Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Cold War By Kenneth Rose s One Nation Underground

The Cold War, which was considered the â€Å"years of maximum danger,† lasted from 1949-1962. This period brought an increasing sense of danger to America because the Soviet Union came into possession of an atomic bomb in 1949; an idea many Americans thought to be impossible unless the Soviet Union had a spy in the United States, which they did. Because the Soviet Union had an atomic bomb, a nuclear war became a reality. In Kenneth Rose’s â€Å"One Nation Underground† he told of rising issues associated with the Cold War and the threat of nuclear bombings. The Cold War, in conjunction with the inventions of (total destructive) bombs, generated new dangers, fears, and morality issues among Americans, which led to further increased fears. At the†¦show more content†¦When the Soviet Union came into possession of a nuclear bomb, the realization that the horrific aftermath, much like the one in Hiroshima, could happen in America struck fear into Americans. Th e cold war in conjunction with the nuclear arms race raised a countless number of dangers that were new to Americans. One of the most obvious risks raised by the nuclear arms race was the blast of the bomb itself. The bombs that were emerging were only getting colossal, and the effects were reaching potential world destruction. For example, the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were minuscule compared to the Hydrogen bomb, which the U.S built to stay ahead of the Soviet Union. But as history has shown itself, the Soviet Union came kept up with the competition and created a Hydrogen bomb as well. Now both countries possessed bombs that could decimate out entire countries. Not only would the blast of the bomb have devastating effects on communities, but also the fallout of the bomb would play a vast role in the outright destruction of populations. The fallout, when all of the radiation from the bomb falls on the people, resulted in gruesome health effects. The fallout could cause rashes, severe burns, leukemia, and birth defects for anyone outside, so the answer was thought to be shelter if under nuclear attack. With that being said, the fallout shelter became a huge topic of conversation among Americans. Many

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Korean War Tactics and Logistics Free Essays

string(176) " a war that would turn out be the third bloodiest in their history \[†¦\] and which for Koreans themselves would prove the greatest catastrophe in their national history \(p\." The Second World War officially ended in the year 1945. It was a devastating war that many hoped that it should be fitting to end all wars and for a change give the world a breathing space, to be granted that very elusive peace. Yet, perhaps those who wished for a world in harmony after World War II may have underestimated mankind’s appetite of some leaders who wanted to be supreme rulers of the globe. We will write a custom essay sample on The Korean War: Tactics and Logistics or any similar topic only for you Order Now So, five years after the guns were silenced in the Great Theater of war in Europe, another dangerous conflict is brewing in Korea. Here, one can see a display of things to come because Vietnam and Afghanistan are still future events.  In the Korean War the world became witness to what happens when superpowers decide to play chess. Unfortunately, this game is not played the traditional way with wooden pieces and all. This time the chessboard is the Korean Peninsula and the pieces are either the native Koreans or imported as in soldiers coming in from all over the world. It is interesting to note that this is not a World War in the truest sense of the term, but the true players are global leaders who happened to confine their violent resolution in a specific location, Korea. The United States, Russia, North and South Korea, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other Asian nations were participants in this war of attrition. The battle lines were drawn and it was named the 38th parallel. This allowed for a little bearing in a very confusing time, hoping to give a little bit of clarity in a very agitating situation. According to Carter Malkasian, â€Å"It was the only occasion in the Cold War when the military forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Soviet Union, and the USA (plus its Western allies) met in combat [†¦] Thus, the Korean War was not merely a war fought between proxies of the major powers, like the latter conflicts in Vietnam or Afghanistan, but a much more significant conflagration† (p. 7). This paper seeks to understand the Korean War. This can be done by looking at a brief historical background before the war and the events that added fuel to the tension between two Korean governments. Since the Korean War like many conflicts is so complicated this study focuses on tactics and logistics, and less on the historical figures that played a major role in this important period not only for Koreans but for Asians in particular and the world in general. Historical Background The Korean War was sometimes called the â€Å"Forgotten War† and this may be so because like Vietnam there are only a few people who understand its significance. Yet an â€Å"†¦outpouring of books, articles and film in the last decade as well as an impressive memorial on Washington, DC’s Mal (and the realization that) †¦it would be practically impossible to understand the Cold War†¦Ã¢â‚¬  have created a revival of interest on this subject (Sandler, p. 1).  The conflict in this area of the world does not surprise the experts and the grizzled veterans of war. In fact the professional soldier can easily read the undercurrent of history and be able to predict what will happen in the struggle for power and supremacy. This was eerily demonstrated by a seemingly prophetic Commodore Matthew Perry when he spoke these words in the year 1856, a century before the Korean War: The people of America will, in some form or other, extend their dominion and their power [†¦] upon the eastern shores of Asia. And I think too, that eastward and southward will her great Russian rival [†¦] The antagonistic exponents of freedom and absolutism must thus meet at last, and then will be fought that mighty battle on which the world will look with breathless interest; for on its issue will depend the freedom or the slavery of the world (as cited in Huston, p. 200). It boggles the mind of the average person when analyzing as to how Commodore Perry was able to ascertain his claims. What is more amazing is the accuracy of his predictions. It is like looking in a crystal ball and seeing very clearly what will happen. And indeed what Perry prophesied