Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Personal Narrative: My Experience in College Prep II Writing Essay

For the entirety of my undergraduate career I had the distinct ability to successfully write research papers, critical essays and journal entries. On the whole I feel that my writing was successful due to the fact that I received excellent grades as well as glowing comments of support from my professors. Please understand that I am not boasting about my grade point average, class rank or even attempting to claim that I am a good writer. However, I do feel confident in my abilities to write papers that speak directly to the question at hand while simultaneously addressing, although not necessarily adhering to, the professor’s point of interest. I must credit much of my success as an undergraduate to Mr. M of the High School English Department. My outlook on academic writing was drastically altered during the fall of 1997 with the help of Mr. M and a writing course entitled College Prep II. Any High School Senior who wishes to matriculate at a four-year college or university can enroll in College Prep II. The purpose of the course, as if it weren’t obvious from the title, is to adequately prepare outgoing seniors to write effective research papers and essays at the college level. Before I delve into the specifics of the course itself, I must briefly acquaint you with the quirky Irishman mentioned above. Mr. M came across as the type of wise old Irishman you might run into in a quaint pub and spend hours sipping Guinness, telling jokes and exchanging personal experiences with. Perhaps the reason why College Prep II became such a welcomed challenge for my classmates and I had something to do with the high level of respect Mr. M showed us. Although we were nothing more than scared, immature high school seniors, he talked to us as if... ...ard sentence structure or maybe even a few contradictory ideas would take our paper from a B+ to a C-. However, no one knew that Mr. M was not grading us solely upon our final draft, but on our ability to embrace writing as a continuous process where there is always room for improvement. Whatever the case, the methods Mr. M taught carried me through four years of college writing with relative ease, yet I never realized that I was adhering to his school of writing until I began to ponder this writing assignment. He did an excellent job emphasizing the technical structure of the process, while focusing intently on the personal or humanistic side to writing. Will my outlook on writing change during my future as a graduate student, straying from the ways of Mr. M? Probably, but I think a part of that process will always be in the back of my head, for better or for worse.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Cyber Attacks

The rising threat of terrorism has led to unprecedented levels of security at Indian airports, railway stations, hotels, ports etc. But the government does not seem to see the bigger threat, which will not come from AK-47s, bombs and rifles. The next big attack will be come from terrorists in the cyber world. We live in a technologically interconnected world. Most of us cannot imagine even a single day without our cell phones, internet and ATMs. There is hardly any distinction between where our bodies end and technology begins. Would it be surprising then, if terrorists choose to attack India via the internet? Let me share some facts about how real and damaging that threat can be If a terrorist group were to attack our stock market and financial infrastructure, it would cause widespread panic and losses to millions of people and organizations. Imagine yourself running helplessly from one ATM to another, trying to withdraw money from your account, only to find that the attack has forced banks to suspend online transactions. Likewise, our telecom infrastructure. If it were flooded with malicious data, business and personal life would grind to a standstill. Terrorists could also target India's top businesses, hacking into their systems, stealing valuable intellectual property, sensitive information and company secrets. Even military networks can be targeted. These scenarios are not from a Bollywood flick, but tangible threats that loom large. In May 2007, Estonia — a small but technologically sophisticated Baltic country — fell victim to a cyber attack. The unidentified terrorists bombarded the country's network with data traffic, clogging it and rendering major services unusable. People were not able to access financial utilities, communications and data services for several hours and some, for days together. What stops cyber terrorists from launching similar attacks in India? Very little because, despite being an infotech power, India lags on cyber security. Neither the government, nor the private sector is adequately prepared to face a cyber attack. We have the necessary laws in place, but they are futile in the absence of trained security experts and police officials to enforce them. Recently, I was at a conference in the Capital, attended by numerous Delhi Police officials. During the question-answer session, one police official asked me: â€Å"All this is fine Mr Ankit, but yeh internet ki building kidhar hai? † According to him, the internet was a huge building and, in order to protect it from cyber terrorists, the police had simply to stand all around it, holding rifles and lathis to fight off viruses, worms and criminals! If this is the state of affairs in the police department of the national capital, one can't even begin to imagine the way