solved some of these problems. If we know what drives the people, then we are able to make them to do what we want (Owens, 2004; Eren, 2007; Ko?el, 2010). Moreover, Kulkarni and Chiniwar (2009) said the Hawthorne Studies began the human relations approach to management, and then the needs and motivation of employees become an important topic for managers. On the other hand motivation is a framework in so many aspects because people are usually motivated by different combination factors. Reinholt (2006) argues that the organizational science literature on motivation has been polarized into two main aspects; the organizational economic position focusing on extrinsic motivation and the organizational behavior position emphasizing intrinsic motivation any highly competive business environment. Therefore, make the organization effective through motivating employees that is the primary task of any managers. It is obvious that motivation can be main factors that determines the work performance of employees. And therefore an organizations success mostly depends on the hi ghly motivated employees.   But how do we motivate our subordinate?   If we know what drives the people, then we are able to make them to do what we want (Owens, 2004; Eren, 2007; Ko?el, 2010). Moreover, Kulkarni and Chiniwar (2009) said the Hawthorne Studies began the human relations approach to management, and then the needs and motivation of employees become an important topic for managers. On the other hand motivation is a framework in so many aspects because people are usually motivated by different combination factors. Reinholt (2006) argues that the organizational science literature on motivation has been polarized into two main aspects; the organizational economic position focusing on extrinsic motivation and the organizational behavior position emphasizing intrinsic motivations success mostly depends on the highly motivated employees.   Literature Review One of the keys to successfully achieving organizational goals is to have fully motivated employees. According to Edward Staren (2009), motivators who implements positive reinforcements are more likely to produce desirable outcomes as compared to those who use negative ones. He also argues that factors of motivation vary on the individual level, which means that an effective manager has to recognize the needs of every employee in order for them to drive towards satisfaction on their work. Richard Clark (2002) points out the issues in addressing motivation are different when it comes to individuals and team-based organizations. He furthered that satisfying motivations in groups is more complex because the management has to find a common interests or goals from the members of the group before addressing them as one. Work environment is also important in motivating people. Other motivators include fair compensation and sufficient benefits such as insurances and performance-based incentives. In a study conducted by Poornima (2009) on employees in the IT industry, he concluded that both monetary and non-monetary rewards are not only crucial but also crucial in building satisfaction. In his study on software development staff in India, Poornima found out that monetary rewards are not always an effective motivator especially if the employees have already achieved their physiological needs. Michael Pepe (2010), on the other hand, identified extrinsic motivational factors to c ontribute to decreasing employee job satisfaction and commitment to work. Using a combined sample of 46 managers and clerical staff at a supermarket store, Pepe found out that as employees increase their perception on Supervisor ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s support, their satisfaction towards work also increases. An empirical study by Mannenetr and Kaen (2010) conducted for the tourism industry of Thailand and Laos showed similar results of positive working behavior if accompanied by effective motivational factors. Upon drawing a sample consisting of 140 workers who came from both the hotel business and travel agencies, the authors supported their hypothesis by coming up with the following results: (a) that the working behavior of people working for travel agencies and hotel businesses had the same rank level, (2) that the work motivation of personnel working for travel agencies has a direct and positive relationship with their work behavior, and (3) the working attitudes of personnel in the ho tel business also had a positive relationship with their motivation at work. Their study showed that positive reinforcements will then result to positive motivation, thus exhibiting better and positive attitudes in the workplace. Similarly, a descriptive survey approach conducted by Joseph and Dai (2010) identified factors that stimulate employees to work at their workplace. The study is able to demonstrate through a sample of 143 participants that positive motivators identified were: good pay, appreciation of their work, and job security are drivers of employee motivation. To measure the impact of motivation at work, Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier, and Villenueve (2009) used Work Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Scale (WEIMS) to identify its value in organizational psychology. Their study was double purpose: first, to assess if WEIMS is an efficient tool in measuring motivation level and second, to assess factors affecting motivation among workers (military = 465; civilians = 192). Their findings found that WEIMS is reliable and practical in producing valid results in measuring motivation in organizational psychology setting. Houts, Keppler, and Kalfayan (2010), on the other hand, focused on motivation theory, corporate culture, and employment law in relation to organizational behavior, human resource management, and ethics. The case study researched a true-to-life lawsuit filed against a company due to inappropriate team building exercise implemented among the female employees. The