came to pass. Russia became a superpower and just like what the Commodore had said, the Russian government exerted tremendous influence over China. And of course his final statement about the necessity of a crucial war that will showcase the fight for freedom as opposed to absolutism was also played out just as he predicted. This can only mean that even before the first bullet crossed the 38th parallel, there are already forces at work even as far back as the late 19th century. Perry was able to read the signs and the saw the root cause of conflicts in this part of Asia. Yet it was only in the 1950s when the seed planted by those who wanted to control this region grew and blossomed into a passion that could only be satisfied with conquest. Blindsided Commodore Perry was praised here because of his foresight, a very important talent that a general should possess. If only the leaders of the free world in the 1950s were as gifted, then things would have turned out differently. But as fate would have it, from the U.S. and UN side was able anticipate what is going to happen. Either they were blindsided by the Communists or they were preoccupied by their paranoia. And that paranoia is brought about by the fear of being overrun by a westward move by the Union Soviet Socialist Republic. Stanley Sandler remarked on this and he wrote: A Soviet thrust into Western Europe seemed a far more threatening contingency than a possible dust-up between two unattractive regimes in a bleak former Japanese colony that most Americans could not find on a map. But Americans [†¦] would become acquainted with Korea in a war that would turn out be the third bloodiest in their history [†¦] and which for Koreans themselves would prove the greatest catastrophe in their national history (p. You read "The Korean War: Tactics and Logistics" in category "Essay examples" 2). First Blood It depends which side is asked. For the U.S. and UN Command, it was the North Koreans who drew first blood and attacked without warning nor any form of declaration of war. It seems that history is repeating itself once again for Americans just like in Pearl Harbor. But according to the communist-backed regime they were just retaliating from what the South has been doing for the past several months. The truth of the matter is that both sides were engaged in skirmishes that were serious prelude to war. Sandler asserts that it was an, â€Å"†¦armed conflict between the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea and the Republic of South Korea, which had been conducting mutual border raids for more than a year† (p. 2).  At any rate the U.S. led forces were caught by surprise that fateful day of June 25, 1950. Even if they will deny it, it is now clear that the North were prepared to launch an attack and the offensive move was purely intentional. Buildup Kim Il Sung the de facto leader of the newly established North Korean Regime began to make plans to invade South Korea. This plan was of course made in secret but nevertheless in close coordination with Russia’s Stalin and China’s Mao Tse-tung. According to Allan Millett the origin of this plan can be traced back to a change in the policy of Kim Il Sung’s benefactor to communize the whole Korean Peninsula (p. 102). It seems that Russia is no longer contented with being kept in check by a ridiculous 38th parallel and would like very much to gobble the whole Korean Peninsula. â€Å"The Soviets, however, came to realize that the goal of communizing the entire peninsula could not be achieved through such limited tactics, and decided to resort to more violent means† (Millet, p. 102). In December of 1948 the Soviets made the first tactical move to befuddle the U.S. by withdrawing their troops unilaterally out of North Korea. Then the Russian government turned around and invited the top brass of North Korea and China’s military for a buildup. Millet bared that the troika agreed to â€Å"†¦build up the strength of the North Korea People’s Army (NKPA), around 6 shock divisions, 8 combat and 8 reserve divisions, and 2 armored divisions and to complete the war preparations within 18 months (i.e., by June 1950)† (p. 103). The NKPA was able to do all of these like clockwork revealing a tremendous level of preparedness and dangerous intent. Level of Preparedness While the NKPA was psychologically and physically prepared to engage in battle the ROK (Republic of Korea) army though prepared for future skirmishes and for another round of border raids was not truly ready for a full scale war. The South was not ready to face an enemy dead set in gobbling them up and desiring to unite the whole peninsula once again. It took at least five days after the initial offensive of NKPA for the U.S. to make a coherent response. â€Å"On June 30, US President Harry S. Truman authorized US ground forces to stop the North Korean attack† (Boose, p. 4). This led to losses in the early rounds of the fighting and led Boose to comment, â€Å"It was able to do little to delay the KPA, but additional forces were on the way† (p. 4). Aside from differing interests and the reasonably defective intelligence from the Western nations – or they would have known of an imminent attack – there is the psychological reason for being unprepared. Sandler made a comment why it was unlikely for the Korean Peninsula to be plunged into such a bloody conflict. And he wrote: In looking back (before World War II) †¦ it would be difficult to imagine a more homogeneous and united nation than Korea. [†¦] they are of the same culture with minor north-south variations throughout the peninsula, and the Korean language – Hangul – is universal. Korean cultural homogeneity can be illustrated in its place name, a source of confusion for non-Korean UN personnel throughout the war: Inchon/Ichon, Masan/Musan, Paengnyong/Pyongyan/Pyonggang Pyongchang, Taejon/Taechon, Pukchong/Pukchang†¦(p. 3). That and the eighteen month head start is creating a great advantage for the NKPA. In the end this advantage would create a stalemate and would result in the present division of Korea and the unexpected survival of this communist state even though its patron the great USSR had long been dismantled. NKPA Preparedness The North Korean and the communist forces were not only decisive and aggressive they were able to create a force enough to challenge U.S. and UN supremacy in the South. The book, â€Å"Communist Logistics in the Korean War† by Charles Shrader is an excellent source in getting an in-depth look at what happened on the other side. Too many times the victors or the presumed victors in the case of the Korean War are all too willing to gloss over their mistakes and hype their successes. The focal point of this book is the refutation of the myths perpetuated by the