Describe an historical evolutionary concept and its impact on that Term Paper

Describe an historical evolutionary concept and its impact on that population(ie.Genetic drift or founder effect).Include how th - Term Paper Example However, these lacunae in no way takes away from the fact that evolution was and still is an ongoing, dynamic process. The inability to chart the human evolutionary process in a categorical manner does not mean that the specie human sapiens is not subject to the laws of evolution, in spite of the diverse assumptions and hypotheses to the contrary. The very first such assumption is to do with the fossil records, the findings of which did not occur in a chronologically uniform manner. The earliest fossil record known to science is said to be Aegytopithecus  sp a small animal, the size of a spaniel. This fauna is believed to be an ancestor of the humans, as also the modern apes, although quite distinct from all the other primates. It existed in the latter part of the Oligocene era, around 30 million years ago. Since the animal represented the dawn of apes as well as humans, it was termed the ‘dawn ape’. 10-15 million years passed before the lines leading to the great apes and humans began to diverge. 20 million years ago Dryopithecus  appeared exhibiting ape like features and 5 million years later Ramapithecus entered the evolutionary arena. It is exactly these rather long intervals of time about which we are completely dark about the onward momentum of the evolutionary process that make some people think that scientists have failed to categorically chart the human evolutionary process. ... 2001). The term is Leakey’s own way of recognizing the intimate evolutionary relationship that existed among human beings, chimpanzees and gorillas (Gee, 2001). This he did in spite of the already mentioned gaps in time. There are other assumptions and arguments going around denying the importance or even prevalence of the laws of human evolution. This is a deliberate attempt to establish that humans are not subject to the laws of evolution and most are far fetched in the extreme. One theory going around and gaining ground, particularly in the United States subscribes to the Creationist view of all living beings as depicted in the Genesis of Old Testament. They are more interested in discrediting evolution by the simple expedient of ignoring all discoveries of hominid fossils. As in many a field of human endevour, hoaxes and mistakes can at times occur in science too. Creationists cherry pick such examples in an effort to prove that these hoaxes and mistakes are proof enough t o establish the weakness of science and its theories, particularly the theory of evolution. This is a gross misinterpretation of the very nature of science which advances by learning from its mistakes and drawing confidence from its successes. The scientific method has this built-in, self- correcting mechanism which is a potent asset of science. All scientific hoaxes are soon exposed and rectified and those who do so are not creationists but the scientists themselves. All that the creationists do is to read about such exposes in the newspapers and watch them on TV and claim that it was they who exposed them in the first place. Ironically, the modern Indian savant Osho, whose disciples hail more from the Occident rather than from the nation of his birth, when asked whether there was a

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay This is the story of Okonkwo, a renowned warrior and wrestler, who lives in the Ibo village of Umuofia in Nigeria, Africa. Respected by the elders of his clan, he hopes to become an elder himself someday. Due to his relationship with his father, Okonkwo has a hardened heart and thus, his actions throughout the novel are governed by anger and fear. Okonkwo, (per African tradition), has three wives and many children. He is prosperous and successful at the beginning of the story, but his heart does not soften. As a result, he makes many mistakes and is eventually exiled from his clan for seven years. While Okonkwo is away from Umuofia, white missionaries settle in his clan’s village and begin to preach Christianity. The tribe begins to change, especially its younger members, and when Okonkwo returns from exile, he sees the changes and attempts to reverse them. He struggles against the new laws of the white man and relations between the clan and the whites deteriorate until things finally reach a crescendo. Okonkwo’s fear Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, is a story of a man whose life is dominated by his fears. There are many subtle themes throughout this book. One theme that cries out over the rest is Okonkwo’s, the main character, fear of weakness as seen through his childhood, his oldest son, and eventually his death. Since his childhood, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, â€Å"In his day he (Unoka) was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow†(p.4). By the standard of his clan, Unoka was a coward and squanderer. When he was a child, a boy called Okonkwo’s father an agbala. This word means â€Å"woman† as well as a man who has no title. His carelessness left numerous debts unpaid at his death. Ashamed of his father, Okonkwo worked hard and fought well to gain a reputation of high status and influence in his clan. He acquired three wives, one whom gave him his first son. Okonkwo’s first wife, whose name is never mentioned, gave birth to his first son, Nwoye. Okonkwo saw Nwoye weak and lazy from an early age. For this, Nwoye was beaten constantly. Okonkwo was highly demanding of his family because of his obsession not to be like his father. He mistook this behavior as masculinity. He wished his son were a promising, manly son like his friend Obierika’s son, Maduka, who was also a great fighter. One night the town of Umuofia was told that someone in Mbaino had killed one of their â€Å"daughters†. The woman was Ugbeufi Udo’s wife. The blood price for the murder was a virgin and young man to Umuofia. The virgin was given to Ugbeufi Udo as his wife. They did not know what to do with the young boy, Ikemefuna. Okonkwo was asked on behalf of the clan to take care of the boy. Secretly, Okonkwo grew fond of Ikemefuna, â€Å"Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy-inwardly of course. Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger†(p.28). Ikemefuna lived with Okonkwo and his family for three years until the time came when the Oracle said that Ikemefuna had to be killed. Okonkwo was warned not to have any part in killing the boy who called him father. He ignored this and upon returning sank into a deep depression which kindled the affliction inside of him. Not only the death of Ikemefuna, but also the accidental killing of Ogbeufi Ezeudu’s son, which gets Okonkwo and his family exiled for seven years, aides in his depression. To atone for the killing of his clansmen’s son, Okonkwo and his family were cast out of Umuofia and were forced to go live with his mother’s clan in Mbanta. In their second year a group of six missionaries traveled to Mbanta and tried to persuade the people from their false gods of wood and stone to the one true God. They captured Nwoye and he later joined their congregation. When Okonkwo was informed of the news he strangled Nwoye in anger. He questioned how he could have fathered such a weak son. At the end of the seven-year exile, Okonkwo was able to return home. However, the church had taken over Umuofia also. Nothing was the same. Okonkwo refused to integrate with the new visitors. He thought that the clan’s failure to remove them was â€Å"womanly†. Almost happy again, Okonkwo began to accept the new Umuofia. Then the leaders of the clan, including Okonkwo, were taken for ransom by the church. Deeply angered by what was happening, Okonkwo killed one of the leaders at a meeting. The pacification of Okonkwo’s clan is what depressed him. He knew his clan would not go to war. This desire to act violently all goes back to his father’s lack of desire. In the end the violence settled on Okonkwo, when he hung himself. In conclusion, all these aspects: his childhood, his first son and Ikemefuna, and his death contribute in explaining Okonkwo’s fear of weakness. Okonkwo’s life was controlled by his fears. He valued the success of his family and the community with his own success. If Nwoye was weak it was because he had failed as a father. The pacification of the town was a reflection of Okonkwo’s failures, he thought. Not being able to control those events, Okonkwo, out of desperation or either out of the pride in his manhood or perhaps both, killed himself. In spite of Okonkwo’s beginnings in poverty and misfortune, he has risen as one of the most respected elders of the clan. Yet others remark on how harshly he deals with men less successful than himself. For example, at a meeting to discuss the next ancestral feast, Osugo—a man without titles—contradicts Okonkwo, who in turn insults Osugo by declaring the meeting are â€Å"for men.† When others at the meeting side with Osugo, Okonkwo apologizes. Okonkwo’s hard-earned success is evident because the clan chooses Okonkwo to carry the war ultimatum to their enemy, the enemy treats him with great respect in the negotiations, and the elders select Okonkwo to care for Ikemefuna until they decide what to do with him. Once the young man is entrusted to Okonkwo’s care, the rest of the clan forgets him for three years. At first, Ikemefuna is very unhappy—he misses his mother and sister, he tries to run away, and he won’t eat. After Okonkwo threatens to beat him, Ikemefuna finally eats, but then vomits and becomes ill for twelve days. As he recovers, he seems to lose his fear and sadness. Ikemefuna has become very popular in Okonkwo’s house, especially with Nwoye and the other children. To them, he seems to know everything and can make useful things like flutes, rodent traps, and bows. Even Okonkwo has inwardly become fond of Ikemefuna, but he does not show affection—a womanly sign of weakness. He treats Ikemefuna with a heavy hand, as he does other members of his family, although he allows Ikemefuna to accompany him like a son to meetings and feasts, carrying his stool and his bag. Ikemefuna calls Okonkwo â€Å"father.† During the annual Week of Peace just before planting time, tradition permits no one in the village to speak a harsh word to another person. One day during this week, Okonkwo’s youngest wife, Ojiugo, goes to a friend’s house to braid her hair, and she forgets to prepare Okonkwo’s afternoon meal and feed her children. When Ojiugo returns, Okonkwo beats her severely. Even when he is reminded of the ban on violence, he doesn’t stop the beating. Because Okonkwo’s violation of peace can jeopardize the whole village’s crops, the priest of the earth goddess orders Okonkwo to make offerings at his shrine. Although Okonkwo inwardly regrets his â€Å"great evil,† he never admits to an error. His offensive breaking of the peace and the priest’s mild punishment are talked about in the village. After the sacred week, the farmers of the village begin to plant their harvest. Okonkwo allows Ikemefuna and Nwoye to help him collect, count, and prepare the seed-yams for planting, though he continually finds fault with their efforts. He believes that he is simply helping them learn the difficult and manly art of seed-yam preparation. Soon, the rainy season begins and the planting takes place, followed by the intense period of care for the young plants. During the resting time between planting and harvest, the friendship between Ikemefuna and Nwoye grows even stronger. Reference * Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Success is in the Attempt :: Graduate College Admissions Essays

Success is in the Attempt    I may not know exactly what I'm going to be when I grow up but I have embarked on a path of self-discovery and I have discovered that I am a writer.    I am a writer! It took a long time for me to admit that writing was more than a hobby, it was a passion. Writing is what I was meant to do. I was so afraid that my desire to make writing into a career was a frivolous, unrealistic fantasy. I never took any risks to make it happen.       When I started thinking about college and a career I filled my journal with ideas and desires. And as I wrote I imagined a lifestyle with the flexibility to work at home, getting paid to do a job that I loved. But through all of my writing, I was always grasping to figure out what it was that I would be doing at home. I never realized the answer was right in front of me - I would write.    Writing in my journal nourished my spirit and made me feel alive. In my journal I shared my deepest desires, shared thoughts I'd been keeping inside and got lost in the rhythm of my words. And as I began to write, stories emerged. Ideas came to life for more stories and articles and essays. I felt whole.    I wanted the feeling of wholeness to continue forever. To do that, I had to take an enormous leap of faith and share my work with others. I began searching for avenues to submit my work, the entire time worrying that I wasn't good enough.    I was fortunate to receive support and encouragement from editors who read my work. After submitting several pieces of writing to different websites, I received some very wonderful news. My work would be published. To date my work has been published on several websites. I have a short story appearing in an upcoming edition of BeRealMag.com, and I continue to submit stories and queries for publication. Recently, when an editor approached me to write a piece for her website, I knew I had succeeded - I am a writer!    I believe that writing is my life's work and I'm actively seeking ways to make a living writing.

