Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Analysis Of Lac Su s Memoir I Love Yous - 1861 Words

When newcomers come to the United States, they are still on a journey of pain and suffering. Even if they can get to the United States they still must go through the trail of owing nothing in a world where everything is against their odds. This is the journey that author Lac Su wrote in his memoir I Love Yous Are For White People which is about when he and his family immigrated to the United States during the aftermath of the Vietnam War and their new life in LA county. His journey is not a unique one as many refugees and immigrants experienced what he and his family experienced in their new lives. In their new lives, many different events occurred that tells the problem all immigrants encounter when adjusting to life in America. Using Lac†¦show more content†¦Professor Vo mentioned the idea that many immigrant families whose descendants grow up in the United States as opposed to their home country tend to grow up differently. An example is the multigenerational Japanese fam ilies living in the United States as growing up the first generation made their entire families and future generations act very Americanized to assimilate into the community. This idea is not forgotten in Su’s memoir when he talks about wearing a suit at Bob Big Boy’s, ‘I don’t want to wear my suit. †¦ We are going to be eating with white people. If you don’t look nice they will look down upon you’ (Su 57). Here Su mentions about how he does not want to wear his suit for something that seemed so trivial while his father insists he does so that they impress the white people that they can act and look like them. It can then be assumed that early on in his childhood, his family wanted to be like the white community so that they could better fit in when living in America. However, this proves to become contradictory later in the memoir when Su tells his father that he loves him. His father’s response, â€Å"Are you trying to imitate those white people by telling me those fucking words?† (Su 150). This proves to become quite a contradictory response to what he previously told his son before of not being looked down by the white people, yet his very actions here is one that is

