The World of Phoenicia :: World History

The World of Phoenicia Around the 12th century BC, the Greeks gave the coastal region of the eastern Mediterranean the name Phoenicia. This name was so widely accepted that even the Romans adopted it at a later date. Phoenicia was the land between the Orontes River and Mount Carmel. The land was characterized early as the homeland or origination of the surviving Syro-Canaanite civilization. This unique civilization survived the many threats from other cultures of the 12th century BC. The Syro-Canaan civilization produced many interesting objects. Such objects included institutions, handicrafts, and maritime trading. All of these flourished immensely in Phoenician in this period (CANE, 1321). Phoenicia was neither a nation nor a country. Instead, Phoenicia was simply a "conglomerate of city-states that was distinguished from adjacent areas by its habitual outreach into the Mediterranean world" (Freedman, 349). Phoenicia was also known for its preferred dealing and trading with the Greeks and Indo-Europeans. Although it dealt and traded mainly with the Greeks, Phoenicia maintained a unique culture with its own religious beliefs, language, preferred trading techniques, and political setup. With help from their unique ways, the Phoenicians eventually began to expand through the Mediterranean, Near East, and the Middle East (Freedman, 349). Religion for Phoenicia, like many other Semitic cultures, played a very important role in the Phoenician culture. In the 12th century BC, the Phoenicians strongly believed in paganism and worshipped many gods. The gods' names, however, were not always consistent. Phoenicians had their own religious text, their own forms of prayer, and even had sacrifice within their culture. Gifts were also used as offerings and the Phoenicians also had a personal structure within their beliefs. All of these things helped form and keep the Phoenician religion quite unique and peculiar as well. Literary and epigraphic texts are part of the written sources of information about Phoenician religion. Literary texts include many sources such as the Hebrew Bible, Greek texts by Christian, classical, and Hellenistic writers. Epigraphic texts included cuneiform texts in Akkadian language and inscriptions in Phoenician language. One can easily notice all the different sources in which the Phoenician religious texts came about. Hence, the Phoenicians were exposed to many groups and many beliefs in which they built their own religious beliefs. It must be noted, however, that any source other than texts written by Phoenicians can not be solely relied upon and are secondary (Freedman, 358).

Applying Stanislavski’s Principles to a Role in Volpone Essay -- Konst

Applying Stanislavski’s Principles to a Role in Volpone As founder of the first acting system, co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre, and an eminent practitioner of the naturalist school of thought, Konstantin Stanislavski challenged traditional notions of the dramatic process, establishing himself as one of the most pioneering thinkers of his time in modern theatre. His process of character development, the Stanislavski Method, was the catalyst for method acting- one of the most influential acting systems on the modern stage and screen. Such renowned schools of acting and directing as the Group Theatre and The Actors Studio are a legacy of Stanislavski's pioneering vision. Stanislavski developed this unique system of training to change the way that people saw their characters. The actors would research the situation created by the script, break down the text according to their character's motivations and recall their own experiences, therefore causing actions and reactions according to these motivations. The actor would ideally make his motivations for acting identical to those of the character in the script. He could then replay these emotions and experiences in the role of the character in order to achieve a more genuine performance. This was Stanislavski’s main aim to create a more genuine performance. ACTION â€Å"In every physical action, unless it is purely mechanical, there is concealed some inner action, some feelings. This is how the two levels of life in a part (dramatic role) are created, the inner and the outer. They are intertwined. A common purpose brings them together and reinforces the unbreakable bond.† - ‘Creating a role’ In Volpone, it would be most likely to happen in the market place. The busy market place would be played by a group of people that would need to show a complicity of lives that intermingle with other characters just as if they were a real community. This would be hard to show, as they are not a real community. Good methods of getting these groups of characters to resemble villagers would be to give them little scenarios to act out in which all the characters intermingle and have lines to say to each other. This would help them realise each other’s inner character and feeling and therefore are then able to react in the way their character would to that situation. Then use what they ... ...must find out all he can about the character and the situation. This helps to create an overall realistic reaction to that particular situation. To be able to use ‘Magic if’ the actor must know a lot about his character and his or her personality. Stanislavski teaches the actor to become the character by asking questions that are answered by action based on emotional response. For example, the actor that plays Volpone in the rape scene must ask before he plays the scene, ‘What if I am Volpone and I am just about to rape Celia and Benario jumps out from the cupboard? What will I do?’ Another good question from Celia’s point of view: "What if I'm Celia and I am being raped by an old dirty man and I have no one to help me would I give in or stand my ground? "Magic if" questions contain motivation and awareness of "the now." The questions are cast in the first person, in the present tense, and therefore they pull you into the character's major concerns. Very importantly, the questions suggest not one but two attitudes: The character toward her or him, and toward other characters. These types of questions help the actor figure out the action to take in response.