it is in other cities. The fact that few engineering colleges in India offer courses on cyber security is a major reason for the lack of cyber experts. The result is that when a private company website gets hacked, the incident is brushed under the carpet lest its brand image is tarnished. Worse, it's considered normal for most Indian government websites to get hacked regularly. But the lack of trained professionals and a lax attitude are the least of India's concerns. The internet has no boundaries and allows cyber terrorists to hide behind geographic, political and diplomatic clouds. It is easy for a criminal to hide behind proxy servers and bounce off systems in unfriendly countries to stop security agencies from tracing the culprits. The dynamic nature of cyber security, coupled with the obsolete techniques used by the Indian forces, means it is a losing battle for India. Let's not wait for a cyber 26/11 to happen. A willingness to make changes, a proactive approach with some nimble execution can fix the chinks in India's cyber security and drastically improve our preparedness to fight a cyber war.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Is It Can t Happen Here - 913 Words

Can Totalitarianism Happen in America? In 1935 Sinclair Lewis wrote a book entitled It Can’t Happen Here; in Lewis’novel he shows that through the political system that is in place in America that it is possible for a totalitarian leader can come to power. In 1935 when the book was written the United States was going through The Great Depression; during this time anything was possible. Americans were desperate for an answer and if a leader at this time were providing people with a way back to prosperity, then they would take it. This means that totalitarian government was possible at this time. At this time Germany went through a similar Depression, which led to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Hitler was able to rise to power legally because of Germany was a newly formed democracy that that allowed Hitler to rise to power. The president in the United States at the time was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Hitler and Roosevelt had similarities in the way they came to power and the w ays they stayed in power. They both used technology to spread their message of hope and both leaders had the opportunity to call for complete control of the government. When Adolf Hitler rose to power he used his great speaking ability. Hitler, a war veteran who was considered a terrible worker was able to take control of the Germans Workers Party. He was able to take control of the party because of his great speaking abilities. When Hitler first joined the party the number of seats that the party had inShow MoreRelatedWe Don t Belong Anywhere950 Words   |  4 Pages We don t feel like we belong in either family, my granddaughter said, the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. I squeezed her hand, took a sip of my coffee and glanced at my grandson who nodded his head in agreement. It s true, Grandma, he chimed in. We don t belong anywhere. No stranger to blended families, when we raised our family, my husband and I found out quickly that not everyone is the Brady Bunch. Every year when my my children arrived home from summer visitationRead MoreObama s New Executive Action1250 Words   |  5 Pagesaction is a substandard idea because Obama didn t go through the necessary terms for an action, and a one man legislature is terrible since the action is based on only one perspective compared to many people. Also, you will be using more money to â€Å"beefing upâ€Å" the border when that money could be used for schools. Lastly, This would only apply to illegal immigrants that have been here for more than 5 years, how could you affirm that they have been here for that many years ? There are too many technicalitiesRead MoreThe Angels Pariah Versus The Prince Of Angels1674 Words   |  7 Pagesthe misfortune in the battle against demons, after all every place needs a pariah to take the blame, even heaven. The angel looked down at Earth and looked at the humans marveling at their complexity, their weakness, and their strength. Nadie couldn t help but to marvel at them. Most angels saw the humans as weak hairless apes, but Nadie loved them. Most of all he wanted to be one. The angels liked to refer to Nadie as the next Lucifer, but he was the exact opposite. Lucifer was cast down to hellRead MoreThe Syrian Refugees Into America1197 Words   |  5 Pagespotential job oppurtunities, that is why they shouldn t be allowed here. Are you for it, or are you against it? If a woman and her young children were standing on your doorstep, tired and hungry, with no place to go, would you turn them away? I would at least offer them some water and allow them to rest their feet while I try to find them something more suitable, like a church. Of course, you could always send them packing but, if something were to happen to them, you d probably feel bad about it. ByRead MoreMy Birthday Party - Original Writing806 Words   |  4 Pages I can t bare to tell them the truth, it s, it s uh, too, scarring. I fucking killed my own best friend, at her own birthday party too.   That horrid memory has been eating me alive since I was three, Yeah when you killed her.    