Saturday, November 30, 2019

KATOLICKA KLASICNA GIMNAZIJA S PRAVOM JAVNOSTI U V Essays (1517 words)

KATOLICKA KLASICNA GIMNAZIJA S PRAVOM JAVNOSTI U VIROVITICI OSVRT NA PROCITANO DJELO IZ FILOZOFIJE Herman Hesse: Siddhartha Odlican (5) V. L. Vidovic Ucenica: Ema Patrcevic U Virovitici, ozujak 2012. UVOD Uceci filozofiju kao skolski predmet, naisla sam na mnoge filozofe koji su zaokupili moju paznju i pomogli mi da shvatim neka dotad skrivena znacenja. Neki od takvih meni dragih filozof a su: Baruch Spinoza, Wilhe lm Leibni z, Francois Marie- Arouet Voltaire i Rudjer Boskovic. Zajednicko im je sto pripadaju racionalizmu i prosvjetiteljstvu, ali i zapadnjackoj kulturi. Njihova filozofija lijepa je i poticajna, ali i slicna, bazirana na slicnim principima razmisljanjima. Naisavsi na neke recenice, misli, pa i djela istocnjacke filozofije, shvatila sam kolika je steta sto nije dio naseg skolskog programa. Istocnjacka filozofija dosta se razlikuje od ove zapadnjacke na koju smo navikli. Nije toliko bazirana na vidljivom, odnosima izmedju ljudi i zajednice kojoj pripadaju, vec se fokusira na svakog covjeka iznutra, na ono nevidljivo, a stalno prisutno u svakom od nas. Davno smo culi da ako zelimo promjeniti svijet, moramo krenuti mijenjanjem sebe. Istocnjacka filozo fija prodire u bit svakog covjeka i zeli mu pomoci da prvo shvati svoje postojanje kako bi mogao shvatiti zasto je ovdje, i tako ispuniti cilj svog postojanja. To moze zvucati sebicno, ali istina je da ne mozemo pomoci nekome ako smo sami zaslijepljeni- tako ga jedino mozemo odvesti na krivi trag. Trazeci tako neka djela Istoka, naisla sam na zanimljivu knjigu zapadnjackog pisca, Nijemca, Her mana Hessea koji u njoj govori o Buddhinim prvim sljedbenicima i bavi se njihovim promisljanjima. Naziv knjige je Siddhartha, a prelistavajuci vec prve stranice shvatila sam da nisam pogrijesila posudivsi ju... Slika 1: Naslovnica Siddharthe RAZRADA Odmah na pocetku knjige susrecemo se s glavnim likom, Siddharthom. Radnja knjige odvija se u Indija, sto vidimo u podjeljenosti sustava na kaste. Cetiri kaste nastale su po hinduistickoj religiji od Brahmine glave, ruku, bedara i nogu. Cine ih: 1. Brahmani (svecenstvo). Iza njih dolazi ratnick o plemstvo Ksatrija. Odmah ispod Ksatrija dolazi kasta Vajsija (gradjanstvo). Ove prve tri kaste su 'dvaput rodjeni', i neizmjeran ih jaz dijeli od posljednje cetvrte kaste Su dra . Su dre su oni koji sluze, njima je zabranjeno sudjelovanje u obredima zrtvovanja i citanje svetih knjiga . Sidharthin otac bio je brahman, tako da je i Sidhartha pripadao toj najvisoj kasti. Bio je vrlo lijep, ali i uman mladic. Brzo je svladao sve tehnike brahmana, abio je i vjest savjetodavac. Svi su ga voljeli i divili mu se, ali on nije volio sebe. Osjecao je da nije dosegao ono sto je trebao , a sto se nalazi u svakom covjeku- atman. Atman je vazan i znac ajan pojam hinduizma. Dolazi vec u starijim Vedama. Znacenje mu je dah, dusa, a pravi smisao vlastitost covjeka i stvari u svijetu,te njihovo najdublje, unutrasnje bivstvo u opreci sa slucajnom pojavom. Upotrebljava se kao osnova posebnoga nacina postojanja kao i za opci princip bitka (duh svijeta); u tom znacenju postaje sinonim za brahman, sto znaci bozansko jedinstvo svega. Atman je zapravo individualna svijest ili kako bismo mi rekli, dusa. Ta dusa, ili individualna svijest identicna je univerzalnoj svijesti, brahmanu. Ta je spoznaja trebala dovesti do stapanja atmana i brahmana.Tako je i Sidhartha promisljao kako spoznati atman: '' A gdje se mogao naci atman,gdje je on boravio, gdje je kucalo njegovo vjecno srce, gdje drugdje doli u vlastitom ja, u onom unutrasnjem, u nerazorivom sto ga svatko nosi u sebi? '' Osjecajuci kako taj atman nece dosegnuti kao brahman, sa svojim vjernim prijateljem, Govindom, odlucuje se prikljuciti samanama i njihovom isposnickom nacinu z ivljenja. Poducen od najstarijeg samane, Sid d hartha je mnogo naucio. Naucio je podnositi bol, glad, sve vremenske neprilike, i pritome ostati strpljiv i miran. Naucio je ukidati sebstvo, osjecati kako je u svemu sto ga okruzuje- mogao je zamisliti da je caplja, riba, voda, suma, pa i mrtav sakal- zapravo je svjesno to poticuci, dozivljavao reinkarnaciju. Ipak, svo to znanje jos mu nije pomoglo da pronadje vjecno u sebi. Tako je zakljucio obracajuci se prijatelju: ''O Govinda, potrosio sam mnogo vremena i jos nisam spreman nauciti ovo: da nista nije moguce nauciti! Vjerujem, da ono sto mi zovemo ucenjem zapravo ne postoji. Postoji, o moj prijatelju, samo jedno znanje koje

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Weed

Marijuana must be made legal at least on a medicinal level. Ronald Reagan once said, â€Å"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.† The question of whether or not illegal drugs should be legalized in the United States has had more publicity in recent years. Proponents of legalization argue that large amounts of money have and are currently being wasted in a failing effort to stop drug use and abuse. They also say that legalization would allow users to have more availability to better treatment programs. Opponents say that legalizing marijuana will only make drug use increase and will eventually cost billions of dollars in health-care costs. They also say that legalizing marijuana could destroy many families. Polls show that the majority of the United States population supports medical marijuana laws. Marijuana also has medicinal properties for ailments such as chronic pain, intrao cular (within the eye) pressure, nausea, glaucoma, and more. Furthermore, this is an issue that many people do not know that much about. Hopefully this paper will give knowledge to the common man about the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana was made illegal as a way to control the immigrant Mexican workers in El Paso, Texas. The El Paso Ordinance of 1914 was passed to ban marijuana use. At this time, immigrant Mexican workers were effectively the only people who used marijuana in the United States. Given this fact, the El Paso Ordinance quickly became a way to control the Mexicans. It is sad to think that our â€Å"democratic† government would keep this law in effect after the way it was created and used. Also, the people of El Paso, Texas feared that marijuana gave the Mexicans super-human strength, thus making them dangerous. It is such a ridiculous notion to think that the Texans did not even test the drug to see what effect it had. They were simply afraid of... Free Essays on Weed Free Essays on Weed Marijuana must be made legal at least on a medicinal level. Ronald Reagan once said, â€Å"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.† The question of whether or not illegal drugs should be legalized in the United States has had more publicity in recent years. Proponents of legalization argue that large amounts of money have and are currently being wasted in a failing effort to stop drug use and abuse. They also say that legalization would allow users to have more availability to better treatment programs. Opponents say that legalizing marijuana will only make drug use increase and will eventually cost billions of dollars in health-care costs. They also say that legalizing marijuana could destroy many families. Polls show that the majority of the United States population supports medical marijuana laws. Marijuana also has medicinal properties for ailments such as chronic pain, intrao cular (within the eye) pressure, nausea, glaucoma, and more. Furthermore, this is an issue that many people do not know that much about. Hopefully this paper will give knowledge to the common man about the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana was made illegal as a way to control the immigrant Mexican workers in El Paso, Texas. The El Paso Ordinance of 1914 was passed to ban marijuana use. At this time, immigrant Mexican workers were effectively the only people who used marijuana in the United States. Given this fact, the El Paso Ordinance quickly became a way to control the Mexicans. It is sad to think that our â€Å"democratic† government would keep this law in effect after the way it was created and used. Also, the people of El Paso, Texas feared that marijuana gave the Mexicans super-human strength, thus making them dangerous. It is such a ridiculous notion to think that the Texans did not even test the drug to see what effect it had. They were simply afraid of...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Arch of titus