Commercial Bank Service Delivery

Commerce Bank INDUSTRY: Banking SERVICE: Checking Accounts & Loans COMPANY/BRAND: Commerce Bank SOURCE: HBS Premier Case Collection WRITTEN BY: Frances X. Frei, Corey Hajim PUBLICATION DATE: Dec 02, 2002 PROD. #: 603080-PDF-ENG Reader's comments would be much appreciated and replied to!!! Analyze Commerce Bank's service delivery system prior to ‘Retailtainment’. Base your analysis on the following heads: Service OfferingFunding Mechanism Employee Management System Customer Management System ANALYSIS: Commerce Bank’s Service Delivery System Commerce Bank’s entire banking and operational philosophy is designed around creating a retail experience for the customer. This was unusual for the entire banking industry and thus a great source of differentiation from both the operational standpoint and from the service delivery design perspective.This meant that the entire value proposition from the customers’ standpoint depended on the design of the service en vironment/theater including the 3 service marketing mix variables This can be seen from employee comments and facts in the case about these variables Product: â€Å"We believe the value of a bank is not its loan base but rather the deposit base† – Vernon Hill (Chairman & CEO) Price: â€Å"We are generally the lowest ratepayers in every market† – Vernon Hill (Chairman & CEO) Place: ‘†¦ eciding where to put a branch was just as important as what the building looked like.. ’ Promotion: ‘Commerce spent $500,000/branch in NYC on promotion†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘Red and blue painted Commerce vans with an emblazoned logo’ People: â€Å"This is not a job for someone who ‘s interested in being cool or indifferent† – John Manning (Employee Trainer) Process: â€Å"the way we look at credit and credit quality is a lot tougher†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Falese Physical Evidence: â€Å"They i. . customers know what th e deal is whenever they visit one of our banks† – John Cunningham (CMO) The Chairman and CEO, Vernon Hill has been able to do this by understanding 2 very important aspects or critical success factors of the banking business Understanding the Nature of the Servicescape: Despite trends (cross selling & non-interest revenue) in the banking industry moving towards the more remote delivery mode (Pg. : Most banks actively encouraged customers to move their transactions from full-service channels to self-service channels†¦monetary penalties for using the more expensive channels†¦charging $3 to visit the teller), he understood that because banking as a service depended so heavily on the service attributes of searchability, experience and credence and the nature of the servicescape was in essence that of an Elaborate- Interpersonal type Reducing the Listening Gap (from Gap Model of Service Quality): In comparison to other banks in the industry which competed on keepin g a low-interest ratio, he rightly understood the customers’ real need by competing instead on service, convenience and other intangible service differentiators (Pg. 6: †¦the competition is beating on the 3% i. e. ustomers wanting a higher interest rate; we decided to compete on the 62% i. e. customers wanting convenience) Keeping this in mind we can now look at the 4 dimensions its Service Delivery system prior to ‘Retailainment’ Service Offering In light of this, the bank’s entire service offering can be visualized as in the figure below: Here we can see that the service offering in itself is split into CORE OFFERING: This is not very different from what other banks in the industry offer. However, from an execution standpoint their focus was different, because their strategic intent for both operations and growth was that Bank Value is ‘Deposit Base’ NOT ‘Loan Base’. Their core offering i. e. anking services included Deposi ts or Checking accounts (first 3 years no monthly service fees and free 1st order of checks) Sr. No. Type Minimum Balance Details 1 Standard Checking $100 No monthly service fees 2 Interest Checking $1000 No monthly service fees, Unlimited check writing, Interest 3 50 Plus Club $100 No account maintenance charge for checking account with interest, free checks, money orders, notary service and travelers’ checks 4 Consumer Checking None No per check charge for first 8 checks/month for $3 monthly fee Table 1: Commerce Bank’s Deposit Product Line Loans: Commerce’s value is not in its loan base but in its deposit base.So for Commerce, loans are not given out as easily as other banks in the industry which believe that growth is in loans since deposit growth can occur only with the lowest interest rate. However, credit quality checks for loan approval is very stringent ATMs: Withdrawals were available at any ATM and purchases anywhere Visa was accepted. Transactions w ere immediately reflected in accounts and statements Cash Reserve Line: All accounts could be combines with a Cash Reserve Line to ensure protection from overdrafts SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICE: Commerce has 8 supplementary services (4 facilitators and 4 differentiators) which allow for superior customer service: FACILITATORS DIFFERENTIATORS InformationCommerce decided to use Live agents over the phone instead of Voice Response Unit (VRU)to talk to customers Consultation Branch manager (also the Loan officer) consults/advises loan applicants and helps to manage both loans & deposits Order Taking (Banking context: Cash withdrawal & loan application process)  · Loans were assigned to service branch instead of Head office for easy access for customer  · Weekend banking facilities were provided to allow customers to bank on Saturdays & Sundays Hospitality  · Helpline phones at ATMs  · Employee escorts with umbrellas during rains  · Lollipops and dog biscuits at drive through banking windows  · Coffee and newspapers in waiting lobbies Billing Banking context: Loan approval and monthly statement generation process)  · Loan applicant had to personally sign-off by on loan papers at service branch  · Online Monthly statements Safe Keeping (Banking context: Peace of mind about account balances and check deposits)  · Immediate updating of ATM withdrawals in online statements  · A ‘Check View’ feature on Commerce’s website Payment (Banking context: Loan repayment process)  · Payment is easier for customer and assured for bank, since loan customer also has a deposit at service branch Exception handling (Banking context: Coin currency & Irregular hours )  · ‘Penny arcades’ to handle coins  · Midnight timing at busy locations 10 minute rule to increase banking hours by 20 minutes in a day’ operation Table 2: Commerce Bank’s Supplementary Services mix As a result of this unique service offering design, Commerce has produced above average results in its undifferentiated core offering: Comparison Parameter Commerce’s Value Industry or Competitor Value Deposit Growth (1996-2001) 30% US Banking Industry-20% (98-01) Deposit Growth (2001) 40% US Banking industry – 5% Online Usage 34% Wells Fargo – much lower Net Income growth (1998-2001) 200% (Double) US Banking industry – 20% Table 3: Commerce Bank’s Performance Comparison Funding Mechanism Commerce’s funding mechanism can be looked at from 2 perspectivesCommerce’s own startup and growth strategy (how it funded it’s own growth) Commerce’s banking and lending operations (how it functions as a bank) Startup and Growth Strategy Founded in 1973 with $ 1. 