Jake! Get up! Okay! I m coming! Since that day, I ve made a new best friend, Rylie, who lives here in Sydney, Australia. We re the same in a lot of ways, same taste in music, we re both socially awkward at times, and we can make each other laugh hystericallyRead MoreThe Day I Was Forgotten1206 Words   |  5 Pagesand left to the hospital While in the car I could see my mom felt lots of pain so I grabbed her hand and tried to make her feel better. No matter what were to happen to my mom I will always be by her side helping her and exceptionally now that she s going into labor I have to be there and help her feel better. But I also couldn t wait for my baby brother to be born, I kept wondering what he was going to look like and what my parents were going to name him. They decided to wait for him to beRead MoreThe Most Painful Goodbyes Are The Ones That Are Never Said And Never Explained886 Words   |  4 PagesGrowing up I didn’t consider that anything terrible would happen, being a teenager going to school not really taking responsibility, then it hits me like somebody punched me in the stomach. It was an ordinary Thursday morning, the winter sun was just coming up with its bright orange and yellow colors blooming over the city. I had awareness of something awful was going to happen, kind of a gut feeling when you’re feeling really sick but can t put your finger around it. Suddenly, in that same instanceRead MoreWhy Do We Fall? Essay921 Words   |  4 Pagesto just sit and think, I didn’t go into work. So just bare with me with this. Why do we fall in love? Why is it that we pick one human and we are like â€Å"you, you are the human I want to be with†. Is it destiny? Are we meant to be with someone? What happens if we mess it up? But if destiny exists then is the future already there? Is past, present, and future all running at the same time? I watched this one episode of SpongeBob today (yeah I watch SpongeBob) and in this episode it was about SquidwardRead MoreThe Prince Needs For The Ball Tonight1349 Words   |  6 PagesSaid Rosalinda. Why didn t you say that before I would have gone up right away. I said in a excited voice as I jumped of the counter I was siting on. I ran up the stairs. (I can t believe they don t have an elevator in this huge castle.) Walking in quietly I saw him trying to pick outfits. With his dirty blond hair and his beautiful blue eyes I could stair at him all day. What can I do for you my sir? I said realizing that I had been staring. Well you can come help me choose an outfitRead MoreEssay On American Dream1438 Words   |  6 PagesWell, America is called the freedom land or whatever people want to call it. People immigrate to America to fulfill what they couldn t in their country, but when they get here and they see it, it is not what they had imagined. I believe that even Americans sometimes can t even achieve that dream because it just doesn t exist. America is not a just country. I don t think there is any existent fair country because everywhere in the world there are innocent people being killed, judged unfairly, are

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Informative Speech Plastic Surgery - 1551 Words

Informational Interview Plastic Surgery is a speciality of medicine and a branch of surgery. It is a medical specialty that includes reconstructive interventions as well as cosmetic interventions of the body and face (Reconstructive plastic surgery) and the second one (cosmetic plastic surgery), the latter popularly known as cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive plastic surgery is the restoring and give to the body its form and functionality in patients who have suffered accidents, burns, cancer, or have birth defects, malformations of the hands, etc. Its procedures will operate on various parts of the body to restore their normal shape and function, alleviating the individual s disease. Cosmetic Surgery is used to improve a person s†¦show more content†¦What are your main duties and responsibilities? Take care of people, he has the duties of make the patience to be better and feel good again. Question 7: How did you get to where you are today? Did you follow a traditional path in your career search? He started off studying Business, but then he changed to Medicine because one day he was studying with her friend and she was reading a anatomy book, he looked at the book he was reading and saw that the anatomy book was more interesting so he started to like more the medicine fields than the business field. Question 8: Who were the people who supported and encouraged you in your career? His dad s friends, Dr. Liby was the most influential person for him and also Dr Kelly influence him in his career because they would tell him how the medical field was and he got more interested at it. Question 9: What lessons have you learned along the way that would be helpful for someone just starting out or who is interested in this career? His words of encouragement are to stick with it and even when you re studying so hard and you re working so long hour and it seems like everyone else is having fun at the end all the hard work that you did it is rewarding. Question 13: What are some future trends which could impact the nature of this career? Every year there s new things that come out, as technology grows we are able to do things with lasers and highShow MoreRelatedInformative Speech : Plastic Surgery819 Words   |  4 PagesINFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE Topic: Plastic Surgery Specific purpose: Allowing people to know the pros and cons of plastic surgery. Thesis: The cosmetic, issues, and beauty. We need to understand every possible outcome while considering plastic surgery. Introduction I. Attention-getter: Modern plastic surgeons can alter almost any aspect of physical appearance, from facial features to body shape. II. Credibility statement: According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 14.6 million plasticRead MoreSpeech Outline On The Perils Of Cosmetic Surgery Essay1230 Words   |  5 Pages(Vincent) Dana-Jean Smith CMST 110 13 October 2016 Informative Speech Outline on The Perils of Cosmetic Surgery I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: â€Å"I prefer artificial beauty to natural ugliness† is a phrase that currently seems to be gaining popularity with many girls and women around the world. However, relatively few of them can comprehend the unsafe risks behind the artificial beauty. B. Introduce Topic and Significance: 1. These days, cosmetic surgery has quickly built up everywhere throughoutRead MoreInformative Breast Cancer Speech Essay899 Words   |  4 PagesInformative Speech: Breast Cancer Attention Getter: What do Sheryl Crow, Judy Blume, Suzanne Somers, Wanda Sykes and my Mother have in common? They are all breast cancer survivors. Topic Disclosure: Today I am going to talk to you about breast cancer information and awareness Preview: During my speech I will discuss: * Symptoms and Diagnosis * Treatment and Side effects * Ways to lower risk and Statistics Audience Link: There is a large amount of men and women who are diagnosedRead MoreOutline of a Kpop Informative Speech Essays1443 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿November 8, 2012 Outline of Informative Speech Kpop Invasion Topic: Korean pop General purpose: To inform†¦ Specific purpose: To inform about Kpop. Central idea: To inform my colleagues about Kpop. Kpop is more than ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ that many have come to know. From music, it branched out to the other forms of media that becomes a part of pop culture and that of the new generation. Introduction Attention-getter: Play ‘Run by Tiger JK ft. Baby-T the Jungle. I wanted to play thisRead MorePeer Pressure2910 Words   |  12 Pagesbe a welcome break from citing Mark Anthony s oft quoted, Friends, Romans, Countrymen... speech. A good debate topic does not necessarily need to be a political topic. It can be funny, informative, contemplative, social, economical - the categories are endless. Debate topics for students need to be chosen keeping in mind the maturity level and understanding that they may be expected to have about the speech topic at hand. Always make a shortlist of topics that will seem interesting to the targetRead MoreLanguage of Advertising20371 Words   |  82 Pagesattracts the attention of the consumer and the degree of its expressiveness Titles are divided into several types: headlines reporting the useful properties of provocative, informative, interrogative and containing the command. The main text of advertising message can be narrative, figurative, tricks (the original), it can be written in the form of dialogue or monologue. VI. Features the use of linguistic devicesRead MoreThe Central Nervous System14042 Words   |  57 Pagesto experience or damage. refers to the brain’s ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage. Neuroplasticity enables us to learn and remember new things and adjust to new experiences. Our brains are the most â€Å"plastic† when we are young children, as it is during this time that we learn the most about our environment. On the other hand, neuroplasticity continues to be observed even in adults (Kolb amp; Fantie, 1989).[85] The principles of neuroplasticity help usRead MoreMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words   |  316 Pages The most glaring example of his innovative translation is the word significate now usually translated by signified (signifià © in French)—which is used throughout the text. Langue and parole have increasingly been translated by language and speech, although this is not an ideal solution. Dà ©couper, translated by Taylor in a number of ways (break up, break down analysis, etc.), would more easily be translated by segmenting when used in the linguistic sense, and by dà ©coupage when used toRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesto do the following: 1. Decide whether existing information is adequate or whether additional information is required. 2. If necessary, collect more information in a reasonable and thoughtful way. 3. Summarize the available data in a useful and informative manner. 4 Chapter 1 ââ€"   The Role of Statistics and the Data Analysis Process 4. Analyze the available data. 5. Draw conclusions, make decisions, and assess the risk of an incorrect decision. People informally use these steps to make everydayRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesWhich sentence below probably is not being used to make a claim (that is, a statement)? a. I wonder if we should turn back. b. Financial ruin from medical bills is almost exclusively an American disease. c. I learned a long time ago that minor surgery is when they do the operation on someone else, not you. d. My bumper sticker asks, â€Å"Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I drive by again?†40 4. Identify all the conclusion indicators and premise indicators, if any, in the following

Friday, December 20, 2019

An Integral Theory Of Consciousness Essay - 1696 Words