The Arch provides one of the few contemporary depictions of Temple period artifacts. [6][7] The seven-branched menorah and trumpets are clearly depicted. It became a symbol of the Jewish diaspora. In a later era, Pope Paul IV made it the place of a yearly oath of submission. Jews refuse to walk under it. [citation needed] The menorah depicted on the Arch served as the model for the menorah used on the emblem of the state of Israel. [citation needed]However, when the existence of modern State of Israel was formally declared, the entire Roman Jewish community spontaneously gathered by the arch and in joyful celebration, walked backwards under the arch to symbolize beginning of the long-awaited redemption from the Roman Exile. [8] The inscription in Roman square capitals reads: SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ·ROMANVS DIVO ·TITO ·DIVI ·VESPASIANI ·F(ILIO) VESPASIANO ·AVGVSTO (Senatus Populusque Romanus divo Tito divi Vespasiani filio Vespasiano Augusto) which means The Roman Senate and People (dedicate this) to the divine Titus Vespasianus Augustus, son of the divine Vespasian. The opposite side of the Arch of Titus received new inscriptions after it was restored during the pontificate of Pope Pius VII by Giuseppe Valadier in 1821. The restoration was intentionally made in travertine to differentiate between the original and the restored portions. The inscription reads: INSIGNE  · RELIGIONIS  · ATQVE  · ARTIS  · MONVMENTVM VETVSTATE  · FATISCENS PIVS  · SEPTIMVS  · PONTIFEX  · MAX(IMVS) NOVIS  · OPERIBVS  · PRISCVM  · EXEMPLAR  · IMITANTIBVS FVLCIRI  · SERVARIQVE  · IVSSIT ANNO  · SACRI  · PRINCIPATVS  · EIVS  · XXIIII (Insigne religionis atque artis, monumentum, vetustate fatiscens: Pius Septimus, Pontifex Maximus, novis operibus priscum exemplar imitantibus fulciri servarique iussit. Anno sacri principatus eius XXIV) (This) monument, remarkable in terms of both religion and art, had weakened from age: Pius the Seventh, Supreme Pontiff, by new works on the model of the ancient exemplar ordered it reinforced and preserved. †¢ In the year of his sacred rulership the 24th †¢ 1The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch[1] located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c. 82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Arch of Titus has provided the general model for many of the triumphal arches erected since the 16th century—perhaps most famously it is the inspiration for the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, completed in 1836. The arch is large with both fluted and unfluted columns, the latter being a result of 19th century restoration. [2] The spandrels on the upper left and right of the arch contain personifications of victory as winged women. Between the spandrels is the keystone, on which there stands a female on the East side and a male on the West side. [2] Detail of the central soffit coffers The soffit of the axial archway is deeply coffered with a relief of the apotheosis of Titus at the center. The sculptural program also includes two panel reliefs lining the passageway within the arch. Both commemorate the joint triumph celebrated by Titus and his father Vespasian in the summer of 71. The south panel depicts the spoils taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. The Golden Candelabra or Menorah is the main focus and is carved in deep relief. Other sacred objects being carried in the triumphal procession are the Gold Trumpets and the Table of Shew bread. [2] These spoils were likely originally colored gold, with the background in blue. [2] In 2012 the Arch of Titus Digital Restoration Project discovered remains of yellow ochre paint on the menorah relief. [3] The north panel depicts Titus as triumphator attended by various genii and lictors, who carry fasces. A helmeted Amazonian, Valour, leads thequadriga or four horsed chariot, which carries Titus. Winged Victory crowns him with a laurel wreath. [2] The juxtaposition is significant in that it is one of the first examples of divinities and humans being present in one scene together. This contrasts with the panels of the Ara Pacis, where humans and divinities are separated. [2] The sculpture of the outer faces of the two great piers was lost when the Arch of Titus was incorporated in medieval defensive walls. The attic of the arch was originally crowned by more statuary, perhaps of a gilded chariot. [2] The main inscription used to be ornamented by letters made of perhaps silver, gold or some other metal At the inside of the arch are two panels with reliefs. One depicts the triumphal procession with the spoils taken from the Second Temple in Jerusalem the seven-branched candelabrum or Menorah, the silver trumpets and the Table of the Shewbread. The other one shows Titus in a chariot accompanied by the goddess Victoria and the goddess Roma. The Arcus Titi, or Arch of Titus, was ostensibly erected to honor Titus and his father Vespasian because of their victories in the first Jewish War and their triumphal procession in AD 71. [1] The monument was built sometime after Titus’ death in AD 81. The arch sits at the eastern end of the Roman Forum at the intersection of the Sacra Via with a road leading up from the Coliseum. [2] No ancient sources describe or even mention the arch, a fact that leaves the history and interpretation of the arch with significant gaps. [1] The exact period of construction is unknown, with the majority opinion being that it was built during the reign of Titus’ brother, Domitian. [1] The arch may also have been constructed after Domitian had been assassinated, during the rule of Nerva and Trajan. [3] The arch was constructed of Pentelic marble on a travertine foundation. [1] The dimensions of this arch are 15. 4 meters tall, 13. 5 m. wide, and 4. 75 m. deep. The archway is 8. 3 m. high and 5. 36 m. wide. [1] Above the archway is a simple entablature with inscription, preserved only on the eastern, Coliseum side:

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

3900-MGT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

3900-MGT - Essay Example They termed to be basic, broad and underlying. They are inclusive of having a need for identification, distribution, having a target market, positioning and message development. ii) When it comes to marketing nowadays, it has become more technical and has more complications than the traditional one. The challenge of using the traditional one is that, it is considered inefficient and expensive. Strategise, knowing the kind of business one wants to venture in. Setting of goals is a convenient way of gauging where the business will be in a number of years. They should be measurable, specific, relevant to the business, attainable, and should have a limit of time. It is also vital to define the market that one will be targeting. For example, in this company, we made a goal to having the products distributed regionally in a year’s time. Executing a variety of marketing strategies, when the company focuses to dwell on using a specific strategy, it is bound to fail. The use of a variety will expose the business to a wide range of opportunities. Using social media, e-marketing, use of direct mail, the referral strategy, networking and giving of coupons is another way of marketing. It is advisable to measure and test, once there is analysis it is easy to determine and eliminate what does not work as opposed to doing things without checking the progress. The company did an analysis and discovered that one of the products that are cooking oil; that which moved fast was the one that contained no cholesterol. Persistence and consistency, it is convenient for consumers to be assured that they would be in a position to get the product in the market. Marketing is said to be a process, not an event. The company has continued to have their products available in the market for a couple of years. Building on trust and value, it is very vital for customers to be aware of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business Process Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business Process Management - Essay Example success of the ERP software implementation procedure, while the details of Hershey Company have communicated the reason behind the failure of the ERP system. The discussion has further communicated the major problems faced by organisations during the application of the system. It has also suggested a number of solutions to avoid these discrepancies. The system is developing its services by collaborating with various updated technologies such as mobile applications and cloud computing. It has also been illustrated that organisations are using different tactics to reduce the expenses regarding malfunctioning of the ERP system. The final outcome of this discussion has suggested that the ERP system is gathering great acceptance from different organisations industry sectors. It has also suggested that the technology is developing rapidly to accrue a huge market share worldwide. The study is based on the discussion about various aspects of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This discussion will mainly focus on the importance of the usage of ERP system in different businesses. Two organisational case studies will be illustrated to analyse various implementation procedure of ERP system in business operations. The case study of Cadbury and Hershey’s company will demonstrate the success and failure of the ERP system implementation procedure in the organisational operations. A list of problems regarding the usage of the system in business process will be discussed. The study will also offer some solutions to the problem of ERP implementation. A number of recent technological developments of the ERP system will be illustrated in the report. These developments will enable business operations cope up with the ever changing market structure. Finally, recommendation will be made regarding the major vendors of ERP software and current level of usage of the system. ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning system is considered as business process management software which

Saturday, November 16, 2019

General Biology Ii Essay Example for Free

General Biology Ii Essay I’m giving you a lecture note template rather than the ppt slides because the template takes less paper to print, includes tables that synthesize information from multiple slides, and includes blanks for you to fill in during in-class activities. IV. Practice Exam Questions These are questions similar to ones I will likely ask on the exam. Some of the questions are from past exams. V. Homework Assignment – This assignment covers the latter half of ecology and the first chapter of this unit. I. Learning Goals Overarching Content Goals: Students should be able to trace matter and energy across scales (cellular to organismal to ecosystem) and to use the laws of conservation of matter and energy in their reasoning. * trace molecules as they enter an organism as food or the building blocks of food (i. e. CO2 in plants) and follow those molecules as atoms are rearranged into the molecules used and stored in the body, and as they exit an organism and enter other organisms or the environment. * trace energy as it enters an organism as food or light (photoautotrophs) and should be able to follow the energy as it is converted to different forms (e. . chemical potential energy, heat) and trace energy as it exits an organism and enters another organism or the environment. * Explain body systems as mechanisms for transporting, transforming and conserving matter and energy (Ex. Discuss why temperature regulation is so important in plants and animals, and the costs and benefits of ectothermy and endothermy. )

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Kierkegaards View on Faith Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Kierkegaards View on Faith Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher in the mid 1800s. He is known to be the father of existentialism and was at least 70 years ahead of his time. Kierkegaard set out to attack Kant’s rational ethics and make attacks on the Christianity of our day. He poses the question, how do we understand faith? He states that faith equals the absurd. In â€Å"Fear and Trembling†, he uses the story of Abraham and his son Isaac to show an example of faith as the absurd. The story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac signifies a break in the theory that ethics and religion go hand in hand. He shows how the ethical and the religious can be completely different. â€Å"I by no means conclude that faith is something inferior but rather that it is the highest, also that it is dishonest of philosophy to give something else in its place and to disparage faith† (Fear and Trembling, 12).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To Kierkegaard, the whole biblical story is a paradox. â€Å"Thinking about Abraham is another matter, however; then I am shattered. I am constantly aware of the prodigious paradox that is the content of Abraham’s life, I am constantly repelled, and, despite all its passion, my thought cannot penetrate it, cannot get ahead by a hairsbreadth† (Fear and Trembling, 12). Faith to Kierkegaard is even paradoxical. â€Å"Precisely because resignation is antecedent, faith is no esthetic emotion but something far higher; it is not the spontaneous inclination of the heart but the paradox of existence† (Fear and Trembling, 19). Under the ethical, Abraham was going to commit murder. Kierkegaard uses an example of a preacher going to him after the murder and screaming, â€Å"You despicable man, you scum of society, what devil has so possessed you that you want to murder your son† (Fear and Trembling, 10). He knows that murder cannot be ethically dis closed and wonders how that can be faith. Under the absurdity of faith, Abraham’s crime of murder becomes a merited duty to his Creator. â€Å"The ethical expression for what Abraham did is that he meant to murder Isaac; the religious expression is that he meant to sacrifice Isaac† (Fear and Trembling, 11). Abraham had to suspend his duty to the universal, or the ethical in order to carry out his duty to God. The Christian must make an existential leap out of the universal to acquire faith. This ultimately means that faith is higher than the un... ...f Pure Reason, 616). Kant places religion within the rational realm. He starts with the rational individual which is living in an absolute moral society. The moral law is based upon religion. â€Å"...and I maintain, consequently, that unless moral laws are laid at the basis or used as a guide, there can be no theology of reason at all† (Critique of Pure Reason, 613). To Kant, a society’s commitment to absolute morality, moral law, and the church was the rational world’s meaning for religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kierkegaard argued against Kant that rationalism was lacking where religion was concerned. Kierkegaard fought that religion had nothing to do with rationalism, but everything to do with an individual relationship with God. The individual is free to maintain an intimate relationship with God which comes with faith as the absurd. Unlike Kant, Kierkegaard sees moral rationalism in society, but religion has nothing to do with it. It is a completely different subject that cannot be mixed with moral reason. He states that religion belongs only to the person seeking religion and overpowers all things rational. Kierkegaard places religious philosophy beyond the context of rationalism completely.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Language and Imagery in Wuthering Heights Essay