5 million as startup capital (assumed to be seed capital not VC funding) Chairman & CEO, Vernon Hill did not believe in M&As as a growth strategy but as a cost-cutting measure Started operations as a community bank in southern New Jers ey Used the retail franchise expansion model (without acquisitions) to grow Expanded into branches in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York Concentrated on seeing customer as a revenue-generator (not cost center).However, cross-selling was not encouraged since main revenue stream was considered as deposits Expansion into New York was done organically (Branches were wholly owned and run by Commerce and promoted heavily (Spends – $500,000 per branch) By 2001, Commerce had $ 1 billion in core deposits Banking and Lending Operations Commerce’s 2 basic product categories were: Deposits (Debits) and Loans (Credits). Its operations as compared to the Industry can be analyzed as below: Product Category v Commerce’s Philosophy: Focus is consumer business (Deposits) Best value from both (conventional & electronic) channels Low-expense ratios are bad Outgoing friendly service Industry Trend: Cross-Selling products Preference to electronic channels Non-interest income revenue Pushing customers out of store(bank) DepositsRates need not be the highest in the industry (only 3% want this) Longer operating hours allow for more time for customer service (62% want this) Non-interest income revenue (i. e. ATM charges) must be used as competitive advantage to grow and not simply be an addition to the bottom line They are transaction-oriented and low growth Dozen or more types of checking accounts $5 monthly fee for Internet Banking facilities Loans Assigned to customer service branches that received credit for deposits Loan-deposit ratio low Stringent credit quality checks Customers mostly commercial real estate projects, mortgages and consumer loans Loan officer is also branch managerLoan delivery is centralized leading to customer and loan officer disconnect Loans are 90% of deposit base (2001) Lower credit quality loans (i. e. sub-prime mortgages) get approved Loans not linked to deposits RESULT > Deposit Growth (2001) – 40% Online Usage – 34% N et Income growth (1998-2001) – 200% Loan & Deposit growth (1998-2001) – 20% Deposit Growth (2001) – 5% Non-interest income growth – 27% Interest Income growth – 11% Customer attrition – 1/3rd of customer base Table 4: Commerce Bank’s Funding Mechanism Employee Management System Commerce’s Employee Management System can be broken up into Hiring Training Work Autonomy Workplace involvement Rewards Appraisal or Performance Measurement HIRINGPolicy emphasizes internal (among employees) and external (customers & employees) engagement Extensive interviews (2000 interviews for 40 positions in Manhattan branch) Experience about local and entrepreneurs given high importance Interviews used to know about competitors and their best performers TRAINING WOW program (process improvement) for all employees to be trained and integrated into the Commerce culture (‘Traditions’ class) Commerce University (full time education and trai ning facility) Easy to remember framework for learning Commerce service deliver model: SMART (Say YES to customers, Make each customer feel special, Always keep customer promises, Recover, Think like a customer) Continued business education for senior executives WORK AUTONOMY ‘Kill the stupid rule’ program to suggest improvements WORKPLACE INVOLVEMENTAll employees encouraged to hand out their visiting cards to recruit potential employees Redeemable WOW! Stickers WOW! Awards and Musical performances Red Fridays (Pictures taken of those employees who are wearing red) Mascots – Mr. C , Buzz and Dr. Wow REWARDS Glamorous prizes for top performers (like a leased Porsche Boxster for 1 year) $5000 reward for the staff of nearest Commerce branch where a competitor closed down $50 reward for suggesting improvement in the ‘Kill the rule’ program (mentioned above) APPRAISAL OR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT All shops (branches) performance data on an internal database open to all branch managers Salary increases based on shopping (No. f deposits) results Mystery shoppers visited 14000 shops (branches) annually for evaluating employees, customer-service reps for compliance with greeting and other procedures Competition between branches in different regions in the form of Leagues (assuming this is like football or baseball leagues) to get the best service report Table 5: Commerce Bank’s Employee Management System Customer Management Systems Commerce’s Customer Management Systems or customer-centric programs can be divided into: Customer Acquisition Programs Customer Retention Programs Both these have some customer ‘delight’ features which are called as such because they are against industry norms and unexpected by customers Acquisition Industry NormEmployees were encouraged to cross-sell products (deposit account and loan products) Employees’ key performance measures were volume of calls handled and number of tran sactions processed rather than customer satisfaction or repeat customers Customers were seen as cost centers and in order to keep a low-expense ratio were pushed to use the electronic channels (full-service to self-service) Also, customers using the conventional personal (teller) banking channel were penalized through extra fees This savings in the marginal cost was then used to give a higher interest rate which banks felt was the only way to attract new customers. These are the result not understanding why customers selected their banks in the first place. In addition to proximity, customers chose banks based on service. Vernon Hill, CEO & Chairman, Commerce Bank understood this and built it into Commerce’s Customer Management System Commerce’s customer acquisition methodology Branches located close to competitors branches Branches are designed to be inviting, open windows (Note: this is a visual ‘Cue’ designed into the physical evidence variable.It shows honesty and transparency) and ample parking Red & blue painted commerce vans helped create free advertising opportunities Building designs across all branches were consistent (Note: This gives a consistent message to the customer – Integrated marketing communication) Very high promotional spends for every new branch in the form of direct mailings, subway ads, phone kiosks and free food (like 10,000 hot dogs in Commerce napkins) First time customer is given 4 simple checking account options (See Table 1) and First time customer is given a free gift for opening an account Employees treat customers with outgoing friendly service and do not try to cross-sell products or push customers out of the store after they finish their transactions Loan applicants were encouraged to open deposit accounts first Retention Industry Norm All banks provided the same ease-of-use electronic banking features along with their extensive branch networks. Also, existing Customers were expected to be c omfortable in a different environment and deal with a different culture when banks merged. In spite of this, even the best retail banks lost 15% customers/yr as the following table shows: Sr. No. Reason for leaving of customer base 1. Dissatisfaction with steep fees and fee surprises, poor service and errors 34 2. Outside of reach of current branch locations 34 3. Availability of more convenience such as longer hours in other banks 15 Table 6: Customer attrition in the Banking Industry Commerce’s customer retention methodology Analyzing the facts of the case, it can be clearly seen that Commerce’s customer retention program targeted exactly those pain points (See Table 6) which caused customers to switch banks. Convenience Extended banking hours (10 minute rule allowed for 20 minutes of extra banking everyday) Busy locations were open till midnight (12:10 am)Weekend banking (Saturdays & Sundays) which started in Jersey shore were extended to all branches Exactly same e nvironment across all branches (Note: This feature was lost after ‘‘Retailainment’ program was launched) Phones in ATMs reach helplines Live agents instead of VRUs Boundary-spanning Roles and Interface Employee conduct monitored by mystery shoppers for friendliness (handshakes), consistency in greeting and other procedural details when dealing with customers Employee appraisals and salary increases linked to branch performance (which is linked to service quality) and not volume of transactions handled Live agents dress codes stricter than other call center settings Personal attention Guidance to manage deposit accounts by branch managersLoan accounts handled by local customer service branches and not central headquarters Guidance to manage loan accounts by loan officers (who also happened to be branch managers) Customer delight features No fees for ATM and check cards Non-interest income (ATM charges/fees for using other bank’s ATMs) returned to customers E mployee escorts with umbrellas to cars during rains ‘Penny Arcade’ program to handle coins with no charge either customers or non-customers (Note: This might have even helped customer acquisition) Gifts (pens and lollipops) at drive-through banking windows All these helped drive the growth engine of Commerce Bank. It grew to $1 billion in deposits by 2001. While the net income for the industry stood at 20%, Commerce doubled its net income in the period 1998 -2001.