Monday, December 23, 2019

World War II The Most Deadly Conflict Of All Of The Wars

I have decided to write about World War II, because it was the most deadly Conflict of all of the Wars that we have yet to witness. World War II dated from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945. World War II was fought in Europe, the Pacific, Atlantic, South-East Asia, China, Middle East, Mediterranean and Northern Africa. It was a War between the Allied Nations and the Axis Nations. The Allied nations included mostly United States soldiers but also included soldiers from at least twelve different nations. The Main Allied powers were France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The other Allies of the United Nations were Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, Salvador, South Africa, Yugoslavia, Philippines, Mexico, Ethiopia, Iraq, some freed Frenchman, and some freed Danes. The Commanders of the A llied Forces were Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Chiang Kai-shek, and Charles de Gaulle. The Commanders of the Axis Forces were Adolf Hitler, Hirohito, and Benito Mussolini. World War II resulted in the victory of the Allied Forces, and the death of over 60 million. The Axis death toll was about 12 million. The outcome of World War II resulted in the defeat and finalization of the German Third Reich, and the United States and Russia becoming the Global Superpowers.Show MoreRelatedIntroduction Of World War II1035 Words   |  5 Pages World War 2 Jacob Copling 4/3/17 Introduction to World War 2 The war took many years. The war had a lot of destroyed places, buildings, and etc. I aren’t here just to tell u all that got destroyed I am also here to tell you what happened and some facts about it. Now lets me show you what happened. Now let’s begin the things that happened. Long time ago there was a big war (World War 2). There was a lot of soldiers that got sent into the war. There was also a really bad man, HitlerRead MorePowerhouse of World War II, United States and Great Britain Essay1033 Words   |  5 PagesFrom 1939 to 1945 the majority of the world’s nations were part of a long deadly six-year war, World War II. These included two strong powerhouses, Great Britain and The United States. Millions died world wide, declaring World War II to be the most expansive war to date. The Holocaust, and the use nuclear weapons resulted in such a high death toll. Nations were in a state of â€Å"total war,† involving not just the military but also the entire nation. Civilians were aggressively aiding in supportingRead MoreThe Cold War1117 Words   |  4 Pages While the Cold War never brought upon much direct conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, it spanned for over 40 years. However, it was also the closest turning point to nuclear war as well as the first documented instance of mutual assured destruction. This doctrine, also known as MAD, is a policy of military strategy and national security policy in which the complete utilization of weapons of mass destruction by enemies would completely destroy them both. Such is the case forRead MoreThe Revolution, The Second Reich, And The First World War1334 Words   |  6 PagesAllie Dressel, 334718 German Civilization 2320 (WI) December 29, 2014 Lesson 1: The 1848 Revolution, the Second Reich, and the First World War The Second Reich lasted from 1871 until 1918. The first era was known as The Era of Bismarck where Germany started to become a powerful economic and political force in Europe. However, due to Bismarck’s authoritarian rule causing political and social tensions, he was removed from office. William I reined as emperor since the founding of the SecondRead MoreWar Is A State Of Conflict1287 Words   |  6 PagesResearch paper War is a state of conflict or struggle between two opposing countries who will fight until a particular end result. Humanity has seen hundreds of wars large and small. The most important thing in war, and the thing they all have in common, is weapons. For example, the Civil War was fought to determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. The sword and sabers were a large part of this war. World War II started when Germany invaded Poland, and Britain andRead MoreWwi : Technology And Weapons Of War1221 Words   |  5 Pagesimage of World War 1 (â€Å"WWI: Technology and Weapons of War†). War leaders failing to adapt to new tactics and weaponry led to many needless deaths in this all-out battle. Technological advancements in chemistry, metallurgy and engineering made the war far more complex and deadly than the past conflicts (â€Å"WWI: Technology and Weapons of War†). The introduction of this complex weaponry from both sides involved in this gruesome combat made winning the war seem almost impossible. The deadly fume thatRead MoreWorld War II Was The Second Greatest War Of The Twentieth Century860 Words   |  4 PagesWorld War II lasted from 1939-1945, but there were a number of circumstances leading up to the beginning of World War II. It involved the majority of the nations in the world in which they formed two military alliances. Those alliances were the allies and axis. In a state of total war, World War II was the most deadly war in history. This war was caused there was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles from WWI. Then, there was the expansion of the Japanese and fascism. Another reason for the outbreakRead MoreWorld War II : The End Of The War975 Words   |  4 Pages World War II was a war that had started for the first. With two sides the Allied Powers versus the Axis Powers. The end of the war went out with a bang. World War II was a gigantic fascinating process of events; the war itself started on September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945. There are many fascinating things about World War II, but the beginning is always interesting. Coming just two decades after the last great global conflict World War I. The Second World War was the most widespread and deadliestRead MoreCommunism s Effect On Technology907 Words   |  4 PagesLeatherwood 10 September 2015 Communism’s Effect on Technology World War II began because of an invasion from Nazi Germany to Poland causing Britain to declare war on Germany. During the fall of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, space exploration was at the top of America’s to do list. America was not the only country interested in gaining answers about the solar system and its planets. There were many times during the Cold War where the Soviet Union would have dramatic increases in scienceRead MoreThe World Of World War II1058 Words   |  5 PagesWorld War II The world has experienced many wars. However, two of them have particularly influenced the world history, World War I and World War II. However, the most pronounced among the two is World War II. World War II was a global war, which took place between 1939 and 1945. This war grew out of issues left unresolved by earlier conflicts of World War I. It involved virtually every part of the world. The primary combatants were the Axis powers- Germany, Italy and Japan and the Allies- France

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Having an Addictive Personality Free Essays