Pro- Cell Phones and Ipods in School Essay

Alex Hightower Cell phones are taking over high schools, let’s face it. In this day and age cell phones and mp3 players are almost a necessity. Have you ever been sitting in the middle of class and you hear a cell phone go off? The common reaction is to look and see whose phone it was, then you lose focus and the teacher has to repeat what they were saying. This gets most teachers mad and many students upset. Students believe that teachers taking their phones away are not fair, when really you should have been paying attention to the lesson instead of distracting another student from learning. The teachers do not want to take the  cell phone  or mp3 players away from you but it is part of their job duties. They just want what is best for you and they want you to succeed in life. Many school administrators have taken the position that school rules should prohibit the use of  cell phones  and mp3 players during class, tests, and exams and in the bathroom. I disagree. I think that they should allow cell phones and mp3 players in school. For one, it is safer to let children have their phones so they can contact their parents during the day, that way the parents know that their child is safe at school. If there is an emergency or accident the parents would want to know about it and if everyone is okay. The school board can only send out a voicemail so quickly and it would have all the information that their child would. It also wouldn’t give specific information pertaining to the child. It would send them into a panic, worrying that their kid is injured. If they were allowed to use their phones, they would call their parents and tell them that everything is okay. That would also relieve the stress of the school board about having to tell the parents because the kids would have already done it. Most kids these days have low attention spans. Those same kids also listen to music in their spare time. For example, while they read or do homework and likely concentrate better while doing this. So if we let them listen to music on their iPods or mp3 players during silent work, they would talk to other class mates less and they would finish their work more accurately and faster. Using iPods in class during silent work would help the kids do their work more accurately. Another concern is that a class mate might steal another class mate’s cell phone or mp3 player. This can happen but might be less likely if the student is allowed to use it. If the student is allowed to text in class he or she is going to check their phone or mp3 player more often than they would if they weren’t allowed to text or listen to music in class. Cell phone and mp3 players can be distracting in class, while teaching, but that’s why, rather than banning them, there should be a guide line set. The cell phone or mp3 player doesn’t need to be out the entire day or the entire class period but they also don’t need to be banned altogether. They should be used appropriately throughout the school day and emergencies. They also shouldn’t be taken if the student is caught with a cell phone or mp3 player. The ones that get caught are usually the ones contacting a parent because they are sick and not paying attention to the teacher. Having the phone sit in the office makes the school directly responsible for whether or not the cell phone is stolen or broken, which could result in a law suit, depending on the parents and the type of cell phone. Whoever pays the bill for the cell phone wouldn’t be happy if they can’t get to it because they have to work and it just sits in the office, causing them to pay for something that’s not being used. There is no real downside to letting students have their cell phones mp3 players in class. It’s better for parents who may need to contact their kids during school hours. It’ll help kids concentrate in class. It could make them use their phones less; we are more likely to do something were not allowed to do. That’s why we should allow cell phones and mp3 players in school.

Mapping an Argument Essay

The real issue here is rather or not marijuana should be legalized. There are both pro’s and cons with legalization of marijuana, many would argue that alcohol is more dangerous and damaging to the body that marijuana is while others would argue that marijuana is an addictive drug, and a gateway to other more serious drugs. The pros of medical marijuana seem to outweigh the cons being how more and more states are starting to legalize the use of it. Also, it was found that it does help with serious medical issues. The premise would be the fight for legalizing marijuana, and the unstated premises would be medical marijuana. The federal government says that marijuana has a high potential for abuse and has no medical value but â€Å"As of 2012 sixteen states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana†. The bottom line is that a large group of Americans support the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes and many Americans support marijuana for recreational purposes as well. In fact, the state of Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes therefore in my opinion that has to soften a lot of people’s opinion regarding the use of medical marijuana. According to the Great Falls, Montana,  Tribune, at an October 2009 medical marijuana health screening in that city, a Dr. Patricia Cole of Whitefish examined 150 patients in 14 and half hours who were there to see if they qualified to receive medical marijuana. Many find it hard to believe how easy it is to receive medical marijuana, â€Å"Some submitted paperwork and payment for the â€Å"examination† and an additional $25 registration fee is all it takes to be issued a card, as no formal medical records are required, only a stated complaint such as chronic headaches or insomnia or back pain†. Urban and small towns are affected the most by these medical marijuana controversies â€Å"Missoula, population 70,000, is home to the University of Montana. There are a dozen storefront outlets and 400 registered caregiver/growers serving 1,800 (and growing) card carriers. † The premise would be medical marijuana and the unstated premise would be the legalization of medical marijuana. Since the legalization of medical marijuana many small towns across America have been affected in a negative way. A lot of people started to see dollar signs and a lot of medical marijuana dispensaries were open. The opening of these medical marijuana dispensaries in these small towns and all across America caused a huge uproar and made many people go against it. The bottom line is that a lot of these small towns learned their lesson and made tougher standards regarding medical marijuana and started to do a better job in regulating the use of it. http://ic. galegroup. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow? failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=GALE%7C00000000LVXO&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3010999128 ttp://ic. galegroup. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow? failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010753218

Online Marketing Example

Online Marketing Example Online Marketing – Article Example Online Marketing Online Marketing The industry that will be discussed in this essay is the mobile telephone industry. Companies today, including those in the mobile telephone industry utilizes the various social media platforms to increase their market share. Some of the common social media platforms used by companies are Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, and Digg (Swee, 2012). Samsung, a global mobile phone leader is one company which employs social media to build up its customer base. Samsung uses an official Twitter and Facebook account in announcing its new products. An example of this is when Samsung posted photos of its billboards in its Twitter account (Sadauskas, 2013). Furthermore, it showed photos of their flash dance event in Times Square â€Å"Be ready 4 the next Galaxy† on Twitter (Sadauskas, 2013). Aside from Twitter, Samsung also uses Facebook to boost its sales. The company posted a teaser picture of its Smartphone on Facebook (Sadauskas, 2013). It is very evident that Samsung extensively uses social media to promote its products. Their social media campaign even comes ahead of the actual launch of their Smartphones (Sadauskas, 2013). In order to increase their followers on Twitter, Samsung has encouraged their fans to tweet with the  #Unpacked  hashtag to create an event buzz and push their marketing campaign (Boies, 2013). A proof that Samsung is successfully using social media is the number of followers they have on Twitter and Facebook. It has 20 million followers on Twitter and 15 million Facebook fans (Turner, 2013). According to mobiThinking, a resource for global digital mobile marketing agencies, the reason why Samsung is number one in mobile phones is because they â€Å"fit their mobile strategy to suit consumer choice† (Turner, 2013). The Vivaldi Partners Group says that the secret to the success of Samsung Mobile’s digital marketing success is their â€Å"use and understanding of social currency, or the degree to which customers share a brand or information about a brand with others†, which is the use of a social media strategy (Turner, 2013). This is the reason why Samsung has moved forward as compared to its competitors such as Sony and Nokia. Samsung effectively makes use of the six degrees of social currency which are affiliation, conversation, information, advocacy, utility and identity (Turner, 2013).ReferencesBoies, J. (2013, March 14). Unpacking the social media conversation around Samsung’s Galaxy S4. Retrieved from salesforcemarketingcloud.com: salesforcemarketingcloud.com/blog/2013/03/social-media-conversation-around-samsungs-galaxy-s4/Sadauskas, A. (2013, March 13). Samsung’s Galaxy S4 social media assault. Retrieved from smartcompany.com: smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/054601-samsung-s-galaxy-4-social-media-assault-4.htmlSwee, K. (2012). Top social media sites & how you can benefit from them. Retrieved from hongkiat.com: hongkiat.com/bl og/top-social-media-sites-how-you-can-benefit-from-them/Turner, H. (2013, May 21). Global digital & social media strategy at Samsung Mobile. Retrieved from intelligenthq.com: intelligenthq.com/social-media-posts/global-digital-social-media-strategy-at-samsung-mobile/

Free Essays on Alcatraz

â€Å"You are entitled to food clothing, shelter and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege.† (Number 5, Alcatraz Prison Rules and Regulations, 1934) This rule was one of the realities of life inside the walls of the U.S. Federal Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island. The island is in the heart of San Francisco Bay, just a mile and a quarter away from one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The subject of many movies and books, Alcatraz became a symbol of America’s dark side. There are a lot of documentaries, movies, articles and books about Alcatraz. From fiction rather than fact, we have stories of the prison and of some of the real men who lived in its cells: Al â€Å"Scarface† Capone and Robert Stroud, the â€Å"Birdman of Alcatraz†. Jolene Babyak, the author of Eyewitness on Alcatraz and a former resident of the island, says that the residents of the island were rarely interviewed and the truth of Alcatraz has often been overlooked, lost in the fog of its myths. Alcatraz has been so much more than just a notorious penitantiary. In the time allowed I’d like to tell you about the major purposes the island served throughout its history. Welcome to Alcatraz. It all started on July 18, 1850 when a military board proposed a three-point defensive strategy for San Francisco Bay. This approach required that a massive brick fort be built on each side of the Golden Gate. Alcatraz was selected as the third site with smaller fortification. The city and its rich port were very tempting for Confederate raiders and during the Civil War Alcatraz was an important part of the U.S. Army’s western defense plan. However military technology advanced quickly and the island’s defense became obsolete. In 1907 the Army formally decommissioned Alcatraz as a fortification. When the fort was decommissioned, regular army troops were replaced by the U.S. Military Guard. They tore down the citadel built during the war and start... Free Essays on Alcatraz Free Essays on Alcatraz â€Å"You are entitled to food clothing, shelter and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege.† (Number 5, Alcatraz Prison Rules and Regulations, 1934) This rule was one of the realities of life inside the walls of the U.S. Federal Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island. The island is in the heart of San Francisco Bay, just a mile and a quarter away from one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The subject of many movies and books, Alcatraz became a symbol of America’s dark side. There are a lot of documentaries, movies, articles and books about Alcatraz. From fiction rather than fact, we have stories of the prison and of some of the real men who lived in its cells: Al â€Å"Scarface† Capone and Robert Stroud, the â€Å"Birdman of Alcatraz†. Jolene Babyak, the author of Eyewitness on Alcatraz and a former resident of the island, says that the residents of the island were rarely interviewed and the truth of Alcatraz has often been overlooked, lost in the fog of its myths. Alcatraz has been so much more than just a notorious penitantiary. In the time allowed I’d like to tell you about the major purposes the island served throughout its history. Welcome to Alcatraz. It all started on July 18, 1850 when a military board proposed a three-point defensive strategy for San Francisco Bay. This approach required that a massive brick fort be built on each side of the Golden Gate. Alcatraz was selected as the third site with smaller fortification. The city and its rich port were very tempting for Confederate raiders and during the Civil War Alcatraz was an important part of the U.S. Army’s western defense plan. However military technology advanced quickly and the island’s defense became obsolete. In 1907 the Army formally decommissioned Alcatraz as a fortification. When the fort was decommissioned, regular army troops were replaced by the U.S. Military Guard. They tore down the citadel built during the war and start...