Associates Capstone Essay

Executive Summary In going through some of things regarding buying the business I think Mike should make sure that the coffee shop is up to code. He should talk to officials about required standards, for running a coffee shop, licenses; the different laws for having the shop in Sunnydale, Illinois, all of will be needed and will help to keep the restaurant running properly inside and out. It is also important that he reviews each file for all employees making sure all documents that are needed for hire are there, reading through and seeing the difference in their duties and the performance prior to him buying the shop and respond accordingly and whatever decisions he makes with each one or if hiring new document all that is done to cover himself within the law. Going through the business files and reading the comments given by customers is important for this will help to give him proper information on what is liked and dislike about the coffee shop and making a plan to change things or get new things to keep them satisfied and coming back, for ex: as accepting credit cards for payments as well as cash. Going more into the business files checking on the finances and accounting is important to be sure all is accounted for, profits are being make and what the next plan would be according to what is found. This will also help in what they are spending for supplies and necessities and where he can save money and use it for other things needed, also go over the income part to see where they can change prices and get better ideas compare the coffee shop to the competitors place and prices. Also make sure all appliances are up to date and properly handle according to code. After reviewing all of these things an going forward making a proper business plan and procedures of moving forward will give Mike a properly ran business with happy customers coming in and employees glad to keep it running and making profits. Regulations In reviewing some of the personnel files on the employees it seems you will have to definitely put together a company/employee/personnel manual. This will help with the government regulations for the State in which the coffee shop is in and it will also spell out what the Company will expect of the employees and what they expect in terms of benefits and other topics related to employment. (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business, page 203). Be sure that when creating this manual you have included all the necessary rules that you want and intend to enforce, (no drinking on the job, no smoking in the workplace, excessive tardiness, or absenteeism, no sexual harassment, no discrimination in the workplace, no stealing and all other rules that will be enforced, then have a meeting with the current employees and any new employee to review before getting started and have them each sign it to keep in their personnel files. This will let them know that you intend to en force these rules and if not followed the consequences could be termination. Management First thing I would do is create a business plan, Mike is considered the Strategic Manager for the coffee shop and he will need to create a plan, organize it, lead it and control the outcome of all that will happen within the business. He will need to focus on the long term goals of the shop and once he has these can move forward in communicating with the employees. He will then need to meet with each of the employees individually to go over their files, be sure to update them with all proper paperwork and they are legal to work. When discussing things with them do not bring up personal topics: marital status, race, religion, etc. for this would be a violation and is not permitted during any type of interview or meeting with an existing employee or new employee. You can let them know the good things about working for you at the shop and even some things that are not so good, make sure the employee knows what work they will be doing and agrees to it and they will be able to perform these duties, you can also see if they have questions regarding the manual and take care of it at that moment have them sign indicating they have read and understand it. I think he should also review the break room and clean it up putting up the proper documents on the board and take down all that unnecessary stuff on it. He needs to have posted the proper documents of the law with minimum wage and health. The only other thing up there could be the schedule and notes of reminders of what needs to be done. He then should take care of the stock room and office to have them both properly cleaned up things in right places. Once all these things have been accomplished it will make for a better organized area and easier for him to control and lead his employees and have a well established running coffee shop. Finance and Accounting Reviewing the finances is important; it seems they have a very high salary expense (for a coffee shop) and supplies expense that needs attending to. This means checking with other suppliers and their prices. As for the salaries we would need to go over everyone’s positions held and the salary they are being paid and make sure it fits with their positions and pay scale. As I continued going through the files I noticed the income tax/employment tax and other forms were still from 2006, need to get all those updated from previous owner or get them taken care of and all financial and payroll taxes to date. Not filing properly for state taxes/employment/unemployment is a violation and subject to penalties. I would also review the loan that was taken out on the freezer and be sure all payments had been made previously on time and see what the payoff is, he may be able to save monies on paying it off then paying the extra interest each month. Once all of these are reviewed and items that need attention either corrected or forms filled out and all things brought to date, Mike will have a better understanding of the numbers and all within in the business to get him started and ready to go. Make the decisions on what actions need to be taken to achieve these goals. This is part of the strategic planning of the long term goals for the company; it covers major portions of the company. Organizing, Joe will have to get organize the departments, get the right people in place, create the proper systems needed to properly run the company, bring together all resources needed to have it run properly. Now he will have to take these and lead his employees under him to want to be there and work and give there all, with motivation and communication. He will maintain good contact with them to give them what they need to keep the company running properly with all he has organized. Proper leading of employees will help to give more of themselves to produce quality work by giving guidance and inspiration to them. Leading takes place in many areas of the business not just from the top, also from teams, divisions and departments. He will