Migrating: The Machine in the Garden :: Four Freedoms Roosevelt Essays

Migrating: The Machine in the Garden On January 6, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress with a speech outlining the four freedoms that every American should have. In context, one must realize that this was before World War II - before the attack on Pearl Harbor that would occur in December of that year. His speech said that as Americans, we each should expect to have by right - freedom of speech; freedom to worship God in any way we choose; freedom from want - that is, the necessities of life such as food and shelter; and freedom from fear. The speech so moved artist Norman Rockwell that he went on to paint his famous series known as the "Four Freedoms." Rockwell's paintings would later be used to help in the war effort by advertising the sale of war bonds. The rhetoric of the day made Americans feel a responsibility to his or her country. When war broke, Americans were eager to help. Many left the comfort of their parents' homes to fight in the war effort. They left with the images of Rockwell and words of FDR fresh in their minds. In 1945, nine million American servicemen and women came home from war. No longer were they children - living in their parents' home - but young men and women eager to build their lives. Between 1946 and 1964 over seventy-six million baby boomers were born. There was a tremendous need for housing. People such as William Levitt understood that need. In 1947, he broke ground on the first of three towns he would build. He bought one thousand acres of potato farms on New York's Long Island and started building. Eventually he built 17,000 affordable homes in what became known as Levittown, New York. "The Rancher - A New House in Levittown - Special Introductory Price - $8,990 - $57 a month! No cash required from veterans!" Photo borrowed from Levittown, 2002. Levittown was the beginning of the mass migration to the suburbs, however, the idea dates to the 1930's with Roosevelt's "New Deal in the Suburbs" (Christensen, 1986, p. 72). The Greenbelt Program was designed to develop urban areas into garden cities. Not only would this model program show that a city could develop urban planning to incorporate ideals and alleviate housing problems of the day, but would translate into much needed jobs.

Best Buy Market Segmentation

Best Buy Canada Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co. Inc with its headquarter in Burnaby, BC. Best Buy Co. Inc acquired the Canada-based electronics-chain Future Shop Inc in 2001. The company opened its first Canadian Best Buy store in Mississauga, Ontario the following year. 1 Today, with more than 51 stores across Canada, Best Buy Canada has become the fastest growing and the largest retailers and e-tailers of consumer electronics, entertainment products, accessories and services in Canada. 2 There are many reasons to which we chose Best Buy Canada as our research subject. First of all, it is a very well known retailer and can be easily related to. Secondly, the company fits well in our research structure and many of the concepts in marketing applies to Best Buy Canada as well. Lastly, we believe Best Buy Canada is largely an ethical and socially responsible company that has brought positive impact throughout our community. Best Buy Canada’s mission statement and objective is â€Å"To improve people's lives by making technology and entertainment products affordable and easy to use†. The four core values of the company are â€Å"Having fun while being the best†, â€Å"Learning from challenge and change†, â€Å"Showing respect, humility and integrity† and â€Å"Unleashing the power of our people† 4 In addition to being the biggest retailer of consumer electronics like big screen TVs, computers, cameras and entertainment products i n Canada, Best Buy Canada also has many exclusive brands such as Insignia, Dynex and RocketFish etc . covering a wide range of electronic products and accessories. Geek Squad – a 24 hour computer repair and tech support taskforce, enables Best Buy to offer its customers convenient installation and repair services. Since Best Buy Canada itself does not produce any real products, we are interested in the way Best Buy runs its retail business in the consumer electronics market. We are also interest in how Best Buy Canada attracts different groups of people with different needs and analyze its marketing strategy for staying competitive in the market.

The program Leadership Innovation and Growth

The program Leadership, Innovation and Growth has been designed by the management at General Electric in order to facilitate team training in leading change. The strategic focus under the leadership of CEO Immelt has been the growth strategy through expanding businesses and creating new ones rather than through acquisitions.The business of GE that participated in the program was Power Generation, one of the company’s oldest businesses. So far GE’s successes had been spurred by the headquarters.But now Immelt wanted to pass on the responsibility to the teams in the individual businesses. In order to facilitate this delegation of responsibility, the LIG program had been designed. The program facilitated team training to lead change and therefore to embed growth into the DNA of the company. The purpose of the program was to make innovation and growth a religion at GE.The program underscores the value of team training. Under the previous CEO Jack Welch, the strategic focus had been to maximize operational excellence. Now the new CEO Immelt wanted to combine innovation and organic growth with operational excellence to synergistic effects.This meant redesigning the organizational structure. Thus the business issue was the process of managing change. However the focus of traditional training programs had been individual training.Therefore when the employee returned to work on the new initiatives, he faced resistance from the rest of the team who had not been trained. The LIG program addressed this problem by focusing on team training so that the participating managers can reach consensus on the growth opportunities and the strategies to be implemented in capitalizing upon them.The industry in which GE Power Generation operates is characterized by a fast pace of change. As a result, the business must be able to manage change continuously. The business has been growing at a fast rate throughout the world. However it emerged from the program that the busine ss did not possess enough management capital to bring about the regulatory changes. This meant that the managers would have to rethink the strategies of developing human capital.The business was growing at a fast rate in emerging markets such as India, China and the Middle East and therefore the critical success factor was to expand the regulatory expertise accordingly. In addition, maintaining the momentum of the company’s growth meant speeding up the product development process. The management needed to reach a consensus in how to implement these strategies in these areas.The management needed to figure out how to delegate authority to the different regions. For example, the natural response to new product development has been to maximize the extent of standardization. Variety and customization have always been disliked. However the challenge in front of the management was to develop products in country for country. Thus the product development process had to be redesigned in terms of delegating more authority to the regional managers.This involved cultural reorientation so that when the regional delegation did not go right, the blame did not fall on headquarters. The management also had to make sure that the process for global customers remained uniform across the regions and that there was a consensus on which contract terms should remain the same and which should be varied. These issues caused the need for the LIG program to be launched.The recommendations that have emerged from the program have been categorized into five areas. The first is the area of team training. This form of training enabled the managers to reach a consensus on what were potentially the barriers to change and how best to attack them. The second area was to consider both the hard barriers and the soft barriers to change. The hard barriers were defined as the existing organizational structure, capabilities and resources.The soft barriers were defined as the interactions between the members of the leadership teams individually and collectively. The management needed to address both barriers in order to manage change effectively. For example, GE Power Generation pursued the growth strategy of developing products in country for country. The barrier to implementing the strategy was the lacking in regulatory strength.

Home Schooling’s Net Effects

The article found in the Washington Post on July 16,2000, addresses the role of the Internet in aiding home schooling. The Internet is revolutionizing the growing home-schooling movement. The Internet makes home-schooling a more popular option because of its vast capabilities. It is a key tool in education, serving as a teacher, textbook, and even a library. The concept of home schooling is not new, however, the ideas of cyberschools and â€Å"e-teachers† are. Through the use of a computer, school-age children can actually enroll in an â€Å"e-school† and take classes. These classes include a normal curriculum, and the Internet is able to expand these classes to include virtually anything. â€Å"E-teachers† post lecture notes, direct students to various web-sites and links for reading and visual material, hold discussion questions in chat rooms, and even conduct parent-teacher conferences. Almost 100% of schoolwork is completed and turned-in online. Students download worksheets, submit them to their â€Å"e-teacher† who grades them and returns them. E-students† are expected to complete projects, tests, and even take field trips. They interact with other students in their virtual classroom via chat-rooms. In this course, we are learning how computers and computer information can provide a foundation in other courses. Computers help us with research, communication, and writing. The uses of the Internet and the World Wide Web are incorporated in daily life, and can be used for business, education, or pleasure. Cyberschools make use of computer technology as a tool for learning. Many advocates of â€Å"E-schools† feel that the combination of home-schooling and the Internet allow for a more individualized curriculum For parents, online courses make instructional work easier and free-up their time so that they can continue to work full-time jobs. Also, parents feel reassured that â€Å"e-teachers† are adequately teaching their children classes that they themselves don†t feel qualified to teach. Many parents are now opting for â€Å"e-schools† because of their reservations concerning the safety and quality of traditional schools. Some argue that the idea of cyberschools is detrimental to children†s† social and emotional development. Critics are concerned that children taught at home are not properly socialized. They feel that children need to interact with teachers and peers in a traditional classroom setting, not over a keyboard. Also, â€Å"e-schools† detract from what should be the purpose of home schooling, bringing together the parent and the child. The ultimate challenge of cyberschools is the students. Students are highly susceptible to slacking-off when they don†t have a school bell ringing in the morning. These students must learn that discipline (regarding schoolwork) comes from within. Additional concerns about â€Å"e-schools† are that the courses teach students to rely too heavily on Web sites rather than books for information. Also, many fear that these cyberschools are unaccredited and employ uncertified teachers. Although I have never taken a full curriculum online, I have however taken a class online. I owe the Internet a big thanks, because without the option of â€Å"e-school† I would not have graduated on time. In order to fulfill my graduation requirements, I had to take a math class, which was not being offered at my high school in Amman, Jordan. My advisor immediately asked me how I felt about taking a class online, and I was thrilled with the idea. I was a pioneer of ACS (my high school), I was the first person to take a class online. The experience was fun, but I wouldn†t say that it was very educational. The biggest difficulty I faced, was my lack of self-discipline to actually log on to my virtual classroom and do my assignments. It was tough for me to learn math without having a teacher to help me hands-on. Also, the temptation of â€Å"surfing the net† seemed to take over every time I was supposed to be in my virtual classroom. I often found myself checking my e-mail, shopping online etc. Towards the end of the semester, I dreaded having to sit in front of the computer for my math class. For many, cyberschool is a great option, allowing them an individualized curriculum and teaching responsibility and self-discipline. For example, the Internet makes it possible for people with physical disabilities to obtain an education from their own home. For others (such as myself), it may not be well suited. This may be because they need more structure, more personal and hands-on attention or various other reasons. I applaud computer technology because it has made virtually anything possible. I am greatly concerned that â€Å"e-school† impairs socialization because of the lack of interpersonal relationships and interaction. A family who chooses cyberschool for their children, must be prepared to provide structure and interaction for their kids. The Internet also expands the realm of knowledge and provides an alternative to traditional classrooms and teaching. The Internet is one of many educational tools, allowing us to broaden our horizons of research and communication.