authors have exemplified that motivational factors may be us ed in the wrong direction to exploit employees and cast aspersions on them. On the other hand, I have found some information about business ethics. In my opinion, business does not have just one single goal, which is adding economic value. Every company wants their business keep profitable, that means sustainability. Andrew and Dirk (2004) said sustainability refers to the long-term maintenance of systems according to environment, economic and social considerations. This is the best way or the only one way to make a business keep survive in the modern society. The concept of sustainability is generally regarded as having emerged from the environment perspective, most notably in forestry management (Hediger, 1999). The environment part is the basic principle of sustainability. It concerns the effective management of physical resources that are conserved for the future. Meanwhile, all biosystems are regarded as having the finite resources and finite capacity. As this reason, sustainable human activity must operate at a level that does not threaten the health o f those systems. That means we have to build a world for our posterity that can really enjoy the same living standards as us. So the Mine Companies, Oil Corporations, and steel manufactures should focus on this important issue. On the other hand, economic sustainability focuses on the economic performance of the corporation itself. For instance, the responsibility of management is to develop, produce, and market those products that can secure the long-term profitability of the corporation. That means management of the corporation should include the business ethics concepts, and the top managers or decision makers should understand what business ethics is. Because it definitely can help them make ethical decisions. The development of the social perspective on sustainability has tended to trail behind that of the environment and economic perspectives (Scott, Park, and Cocklin, 2000). The key issue in the social perspective on sustainability is that of social justice. Because corporati ons are the most important engines of economic development, so they have the duty to help people to establish the just and equitable world. Some of goals such as ensuring environmental sustainability, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education. It is very difficult to achieve the goal, but all the companies have to try their best to do it. Secondly, corporate social responsibility still a big part for business ethics. Making a positive contribution to society might be regarded as a long-term investment in a safer, better and more equitable community, which subsequently benefits the corporation by creating an improved and stable competitive context in which to do business (Porter and Kramer, 2006). For a company, the social responsibility is really important, and this is the most significant issue in business ethics. Corporate social responsibility that includes economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities (Carroll, 1991). Therefore, if a company accomplishes all the duties, then this company will have a very good reputation and it will help it get the long-term competitive advantage. First of all, economic responsibility is the most basic principle in corporate social responsibility. Because companies have their own shareholders who demand a reasonable return on their investment. And then, these bosses h ave their employees, so the employees want safe and fairly paid jobs. Both of them have customers who demand good quality products at a fair price. The legal responsibility of corporations demands that businesses abide by the law and never break the law or constitution. Carroll (1991) suggests that the satisfaction of legal responsibilities is required of all corporations seeking to be socially responsible. On the other hand, ethical responsibility obliges companies to do what is right, just and fair. Carroll (1991) argues that ethical responsibilities therefore consist of what is generally expected by society over and above economic and legal expectations. The last responsibility is philanthropic, this aspect of CSR addresses a great variety of issues, such as charitable donations, support for local schools or hospitals and taking more care about employees and their families. Lastly, ethical issues in the firm-employee relation. So its the ethics inside the company. Every company has its own staff, so all the bosses try to motivate their employees and therefore they will be working so hard. But if they do not have a good relationship, maybe a boycott will happen and it will be harmful for the corporation. So, the ethical issues in the firm-employee relation can assist with investors building a modern company. A first important area is the information policy of the corporation (Hopkins and Hopkins 1999). It can be contended that employees have a right to know about the reason for downsizing a company and redundancy. If the company fires the employees, the company should make the compensation package regular, because they become unemployed people, so they need enough money to bridge the time for finding a new job. Moreover, employees might take control of individual decisions relevant their own jobs, they are not only a pawn of the employers. Employees are also allowed to express their views on decision taken by employer. So a boss or CEO for the company, he is not the only one decision maker or dictator. Their staffs also have the rights to make decisions. Therefore, I think employees have a full and codified right to determine major decisions n the company. How Apple Company Motivates employees and business ethics Apple Inc. the one of the most successful multinational corporation, worlds third-largest mobile phone maker after Samsung and Nokia. Fortune magazine 2009 named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012. However, the company has received criticism for its