also set values and mission with his leading. Now the last part of the management function is controlling, taking all of the planning, organizing and leading and controlling it to keep it functional. All the other functions isn’t the success of the company it is the monitoring the performance and make changes where necessary. He needs to make sure the plans are being used and goals are being met within the company, also needs feedback in all areas so that he can make changes, to processes, procedures where needed. Financial Statements Checking to be sure all the financial statements have been done and balanced is very important. In checking the business files it seems they balanced but not all were completed, this will help to know where the business stands and where changes could be made. There are 4 parts to the financial statements, income statement, balance sheet, cash flows and owner’s equity. I only noticed 2 of the 4 mentioned in the business files each one of these statements has its own meaning that should be understood even if Mike plans to have someone else handle it, income statement will let him know whether or not the business is profitable, it totals the revenue and then subtracts the expenses associated with making that revenue; results being the pretax profit and after taxes are paid net income. These statements can be done monthly, yearly, quarterly or year to date, I think for Mike monthly would be good for it will show how much he has sold and what it cost to create the sales each month. The balance sheet is a snapshot of how things are at a particular moment, shows the amount of assets and liabilities at a particular point and time, where his income statement shows the flow of money in and out of the company in a specific time frame. His cash flow statement could be the most important for it will tell him whether or not he has enough cash to pay the bills. This statement will reflect investments, borrowing, etc. and other balance sheet changes. The key challenge is that he will need to keep more cash coming in than going out especially with just starting out. His owner’s equity will be the portion of the balance sheet which shows what is left over when all liabilities are subtracted from all assets. This is the number he wants to maximize because it can reflect th e book value of his company. Once Mike has reviewed all of these and are updated he will know what changes will need to be made within the coffee shop from many points. Problem Solving Problem solving and decision making are very important factors in every managers or persons within their business, even in the Coffee Shop for Mike. He will have things that happen or a daily basis and even on an hourly basis in which his skills as the owner and manger are in demand. He may at first with many as a reaction to things react against it, which can cause a downward spiral. He may look at the past and use the old way to fix a current problem and that usually doesn’t work. Mike will need to have a planned approach and then execute it. By doing this he will avoid having the same problem over and over again and use doesn’t continually solve a different problem the same way as the other. There are a few approaches he can take, he can define the problem, look at the potential causes, find different ways to solving the problem, choose which solution is best, make the action plan and then monitor and verify the solution. By doing these things it will help to ensure all is working properly as it should after the solution has been decided. Mike can use these basic steps in his new role as Owner/Manager of the Coffee Shop, making this plan to solve a problem and the decision will make for a better team in the Coffee Shop. Reference(s) Management, Bateman and Snell, Chapter 1 and Chapter 4, 2010 http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-Level-of-Management&id=20181389 The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business, Fourth Edition by Edward Paulson http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/article/87158.aspx

Digging to America Book written by Anne Tyler

Pulitzer Prize winner, Anne Tyler has brought a fictional group of characters to real life in her 17th novel, Digging to America. Bonding two vastly different families on a chance meeting at an airport, ones all-American the other Iranian immigrants, she assimilates present US culture with a strong emphasis on friendship, parenting, traditions and accents it with a tender romance. I would consider Maryam Yaszdan to be Tyler’s, central character, who after being in America for almost 40 years, still feels like a foreigner.During the six-year span that these families’ lives intertwine, Maryam’s view of this plight resonates throughout inflicting bits of conflict and resentment. Friday, August 15, l997, a Balitmore airport, two separate groups anxiously gathered, unknowingly, for the same plane to arrive, for the same reason; to pick up their baby girls adopted from the same country, Korea.. Observing their ethnic differences, we see an American family entourage equ ipped with buttons that read â€Å"MOM,† â€Å"DAD. â€Å" â€Å"GANDMA,â€Å" and â€Å"GRANDPA† (â€Å"twice over†); silvery balloons printed with â€Å" IT’S A GIRL!†; half a dozen video cameras, car seat, skirted bassinet and enough bubbling enthusiasm to be on the borderline of obnoxiousness.The other family, in a single line of three; a young couple, â€Å" foreign-looking, olive-skinned,† (7) and an older woman, quietly awaited, no adoption flair, focused solely on the arrival of their new baby. First to depart from the plan an Asian woman calling for the Donaldsons. She introduces the family to Jin-Ho; flashbulbs, cameras, a crowd of people to welcome the newborn.. Another Asian woman steps off, calling for the Yazdan’s; â€Å"Congratulations, this is Sooki,† she said.(7) As the women were completing the transfers, someone asked â€Å"Is yours from Korea too? † (8) That answer started a lasting friendship and an improbable journey for two mismatched families. Bitsy and Brad Donaldson were a typical American family. I know these sounds like a 50’s sitcom, but that was my impression. They lived in white clapboard Colonial on a narrow street in Mount Washington. Bitsy was plain, extroverted and very opinionated, especially when it came to child rearing. She was adamant about her way being the right way.Brad was a good provider, his mild temperament made him the perfect peacekeeper, smoothing out impending disagreements when their large family visited. Having a baby would complete the picture, and Jin Ho did just that along with mixing up the way an all-American family looks. It was curious to me that this â€Å"typical American,† family insisted on not changing the baby’s name, keeping her squared off haircut and dressing her in Korean costumes. I can understand them wanting her to know about her birth country and its culture, but I felt it was to an extreme.My conclus ion was relevant, Jin Ho did resent not