In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses Language and imagery to create a very stark contrast between Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton. This contrast is not only illustrated in how these characters act, but also in their appearance, usual setting and the language that is used to describe them. Emily Bronte first uses the raw basics of the characters Heathcliff and Edgar Linton to right away let us know that these characters are polar opposites. She does this with the imagery of both characters. In chapter 7, Heathcliff describes Edgar as having light skin and fair hair, whereas in the same chapter it is mentioned that Heathcliff has dark hair and dark skin. This use of binary opposites suggests to the reader already, that Heathcliff and Edgar are complete opposites, right down to their core. This use of Binary opposites and imagery is also applied to where Heathcliff and Edgar live, Edgar living in Thrushcross Grange, the light, large house, and Heathcliff living in the dark, gloomy and sinister house of Wuthering Heights. This imagery of the two houses reflects the characters of the two men. Language is also used effectively and in abundance by Bronte to illustrate the two characters differences. Bronte uses contrasting Lexical fields pertaining to heaven and hell to not only show the contrast in character between Heathcliff and Edgar, but to suggest that one is good and one is evil. For instance Heathcliff is constantly being described as or being referred to with the use of words which relate to hell. His eyes are described as ‘devils spies’ and ‘ dark fiends’ by Nelly, and coupled with his appearance of being dark skinned and haired, he is closely associated with the devil, who represents evil. Edgar on the other hand, is described with a lexical field of a more heavenly nature. His eyes are referred to as being little Angels and his features are continuously called angelic and soft, which suggests he is similar to an angel, which is of course good. By using contrasting lexical fields for each character, Bronte uses selective language to suggest that these two are not only opposites, but they are Good and Evil. Heathcliff is, when being talked of, surrounded by sinister sounding words which aren’t necessarily talking about his character explicitly, but they help to create a dark and sinister atmosphere around his character. An example of this is in chapter seven where Nelly is talking about Heathcliff she uses words such as ‘lurk’ and ‘vicious’ and this is what creates this dark atmosphere. Bronte does the same with Edgar, as when he is talking or being talked about, words such as ‘gently’ and ‘beautiful’ are used and this helps to project a calm and soft atmosphere around Edgar, which is completely different to the atmosphere Heathcliff carries with him, and thus increases the contrast that the reader sees between Heathcliff and Edgar. Catherine brings our attention to the contrast between the two in chapter 9 where she says ‘(Heathcliff’s soul) and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire’ This use of binary opposites again suggests with the use of the words fire and lightning that Heathcliff is violent and harmful and burns, which again associates him with hell, and the use of Frost and moonbeam to describe Edgars soul to suggest he is soft, light, cool and calm reinforces the already stark contrast between the two and again suggests them not only to be different, but to be complete opposites. The fact that to most readers it would be obvious as to which out of either Heathcliff and Edgar is the fire and lightning shows how Bronte has been slotting words into the text as well as the individual characters, to make the reader associate Heathcliff with hell, and Edgar with Heaven. In conclusion, Bronte uses particular lexical fields which are binary opposites to each other and applies them to Heathcliff and Linton to exacerbate the contrast seen between the two. Bronte also uses imagery of their physical appearance and living place, paired with continuous subtle language choices to make the reader associate Heathcliff with Hell, and Edgar with Heaven, and this makes us not only see the two as contrasting characters, but bad and good, and at the completely different ends of the spectrum.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Boeing Case Analysis Essay