Americans and UN forces that were then passed on to people back home and unfortunately was taken in as gospel truth. Shrader asserts and this is quite a revelation: One of the more persistent myths of the Korean War is that North Korean and Chinese communist solders were able to subsist on a mere handful of rice per day obtained all their arms and ammunition from their enemies, and moved all supplies by animal cart or human porters. Although supply requirements of NKPA and CCF in Korea were amazingly low when compared to the requirements for equivalent UNC units, the Communist forces did generate substantial requirements for formal supply and transport forward of tremendous quantities of food, petroleum products, weapons, and ammunition (p. 89). The U.S. and UN led coalition were more technically advanced but this is not the most important thing in any given war. It is the level of preparedness that is important. That level of preparedness can only be gauged in relation to the environment where a battle will be waged. Let’s say for example that forces are slugging it out in a heavy-forested area with a very steep incline. No matter how sophisticated the military jeeps are, this kind of technology will be rendered effective. In another example where the passageway in a body of water is narrow and shallow no matter how technologically advanced the frigates are it would be foolish to attack using this route since one sunken vessel can immobilize the whole fleet. In other words tactics and logistics are the most important aspects to consider and not just technology. This is the bone of contention in Shrader’s books – the South Korean forces was wrong in thinking that they were technically superior. This led Shrader to remark that:  NKPA-CCF logistical doctrines and methods were characterized by flexibility and innovation, which allowed them to compensate for comparative lack of material resources and modern technology [†¦] NKPA and CCF logistical organizations were equally flexible and often exhibited great variation in form, strength, and equipment of the assigned service units (p. 25). What contributed well to the high level of preparedness by the NKPA – aside from the Soviet support of course – is the broad range of natural resources present in North Korea. This includes water, power, timber, rare strategic materials e.g. tungsten, zinc, graphite reserves, substantial iron ore deposits, copper, lead, cobalt, asbestos, molybdenum, nickel, gold and silver (Shrader, p. 60). This resulted to an almost miraculous surge in North Korea’s war time production of needed materiel that surpassed pre-1945 levels: 1) 166,000 tons of pig iron; 2) 144,000 tons of steel ingot; and 3) 116,000 tons of finished steel (Shrader, p. 61). Summing it all up the major source of military materiel came via USSR which supplied the NKPA with aircraft, tanks, vehicles, communications equipment, heavy artillery, and ammunition. In addition to that, a portion of their needs were supplied by third country suppliers (Shrader, p. 60).  Thus when the communist forces launched the initial attack in June of 1950 their combined forces produced the following massive force in the eve of the attack:  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦135,000 men in two corps comprising eight full-strength infantry divisions, two half-strength infantry divisions, an armored brigade, an independent infantry regiment, a motorcycle reconnaissance regiment, and five brigades of the Bo An Dae, or Border Constabulary (Shrader, p. 90). What is more amazing is the development of the NKPA forces after the 1950s. After suffering setbacks from the retaliatory attacks of the UN command, the NKPA in the middle of 1951 the â€Å"rebuild NKPA included 213,600 men in twenty-three infantry divisions, one mechanized division, one armored division, and two independent infantry brigades controlled by seven corps headquarters. NKPA strength peaked in October 1952 at around 266,000 men in eighteen divisions and six independent brigades† (Shrader, p. 90). If this was not enough to give the South Koreans and its allies a full plate, the Chinese and the Soviets entered the fray in the guise of helping a beleaguered brother-in-arms. The forces supplied by the People’s Republic of China was more than enough to bring this regional level conflict into World War scale. The following data proves the serious intent of the communist bloc: By late November 1950 some 300,000 Chines Communist troops were in Korea: 180,000 in the six armies (eighteen divisions) of the XIIIth Army Group [†¦] 120,000 in the three armies (twelve divisions) of the IXth Army Group [†¦] on 1 July 1952, fify-one CCF divisions with some 540, 200 men manned the line across Korea from the west coast to the central Taebaek Range and were supported by about 10,000 Soviet and Soviet-bloc advisors and technicians (Shrader, p.90).  This is the extent of the level of North Korea’s preparedness and a sample of their resolve to win this war. ROK Preparedness Stanley Sandler in a few words was able to encapsulate the true state of South Korea’s forces before the attack by saying that June 25, 1950 was a Sunday and that fully one-half of the ROK Army was on leave (p. 48).  In the initial stage of the attack which was not at all done quietly and with any subtlety: heavy bombardment, followed by a blitzkrieg attack of some 150 Soviet-built T-34-85, 110 warplanes and a crossing of the 38th Parallel by a rampaging Korean People’s Army. Still there was an awfully delayed reaction to the events at hand. Sandler explained the reason for such a weak response due to the aforementioned soldiers who were on leave, the high number of civilian leaders who were out of the country and the mistaken notion that what just occurred was another border raid.  