feeling as American as her friends when she got older. Maybe, Bitsy’s way was not always the right way, after all. Ziba and Sami Yazdan was Iranian-American. They met in college where Sami studied to be a teacher like his father, who died when he was 14 years old. After they were married, Sami started to work for a real estate developer, in spite of his mother, Maryam’s silent disapproval, and made it his career. The couple moved into his company’s newest development , a large, beautiful home in a Hunt Valley.Ziba was glamorous, bordering on more of a flashy appearance, she enjoyed her job as an interior decorator. Sami was a serious type and had indifference toward Iran and America. He would go into a litany of â€Å"these Americans†¦. ,† (80) when his relatives would visit. The list covered such issues as American’s obsession with logic and that it’s the reason â€Å"they’re always suing each other,† (81) America’s belief that they’re an interest to the whole world, they’re immediate directness to open up to people, and my personal favorite, they’re â€Å"do-your-own-thing kind of culture.†(82)Even with this attitude, Sami refused to speak Farsi, as his relatives did frequently, and conversed only in English. During these tirades , Maryam, would be outraged, at Sami, reminding him sternly â€Å"American born, American raised, never been anywhere else: how can you say these things? You’re American yourself! † (82) She would continue with the constraints of living in Iran having to be cautious of every word you spoke, having to keep every opinion to yourself and the need to always be aware of who may be listening. Maryam would end with the always-useful adage, â€Å"You take it for granted, is the problem.† (83)In complete contrast to Sami’s anti-American comments, he and Ziba were determined to hav e the American dream realized for Sooki. , and unlike the Donaldson’s, they immediately changed her name to Susan. The Yazdan-Donaldson’s relationship began with Bitsy and one of many family gatherings. She phoned the only â€Å"Yazdan’s† in the phone book, to invite them to a â€Å"leaf raking party. † Bitsy told Maryam, who was babysitting Susan, that she wanted the girls to know each other, she felt it was important for them to maintain their cultural heritage.They accepted the invitation, which included Maryam, since both sets of Jin Ho’s grandparents, would also be there. Ziba was a little insecure, besides the babies ,she didn’t have much in common since the Donaldson’s were much older, Maryam going would lighten the event, and give her support. Leaf raking party was just that, everyone raked leaves. The usual â€Å"my baby this and my baby that† banter commenced and at times made Ziba questioned her mothering capa bilities. Was she doing everything wrong?Jin Ho was already eating food, Susan was still on the bottle. Should she be wearing more black and white clothes like Bitsy, because babies didn’t see in color? Moreover, the biggest controversy should she be a stay at home mom. Maryam interrupted, seeing Ziba’s frustration, saying how much she looked forward to her couple of days watching Susan, but Bitsy’s disapproval still showed.. Bitsy and Brad’s parents arrived and then the â€Å"grandparent baby banter† began.After the raking, supper was served. Bitsy said â€Å"We certainly love your cuisine,†Ã‚  this opened a conversation about Iran. Pat, Brad’s mother asked if they had any trouble during the Iranian hostage crisis, Ziba said she was already in America then everyone glanced at Maryam, â€Å"Oh, perhaps a little,† (29) she reluctantly said, steering the talk back to a safe subject, â€Å"the girls. † After that night, the two families got together often, although Maryam politely declined, when invited. Ziba and Sami celebrated the Iranian New Year with her parents, so Maryam stopped having a formal celebration, except for this spring.Ziba wanted the Donaldson’s to be a part of they’re tradition so she persuaded Maryam to have the celebration at her house Normally Maryam would be willing, but her thoughts were rattling with â€Å"Why should they have to put on these ethnic demonstrations? Let the Donaldson’s go to the Smithsonian for that! † â€Å" Let them read the National Geographic! † Just thoughts, she never would say them aloud, and agreed to the party. A few weeks before the party, Sami took Maryam to Rockville for exotic ingredients to make the traditional Iranian dishes.She told him â€Å"When I first came to this country, your grandmother had to mail most of my spices from Iran. †(37) Maryam was 19 years old going to America for an arranged marriage to Kiyan. She had met him in Iran, but he went to America earlier to start his job as a teacher, they married via telephone and grew to love each other very much. In those days, all their couple friends were Iranian, in the same situation. She wondered where all those people were now, moved to other cities, political differences separated them, â€Å"Who supported the Shah? Who did not?† (37) and since Kiyan’s death she felt she didn’t belong â€Å"in that two-by-two circle. †(37)Maryam, perhaps because she was widowed for so long, became more critical, having to pay close attention to her mannerisms around people. She tended to come of as refined and unapproachable, when she was really kind and loving. Working in an office at a the day care center, Susan would eventually attend, she had many single friends, both Iranian and American, She had an active social life, but she built the toughest invisible wall around her heart, never letting any man go beyon d it. At least not until, Bitsy’s father, Dave.On the one-year anniversary of the day the girls arrived, Bitsy wanted to have an â€Å"Arrival Party,â€Å"(56) she named it to celebrate the event. Similar to a birthday party, with a Korean desert, cake and candles, and the showing of the video taken at the airport. Brad was concerned it would be too much for Bitsy, since her mother had a set back with her cancer but this was just the diversion she needed. The day quickly came and the first to arrive were Ziba’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hakimi, very exotic, they entered in a very respectful manner. Next to arrive Bitsy and Brad’s family, then the Yardans.Susan was in a pretty party dress and Jin Ho in a full Korean costume. The girls played together unaware of any differences between them or their families. Childhood simplicity, if we all could remain in that frame of mind, how pleasant the world would be. Bitsy had a specific line up starting with a theme song, S he’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain , sung by the guests, as the girls blew out the candles, on their Stars and Stripes cake, then the video Bitsy apologized that it was just of Jin Ho and if they had known Susan would be coming they would have taped her too. †Oh, that’s okay,† Ziba said. â€Å"I have the memory  my head. † (67)As the video went on and on and on†¦Bitsy suddenly cried â€Å"We did get her in! We did! † (73) Susan