William Boeing founded the Boeing Company in 1916 in Puget Sound, Washington. William had modest goals as a young Yale engineering graduate, first making it big in the timber industry. When the Wright bothers showed the world the idea of flight, William was intrigued. He then decided that it was time that he should enter into the field of aviation. Boeing and his friend Conrad Westervelt teamed up to create a more practical plane after witnessing the Wright brother’s creation and further advances. Their first plane was a twin-float seaplane, aptly named the B & W, after their initials. Boeing’s company had its big break when the United States joined World War II. His company became one of the main manufacturer’s for the military’s aircraft division. The Boeing Company continued to be a major military plane supplier and then went into the civilian aircraft division. Through these successes, Boeing grew into the company that it is today. The Boeing Company is one of the world’s largest aerospace firms. They are also the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft. Boeing is divided into various business units which are: Commercial Airplanes, Military Aircraft and Missile Systems, Space and Communications, the Boeing Capital Corporation, Connexion by Boeing, Air Traffic Management, and Boeing Technology. Through these distinct business segments, Boeing operates in more than 70 countries and does business with over 140 countries. They operate approximately 14,000 aircraft, and nearly 75% of the world’s fleet use Boeing jetliners. The primary aircraft that Boeing sells are the 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, and the 777. The newest aircraft, the 7E7, is expected to be in service by 2008 and it will be the next generation of commercial aircraft. The industries that Boeing competes in are: aircraft, aircraft parts and equipment, guided missiles and space vehicles, aircraft engines and engine parts, space vehicle equipment, and computer integrated systems design. The SIC codes are 3721, 3728, 3761, 3724, 3769, and 7373 respectively. We will be focusing on the aircraft industry with SIC code 3721. The headquarters have recently moved from Puget Sound, Washington to Chicago, Illinois. They are now located at 100 North Riverside Plaza, Chicago, Illinois, 60606. Boeing has branches across the world, but most of them lie in the United States. There are 30 facilities in the US, 3 in Australia, 2 in Canada, and they also have locations in England, Germany, China, and the United Arab Emirates. (See Figure 1 in appendix) Mission Statement When researching Boeing Company, we did not find a mission statement, but they do have core strategies, competencies, and values. These are: run healthy core businesses, leverage strengths into new products and services, open new frontiers, detailed customer knowledge and focus, large-scale system integration, lean enterprise, leadership, integrity, quality, customer satisfaction, people working together, a diverse and involved team, good corporate citizenship, and enhanced shareholder value. The mission statement that we created is as follows: Our mission at Boeing Company is to ensure customer satisfaction by delivering detailed customer knowledge and focus on airlines, space agencies, and the military. We will be a good corporate citizen, and maintain a leadership position in our businesses by preserving the highest quality available. We want to maintain and enhance shareholder value through running our Aircraft, Military, Space, and Technology segments with a diversified and involved team of employees who work together. And, through the use of breakthrough technologies and engineering, we will continue to be a world leader, which is important to our customers and business partners of the world. Components of Mission Statement The mission statement addresses customers with the statement: detailed customer knowledge and focus on airlines, space agencies, and the military.  This shows their commitment and focus upon what kinds of customers they will target. The mission addresses products and services with the statement: running our Aircraft, Military, Space, and Technology segments. This shows their commitment to the specific businesses. These are the main business segments in which Boeing competes. The market is addressed with: world leader, which is important to our customers and business partners of the world. This is the geographic area that Boeing serves, and that is the entire world. Technology is addressed with the statement: the use of breakthrough technologies and engineering. Boeing is renowned for its commitment to advanced technologies and engineering. This is an integral part of their mission statement. Boeing’s concern for survival, growth, and profitability is mentioned with: maintain and enhance shareholder value. These are the very words that every company should strive for. This is the overall focus of their operations. The mission statement addresses philosophy with: ensure customer satisfaction by delivering detailed customer knowledge and focus. Boeing’s philosophy is important because it gives a sense of belonging to customers. The self-concept component is addressed with the statement: maintaining a leadership position in our businesses and preserving the highest quality available. Again, Boeing is renowned for its leadership and engineering accomplishments. These are the basis for Boeing’s success. The statement that mentions public image is as follows: being a good corporate citizen. This is another of Boeing’s strengths. They continually support the local communities that they serve and are very active in volunteerism. The mission addresses the employee component with the statement: with a diversified and involved team of employees who work together. Boeing is very committed to their employees by having the very best and brightest individuals working for them. They also value their employees by offering various continuing education classes. External Analysis: Opportunities Economic The economy itself, has been improving since the terrorist attacks, and as such, air travel is increasing as well. This will allow the industry to begin easing back into pre-attack production levels for aircraft. Social, cultural, demographic, and environmental One opportunity available is with the development of highly efficient engines. This is a very large opportunity for the industry as the costs of fuel are rising and the available natural resources are continually being diminished. Also, the future of jet engines is being developed into non-combustion engines. The future of engines is in pulse, whereby the reaction takes place with a pulse, rather than continuously which provides greater efficiency. Political, legal, and government This opportunity exists with the ability of firms to merge to reduce costs. This has been a very popular method in the industry to facilitate growth and product development. Also, with more free trade agreements, the industry can obtain a cost advantage with new suppliers in other countries. Technological The entire industry has the ability to stream ahead by equipping planes with wireless internet access and new and improved guidance software. With up to  the minute information on weather and other pertinent information, the industry can better serve their customers. Competitive The industry is very competitive and with the recent mergers, the industry has time sensitive opportunities to take market share away from other companies. Thus, the other firms in the industry pose as opportunities for the firms in the industry to be on guard to take advantage of each other whenever possible. External Analysis: Threats Economic The terrorist attacks have caused airlines to delay the purchase of new aircraft, and they have also started to delay the retirement of aircraft. Also, with the decline in passenger travel post 9/11, the airlines are having trouble making enough money and they are shutting down routes. The shutting down of the routes has decreased the need for new aircraft. The industry has also been vulnerable to businesses cutting their air travel. Again, this is related to terrorism. A big business does not want to lose their top executives from hijackings. Social, cultural, demographic, and environmental The increase in the amount of telecommuting software has decreased the need for business travel. Also, because of the terrorist attacks, many people are using alternate means of travel. Political, legal, and governmental The industry is facing large, class action lawsuits from the terrorist attacks. Airlines and manufacturers have to set aside money for this and are thereby unable to fully focus on their businesses. Technological The biggest technological threat is falling behind the competition with technological advances. The industry has the ability to take advantage of the companies that lag behind in the implementation of new technology. Competitive As stated with the social, cultural, demographic, and environmental, the industry faces competition with telecommuting. They also face competition from the push for high-speed train lines. This alternate way of travel has seen success around the world, and there are plans for construction of these already in the works. With the lingering threat of more terrorism, many people are using buses to go from one place to another. Competitive Profile Matrix A competitive profile matrix identifies a firm’s major competitors and its particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to a sample firm’s strategic position. The ratings are as follows: 1 major weakness, 2 minor weaknesses, 3 minor strengths, and 4 major strengths. (Figure 2 in the appendix) By comparison Boeing Company, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin are very similar in their critical success factors. These are all aerospace companies competing in the global market. These three companies all compete for contracts with various airline companies and governments. In the Competitive Profile Matrix, the most critical success factor we chose was product quality with a weighted score of 0.25. Product quality is very important for these companies. Without good quality none of these companies would hold any ground competing with each other. In this, Boeing Company, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin all rated a 4 because they all have a great product quality. The second most critical success factor is market share. It is weighted score is 0.20. This is important because it shows how much of the market wants your business. We rated Boeing with a 4 because our company has a big part of the market and they are also well known like a household name. Airbus and Lockheed Martin we rated as a 3 because they are not too far behind us in this area. Price competitiveness, financial position, and customer loyalty are all tied with a weighted score of 0.15. Airbus comes in with the highest with a ranking of 4 in price competition. This is because Airbus has the lowest prices compared to Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are both rated a 3 with their prices being about the same. When it comes to financial position, Boeing is on top with a 4, while Airbus has a 3 and Lockheed Martin a 2 respectively. This is because Boeing is a very strong company that has been in business for years and continues to grow every year. Customer loyalty is also a critical success factor for these companies. Airbus and Lockheed Martin both rate a 3 while Boeing takes a backseat with a 2. From this we see that Boeing needs to be more loyal to their customers because Airbus and Lockheed Martin could have a chance taking over Boeing’s business. The final critical success factor is management. We weighted this with a score of 0.10. All three companies have a rating of 3. This means all three are in very good competition with each other when it comes to their management teams. Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin all have great management that will keep them all on top of their game and in good competition with one another. Boeing is in very good standing with their competitors having a total score of 3.45. Airbus is following Boeing closely behind though with a score of 3.40 which shows they are gaining momentum in the industry. Lockheed Martin is behind both their competitors with a total score of 3.10. In conclusion, Boeing Company is ahead of the competition and rises above their competitors. External Factor Evaluation An external factor evaluation matrix identifies the industry-wide opportunities and threats. Weights are assigned to the various opportunities and threats based on how well the subject company are responding to the threats and opportunities. The ratings are as follows: 1 = poor response, 2 = average response, 3 = above average response, and 4 = superior response. (Figure 3 in the appendix) The main opportunities that we identified were technological advances in aircrafts, new forms of alliances, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are still recovering from merger integration, economies are getting better, air travel increasing, new engine developments, and customers comfort. The threats that we identified were not staying up to date with current technological advances, decreasing defense spending, teleconferencing with high speed trains, airline aircraft needs decreasing, and terrorist attacks. The opportunities were weighted .05 for technological advances in aircrafts, .15 for new forms of alliances, .05 for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are still recovering from merger integration, .05 for the economies are getting better, .05 for air travel increasing, .10 for the new engine developments, and .10 for customers comfort. The threats were weighted .05 for not staying up to date with current technological advances, .10 for the decreasing of defense spending, .10 for the teleconferencing and high speed trains, .05 for airline aircraft needs are decreasing, and terrorist attacks. The weights are representative of the importance the opportunities and threats represented to Boeing. They were determined by considering the impact that each one has on the industry and how well Boeing is conditioned to react to the situations presented. We felt that the most important factors were the new forms of alliances, and terrorist attacks. These two factors are paramount to the industry and all of its counterpart’s success. If these factors are not addressed by the industry then there is a chance that the industry might start declining in nature. We rated each of the opportunities based on how well Boeing has been  positioning itself in the market. Boeing’s technological advances in aircrafts had a major response because of its wireless internet access and new and improved guidance software; we rated this a 4. Also, Boeings response to customer comfort was rated a 4. This is because Boeing is responding very well to what the customers expect from them. This does include the comfort everyone wants. We felt that new forms of alliances, air travel increasing, and new engine developments all were above average; we rated these a 3. This is because the forms of alliances are very important. By having new forms of alliances this could help the company to become stronger. The importance of air travel is also very important to both the industry and to the company. Boeings response to this is above average because they are responding very well to the increase of air travel since September 11th. Also, the importance of new engine developments is above average because Boeings response to this is very high. They are on their way to provide different types of engines that are very efficient. Finally, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are still recovering from merger integration and economies are getting better we rated these each a 2. This is because Boeings response could have been way better then it actually was considering the top competitors are still recovering from merger integration, especially when the economies are getting better. The response to threats has been equally impressive. The threat of terrorist attacks has been very successful for Boeing. The fact Boeing is creating new and improved aircrafts, to help against terrorist attacks while in the air, is a major impact; we also rated this a 4. Not staying up to date with current technological advances and the threat of teleconferencing or high-speed trains was rated a 3. This is because Boeings response to each of these is above average. Being a threat to the industry does not necessarily make it a major weakness for Boeing. They are responding very well by keeping up with all the technological advances that the industry creates. Also, the response to other competitors is above average. Finally decreasing defense spending and airline aircraft needs decreasing were rated both a 2. We believed each of these responses were just plain average. Nothing seems to be changing for the spending but the airline aircraft needs are being implemented a little at a time . The final score, 3.05, that was obtained from the external factor evaluation matrix shows that Boeing is way above average when reacting to opportunities and threats. Internal Analysis: Strengths Management The biggest strength of Boeing is in its people. With more than 160,000 employees, Boeing has a vast number of highly skilled workers. This is enhanced by Boeings commitment to continuing education. They offer an on-site training program and encourage employees to constantly improve themselves. Boeing offers various courses intended to increase employee competency, productivity, and well-being. The main areas of study are: Industrial Skills, Certification, Engineering, Computing, Leadership, and Business Awareness. This employee enrichment program takes place in the Boeing Learning Centers. According to Boeing statistics, in any given 24 hour period, 336 employees will be taking one of 3200 courses being offered, 80 will be taking a class on their own time through the Boeing Learning Together Program, and there will be instructors teaching classes from more than 1600 on and off hour training courses. The Boeing Learning Together Program is considered to be one of the largest corporate tuition-reimbursement programs in the world. In 2002, 23000 employees earned degrees in 1500 concentrations tuition-free. The management of Boeing is also engaged in leading the company into lucrative contracts and partnerships that leverage the company on the business front. Be it the bidding of a contract, development of new technology, or delivery of equipment, the management of Boeing is there every step of the way. And, through its global scope, Boeing can hedge against practically any type of disruption imaginable. Another aspect of the Boeing Company is its corporate citizenship. Boeing is  very committed to the local areas where they are located. The consistently provide cash donations, in-kind services, and employee involvement whenever possible. Last year, Boeing employees volunteered 250,000 hours of their time to community causes, which is equivalent to $3.8 million in free labor. They also operate the world’s largest employee-owned charitable organization. In 2001, the total amount raised by the company and employees was an astounding $92.7 million. Marketing Perhaps the biggest strength for Boeing is simply its name. Boeing