With regards to the presence of U.S. troops, Gordon Rottman lamented that fact that it was such in great shape a mere five years before the conflict and would have come handy in a time like this. But Rottman revealed that the U.S. government intentionally reduced its military strength not only in Korea but also in the Far East. Rottman comments on the closest source for help which are the forces stationed in Japan and he wrote: Tank companies stationed in Japan had only M24 light tanks as Japanese roads and bridges could not support heavier M4A3 and M26 tanks. M24s were no match for North Korean T-34s, one of the best tanks to appear in World War II. The divisions in Japan also lacked their reconnaissance, military police, and replacement companies [†¦] These divisions consisted of 12,500 to 13,600 troops rather than the full-strength 18,804 (p. 3). At first glance, South Korea does not stand a chance against the forces of Communism. Ironically, the same benefactor who gave NKPA a tactical and logistical advantage (USSR) became the source of their demise. Sensing that the North/South conflict is just a prelude for something bigger Russia’s enemies were banded together for a common cause, which is to prevent the USSR and Communism from expanding worldwide. This resulted in a pledge of commitment to provide support in a scale reminiscent of Word War II. When the NKPA was not able to achieve total victory, this gave the U.S. and UN led coalition to regroup and pose a decent defense of South Korea. Rottman expounded on this idea by saying that: The Korean War was to be the UN’s first commitment of armed forces to conduct and end a war [†¦] the UN called on all member nations to support the military effort in Korea. Fifty-three countries approved of armed action against North Korea: 15 committed ground combat forces, nine provided naval forces, six sent air force elements, and five contributed medical support, either military or civilian (p. 117). Bright Spot In general there is nothing that U.S. armed forces could be proud of in the Korean War. There was really no clear victor, no territory was gained and as mentioned earlier it was the third bloodiest in the history of war where casualties are at a significant high.  The only good thing that could be seen or learned from this incident is the demonstration of what bravery and commitment can do to an organization. Here one can also see the difference between a regular soldier in the U.S. Army as opposed to the brave and the few of the U.S. Marine Corp. Hugh Deane quoted Andrew Greer when describing the essence of being a marine, â€Å"In any small unit battle the outstanding behavior of a few men is always discernible over the others [†¦] The scale is tipped by a few – by the ten percent – who rise to the heights where the enemy and death can be met without a hesitant step† (p. 97). British historian Max Hastings remarked, â€Å"Most of the Eight Army fell apart as a fighting force in a fashion resembling the collapse of the French in 1940, the British in Singapore in 1942. But he reported the praiseworthy strong resistance of the U.S. Marines in the northeast† (as cited in Deane, p. 111). A particular example was raised by Deane when he commented on the enemy’s attack tactics that looked like suicide attempts characterized by sending small units that more often than not gets wiped out. This is followed by wave after wave of such small unit attacks against a selected point until a breakthrough is achieved and here comes the main force. This was effective in demoralizing troops. But according to Deane this would not work against the marines. â€Å"†¦but against the marines in the Northeast the results were often frustrating. The marines constructed strongly fortified outposts in the hilly-forested Chosin area and defended them fiercely with a good deal of success (p. 129). Conclusion Almost all wars are considered a waste of time, money, effort and lives of men. The Korean War was no exception. Considering the following statistics makes one shake hid head over the folly of war:  The North Korean armed forces lost approximately 600,000 men in the fighting, in addition to two million civilian casualties. The Chinese [†¦] an estimated 1 million casualties. Losses to the ROK are estimated at 70,000 killed, 150,000 wounded and 80,000 captured. One million South Korean civilians were killed or injured. The USA lost 33,600 men kiled nad 103,200 wounded (Malkasian, p. 88). What adds insult to injury is the futility of not having a clear victor, no territories were gained and nothing significant was achieved except perhaps for a few lessons in the book of tactics. The level of preparedness of both camps explained the reason for the stalemate. The South Korea side was backed up by a technologically superior U.S. and UN led coalition but it was not mentally prepared to wage this war. Almost every action done on the part of South Korea was mostly reactionary and defensive. Most importantly, the United States was treading on thin ice since a miscalculation and overkill can easily escalate the regional conflict into a global war. With the Second World War fresh from people’s minds there is no incentive to go full force. Although the NKPA was well prepared and very much flexible in their serious bid to unite the Korean Peninsula it does not have the technological edge to overpower the U.S. and UN forces. On a more important note, the attack on South Korea was a supposed to be a defensive act. Therefor the USSR could not be seen as fully involved and thus it can only work from the background.  That sums up the futility of this exercise but nevertheless it is a good prelude to understand the Cold War and the other similar conflicts that came after it like Vietnam and Afghanistan. References Deane, H. (1999). The Korean War. San Francisco, CA: China Books and Periodicals, Inc. Huston, J. A. (1988). Outposts and Allies: U.S. Army Logistics in the Cold War. New Jersey: Associated University Press. Malkasian, C. (2001). The Korean War. University Park, IL.: Osprey Publishing. Shrader, C. (1995). Communist Logistics in the Korean War. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Millet, A. R. (1997). The Korean War. Seoul: Korea Institute of Military History. Sandler, S. (1999). The Korean War: No Victors, No Vanquished. Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press. Rottman, G. (2002). Korean War Order of Battle. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.             How to cite The Korean War: Tactics and Logistics, Essay examples

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Career Development Programs Support Retention

Question: Discuss about the Career Development Programs Support Retention. Answer: Introduction: This paper attempts to explain the human resource best practices in a fashion company known as Pearl collections by analyzing the six stages of the employee lifecycle. These six steps include; recruitment selection, orientation onboarding, employee services, talent development retention, performance management and transition. This essay will then examine how these cycle stages contribute to Pearl collections and also the implementation process. Human resource best practices are one of the human resource management models pioneered by Pfeffer who advised when put into practice would improve the performance of an organization(Pfeffer, 1998). Best practice according to Boxall and Purcell's, emphasizes the vitality of empowering an employee's ability through right staffing and training, offering strong financial incentives and providing an open and engaging environment where the employees can share ideas and participate.