Addiction is a relationship you have with an object. When reading this book, I learned how people begin to form addictions, factors that have come to be known as an addictive personality, and how to recover from an addiction. The more you learn about addictions, the better you may live a healthy and safe life. We will write a custom essay sample on Having an Addictive Personality or any similar topic only for you Order Now An addiction is well known as a compulsive need for a habit forming substance or event. Many addictions come from alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, and also sex. There are many stages leading to this harmful habit.It starts with experimentation, casual use, compulsive use, then addiction takes place. The two main types of addiction are psychological and physiological addictions. Psychological addiction is coming to depend emotionally on the feeling a drug or action may give you. A physiological addiction is when your body has marked physiological needs for increasing doses. Drugs such as heroin, cocaine, nicotine, and alcohol are all physiological addictions. Many people ask the question, â€Å"Why get started? † The many reasons people do drugs are caused by emotions, social pressures, or stress may impact your decision.When you are suffering from an addiction, you focus more on the addiction than you do on others. An addiction is an illness that can isolate you from sharing the emotions you originally feel towards others. You may ask, â€Å"What is an addictive personality? † This definition has no â€Å"right† way to characterize itself. An addictive personality is a change resulting from the addictive process that takes place within a person. The most likely signs of changes are depression, irritability, and paranoia. All of these factors are important when you consider addiction.The most common types of addictions are gambling, eating, sec, alcoholism, and drugs. Gambling may be an enjoyable social activity for some people but social pressures can contribute to a gambling addiction. Food addiction is a common thing to abuse because food is easily available. A sex addiction can be caused by having a low opinion of oneself, a need for escapism, difficulty coping with stress, and a memory of an intense â€Å"high† felt during sex. Alcoholism is the most widely abused addiction in the world. Alcohol produces a drunken â€Å"high† that often allows people to forget the troubles they faced before drinking. The last type of addiction is drug addiction. People start using drugs for many reasons including curiosity, peer pressure, and the first pleasurable effects of the drug. Drugs that people are mainly addicted to are heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD, and many more. There are four main stages of addiction. Experimentation or the experimental stage is marked by doing something only a few times â€Å"just to see what it’s like†. Casual use is defined as a few times a month or less. Dependence is a more intense phase of addiction. In this stage, the person does something on a regular basis. Addiction is the next stage. This is the most devastating stage of all. Once you reach this stage you are considered an addict, or someone who has this type of relationship with a substance or action. Recovery from an addiction is very possible. The first step to recovery is admitting that there is a problem. After that, it is helpful to join a support group, enter counseling, or find another recovery program that suits your needs. How to cite Having an Addictive Personality, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Lego Case Study free essay sample