enjoys overwhelming success because of its brand name awareness. The marketing department set out on this goal more than 50 years ago, and Boeing’s success is a direct result of that campaign. Marketing for Boeing can be seen on magazines, television, the internet, and through word of mouth. They have also recently created a radio broadcast called â€Å"Forever New Frontiers† which is geared towards developing a positive image of Boeing. They have consistently garnered respect from many high profile trade and business magazines praising their commitment to the environment, employees, and business partners. Boeing also has a very successful marketing campaign when it comes to attracting employees. They are very open and are always looking for bright, energetic people to come and work for them. Because of the benefits associated with being employed at Boeing, attracting new employees is easy. This is one of the core concepts of the Boeing Company, and they promote this by stating, â€Å"the strength and competitive advantage of Boeing comes from its employees. Success can also be shown through the fact that nearly 75% of the world uses Boeing built airliners. Out of 10 Boeing aircrafts only 7 are exported overseas. This is not something that can be accomplished without a successful marketing campaign. The loyalty and brand recognition of Boeing is a very large part of their success. Finance/Accounting Boeing is one of the world’s largest suppliers of commercial aircraft, and as such, they are very well positioned in the aircraft industry. In 2002, they booked $28 billion in revenue from their aircraft division. This makes up nearly 53% of Boeing total revenues, with 47% coming from their other businesses. This breakdown has been one of Boeing’s strategies to diversify their operations. In 1993, the commercial aircraft segment made up 80% of their revenues. All together, Boeing booked 54.1 billion in revenue for 2002, which was a slight decrease from 2001. The Boeing Capital Company is a very valuable asset to the company. This is a service provided by Boeing to their business partners, which provides competitively priced financing options. Through creative financing option, thousands of customers can afford to purchase Boeing’s products and services. Handling purchasing, leasing, and many other financial aspects of their clients needs. Boeing also has a very large amount of account receivables. At the end of 2002, they had $104,173 billion in backlogs. This figure does not include any foreign government contracts, which is a significant amount for Boeing. Outside this figure, the foreign government backlog was $34.7 billion. Also, at the end of 2002, Boeing had cash and cash equivalents of $2,333 billion, and they had long term debt obligations of $28,565 billion. Boeing is a very strong company overall. The changes in accounting procedures resulted in a decreased net income from one year to the next. Even though net income was lower, it is still going to be strength because the accounting change was necessary. A major part of this accounting change happened when they chose to expense their stock options. This will probably become an SEC requirement in the near future, showing they are ahead of the game. (Figure 4 in the appendix) Production/Operations The production and operations department is a very large part of Boeing. These are the brain centers of the company. Through the use of a diversified product line and very talented employees, Boeing excels in their businesses. Using thousands of suppliers, manufacturing sites, and technology development centers, Boeing can distribute their products very efficiently. This enables Boeing to compete at the lowest cost and offer the best quality. It is stated that in 24 hours, they will make 4,650 shipments of spare parts to airlines, 15,000 suppliers will provide parts to Boeing facilities, they will export $53 million of goods and services to customers worldwide, and Boeing satellites will provide one-third of the world’s satellite communication services. Boeing also uses its own proprietary software and satellite transmission service for managing production lines and equipment deliveries. In a 24-hour period, more than 8 million emails will circulate through the Boeing network. This will keep all stages of product development, construction, and delivery under a close eye. Since Boeing offers an internet-based purchasing platform, they can reach thousands of customers instantly. Another aspect of Boeing Company is with its implementation of special design and build process. Boeing essentially created its own form of manufacturing and assembly line in order to reduce turnover time and to increase employee productivity. Through the implementation of these practices, they have effectively reduced lead-time, cycle time, inventory, and defects. For the 717, these processes have cut the overall final assembly time in half. This has also been complimented through the direct investment in new technologies. Research and Development This is essentially the backbone to Boeing’s success. It is where all of Boeing’s greatest work is invented, tested, and implemented. Since this department is so important, they have it separated form the rest o f the company and named it Phantom Works. It is headquartered in St Louis, but it exists as a virtual department with 4500 employees working together at any given time on 500 projects. This department is constantly developing new products and technologies and is considered to be the most secret place of the company. The research and development budget is significant to the company as exemplified by Boeing’s commitment of $1.639 billion dollars. This is equal to 3% of 2002 sales, and is a needed expense for Boeing to continue to offer the very best in quality and performance. This amount covers the design, development, and testing of defense systems, new commercial aircraft, and space programs. Computer Information Systems The biggest impact of this area is in sales. Boeing is considered to be one of the top five internet sellers. Their statistics state that in 24 hours, they will sell more than $2 million of products over the internet. This is a very important factor to Boeing’s success. They have successfully developed a way for clients to securely purchase Boeing products. Because of its ability to receive financing from Boeing Capital, clients can make Boeing a one-stop source for all of their needs. Another strength of Boeing’s website is that it caters to all people. Retired employees, current employees, clients, and even children can go to the website and find all the information that they need. This is important because it shows that Boeing has a true commitment to its employees, clients, and everyone in between. The website gives employees and retiree the ability to check in their benefits and retirement accounts, while children can play games, and learn about the history of flight. Internal Analysis: Weaknesses Management The major weakness of Boeing’s management is in its format. They operate with a mechanistic management style. This means that they have a very hierarchical, ridged, and semi-autocratic way of dispersing orders down  through management. This style is a direct reflection of its military heritage. The problems of this management style lie in the fact that it does not promote the free flow of ideas. The orders are simply made at the top of the chain and dispersed downward through the rest of the company. This then causes problems when management tries to motivate and lead their employees. With the orders coming down from the top, the employees do not have the ability to provide input into the decisions. This causes friction between the employees and management and it does not work very well in the business world today. This type of management can and will lead to employees revolting, quitting, or striking. The free flow of information between management and the employees is integral to the company’s future success. Marketing We determined that the biggest marketing weakness for Boeing lies in its ultra secret business practices. This is good for research and development, as it will promote a competitive advantage, but when Boeing is marketing products, they need to be straight forward. This is also a direct result of their management style. Also, because of the nature of their work and products, they do need to be secretive, but their internal policies and procedures can be too secretive. One example of this lies with the marketing of a new military product. They marketed it as an answer to the military’s problem of transportation, but upon testing, found that the product was rife with mechanical problems. This was after the military had already ordered the product. Finance/Accounting Boeing has been hit with the brunt of the economic slowdown in its commercial aircraft division. With the state of the airlines in the balance, Boeing has seen its full year aircraft division’s profit significantly eroded. Because the United States is the main consumer of their aircraft, until the economy begins improving, and airlines see a pickup in travelers and profits, Boeing  will continue to see financial weakness from this division. They are projecting a 2 to 4 year decline in the profitability of this division. The ratio analysis shows the difficulties that Boeing has been experiencing from the economic downturn. Production/Operations The main production weakness stems from the management style. Because of the mechanistic management style, the first-line employees feel alienated. The vertical and horizontal communication typically associated with manufacturing firms is not present with Boeing employees. This leads to low morale among employees and low productivity. This is a significant problem for Boeing because it undermines their reputation. This aspect of the company also had to make significant alterations to its production line. Because of the terrorist attacks, they had to retool their assembly lines so that they could reduce their production. This also required the elimination of several positions. This is certainly not a positive practice for any company, but it was required for the continued success of the company. Research and Development We have determined the weakness in Boeing’s research and development as being a slow response time. We believe that Boeing has become lackadaisical in their commercial aircraft development. We feel this is true because of the astonishing surge of their main competitor. Boeing has always been then number one company in the aircraft industry and they essentially held a monopoly over the industry. Because of this, they did not respond fast enough to the threat of competitors. This is exemplified through the fact that its main competitor has shipped more aircraft than Boeing for three years in a row. This is a major problem because they are losing customers. While they are planning on rolling out  the most efficient aircraft named the 7E7, they do not expect to have it in service until 2008. This provides a huge advantage to competitors that have been working on similar projects. Computer Information Systems The weaknesses associated with their technology lies in their leadership abilities. Boeing has been a leader in the technology field of aircraft and aerospace; however, they have been slipping behind their competition. This is a very strong weakness, because a competitor has taken over in fly-by-wire avionics. This is a very integral part of flying an aircraft. This technology is what is used to determine routes, receive weather updates, find their bearings, and receive information pertinent to flights in progress. Internal Factor Evaluation The internal factor evaluation is used to evaluate the major strengths and weaknesses of a company. There are weights assigned to strengths and weaknesses based on how the company responds to them. The ratings are: 1 = poor response, 2 = average response, 3 = above average response, and 4 = superior response. (Figure 5 in the appendix) The key strengths we identified were highly skilled workers, companies corporate citizens, name recognition, Phantom Works, internet sales, and Boeing’s web-site. Along with strengths, we also identified weaknesses of Boeing Company. The key weaknesses are mechanistic management style, ultra-secretive business practices, economic slowdown, production communications, slow response time, and technology. The strengths were weighted: .15 for highly skilled workers, .05 for companies corporate citizens, .10 for name recognition, .05 for Phantom Works, .10 for internet sales, and .05 for Boeing’s web-site. The weaknesses were also evaluated and weighted accordingly. The weaknesses weighted scores were .10 for mechanistic management style, .05 for ultra-secretive business  practices, .10 for economic slowdown, .05 for production communications, .05 for slow response time, and .15 for technology. These weights show the importance of the strengths and weaknesses of Boeing Company. These are determined by how important the quality is to Boeing and how much of an impact each has against other business competitors. We felt the most important factors were highly skilled workers and technology. These two factors are very important to Boeing’s structure and its well being as a company. If these two factors are not evaluated accordingly, this could put a damper on the company’s competitiveness. We rated the strengths and weaknesses based on how Boeing Company positions itself against its competitors. Its highly skilled workers, the company’s corporate citizenship, and name recognition have been successful strengths for Boeing and make the company what it is today. We rated all of these with a 4 because they have been such successful strengths. Phantom Works, internet sales, and Boeings web-site have also helped with the success of the company. We felt that these played a key role but we rated these a little lower with a 3. We thought the minor weaknesses of Boeing Company were ultra-secretive business practices, economic slowdown, production communications, and technology. Since these were only minor we rated them with a 2. We also rated some major weaknesses. These included mechanistic management style and slow response time, which we rated as a 1. By using these scores in the internal factor evaluation matrix, we came to a total score of Boeing Company being a 2.75, which is slightly above average. They are above the average company when it comes down to strengths and weaknesses and how they deal with them. Although Boeing needs to stay on top of their game, a slight trickle downward could result in trouble for their business. Existing and Potential Problems The three potential problems that we identified for Boeing are: reducing costs, travelers demanding point-to-point travel, and a lack of contracts. These are problems because Boeing is a major producer of aviation products and thus, these problems are directly related to their success. If they do not address these problems, they will have a difficult time maintaining their competitive edge and solvency. Costs have been a problem simply because of the economic downturn. Boeing is not making as much of a profit on their business, and they are maintaining their current staff, production, and various expenses. These are problems because they are having a negative effect on Boeing’s income. If they are earning less profit on their products, they simply cannot maintain current production and staff levels. Also, because of the rising costs associated with employee benefits, utilities, and specifically parts, Boeing has to be more aggressive in cost cutting. We believe that Boeing has not been as successful as they could be in eliminating specific costs associated with parts. Another problem that we identified for Boeing is in its response to customer demand with point-to-point flights. This is a newer development in the aviation world due to customers wanting less crowded, more direct flights. Point-to-point flights are simply direct paths to destinations. This eliminates the need for layovers and therefore, more security checkpoints, which have been increased drastically post 9/11. Customers have realized the importance of this procedure, but they also do not take kindly to the constant search and seizure procedures. Boeing has been developing aircraft to cater to this demand, but we believe that they could increase their exposure in a more efficient, timely matter. The final problem that we identified for Boeing is in its bidding process. Boeing has lost and has been losing very lucrative contracts from the United States government, airlines, and the armed forces. This poses a problem not only for income reasons, but also for the company’s perception. If they continually lose contracts, it may be seen in the consumer industry as very negative. Each contract that they lose will put more doubt into the minds of companies that do business with them. This also has a huge impact on their commitment to be an industry leader. Their competitors have an even greater advantage and motivation for securing contracts with Boeing’s business partners. We believe that Boeing needs to redefine itself in the market place in order to overcome this hurdle. Internal-External Matrix The internal-external matrix is also known as a portfolio matrix because it involves plotting organization divisions in a schematic diagram. It is based on two key dimensions: the internal factor evaluation total weighted score on the x-axis and the external factor evaluation total weighted scores on the y-axis. On the x-axis of the internal-external matrix, an internal factor evaluation total weighted score of 1.0 to 1.99 represents a weak internal position, a score of 2.0 to 2.99 is considered average, and a 3.0 to 4.0 is considered strong. Similarly, on the y-axis, an external factor evaluation total weighted score of 1.0 to 1.99 is considered low, a score of 2.0 to 2.99 is medium, and a score of 3.0 to 4.0 is high. The internal-external matrix is divided into three different regions. The first region is described as grow and build and can use intensive or integrative strategies. The second region is described as hold and maintain. This region can use market penetration and product development strategies. The third and final region is described as harvest or divest and this is where successful organizations are able to achieve portfolio of businesses. (This is figure 6 in the appendix) Boeing Company is part of the grow and build strategies and the three strategies appropriate for this are horizontal integration, backward integration, and market penetration. This is because the internal factor evaluation total weighted score is 2.75 and the external factor evaluation total weighted score is 2.75 causing it to fall into quadrant II. Alternative Strategies As determined by the IE Matrix, Boeing fits into the category of grow and build strategies. Thus, the three strategies that we have determined to be the best for Boeing are: backward integration, horizontal integration, and market penetration. We believe that Boeing can be successful with any or all of these strategies because they are in-line with the mission statement, they will fulfill their needs, and they will solve or reduce their exposure to the previously identified problems.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Israelites and the Babylonian Exile essays