Couric Family Tree - Ancestry of Katie Couric

Couric Family Tree - Ancestry of Katie Couric 1. Katherine Anne (Katie) COURIC was born on 7 Jan 1957 in Arlington, Va. Second Generation 2. John Martin COURIC Jr.  was born on 28 Aug 1920 in Brunswick, Glynn Co., Ga. He married Elinor HENE married on 26 Jan 1944 in Chicago, Cook Co., Ill. 3. Elinor HENE  was born on 30 Jun 1923 in Omaha, Douglas Co., Nebr. John Martin COURIC Jr. and Elinor HENE had the following children: i. Emily COURIC was born on 5 Jun 1947 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, and died of pancreatic cancer on 18 Oct 2001 in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia. ii. Clara (Kiki) COURIC (living) iii. John Martin COURIC III (living) 1 iv. Katherine Anne (Katie) COURIC Third Generation 4. John Martin COURIC  was born on 19 Jan 1886 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 13 Apr 1947 in Laurens Co., Ga.  He married Wildie Churchill HIBBLER on 11 Jan 1912  and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 5. Wildie Churchill HIBBLER  was born on 5 Jul 1886 in Miss.  and died in Apr 1974 in Arlington, Va.  She was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. John Martin COURIC and Wildie Churchill HIBBLER had the following children: i. Charlotte COURIC  was born about 1914 in Georgia.2 ii. John Martin COURIC Jr. 6. Berthold B. (Bert) HENE  was born on 18 Jun 1890 in Burlington, Des Moines Co., Iowa.  He worked as an architect  and described himself as medium height and build, with grey eyes and black hair.  He married Clara L. FROHSIN. 7. Clara L. FROHSIN  was born on 8 Jan 1898 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 20 Nov 1987 in Atlanta, Fulton Co., Ga. Berthold B. (Bert) HENE and Clara L. FROHSIN had the following children: 3 i. Elinor HENEii. Bert HENE Jr.  was born about 1926 in Nebraska. Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Back to Generations 1-3 8. Alfred Alexis COURIC was born on 20 Feb 1843 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 17 Dec 1917 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He married Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROY on 20 Dec 1871 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 9. Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROY was born on 18 Apr 1850 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 9 Jan 1900 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama. Alfred Alexis COURIC and Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROY had the following children: i. Mollie Shorter COURIC was born on 2 May 1873 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 24 Apr 1947 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.ii. Alfred Alexis (Lex) COURIC was born on 11 May 1876 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 23 May 1941 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.iii. Katherine Kolb COURIC was born on 18 Jan 1878 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 6 May 1936.iv. William McKleroy (Roy) COURIC was born on 25 Jun 1880 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 12 Sep 1918 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.v. Sarah Pauline COURIC was born on 3 Feb 1882 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 11 Sep 1954 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.vi. Charles Mathuron COURIC was born in 1884 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. an d died in 1934 in Dawson, Ga.4 vii. John Martin COURICviii. Junius Battle COURIC was born on 28 Jun 1889 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 3 Nov 1968 in Miami, Dade Co., Fla.ix. Edmonson Shorter COURIC was born on 5 Jan 1891 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 23 Aug 1953 in Miami, Dade Co., Fla.x. Martha Gill COURIC died at the age of 7 months, 1 day  and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 10. James Edmund HIBBLER  was born on 20 Sep 1847 in Alabama and died on 25 Feb 1921. He married Ida Hill IVY on 2 Mar 1871 in Noxubee Co., Miss. 11. Ida Hill IVY  was born on 5 Dec 1849 in Mississippi and died on 5 May 1927. James Edmund HIBBLER and Ida Hill IVY had the following children: i. Carrie B. HIBBLER  was born about 1871 in Noxubee Co., Miss. ii. Fannie HIBBLER  was born about Apr 1873 in Mississippi. iii. James S. HIBBLER  was born about 1874 in Noxubee Co., Miss. iv. Robert HIBBLER  was born about 1876 in Noxubee Co., Miss. v. Mary A. HIBBLER  was born about 1879 in Noxubee Co., Miss. vi. Lottie J. HIBBLER  was born about Mar 1882 in Mississippi. 5 vii. Wildie Churchill HIBBLER viii. Laura HIBBLER  was born about Oct 1890 in Mississippi. 12. Aaron HENE  was born about Oct 1848 in Bavaria.  He immigrated about 1864-1865 to the United States  and was naturalized in 1893.  He worked as a cigar maker  and married Matilda MEYER about 1883. 13. Matilda MEYER  was born about Aug 1862 in Germany.  She immigrated in 1874  or 1889  to the United States and was naturalized in 1893. Aaron HENE and Matilda MEYER had the following children: 6 i. Berthold B. (Bert) HENEii. Robert D. HENE  was born about Mar 1899 in Nebraska. 14. Isaac FROHSIN was born on 2 Aug 1865 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 26 Dec 1922 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. He is buried on 28 Dec 1922 in West Point, Troup Co., Ga. Isaac married Emma HAGEDORN on 10 Feb 1897 in West Point, Troup Co., Ga. 15. Emma HAGEDORN was born on 4 Aug 1865 in Giershagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 13 Apr 1946 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. She is buried in West Point, Troup Co., Ga. Isaac FROHSIN and Emma HAGEDORN had the following children: 7 i. Clara L. FROHSINii. Leon FROHSIN was born on 5 Jan 1899 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 6 Nov 1973 in Fulton Co., Ga.iii. Ralph FROHSIN was born on 24 Aug 1902 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 13 Oct 1994 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala.iv. Lewis FROHSIN was born on 16 Apr 1906 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 8 Aug 1977 in Fulton Co., Ga. Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Back to Generations 1-3 16. Charles Mathuron COURIC was born on 24 Nov 1817 in Laurient, France  and died on 19 May 1861 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He married Henrietta Francoise Farier DOUTRE about 1839 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 17. Henrietta Francoise Farier DOUTRE was born on 10 Aug 1805 in Saintes, France  and died on 22 Nov 1873 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. Charles Mathuron COURIC and Henrietta Francoise Farier DOUTRE had the following children: i. Lucien COURIC was born about 1841 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died about 1898 in Wetumka, Ala.8 ii. Alfred Alexis COURICiii. Frances Elizabeth COURIC was born about 1845 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 1 Jan 1900 in Union Springs, Ala.iv. Alida Mathilde COURIC was born on 25 Oct 1847 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 14 Mar 1933 in Mobile, Ala. 18. Captain William Henry MCKLEROY was born unknown. He married Martha Gill SHORTER. 19. Martha Gill SHORTER was born about 21 Sep 1821 in Pass Christian, La.  and died on 6 Sep 1855. Captain William Henry MCKLEROY and Martha Gill SHORTER had the following children: i. Emily Francis MCKLEROYii. John Martin MCKLEROYiii. William Henry MCKLEROY IIiv. Mittie MCKLEROYv. Mary MCKLEROY9 vi. Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROYvii. Reuben S. MCKLEROY died in Sep 1855 in Pass Christian, La. 20. James Lawrence HIBBLER was born on 24 Nov 1812 in Edgefield Co., S.C. and died on 20 Mar 1880. He married Mary Ann AMASON on 9 Feb 1838 in Sumter Co., Ala. 21. Mary Ann AMASON was born on 19 Aug 1819 in N.C. James Lawrence HIBBLER and Mary Ann AMASON had the following children: i. Laura Jane HIBBLER was born on 10 Dec 1838 in Sumter Co., Ala.ii. Infant HIBBLER was born in 1840 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died in 1840 in Sumter Co., Ala.iii. Thomas William HIBBLER was born on 15 Aug 1842 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died on 3 Oct 1857 in Sumter Co., Ala.iv. Robert HIBBLER was born on 10 Nov 1845 in Sumter Co., Ala.10 v. James Edmund HIBBLERvi. Infant HIBBLER was born on 10 Dec 1849 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died on 10 Dec 1849 in Sumter Co., Ala.vii. Infant HIBBLER was born on 15 Dec 1851 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died on 15 Dec 1851 in Sumter Co., Ala.viii. Mary Frances HIBBLER was born on 11 Aug 1852 in Sumter Co., Ala. 22. Bird IVY  was born on 5 Mar 1812 in Warrenton Co., Ga. and died on 8 May 1884 in Pickens Co., Ala. He married Caroline Jemima COCKRELL and is buried in 1884 in Old Memphis Cemetery, Cochrane, Pickens Co., Ala. 23. Caroline Jemima COCKRELL  was born on 5 Oct 1827 in S.C. and died on 30 Nov 1895 in Noxubee Co., Miss. She is buried in 1895 in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Macon, Noxubee Co., Miss. Bird IVY and Caroline Jemima COCKRELL had the following children: i. Thomas William IVY was born about 1846 in Noxubee Co., Miss.11 ii. Ida Hill IVYiii. Charlotte Gibson IVY was born about 1851 in Ala.iv. Jesse Churchill IVY23 was born about 1854 in Miss.v. Jeremiah A. IVY was born about 1856 in Miss.vi. Carrie Moore IVY was born on 15 Jun 1860 in Noxubee Co., Miss.vii. Fannie Barrett IVY was born on 18 Sep 1861 in Miss. 24. Wolfgang HENE was born about 1814 in Geinsheim, Germany He married Mahle (Mable?) UNKNOWN. 25. Mahle (Mable?) UNKNOWN  was born about 1813 in Bavaria. Wolfgang HENE and Mahle (Mable?) had the following children: i. Isaac HENE  was born about Mar 1838 in Geinsheim, Germany and died on 14 Mar 1905 in Cook Co., Illinois.  He immigrated in 1863 to the United States  and worked as a vegetable peddler in Chicago.ii. Simon HENE was born on 15 Feb 1843 in Geinsheim, Rhein Pfalz, Germany  and died on 25 Mar 1895.  He is buried in the Jewish Cemetery, Burlington, Des Moines Co., Iowa.iii. Charles HENE  was born on 12 Dec 1844 in Geinsheim, Germany  and died on 3 Jun 1901 in Colorado.  He was a cigar manufacturer in Chicago, Cook Co., Ill.  and is buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colo. 12 iv. Aaron HENE v. Bertha HENE  was born about 1854 in Bavaria.vi. Blondiso (Blondie) HENE  was born about Jul 1873 in Germany. She immigrated in 1885 to the United States. 26. MEYER was born and had the following children: 13 i. Matilda MEYERii. Freda MEYER  was born about 1873 in Germany. Fifth Generation Continued Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Back to Fifth Generation, Part One Fifth Generation, Continued 28. Solomon FROHSIN was born about 1838 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. He married Julia LEVINSOHN. 29. Julia LEVINSOHN was born. Solomon FROHSIN and Julia LEVINSOHN had the following children: i. Jonas FROHSIN was born on 27 Aug 1856 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 23 Apr 1949 in New York, N.Y. He is buried in Atlanta, Fulton Co., Ga.ii. Ida FROHSIN was born on 27 Aug 1857 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died in 1938.iii. Abraham FROHSIN was born on 20 May 1864 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 14 Apr 1942 in New York, N.Y. He is buried on 17 Apr 1942 in Mt. Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.14 iv. Isaac FROHSINv. Cecelia FROHSIN was born on 28 Sep 1869 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 15 Jun 1949 in Philadelphia, Pa. She is buried on 17 Jun 1949 in Mt. Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa. 30. Abraham HAGEDORN was born on 26 Oct 1819 and died on 15 May 1908. He married Clara ROSENBAUM. 31. Clara ROSENBAUM was born on 10 May 1825 and died on 19 Apr 1897. She is buried in Giershagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Abraham HAGEDORN and Clara ROSENBAUM had the following children: 15 i. Emma HAGEDORN Sixth Generation 38. Reuben Clarke SHORTER Sr was born on 13 Feb 1787 in Culpepper Co., Va.  and died on 14 Jul 1853 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He married Mary Butler GILL on 31 May 1812 in Jasper Co., Ga. 39. Mary Butler GILL was buried in Shorter Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. Reuben Clarke SHORTER Sr and Mary Butler GILL had the following children: i. Sarah Elizabeth SHORTERii. Emily Frances SHORTER was born on 15 Aug 1816  and died on 13 May 1839.iii. John Gill SHORTER was born on 23 Apr 1818 in Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga.  and died on 29 May 1872.  He was the Alabama Civil War Governor.19 iv. Martha Gill SHORTERv. Eli Sims SHORTER was born on 15 Mar 1823 in Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga.  and died on 29 Apr 1879 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.vi. Reuben Clark SHORTER Jr. was born on 22 Jan 1825 in Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga. and died on 14 May 1853 in Montgomery, Montgomery Co., Ala. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Montgomery Co., Ala.vii. William James SHORTER was born on 28 Oct 1826  and died on 2 Oct 1839.viii. Mary Butler SHORTER was born about 1828.ix. Sophia Herndon SHORTER was born on 22 May 1830  and died on 18 Mar 1850.  She is buried in Shorter Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.x. Sampson Slaughter SHORTER was born on 23 Sep 1834  and died on 29 Oct 1840.  He is buried in Shorter Cemeter y, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.xi. Henry Russell SHORTER was born about 1833 in Jasper Co., Ga. and died in 1898.xii. Laura Maria SHORTER 40. Jacob HIBBLER was born in 1762 and died in 1835. He married Virginia BELCHER. 41. Virginia BELCHER was born on 26 Aug 1774 in Greenwich, Sussex Co., N.J. and died in 1824. Jacob HIBBLER and Virginia BELCHER had the following children: 20 i. James Lawrence HIBBLER 56. Louis FROHSIN married UNKNOWN. Louis FROHSIN had the following children: 28 i. Solomon FROHSIN Prepared by Kimberly Powell, January 2006 Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation

Business law international Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business law international - Essay Example This will be a help or support provided by the IMF to support countries which are suffering from capital flight. It stated that the IMF has allowed for an emergency finance mechanism so as to facilitate the countries which have been hit by the prevailing financial crisis. The scheme has been said to be a sppedy procedure for the approval of loans, as stated by the IMF chief Dominique Staruss-Khan and was used in the financial crisis in 1997. It is a procedure which has its legal validity and has been stated to be procedure adopted by the IMF in situations of credit crisis. It was stated that due to slump in demand in Western economies there had been cut in credit lines which had adversely affected emerging economies and due to this the IMF stated it was willing to provide assistance to countries which are in need to funding. ... Similar grants were also provided to Philippines, Thailand, Korea and Indonesia after the Asian financial crisis erupted in 1997. Another thing that needs to be pointed at this time is that in October the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, an international organization which is an esteemed and highly regarded convened in Madrid so as deliver a judgment on the institutions that is World Bank and IMF. The evidence which had been provided was analyzed and expert witnesses were called upon and their judgments were looked into. The Tribunal issued a sentence of guilty. It was stated that the policies that had been adopted by the IMF and the World Bank infringed human rights and were found to be homicidal. The session of the Tribunal was a follow up on the pledge that had been vowed by the previous session which had taken place in Berlin in 1988 so as to assess the policies of the institution with regard to international law and the right to self determination. It had been assessed that the policies of the IMF and the World Bank are in contradiction with the constitutive treaties and the basic principles of International Law. Further it has been stated that the policies of the World Bank and the IMF can not be unfettered when they are in violation of the international law. Thus it had been stated by the Tribunal that the UN General Assembly should direct the International Court of Justice to set limitations on the competence of the IMF and the World Bank. Further it has been stated that the International Human rights should be adopted as a part of International Law to affect the policies of the IMF. In the current situation there have been put forward by the IMF

Investment Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investment Risk Management - Essay Example Additionally, the company was reported bankrupt on 15th September 2008 and was ranged among the top 22 financial institutions that experienced the world largest bankruptcy (Ross, 2010). This collapse brought a big shock not only to the U.S economy but to entire world. This is because the company provided financial services not only to the affluent individuals and companies but also to the government. Among the services that were rendered by the company include; banking services, equity investments, consultancy services, buying and selling of treasury securities to mention just but a few (Sorkin, 2008). 1. Factors that contributed to financial failure of the Lehman Brothers Holding Company. According to Azadinamin, 2003 numerous factors contribute to failure of Lehman Brothers Holding Company. ... This led to higher cases of defaults as most of the house holds could not be able to repay the loans and interest rates that were attached on those loans. This consequently led to the collapse of Lehman and brother holding company (Azadinamin, 2003). Additionally, manipulation of financial statement such as balance sheet contributed to failure of Lehman failure. For example; it was reported that fifty billion dollars on loans commitment were intentionally removed from the balance sheet and recorded as sales in the income statements rather than loans. Connectively, the company was operating a negative cash flow statement prior to its collapse. Therefore, I could recommend to the senior management of Lehman brother Company to perform credit selection and moral hazards prior granting mortgages (Azadinamin, 2003). Additionally, Lehman management should avoid unethical accounting practices and propagate high ethical standards in financial reporting. The company should have realistic and a chievable strategies. For example, instead of buying assets and storing them, the company could transfer them to third party and earn more returns. Lehman management focused only at evaluating the balance sheet and ignored cash flow evaluation, making it difficult to detect the potential risk that led to its collapse. Therefore, I could have recommended Lehman management to evaluate all its financial statements in order to detect risk and failures before they occurs and establish necessary mechanism to deal with such failures (Azadinamin, 2003). 2. Sufficiency assessment of risk management techniques used by financial institutions today Financial

Quality in Healthcare 13 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quality in Healthcare 13 - Assignment Example In addition, telehealth and other technologies in the healthcare would help to enhance efficiency and productivity among health workers. For example, through telehealth and telemedicine, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Centre has been able to address the healthcare needs of the rural population (Cunningham, 2013). Although it is a gaining popularity in the United States, telehealth faces significant challenges on matters such as privacy, security, lack of trained personnel and poor reimbursement. One of the key ingredients in enhancing the adoption of such technologies is the use of incentives. In a background paper by Adil Moiduddin and Daniel Gaylin (2007), the authors note that health centers that have adopted such technologies successfully have benefited from incentives such as technical assistance from the federal government, financing of innovation programs and providing loans to health centers among other incentives. It is also encouraging to note that a number of telehealth legislation have been passed in various states to help in the adoption of these technologies. In addition, a number of bills have been passed and proposed at the federal level, for example, Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2013 (Sprague, 2014). In conclusion, there is need for further funding from the federal governme nt and policy reforms to help speed up the adoption of telehealth across healthcare centers in the US. Cunningham, R (October 22, 2013). Health Workforce Needs: Projections Complicated by Practice and Technology Changes. National Health Policy Forum (Issue Brief No.851). The George Washington University, Washington DC Moiduddin, A & Gaylin, D (2007).Health Information TechnologyAdoption Among Health Centers: A Digital Divide in the Making? National Health Policy Forum. Background Paper. The George Washington University, Washington

The Handmaid's Tale Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Handmaid's Tale - Research Paper Example Her novel reveals the repercussions of gendered language taken to the extremist end. This implies the sexist structure of the Gilead society seems different and distant out of oppressive language, which is used in modern American society of which it has been accepted to a point of being used in everyday life. Atwood plays with words and analyses symbolic language in order to reveal the power implication and subservience many words have when literally taken. The acceptance of this oppressive language in American society and culture allowed the formation of Gilead. Here, Offired breaks down the vernacular and reveal meanings, which are commonly overlooked: â€Å"I wait for the household to assemble. Household: that is what we are. The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold until death do us part† (Atwood, 81). Atwood’s words show the importance newly found which has come with the new role of handmaid in Gilead. Offired literally takes a symbolic language and reveals how it sounds. Most English speaking people ignore willfully and accept the use of such submissive language. However, Atwood seemingly takes a position, which is neutral in her words such as household and breaks it down, analyses its parts and later turns it into a negative word symbolizing domination of male. By relating the views of hold to the wedding vows that are well known â€Å"to have and hold,† Margaret Atwood makes her readers question how romantic the words used are. The English language that is masculine dominated allows women to grow while being accustomed to the domination of male. Passing the wisdom her husband had given her, the readers are enlightened by Offired word: â€Å"Fraternize means to behave like a brother. Luke told me... He said there was no corresponding word that meant to behave like a sister.

An analytical understanding of the operational situation of Tesco Coursework

An analytical understanding of the operational situation of Tesco - Coursework Example Center of discussion in this paper is Tesco in United Kingdom that has transformed its business operation in order to gain hold of a larger market share in the retail market of the region. Furthermore the company with the help of its organisational structure and scientific way of operations has earned the potential in gaining a strong foothold in United Kingdom. The following paper conducts a thorough analysis of the above parameters and presents the situational advantages of Tesco amidst its various competitors operating in the United Kingdom market. The process of business transformation in the supermarket giant, Tesco operating in United Kingdom gains momentum through a clear cut planning activity aimed at providing value addition to the existing set of supply chain activities. Effective planning helped in rendering dynamism to the existing supply chain network of the concern and thereby also helped the company to operate across international borders. Moreover the business process of the company operating in the home market also went a huge transformation through the introduction of loyalty schemes and also through operating via the online sphere. Both these activities helped in the enhancement of brand awareness of the company in the regional markets and also in augmenting the brand equity for the concern. Tesco operating via the online sphere gained hold of a larger market share and through the loyalty card schemes gained a niche group of loyal consumers in every region. Business transformation in Tesco was not only brought about by bringing effective modifications in the supply chain mechanism but also through the modification brought about in the existing formats. Further the company also revised its business and distribution process through the opening up of several local stores in the different regions they focused to conduct business upon. Working on another set of business strategy in reducing the price of products sold while operating through a numb er of business outlets, Tesco aimed at gaining a larger pie of the consumer markets both in the home country and in the international zones. In the supply chain activities the company management worked in bring about close monitoring activities through introduction of periodical audits. Further the supplier groups were also called by the company management to be rendered training on issues like enhancement and sustenance of product quality

The Handmaid's Tale Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Handmaid's Tale - Research Paper Example Her novel reveals the repercussions of gendered language taken to the extremist end. This implies the sexist structure of the Gilead society seems different and distant out of oppressive language, which is used in modern American society of which it has been accepted to a point of being used in everyday life. Atwood plays with words and analyses symbolic language in order to reveal the power implication and subservience many words have when literally taken. The acceptance of this oppressive language in American society and culture allowed the formation of Gilead. Here, Offired breaks down the vernacular and reveal meanings, which are commonly overlooked: â€Å"I wait for the household to assemble. Household: that is what we are. The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold until death do us part† (Atwood, 81). Atwood’s words show the importance newly found which has come with the new role of handmaid in Gilead. Offired literally takes a symbolic language and reveals how it sounds. Most English speaking people ignore willfully and accept the use of such submissive language. However, Atwood seemingly takes a position, which is neutral in her words such as household and breaks it down, analyses its parts and later turns it into a negative word symbolizing domination of male. By relating the views of hold to the wedding vows that are well known â€Å"to have and hold,† Margaret Atwood makes her readers question how romantic the words used are. The English language that is masculine dominated allows women to grow while being accustomed to the domination of male. Passing the wisdom her husband had given her, the readers are enlightened by Offired word: â€Å"Fraternize means to behave like a brother. Luke told me... He said there was no corresponding word that meant to behave like a sister.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Management - Essay Example These strategies generally are called Generic Strategy in Business. In this strategy is relating with the critical factor of their business, what is the core area of customer attraction low cost, quality or any other attractive factors in their business. Cost leadership is a strategy to provide low cost or average priced product at good quality. This strategy helps the organization to achieve more market share and customer base by lowering the price while maintaining quality and this is one of the key competitive strategies of an organization. Cost leadership strategy’s advantage is that the company can compete in the area of price. Differentiation strategy is another main strategy which aims at providing a special attribute to the product to attract customers. Focus in marketing is a full service promotional agency, and it meets various specific promotional marketing needs by producing quality products with a reasonable price. It concentrates on a narrow segment and tries to achieve either a cost advantage or differentiation. The aforesaid generic strategies are not necessarily compatible with each other. But to attain a long term success, it is better to select only one of the three generic strategies. Otherwise, with more than one single generic strategy the firm will get ‘Stuck in the middle.’ â€Å"In the words of Clark and Clark, market is an area in which the forces leading to exchange of title to a particular product operate, and towards which and from which actual goods tend to travel†. (Marketing Management, Nature, Scope and Importance of Marketing, Sulthan Chand and Sons, 7th Edition, 2002) 1) Entry Barriers - In cost leadership, it indicates the ability to cut the price in retaliation. In Differentiation, it meant that customer’s loyalty can discourage potential new entrants into the market. Focusing strategy clearly stipulates that development of

Leadership and Management Paper Essay Example for Free

Leadership and Management Paper Essay At a very young age, George Washington Carver took a strong grip on his destiny. This dynamic leader prevailed over getting born without a name into slavery, overcoming poverty, and prejudice to commit his life in helping others achieve a better livelihood. Through his actions, he was able to earn high levels of respect of self-worth, dignity, honor, and infinite achievement. Booker T. Washington was the first president and principal of the Tuskegee Institute in 1896. Booker T. Washington sent an invitation to George W. Carver to reside over the Agriculture Department. For 47 years Carver developed, taught, and applied constant research in working to develop several methods from using crop-based materials. Carver was the innovator of going green. Through his tenure he worked with two additional college presidents that supported the zealous work of Carver. His discovering and teaching methods of crop rotation while introducing several alternative money crops for farmers that simultaneously improving the soil of heavily cultivated cotton fields would motivate and inspire many Black students to follow suite in his techniques. (Kouzes Posner, 2009) â€Å"A leader’s dynamic does not come from special powers. It comes from a strong belief in a purpose and a willingness to express that conviction.† In leadership, Carver designed a mobile classroom that brought education to the fields of the farmers. His so-called ‘Jesup wagon’ (named after Morris Ketchum Jesup), well honored for Mr. Jesup a philanthropist and New York financier fully supported and funded the program. Leadership functions Carver had many duties as an administrator, such as administer the Agriculture Experiment Station Farms. He manages the sale and production of farm products that generated revenues for the institute. His academic career as a teacher and researcher was stellar. What made Carver different from other professors and administrators is his determination to fulfill what he believed to be right. There were many times Booker T. Washington would voice his frustrations through letters to Carver because to the way he would administer his duties, Washington would always praise Carver for the great discoveries and hard work that has taken place. (G.W. Carver, 2011) Education is the key to unlock the golden door of opportunity.† This is how his leadership is different from the rest. He proves exactly what he stated to his life. His work became very high profile because of his more than 300 uses for peanuts, pecans, sweet potatoes and soybeans with the majority of his accomplishments of conquering the mundane. Every invention came after hours during peaceful nature walks, observing, and later testing in his laboratory. After Carver came to success, he did not cite ingenuity, though he was very blessed with it. On the contrary, he remarked that 99% of the failures come about people who have the habit of making excuses. Carver also well notes that, â€Å"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world† pg. 143 of Frontage Magazine. Obstacles George W. Carver is someone whom many can only look up too when problems come into our lives for comparison sake. Carver beats the odds so well that his name should never had been heard of. His mission, determination, and story defy the odds. Being born into slavery a raider kidnapped him as an infant, and was not expected to live past the age of 21 because of poor health and being a Black scientist in the harsh times of racial segregation is beyond the norm. After the death of Carver, the United States Government erected the first national monument to honor someone other that a president. Effective Leader – Common Measures George W. Carver was best known in his time as a man of faith who believes in God as science as a gift from God. He would constantly acknowledge that his work was inspired by the works of God and God’s inspiring, and guiding him in his work. When those who wanted things from Carver such as his  secrets without the desire to work for the knowledge, Carvers replay would be, ‘God refuses to reveal the secrets of the humankind and the universe. Within the readings and teachings of the text, Carver proves his effective leadership skills for success present. To be a leader whom everyone will want to immolate, it takes the extraordinary levels of strong will, determination, someone who can listen and follow, and the ability effectively to move those whom you lead in a positive direction fostering a successful outcome. Conclusion Carver’s faith was his concern of character that his students whom he regularly taught would follow a set of cardinal virtues: ââ€"  Do not look up the rich nor down to the poor ââ€"  Be clean both inside and out ââ€"  Win without bragging ââ€"  Lose if needed but without squealing ââ€"  Be too brave to lie ââ€"  Always be considerate of women, children, and other people ââ€"  Be too generous to cheat ââ€"  Take your share of the world and let others take theirs. The world needs more women and men like George Washington Carver – people who cannot complain, strive hard and overcome adversity while focusing on the finish line ahead. Everyone does not possess the skill and knowledge of George Washington Carver but he has left us a milestone of character traits that can allow us to use as a guide while striving to achieve our goals here in this life. I like what Langston Hughes states on page 159 of Through the Fire, â€Å"Hold fast to dreams, for it dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.† This goes back to how George Washington Carver spoke about excuses; they are just that, an excuse to fail. Live right, stay positive, follow the plan, persevere, and finish the race, you will for sure win. References Carver, G. W. (2011). Greatest Leaders of America History. Frontage Magazine, 32(4), 112 113. p.113 Kauzes, J., Posner, B. (2009, April). See what today will bring when you are done thinking. Whole and Complete Places, 8(13), 78 -84. p.83 Livingstrom, J. T. (1974). Through the Fire (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Harper Collins. p.154

Impact of Corporate Culture on IT Company Growth and Profits

Impact of Corporate Culture on IT Company Growth and Profits The Impact of Corporate Culture on the Growth and Profitability of IT Companies: The Case of Google Abstract In todays global economy, companies from different industries are trying to create a unique competitive advantage to stay in business and maximize their shareholders equity. In doing so, companies should analyze their largest expenses and try to minimize these costs while utilizing their resources in order to make the most from these expenditures. The largest operating expense in U.S. companies is salary. To maximize this expenditure, businesses should devise ways in which to motivate their employees to be more productive. Controlling employees to come to work is easy, but how can companies motivate their employees to work to their full capacity? One way in which this can be accomplished is by creating a suitable, attractive, and tension-free working environment for employees. In doing so, companies can create a strong corporate culture which could offer a competitive advantage. As an example, Google has become one of the largest IT companies in the world in fewer than two decades from its establishment. Not only has Google grown to be one of the largest IT company in the world, it has also developed unique and innovative products, a high job growth, and a secure position as one of the top five companies for which to work. Google has managed to achieve this not only by developing appropriate business strategy, but also creatin g a strong corporate culture that concentrates mainly on employees and customers. In this research, I will try to analyze Googles achievements. I will conduct a small survey to examine the adaptability of Googles flexible corporate culture in IT companies located in Utah. Introduction Statement of the Problem The old saying, â€Å"You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink† may hold true for employees as well; you can make employees come to work, but it is not easy to make them work to their full capacity. Companies may use different methods to control their employees to make them work to their fullest working capacity, but this does not always succeed. To understand employees work satisfaction and engagement in their work, it is useful to analyze a survey conducted by the Gallup Management Journal (GMJ) (Houser, 2009). The GMJ surveyed U.S. employees to understand how engaged they are in their work and their attitudes toward their managers. According to the study, there are three types of employees: 1. Engaged employees: Those who work with passion, motivation, and have deep feelings toward their company. These people are the ones who move the organization. 2. Not-engaged employees: Those who are physically present in the company but mentally absent. These employees are not motivated, and they dont care about their company. They come to work simply to put in hours. The survey refers to them as â€Å"walking through their workday.† 3. Actively disengaged employees: Those who are not only unhappy, but they express their unhappiness in different ways. They may undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish. The study results showed that 26% of respondents are engaged in their work, 56% of the respondents are not engaged in their work, and 18% of the respondents are actively disengaged in their work. The following chart illustrates the finding of this study. The respondents of the survey were asked if they would fire their manager, given the opportunity. Respondents indicated that 24% would fire their manager if they were given the chance. Of this number, 6% of those respondents were engaged in their work, 23% of the number were not engaged in their work, and 51% of the respondents were actively disengaged in their work. Therefore, less engaged employees tend to dislike their managers, and would fire them, given the opportunity. According to the study, this lack of productivity costs companies billions of dollars. Approximately 24.7 million employees age 18 and over are actively disengaged; this represents 18% of the total workforce. From 2000 to 2007, actively disengaged employees in the U.S. cost the countrys economy from $334 to $431 billion every year in low productivity. The Cost Of Disengagement In this study, I will analyze the different reasons why employees are disengaged from their work, and I will suggest recommendations to solve this problem by taking as an example a successful company in the U.S. Purpose of the study Today, different companies are trying to find a unique competitive advantage. One competitive advantage that was overlooked for many years is an attractive organizational culture. Not only will a superior organizational culture help in attracting and retaining the best employees, it can also be used to create a loyal customer base. In this paper, I will investigate the organizational culture of Google, Inc. in the information technology (IT) industrial sector. I will analyze how Google has capitalized on its organizational culture to become one of the largest search engines and IT companies in the world. I will conduct a small survey on organizational culture on IT companies located in Salt Lake City, Utah to determine useful recommendations by analyzing the results of the survey and comparing these to Googles organizational culture. Before analyzing organizational cultures, it would be beneficial to answer some questions as to why this topic was selected as well as other related issues. Why I Focused on Organizational Culture Many companies have tried to come up with a competitive advantage to maximize the shareholders profits. For years, an attractive corporate culture was not considered as vital to the success of an organization. Unlike external factors of business, which are not directly controlled by organizations, corporate culture is an internal environmental force which can be manipulated by organizations in their favor. Why I Emphasized the Employees Employees are the executers of the plans and strategies of the organization. Most companies consider employees as their asset, but, in my opinion, employees are much more than this. According to a study conducted by the United States Census Bureau, companies largest operating expense is salary. (U.S.CensusBureau, 2000) (See charts below). By taking care of their employees, organizations can get the best results from them. The following charts show the breakdown of operating expense for different industries in 1997 as it was studied by the U.S. Census Bureau under the Economic and Statistics Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Even though, this study was conducted more than a decade ago, I have included it, because I believe it shows the general trend of the breakdown of operating expenses within U.S. industries. Merchant wholesale companies have five major operating costs. Of these, payroll was by far the largest operating expense. If payroll expense and fringe benefits, which are operating expenses toward employees, are combined, more than half of the total operating expenses go toward employee salaries. The breakdown of operating expenses of retail trade has the same tendency as that of the merchant wholesaler. In fact, the only difference is that the expenses for rent by retail trade businesses are a little bit higher than that of the merchant wholesaler. The breakdown of operating expense for business services, which include IT industries, shows a larger expense toward employees. Payroll, consisting of 51% of total operating expense, contract labor, consisting of 5% of total operating expense and fringe benefits, consisting of 8% of total operating expense makes up a total of 64% of the total operating expense. The breakdown of the operating expenses for legal services follows the same trend as for business services. The following chart compares payroll expenses of different sectors of business According to the above chart, business services, health services and legal services pay the highest portion of operating expenses to payroll. Clearly, if companies are paying the majority of their operating expense toward the salaries of their employees, they should try to get the most from their workforce. Another study conducted in 2007 by the AmericanTimeUseSurvey through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (AmericanTimeUseSurvey, 2007) showed that of the total working people in U.S., those who were between the ages of 25 to 54 living in households with children under the age of 18 spent most of their time either working or in work-related activities. The survey was provided from data taken on non-holiday weekdays. Out of the total 24 hours, those between the age of 25 to 54 living in households with children under the age of 18 spent 8.7 hours working or on work-related activities, 7.6 hours sleeping, 2.6 hours on leisure and sports, 1.2 hours caring for others, 1.1 hours on household activities, 1.1 hours in eating and drinking and the remaining 1.7 hours on other activities. The following chart illustrates these hours in percentiles. Based on this survey, people with children between the ages of 25 to 54, who were part of the labor force, spent the majority of their time at the workplace or doing work-related activities. If companies created a suitable and stable environment, this labor force would be motivated to work harder to help companies maximize their profits. This study will research and analyze how companies could create a competitive advantage by attracting and retaining the best employees through a superior corporate culture. Why I focused on IT IT, by any comparison, is the fastest growing industry in the world. Companies are spending billions of dollars every year, which has made the IT industry one of the most profitable industries in the world. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2005 and published in 2007 (U.S.CensusBureau, Information and Communication Technology: 2005, April 2007), the information industry by itself contributes 52.4 billion dollars to the IT industry through purchases of hardware and software annually. The finance and insurance sectors spent $44.2 billion; the manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services sectors spent $32.5 billion; the health care sector spent $27 billion; and the social assistance business sector spent $19.9 billion on IT hardware and software components in 2005 alone. Based on this study, more than $200 billion was spent on IT hardware and software by different business sectors in 2005. According to this study, the noncapital and capital expenditures for computer software were higher compared to IT hardware. It is a general assumption that if companies are investing more on computer software, the software industry is generating a lot of money. In 2005 alone, the noncapital expenditure for computer software was $54.2 billion, whereas the capital expenditure for the same sector was $49.8 billion. Therefore, this research will focus on computer software companies. Why Focus on Google? Google is one of the fastest growing companies in the world. It has grown sevenfold over the last decade. According to Fortune, Google was listed as the fourth best company to work for in 2009 (100 Best Companies to Work for 2009: Google GOOG from Fortune, 2009). Even though Google was listed as the fourth best company to work for in 2009 by Fortune, it has the highest job growth rate when compared to the other companies listed in the top ten. While Google has a 40% job growth rate, NetApp, which was listed in first place, only has a 12% job growth rate. Edward Jones and Boston Consulting Group, listed second and third, have only a 9% and 10% job growth rate respectively (100 Best Companies to Work for 2009: Google GOOG from Fortune, 2009). Google has shown tremendous growth over the past few years. As the following chart indicates, from 2004 to 2008, the net income of the company increased tenfold. Even when the world economy was in a recession at the end of 2007 and 2008, Google managed to secure a high net income (GoogleInc, 2008). Google has an interesting workforce distribution. As of December 31, 2008, 40% of Googles total workforce was in sales and marketing, 36% in research and development, 15% in general and administrative positions, and the remaining 9% in operations (Google Inc., 2008). According to this data, Google places nearly as large an emphasis on research and development as it does for sales and marketing. Having a large staff in research and development will ensure a strong future market when it is supported with an appropriate corporate strategy. Even if it is difficult to conclude that Google will have a bright future based on the distribution of its workforce, it is certain that this strong contingency of Googles research and development team has proven to be valuable by developing new and exciting technologies, making it difficult for competitors to catch up. Literature Review In todays globalized and integrated world, change within industries and organizations occurs rapidly. Understanding the impact of an organizations environment could assist organizations in coping with this change. The organizational environment includes all elements existing outside the boundary of the organization that have the potential to affect the organization (Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 8th ed., 2004). The organizational environment consists of the external environment and the internal environment. The external environment is made up of those forces that exist outside of the organizations boundaries and have an effect on the organization. The external environment is further divided into the general environment and the task environment. The general environment is the outer layer that is widely dispersed and affects organizations indirectly (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). The general environment includes technological, socio-cultural, economic, legal/political, and international factors. On the other hand, the task environment is closer to the organization and includes the sectors that conduct day-to-day transactions with the organization and directly influence its basic operations and performance (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). The task environment includes customers, labor market, suppliers and competitors. The internal environment includes the elements within the organizations boundaries (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). It includes employees, management and culture of the organization. In this paper the focus is on the culture of the organization and its affect on the performance of the organization. A corporate culture is defined as the set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and norms shared by members of an organization (Martin, 2002) (Kilmann, Ralph H.; Saxton, Mary J.; Serpa, Roy, 1986) (Smircich, 1983). It could also be defined as an â€Å"interdependent set of beliefs, values, ways of behaving, and tools for living that are so common in a community that they tend to perpetuate themselves, sometimes over long periods of time. This continuity is the product of a variety of social forces that are frequently subtle, bordering on invisible, through which people learn a groups norms and values, are rewarded when they accept them, and are ostracized when they do not† (Bemowski, 1995) (Wilhelm, 1992). Corporate culture is derived from both the management and the organization itself. The management, through its philosophy, values, actions and the organization through its roles, structure, systems and technology comprise the corporate culture. Feedback is received from the corporate culture to the management and organization. The following illustrates this process. Classification Schemes There are different classifications of corporate culture defined by different authors. The different views of four authors will be considered in the following: 1. Henry Migliore After studying 24 organizations, Henry Migliore included 20 cultural factors, which he referred to as the â€Å"Corporate Culture Index† (Migliore, Henry; R.T. Martin; Tim Baer; and Jeffrey L. Horvath, 1989). These factors include the following characteristics. * Member Identity: the degree to which employees identify with the organization as a whole in their type of job or field of professional expertise * Team Emphasis: the degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals * People Focus: the degree to which management empowers the employees within the organization * Autonomy: the degree to which departments within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or interdependent manner * Control: the degree to which rules, regulations, and direct supervision and used to control employee behavior * Risk Tolerance: the degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggressive, innovative, and risk-seeking 2. Geert Hofstede Geert Hofstede believes the behavior of organizations is affected by a national and regional cultural grouping. To study this point, he looked for a national difference among over 100,000 of IBMs employees in different parts of the world. He came up with five dimensions of culture that influence national regional groupings (Hofstede, 1980). These are: * Power distance: the expectation of society on the levels of power an individual possess in the society. A high score of power distance reflects the expectation of the society that some individuals possess more power than others. A low score of power distance reflects the expectations of the society that all people have equal rights * Uncertainty avoidance: the degree to which a society accepts uncertainty and risk * Individualism vs. Collectivism: the degree to which people stand up for themselves or act as part of a group * Masculinity vs. Femininity: the degree to which the society gives value to the male or female * Long vs. Short-term Orientation: the degree to which a society values long term or short term orientation 3. Deal and Kennedy According to Deal and Kennedy, organizational culture is the way things get done in an organization (Deal Kennedy, 1982). They measured an organizations culture using different elements. These elements include: * Feedback: response from the organization * Risk: the degree of uncertainty in the organization Using these two elements, Deal and Kennedy suggested four classifications of corporate cultures (Deal Kennedy, 1982). These are: * The Tough-Guy Macho Culture: The feedback, which is the response from the organization, is quick and the reward is high. * The Work Hard/Play Hard Culture: Few risks are taken, but the feedback, which is the response from the organization, is rapid. * The Bet Your Company Culture: This involves high risk, but it may take a long time to know the outcome of the decision or action. * The Process Culture: This is associated with bureaucracy in the organization. It is common in organizations where there is little or no feedback. 4. Charles Handy Charles Handy developed Roger Harrisons work of 1972 which linked organizational structure to organizational culture (Handy, 1985). According to this idea, there are four types of culture. These are: * Power Culture: A few will rule the organization from the middle. * Role Culture: Employees have clearly delegated authority and the structure of the organization is highly defined. * Task Culture: Teams are formed to solve particular problems; this is a common organizational culture for a matrix structure. * Person Culture: Employees focus on individualism rather than team work. These organizations will face a hard time staying above water. A corporate culture has two levels, visible and invisible. The visible level of culture can be seen at the surface level. It includes symbols, stories, heroes, slogans and ceremonies. The invisible level is deeper values and shared understandings held by organization members who include expressed values, assumptions and deep beliefs. The following illustrates the levels of corporate culture. It is difficult to express the invisible level of corporate culture since it cannot be seen as compared to the visible level of corporate culture. The visible level of corporate culture has different entities. These include: * Symbols: an object, act, or event that conveys meaning to others. Symbols can be considered a rich, non-verbal language that vibrantly conveys the organizations important values concerning how people relate to one another and interact with the environment (Pratt Rafaeli, 2001). * Stories: narratives based on true events that are repeated frequently and shared among organizational employees (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). * Heroes: s who exemplify the deeds, character, and attributes of a strong corporate culture (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). * Slogans: a phrase or sentence that succinctly expresses a key corporate value (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). Companies use slogans to convey their core values and missions. Examples of slogans are Googles â€Å"Dont be evil,† and Microsofts â€Å"Our passion, your potential.† * Ceremonies: a planned activity that makes up a special event, and is conducted for the benefit of an audience (Trice Beyer, 1984). According to research conducted at Harvard on 207 U.S. firms (Kotter Heskett, 1992), corporate cultures can be divided into adaptive and unadaptive corporate cultures. The study found that a strong corporate culture by itself does not guarantee company success. However, when strong corporate culture adapts to the external environment, it will bring success to the companys business. In both adaptive and unadaptive corporate cultures, there are visible behaviors and expressed values. In the adaptive corporate culture, managers are concerned with their customers (external environment) and employees (internal environment). On the other hand, in an unadaptive corporate culture, managers are concerned only with themselves. Therefore, they dont want change or risks. A strong corporate culture should always be adapted to the external environment (Kotter Heskett, 1992). Table 1: Adaptive and Unadaptive Corporate Culture Adaptive Corporate Cultures Unadaptive Corporate Cultures Visible Behavior Managers pay close attention to all their constituencies, especially customers, and initiate change when needed to serve their legitimate interests, even if it entails taking some risks. Managers tend to behave somewhat insularly, politically, and bureaucratically. As a result, they do not change their strategies quickly to adjust to or take advantage of changes in their business environments. Expressed Values Managers care deeply about customers, stockholders, and employees. They also strongly value people and processes that can create useful change (e.g. leadership initiatives up and down the management hierarchy). Managers care mainly about themselves, their immediate work group, or some product (or technology) associated with that work group. They value the orderly and risk-reducing management process much more highly than leadership initiatives. Types of Cultures There are four types of corporate culture, which can be further classified into two matrixes. These are the needs of the environment, which could be flexible or stable, and the strategic focus, which can be external or internal. The four categories associated with this are adaptability, achievement, involvement, and consistency (McDonald Gandz, 1992) (Denison Mishra, 1995). The four types of corporate cultures are: 1. Adaptability culture: A culture characterized by values that support the companys ability to interpret and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. It emerges in an environment that requires fast response and high-risk decision making. Managers encourage values that support the companys ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. Employees have autonomy to make decisions and act freely to meet new needs, and responsiveness to customers is highly valued. Managers also actively create change by encouraging and rewarding creativity, experimentation, and risk taking (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). 2. The achievement culture: A results-oriented culture that values competitiveness, personal initiative, and achievement. It is suited to organizations that are concerned with serving specific customers in the external environment but without the intense need for flexibility and rapid change. This is a results-oriented culture that values competitiveness, aggressiveness, personal initiative, and willingness to work long and hard to achieve results (Hooijberg Petrock, 1993). 3. The involvement culture: A culture that places high value on meeting that needs of employees and values cooperation and equality. It has an internal focus on the involvement and participation of employees to rapidly meet changing needs from the environment. This culture places a high value on meeting the needs of employees, and the organization may be characterized by a caring, family-like atmosphere. Managers emphasize values such as cooperation, consideration of both employees and customers, and the avoidance of status differences (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). 4. Consistency culture: A culture that values and rewards a methodical, rational, orderly way of doing things. It has an internal focus and a consistency orientation for a stable environment. Following the rules and being thrifty are valued, and the culture supports and rewards a methodical, rational, orderly way of doing things, since there is no stable environment. It is rather difficult to have this kind of corporate culture (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). The Start of Search Engines Most people agree that the first pre-web search engine was Archie created by Alan Emtage in 1990, while he was a student at McGill University. At that time, the Internet was used by learning institutions to store different kinds of documents on shared machines. Since there were no search engines at that time, if one did not know the exact machine address and file name, it would not be possible to find the document. Emtage created an interface for the search engine, calling it Archie, and used an indexed filing system. In order to use Archie, a user would log in to an Archie server via a command line interface and type in keywords that matched the file title being searched. The result from Archie would display the possible machine locations in which the file could be found. The user then had to log in to each machine and look for the individual file. Archie provided the machine name where the file could be found, but the user had to know a keyword in the title of the file being search ed. This may seem useless today, but it was the best technology available at the time. In 1993, students at the University of Nevada created another search engine similar to Archie, which they called Veronica. The main difference between Archie and Veronica was that Veronicas search results showed the possible document names. As the Internet started to grow larger, from 130 sites in 1993 to 600,000 in 1996, the glory of Archie and Veronica also faded. Matthew Gray, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, created a web based search engine known as WWW Wanderer. The Wanderer had a list of indexed sites at the back end and a search interface that allowed users to search the index at the front end. In 1994, Brian Pinkerton, a researcher from the University of Washington, developed a more powerful search engine by the name of WebCrawler. WebCrawler could index the full text of a web document it found and also use a linking of different web pages, just as Googles PageRanking algorithm does. Alta Vista was the next stronger search engine invention. Unlike other search engines, Alta Vista was created to test the performance of the superfast Alpha processor. After Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) made a superfast Alpha processor, the company was looking for a way to test its performance. One of DECs researchers, Louis Monier, was working at Western Lab in Palo Alto, California, and came up with the idea of building a search engine that could load the entire Internet onto the Alpha computer to show the processors speed. Not only did Monier come up with the idea, he also built the search engine. However, the management of DEC did not realize the magnitude of this discovery. Some believe that the management could not understand the marketability of Alta Vista, because they considered DEC to be a hardware, not a software company. In January 1998, Compaq purchased DEC for $9.6 billion dollars. Compaq recognized the marketability of Alta Vista and started to invest more into it. Rod Schrock, a Compaq executive, was given the responsibility of Alta Vista, and developed the site to look like Yahoo. In June 1999, Compaq sold Alta Vista to CMGI, an Internet holding company, for $2.3 billion dollars, mostly in stock. CMGI could not hold on to Alta Vista for long since it lost 90 percent of its value. In 2003, CMGI was forced to sell Alta Vista to Overture Services, Inc. for $140 million. Yahoo acquired Overture Services, Inc., and Alta Vista became owed by Yahoo, its former fierce competitor. Yahoo had opened its doors two years prior in March 1995. Yahoo was started as a project to win a fantasy basketball league by two Stanford PhD candidate students, Jerry Yang and David Filo in the early 1990s. Both were studying electronic design automation, which was a popular field when they began studying but the subject got cold when these students reached their fourth year of their doctoral work. â€Å"The prospects of finishing and getting on with life were pretty grim. The real story is that we were bored with our PhDs and we did everything we could to avoid writing our thesis,† (Battelle, 2005) Yang recalls. To win a fantasy basketball league, Filo came up with an Internet crawler that collected data from basketball sites using protocol and compiled the data based on different categories like players performance, trade amount, history, etc. Yang and Filo won the fantasy basketball league using their project (Battelle, 2005). After the first browser was released in 1993, Yang started surfing the Web and maintaining a list of sites he was most interested in. Filo continued to develop software, and later wrote â€Å"Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web,† which helped to automate the list of sites Yang was collecting. Yang created a home page for the software Filo developed and called it Akebono, named after a famous sumo wrestler (Battelle, 2005). â€Å"Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web† became quickly famous, first among Stanford graduate students and then throughout the Web. In 1995, Yang and Filo realized the potential of â€Å"Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web,† and decided to invest more time into it. First and foremost, they wanted to have a catchy name for the site. Both, Yang and Filo, were inspired by computer science acronyms that started with â€Å"YA† for â€Å"yet another.† They began to search the dictionary, and when they got to â€Å"Yahoo,† they knew they had a winner (Reid, 1997). The dictionary defined the term as â€Å"a rude, unsophisticated, uncouth person,† but the word also lent itself to reverse engineering by way of an acronym: Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle (Battelle, 2005). Filo and Yang tried to sell their project, Yahoo, to different companies. However, they were unable to find Impact of Corporate Culture on IT Company Growth and Profits Impact of Corporate Culture on IT Company Growth and Profits The Impact of Corporate Culture on the Growth and Profitability of IT Companies: The Case of Google Abstract In todays global economy, companies from different industries are trying to create a unique competitive advantage to stay in business and maximize their shareholders equity. In doing so, companies should analyze their largest expenses and try to minimize these costs while utilizing their resources in order to make the most from these expenditures. The largest operating expense in U.S. companies is salary. To maximize this expenditure, businesses should devise ways in which to motivate their employees to be more productive. Controlling employees to come to work is easy, but how can companies motivate their employees to work to their full capacity? One way in which this can be accomplished is by creating a suitable, attractive, and tension-free working environment for employees. In doing so, companies can create a strong corporate culture which could offer a competitive advantage. As an example, Google has become one of the largest IT companies in the world in fewer than two decades from its establishment. Not only has Google grown to be one of the largest IT company in the world, it has also developed unique and innovative products, a high job growth, and a secure position as one of the top five companies for which to work. Google has managed to achieve this not only by developing appropriate business strategy, but also creatin g a strong corporate culture that concentrates mainly on employees and customers. In this research, I will try to analyze Googles achievements. I will conduct a small survey to examine the adaptability of Googles flexible corporate culture in IT companies located in Utah. Introduction Statement of the Problem The old saying, â€Å"You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink† may hold true for employees as well; you can make employees come to work, but it is not easy to make them work to their full capacity. Companies may use different methods to control their employees to make them work to their fullest working capacity, but this does not always succeed. To understand employees work satisfaction and engagement in their work, it is useful to analyze a survey conducted by the Gallup Management Journal (GMJ) (Houser, 2009). The GMJ surveyed U.S. employees to understand how engaged they are in their work and their attitudes toward their managers. According to the study, there are three types of employees: 1. Engaged employees: Those who work with passion, motivation, and have deep feelings toward their company. These people are the ones who move the organization. 2. Not-engaged employees: Those who are physically present in the company but mentally absent. These employees are not motivated, and they dont care about their company. They come to work simply to put in hours. The survey refers to them as â€Å"walking through their workday.† 3. Actively disengaged employees: Those who are not only unhappy, but they express their unhappiness in different ways. They may undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish. The study results showed that 26% of respondents are engaged in their work, 56% of the respondents are not engaged in their work, and 18% of the respondents are actively disengaged in their work. The following chart illustrates the finding of this study. The respondents of the survey were asked if they would fire their manager, given the opportunity. Respondents indicated that 24% would fire their manager if they were given the chance. Of this number, 6% of those respondents were engaged in their work, 23% of the number were not engaged in their work, and 51% of the respondents were actively disengaged in their work. Therefore, less engaged employees tend to dislike their managers, and would fire them, given the opportunity. According to the study, this lack of productivity costs companies billions of dollars. Approximately 24.7 million employees age 18 and over are actively disengaged; this represents 18% of the total workforce. From 2000 to 2007, actively disengaged employees in the U.S. cost the countrys economy from $334 to $431 billion every year in low productivity. The Cost Of Disengagement In this study, I will analyze the different reasons why employees are disengaged from their work, and I will suggest recommendations to solve this problem by taking as an example a successful company in the U.S. Purpose of the study Today, different companies are trying to find a unique competitive advantage. One competitive advantage that was overlooked for many years is an attractive organizational culture. Not only will a superior organizational culture help in attracting and retaining the best employees, it can also be used to create a loyal customer base. In this paper, I will investigate the organizational culture of Google, Inc. in the information technology (IT) industrial sector. I will analyze how Google has capitalized on its organizational culture to become one of the largest search engines and IT companies in the world. I will conduct a small survey on organizational culture on IT companies located in Salt Lake City, Utah to determine useful recommendations by analyzing the results of the survey and comparing these to Googles organizational culture. Before analyzing organizational cultures, it would be beneficial to answer some questions as to why this topic was selected as well as other related issues. Why I Focused on Organizational Culture Many companies have tried to come up with a competitive advantage to maximize the shareholders profits. For years, an attractive corporate culture was not considered as vital to the success of an organization. Unlike external factors of business, which are not directly controlled by organizations, corporate culture is an internal environmental force which can be manipulated by organizations in their favor. Why I Emphasized the Employees Employees are the executers of the plans and strategies of the organization. Most companies consider employees as their asset, but, in my opinion, employees are much more than this. According to a study conducted by the United States Census Bureau, companies largest operating expense is salary. (U.S.CensusBureau, 2000) (See charts below). By taking care of their employees, organizations can get the best results from them. The following charts show the breakdown of operating expense for different industries in 1997 as it was studied by the U.S. Census Bureau under the Economic and Statistics Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Even though, this study was conducted more than a decade ago, I have included it, because I believe it shows the general trend of the breakdown of operating expenses within U.S. industries. Merchant wholesale companies have five major operating costs. Of these, payroll was by far the largest operating expense. If payroll expense and fringe benefits, which are operating expenses toward employees, are combined, more than half of the total operating expenses go toward employee salaries. The breakdown of operating expenses of retail trade has the same tendency as that of the merchant wholesaler. In fact, the only difference is that the expenses for rent by retail trade businesses are a little bit higher than that of the merchant wholesaler. The breakdown of operating expense for business services, which include IT industries, shows a larger expense toward employees. Payroll, consisting of 51% of total operating expense, contract labor, consisting of 5% of total operating expense and fringe benefits, consisting of 8% of total operating expense makes up a total of 64% of the total operating expense. The breakdown of the operating expenses for legal services follows the same trend as for business services. The following chart compares payroll expenses of different sectors of business According to the above chart, business services, health services and legal services pay the highest portion of operating expenses to payroll. Clearly, if companies are paying the majority of their operating expense toward the salaries of their employees, they should try to get the most from their workforce. Another study conducted in 2007 by the AmericanTimeUseSurvey through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (AmericanTimeUseSurvey, 2007) showed that of the total working people in U.S., those who were between the ages of 25 to 54 living in households with children under the age of 18 spent most of their time either working or in work-related activities. The survey was provided from data taken on non-holiday weekdays. Out of the total 24 hours, those between the age of 25 to 54 living in households with children under the age of 18 spent 8.7 hours working or on work-related activities, 7.6 hours sleeping, 2.6 hours on leisure and sports, 1.2 hours caring for others, 1.1 hours on household activities, 1.1 hours in eating and drinking and the remaining 1.7 hours on other activities. The following chart illustrates these hours in percentiles. Based on this survey, people with children between the ages of 25 to 54, who were part of the labor force, spent the majority of their time at the workplace or doing work-related activities. If companies created a suitable and stable environment, this labor force would be motivated to work harder to help companies maximize their profits. This study will research and analyze how companies could create a competitive advantage by attracting and retaining the best employees through a superior corporate culture. Why I focused on IT IT, by any comparison, is the fastest growing industry in the world. Companies are spending billions of dollars every year, which has made the IT industry one of the most profitable industries in the world. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2005 and published in 2007 (U.S.CensusBureau, Information and Communication Technology: 2005, April 2007), the information industry by itself contributes 52.4 billion dollars to the IT industry through purchases of hardware and software annually. The finance and insurance sectors spent $44.2 billion; the manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services sectors spent $32.5 billion; the health care sector spent $27 billion; and the social assistance business sector spent $19.9 billion on IT hardware and software components in 2005 alone. Based on this study, more than $200 billion was spent on IT hardware and software by different business sectors in 2005. According to this study, the noncapital and capital expenditures for computer software were higher compared to IT hardware. It is a general assumption that if companies are investing more on computer software, the software industry is generating a lot of money. In 2005 alone, the noncapital expenditure for computer software was $54.2 billion, whereas the capital expenditure for the same sector was $49.8 billion. Therefore, this research will focus on computer software companies. Why Focus on Google? Google is one of the fastest growing companies in the world. It has grown sevenfold over the last decade. According to Fortune, Google was listed as the fourth best company to work for in 2009 (100 Best Companies to Work for 2009: Google GOOG from Fortune, 2009). Even though Google was listed as the fourth best company to work for in 2009 by Fortune, it has the highest job growth rate when compared to the other companies listed in the top ten. While Google has a 40% job growth rate, NetApp, which was listed in first place, only has a 12% job growth rate. Edward Jones and Boston Consulting Group, listed second and third, have only a 9% and 10% job growth rate respectively (100 Best Companies to Work for 2009: Google GOOG from Fortune, 2009). Google has shown tremendous growth over the past few years. As the following chart indicates, from 2004 to 2008, the net income of the company increased tenfold. Even when the world economy was in a recession at the end of 2007 and 2008, Google managed to secure a high net income (GoogleInc, 2008). Google has an interesting workforce distribution. As of December 31, 2008, 40% of Googles total workforce was in sales and marketing, 36% in research and development, 15% in general and administrative positions, and the remaining 9% in operations (Google Inc., 2008). According to this data, Google places nearly as large an emphasis on research and development as it does for sales and marketing. Having a large staff in research and development will ensure a strong future market when it is supported with an appropriate corporate strategy. Even if it is difficult to conclude that Google will have a bright future based on the distribution of its workforce, it is certain that this strong contingency of Googles research and development team has proven to be valuable by developing new and exciting technologies, making it difficult for competitors to catch up. Literature Review In todays globalized and integrated world, change within industries and organizations occurs rapidly. Understanding the impact of an organizations environment could assist organizations in coping with this change. The organizational environment includes all elements existing outside the boundary of the organization that have the potential to affect the organization (Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 8th ed., 2004). The organizational environment consists of the external environment and the internal environment. The external environment is made up of those forces that exist outside of the organizations boundaries and have an effect on the organization. The external environment is further divided into the general environment and the task environment. The general environment is the outer layer that is widely dispersed and affects organizations indirectly (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). The general environment includes technological, socio-cultural, economic, legal/political, and international factors. On the other hand, the task environment is closer to the organization and includes the sectors that conduct day-to-day transactions with the organization and directly influence its basic operations and performance (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). The task environment includes customers, labor market, suppliers and competitors. The internal environment includes the elements within the organizations boundaries (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). It includes employees, management and culture of the organization. In this paper the focus is on the culture of the organization and its affect on the performance of the organization. A corporate culture is defined as the set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and norms shared by members of an organization (Martin, 2002) (Kilmann, Ralph H.; Saxton, Mary J.; Serpa, Roy, 1986) (Smircich, 1983). It could also be defined as an â€Å"interdependent set of beliefs, values, ways of behaving, and tools for living that are so common in a community that they tend to perpetuate themselves, sometimes over long periods of time. This continuity is the product of a variety of social forces that are frequently subtle, bordering on invisible, through which people learn a groups norms and values, are rewarded when they accept them, and are ostracized when they do not† (Bemowski, 1995) (Wilhelm, 1992). Corporate culture is derived from both the management and the organization itself. The management, through its philosophy, values, actions and the organization through its roles, structure, systems and technology comprise the corporate culture. Feedback is received from the corporate culture to the management and organization. The following illustrates this process. Classification Schemes There are different classifications of corporate culture defined by different authors. The different views of four authors will be considered in the following: 1. Henry Migliore After studying 24 organizations, Henry Migliore included 20 cultural factors, which he referred to as the â€Å"Corporate Culture Index† (Migliore, Henry; R.T. Martin; Tim Baer; and Jeffrey L. Horvath, 1989). These factors include the following characteristics. * Member Identity: the degree to which employees identify with the organization as a whole in their type of job or field of professional expertise * Team Emphasis: the degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals * People Focus: the degree to which management empowers the employees within the organization * Autonomy: the degree to which departments within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or interdependent manner * Control: the degree to which rules, regulations, and direct supervision and used to control employee behavior * Risk Tolerance: the degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggressive, innovative, and risk-seeking 2. Geert Hofstede Geert Hofstede believes the behavior of organizations is affected by a national and regional cultural grouping. To study this point, he looked for a national difference among over 100,000 of IBMs employees in different parts of the world. He came up with five dimensions of culture that influence national regional groupings (Hofstede, 1980). These are: * Power distance: the expectation of society on the levels of power an individual possess in the society. A high score of power distance reflects the expectation of the society that some individuals possess more power than others. A low score of power distance reflects the expectations of the society that all people have equal rights * Uncertainty avoidance: the degree to which a society accepts uncertainty and risk * Individualism vs. Collectivism: the degree to which people stand up for themselves or act as part of a group * Masculinity vs. Femininity: the degree to which the society gives value to the male or female * Long vs. Short-term Orientation: the degree to which a society values long term or short term orientation 3. Deal and Kennedy According to Deal and Kennedy, organizational culture is the way things get done in an organization (Deal Kennedy, 1982). They measured an organizations culture using different elements. These elements include: * Feedback: response from the organization * Risk: the degree of uncertainty in the organization Using these two elements, Deal and Kennedy suggested four classifications of corporate cultures (Deal Kennedy, 1982). These are: * The Tough-Guy Macho Culture: The feedback, which is the response from the organization, is quick and the reward is high. * The Work Hard/Play Hard Culture: Few risks are taken, but the feedback, which is the response from the organization, is rapid. * The Bet Your Company Culture: This involves high risk, but it may take a long time to know the outcome of the decision or action. * The Process Culture: This is associated with bureaucracy in the organization. It is common in organizations where there is little or no feedback. 4. Charles Handy Charles Handy developed Roger Harrisons work of 1972 which linked organizational structure to organizational culture (Handy, 1985). According to this idea, there are four types of culture. These are: * Power Culture: A few will rule the organization from the middle. * Role Culture: Employees have clearly delegated authority and the structure of the organization is highly defined. * Task Culture: Teams are formed to solve particular problems; this is a common organizational culture for a matrix structure. * Person Culture: Employees focus on individualism rather than team work. These organizations will face a hard time staying above water. A corporate culture has two levels, visible and invisible. The visible level of culture can be seen at the surface level. It includes symbols, stories, heroes, slogans and ceremonies. The invisible level is deeper values and shared understandings held by organization members who include expressed values, assumptions and deep beliefs. The following illustrates the levels of corporate culture. It is difficult to express the invisible level of corporate culture since it cannot be seen as compared to the visible level of corporate culture. The visible level of corporate culture has different entities. These include: * Symbols: an object, act, or event that conveys meaning to others. Symbols can be considered a rich, non-verbal language that vibrantly conveys the organizations important values concerning how people relate to one another and interact with the environment (Pratt Rafaeli, 2001). * Stories: narratives based on true events that are repeated frequently and shared among organizational employees (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). * Heroes: s who exemplify the deeds, character, and attributes of a strong corporate culture (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). * Slogans: a phrase or sentence that succinctly expresses a key corporate value (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). Companies use slogans to convey their core values and missions. Examples of slogans are Googles â€Å"Dont be evil,† and Microsofts â€Å"Our passion, your potential.† * Ceremonies: a planned activity that makes up a special event, and is conducted for the benefit of an audience (Trice Beyer, 1984). According to research conducted at Harvard on 207 U.S. firms (Kotter Heskett, 1992), corporate cultures can be divided into adaptive and unadaptive corporate cultures. The study found that a strong corporate culture by itself does not guarantee company success. However, when strong corporate culture adapts to the external environment, it will bring success to the companys business. In both adaptive and unadaptive corporate cultures, there are visible behaviors and expressed values. In the adaptive corporate culture, managers are concerned with their customers (external environment) and employees (internal environment). On the other hand, in an unadaptive corporate culture, managers are concerned only with themselves. Therefore, they dont want change or risks. A strong corporate culture should always be adapted to the external environment (Kotter Heskett, 1992). Table 1: Adaptive and Unadaptive Corporate Culture Adaptive Corporate Cultures Unadaptive Corporate Cultures Visible Behavior Managers pay close attention to all their constituencies, especially customers, and initiate change when needed to serve their legitimate interests, even if it entails taking some risks. Managers tend to behave somewhat insularly, politically, and bureaucratically. As a result, they do not change their strategies quickly to adjust to or take advantage of changes in their business environments. Expressed Values Managers care deeply about customers, stockholders, and employees. They also strongly value people and processes that can create useful change (e.g. leadership initiatives up and down the management hierarchy). Managers care mainly about themselves, their immediate work group, or some product (or technology) associated with that work group. They value the orderly and risk-reducing management process much more highly than leadership initiatives. Types of Cultures There are four types of corporate culture, which can be further classified into two matrixes. These are the needs of the environment, which could be flexible or stable, and the strategic focus, which can be external or internal. The four categories associated with this are adaptability, achievement, involvement, and consistency (McDonald Gandz, 1992) (Denison Mishra, 1995). The four types of corporate cultures are: 1. Adaptability culture: A culture characterized by values that support the companys ability to interpret and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. It emerges in an environment that requires fast response and high-risk decision making. Managers encourage values that support the companys ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. Employees have autonomy to make decisions and act freely to meet new needs, and responsiveness to customers is highly valued. Managers also actively create change by encouraging and rewarding creativity, experimentation, and risk taking (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). 2. The achievement culture: A results-oriented culture that values competitiveness, personal initiative, and achievement. It is suited to organizations that are concerned with serving specific customers in the external environment but without the intense need for flexibility and rapid change. This is a results-oriented culture that values competitiveness, aggressiveness, personal initiative, and willingness to work long and hard to achieve results (Hooijberg Petrock, 1993). 3. The involvement culture: A culture that places high value on meeting that needs of employees and values cooperation and equality. It has an internal focus on the involvement and participation of employees to rapidly meet changing needs from the environment. This culture places a high value on meeting the needs of employees, and the organization may be characterized by a caring, family-like atmosphere. Managers emphasize values such as cooperation, consideration of both employees and customers, and the avoidance of status differences (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). 4. Consistency culture: A culture that values and rewards a methodical, rational, orderly way of doing things. It has an internal focus and a consistency orientation for a stable environment. Following the rules and being thrifty are valued, and the culture supports and rewards a methodical, rational, orderly way of doing things, since there is no stable environment. It is rather difficult to have this kind of corporate culture (Daft, Management, 7th ed., 2005). The Start of Search Engines Most people agree that the first pre-web search engine was Archie created by Alan Emtage in 1990, while he was a student at McGill University. At that time, the Internet was used by learning institutions to store different kinds of documents on shared machines. Since there were no search engines at that time, if one did not know the exact machine address and file name, it would not be possible to find the document. Emtage created an interface for the search engine, calling it Archie, and used an indexed filing system. In order to use Archie, a user would log in to an Archie server via a command line interface and type in keywords that matched the file title being searched. The result from Archie would display the possible machine locations in which the file could be found. The user then had to log in to each machine and look for the individual file. Archie provided the machine name where the file could be found, but the user had to know a keyword in the title of the file being search ed. This may seem useless today, but it was the best technology available at the time. In 1993, students at the University of Nevada created another search engine similar to Archie, which they called Veronica. The main difference between Archie and Veronica was that Veronicas search results showed the possible document names. As the Internet started to grow larger, from 130 sites in 1993 to 600,000 in 1996, the glory of Archie and Veronica also faded. Matthew Gray, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, created a web based search engine known as WWW Wanderer. The Wanderer had a list of indexed sites at the back end and a search interface that allowed users to search the index at the front end. In 1994, Brian Pinkerton, a researcher from the University of Washington, developed a more powerful search engine by the name of WebCrawler. WebCrawler could index the full text of a web document it found and also use a linking of different web pages, just as Googles PageRanking algorithm does. Alta Vista was the next stronger search engine invention. Unlike other search engines, Alta Vista was created to test the performance of the superfast Alpha processor. After Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) made a superfast Alpha processor, the company was looking for a way to test its performance. One of DECs researchers, Louis Monier, was working at Western Lab in Palo Alto, California, and came up with the idea of building a search engine that could load the entire Internet onto the Alpha computer to show the processors speed. Not only did Monier come up with the idea, he also built the search engine. However, the management of DEC did not realize the magnitude of this discovery. Some believe that the management could not understand the marketability of Alta Vista, because they considered DEC to be a hardware, not a software company. In January 1998, Compaq purchased DEC for $9.6 billion dollars. Compaq recognized the marketability of Alta Vista and started to invest more into it. Rod Schrock, a Compaq executive, was given the responsibility of Alta Vista, and developed the site to look like Yahoo. In June 1999, Compaq sold Alta Vista to CMGI, an Internet holding company, for $2.3 billion dollars, mostly in stock. CMGI could not hold on to Alta Vista for long since it lost 90 percent of its value. In 2003, CMGI was forced to sell Alta Vista to Overture Services, Inc. for $140 million. Yahoo acquired Overture Services, Inc., and Alta Vista became owed by Yahoo, its former fierce competitor. Yahoo had opened its doors two years prior in March 1995. Yahoo was started as a project to win a fantasy basketball league by two Stanford PhD candidate students, Jerry Yang and David Filo in the early 1990s. Both were studying electronic design automation, which was a popular field when they began studying but the subject got cold when these students reached their fourth year of their doctoral work. â€Å"The prospects of finishing and getting on with life were pretty grim. The real story is that we were bored with our PhDs and we did everything we could to avoid writing our thesis,† (Battelle, 2005) Yang recalls. To win a fantasy basketball league, Filo came up with an Internet crawler that collected data from basketball sites using protocol and compiled the data based on different categories like players performance, trade amount, history, etc. Yang and Filo won the fantasy basketball league using their project (Battelle, 2005). After the first browser was released in 1993, Yang started surfing the Web and maintaining a list of sites he was most interested in. Filo continued to develop software, and later wrote â€Å"Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web,† which helped to automate the list of sites Yang was collecting. Yang created a home page for the software Filo developed and called it Akebono, named after a famous sumo wrestler (Battelle, 2005). â€Å"Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web† became quickly famous, first among Stanford graduate students and then throughout the Web. In 1995, Yang and Filo realized the potential of â€Å"Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web,† and decided to invest more time into it. First and foremost, they wanted to have a catchy name for the site. Both, Yang and Filo, were inspired by computer science acronyms that started with â€Å"YA† for â€Å"yet another.† They began to search the dictionary, and when they got to â€Å"Yahoo,† they knew they had a winner (Reid, 1997). The dictionary defined the term as â€Å"a rude, unsophisticated, uncouth person,† but the word also lent itself to reverse engineering by way of an acronym: Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle (Battelle, 2005). Filo and Yang tried to sell their project, Yahoo, to different companies. However, they were unable to find