(Purcell, 2003) It is important to understand that applying a few human resource best practices in one company, industry or corporate culture may not necessarily yield the same results or be the right practice in another. The methods highly depend on the demographic makeup of a company, size, resources available, socioeconomic factors, location, regulatory and legal environment. Understanding employees and what might engage them to perform better should is vital before implementing any strategy. The HR Reporter shares the culture of Zappos to be crazy in that they believe in having fun at work to the extent of asking employees to dress up as superheroes. The employees who are disengaged are paid to leave the company which may be a huge number as not everyone might be comfortable with it (Kreissl, 2013). At Carswell, a favorite activity that makes the workplace more fun is their annual ice cream day and this according to management is a fun little program that drives employee engagement. The culture at Zappos and Carswell when compared are entirely different, and various people might share both positive and negative feedback on them. These examples prove that not every policy, practice or program will work at every company hence the importance of internal and external analysis of the organization. Recruitment and selection are the first stages of the employee lifecycle and are, therefore, the foundations for human resource management. Pearl Collections pride itself to be an attractive employer that recruits locally whenever a boutique opens, one that cares about gender inclusivity, diversity, employee growth, health, and safety. During this stage the human resource manager analyzes the job, its role, creates a person specification which consists of the skills and qualifications required, experience, and comes up with a remuneration package. This process follows advertising, shortlisting and then selection of the preferred candidate while taking into consideration passion, attitude and behavior as the essential characteristics. To aid in recruitment, Pearl uses a few agencies who prescreen the candidates on the level of position, education, and skills. This process gives the company an upper hand regarding maximized exposure and increases the number of applicants for various po sitions. According to PRADA Group, the information collected during the selection process strictly relates to the authentication of the professional profile being sort, while respecting candidate's personal opinions(PRADA, 2007). This open dialogue gives the applicant room to be open minded and share his/her views openly enabling the human resource department to get a comprehensive analysis. The second stage of the employee lifecycle is orientation onboarding. PeopleAdmin shares that Onboarding is a process and orientation is an event and that a sound onboarding process spans from one to two years(PeopleAdmin, n.d.). Pearl collections believe in carrying out successful orientation and onboarding processes as the transition ensures success on the candidates part which impacts on the company. Pearl is aware of the importance of enabling a candidate to reach his/her full potential hence carries out the orientation process accurately and concisely. The HR department issues the candidate with information on the company, appropriate forms, takes the candidate around to meet other agencies and promotes communication. The onboarding process conveys the brand, values, professional culture, product knowledge and sales techniques and expectations to the candidate and provides tools to aid in his or her productivity. To ensure employees are well taken care of, Rag Bone has an HR t eam of six individuals which is fundamental to its growth strategy and research shows that they excel at recruitment with high-profit margins (Pike, 2015). Employee services as an employee life cycle stage are benefits offered to employees by employers to instill their loyalty and prevent them from leaving for greener grass. The fashion industry is known to rotate employees and to keep them from jumping ship; Pearl collections complies with the legal departments of all states, offers medical insurance, a life insurance plan, disability insurance, offer paternity and maternity leaves, holidays and sick leaves. As the company is keen on being relevant, it is planning to open a child care area in one of the spare rooms to enhance productivity and to also introduce a wellness program by offering reimbursable gym membership costs which could reduce health care costs through promotion of healthier lifestyles. At HUGOBOSS, healthcare is a significant factor, the company cafeteria follows a balanced nutrition plan, and the company has a fitness studio offering courses in back training and aerobics which increase staff retention rates (HUGOBOSS, 2012). Talent development retention is the fourth employee cycle stage, and it is crucial to both engagement and the output of the company. Key elements of talent and leadership, development, strategies and best practices are key under this stage. Pearl endeavors to involve itself in talent development by continuously grooming and upgrading the employees by attracting the right staff, providing the latest technology, sensitizing them on how to excel, use of rewards and incentives, motivation, empowerment and offering career advancement opportunities. The company understands that high employee turnover is a problem hence the strategies aid in developing a sense of loyalty by investing in the employees. Rag and Bone has an employee-led development scheme which enables the employees to take charge of their development by providing tools and resources to get their employees thinking ahead about their careers and not waiting for their managers to develop them(Pike, 2015). Performance management as the fifth employee cycle stage is strategic with the aim of ensuring employees are contributing positively to the objectives of the business using a range of HR activities and processes. Pearl has customer care indicators that are used to gauge employee performance standards. These indicators have a collection of customer surveys, focus group discussions and customer complaints. Pearl recognizes it gets successful when the relationship between managers and employees is one of fairness, trust, good communication and contains an open door policy to enable generation and utilization of ideas. Pearl is keen on fostering good performance management because it helps every staff; understand the path of the business and what it wants to achieve. The standards of performance required, everyone's role in helping the company accomplish its goals. Understand how they can develop their performance and contribute to the growth of the organization and also where there are performance