Thursday, January 30, 2020

A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration Essay Example for Free

A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration Essay A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, written by Mary Rowlandson, is about King Philip’s War. The war started on June 20 in 1675 and was between English colonists and Native Americans. During the war, the Indians attacked English colonists’ territory. They burned the colonists’ houses, killed the resisters and captured some of the colonists. The living of captives was very tough. They had to move from place to place with the Indians. The Indians treated them very badly. If they didn’t listen to the Indians, they would be beaten or even be killed. Besides, the weather was cold and sometimes the food supply was short. As a result, lots of captives died during the captivity. As a victim of the Indian attacks, Mary Rowlandson wrote a vivid description of the eleven weeks and five days she spent living with Native Americans which owns very high value in American Literature. First of all, the work owns high historical value in American Literature. In her description, she vividly shows her experience as a captive which makes people easily understand the situation at this period and the relationship between English colonist and the Indians. In her description, we can find that all the English captives didn’t be ruled by the same Indian master. There were different Indian masters. Each Indian master owned English captives and located in different places. According to the masters, the captives could be transferred from one tribe to another. Also, in the description, sometimes Mary Rowlandson communicated with the Indians. From this point, we can find that some of the Indians could speak English. Besides, in the work, we can also know how English colonists deal with Native Americans. They trade by money, clothes, tobacco, liquors, seed corn hemlock, ground ivy and etc. This point shows that the living of the Indians was tough then. They lacked food and some daily necessaries, so it was effective to trade with them by something they really needed in their lives instead of money. Secondly, this work also shows the high value of Christian point of view. As a Christian, Mary Rowlandson uses lots of quotes and passages from the Bible in the description. No matter how hard the captivity was, she always  showed her piety to God. Instead of blaming the Indians, she used the stories in the Bible to console her sorrow and suffering. The Bible was the center of her life during the captivity. Even though her experience was so painful, she thanked God for everything. In the work, she strongly showed the positive side of Christianity which make readers offer high value to the Christians. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is one of the important works in American Literature. It offers readers high values of history and Christian point of view. By reading the story of Mary Rowlandson, we can clearly understand this period of American history. and also realize the virtue of Christianity.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

MP3s Are Beneficial :: Music Technology Essays

MP3s Are Beneficial With the invention of the computer came the invention of the internet. That invention of the internet has changed our entire lives and will entire to continue to change our lives. The internet is not always entirely good, but with the availability of information and the newfound ease of communication most do not often think of the internet as troublesome. While some find certain aspects of the newest technology harmful, others appreciate the technology and use it to uncover new leaves. Early perhaps no one had the vision of how the internet would change the entertainment world to the point it has today. The form of email we have today wasn’t in the inventors minds nor anything such as live video broadcasts online. So people sitting in front of a computer downloading and sharing audio files from one another through a mediator was nowhere near the realm of the inventors either. For Shawn Fanning, a 18 year-old college drop-out the vision of sharing songs and other audio files was right down his alley. For days Fanning, whose friends nicknamed "Napster," went sleepless while scribbling a code for the file sharing program. Eventually the code for Napster was completed in mid-1999. Napster was to allow its users to share mp3 files amongst each other. Mp3’s are a compressed form of an audio file that take up much less space than other forms of audio files. A CD can hold up to 80 minutes of music most of the time, but in mp3 form it can hold up to 10 hours of music or sound, So with advantage of mp3’s the popularity of Napster grew amazingly fast and within a year "An average of 640,000 people were downloading songs" at any given time. But with the popularity came the glaring eye of the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA). As college students all across America quickly discovered they can hear their favorite musicians or songs wi thin minutes and all it takes is a few clicks of a mouse. College campuses started to ban the use of Napster as the RIAA was quickly moving to put a strong hold on the file sharing program. The RIAA’s position was "The record labels, as musicians' representatives, have long had legal control of how songs are distributed--and the ability to make money from that distribution.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Cooper Pharmaceuticals Case Analysis Essay