An Integral Theory of Consciousness and RR Ken Wilber (1997) reviewed various dimensions of the theories of consciousness in existing literature and proposes an integral theory that will incorporate most of the prominent existing theories. The theory Wilber proposes is an ‘Integral Theory of Consciousness’. Specifically, he reviews the cognitive science outlooks: introspectionism; neuropsychology; individual psychotherapy; social psychology; clinical psychiatry; developmental psychology; problematic medicine views, nonordinary states of consciousness view; eastern and contemplative tradition; quantum consciousness; subtle energies point of views on the consciousness state and functions. After the review, Wilber comes to the conclusion that, â€Å"The interior dimensions of the human being seem to be composed of a spectrum of consciousness† (p. 10). The spectrum, in this instance, defines conditions or values that vary infinitely within a continuum. In other words, there is a kind of indefinite transformation, in terms of quality and volume of information between the initial state and the goal state – within the domain of consciousness. This conclusion by Wilbur has implication on the complexity of the RR processes, as described by Vervaeke (2012). Furthermore, Vervaeke even described the initial and the goal state as sometimes unknown within the system (Vervaeke, 2016). The important finding here is that the discovery of the Wilber agrees with the complexity feature of theShow MoreRelatedEXAMPLE Apply Theory To A Practice Prob2047 Words   |  6 PagesApplication of Theory to the Practice Problem of Nurse Staffing Marialena Murphy Grand Canyon University August 10, 2011 Application of Theory to the Practice Problem of Nurse Staffing Nursing theory influences the practice of nursing in a multitude of ways that can have a profound impact. Theory provides a framework to support and define nursing practice, support quality of patient care, and can be implemented in practice situations to provide solutions to nursing practice problems. Applying theory to resolveRead MorePhilosphy of Nursing1293 Words   |  6 PagesPHILIOSPHY OF NURSING This philosophy of nursing is assimilation of the author’s beliefs in regards of the metaparadigm through experience and understanding of knowledge. The author looks at the fundamental level, a theory which encompasses all or most theories. Attempts to view the theory as an interplay of energy, while looking at it in an atomic level. With the patient being the nucleus the primary structure and concentration of high energy while health and environment as different valence ringsRead MoreDifferent States Of Consciousness By Maharishi Vedic Science795 Words   |  4 PagesDifferent states of consciousness Maharishi Vedic Science states that â€Å"failure to fulfill our desires comes from our inability to use the full capacity of the mind† (SCI, Lesson 1). Maharishi Vedic Science reveals that never-ending cycle of addiction-recovery-addiction is self-created because the addict’s true potential is obscured by a lack of consciousness. Generally the addict is aware only of the waking, sleeping and dreaming states of consciousness. In the sleeping state one is not awareRead MoreWe Are The Cosmos Made Conscious And Life Is The Means By Which The Universe Understands Itself? Essay1710 Words   |  7 Pagesmade conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.† --Brian Cox. What is consciousness? I remember being a student in a NSCS 200 class, answering the attendance question of whether plants are conscious beings. They aim to fulfill a goal, they sense things, and with those stimuli, they make actions. So theoretically, they are conscious. B ut do they have consciousness? Are they aware what they are doing and why they are doing it? Do they feel things within themselves? AndRead MoreConcepts of the Discipline of Nursing Essay1552 Words   |  7 Pagessalient phenomena concerning the discipline. The work of Newman, Smith, Dexheimer-Pharris and Jones (2008) elaborates on Fawcett’s metaparadigm by identifying seven, relationship centered, fundamental concepts of nursing. These include health, consciousness, caring, mutual process, presence, patterning and meaning. Albeit slightly different in composition and specificity the central concepts identified by both groups share certain commonalities and both serve to shape the way nursing is thought aboutRead MoreThe Theory Of History And Division Of Labor1091 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theory of History Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim are the great sociologists in this world; they give us many thoughts about the social theory and let us to learn how the society is. They both had described a theory of human history and division of labor. Despite some differences, Marx and Durkheim have concentrated on the emergence of modern capitalism especially with the rise of the modern system of division of labor and the evolution of market society. Their methods are developed through theRead MoreThe Soul And Consciousness Of Revolutionary Politics1482 Words   |  6 PagesThe Soul and Consciousness of Revolutionary Politics Steven Umbrello Table of Contents I Introduction 3 II The Soul and the Essence 3 III Justice and Revolutionary Consciousness 5 IV Degeneration and Global Revolution (ideology) 6 V Psychology of Political Duty and Freedom 7 VI Conclusion 7 VII Bibliography 8 I In this short paper I will be comparing and contrasting the political psychologyRead MoreTime As A Dominant Mode1544 Words   |  7 Pagesperceived to exist in our consciousness. When dealing with time, we are usually referring to our consciousness of time; and we are conscious of time in many ways: appointments, clocks, days, etc†¦ This is known as objective time, but time can also be conceived as a subjective experience, otherwise known as psychological or absolute time. An important subcategory of time-consciousness is time-perception. Many philosophies have thought that one form of time-consciousness, time-perception, is basicRead MoreA Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man1594 Words   |  7 Pagespiece of work that is undoubtedly modernist in its approach, that is to say it has an ambiguity to it that often renders the aforementioned components of the novel incoherent. The modernist’s central preoccupations in regards to the inner self, consciousness, experimenta tion with form, and the subsequent emancipation from the constraints of the Victorian aesthetics are evident throughout Portrait of an Artist. Incoherency and the desire to confuse through the manipulation of form, is particularly potentRead MoreAnalysis Of John Locke s The Cold Soldier And Douglas Quail 886 Words   |  4 Pagesperson is. The consciousness of a subject puts memory into motion and thus, creating his or her identity. The main ideas behind Locke’s theory are still discussed today. However, fictional characters in movies prove that it they are inadequate. Prominent examples include: Neo in The Matrix, Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Douglas Quail in â€Å"We Will Remember It for You Whole Sale.† These characters set a precedence that confirms the invalidity of Locke’s theory as their identities

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Always on My Shoulder free essay sample

The buzzer rings throughout the stadium and the scoreboard expresses that we had lost by three. Both of these things mean that my high-school soccer career is now over. The overwhelming stinging in my eyes comes quickly, but I keep my head up, knowing that I’ve tried my best. However, I look to the sidelines and see him; his hands that have held me through so much, his old railroad boots that he wears constantly, and his overall positive persona. My dad has been and will always be my biggest fan, no matter what I’m involved in. He has influenced me with so many things in his life and taught me infinite lessons that I believe will get me far in life. A lesson that has impacted my life very greatly is one that my father instilled in me at a young age. He would always tell me that there is a plan in life and five decisions that could make or break you. We will write a custom essay sample on Always on My Shoulder or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When I was little, I told him that I wanted a job. He chuckled at the idea of a 5 year old having a job, and sat me down to explain to me that my job was to go to school, make straight A’s, and work my hardest at sports and school. Other than that, a regular job was out of the question. Growing up, my dad worked for the railroad every night about 9, came home and slept during the day, and then went back to work to do it all over again. He completely took on the father role to help provide for our family and worked hard for what he received, another positive influence on my life, and in the process he taught me that a hard work ethic can get you very far in life. As a girl going through high school, there are countless â€Å"traumatic† events that I have gone through or have yet to go through. Every time, I could trust my dad to give positive advice that always helped, even in very tough situations. As a kid I would tell him, â€Å"How do you know everything?† to which he would answer, â€Å"I don’t know everything, but I was once young in some of the situations you have or will face later on.† Even after that answer, I still dont understand how he knows as much as he does. He was the best listener when I needed him to be and didn’t have to say much or he could be my dad and help talk me through it and advise me on what to do. Whatever it is that I go through, he always has a small yet helpful piece of advice to get me through it. He is my best friend that never lets me face an obstacle alone. Like he tells me before every soccer game or whenever we’re far apart, â€Å"I’m always here on your shoulder.† I couldn’t be happier to know that my dad will always be with me no matter what point in my life that I may be.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Stakeholder Relationship Management for Operational Research

Question: Discuss about theStakeholder Relationship Management for Operational Research. Answer: Introduction This is report, which will depict the stakeholders relationship management of the organization named Volkswagen. Volkswagen has been in the limelight because of the emission scandal, which has made them lose their competitive advantage in the market and they were literally struggling to maintain their sustainability in the market. This report will critically analyze the Volkswagen emission scandal to provide insights on the stakeholder management of the organization. Utilization of social media is very evident in todays world and most of the companies in the market are making use of the social to create their profiles on micro blogging websites to support the image of the brand. The main advantage of social media is that the information can be easily disseminated and the organizations can interact with the consumers in the market (Jung, Chilton and Valero 2017). However, as the social media has provided transparency so the image of the organization is affected during time of crisis a s they lose their reputation in the market. The stakeholders in the organization consist of the shareholders, employees, distributors and consumers. The profitability of the organization is dependent on these stakeholders and so management of relationship with the stakeholders is very important for the organization. Stakeholders management