problems and how to handle them. The PRADA group encourages management and employees to take up responsibilities, to work, win challenges and achieve corporate objectives. This entrepreneurial culture recognizes, promotes and rewards the pro-activeness of the individual and teamwork. This cultural contribution aid in the achievement of the company's strategy and adopting consistency and responsibility traits(PRADA, 2007). The sixth employee life cycle is transition which is the process when an employee leaves a company on retirement, better opportunity, getting fired, being laid off or due to personal reasons. It is, therefore, the work of the HR to manage the transition process by ensuring the following all procedures and processes. Pearl's HR department has an employee development plan in place to aid in the smooth transition. This plan contains a list of the employee's pending projects with a step by step process detailing actions this individual will take to finish the tasks. The HR follows up with the employee in the days following the day of departure. A form is shared with the employee for him/her to share honest opinions on their views about the company, reasons for leaving and areas for improvement. The HR delegates the tasks that cannot be completed before the employee's departure to other employees either do it or manage it until they hire a replacement. According to Forbes, Ron shares an e vent where a senior manager, unannounced and fired his employee and directed all his questions to the HR who at the time was ill prepared. This manager had for the last six months given the employee positive feedback and claimed his firing grounds on the lack of teamwork. This behavior as Ron further explains probably generated a major lawsuit and he calls it an extreme example (Ashkenas, 2013). In conclusion, human resource best practices are one of the most dominant ways for a business to ensure the creation of value for the customers especially at Pearl collections and our profitability. The apparel industry is highly dominated and competitive, and by putting into place the six stages of the employee lifecycle, our relevance reinforces our strategic position. Pearl's measurement of success relies on low employee turnover, employee satisfaction, enhanced performance, career growth, increased responsibility, high levels of customer service, competency, high profits, improved morale, access to information, communication, self-improvement and existence of development programs just to name a few. In the future, Pearl collections are determined to continue offering fashionable items at quality prices and expand by opening more boutiques in various countries as our profitability and growth are on track. References Boxall, P., Purcell, J. (2003).Strategy and human resource management(1st ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan Education. Code of Ethics(1st ed.). Retrieved from https://www.pradagroup.com/documents/governance/code_of_ethics_en.pdf Fashion Companies Need to Rethink Their HR Function.The Business of Fashion. , from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/the-strategic-importance-of-hr Forbes Welcome. (2013).Forbes.com. , from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2013/03/11/if-you-have-to-fire-an-employee-heres-how-to-do-it-right/#3c954ad0151f Gomez, M. (2014).How Career Development Programs Support Employee Retention.Td.org. from https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Career-Development-Blog/2014/10/How- Career-Development-Programs-Support-Employee-Retention Hennes Mauritz (HM), AN HRM CASE STUDY. (2009) (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://colbournecollege.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23793496/5385hrm_case_study_0.p df How to manage performance | Advisory booklet | Acas.Acas.org.uk. Retrieved from https://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2927 Kreissl, B. (2013).What exactly are HR best practices? | Canadian HR Reporter.Hrreporter.com. , from https://www.hrreporter.com/columnist/hr-policies- practices/archive/2013/04/22/what-exactly-are-hr-best-practices/ MANAGEMENT REPORT. (2011) (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://group.hugoboss.com/files/HUGOBOSS_GB2011_Lagebericht_En_AGAbschluss.p df Pfeffer, J. (1998).Seven Practices of Successful Organizations(2nd ed.). California. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeffrey_Pfeffer/publication/265114424_Seven_Practices_of_Successful_Organizations/links/56cbb52b08aee3cee54192bc.pdf Thompson, S.Human Resources Life Cycle.Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/human-resources-life-cycle-62078.html Types of Employee Services.Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-employee-services-2802.html What is employee transition planning?.Reference. Retrieved from https://www.reference.com/business-finance/employee-transition-planning- 46898c77ac071e75 What is Onboarding Exactly? - PeopleAdmin.PeopleAdmin. Retrieved from https://www.peopleadmin.com/2013/01/what-is-onboarding-exactly/

Monday, March 23, 2020

The Lottrey Essay Example

The Lottrey Essay The Use of Setting in â€Å"The Lottery† Shirley Jackson effectively uses setting in â€Å"The Lottery to foreshadow an ironic ending. In many stories, settings are constructed to help build the mood and to foreshadow of things to come. The story sets up the reader to expect good things from the lottery. However, the description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what the reader expects. Shirley Jackson develops this through a description of the physical setting, a general description of the residents, and subtle hints throughout the story.The story begins with the establishment of the setting. To begin, Shirley Jackson tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the story takes place. This is important to get the reader to focus on what a typical day it is in this small town. The setting set forth by Shirley Jackson in the beginning of the story creates a mood of peacefulness and tranquility. It also creates a visual image in the mind of the reade r of a typical town on a normal summer day. Shirley Jackson tells you that school has just been let out so you know that it is early summer. Analysis of Setting inA Setting Analysis of â€Å"The Lottery† Setting is, as defined by Dr. Hugh H. Paschal, â€Å"an author’s use of time, place, and props (374). Even though the setting in a literary work proves successful in achieving the author’s desired outcome, readers often neglect its importance. Using realism, the author brings the reader into his work and the environment feels natural to him. Setting can influence what the character does. His environment may contribute to his personality, values, attitudes, and problems. Organization provides the familiarity of a setting, allowing the reader to form a mental picture of the scene.Through detailed illustrations the author sets the atmosphere or mood of their work. Irony in setting allows the reader various insights of a literary work than what was initially presen ted (Paschal 46-49). For example, Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery initially offers a sense of calmness and peace in an ordinary town and leaves the reader in shock with the stoning of a random member in the community. First, Jackson uses the aspect of time to describe the season the work takes place. She writes, â€Å"June 27th was clear and sunny, with the Analysis of The LotteryWhen developing an inspiration for a story, a writer must put many ideas into the process. There are numerous items that when combined create an interesting and pleasurable story. There are many characteristics that a story must encompass to be enjoyable. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery concerns a small town’s annual lottery drawing and the grim circumstances that ensue. In ths short but disturbingly profound piece of work Shirley Jackson communicates to the reader the theme of the story along with its implications concerning traditions. In The Lottery, tradition plays a key role in keeping one town happy and peaceful.The lottery occurs every year on June 27. Although the lottery may be a little morally unjust, it is still a tradition and traditions are hard to break. The lottery for the town is the backbone of the community. The lottery for the town brings a day of conversation and happiness. The boys run around and gather rocks. The girls talk to one another and the women â€Å" greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands (268). The men gather, â€Å" surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes (268). The lottery is used to bring people toget

Friday, March 6, 2020

Siege of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution

Siege of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Conflict Dates: The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga was fought July 2-6, 1777, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Armies Commanders: Americans Major General Arthur St. Clairapprox. 3,000 men British Major General John Burgoyneapprox. 7,800 men Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Background: In the spring of 1777, Major General John Burgoyne devised  a plan for achieving victory over  the Americans. Concluding  that New England was the seat of the rebellion, he suggested separating  the region from the other colonies by advancing down the Hudson River corridor while a second column, led by Colonel Barry St. Leger, moved east from Lake Ontario. Rendezvousing at Albany, the combined force  would drive down the Hudson, while  General William Howes army marched north from New York. Though the plan was approved by London, Howes role was never clearly defined and his seniority prevented Burgoyne from issuing him orders. Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - British Preparations: Prior to this, British forces under Sir Guy Carleton had attempted to capture Fort Ticonderoga.   Sailing south   on Lake Champlain in the fall of 1776, Carletons fleet was delayed by an American squadron led by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Valcour Island.   Though Arnold was defeated, the lateness of the season prevented the British from exploiting their victory.   Arriving in Quebec the following spring, Burgoyne began assembling his army and making preparations for moving south.   Building a  force of around 7,000 regulars and 800 Native  Americans, he gave  command of his advance force to Brigadier General Simon Fraser while leadership of the right and left wings of the army went to Major General William  Phillips and Baron Riedesel.   After reviewing his command at Fort Saint-Jean in  mid-June, Burgoyne took to the lake to begin his campaign.   Occupying Crown Point on June  30, his army was effectively screened by Frasers men and the Native Americans. Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) -American Response: Following their capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775, American forces had spent two years improving its defenses.   These included extensive  earthworks across the lake on the Mount Independence peninsula as well as redoubts and  forts on the site of the old French defenses to the  west.   Additionally,  American  forces built a fort atop nearby Mount Hope.   To the southwest, the height of Sugar Loaf (Mount Defiance), which dominated both Fort Ticonderoga and Mount  Independence, was left undefended as it was not believed that artillery could be pulled to the summit.   This point had been challenged by Arnold and Brigadier General Anthony Wayne during earlier stints in the area, but no action was taken.   Through the early part of 1777, American  leadership in the region  had been in flux as Major Generals Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gates  lobbied for command of the Northern Department.   As this debate continued, oversight  at Fort Ticonderoga fell to Major General Arthur St. Clair.   A veteran of the failed invasion of Canada as well as the victories at Trenton and Princeton, St. Clair possessed around 2,500-3,000 men.   Meeting with Schuyler on June 20, the two men concluded that this force was not sufficient to hold  the Ticonderoga defenses against a determined British attack.   As such, they devised two lines of retreat with one  passing south through Skenesboro and the other heading east toward Hubbardton.  Ã‚   Departing, Schuyler told his subordinate to defend the post for as long as possible before retreating.  Ã‚     Ã‚   Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Burgoyne Arrives: Moving south on July 2, Burgoyne advanced Fraser and Phillips down the west shore of the lake while Riedesels  Hessians pressed along the east bank with the goal of attacking Mount Independence and cutting the road to Hubbardton.   Sensing danger, St. Clair  withdrew the garrison from  Mount Hope later that morning due to concerns that it  would be isolated and overwhelmed.   Later in the day, British and Native American forces began skirmishing with the Americans in the old  French lines.   In the course of the fighting, a British soldier was captured and St. Clair was  able to learn more about the size of Burgoynes army.   Recognizing the importance of Sugar Loaf,  British engineers ascended the  heights and covertly began clearing space for an artillery emplacement (Map). Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - A Difficult Choice: The next morning, Frasers men occupied  Mount Hope while other British forces began dragging guns up Sugar Loaf.  