contractors labor practices, and for Apples own environmental and business practices. But, as we all known nothing is perfect, so we can still learn some good stuffs about ethics and motivation from Apple Inc. Apple has been committed to the highest standards of social responsibility across its worldwide supply chain. It has been insist all of its suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and moreover use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. Well terminate our relationship with those suppliers which do not respect the code or they refuse to take corrective actions based on audits (Apple supplier code, 2012). To respect labor and human right. Apples suppliers must uphold the rights of their workers. Apple does not tolerate involuntary labor, underage labor, excessive work hours, or discrimination. And as a member of the Fair Labor Association, Apple is setting a new standard in its industry for transparency and oversight. Moreover, Apples suppliers must create a safe and healthy work environment for their workers. Safety equipment, proper ventilation, and emergency procedures are just the beginning. On the other hand, Apples suppliers must use environmentally sound processes, including managing hazardous substances, treating wastewater, and limiting air emissions. Its all part of a commitment that starts with product design and continues through manufacturing and beyond. Lastly, the most important part for Apple is fostering and enforcing ethical practices. Apple has established ethics training programs for managers that cover proper recruitment of foreign workers, record-keeping and documentation of business practices, worker ID checks and age verification, tracking of working hours, and general management responsibilities. Apple-designed training programs have educated more than one million supply chain employees about their rights as workers, local laws and occupational health and safety (Apple, 2012). Look at how Apple motivates employees. In relation to creative organizations like Apple it is argued that the key success factor is employees motivation and therefore Apple need to be rewards employees in order to foster creative thinking and sustain high motivation (Tiddand Bessant, 2009). On the other hand, Kaplan Norton (1993) said Apple makes a comprehensive employee survey for its departments every two years. The survey questions are only concerned with how well employees understand the companys strategy. Apple motivates people depend on the result of the survey. It offers, such as product discounts or insurances (Apple, 2010).This policy can retain more and more employees work for Apple. Moreover, Steve Jobs, Apples CEO, argues that the latter is the gravitational force that puts all the bright and creative people together (Burrows, 2004). By the way, money and gifts are both good things to motivate people. For example, Apples employees receive d a free iPod Shuffle or iPhone a s a thank you for their achievements (Apple Insider 2005; Meinck, 2007). So now we can easily to find that Apple has a good policy or systems to do motivate employees and doing ethical business. As far as I concerned, Apple will innovate more and more new high tech products and soft wares. Because Apples motivation policy will attract more knowledge people come to work for it. In the future, Apple will become a good example of business ethics, and then organizations will learn business ethics from Apple. Therefore, in my opinion Apple will lead our future. Conclusion Hope we can learn some about motivation and business ethic, and some good example from Apple. Motivation is a result of equally combined efforts of positive reinforcements and the personal goals of an employee. The literature review tells that there is a direct correlation between motivational factors and working behaviors of personnel. Theories such as Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, Equity Theory, and Goal Setting Theory help in understanding how motivation is formed and achieved through positive and negative reinforcements. It is also important for effective managers to realize that not all employees are aware that they are already unmotivated towards their work. On the other hand, business ethics is very important for the company in the modern society. Both developing and developed countries must focus on the theories and concepts. It is very difficult to make all the businesspeople doing ethical business, but I think in the future, it will be come true. Our human will build a perfec t world.

Michael Wigglesworth: Devoted Preacherman Overcomes Sickliness And Sill

Michael Wigglesworth: Devoted Preacherman Overcomes Sickliness And Silly Name to Write The First American Bestseller THE MAN (NO MYTH, NO LEGEND) Puritan diaries provide feeble fodder for biographical blurbs. Most diaries focus primarily on spiritual growth. The diary of Michael Wigglesworth is hardly an exception. As noted in the reputable Dictionary of Literary Biography, "Wigglesworth’s private, personal life is surrounded by much ambiguity and conjecture." Wigglesworth (1631-1705) spent the bulk of his life in Malden, Massachusetts, his activities alternating between preaching, writing preachy poetry, and retching in pain. He studied at Harvard and eventually became a practicing physician and minister. He hardly had a year of preaching under his proverbial belt when an obscure "painful, lingering" disease smote him silly. The disease ravaged his innards for nearly twenty years, during which time he had to decline the presidency of Harvard and turn to poetry as a means of preaching from his sickbed (Bosco 337-342). When compared to some of his contemporaries, Wigglesworth composed a fairly slim collection of poetry. However, "The Day of Doom," an Edwards-esque diatribe detailing the second coming of Christ, achieved immense popularity. Hailed by numerous scholars as "the first American bestseller," the poem (comprise of 224 eight-line stanzas) was an immediate success in the American colonies. Generations of schoolchildren memorized it, and their pious parents clutched it closely. Perhaps roused by his success, or by his marriage to a woman 25 years his junior, Wigglesworth "made a startling recovery" and spurned his disease. As Cotton Mather observed, "It pleased God wondrously to restore His Faithful Servant. He... ...mporaries: Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor. Wigglesworth’s style "strikes contemporary readers as more appropriate to the pulpit than to poetic stanzas." The didactic style, exactly what Puritan readers favored, displeases most modern readers (Bosco 337-342). Works Cited Bosco, Ronald A. "Michael Wigglesworth." Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol 24: American Colonial Writers. Ed. Emory Elliot. Princeton U: Gale Group, 1984. 337-342. Radel, Nicholas F. " A Sodom Within: Historicizing Puritan Homoerotics in the Diary of Michael Wigglesworth." The Puritan Origins of American Sex. Eds. Tracy Fessenden, Nicholas F. Radel, and Magdalena J. Zaborowska. New York: Routledge, 2001. Works Consulted Wigglesworth, Michael. The Day of Doom, or a Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgment. Ed. Kenneth B. Murdock. New York: Russell & Russell, 1966.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Pain of Growing Up :: Free Essay Writer

To Kill A Mocking Bird  Ã‚   Growing Up Growing up is one of the most important stages of human life. It is the part when humans reach maturity, become adults, and attain full growth. Also, it means one more thing. It means understanding more about the society. Harper Lee's, To Kill A Mocking Bird, shows the different ways of growing up.   There are three characters who go through the process of growing up, Scout mentally grows up, Jem goes through a mental growing up that every adolescent will go through and aunt Alexandra also goes through a mental growing up. Scout is the narrator of the whole book. She is the young daughter of a lawyer, Atticus. They live in Maycomb County with Scout's brother and Aunt in the 1930's. At the beginning of the book, she doesn’t know much about the prejudice of Southern America. She basically knows nothing about prejudice. She thinks every person is the same as her. But she finds that out at last. She also finally finds out that most people are nice. She just has to put herself in those people's situations. "As I made my way home, I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else left for us to learn, except possibly algebra" (Lee pg. #).   This statement shows that she understands the prejudice and people's thinking, at last. That makes her life a lot different. Jem is Scout's brother. He is a little older than Scout. He also becomes familiar with the prejudice of Maycomb County through the story. In addition, he grows up like most teenagers â€Å"He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody† â€Å"said Scout† (pg. #). That statement is made when Jem starts to grow up. He doesn’t want to play with Scout like a little kid anymore. He wants to be a man. Aunt Alexandra is Atticus' sister. She moves to live with Scout and Jem because she wants to teach them the right way of growing up since their mom is dead. As she watches them grow up, she grows up mentally also. â€Å"People up there set them free, but you don't see them setting at the table with them. At least we don't have the deceit to say to them ‘yes, you are as good as we are but stay away from us’ said Mrs.

Global Terrorist Organizations Essay -- Fighting Terrorism

ETA stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna in Euskara, or in English, Basque Fatherland and Freedom. It grew out of the EKIN in Spain in 1959 and formed as a radical Basque separatist group. Discontented with the moderate nationalism of the main Basque party, the ETA is dedicated to a separate nation-state for the Basque people, an ethnic group inhabiting areas of northern Spain and southwestern France. Currently there are about 300 members . Current leaders include Juan Cruz Maiztegui Bengoa and Josà © Luis Eciolaza Galà ¡n, however very little is known about the ETA power hierarchy. They are extremely secretive about their leadership structure. However in 1992, ETA's three top leaders — "military" leader Francisco Mujika Garmendia, political leader Josà © Luis Alvarez Santacristina and logistical leader Josà © Marà ­a Arregi Erostarbe were arrested . The majority of their attacks have targeted businesses and Spanish government officials, especially members of the security services and the judiciary. Their most common tactics are bombing and assassination. However, they have been known to issue warnings prior to their attacks. Their most infamous attack was the assassination of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco in December 1973. He was killed when an underground bomb exploded beneath his car. Blanco was considered the most likely successor to Spain's dictator, Franco. More than twenty years later, the ETA almost assassinated politician Jose Maria Aznar, who later became prime minister . The ETA is financed by kidnapping and robbery. However, extortion provides the main revenue for their activities. The group also has ties with other terrorist groups, including the Irish Republican Army and Venezuela's Red Flag . Recently, the ETA ... ...10, Web. 25 May 2010. . â€Å"Lashkar-e-Taiba.† South Asian Terrorism Portal. SATP, 2001, Web. 25 May 2010. . Ibid. Bajoria, Jayshree Ibid. â€Å"Lashkar-e-Taiba† Bajoria, Jayshree http://middleeast.about.com/od/afghanistan/ss/me080914a.htm http://normlife.com/documents/original/the_talibans_interpretation_of_islam.htm http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2325?_hi=34&_pos=4 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html http://www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch5.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703565804575238750543006606.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us