Israelites and the Babylonian Exile essays The Babylonian exile took place during 597-538 BCE. It occurred because King Nebuchadnezzar sent the Babylonian army to lay siege to Jerusalem after Jehoiakims attempt to escape from Babylonian dominance with the assistance of Egypt. The people of Jerusalem tried to avoid the wrath of the Babylonians by killing Jehoiakim and replacing him with his son Jehoiachin, but that didnt stop the Babylonians from taking Jehoiachin and several thousand Israelite's into exile. To replace Jehoiachin, the Babylonians appointed his uncle Zedekiah, a son of Josiah who ruled for ten years until he tried to break free of Babylonian rule. The people of Judah believed that the exile was proof of Yahwehs displeasure for the people betraying Yahweh and allowing the mosaic laws and Jewish practices to become corrupt. Many people were forced to resettle in abandoned areas of central Babylonia where they worked and tried to form a viable communal lifestyle hundreds of miles from their homeland. The main people forced to relocate were professionals, priests, craftsmen, and the wealthy. Meanwhile the people of the land were allowed to stay seeing that they didnt pose as much as a threat due to their lack of knowledge. Yahweh was very angry with Israelite's and stated, As I banished Israel from my presence, so will I also banish Judah, and I will reject this city that I chose, Jerusalem, and the house where I said my name would live (2 Kgs 23:26-7). Not even Josiahs good virtue could overcome that that Yahweh was very displeased with the Israelite's that he then decided to punish the following generations due to the previous generations guilt. Even though the Israelite's are exiled, that does not mean they cannot return. They can only return if they follow the command of loving Yahweh with not only their hearts and minds but as well as their souls and strength. Since the Israelite's were separated fr...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Physics of sailing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Physics of sailing - Term Paper Example Introduction: Sailing refers to the act of controlling a vessel that is moving across a water body using the power of wing for propulsion. The act of successfully sailing a water vessel entails a lot of scientific principles worth studying. The scientific principles behind sailing vessels mostly consist of fluid mechanics phenomena of viscous fluids moving around fixed bodies (Anderson, 5). Various forces act on a sailing vessel that set it in motion and prevent it from sinking. Physics principles are used in the design of various parts of sailing vessels; therefore it is important to study the physics of sailing. This paper discusses the physics principles, including fluid mechanics that applies to sailing vessels and influences their design and operation. It reviews the forces acting on a sailing vessel and fluid mechanics of viscous fluids to detail the origin of the forces, lastly, various applications of the physics principles related to sailing a commercial uses of physics of s ailing are presented and discussed. Theory: This section presents the theory behind physics of sailing. First, we start by looking at the fundamental terminology relate to sailing vessels. The main parts of a basic sailing vessel are shown in the diagram below: Hull: this is the main body of the vessel that makes a boat. It determines the basic performance characteristics of the vessel such as maximum speed and acceleration that the vessel can achieve. Also, the shape of the hull determines the resistance experienced by the vessel as it moves through water and as a result its acceleration and movement in low winds. The shape of the hull and the keel also determines the vessel’s stability which is critical to the performance of the vessel on different angles of sail (Anderson, 7). Hull speed formula: we can either describe a wave using a cosine of sine function. Using the sing function, the amplitude of the wave is 0 at the point of origin and its equation is given by: Where y is the wave’s height at a horizontal position x and A is the amplitude of the wave above the normal water surface. x is small near the origin, therefore: Sin (2?/?)x ? (2?/?)x y= A (2?/?) x the ratio of y to x is y/x = A(2?/?) As the wave passes, the general surface particle motion on the water wave is represented below: The wave’s speed through water is V; the speed of the surface particle moving in circular motion is U and the sum of the two speeds gives the net speed. Considering the type of motion involved, the ratio of the vertical speed to horizontal speed is u/v and is equal to the ratio of y to x, therefore, u/v = y/x = A(2?/?) Applying the law of conservation of energy to the surface motion of water, the two energies in this case are kinetic energy (mv^2/2) and gravitational potential energy (mgh). The energy equation is, H= 2A = the vertical distance between the crest and the trough. 2mgA = 2mvu gA= vu u= A(2?/?)v gA = A(2?/?)v^2 The speed of the surface wav e, v is obtained as = This parameter is important for calculating the maximum speed of vessels among other situations. For instance, since waves of long wavelength travel faster than those of shorter wavelength, they take a shorter time to reach the shoreline. Sailors recognize that an impending storm is signaled by long waves and the storms always originate from where the waves are coming. In addition, long-wavelength waves