was there. The Arrival Party would be an annual event, alternating houses. This celebration would be the foundation of the Zardan and Donaldson’s relationship and the development of Jin Ho and Susan’s friendship. It would also bring two lonely people, both mourning the loss of they’re true loves, Maryam and Dave, together. The following year the Yazdan’s threw the bash, with a few extra people, Ziba had relatives visiting from Iran and Bitsy’s two brothers and they’re fam ilies attended.The only missing people were Brad’s parents, who went on a cruise and Connie, Bitsy’s mom who passed away. Maryam gave Dave some advice on coping with his loss and fears that accompany the sadness. Arrival Party number two was underway; song, cake and video to mark another year. Brad and Bitsy also announced they would be adopting another baby girl from China . It was the Donaldson’s turn the 3rd year and it was starting to be a competition, at least for Bitsy, who felt the Yazdan’s had â€Å"changed the rules,† (111) by serving a full dinner instead of just deserts. In full project mode, she planned her diner, canapà ©s and all.The Arrival Party came fast and went smoothly, Maryam and Dave’s small talk was lighter, most of the time, and a bit flirty. Dave did talk about how hard it was watching Connie die, he felt guilty at times that he didn’t have more patience with her towards the end. Maryam understood, as no one could, she watched her husband die the same way. Their friendship deepened. Song time came, cake and video. Sami and Ziba bought a larger home, just three blocks from the Donaldsons. Maryam was watching Susan when Dave called and asked if he could bring Jin Ho over to play. She agreed.He wanted to stay, instead of just dropping her off. He had a cup of coffee and Maryam continued her cooking, suddenly insisting he didn’t have to stay, she would bring Jin Ho home. He left bewildered. Maryam felt him getting through her invisible wall and sealed it quickly. She went to Vermont to visit a friend, avoiding Dave or probably avoiding having feelings for him. When she returned home she visited Bitsy to thank her for taking care of Susan while she was away. Bitsy chose this time to champion on her fathers behalf, â€Å" My father thinks you’re wonderful, she said.Would you go out to dinner with him? † (151) Maryam subconsciously knew he felt this way but, she kept telli ng herself her he was just a widower needing company. She diverted the subject, which she has a knack of doing. Arrival Party time again, Yazdan’s turn and there thinking of serving â€Å"a whole roast lamb. †(153) The celebration was starting to be more like â€Å"I can do better than you,† than about the girls. Maryam was helping with the arrangements and Ziba babbled about Dave, this time Maryam spoke up, â€Å"I’m Iranian; he’s American . . .†(154) â€Å"What difference does that make? †(154) Ziba asked.Maryam talked about her friend Farah and what a point her American husband makes about her foreignness. â€Å"It seems she’s not really Farah at all; she’s Madame Iran. †(154) Ziba insisted Dave wasn’t like that, but Maryam still felt like a foreigner after over 40 years and to be with an American would make her feel it even stronger. The Arrival Party came, same chitchat, festivities and a farewell for Bitsy and Brad heading off to China. Dave took every opportunity, while watching Jin Ho to visit Maryam.And by the time the Donaldson’s came home with Xiu Mei, Dave had sneaked inside Maryam’s protective shield and they were dating. The Yazdan’s threw the next Arrival Party because Xiu Mei had been sickly, in and out of hospitals. The event was slightly different; the girls joined in the singing and the video went basically unobserved. The next event was more energetic, the annual leaf-raking party. Dave had Maryam sit in a chair and instructed the girls to sprinkle sugar on her head, â€Å"Maryam, Dave said. â€Å"Will you marry me? â€Å"(208) Instead of answering, she looked at the girls to see what they put on her head.It should have been cone-shaped to go with the Iranian custom and it should have been grown women holding the sugar to symbolize their happy marriages. He probably thought he was doing something good, but she felt it should of been done exa ctly as it’s suppose to be done, or not at all. As these thoughts filled her head she said, â€Å"Yes. † (208) Everyone cheered. The next day Maryam went to Sami and Ziba’s and told them she only said yes because she was embarrassed not too. â€Å"He is so American,† (213) â€Å"I don’t have my own separate self.†(213)She felt bad and hoped it wouldn’t affect they’re friendship with the Donaldson’s. A year went by before she bumped into Dave again, he was picking up Jin Ho the same time she was picking up Susan at dancing school. They did they’re little small talk dance, except he told her Bitsy had cancer. She felt his pain and knew all the memories of Connie must have come rushing back. When she returned home, she wrote Bitsy a note and offered asked if she could be of any help. Maryam was now noticing how lonely she was the past year. How alive she felt with Dave, doing couple things.Maybe the feelings she had were stronger than she realized and the ones about feeling like a foreigner were not as important. One morning, Bitsy called to thank her for the note, they got caught up and both said how much they missed each other. Bitsy asked if she would attend the Arrival Party coming up. Maryam said she would think about it, but didn’t want anyone to feel awkward. Pondering to go or not, Maryam something Kiyan once said came to mind, â€Å"I don’t know why truly good people always make me sad. † (263) She decided she would go and helped Ziba with the details. The party started and everyone was there, except for Maryam.When Ziba looked in the dinning room all the Donaldson’s had left, she was devastated so Sami called his mother. She answered, not understanding Sami’s tone, but said she fully intended on going she just overslept. He told her the Donaldson’s left and it was safe for her to go over. She insisted she had all intentions of being there. Mar yam then heard Bitsy outside her window, people kept yelling and knocking, she didn’t answer. Finally, she looked out the window and saw all the Donaldson’s walking toward their cars. Maryam called, â€Å"Wait for me! † (277) The two families would celebrate, yet another Arrival Party!The imprint of these families, meeting by chance; growing in love and friendship by choice, depicts that no matter what culture or mixture of cultures, come together; what really constitutes a bond is the right choice. In making that choice taking into consideration the respect of others beliefs, opinions, insecurities and strengthens. The Donaldson’s and Yardan’s, American and Iranian families brought two other cultures into their circle; two little girls from Korea and one from China. When you put all these pieces together, what would they’re families culture be? I say they’re culture is acceptance.