Issues in Educational Research Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Issues in Educational Research - Article Example The coded information included the source, respondent, episode any other information that was emerging. Sorting out, which was the second stage involved using the unitized data in identification of learning areas and relating them to the components of learning. The third stage of analysis sorted out the components of learning into the learning categories that had been predetermined. During the analysis enabled establishment of the key identified areas used for learning in the science and mathematics sector. The in-depth analysis procedures were adequate in that they gave an avenue through which knowledge construction of the pre-service teachers could now be understood in a better way (Johnson&Christensen, 2011). The adequacy of study results The study results were adequately equipped. This is because; the results indicated the numerous elements that were interacting in the environment that this study was conducted. The results gave the required insights on how the system functions an d how it affects learning of science and mathematics in elementary schools for the pre-service teachers. The results provided the most active and influential elements in the learners system cohort. The methods of improving learning methods were also established in the study results which were the most important factor for the study. Learning venues like incorporating models in learning process, the use of reflection before, during and even after teaching and incorporating collaborative learning are a good strategy for learning mathematics and sciences in elementary schools. More so, predetermined methods for both teaching and learning experiences were defined like learning from children, teachers, instructors and course methods, self and peers. Therefore, the... This paper makes a conclusion that going through this study, we have acquired the basic knowledge that is required for elementary school pre-service teachers for better teaching and learning of science and mathematics in elementary schools.The issues that are unexpected during the process of research may came up and proper measures should be put in place in case of such an event. The report approves that the study has also given me an insight on the proper ways of carry out data collection procedures. Through this study, I have established that primary sources are very reliable methods of collecting data. This is because, from the study, the institution contributed to the insights that have been projected out from the study. The results are reliable due to the active involvement of the correct participants. According to the paper the study has also enabled my understanding of the appropriate data analysis procedures in the process of carrying out any educational research. Data analysis methods contribute to effective results hence proper recommendations for any educational research. Teaching elementary school teachers who are specializing in mathematics and science for elementary schools has been enhanced through this study. This is because, while preparing students for elementary schools, it will be possible to apply the recommended strategies to these future elementary teachers. This means that better pre-service teachers in the area of mathematics and science for elementary schools will be produced.

Warfare welfare and citizenship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Warfare welfare and citizenship - Essay Example People are more loyal to their nations than before because of improved political environment. Governments on the other hand have struggled to empower their citizens either politically, socially, intellectually and religiously. In the modern society, there is a general notion that people are all pluralist. This paper will therefore discuss warfare, welfare, pluralism and citizenship from both the historical and modern perspective. The three terms warfare, welfare and citizenship largely influence each other, making it hard to analyse one without discussing the others. From a political perspective, scholars regard warfare as an ideological struggle in which people try to dominate their ideas over others. More often, many people refer to this struggle as propaganda or psychological contest to implement conditions in the political arena. Warfare is a broad field that encompasses various components, ranging from military operations, through morale warfare to psychological wellbeing of the citizens. The military struggle seems to harbour all the other aspects in a war such as propaganda and publicity. Nations for example, were eager to demonstrate their military prowess during World War I and II. It involved the use of military machines, political influence, religion and social integration among nations (Richards 2005). Welfare on the other hand entails the effort of a particular government to provide its citizens with economic security. As a result, a government guarantees its citizens with the fundamental necessities such as food, health care, shelter, security, as well as protection in the old age (Light n.d). The government fulfils this role using two methods. First is direct assistance, where it provides the citizens with their needs on a one-on-one basis. The other method is indirect assistance, where a particular administration implements programs that reduce problems faced by the citizens. Such programs include

Nurse Retention Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nurse Retention - Research Paper Example The current and projected shortage Indicators shows that the U.S. nursing shortage is projected to grow to 260,000 registered nurses by 2025 (Buerhaus, 2009), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009) reported the in spite of the job cuts in all the major industries, the health sector institutions added 21,000 new jobs in the month of June 2009 and more jobs are likely to be added in the near future. A research conducted by the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply in 2008 showed that the US health care needs 30,000 additional nurses to be graduated annually to meet the nation's healthcare needs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). The Health Resources and Services Administration (2006) projects that the US nursing shortage would grow to more than one million nurses by the year 2020. It has been observed that due to the shortages, the recruitment and retention of nurses in the health institutions is a big challenge (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2006). Change management This section reviews Kurt Lewin’s classical approach to change management, specifically the application of force field analysis in the implementation of a nurse retention program at any local healthcare facility. Kurt Lewin’s classical theory is based on a systems approach to change management. According to him a state of equilibrium in a system is achieved when the forces acting for change equals the forces acting against change.