methodology A structured approach is followed for the management of the relationship with the stakeholders (Holloway 2016). This structured approach consists of five steps, which will provide assistance in stakeholders relationship management. These steps are described as follows: A structure will have to be provided to the team so that the management team is able to gather information about the relationship. The actions plan will have to be developed and identified so that the plan can be executed after the data has been gathered. The structure enables the team to effectively communicate with the stakeholders The structured approach will assist in collection of data and will be able to provide a data, which is more significant. The team selects the steps that will have to be used for gathering information and help in communicating with the stakeholders. The organizational teams will have to focus on few of the aspect of the stakeholders relationship management and impellent them to gain success (Verbeke and Tung 2013). When the process has been stabilized then other steps will have to include for the improvement of the management of the stakeholders. Volkswagen Case study Volkswagen is one of the brands in car manufacturing industry who consist of a diverse portfolio in the market. The renowned brand includes Audi, Porsche, Buggati, Lamborghini, Skoda, Seat and Bentley under their product portfolio. The organization has been known for their technical prowess and sustainability in the environment. However, the organization had falsified the emission test while entering in all the countries with the help of cheat devices. The cheat devices were able to detect and change their mode when it is under test procedures (BBC News 2017). This has caused the level of emission of gases from the device as very low and got passed in to the United States market. However, in actual the emission levels of the cars were much higher than the benchmark that has been set in the market. However, no markets that were able to detect the cheat software and the sale of the cars increased at a rapid rate. The performance of the cars went down and most of the cars were not in a condition to be driven in the roads of he various markets. The ICCT were investigating on the organization and they are able to detect the cheat Volkswagen has applied. The representatives of the organization agreed to the fact they have installed cheat software in some of the TDI models in a verbal conversation. Then finally, the organization finally made an official announcement. The organization was forced to withdraw the cars from the market due to quality issues and the high level of NOx emission from the diesel vehicles. The overview of the case study shows that the organization has deceived all their major stakeholders and they will have to manage them in a proper way so that they can maintain their sustainability in the market. Series of events and impact on stakeholders The organization had to go through a series of devastating events after the scandal was revealed. The facts in that time period will be illustrated in chronological order and they are as follows: EPA, the protection agency in the United States revealed the use of cheat software in Volkswagen, which has suppressed and falsified the emission rate of the diesel cars for 6 years, which constitutes of 500,000 cars. Volkswagen admitted to all their deceptions and crimes The stock price of the organization fell by 35% in mere two days The market cap of the organization was reduced to half its size The global account of the number of cars which were affected rose up to the figure of 11 million Volkswagen was fined heavily by EPA and were under investigation The CEO of Volkswagen was forced to resign The impact on the stakeholders is as follows: The consumers had to deal with a lot of hassles, unnecessary costs, anger for being betrayed and embarrassment The employees were dealing with embarrassment as they had to go through investigation The dealers had to face similar hassles and embarrassments they were to force to take back all the cars that were sold and their future sales were in dilemma. The shareholders were devastated because of large amount of equity losses and they were multiple lawsuits in different countries. The cars harmed the corresponding environment and contributed to the depletion in the ozone layer due to the emission of nitrogen dioxide The management of the organization were scrutinized and public provide various opinions about their own perspectives The board, the consults and the lawyers were under immense pressure as they had to do something to save the company from being financially bankrupt. Communication management and issues Communication management is one of the essential parts of knowledge sharing within the organization. The technological advancement has caused the inclusion of the social media in to the communication system of the organization, which were used for sharing of knowledge. Therefore, in the time of crisis communication has considerable significance because it will facilitate in managing the stakeholders of the organization. However, as the crisis will have an adverse effect on the organization it is advisable to make use of communication to identify the strategies for recovery of the organization. Social media is a platform which is used in this situation by the stakeholders of the organization for expression their views and criticizing the organization (Jung, Chilton and Valero 2017). When the EPA revealed the scandal, the internal and the external stakeholders of the