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Effects of French Revolution WWI and WWII to the Social Fabric Essay

Effects of French Revolution WWI and WWII to the Social Fabric - Essay Example Germany was fined a carousal amount of money which forced it to borrow from USA. It also led to increased hostilities between the nations and races. Moreover, the war was a huge economic burden to the nations involved and the world in general. Failure of the world nations to learn from the WWI lead to the emergency of the WWII in 1945. The WWII was later followed by the Cold War that led to collapse of Soviet Union and USA emerging as the sole super power. (Mugambi, 2005, p15) Effects to the social fabric of the Western community. The French revolution led to the transfer of power from tyrannical monarchs to republicanism and democracies of the 21st centuries. The uprising characterized by modern society against any oppressive government is much as a result of French Revolution political ideological influence. Secondly, separation of church and state as two entities and subsequent emergency of secular states in western societies is traced back to French revolution. Thirdly, French revolution is the genesis of popularization of Civil Rights, equality, toleration, individual liberty and freedom which later had liberal influence in USA and Britain. French revolution is more or less linked with the origins of political factions for instance left wing, centre and right wing and conservatives versus liberal/ democrats the political characteristic of the western societies. Moreover, French revolution and culmination of events that followed will always be remembered as the origin of the monumental French constitution that define human rights that stand to be the point of reference in almost every country bill of rights as defined by United Nation (UN) and separation of powers that is still being the essence of western societies political arrangement. Above... The French revolution led to the transfer of power from tyrannical monarchs to republicanism and democracies of the 21st centuries. The uprising characterized by modern society against any oppressive government is much as a result of French Revolution political ideological influence. Secondly, separation of church and state as two entities and subsequent the emergency of secular states in western societies is traced back to the French revolution. Thirdly, French revolution is the genesis of popularization of Civil Rights, equality, toleration, individual liberty and freedom which later had liberal influence in USA and Britain. The French revolution is more or less linked with the origins of political factions for instance left wing, center and right wing and conservatives versus liberal/ democrats the political characteristic of the western societies. Moreover, French revolution and culmination of events that followed will always be remembered as the origin of the monumental French constitution that define human rights that stand to be the point of reference in almost every country bill of rights as defined by United Nation (UN) and separation of powers that is still being the essence of western societies political arrangement. Above all, French revolution promoted the idea of change and progress as good things. This has become a very distinctive mark of the modern western world.