Second Foundation 17. War

The mayor of the Foundation brushed futilely at the picket fence of hair that rimmed his skull. He sighed. â€Å"The years that we have wasted; the chances we have thrown away. I make no recriminations, Dr. Darell, but we deserve defeat.† Darell said, quietly, â€Å"I see no reason for lack of confidence in events, sir.† â€Å"Lack of confidence! Lack of confidence! By the Galaxy, Dr. Darell, on what would you base any other attitude? Come here-â€Å" He half-led half-forced Darell toward the limpid ovoid cradled gracefully on its tiny force-field support. At a touch of the mayor's hand, it glowed within – an accurate three-dimensional model of the Galactic double-spiral. â€Å"In yellow,† said the mayor, excitedly, â€Å"we have that region of Space under Foundation control; in red, that under Kalgan.† What Darell saw was a crimson sphere resting within a stretching yellow fist that surrounded it on all sides but that toward the center of the Galaxy. â€Å"Galactography,† said the mayor, â€Å"is our greatest enemy. Our admirals make no secret of our almost hopeless, strategic position. Observe. The enemy has inner lines of communication. He is concentrated; can meet us on all sides with equal ease. He can defend himself with minimum force. â€Å"We are expanded. The average distance between inhabited systems within the Foundation is nearly three times that within Kalgan. To go from Santanni to Locris, for instance, is a voyage of twenty-five hundred parsecs for us, but only eight hundred parsecs for them, if we remain within our respective territories-â€Å" Darell said, â€Å"I understand all that, sir.† â€Å"And you do not understand that it may mean defeat.† â€Å"There is more than distance to war. I say we cannot lose. It is quite impossible.† â€Å"And why do you say that?† â€Å"Because of my own interpretation of the Seldon Plan.† â€Å"Oh,† the mayor's lips twisted, and the hands behind his back flapped one within the other, â€Å"then you rely, too, on the mystical help of the Second Foundation.† â€Å"No. Merely on the help of inevitability – and of courage and persistence.† And yet behind his easy confidence, he wondered- What if- Well- What if Anthor were right, and Kalgan were a direct tool of the mental wizards. What if it was their purpose to defeat and destroy the Foundation. No! It made no sense! And yet- He smiled bitterly. Always the same. Always that peering and peering through the opaque granite which, to the enemy, was so transparent. Nor were the galactographic verities of the situation lost upon Stettin. *** The Lord of Kalgan stood before a twin of the Galactic model which the mayor and Darell had inspected. Except that where the mayor frowned, Stettin smiled. His admiral's uniform glistered imposingly upon his massive figure. The crimson sash of the Order of the Mule awarded him by the former First Citizen whom six months later he had replaced somewhat forcefully, spanned his chest diagonally from right shoulder to waist. The Silver Star with Double Comets and Swords sparkled brilliantly upon his left shoulder. He addressed the six men of his general staff whose uniforms were only less grandiloquent than his own, and his First Minister as well, thin and gray – a darkling cobweb, lost in the brightness. Stettin said, â€Å"I think the decisions are clear. We can afford to wait. To them, every day of delay will be another blow at their morale. If they attempt to defend all portions of their realm, they will be spread thin and we can strike through in two simultaneous thrusts here and here.† He indicated the directions on the Galactic model – two lances of pure white shooting through the yellow fist from the red ball it inclosed, cutting Terminus off on either side in a tight arc. â€Å"In such a manner, we cut their fleet into three parts which can be defeated in detail. If they concentrate, they give up two-thirds of their dominions voluntarily and will probably risk rebellion.† The First Minister's thin voice alone seeped through the hush that followed. â€Å"In six months,† he said, â€Å"the Foundation will grow six months stronger. Their resources are greater, as we all know, their navy is numerically stronger; their manpower is virtually inexhaustible. Perhaps a quick thrust would be safer.† His was easily the least influential voice in the room. Lord Stettin smiled and made a flat gesture with his hand. â€Å"The six months – or a year, if necessary – will cost us nothing. The men of the Foundation cannot prepare; they are ideologically incapable of it. It is in their very philosophy to believe that the Second Foundation will save them. But not this time, eh?† The men in the room stirred uneasily. â€Å"You lack confidence, I believe,† said Stettin, frigidly. â€Å"Is it necessary once again to describe the reports of our agents in Foundation territory, or to repeat the findings of Mr. Homir Munn, the Foundation agent now in our†¦ uh†¦ service? Let us adjourn, gentlemen.† Stettin returned to his private chambers with a fixed smile still on his face. He sometimes wondered about this Homir Munn. A queer water-spined fellow who certainly did not bear out his early promise. And yet he crawled with interesting information that carried conviction with it – particularly when Callia was present. His smile broadened. That fat fool had her uses, after all. At least, she got more with her wheedling out of Munn than he could, and with less trouble. Why not give her to Munn? He frowned. Callia. She and her stupid jealousy. Space! If he still had the Darell girl- Why hadn't he ground her skull to powder for that? He couldn't quite put his finger on the reason. Maybe because she got along with Munn. And he needed Munn. It was Munn, for instance, who had demonstrated that, at least in the belief of the Mule, there was no Second Foundation. His admirals needed that assurance. He would have liked to make the proofs public, but it was better to let the Foundation believe in their nonexistent help. Was it actually Callia who had pointed that out? That's right. She had said- Oh, nonsense! She couldn't have said anything. And yet- He shook his head to clear it and passed on.

Life is not the Bed of roses Essay

Life is not the bed of roses neither it is the bed of thorns. A person is himself or herself responsible for making his or her life either the bed of roses or the bed of thorns. Success in every field of life never comes to you on its own. You have to strive hard to get to it. As the example of climbing the ladder says to reach to the top you have to climb every single step on the ladder, same is the case with the success of life. Success is not the ladder which can be climbed with your hands in the pocket. Happy and sad moments are the part of life. If sad moments are not faced, one can never realize the worth of the happy moments. Adversity is that great part of life which leads you towards the successful future. Adversity makes you stronger and enough capable to bear the entire crisis you face traveling through the different stages of life in order to make you stronger both mentally and physically. Hard times are like washing machines, they twist, turn and knock us around but in the end we come out cleaner, brighter and better than before. Life never waits for anyone, you have to come up and get it. Never think that if your facing pain or un-success than life becomes useless for you. As we say after every dark night there is a morning that comes up with full of light that brightens up your day. If you face crises than do think that the success is making its way to you. All you have to do is to urge harder to get through all the problems which surely will bring you closer to a better future. Never lose the hope as we say tomorrow never dies and always remember beautiful pictures are always developed from the negatives in the dark room.