organization were waiting for a response from the organization. However, it is difficult to control the sentiments and t he emotions of the stakeholders in this situation. Thus, effective communication is necessary for managing the relationship with the stakeholders. The timing of communicating the response is crucial and the creditability of the source will help in diffusion of the topic (De Brucker, Macharis and Verbeke 2013). However, in this scenario, the organization took their time in providing with the response in this matter as the organization is centralized and the decision taken by the main headquarters is circulated to other branches. Thus, when Volkswagen was accused of these charges they should have immediately responded with a counter response. However, the organization was unable to manage their relationship with stakeholder that led to the downfall of the organization. The organization should have made use of the social media platform in an effective manner to respond to the concerns and the grievances of the external stakeholders (Hrisch, Freeman and Schaltegger 2014). Listening techniques of stakeholder analysis The listing techniques that are generally used for the stakeholder analysis are stakeholder analysis, need and expectation of stakeholders, stakeholders and business planning. The stakeholder analysis will identify all stakeholders and arrange them in order of their priority. This can be done by making a list of all the stakeholder and determine the influence of each of the factors on the organization (Kazadi, Lievens and Mahr 2016). The stakeholders who have large influence on the business will have to be communicated so that they could be informed about the activities of the organization. However, in this scenario the organization did not communicate with their stakeholders, which caused the issues to become more inflated than before. The next method includes the identification of the needs and the expectations of the stakeholders. It is important for the business to look in to the concerns of the stakeholders. The shareholder expects to maximize he profit and expansion of the business. The consumers want to avail the product at reasonable prices along with satisfactory service. Volkswagen should have had catered to the needs and expectations of the stakeholders so that they could have minimize the damage due to the emission scandal (Lawrence and Weber 2014). The organization was reluctant and failed to provide the stakeholders with satisfactory explanation that they deserve. The business is generally set in order to meet the needs and expectations of one of the stakeholders. However, it is essential for focusing on the needs and the expectations of other stakeholders on the market (De Brucker, Macharis and Verbeke 2013). This is the main failure for Volkswagen who are unable to provide importance to the needs of the other crucial stakeholders which has led to their downfall in the market. Public relations of Volkswagen The subsidiary of Volkswagen in Australia had been waiting for instructions during the time of the emission scandal. the organization delayed their response to the public which has further aggravated the media and the consumers who are searching for answers for the embarrassment they had to face (The Conversation 2017). This had increased the level of frustration among the employees, as they were still not clear about the situation. This shows that the organization is lacking in their personal relation skills and it further damaged the reputation of the organization. The organization should have been quick to respond to the situation and interacted with the media and the consumers to make them understand their perspectives, the damage can be minimized (Lawrence and Weber 2014). Ethical aspect of the personal relations and its impact This is a case, which is completely unethical as the organizations in order to maximize the interest of the shareholder have caused harm to the corresponding environment and have cheated the consumers. It is the duty of the public relations team to make the organization aware of the consequences of the organizational malpractices. However, Volkswagen was unable to manage their public relations, which shows that the PR team were not efficient enough to handle these situations (Weiss 2014). Moreover there was an ethical dilemma which suggest that the even though the PR team is trying to defend the organization they themselves are aware of the wrong doings. However, in this scenario in order to protect the interest of one stakeholder the interest of other stakeholders will be neglected. Thus, the organization should have communicated with the consumers, dealers and the media to protect their interest but they did not follow such practices. Reputation of Volkswagen before and after The organization was he market leader in the industry but due to the emergence of this scandal the organization had to go through considerable amount of losses. The stock prices of he organization fell down by 35% and several law suits were filed against the organization. Moreover, the sales of the products were reduced to half which shows the organization was in need of restructuring and rebranding. Conclusion Thus, it can be conclude that Volkswagen is unable to manage their relations hip with their stakeholders. This caused detrimental impact on both the revenue and the image of the organization. The management of the stakeholders is important for any organization as they have a degree of influence of the organization. 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