Biography of Fernand Leger, Forerunner of Pop Art

Biography of Fernand Leger, Forerunner of Pop Art Fernand Legà ©r, born Joseph Fernand Henri Là ©ger (February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955), was a French artist, specializing in paintings, sculpture, and film. His innovative variants on cubism and figurative art led to him being regarded as a forerunner of the pop art movement. Fast Facts: Fernand Là ©ger Full Name: Joseph  Fernand  Henri  Là ©gerOccupation: Painter, sculptor, filmmakerBorn: February 4, 1881 in  Argentan, FranceDied: August 17, 1955 in  Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceSpouses: Jeanne-Augustine Lohy (m. 1919-1950), Nadia Khodossevitch  (m. 1952-1955)Key Accomplishments: Influenced by the industrial age and the two world wars, Fernand Leger developed a unique artistic outlook that preceded the developments and concerns of Pop Art. Early Life Fernand Legà ©r was born in Argentan, in the Normandy (then Lower Normandy) region of France. His father was a cattle farmer. Little is known about his early life until he began his schooling and professional career. Initially, Legà ©r did not train in the arts. At the age of sixteen, he began training as an architect. He finished his formal architectural training in 1899, and the following year, he moved to Paris. For about a year or two, he worked as an architectural draftsman, but in 1902, he shifted into the military. Legà ©r spent 1902 and 1903 in military service, based out of the city of Versailles. French expatriate artist Fernand Leger standing in front of his completed murals. John Gutmann / Getty Images After his military service ended, Legà ©r attempted to get more formal art training. He applied to the École des Beaux-Arts but was rejected. Instead, he enrolled at the School of Decorative Arts. Ultimately, he attended the École des Beaux-Arts in a non-enrolled capacity for three years while also studying at the Acadà ©mie Julian. It was not until the age of 25 that Legà ©r began working as an artist in earnest. In those early days, his work was in the mold of the impressionists; later in his life, he destroyed many of these early paintings. Developing His Art In 1909, Legà ©r moved to Montparnasse, an area of Paris known for being home to a wide array of creative artists, many of whom lived in poverty in order to pursue their art. While there, he met several other artists of the era. In 1910, he had his first exhibition, with his art displayed at the Salon dAutomne in the same room as that of Jean Metzinger and Henri Le Fauconnie. His most important painting at the time was Nudes in the Forest, which displayed his particular variation on cubism, dubbed â€Å"tubism† by art critic Louis Vauxcelles for its emphasis on cylindrical shapes. Sothebys employees pose for photographers with Fernand Legers Cubist masterpiece Etude pour La Femme Bleu, on April 21, 2008 in London, England. Cate Gillon / Getty Images Cubism was a relatively new movement at the time, and in 1911, Legà ©r was part of a group that displayed the development to the general public for the first time. The Salon des Indà ©pendants displayed together the work by painters identified as cubists: Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Henri Le Fauconnier, Robert Delaunay, and Fernand Là ©ger. In 1912, Legà ©r again exhibited work with the Indà ©pendants and was part of a group of artists dubbed the â€Å"Section d’Or†- the â€Å"Gold Section.† His works of this era mostly were in palettes of primary colors or green, black, and white. After the Great War Like many of his countrymen, Fernand Legà ©r served in World War I, then called the â€Å"Great War.† In 1914, he joined the army, and he spent the next two years serving at the Argonne. Although he was far from the studios and salons of Paris, he continued to make art. During his service, Legà ©r sketched the instruments of war that he was surrounded by, along with some of his fellow soldiers. He nearly died from a mustard gas attack in 1916, and during his recovery, he painted The Card Players, full of frightening, mechanized figures that reflected his horror of what he had seen in the war. His experiences in the war, which was the first massive war of the industrialized era, significantly influenced the next several years of his work. Referred to as his â€Å"mechanical† period, his work from the postwar years through the 1920s featured sleek, mechanical-looking shapes. As the world attempted to return to normalcy following the war, Legà ©r made similar attempts, returning to â€Å"normal† subject matter: mothers and children, landscapes, female figure drawings, etc. However, his works continued to have that mechanical, orderly look to them. Fernand Legers Builders with Aloe, is seen at the Post-War European Art Exhibition at Pushkin Museum, in Moscow, Russia, March 6, 2017.   Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images It was during this time that Legà ©r also got married. In December 1919, he wed Jeanne-Augustine Lohy. The couple did not have any children over the course of their three-decade marriage. In many ways, his work fell under the umbrella of purism, an answer to cubism that focused on mathematical proportions and rationality, rather than intense emotions and impulses. Legà ©r also was fascinated by the dawn of filmmaking, and for a time, he even considered abandoning his visual art to pursue cinema. In 1924, he produced and directed the film Ballet Mà ©canique, a Dadaist art film consisting of images of women’s facial features, everyday activities, and ordinary objects. He also experimented with murals, which became the most abstract of his paintings. Later Career By the end of the 1920s, Fernand Legà ©r’s work had begun to evolve. Instead of sleek, cylindrical forms that evoked the machinery of industry and war alike, more organic influences- and irregular, lively shapes- took center stage. His figures took on more color and even some humor and playfulness. He began teaching more, starting a free school in 1924 along with Alexandra Exter and Marie Laurencin. Painter Fernand Leger sits among his works in his Left Bank studio in 1948, following a trip to New York.   Bettmann  /  Contributor In the 1930s, Legà ©r made his first trips to the United States, traveling to the major hubs of New York City and Chicago. His artwork was displayed for the first time in America in 1935 with an exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. A few years later, he was commissioned by American politician Nelson Rockefeller to decorate his personal apartment. During World War II, Legà ©r lived and worked in America, teaching at Yale University. His work from this era often juxtaposed organic or natural elements with industrial or mechanical imagery. He also found new inspiration for brightly colored paintings in the neon lights of New York, resulting in paintings that included bright stripes of color and starkly outlined figures. Legà ©r returned to France in 1945, after the war ended. There, he joined the Communist Party, although he was more of a humanist with socialist beliefs rather than a fervent, devoted Marxist. During this time, his paintings took a turn to depict more scenes of everyday life featuring the â€Å"common folk.† His work also became less abstract, emphasizing his stronger focus on ordinary people rather than the avant-garde world. French painter Fernand Leger straddeling a chair in front of an incomplete painting, holding paintbrushes, wearing a flannel plaid shirt and a striped tie, Venice 1950. Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche / Getty Images In 1950, his wife Jeanne-Augustine died, and he remarried in 1952 to French artist Nadia Khodassevitch. Legà ©r spent the next few years teaching in Switzerland and working on a variety of projects including stained glass windows, sculptures, mosaics, paintings, and even set and costume design. His final, unfinished project was a mosaic for the So Paulo Opera. Fernand Legà ©r died on August 17, 1955 at his home in France. As the first artist to focus on the industrial and machine age, creating images that reflected modern consumer society, he is considered a forerunner of pop art. Sources Buck, Robert T. et al.  Fernand Là ©ger. New York: Abbeville Publishers, 1982.â€Å"Fernand Là ©ger.† Guggenheim, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/fernand-leger.Nà ©ret, Gilles. F. Là ©ger. New York: BDD Illustrated Books, 1993.

Important College Application Deadlines You Cant Miss

Important College Application Deadlines You Can't Miss SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Timing is everything. Nowhere is this saying more true than in the college application process. From taking the SAT to writing your personal essay to submitting your Common App, the process takes months, if not years, to complete. So when do you need to finish gathering all your application materials and submit them to your colleges? That all depends on your deadlines. This guide will go over the different options for college application deadlines, plus step-by-step instructions on how to keep track of them all. First off, what are the different options for applying? What Are the Options for College Application Deadlines? There are thousands of colleges in the U.S., all of which may offer one or more of the following options for applying: regular decision (RD), early action (EA), early decision (ED), and/or rolling admissions (RA). The first three options have set deadlines, while rolling admissions is the odd one out with a range of time within which a student must apply. When preparing to apply, you have to carefully research each school's policy. Some early action schools place restrictions on your applications to other colleges. Early decision involves a binding contract in which you promise to enroll in the school if you get accepted. Make sure you understand the rules, along with the pros and cons, of each option, before choosing one for your college applications. To give one example, early admission pushes your college planning timeline earlier by a few months. Before choosing to apply early, you'll have to get ready with your SAT or ACT scores, recommendation letters, personal essay, and course grades. When you apply to your favorite schools, you want to make sure you're sending the very best application you can. Another major consideration is financial aid. When you apply early decision, you agree to enroll before getting to see your financial aid offer. This could be a dealbreaker for a lot of students, so ask yourself this question before jumping into ED and finding yourself in a tough situation. These are two of the most important factors when planning out your application strategy. This guide willgo into more detail about your application timeline below, but first let's look at the most common college application deadlines 2019 and popular schools that have them, starting with regular decision. Most regular decision deadlines are in January. What Is Regular Decision? The majority of students apply to school regular decision. These are the college application deadlines you might have heard all about, usually in the beginning of January (so much for a relaxing winter break). The most common RD deadline is January 1. January 15 is a popular one, too. One big exception to the January deadline involves the schools in the University of California system. The UC application deadline is uniquely early at November 30. There are also some schools with late deadlines in February, March, or April. In some cases, you'll need to complete part of the application before the final deadline. For example, if your school requires or recommends an interview, in some cases you'll set this up earlier. Most commonly, though, you'll apply in January and then hear back sometime in March or April. You might be waiting for a lot of notifications, as you can apply to as many schools as you want under regular decision. Unlike some of the other options, there aren't any restrictions placed on you when you apply RD. Whether you're interested in the NYU application deadline or Stanford deadline, you need look no further. The RD deadlines of some popular colleges are listed below. Regular Decision Deadlines of Popular Schools School Regular Decision Deadline American University January 15 Boston College January 1 Boston University January 6 Bowdoin January 1 Brandeis January 1 Brown January 2 CalTech January 3 Columbia January 1 Cornell January 2 Dartmouth January 2 Duke January 2 Emory January 1 Georgetown January 10 Harvard January 1 Johns Hopkins January 2 MIT January 1 New York University January 1 Northwestern January 2 Princeton January 1 Stanford January 2 Tufts January 1 UNC Chapel Hill January 15 University of California November 30 University of Chicago January 2 University of Michigan February 1 University of Notre Dame January 1 University of Pennsylvania January 5 University of Southern California January 15 University of Virginia January 1 Vanderbilt January 1 Villanova January 15 Wellesley January 15 Yale January 2 Some of these schools also offer early action or early decision. Read on to learn about early action and the EA deadlines of some well-known schools. What Is Early Action? Early action pushes your deadline and notification earlier by a few months. The most common EA deadlines are November 1 and November 15. You'll hear back in December, maybe before you've even sent off your RD applications! Under early action, you could get accepted or denied. There's also a third option unique to early admissions: getting deferred. Getting deferred means that your app is pushed into the regular applicant pool to be evaluated again later. With more and more students applying early each year, early admissions is getting ever more competitive, and deferrals are becoming more common. It is possible that you could get accepted in the next review cycle. You might call the admissions office and ask for further information if you get deferred. You could also send your mid-year grades or updated test scores to improve your application. Don't despair if you get deferred- but do be proactive and figure out your next steps. A few schools have a restrictive or single choice early action program that prevents you from applying to more than one school under EA. These schools include Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and the University of Notre Dame. If your school's not restrictive, then you can apply early wherever you want. But as MIT says, "If you apply to another school during Early Action that does have a restriction, MIT requires that you respect those rules...you may not simultaneously apply to MIT." Besides the rare single choice EA program, early action doesn't have any other restrictions. You're not obligated to accept if you get offered a spot based on your EA application. Like with your RD schools, you have until the national response date of May 1 to make and submit your decision (and deposit). Being able to wait until May 1 to choose your college allows you to gather all your acceptances and compare financial aid offers. As you'll see below, this opportunity isn't available if you apply early decision. Before delving into how ED differs from EA, let's take a look at some popular schools with early action and their deadlines. Early Action Deadlines of Popular Schools School EA Deadline CalTech November 1 Georgetown* November 1 Harvard* November 1 MIT November 1 Princeton* November 1 Stanford* November 1 UNC Chapel Hill October 15 University of Chicago November 1 University of Michigan November 1 University of Notre Dame* November 1 University of Virginia November 1 Villanova November 1 Yale* November 1 *Restrictive or single choice early action. Most schools offer one or the other when it comes to early action and early decision, though there are a small number that offer both, like UChicago. Much of what was true for EA holds true for ED, with one important difference- early decision is binding. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. What Is Early Decision? What exactly do people mean when they say that early decision is binding? They're referring to the contract that you, plus your school counselor and a parent, sign when you apply ED. With this contract, you agree to enroll in the school if you get accepted. You're saying both that the school is your first choice and that you have no doubt you'll attend if accepted. If you apply ED and receive that happy news, then you'll accept the offer, send in your deposit, and withdraw any other applications you made to other schools. You might be wondering how you can agree to attend a school before seeing your financial aid offer. If so, you'd be right that this is a potentially big drawback to applying ED. You're expected to commit without first seeing any commitment of financial aid from the school. Does this mean you shouldn't consider applying ED if financial aid is important to you? Not necessarily. If you have a dream school and you'd like to communicate your enthusiasm by applying ED, then I'd recommend speaking to its financial aid office about what its process is like. Do they meet all demonstrated need? Is there any possibility of renegotiation if your offer isn't what you thought it'd be? Make sure to answer these important questions before binding yourself to a contract you might not be able to fulfill. The binding agreement you make with ED is the main feature that differentiates it from EA. Otherwise, it might have the same exact deadlines and notification dates. You might apply by November 1 or November 15 and hear back in December. Some schools also offer Early Decision II. ED II still involves a binding commitment, but it pushes the deadline a couple months forward to January. Since early decision apps are put on the fast track, you'd hear back sometime in February. Below is a list of popular schools that offer early decision and their ED I and/or ED II deadlines. Early Decision Deadlines of Popular Schools School Deadline for ED I Deadline for ED II American University November 15 January 15 Boston College November 15 January 15 Boston University November 1 January 6 Bowdoin November 15 January 1 Brandeis November 1 January 1 Brown November 1 N/A Colby November 15 January 1 Columbia November 1 N/A Cornell November 1 N/A Dartmouth November 1 N/A Duke November 1 N/A Emory November 1 January 1 Johns Hopkins November 1 N/A New York University November 1 January 1 Northwestern November 1 N/A Pomona November 1 January 1 Smith November 15 January 1 Tufts November 1 January 1 University of Chicago November 1 January 2 University of Pennsylvania November 1 N/A Vanderbilt November 1 January 1 Villanova November 1 N/A Wellesley November 1 January 1 Wesleyan November 15 January 1 So far, all these application options involve specific set deadlines. You have to get your application, test scores, and everything else in on time. Late materials could hurt or eliminate altogether your chances of getting accepted. There's one other option in the world of college admissions that's a bit more flexible: rolling admissions. Schools with rolling admissions open up a range of time for apps to "roll in"- and notifications tend to be spaced out over a few months, too. What Is Rolling Admissions? If your school has rolling admissions, then it gives you a window of time in which to submit your application. This period of time typically ranges from the fall to the spring. There's no specific Penn State deadline, for example. Penn State makes its application available on September 1 and reviews submissions on a rolling basis. Some schools claim to have rolling admissions (RA), but also have a priority deadline in November or December. Penn State's priority deadline is November 30. If you're really excited about a school, then you should try your best to meet the priority deadline. Effectively, this turns your RA school into one with a deadline. But at least its rolling policy gives you a safety net in case something comes up and you miss the priority filing date. Even if your school doesn't have a priority deadline, it's a good idea to set one for yourself and get your application in early. RA is done on a first come, first served basis. There's always the possibility that spots could fill up, or get more competitive as there's less and less space for new students. Besides upping your chance of admission, another motivating factor could be that the sooner you apply, the sooner you'll hear back. You might hear back just a couple weeks after applying, or the school might send out notifications on certain fixed dates throughout application season. Either way, the sooner you submit your app to them, the sooner they can give you an answer. RA, unlike ED and some EA programs, is not restrictive. You can still apply anywhere else you want. Some schools with rolling admissions include Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh, Indiana University, Michigan State, University of Maine, University of New Haven, University of Alabama, and the University of Tulsa. After reading through these options, you've noticed that schools vary in their deadlines and policies. Sometimes the admission policy of one school, like single-choice EA, affects how you'll apply to other schools on your list. You want to make sure you're not breaking any rules or mixing up any key dates as you go through the process. With all these dates and deadlines, how can you keep track of everything? Keeping Track of College Application Deadlines You might get lucky and find that all your deadlines are January 1. Or you might have a mix of dates, with a restrictive November deadline, some January ones, and a few that are rolling. It's critical to keep everything recorded and organized, and not just so you get everything in on time. Your deadlines help determine other steps in the college app process, like when you should ask for rec letters and what dates you can take the SAT or ACT. A lot of schools use a helpful online system called Naviance to keep track of your deadlines and requirements. Your Common Application will also show your college deadlines and most of the steps you've completed so far. Considering all the accounts you'll create- Naviance, Common Application, College Board- make sure to write down all your user names and passwords and keep them in a safe place. You definitely don't want to deal with the frustration of having to change passwords each time you log in or get locked out of your account the night of the deadline! All the organization that applying to college requires will help you develop and maintain good habits throughout senior year and into college. If you prefer to have a hard copy or to reinforce the deadlines by writing them down, you could also create your own list of colleges and deadlines, along with a checklist of what you need to do. Here's what this would look like in its most basic form: School Deadline Option Deadline College 1 Regular January 1 College 2 Restrictive early action November 1 College 3 Rolling admissions Apply by April (I’ll apply by January 5)* *If your school has rolling admissions, you may set a deadline for yourself. You can find full lists of early action deadlines and early decision deadlines in our guides, or you can search for "College Name + deadline." It's always a good idea to double check the most recent information from the college itself, as schools occasionally change their policies. As I mentioned above, your deadlines affect how you get ready to apply. Some components that especially require early and thoughtful planning are the SAT and ACT, your letters of recommendation, and your personal essay. When Should You Take the SAT or ACT? Students almost always improve their scores when they retake the SAT or ACT. Taking the official test is valuable experience that you can learn from. Plus you can study your score report and prep to improve the next time. To give yourself opportunities to retake the SAT or ACT, you want to take it for the first time long before your college deadline.; If you're applying regular decision, then you might take the SAT or ACT for the first time in the fall of junior year and again in the spring. Since it takes about three weeks for scores to be released, you might have a few more opportunities to take in the beginning of 12th grade, like in August, September, November (or maybe December). If you're applying early admissions, then August, September, or October would be your last chance to take the SAT or ACT. It'd be pretty nerve-wracking to put so much pressure on this last minute test date. Ideally you'd have your scores all set by the end of junior year. You could even push the schedule mentioned above back, so that you take your first test in the spring of sophomore year. By knowing your deadlines, you can plan out your testing dates and study schedule to ensure you've achieved your SAT or ACT target scores in time to apply. Same goes for your recommendation letters. When Should You Ask for Recommendation Letters? A second component that requires advance planning is your letters of recommendation. You should ask your teachers at least a month before your deadline. It can also be a good idea to ask 11th grade teachers at the end of junior year, when they remember you best. Besides making the request, you also should be filling out a "brag sheet" or sharing ideas with your teachers on what would go into your ideal recommendation letter. This means you've done some thinking about what you'd most like admissions officers to know about you and your goals for the future. If you're applying regular decision, you should ask your teachers in November, if not earlier. A lot of teachers set a quota- they can only write so many letters. If you know your English teacher will be bombarded with requests, for example, make sure to ask early! If you're applying EA or ED, then you should ask in when school starts up again in August or September. Again, you could also ask at the end of junior year and just follow up with a reminder in the fall. Finally, you'll also be working on your personal essay for a few months before your deadlines. When Should You Write Your Personal Essay? I'm sure none of you have ever stayed up all night writing an essay due the next day...or maybe all of you have. But if there's one essay you shouldn't leave for a last minute all-nighter, it's your personal essay for college. Even though it's a short essay- only 650 words for the Common App- it's a big challenge. Actually, the shortness of it is part of what it makes it so tough. How can you hone in on a specific experience that reveals something unique and significant about your identity in so few words? Because it's such a challenge and so important in your college application, you want to start thinking about it early. Some students go through several changes of topics before discovering the best one. Even just reading the prompts and mulling them over are important parts of the writing process. Your ideas will benefit from incubation. You might be out running or taking a shower when an exciting essay topic pops into your head. Apart from the brainstorming stage, drafting and revising takes a long time too. With only 650 words, you want to be careful that you're choosing the right ones and expressing yourself as clearly, powerfully, and vividly as you can. You might also elicit feedback from friends, parents, and teachers and incorporate their suggestions in your essay. Or not- above all, it's your voice and your story to tell. The summer before senior year is a great time to work on your personal essay. At the very least, I'd recommend starting two to three months before your deadlines. No late night writing frenzies for your college essay- put the time and thought into crafting an essay that admissions officers will remember. Other important aspects of your application are any other supplemental essays, sending your transcripts, and of course, the application itself. Take time to fill everything out accurately and write about your extracurricular activities in a compelling way. Finally, proofread and double check everything before pressing submit! At this point, you should have a clear sense of the various deadline options for U.S. colleges and how to prepare your application in time. Let's go over the most important points to remember when applying to college. Key Points to Remember College offer one or more of the following four options for applying: regular decision, early action, early decision, and/or rolling admissions: The majority of students apply under regular decision. It usually has a January deadline and a March or April notification. Early action usually has a deadline in November and a notification in December. Some schools require single choice early action. Early decision is binding, meaning you agree upfront to enroll if you get accepted. ED deadlines might be in November and/or January, and you'll find out if you got in a month or two later. Preparing your college application takes a long time, especially your SAT or ACT tests, recommendation letters, and personal essay, so plan ahead. Above all, make sure to keep track of all your deadlines and plan out each component of your application. Spacing out the process will help you break it down into manageable steps and balancing it with your course work and extracurricular activities senior year. All this organization will help you with any projects and applications that lie in your future! What's Next? We're continually updating our site with in-depth guides to help you through the college process. Learn more about choosing a college, requesting recommendation letters, and preparing for the SAT and ACT. What College Should You Go To? How to Choose Should I Go to a Big or Small College? When is the FAFSA Deadline? Choosing your SAT / ACT Dates: When's a Good Time for You? The Ultimate SAT Study Guide for SAT Prep 4 Amazing Sample Rec Letters from Teachers Plus many more articles to help you apply to college and understand college admissions! Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Teamwork and employee commitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teamwork and employee commitment - Essay Example ACICO highly requires teamwork because its strategy involves the undertaking of all functions in order to provide quality housing. Thus, collaboration within each subunit is important in order to assure continuous work process and timely delivery of products. The corporate culture of ACICO emphasizes the importance of individual excellence and achievement. This mindset has strongly influenced teamwork within functions and departments which is even limited by the hierarchical and centralized organizational structure. It is notable that in the upper level management, coordination and informational transparency is more pronounced. However, with the middle and lower ranks, employees are more concerned on individual achievements and credit. 3. Does the organization have sufficient managerial and interpersonal skills to manage requisite coordination Examine the skills of top management team that provide the context for coordination as well as the skills of broader employee groups. ACICO's top management team members are selected primarily because of their knowledge and managerial expertise in the construction industry. The executives display excellent track record on running big business organizations. Thus, in terms of managerial skills, ACICO's management has the capacity to manage requisite coordination. On the other hand, the interpersonal skills are inadequate to foster sufficient coordination within the organization. It should be noted that as top management is mainly concerned on ACICO's strategic direction, executives lack the time to mingle with ordinary employees who man the day to day operations. There is also a gap between top management and other employees because of the emphasized importance of power hierarchy. 4. Does the organization have sufficient commitment from employee groups critical to the achievement of the strategic task Overall, there is a sufficient commitment from different employee groups which enables ACICO to accomplish its strategic task. The employees can easily identify with the goals of the organization and work to achieve its various objectives. To a large extent, there is a sense of belongingness and responsible among the work groups. The level of commitment within the organization is more apparent in the top management. This diminishes as one goes in the front line where employees are more concerned about the accomplishment of their specific responsibilities more than recognizing themselves with the company. 5. Do people in your organization express their viewpoint directly and candidly, and attempt to inquire into the validity of their own viewpoint and that of others Employees are given venue to express their viewpoint directly. It should be noted that ACICO conducts its own survey in order to ascertain the level of satisfaction within the different employees in the functional group. When working in teams, the members are also given the opportunity to contribute their specific expertise subject

The impact of tobacco smoking on the academic performance Essay

The impact of tobacco smoking on the academic performance - Essay Example The study’s hypothesis is that use of tobacco leads to poor academic performance. The study involves an extensive review of the literature that is associated with this area, and then a primary data collection through face-to-face interview and filling of questionnaires. A total of 40 males students are randomly selected to participate in the study, which takes place at Queens Mary University. The questionnaire and the interview questions are framed in a manner to provide both qualitative and quantitative approach of data analysis. Regression analysis by the use of SPSS is conducted analyses the quantitative data, while the qualitative data is coded and common themes identified. The findings of the study are that the students who have used tobacco for many years score poor grades in their academic work. Some of the reasons identified as the causes of poor academic performance include lack of completion of assignments, absenteeism, poor memory and lack of ability to read. The st udy recommends further research to identify the causation effect of the variables. Key words: Use of tobacco; Addiction; academic performance; cognitive. INTRODUCTION Smoking of tobacco in institutions of higher learning is a common scenario that has caused a lot of concern because of the side effects that are associative with such substances. The impact of smoking in the brain includes occurrence of numerous physical changes, which can significantly impair the process of learning and concentrations hence lower the level of academic performance by in students in the institutions of higher learning. Study conducted by a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [15] found that smoking of tobacco can have dire consequences on the academic performance of students. Some of the impacts they cited include lower level of concentration and activity, which occurs due to lack of nicotine in the body, for the time that the students stays away from smoking to attend classes; and high rate of absenteeism because the smoker’s immune system is weakened and hence susceptible to myriads of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and cold. In view of this, smoking of tobacco is potentially harmful to academic performance. This study will be aimed at identifying the impact of tobacco smoking on the academic performance of the students from Queen Mary University. LITERATURE REVIEW Use of tobacco among university students is a common trend and its impact is potentially hazardous in different ways, including impeding the level of academic performance. Some of the immediate risks include abuse and dependence, as well as numerous others psychological and physical impacts [13]. A study by Jones and Heaven [11] shows that not all smokers experience problems when they engage in smoking, while psychological risk model displays an intricate relationship between personality and individual factors, drug-taking behavior, and family and environmental factors. Lynskey et al. [14] and Ha n, McGue and Iacono [7] demonstrated that social and environmental factors rather than genetic factors influence use of substances. Most of the researchers in this field have cited common risk factors such as delinquent peers, depressive symptomatology, family functioning, child abuse, parenting style and expectancies, substance using, and antisocial behavior [e.g. 9]. It is also believed that use of substances can increase the risk of taking harmful drugs. The theory of gateway explains how the successive use of a particular substance to another is attained, but the issues of causal attribution and the exact sequencing are still not clear and further research is needed to shed more light [12]. Use of substances from very early ages has been associated with poor academic performa

Inflation and Government Economic Policies Essay Example for Free

Inflation and Government Economic Policies Essay Inflation is described as the process by which prices are continuously rising or the value of money continuously decreases (Consumer Price Index Frequently Asked Questions, 2013). As the definition explains, this is not something that would be desirable for the government or its citizens. For example, Germany during the 1920’s experienced a period of hyperinflation. Germans literally had to carry wheel barrels of money to buy groceries. The price of a loaf of bread rose from around 200 Marks to over 200,000,000,000 Marks. Inflation is measured in several ways including Consumer Price Index, Producer Price Index, Employment Cost Index, Gross Domestic Product Deflator, and several other methods (Consumer Price Index Frequently Asked Questions, 2013). Inflation can be caused when the demand of goods and services cannot be met. Since demand cannot be fulfilled, manufacturers can increase the price of goods, thus causing inflation. Inflation can also be caused when there is too much money in circulation. Money can lose its value if everyone has too much of it. In order to try to control inflation, the government can regulate fiscal policies. Employees’ wages can play a big role in inflation. If everyone is making a lot of money, then prices can increase. Lower incomes actually help governments avoid inflation. Another method of regulating/manipulating inflation is by controlling aggregate demand, the number of goods and services requested at the given price point. Aggregate demand can be altered by either imposing taxes or decreasing and restricting government spending. According to BLS.gov, CPI, or Consumer Price Index, is the means by which we measure change in prices urban consumers pay for goods and services in the market basket. This measures what consumers pay on a daily basis for goods and services. Since 2000, CPI has been increasing. CPI can change due to shifts in population or buying habits of consumers. If the economy is up, people will most likely spend more money, and inversely if the economy is  down, consumers will spend less. New trends in technology or even fads can also change CPI. If consumers are influenced by media on alternatives to goods and services that buy and use, this too causes changes in CPI. CPI directly impacts the economy because it is used to determine the amount of government assisted people can be given such as Medicaid benefits and Social Security Benefits. The graph below shows the changes over time since January 2000 to January 2014 (Consumer Price Index Chained Consumer Price Index, 2014). CPI from January 2000-January 2014 PPI, or Producer Price Index, measures the changed by which producers sell their products (Producer Price Indexes, n.d.). This measures inflation at the beginning stages, ground level, from the manufacturers’ standpoint. Since 2000, PPI like CPI has also increased. Both of these measurements go hand in hand, as the price the manufacturers’/producers charge for their goods and services increases, the amount consumers are paying for these said items also increases. The difference between the two however can include taxes imposed on both producers and/or consumers alike. PPI can be used to determine at what point prices need to escalate. The following graph shows changes in PPI since 2000 (Producer Price Index-Commodities, 2014). PPI from the Year 2000 to the Year 2014 Consumer Expenditure Survey, CE, is defined by BLS.gov as the â€Å"program consists of two surveys, the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey, that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau†. CE has also been increasing since 2000 to present day. CE is pivotal to government fiscal policies because it is the only measurements that shows us not only the amount of money consumers earn and spend, but also consumers spending habits  and trends that we observe. CE is used by policymakers to study the effects of their policies on economic groups and by the Census Bureau to determine Supplemental Poverty Measurements, Like CPI, new technology greatly impacts CE. In the 1980’s, spending on computers and hardware were not as prominent as they are now. According to BLS.gov, changes in internet services and cellphones were also not as prominent in the 1980’s (The Consumer Expenditure Survey—30 Years as a Continuous Survey, 2010). Increases in income and the amount of money consumers spend change CE. The graph below shows these changes (Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2014). Consumer Expenditure Survey 2000-2012 Throughout the last fourteen years, the different units of measurement use to determine inflation have all increased. As the standard and cost of living increases, and as minimum wage continues to increase, all of these units will also increase. This has helped to prevent inflation and hyperinflation. If the prices of goods increase while the income people are bringing in stays the same, this would lead to inflation. As income decreased in 2008-2009, the CPI, PPI, and CE also decreased. The more money we are circulating, the more producers’ will be able to increase the price of goods and services, and the more consumers are going to pay for them. This cycle will continue to grow exponentially. As I stated earlier, there are different methods and fiscal policies governments can implement to avoid inflation. Like Keynesian economics, some of which are based around limiting and controlling government spending. References Consumer Expenditure Survey. Retrieved August 20, 2014 from http://www.bls.gov/cex/ Consumer Expenditure Survey. Retrieved August 20, 2014 from http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet The Consumer Expenditure Survey—30 Years as a Continuous Survey. Retrieved August 20, 2014 from http://www.bls.gov/cex/ceturnsthirty.htm Consumer Price Index Chained Consumer Price Index. (August 19, 2014). Retrieved August 19, 2014 from http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet Consumer Price Index Frequently Asked Questions. (August 15, 2013). Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpifaq.htm#Question_1 Producer Price Index-Commodities. (August 19, 2014). Retrieved August 19, 2014 from http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet Producer Price Indexes. Retrieved August 19, 2014 from http://www.bls.gov/ppi/

Lennies Passion for Soft Objects in Of Mice and Men :: Papers

Lennie's Passion for Soft Objects in Of Mice and Men Works Cited Missing Definition of the word trace: follow, hint, and mark out. In this essay I will trace in detail soft things that Lennie pets in the novel, showing that the petting grows more serious as the novel goes on. In the novel Lennie pets mice, he dreams about petting rabbits, destroys someone's dress in Weed, hurts Curly's hand, kills a pup, and kills Curley's wife. Bad things come in threes, Lennie's two accidental killings of animals foreshadow the final killing of Curley's wife, an accident that seals his own fate and destroys not only his dreams but George's and Candy's as well. In the beginning Lennie used to pet mice that his Aunt Clara used to give him, he would always end up killing them because he didn't know his own strength. Lennie never killed any pet or person purposely; he pets too roughly and kills them accidentally. An example of his rough tendencies is in the first chapter (page7) when Lennie wants to keep a dead mouse and George wouldn't let him Lennie says" Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George. I didn't kill it. Honest I found it. I found it dead." The dead mouse is also an allusion to the novel's title, a reminder that dreams will go wrong, even petting a mouse.

Founding Brothers Essay

The book, Founding Brothers, tells about the struggles of the American leaders after the revolution to establish a new government and the events that occurred during this time. Famous Americans such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams along with their opposite points of view about the Constitution are given equal focus. The author brings to light the amazing ability of the colonies to come together, bring about change and break away from England to establish a nation built on democracy. This story is one that every American will have a stake in, as it forms the backbone of our national history. The author of Founding Brothers is Joseph Ellis, who has degrees from Yale and the College of William and Mary. His writing centers on American history, and he won the National Book Award in 1997 for his work American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. One of his other works is titled Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams (Ellis, 2000, title page). Ellis goes right into the details of the debate that was fueling between the two sides in reference to the new American Constitution. He talks about James Madison who, with Alexander Hamilton, wrote the Federalist Papers. Madison was pushing for compromise on the Constitutional question and was doing his best to create a middle ground (2000, p. 52-53). Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and many of the others were already seeing a small example of the legacy they were creating, but didn’t fully understand it yet. The author points this out by saying: Men make history, and the leading members of the revolutionary generation realized they were doing so, but they can never know the history they are making (2000, p. 4). Ellis also points out how important that the decade in which the Constitution was written was to American history. According to him, these ten years of dealing with many of the issues that face the nation set the stage for future events to come, such as the Civil War (200, p. 9-10). During the debate of the Constitutional convention, slavery was a major obstacle and one that would not be settled completely here. The debate that took place in 1790 between those for and against slavery shows not only the struggle to create a new nation but also the fact that these leaders were considering what would happen as the nation grew and changed (200, p. 88). Another major aspect of this time period that the author addresses is the presidency of George Washington and the political divide that began to form among the nation’s leaders. Throughout his role as the first president, Washington was seen as an immortal figure that was beloved and respected. When he decided to retire as president in 1796, he left a strict warning for those he was leaving in charge: to avoid breaking apart and political parties in taking sides against each other. He wanted the nation to be united as one, and also to have its leaders be united as well (Ellis, 2000, p. 128-129). The author gives the reader an interesting view of these major characters by providing behind the scenes details that is often opposite to the stereotypes they are seen as now. For instance, Ellis goes into detail about George Washington’s character during his time as president. For instance, the author says: First, it is crucial to recognize that Washington’s extraordinary reputation rested less on his prudent exercise of power than on his dramatic flair and surrendering it. He was, in fact, a veritable virtuoso of exits (2000, p. 129-130). Along with relevant details about Washington’s health and personality, the reader sees a different side of this famous individual. Throughout the entire novel, Ellis organizes the book in a way that makes it easy to follow the events that occurred right after the revolution up to the time when the Constitution was being written. He provides personal quotations and references from those involved that gives the reader a deeper understanding of how they felt and what they were thinking when living through this time. He also provides the reader with enough information on the historical events that were going on in the country that helped to frame the interactions of the founding fathers. Founding Brothers adds to other his storable writing of this time by giving an inside view of not only the events but also the people who helped to create America during the revolutionary period. He makes it clear how certain obstacles, such as slavery, were not completely agreed upon or settled and how this affected the nation later on in its history. Ellis is able to explain both the short-term view of the founding fathers and the long-term view of the Constitution that they were trying to take. The debates and compromises that made up the writing of the Constitution and the establishment of a new government are laid out to support these points. As a history book, this novel will give the reader a good understanding of what was going on behind the scenes as the nation was born. Its clear explanations and interesting takes on the first leaders will hold the reader’s attention throughout the book. It is a valuable addition to the many writings that have been done on the revolutionary war and the writing of the Constitution. References Ellis, Joseph. (2000). Founding Brothers. New York: Vintage Books.

Toyota Quality Management

Name of organization Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), commonly known as Toyota in the stock markets. Japanese Toyota is multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda, as a spinoff from his father's company, Toyota Industries, to create automobiles. In July 2012 the company reported that it had manufactured its 200 millionth vehicle. Background/overview of organization Size of company – 300,734 employees worldwide as of 2012 Type of industry Automotive Manufacturing Product or service – Largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Brief synopsis of Quality management processes Toyota quality control, in the strict business sense, with monitoring the means of production to ensure that the finished product meets a certain standard. There are number of different elements that are important for the control quality that which includes the skilled management, knowledge of the production process, and the motivation and eagerness of the workers at all levels. In general, Toyota makes sure that the quality of automobile remains the standard across the board in the manufacturing that involves the assembly line. Quality control is the general process that seeks out to bring together a wide variety of factors which helped to meet the standard set by Toyota. Introduction to the Problem Identify the Quality Issues that need to be addressed Vehicle recalls, November 2009 through 2010, Toyota recalled more than 9 million cars and trucks worldwide in several recall campaigns, and briefly halted production and sales. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding the defective accelerator pedals issues in which in early 2010, Toyota paid the fines without an admission of wrong doing. The U. S. NHTSA, and Japanese Ministry of Transport have been involved in the investigations with the driver error or pedal misapplication was found responsible for most of the incidents. This included sticking accelerator pedals, and pedals caught under floor mats. Through the years Toyota Motor Corporation has seen major growth throughout their timeline hierarchy. Toyotas growth can be attributed to Toyotas company orientation and that is recognizing the consumers demands, having the right products in place to meet these demands. Opportunities Since Toyotas massive vehicle recalls, Toyotas management implemented new initiatives that included equipping all 2011 and future vehicles with Smart Stop Technology, and enhanced event data recorders. Toyota also launched a training center that will be utilized just for quality training, and training team members in customer first practices. These initiatives and training will evolve Toyota Motor Corporation back on top as the leading quality car manufacturer. Toyota is taking an approach to what it calls performance-based facilities management (PBFM). PBFM is facility management with a twist, were the focus will be on more what needs to be done, then leaving the decisions to the employees that are doing the work. This will allow Toyota to spend more time looking at the strategic planning as opposed to the micro-managing what the company has done in the past. Throughout the years Toyotas Total Quality Management (TQM) has been its strength year after year, winning numerous quality awards. Along with quality, Toyota pioneered their own lean system called Toyota Production System (TPS) which identifies and reduces/eliminates waste and variance in processes. Managing product quality was Toyota Motor Corporations claim to gaining market share over other U. S. car manufacturers but recently, during the last few years, Toyotas product quality has been somewhat dismal with over 5. 3 million vehicles recalled since 2009 and 2010 due to safety issues. Possible Quality Management Initiative Lean Principles – Today, Toyota is not so much focused on automobile production like it was back in the 1970s. Instead Toyota is focused on creating a continuous and uninterrupted flow in operations. Thus, for many of their processes, they are continually striving toward a target condition of a single or one-piece flow, sometimes known as make one, move one. Where this can be achieved, work-in process are naturally reduced and velocity is drastically increased as a result of the single-piece transfer batch size. Managing Quality – Quality is an integral focus of operations management. Quality offers companies a way of enhancing their competiveness and strategic position in the marketplace. Recently, with more and more companies accepting the importance of quality, it has become both an order qualifier and, if lacking, an order loser. Product quality was Toyota Motor Corporations claim to gaining market share over other U. S. car manufacturer but recently in the last few years the product quality Toyota hung their hat on, shattered like broken glass, and in order for Toyota Motor Corporation to regain 75 plus years of quality excellence, that was shattered these last few years, Toyota needs to recognize that it once again need to qualitatively improve on its supply chain management processes.

European Expansion essays

European Expansion essays Bernal Diaz del Castillo accompanied Captain Hernan Cortez in his march on Tenichitilan (Mexico City) in 1519, resulting in the surrender of this Aztec capital in 1521. Castillo contends that he will give us the honest account of what happened and not to give a bias opinion of what happened. We read three different sections from his book. The first is his trip to the Caribbean, the second is his encounter in Cholula, and the third is the aftermath of the fall of Tenochtitlan. In theses sections we are trying to find the underlying themes, what the role of the conquerors was, and finally, what events does Castillo seem to refute. Since Castillo tried to give a pure account so it is hard to say that there are hidden controversies. The only hidden text that I could find was that of misconception intentionally given by the Indians of peace. They only presented the troop with peace so they could get the troop to follow them into an ambush. The trend seems to follow in the next section, were they the troop is greeted very hospitably by the men of importance from Cholula. While in the care of the Cholula they were striped of almost all food and resources. Cortes tried repeatedly to negotiate with the Caciques who had turned against them. Cortes told them that he was needed to talk to Montezuma who was the leader. The whole point of these journeys was to spread Christianity. Throughout the different times Cortes would say that God would prevent any harm that would come to the men. This was a tactic to give confidence to the men who doubted him. If God was on their side than no one could defeat them. At the end of the last section the men were mad at Cortes because they thought that he was keeping all the money for himself. Castillo seemed to have respect for Cortes, for he was a great warrior leader, and he never gave a bad opin ...

Plan Your Entire Marketing Strategy With Marketing Projects [Live Demo] - CoSchedule Blog

Plan Your Entire Marketing Strategy With Marketing Projects [Live Demo] Blog Managing multiple marketing campaigns all at once, especially with a dozen moving pieces is tough. Juggling tasks, looming headlines, making sure your team is staying on task, and when you repeat this seemingly never-ending cycle repeatedly it can get kind of tiring. With Marketing Projects, you can help fight this frustration by organizing your marketing campaign all  in one place. Watch This:  Plan Your Entire #MarketingStrategy with Marketing Projects In Get your entire marketing campaign organized in one place, so you can move projects forward (not tirelessly track them down)! Consolidate everything into a single marketing project, so you can focus on executing on those pieces, NOT continuously tracking them down. Maximize your team’s resources from one centralized location. Ramp up on projects faster with all your moving pieces in one project, accurately gauge timelines, and know who’s working on what –– at any given moment. Proactively plan your ENTIRE roadmap. Get a visual timeline of every project on the calendar, so you can effectively plan out days, weeks, and months in advance (without overbooking your team). Monitor your team’s progress + make adjustments faster. Quickly view your teams overall progress and make adjustments faster, so you never miss a deadline. Plan Your Entire Marketing Strategy With Marketing Projects [Live Demo] Blog Managing multiple marketing campaigns all at once, especially with a dozen moving pieces is tough. Juggling tasks, looming headlines, making sure your team is staying on task, and when you repeat this seemingly never-ending cycle repeatedly it can get kind of tiring. With Marketing Projects, you can help fight this frustration by organizing your marketing campaign all  in one place. Watch This:  Plan Your Entire #MarketingStrategy with Marketing Projects In Get your entire marketing campaign organized in one place, so you can move projects forward (not tirelessly track them down)! Consolidate everything into a single marketing project, so you can focus on executing on those pieces, NOT continuously tracking them down. Maximize your team’s resources from one centralized location. Ramp up on projects faster with all your moving pieces in one project, accurately gauge timelines, and know who’s working on what –– at any given moment. Proactively plan your ENTIRE roadmap. Get a visual timeline of every project on the calendar, so you can effectively plan out days, weeks, and months in advance (without overbooking your team). Monitor your team’s progress + make adjustments faster. Quickly view your teams overall progress and make adjustments faster, so you never miss a deadline.

WRITE A LETTER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WRITE A LETTER - Essay Example Firstly, there is the issue of equality in employment. In this case, there is the general feeling among the black that the concept of equality has been disregarded as far as job opportunities are concerned. In this case, the black are being given a lower deal in the allocation of public and private jobs. In the public sector, the percentage of portfolios held by the black is negligible. In this case, we feel that more needs to be done so as job opportunities can be shared equally among all Americans regardless of their race description. Nevertheless, our activists are organizing tactics of legal challenges, civil protests and other initiatives in their capacity to see to it that African-Americans received equal opportunity and protection in America. Secondly, we would like the government to address the issue of racial prejudice. We are witnessing cases where African-Americans are being treated like lesser persons by other Americans. In this case, we have witnessed cases where we are treated with bad attitude that has put some of us in legal jeopardy. In some case, the black have been mistreated after being suspected of committing various crimes. This has been perpetrated by the police and assisted by the natives. The incident has landed African-Americans in jails where others have paid hefty fines to secure their freedom. We urge the government to enact legislations that discourage mistreatment on the grounds of racial and ethnicity. However, we are also planning to stage a protest on the streets if that is the way the government will heed to our plea. We shall use demonstrations to express our dissatisfaction with the current laws that allow treatment of the black with contempt. Thirdly, we are not comfortable with various mistreatments that we have encountered when seeking government services in public places. In this case, our people have been kept waiting for long as the white are prioritized in

The Food and Drug Administration should regulate the content of Essay

The Food and Drug Administration should regulate the content of vitamins and supplements to ensure the American public is safe - Essay Example Dietary supplements are defined under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) as products that contain the one or a combination of the following dietary ingredients: vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, hormones, concentrate or metabolites. Supplements usually come in the form of pill, tablet, liquid form or capsule with some being administered intravenously. They differ from pharmaceutical drugs for most of them have unproven therapeutic benefits and is considered more like a food product with the exception that they bear a ‘dietary supplement’ label. With the influx of dietary supplements in the marketplace, claims of medical benefits abound with little scientific proof. The problem is that human society have become so conscious with their health but so lazy to maintain it by exercise and proper food intake that dietary supplements have become so popular and so much in demand. In the face of this dilemma, there is only one possible resolution: for the FDA to strictly monitor and control the production and entry to market of dietary supplements. This paper aims to underscore this choice of action through an analysis of facts and events. A preliminary analysis to serve as a platform for a full scale research is presented in the following passages. Vitamins and minerals have long been recognized by medical science to have beneficial medical effects. For example, Vitamin C more commonly known as ascorbic acid, have been shown to stimulate the production and function of white blood cells thereby boosting the body’s immunity. It has also been found to prevent the formation of carcinogenic compounds such as nitrosamines. Vitamin A, a pale yellow primary alcohol, improves eyesight by aiding in the formation of mucous membranes and tear glands. Almost all vitamins have some