On the surface, the issue of Bob Marsh’s firing from Cooper Pharmaceuticals appears to be an open and shut case; he did not adhere to the repeated warnings by management to alter his performance and selling style, therefore he was fired. However, other considerations are in play when you analyze this case further. Bob was an employee of Cooper for twelve years at the time of his termination, and had seemingly improved his performance when prompted to do so. Bob was also exceptionally well received by physicians, office receptionists, and hospital personnel, which is a vital attribute when being a â€Å"detailer.† His persistent downside, though, was his lack of organization, planning, and follow-up, and a tendency to question some of the company’s major promotion programs. The central question to this case is, â€Å"how could this happen to someone like Bob Marsh in a company like Copper?† In my opinion, while Cooper Pharmaceuticals was not entirely withou t fault, Bob’s termination was primarily the result of his own actions, or lack thereof. Cooper Pharmaceuticals was a major manufacturer of prescription drugs for the medical and dental professions and had a reputation throughout the industry for having â€Å"excellent† management practices. The company fielded a sales force of over 500 detailers whose job was to persuade medical personnel to use and prescribe Cooper Pharmaceuticals’ drugs. Initially, Bob fit the mold of what was desired by Cooper in prospective employees. He was rated highly in his sincerity, aggressiveness, attitude, enthusiasm, learning ability, judgment, character, affability, and appearance; Bob seemed like the perfect fit. He was hired about a month after his initial interview and, much to his delight, was assigned to a territory in his hometown, Toledo. From there, Bob was seemingly ready to start his training and begin a long and prosperous career with Cooper. An effective sales training program is vital to the success of a company’s sales force. A training program should have a finite set of objectives: increased sales productivity, lower turnover, higher morale and sense of purpose, improved communication, improved customer relations, and improved self-management. It is also impor tant that companies provide a method for systematically reinforcing their training programs. Otherwise, salespeople are unlikely to change their behavior. The training at Cooper Pharmaceuticals, in principle, should have worked quite well. Employees,  including Bob, showed signs of increased sales performance on a year-to-year basis, and in 1989 sales exceed $1 billion. Turnover was low for their industry, around 8%. Also, 60% of detailers had ten or more years with the company, and 25% had fewer than five years. Each employee received a company car, generous benefits, and reimbursement for normal business expenses. Bob, while maintaining the same position as detailer, went from a starting salary of $35,000 in year one to a salary over $60,000 in his twelfth year. Bob received a month’s training in product characteristics and selling, or detailing, skills at Cooper’s headquarters. Aside from this training, both new and experienced detailers received regular training from the 35 district managers. This reinforcement was done so to ensure that all detailers mai ntained the level of expertise and professionalism requisite of a Cooper Pharmaceuticals detailer. From these facts, it becomes more apparent that the necessary skills to be successful were properly trained, informed, and reinforced in Bob by Cooper. Even from his initial interview with Cooper, there was one glaring fault Bob possessed: his seeming indifference to organization. His first district manager, John Meredith, felt that Bob gave little advanced thought to the physicians he hoped to see. Then, upon seeing the physicians, he had no definite plan or approach once in the physician’s office. From the beginning of this class, we learned that pre-approach is vital to the selling process. In this stage, information is gathered about the prospect to decipher the specific needs they have. As noted in the beginning of the case, Bob had many references from physicians and medical personnel. I believe that these relationships caused Bob to become lazy in his pre-approach and approach, and ultimately served as a crutch on which he began to rely. In addition to his lack of organization, Bob displayed more interest in developing his own promotional programs than in following the plans outlined at district meetings, and he would also second-guess promotions by deciding, on his own, which products to promote. This should have been a huge red flag for John Meredith. What would happen if a baseball player blatantly disregarded a sign and decided to swing when his coach told him not to swing? That player would find himself on the bench. If that player continually disobeyed his coach’s instructions he would find himself looking for a new team. In this instance, though, Bob was not benched. He was instead given a list of suggestions on how he could improve in certain  areas, including: * Should overcome the tendency to prejudge customers and promotion programs * Should be more responsive to management directives * Should give more attention to planning and organization As becomes evident as Bob’s tenure at Cooper Pharmaceuticals continued, he failed to adopt this initial list of suggestions, yet his employment perpetuated. After John Meredith, there was Bill Couch, then Jim Rathburn, followed by Vince Reed, Antonia Wilkens, and ultimately Ted Franklin. Six supervisors in a twelve year span is a high number. Then, when you consider the fact that many of them were young, motivated, and driven, it becomes clearer why Bob was able to keep his job. His sales numbers were constantly at quota, and there were no issues in terms of customer relations. By the time his deficiencies were noted, a new district manager was in already in place. It seems that Bob was aware of this trend and used it to his advantage. So long as he hit his sales quotas and kept customers happy, all would be well. The case states that every Cooper Pharmaceutical detailer was evaluated in terms of both sales volume and improvement in his or her relationships with customers. From this statement one could conclude that Bob should have retained his job. His sales volumes were