Ã‚  Continuing to work in secret, Burgoyne  hoped to have Riedesel in place on the  Hubbardton Road before the Americans discovered the guns on the heights.   On the evening of July 4, Native American campfires on Sugar Loaf alerted St. Clair to the impending  danger.   With the American defenses exposed to the British guns, he called  a council of war  early on July 5.   Meeting with his commanders, St. Clair made the decision to  abandon the fort and retreat after dark.   As Fort Ticonderoga was a politically important post, he recognized that the withdrawal would badly  damage his reputation but he felt that saving his army  took precedence.   Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - St. ClairRetreats: Gathering a fleet of over 200 boats, St. Clair directed that as many supplies as possible be embarked and sent south to Skenesboro.  Ã‚  While the boats  were escorted south by Colonel Pierse Longs New Hampshire Regiment, St. Clair and the remaining men crossed to Mount Independence before marching down the Hubbardton Road.   Probing the American lines the next morning, Burgoynes troops found them deserted.   Pushing forward, they occupied Fort Ticonderoga and the surrounding works without firing a shot.   Shortly thereafter, Fraser received permission to mount a pursuit of the retreating Americans with Riedesel in support. Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) - Aftermath: In the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga, St. Clair suffered seven killed and eleven wounded while Burgoyne incurred five killed.   Frasers pursuit resulted in the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7.   Though a British victory, it saw the American rearguard inflict higher casualties as well as accomplish  their mission of covering St. Clairs retreat.   Turning  west, St. Clairs men later rendezvoused with Schuyler at Fort Edward.   As  he predicted,  St. Clairs abandonment of Fort Ticonderoga led to his removal  from  command and contributed to Schuyler being replaced by Gates.  Ã‚  Firmly arguing that his actions had been honorable and were justified, he demanded a court of inquiry which was held in September 1778.   Though exonerated, St. Clair did not receive another field command during the war.   Advancing south after his success at Fort Ticonderoga, Burgoyne was hampered by  difficult  terrain and American efforts to slow his march.   As the campaign season wore on, his plans began  to unravel following a defeat at Bennington and St. Legers failure at the Siege of Fort  Stanwix.   Increasingly  isolated, Burgoyne was forced to surrender his army after being beaten at the Battle of Saratoga that fall.   The American victory proved a turning point in the war and led to the Treaty of Alliance with France. Selected Sources: British Battles: Siege of Fort TiconderogaFort TiconderogaHistory Central: Battle of Fort Ticonderoga

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Children with autism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Children with autism - Essay Example Peer influence plays a dominant role in the development of social relations with others in the community. Children with autism can benefit from friendship and good social relationships. Some of the functions of social relations include natural support function. In that participants can have a non-contingent source of support to enable them accomplish tasks. The other function is that social relations serve as informational and social learning. In this case, participants acquire information concerning the acceptable social convections through interactions and feedback from acquaintances. The third function is advocacy function where social relations cite statements to promote their self-worth. Lastly, social relations serve an affirming action where the participants gain a sense of competence. An analysis of social interaction of kindergarten children reveals that social exchanges prompt positive statements for children. The available developmental data indicates that interactions sta rt from social overtures to an equitable reciprocal basis. The initial intervention efforts aimed to evaluate the functional effects of an increased level of social overtures rarely expose to the positive approach behavior from peers. Chiesa & Serretti (2011) say that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are psychological treatments that can cure chronic pain. Other therapeutic interventions such as surgical techniques provide limited pain reduction in only a subset of patients. The author asserts that MBSR is a meditation initiative conceived in the late 70s in an effort to integrate Buddhist mindfulness meditation with modern clinical and psychological practice. The application of the program to treat different diseases shows good efficacy for mental and physical disorders. MBSR consists of three different techniques that include a body scan, sitting meditation, and

Monday, February 3, 2020

Some thing has related about ENVI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Some thing has related about ENVI - Essay Example Demand for products of crop farming in Indiana is ideal. There is an active growth in demand for products of crop farming. Moreover, the demand for farm products imports is also high. This indicates that the available supply of farm products does not satisfy the current demand. Indiana spends between 1-9.9 billion dollars for farm produce imports (Hicks, 2014). This raises concerns about the farm products production capacity of Indiana. Many forests have been cleared for the sake of creating agricultural farms. A big percentage of forest land in Indiana is privately owned (Our Land Our Literature, 2014). Therefore, there lacks national control measures for deforestation. Deforestation has resulted into reduced rains and thus reduced agricultural productivity. Moreover deforestation also destroys the natural habitat of animals and birds. Although organizations such as Indiana Forest Alliance and Heartwood have come out to educate people on the need to stop deforestation, there is still a lot to be done. The forest cover in Indiana has reduced by 59% in the last thirty years (Alexander, 2013). The agricultural sector is at high danger of collapsing due to poor climate. If campaigns against deforestation are not carried out, Indiana might spend more than 10 billion in imports for farm products. If nothing is done, the currently growing population is bound to experience challenges such as famine and hiked prices of farm products. Hicks,  M.  J. (2014).  Key Economic Sectors in Indiana: State Overview. Retrieved from Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University. website: