Comparing two emperors, one Chinese and one Roman Essay

Comparing two emperors, one Chinese and one Roman - Essay Example The Roman Empire began around 1000BCE and its power began from ruling the ancient villages around the city of Rome. In its earlier years of formation the empire was a monarchy but after the overthrowing of Etruscans in 509 BCE the empire turned to a republic and the Romans started their tyrant rules and governance. This essay will cover only the rule of Julius Caesar since this was the backbone of the success of the empire. The Roman Empire headquarters were in Rome and when Julius Caesar was in power, it conquered parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. It became one of the largest empires in history .   The Han China Empire came to power after overthrowing the Qin whose reign was short lived. Qin had abolished feudalism and thus overthrown by Han who ruled from 140-87 BCE. The ruler of the Han was known as Wu Ti . Unlike the Roman Empire the Han Empire did not start as a monarchy since there were magistrate-rule who ensured who was to be the ruler. There are similarities between Han an d Roman Empires in the essence of size of the empire and the acquirement of land to enlarge their empires. Han Empire used his power in the formation of a unified China, then started taking over the neighboring locations. The difference of the growth and acquisition of more land was not as brutal as that used by the Romans. The growth of the Roman Empire was based on conquering any empire that was beginning to gain power and seemed as a threat to the Roman Empire. This is contrary in comparison of the Han Empire.

Life on the Western Front Essay Example for Free

Life on the Western Front Essay The First World War was a shattering experience for all Europeans, both soldiers and civilians. Memoirs show that soldiers expressed a wide variety of views on the war. Some soldiers enjoyed the war and some hated it, but most were unable to decide how they felt about it. In this essay I will be examining whether or not official accounts of the Western Front more accurate than personal accounts. I will survey several sources and try to draw a conclusion. Soldiers in the war were allowed little correspondence. Their letters and postcards sent home were censored to the point of very little detail. They were only allowed to write about family, friends and their health, as can be seen on the field service postcard, source A1. The honour clause was a statement all soldiers had to sign to confirm they were not writing about anything else other than private family matters. The honour clause also gave the officials permission to examine the contents of the postcard/letter e.g. Green envelope source A2. The officials censored letters and postcards because they didnt want people back home to know too much and also because they didnt want the Germans to accidentally find out their plans. They were able to do this under the defence of the Realm Act 1916. Postcards and letters were limited because the government wanted to maintain high morale on people back home so that recruitment would not be affected. The postcards are useful to historians studying the Western Front because it shows how little time the soldiers had. They also tried to be more optimistic when writing back home to family and friends. This is because they didnt want them to worry too much so tried to keep a happy tone in their letters. I personally think letters in the personal section give the most information about trench life because in the official account the trenches are shown as they are meant to be, not as they actually are. Whereas in the personal account soldiers describe what the trenches are like. About six feet in depth, they were floored with duckboards and were wide enough for two men to pass comfortably. Some of the letters in the personal account are similar. Many soldiers wrote about the same things i.e. light-hearted happy conversations. I got your letter today and you seem quite cheery so as long as Doras all right alls well with the world. So as to not worry their family and friends. The letters and postcards in the official and personal section do not give off the same impression of life on the Western Front. For example, Teddy Bennett who was a second lieutenant of the twenty-ninth battalion of the Machine Gun Corps described the trenches as eighteen inches and only three feet deep , only big enough for a drain pipe. But George Coppard wrote that the trenches were in very good condition and were about six feet in depth enough for two men to pass through comfortably. These two clearly show that trenches varied in condition. The majority of soldiers used the same tone and wrote about similar things effectively censoring themselves. The letters and postcards do not give the same impression of life on the Western Front as other sources. The other sources i.e. photos showed soldiers dieing cruel deaths and suffering from severe injuries and diseases. I dont think this type of evidence, personal and official, gives a totally accurate view of life on the Western Front but they are useful as evidence of soldiers feelings and opinions. Official war artists were commissioned by the government to paint pictures/images of the war. Fortunino Matanaia and C.R Nevinson are examples of war artists. Paul Nash was a front line soldier for four months in 1917 but was sent home after an accident. He was then sent back to the Western Front as an official war artist. He was ordered not to show any dead bodies in his pictures. He gave off a peaceful and honourable impression of the war. The content of some of the paintings in the official section are not reliable because they censored dead bodies. I dont think these paintings in the official section are an expression of opinion because the artists were told what to hide what to draw. The painting by John Singer showing soldiers blinded by gas seems fairly accurate to me because it was painted in 1918 and during that time many soldiers suffered from tear gas that caused temporary blindness. The painting is very similar to source A5, a photo. I think source A4, the photo showing two British troops in anti -phosgene masks manning a Vickers machine-gun, was posed to show those back home that anti-phosgene masks were provided for soldiers so more volunteers would sign up to join the army. I think it was posed because until after 1916 there were no more volunteers and conscription was introduced. My feelings towards source A9, a photo of two men badly disabled from the war which might have been used for propaganda purposes, is sympathy. But soldiers would not want pity because they felt proud. This is one of the differences of the two generations. I think that they feel the need to smile to show they are strong and they probably think they have to put on a brave face so their loved-ones wont worry. Sources B9-B13 are more gruesome compared to the sources in the official account. The reasons for the difference are officials wanted to conceal all the gruesome deaths that the British soldiers had and only took photos of their peaceful deaths. I think photos, official and personal, are quite accurate as source of information on the Western Front for a variety of purposes. Punch was a British humorous political magazine. It contained anti-German propaganda. The main purpose of political cartoons is to get a message across in a more entertaining way. I think source A10 is very useful to historians studying soldiers attitudes to life on the Western Front because it shows that soldiers were pessimistic and found trench life difficult to handle. I dont think source A13 is reliable. This is because the cartoon was taken from a British political magazine and the Germans were the enemy so they would have wanted to make the Germans look bad. There are a few hints of bias in sources A14 and A15, for example Our operations, in conjunction with the French, definitely stopped the German attack, and it has not since been removed. and We progressed North Poziers and hear High wood and Delville extremely severe enemy losses. This is because the articles were written by the British and also because they were official. Based on what I have read I dont think cartoons an d newspaper are reliable. Although it is useful for historians studying soldiers humour. The most famous war poets are Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. Seigfried Sassoon serviced was an officer who suffered from shell shock and had come to the conclusion that the War was pointless. He was sent home on sick leave in 1916. During his second visit to France his views on war became more doubtful about the way in which war was being conducted from a military point of view. By July 1916 he was well enough to return to duty but he couldnt bring himself to do so, so he wrote a statement which he regarded as an act of wilful defiance of military authority. The officials found this hilarious and he was ordered to attend a Medical Board at Chester in July 16th but he failed to attend. A Second Board was arranged at Liverpool on July 20th, which he attended and it was recommended that he be sent to Craiglockhart. Wilfred Owen spent the winter on 1916-7 on the front line but was then sent home on sick leave. He returned to the front on 1st September 1918 and was killed on 4th November, seven days before the war ended. He was awarded the Military Cross. Many of the poems were about warfare and the effects of gas and bombardment. For example Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen tells the story of a phosgene gas attack as troops were making their way back from the front line. This poem is backed up by source A5. It is possible that these poems are exaggerated because the soldiers might have been suffering from depression and by writing these poems they were drowning their sorrows. I dont think the poems are inaccurate because they are from soldiers views. Many of the poems are making a specific point i.e. Does it Matter and For the Fallen written by Siegfried Sassoon. The poem Suicide in the trenches by Siegfried Sassoon tells the story of a simpler soldier boy who fought in the war and couldnt cope so committed suicide expresses anti-war sentiment. The poem Returning, we hear the larks written by Isaac Rosenberg also expresses anti-war sentiment. In the poem Dulce et Decorum Est the title is Latin saying Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori meaning It is sweet and noble to die for your country. I think it is used in the last line because the soldiers die in the end and the poet is saying it is sweet and noble of them. Also to highlight the wrong. Overall, these poems are quite accurate as evidence of life on the Western Front because they are soldiers points of views and this was the only way they were allowed to express their feelings. Siegfried Sassoon was decided as having mental illnesses because he didnt agree with the way war was conducted. As a result of this he was admitted into a mental hospital to be treated for shell shock. My opinion of the war poets are they were all depressed and found war difficult so they wrote poems to show this. I think they can be relied upon as they are the thoughts and feelings of soldiers. Which cannot be ignored and tend to highlight the variety of experience on the Western Front. The conditions of the trenches were often very bad. The mud was often deep and became very muddy whenever it rained. The trenches were lined with sandbags and collapsed as they filled with water causing the sides to rupture. The trenches were always shelled by enemy artillery which destroyed the sandbags and sides of the trenches so needed frequent repair. Barbed wire lined the outside of the trenches to keep the enemy from attacking. Many soldiers experienced illnesses and diseases whilst living in the trenches. Trench foot was a common disease which many soldiers got by standing in mud for too long. To prevent this from spreading the soldiers rubbed whale oil on to their feet everyday. Being bitten by lice was also very common in the trenches. They tried to prevent this by running a lighted candle along the seams of their clothing but this only killed the lice, not their eggs. The lice carried a disease called trench fever. I think sources A9, B3, B13 would be most useful to historians wanting to find out about the morale of the soldiers. The people today view the war a lot differently compared to the people who lived through it. When you step back and take a closer look at the picture you see things differently. Overall, I have a fairly accurate view of life on the Western Front from looking at personal and official accounts. I have found both, official and personal, accounts useful. I cant really put together an accurate picture of what life on the Western Front was actually like using personal accounts because the soldiers may not remember what happened to give an accurate description and would be bias against Germans. The official account has been censored so that also is not really reliable. Therefore I think that by looking at both accounts would give a clearer picture.

Explain How Motivation Can Affect Employees Commitment Commerce Essay

Explain How Motivation Can Affect Employees Commitment Commerce Essay The concept of motivation refers to a driving force within all individuals to attain or avoid some objectives (be the objectives tangible, money and goods or intangible; a person or relationship). Motivation is a psychological process that originates both within and also beyond an individual; it initiates work-related behaviour, and determines the form, direction, intensity and duration of employees behaviour. This essay provides an understanding of how managers can adopt different types of motivation theories in order to affect an employees commitment and performance at work. These motivation theories are categories into content theories (for instance, Hierarchy of needs, ERG-Model) and process theories (for instance, Equity theory, and expectancy theory). In addition, the essay explains how employees are intrinsically motivated and extrinsic and how pay affect commitment and performance. Managers must understand employees motives, as it affects the extent to which employees utilise their skills and ability at work. Motivation makes people try to achieve certain targets in order to satisfy a particular need or expectation. It affect and employees behaviour in a certain way and makes them make decisions to act in certain way and to continue with these actions until they satisfy their needs and expectations. Thus, a manager must adopt motivation theories in order to influence the behaviour and performance of employees. Once a manager satisfies the need of an employee production and commitment to the organization will increase. Abraham Maslow (1943) believed that is it human nature to want things. He claimed that what we want also depends on what we already have. According to Marlow, there is a five level hierarchy of needs; when an employee satisfies most of one need, he or she seeks to reach the next level. Beginning with the physiological need (such as hunger, sleep, sex) at bottom, a employees would move to the second stage; safety need (for instance shelter and security). Thirdly, love need; this involves an employee having a sense of belonging, (for instance, being a team member and sharing love). Fourth level consists of esteem needs, which are met by professional (or personal) achievement, recognition and respect. At the pick of the hierarchy is self-actualization needs; this is where employees realise their full potential. In striving, for achieving these needs, employees are motivated by those goals that are seen as attainable, and then eventually leading to self-actualization. Once at that level and employees performance will rise as well as show commitment to the organisation. Once a need is satisfied, it is no longer a motive. An employee striving for high level needs is unsatisfied. If an employee cannot achieve the next level of needs, their performance in the work place may suffer. If their needs cannot be met or have already been met, an individual may feel that they have nothing to work for and will therefore be unhappy in their job and want to change. Managers should provide tools and support to allow employees to reach the next level. Once at the top of the hierarchy (self actualisation), managers must promote and maintain psychological wellbeing at work. This increases an employees commitment to the organisation and allows them to utilise their skills effectively. However, Maslows hierarchy has been criticized for assuming motivation is hierarchical. Also, employees needs are so complex and different that motivation and job satisfaction may not be able to be generalised. Aderfer (1972) studied Maslows hierarchy of needs and created the ERG theory. This theory states that there are three core needs: Existence, Relatedness and Growth (ERG). He realised that some of Maslows hierarchy levels overlapped. He addressed this and reduced the hierarchy down to three levels. The first level, existence, is concerned with providing basic material existence motivators (physiological and physical safety needs). Relatedness is an employees need of interpersonal relationships, achieving group and team recognition. These align with Maslows social needs and the external component of Maslow esteem needs. Finally, growth needs relates to an employees intrinsic needs and personal development. This includes esteem and self-actualization. The ERG theory states that an employee is motivated by more than one need. The theory also addresses differences in culture and is an improvement of the Maslow theory. Also, the order in which needs are satisfied differs from individual to individual. A manager must understand that an employee has various needs to satisfy. If a manager solely concentrated on one need at a time, he or she is not able to effectively motivate an employee to commit to the organisation. Also the frustration-regression aspect of this theory has an effect on workplace motivation, meaning when an employees higher-order needs arent achieved, employees aim at lower-order needs which are easier to satisfy. For instance, if an employee is not provided with growth and advancement opportunities, they might address less important needs like socialization, if the environment permits it. When a manager realises this, steps can be taken in to fulfil these needs and encourage commitment and performance of the employee. In 2009 the Southeast airline was one of the most profitable airlines in the world. This was no accident, but phenomena of well-motivated employees. Managers used the key concepts of Aderfer motivation theory in order to develop and enforce company values. These values encompassed that employees come first and then customers and stockholder. Through this employee felt a sense of belonging (the Relatedness needs) which in turn increased an employees commitment and performance at work and lowered staff turnover for the Southeast airline company. Fredrick Herzbergs (1959) two factor theory, or motivation hygiene, builds on Maslows research on intrinsic motivation in the workplace. The first factor is hygiene or maintenance, the second one is motivators or growth. Based on his research, he concluded that there are some job conditions which dissatisfy employees, while other job conditions motivate and increase job satisfaction. Traditionally, managers saw the hygiene factors (extrinsic issues) as motivators for employees, but according to this theory these are potentially dissatisfying factors, as they dont really provide motivation for an employee, however the absence of these factors causes dissatisfaction with salary, working conditions and supervision. Motivation factors are intrinsic issues helping increase motivation and job satisfaction. To ensure commitment and performance of an employee, a manager ensures these factors are present as they affect the level of job satisfaction. These factors are achievement, responsibility and autonomy. Nevertheless, critics say it mainly relates to workers in unskilled jobs, or uninteresting, repetitive work. Maslows and Herzbergs theories are called content theories; a theory referring to what drives or pushes employees in relation to satisfaction and commitment to an organisation. There are also theories known as process theories that concern themselves with the process that involves motivation. This can be related to pay. Many employees are motivated by performance-based pay, an incentive linked to performance, acting as a motivator. These desires for tangible rewards are classified as extrinsic motivation factors. Many theorists think payment relates to performance. Graham and Sluckin (1954) and Opsal and Dunnette (1966) explained it is easy to find employees in an industry who value money highly, and when if people know salary is pay based, they will often work much harder. F.W Taylor (1991) also believed that those workers are solely motivated by monetary incentives, and they want to obtain the highest possible wage through working in the best and most efficient way. This approach is also known as the rational-economic concept of motivation. Some payment-performance theories are expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964), goal-setting theory (Lock and Latham, 1984, 1990). Vroom believed that individuals are motivated by the results of their action. To explain, he constructed a model with three variables: force, valence and expectancy. Force is the effort an individual uses to carry out a particular task. Valance is the attractiveness of the outcome and expectance is the employee expectation of the outcome. According to the theory, motivational force is a function of valence and expectancy (force=valence x Expectancy). The expectancy theory suggests individuals will adjust their behaviour only if the rewards are valued. However, unless rewards are perceived by individuals to be sufficiently attractive and worth the effort needed to achieve them, they will not act as a catalyst to encourage higher performance levels. The basis of goal-setting theory is that goals employees pursue are a significant factor in superior performance. For these to be motivators, the SMART principles (specific, measureable, agreed realists and timed) need to be applied. Lawler and Porters motivational model recognises individual abilities and role perception have to be taken into account in the wage/effort bargain. In 1998 a survey revolted that 40% of