constant yearly, sometimes increasing. He also, evident from the multiple inquiries from current customers upon his termination, maintained wonderful working relationships with his customers. The evaluation process at Cooper Pharmaceuticals is what perpetuated Bob’s employment with the company. While looking at just the sales numbers, Bob appeared to be a great employee. However, there are other factors to consider when evaluating employees. Most managers or supervisors would likely agree that they wished their employees follow their instructions when prompted to do so. To ensure that a case similar to Bob’s does not become the norm at Cooper Pharmaceuticals there are three steps that management should take. One, they should maintain a better record keeping process of employment evaluations. It is possible that because this example occurred during the 1980s, record keepi ng was maintained on paper rather than computers. However, that does not excuse an employee who repeatedly makes the same mistakes to be retained. Two, there should be a  more streamlined transition process for an outgoing district manager to pass on files/documentation to the new district manager. For example, Bob was placed on probation by Vince Reed that required him to improve performance to an acceptable level within 90 days. However, upon Vince Reed’s subsequent transfer, no one followed up on Bob’s performance. Bob’s probationary status had â€Å"evaporated.† Three, they should enact a three-strike policy. One could receive a strike for failing to reach sales quotas, not following management’s instructions, or falling customer relations. An employee would be fired following strike three. Doing this step would make the threat of termination a tangible thought, employees would be fully aware that constant missteps and mess-ups will not be tolerated. The thought of Bob Marsh being reinstated or there being any legal ramifications for Cooper Pharmaceuticals is laughable. Bob was given the chance to improve his faults on multiple occasions, yet he failed to do so for any extended period of time. He took advantage of the fact that each new district manager gave him the chance to improve. Then, his performance would slip little by little, but by this time a new district manager would be in place and the process would repeat itself. Not until Ted Franklin took over did the process change course. Ted looked over all of Bob’s previous deficiencies and realized that his record was not good and Bob would have to follow an outline given to him and complete weekly reading assignments. Not only did Bob fail to follow this agreement, he accepted his subsequent termination with little resistance or comment. The fact that Bob would call Cooper Pharmaceuticals and say he was treated unfairly is preposterous. He should be thankful for his twelve years of employment at the company and that none of his previous district managers were as competent or paid as close attention to detail as Ted Franklin. Yes, Bob appears to have maintained great relationships with his customers, and as we learned in class 80% of sales tends to come from 20% of the customers. So it is, realistically, a possibility that some business would be lost from the decision to terminate Bob. However, a company with the reputation of Cooper Pharmaceuticals should not keep an employee simply because a few clients from one sales region want him to be retained. Certain offers, such as incentives or promotions could be provided to these customers in attempt to ensure their repeated business and prove that not just Bob can provide great service and keep them happy customers. In addition, Cooper  Pharmaceuticals should, while not being defamatory or slanderous, fully outline the faults Bob possessed as an employee and effectively relay these as the reasons of his termination to Bob’s accounts. So, to answer this case’s central question, this termination happened to Bob Marsh because of Bob Marsh.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Personality Profile Essay - 1107 Words

Personality Profile MGT/360 Personality Profile In modern business, it is important to have a mindset of sustainability and environmentally friendly business practices. Two fundamental characteristics of an effective and sustainable leadership model are having the foresight of what the company is trying to attain and identifying the worth in the process and supplying the leadership to reach the companies goals. Leadership begins with trusting in the process, and adhering to the steps themselves. The single best way to achieve this is to lead by example. In this paper the author will explain how Marie Ziegler of John Deere help set the company on the path it follows today. Marie Ziegler has set the standard for John†¦show more content†¦Marie recognized that the customers are the reason a company exists. As a good leader she understood that without customers, there is no need for the products that John Deere provides. The product and the service that any company provides is a direct reflection of the dedication of a company, its values and its employees. The conduct of a business from the president and CEO all the way down to the staff on the sales floor reflects a company’s values. Strategy is what a leader uses to develop a set of actions to follow that supports long term visions, values and objectives (Desjardins, 2007). Strategy is the crucial aspect for the integrated management system. There are key elements to developing the strategy that surrounds all the health, safety, and environmental considerations required to fulfill the strategic plan. Included within this are the planning process, setting targets and objectives, establishing and environmental policy that backs the vision of the company, contemplating which industry code of practices will be instituted, and defining the framework for communication. When these aspects are combined, they create an environmental policy that states a company’s base principals and projected intentions for environmental performance. Marie exhibits a take control type personality which is a strongShow MoreRelatedPersonality Profile : My Personality Essay1121 Words   |  5 PagesI have to admit that I was skeptical at completing the personality profile. I thought, â€Å"How could a few questions determine everything about my management style†. When I received my results, I was astonished at how accurate these results portrayed my personality. While deciding which of my personality traits were advantageous and which were detrimental to my management style, I became conflicted as all of my scores can be portrayed as both positive and negative depending on the situation. I wouldRead MorePersonality Profile : My Personality Essay1106 Words   |  5 PagesI have to admit that I was skeptical in completing the personality profile. I thought, â€Å"How could a few questions determine everything about my management style†. When I received my results, I was astonished at how accurately those results portrayed my personality. While deciding which of my personality traits were advantageous and which were detrimental to my management style, I became conflicted as all of my scores can be portrayed as both positive and negative depending on the situation. IRead MoreMy Personality Profile Of An Injf962 Words   |  4 PagesAfter taking the Jung Typology Test, I found validation concerning the ways I perceive myself, and my husband also recognized the close match. My personality profile per the Jung Typology Test revealed my category as an INJF (introvert, intuitive, judging feeling), with the highest percentage being 56% at ‘judging’ and the lowest referring to ‘feeling’ at 6%. The score for my ‘introversion’ shows at 50% and ‘intuitiveness’ at 31%, leaving me certain about the accurateness of the results. OverallRead MorePersonality Profile Reflection Paper1336 Words   |  6 Pagestests are designed to inform us of our personality, and advantages and disadvantages that may come with it. The goal is to characterize patterns of behavior, emotions, and thoughts that a person has carried throughout their lifetime. Understanding these patterns of yourself and of those around you is ben eficial for group dynamics. The more you know and understand your personality the better you will be able to see how others view and react to you. Personality assessments can help us locate and changeRead MoreMy Personality Profile Of Entj1734 Words   |  7 Pageshumans beings we are always interested to understanding what makes us perform the way we do in our daily lives. The Meyers-Briggs personality type test gives us a glimpse into ourselves. This paper will discuss the different aspects of my personality profile of ENTJ (Extravert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging), plus the characteristics and validity of each personality type and its temperament; in my case is NT â€Å"The Rationals†, who love knowledge, ENTJ - The Fieldmarshals. It will also discuss theRead MorePersonality Profile Reflection Paper1743 Words   |  7 PagesOrganizational behavior studies human behavior and the impact individual attitudes and actions have on performance in the workplace. To provide a personal perspective of personality characteristics, the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) assessment was used to measure aspects of my personality and how these traits relate to working with others and life within an organization. Key observations provide specific insight into how these are applied to workplace behavior and interactions withRead MorePersonality Profile And Pearson Assessment Results Essay1505 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Personality is the sum of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others† (Robbins Judge 2009). We are all born with different personalities that are unique. The qualities that make up one’s personality are specific to their life’s purpose. It is our job as humans to identify how to best use our personalities for the greater good and make a difference. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, my personality was determined to be ENFP. As an ENFP, I thrive when I am aroundRead MoreMy Big Five Personality Profile1171 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"What is My Big Five Personality Profile both Strengths and Weaknesses† Andrew Woods Western Governors University â€Æ' A1. Describe two specific dimensions from your personality profile results that you consider to be strengths. The two dimensions from my big five personality profile that were revealed to be strengths were Openness to Experience score and my Agreeableness Score. The personality dimension of Openness to experience includes â€Å"intellectual, imaginative, curiosity, and being broad-minded†Read MorePsychodynamic Personality Profile of Johnny Depp Essay2209 Words   |  9 PagesPersonality, like most core Psychology subjects, is difficult to define. Personality is essentially the science of describing and understanding people. No two people are the same; even identical twins will tell you that they are very different to their identical counterpart. There are some who are anxious and there are those who are risk-takers. There are some who are carefree while there are those who are highly-strung and there are those who are over-confident while some are just plain shy. ItRead MorePersonality Profile : Lamont Thomas1246 Words   |  5 PagesMike Sutherland 12/5/2014 Personality Profile Lamont Thomas: The Running Man Lamont Thomas had only been running for a couple of weeks when people started calling him â€Å"The Running Man†. He runs every day logging 84 miles a week, which is a lot, but when considering dedicated daily runners this is nothing exceptional. When he runs, Lamont attracts a lot of attention. His friends joke this because â€Å"He’s running so fast it looks like he stole something.† But it isn’t Lamont’s speed that sets him