British companies used pay related performance system in their companies. Today, almost half of all British companies use this type of motivation. This can be especially seen in Global Banks such as Lloyds Bank TSB Group. Nevertheless Critics argue that pay is not the only source of motivation. Managers quote Herzberg view that the job in itself is a source of motivation. This is backed up with studies that reviled that pay is the fifth of their top ten motivations. Lawler (1968) gives an insight on job design and how it affects motivation. He argued that making jobs more challenging (job enrichment) and giving the individual more tasks (job enlargement) will increase an employees sense of accomplishment and achievement after a good performance. This will help satisfy their higher needs as described by Maslow. The correct job design for an individual will increase their satisfaction, in turn leading to motivation and significantly improved performance in the workplace. However, it is important to take individual differences into consideration as differences in motivation exist. The changes in the nature of jobs therefore vary in terms of how effective they are.For instance it is argued that the Japanese approached to job design contributed to the success of car manufacturing in the 1980s Certain types of motivation can also be described as intrinsic, where employees are motivated by a psychological reward, either by overcoming challenges or by individual achievement. Eton Mayo supports this idea of intrinsic Motivation. Through a series of studies at the Hawthorne plant, Mayo concluded that money was not the best way to motivate employees, and that group work and strong manager-team communication are better motivators. Taking this into account, businesses should re-organise or change production to encourage teamwork, and introduce personal departments to encourage greater manager involvement in employees interests. This would motive staff and improve individual and whole business performance. Individuals are also motivated by knowing that they are treated fairly at work. This treatment relates to salary, working conditions and promotion opportunities. This is the basis of Adams equity theory. This looks at how fairly people are treated in comparison to others. When people believe they are treated fairly, they consider different inputs and outcome. If an individual feels that they have not been treated fairly in the workplace, this has an adverse effect on motivation, their productivity is affected. If they think they are being treated fairly, this has positive effects on performance. Conclusion Recommendations for managers

Hermia from A Midsummer Nights Dream :: A Midsummer Nights Dream, William Shakespeare

When we first meet Hermia in the play called A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by William Shakespeare, she is a girl in love against her father's wishes. From the very start of the play we can see how much enamored she is with Lysander. We can also see that Hermia is a woman with her own desires, and does not liked to be forced to do things that she does not want. She does not want to marry the man that her father betrothed to her, even though it could mean her demise. Her choices of living in a nunnery and live the life of chastity was not an option for Hermia. She loved Lysander and all she wanted was to be with him. Hermia is the daughter of Egeus. She is a tiny woman that possessed sparkling eyes and a lovely voice. Hermia is very adamant about what she wants from the balance of the play. She has only eyes for Lysander and is very faithful, even when faced with the obstacles of death or the nunnery. Throughout the play Hermia emotions were confused at times. She even says "Am I not Hermia? Are you not Lysander? (Act III Scene 2 Line 292). We see at this point that she is confused and her feelings are hurt. At that very moment I think she feels like she has lost part of herself, a part that she has given to Lysander. So when Lysander returns to her, she is her self once again. Presented with many obstacles and complications to overcome, we know that Hermia is the protagonist in the play. She has relations with almost all the characters in the play. The first and most important relationship is her love, Lysander. From the very beginning we see that Hermia loves Lysander with all her heart and soul and he loved her the same. The only tragic flaw in their relationship was when Puck put the magic juice in Lysander's eyes and he fell in love with Helena. Hermia felt sad and rejected when that happened. But when Puck finally realized that he had made a mistake and corrected it, Hermia and Lysander were in their heavenly bliss of love once again.

Qulity Managment

Quality Management for Organizational Excellence Lecture/Presentation Notes By: Dr. David L. Goetsch and Stanley Davis Based on the book Quality Management for Organizational Excellence (7Th Edition) Presented By; Dr. Rania A. M Shamah Associate Professor of Business Administration 1 One: The Total Quality Approach to Quality Management MAJOR TOPICS †¢ What is Quality? †¢ The Total Quality Approach Defined †¢ Two Views of Quality †¢ Key Elements of Total Quality †¢ Total Quality Pioneers †¢ Keys to Total Quality Success †¢ How is Six Sigma Achieved? †¢ The Future of Quality Management 2One: The Total Quality Approach to Quality Management ? Quality has been defined in a number of ways. ? When viewed from a consumer’s perspective, it means meeting or exceeding customer expectations. ? Quality is a dynamic state associated with products, services, people, processes, and environments that meets or exceeds expectations. ? Total quality is an approach to doing business that attempts to maximize an organization’s competitiveness through the continual improvement of the quality of its ? products, services, people, processes, and environments. 3 The Consequences of Poor Quality Loss of business ? Productivity ? Costs Benefits of Good Quality ? Enhanced reputation for quality ? Ability to command higher prices ? Increased market share ? Greater customer loyalty ? Lower liability costs ? Fewer production or service problems ? Higher profits 4 Responsibility for Quality ? Everyone in the organization has some responsibility for quality, but certain areas of the organization are involved in activities that make them key areas of responsibility. ? Top management ? Design ? Procurement ? Production/operations ? Quality assurance ? Packaging and shipping ? Marketing and sales ?Customer service 5 Costs of Quality ? Failure Costs – costs incurred by defective parts/products or faulty services. †¢ Internal Failure Costs †¢ Costs incurred to fix problems that are detected before the product/service is delivered to the customer. †¢ External Failure Costs †¢ All costs incurred to fix problems that are detected after the product/service is delivered to the customer †¢ Appraisal Costs †¢ Costs of activities designed to ensure quality or uncover defects All TQ training, TQ planning, customer assessment, process control, and quality improvement costs to prevent defects from occurring Prevention Costs †¢ 6 Ethics and Quality ? Substandard work †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Defective products Substandard service Poor designs Shoddy workmanship Substandard parts and materials Having knowledge of this and failing to correct and report it in a timely manner is unethical. 7 Total Quality Management T Q M ? A philosophy that involves everyone in an organization in a continual effort to improve quality and achieve customer satisfaction. ? Total quality is not just on e individual concept. ? It is a number of related concepts pulled together to create a comprehensive approach to doing business. Many people contributed in meaningful ways to the development of the various concepts that are known collectively as total quality TQM Approach 1. Find out what the customer wants 2. Design a product or service that meets or exceeds customer wants 3. Design processes that facilitate doing the job right the first time 4. Keep track of results 5. Extend these concepts throughout the supply chain 8 TQM Elements 1. Continuous improvement 2. Competitive benchmarking 3. Employee empowerment 4. Team approach 5. Decision based on fact, not opinion 6. Knowledge of tools 7.Supplier quality 8. Champion 9. Quality at the source 10. Suppliers are partners in the process 9 Continuous Improvement ? Continuous Improvement †¢ Philosophy that seeks to make never-ending improvements to the process of converting inputs into outputs †¢ Kaizen †¢ Japanese word fo r continuous improvement. Quality at the Source ? The philosophy of making each worker responsible for the quality of his or her work †¢ â€Å"Do it right† and â€Å"If it isn’t right, fix it† 10 The Total Quality Approach Defined Total Quality: What It Is and How It Is Achieved ?Key characteristics of the total quality approach are as follows: strategically based, customer focus, obsession with quality, scientific approach, long-term commitment, teamwork, employee involvement and empowerment, continual process improvement, Each element is explained on slides (12- 14) ? The rationale for total quality can be found in the need to compete in the global marketplace. ? Countries that are competing successfully in the global marketplace are seeing their quality of living improve. ? Those that cannot are seeing theirs decline. 11 The Total Quality Approach DefinedTotal Quality: What It Is and How It Is Achieved Key characteristics of the total quality approach ar e as follows: ? Strategically-based ? Total quality organizations have a comprehensive strategic plan that contains at least the following elements: vision, mission, broad objectives, and activities that must be completed to accomplish the broad objectives. ? The strategic plan for a total quality organization is designed to give it a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. ? Customer Focus ? In a total quality setting, the customer is the driver. This applies to both internal and external customers. ? Obsession with Quality ? This means all personnel at all levels approach all aspects of the job from the perspective of â€Å"How can we do this better? † When an organization is obsessed with quality, good enough is never good enough. 12 The Total Quality Approach Defined Total Quality: What It Is and How It Is Achieved Key characteristics of the total quality approach are as follows: ? Scientific Approach ? While it is true that people skills, involvement, and e mpowerment are important in a total quality setting, they represent only a part of the equation. Another important part of the equation is the use of the scientific approach in structuring work and in decision making and problem solving that relates to the work. ? Long-Term Commitment ? Organizations that implement management innovations after attending short-term seminars often fail in their initial attempt to adopt the total quality approach. ? This is because they approach total quality as just another management innovation rather than as a whole new way of doing business that requires a whole new corporate culture. 13 The Total Quality Approach DefinedTotal Quality: What It Is and How It Is Achieved ? Teamwork ? Internal competition tends to use energy that should be focused on improving quality, and, in turn, external competitiveness. ? Continual Improvement of Systems ? In order to continually improve the quality of products or services: which is a fundamental goal in a total quality setting. ? It is necessary to continually improve systems. ? Continual Process Improvement ? Products are developed and services are delivered by people using processes within environments (systems). To continually improve the quality of products and services-which is a fundamental goal in a total quality setting- it is necessary to continually improve the processes that make up the organization’s systems. 14 Three-Legged Stool of Total Quality Measures ? Statistical process control ? Benchmarking ? Quality tools People ? Quality is built in ? Quality is expected not inspected ? Employees are empowered Processes ? Continual improvement ? â€Å"Good enough† is never good enough 15 Perceived Quality Word of Mouth Personal Needs Expected Quality Past Experience Quality Dimensions ? ? ? ? ? Reliability Responsiveness Assurance Empathy TangiblesQuality Assessment 1. Expectations exceeded ESPS (Unacceptable Quality) 16 Perceived Quality Defining Quality Quality is Sa tisfactory.. Dimensions of Quality †¢ Reliability: The ability to Perform promised service dependably and accurately. †¢ Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service. †¢ Assurance: The knowledge and courtesy of employees as well as their ability to convey trust and confidence. †¢ Empathy: The provision of caring , individualized attention to customers. Ability to be approachable. †¢ Tangibles: The appearance of Physical facilities equipment, personnel, and ommunication materials.. 17 Quality Gap Model Customer Perceptions Managing the Evidence Communication GAP 4 Customer Satisfaction GAP 5 Customer Expectations Customer / Marketing Research GAP 1 Understanding the Customer Service Delivery Management Perceptions of Customer Expectations Design GAP 2 Conformance GAP 3 Conformance Service Standards Product Design 18 Customer Satisfaction †¢ All customers want to be satisfied. †¢ Customer loyalty is only due to the lack of a better alternative †¢ Giving customers some extra value will delight them by exceeding their expectations and insure their return 19

Nazi Opposition and the Holocaust

In â€Å"Opposition and Resistance in Nazi Germany†, Frank McDonough explains that the Christian Church was the only organization in Hitler’s Germany that opposed Nazism.   For this reason, the Church was vehemently opposed by Hitler for Nazi opposition.   The chief opponents of Nazism within the Church were punished by the Nazis.   Nevertheless, the Church refused to bow to the Nazi regime seeing as the values of the Church differed widely from Nazism. Samuel P. and Peral M. Oliner write in â€Å"The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretations† that there were around 50,000 to 500,000 non-Jews with altruistic personalities that came to rescue the Jews during World War II.   Although the period was marked by extreme violence and bloodshed, good was meant to overcome evil in the form of countless people that risked their lives for the Jews, despite the fact that they were not related to the Jews by religion, culture, or ethnicity. Peter Hayes mentions several such people by name in his article, â€Å"Lessons and Legacies: The Meaning of the Holocaust in a Changing World.†Ã‚   According to the author, although the Nazis believed that it was a crime to help the Jews, the brave people who helped the Jews refused to submit to Nazi pressure and injustice. Analysis All of the articles summarized above provide evidence to back up the authors’ theses.   While Frank McDonough provides historical examples of the conflict between the Church and Nazism; Samuel P. and Peral M. Oliner provide research evidence to show the altruistic characteristics of the brave non-Jewish rescuers that came to help the Jews without expecting a monetary reward in exchange for their help.   Peter Hayes uses the case study method to describe the altruistic personality of the non-Jewish rescuer. Hence, all three articles provide enough information for the writer to understand the respective topics in depth.   What is more, all three articles present information in a logical manner.   After introducing the topics of their articles, the authors present evidence to support their thesis, connecting each of their sentences and paragraphs to the previous ones.   At no point does it appear that the authors are digressing or providing little in terms of reasoning.   Rather, the articles are complete in terms of logic. Personal Response to the Readings In my opinion, the most important fact to infer from the summarized readings is that good and evil can be interwoven even in terms in great distress.   Indeed, it is good news for humanity that everybody would not submit to evil despite all odds.   So, even though the Nazis were a great threat for the good people in their area, innumerable such people refused to be afraid of Nazism,  and instead made an effort to help the Jews.   The Church refused to bow to Nazi dictatorship to boot.   I believe this is a victory for religion, even if the Jews were being persecuted because of their religion alone.   Indeed, my faith in the power of religion as well as good over evil has been strengthened through these readings.