1. How did the information systems and the organization design changes implemented by Knudstorp align with the changes in business strategy? Knudstorp changed the business strategy by reforming the production, supply chain and various other departments. This mandated that the supporting Information Systems be changed. Also, the company’s expansion into newer technological domains such as virtual interaction games and video games forced the company to use advanced technologies for their Information Systems. Lego implemented an enterprise architecture using software package SAP, which enabled them to modularize and standardize the information systems architecture. Two most important modules for Lego are Supply Chain management and Product Life Cycle Management. So, the new SAP implementation of these modules perfectly aligned with the changed business strategy. Knudstorp also made a drastic change in the organizational structure of the company. Lego switched its employee pay structure, offering incentives for appropriate product innovation and sales. This aligns with the business strategy of expanding business through innovation and creativity. We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Which of the generic strategies does Lego appear to be using based on this case? Provide support for your choice. There are three kinds of strategies Lego used, they are 1. Business Strategy 2. Organizational Stategy 3. Information Systems Strategy. Lego’s new Business Strategy of embracing the newer technologies and expansion into newer domains is evident in its involvement in Hollywood and entering into video games and virtual-interaction games markets. Also the new strategy is to change the target customers of the Lego products. In order to align with the Business Strategy Lego also made drastic changes to its organizational structure. It made changes to employee pay structure in a way to improve innovation and creativity. Another most important change is made to the production process. The development time has been reduced almost 50%. These changes improved the production of the products and the company started to grow again. This growth forced the company to change its Information Systems strategy. In order to cater needs of each modules of their business Lego implemented modularized Enterprise architecture collaborating with IT giants such as IBM and SAP. 3. Are the changes implemented by Knudstorp an indication of hypercompetition? Defend your position. The changes implemented by Knudstorp indicate a hypercompetition. Lego’s changes in business strategy, organizational strategy and IS strategy are very drastic. The speed with which it embraced the current market trends and current technologies 4. What advice would you give Knudstorp to keep Lego competitive, growing, and relevant? Lego Case Study free essay sample 1. There are three different key characteristics which are fundamental for Strategic Management. The first key characteristic is the understanding of the strategic position of an organization, followed by the strategic choices for the future and turning strategy into action. Beginning with strategic position the LEGO group faced different objectives which influenced the development of strategy. The level of technology and preferences concerning materials changed over the time and the company was able to found a niche market for LEGO movies and created new innovations like plastic bricks. Also like in all markets the internationalization has affected the strategy of the company. They entered new markets, opened markets in South America, the US and Asia and negotiated with retailers over there. Apart from opportunities, threats which were the oil crisis, financial crisis, competitors and the development of customers need, LEGO needed to react and change or chose different strategies. While the oil and financial crisis occurred, LEGO invested money in new equipment, entered new markets and launched new products. We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For that reason they were able to overcome these difficulties at that time. Moreover they changed their traditional strategy which included their wooden toys to an innovative strategy with plastic bricks and electronic features to adapt themselves to the ‘new’ age. Also the competitors were a reason for them to develop their strategy. To stay competitive LEGO for example hired the young innovative CEO JØrgen Vig Knudstorp and sold the LEGO theme park to Merlin Entertainments Group to be able to focus on their core product. Within their strategic management the company was always willing to take risk which is until now one of their strength. Moreover the popularity of their company and the popularity of movies like Star Wars helped them to create new products and to develop their strategy in a more modern way through conquering partly the movie industry. On the other hand they had weaknesses concerning the often changing management strategy. First they went from the centralized management to decentralized management where a number of senior and long serving managers left. This also led to difficulties in financial control. Moreover when they changed their traditional wooden toys to the now famous plastic bricks and other features they did not know at that point if this new way will be accepted by the customers. The last point under strategic position is the purpose and the culture. During the development of strategy  the main purpose was to entertain children but most of all to stay profitable and to keep production and main operations in Denmark. The second key characteristic is the strategic choices. In the begging their key business was toys for children whereby after a time they created LEGO theme parks. After recognizing that it is the better strategy to focus on their main business they sold it to an entertainment group. To stay competitive it was also necessary to go international, entered new markets, form alliances (e.g. Warner Bros) and launch new products to keep their growth rate up. The strategy to steadily develop innovations and not to stay with the traditional products is still part of their company. The third key characteristic of strategic management is to put strategy into action. The LEGO Group always reacted quickly concerning environmental changes. One example is that at the time the customer demanded products which fit into the ‘new’ age they invented small electronic engines and other technical features. 2. There are several external environmental aspects which influenced the strategic development of the LEGO Group. The first external feature is the oil crisis which has affected the world economy negatively. Instead of choosing a cost cutting strategy they counteracted with the introduction of new innovative products like LEGO Technic, play themes like LEGO Castle and LEGO Cowboys. Furthermore they conquered new markets in South America, the US and Asia. With this they were able to grow international wide and overcome the oil crisis. The competition is another feature of the external environment which has influenced their strategy. Bigger companies entered the sector with advanced electronic games. Thus they needed to reconsider their traditional strategy which included their traditional brick. Even if they introduced a ‘Fitness’ programme to cut costs and restructure, the company just shortly made profit. External features like the rapid change of the environment, difficulties in financial control and logistics and longer lead times needed for running in new activities such as the new LEGOLAND parks were responsible for their fluctuating profit. Moreover the customers are an essential external feature. The customer needs changed from traditional to innovative which is reflected in the success of bigger companies with electronic games. It turned out that younger customers expect  more of their toys then before and that the using time of traditional bricks decreased. For that reason LEGO came up with play themes which connected LEGO and movies to extend the life span of LEGO bricks – LEGO Star Wars was introduced. To satisfy the customers within the ‘new media’ age they created a new digital strategy where they developed an online multiplayer (LEGO Universe). Also the internal action of renaming LEGO DUPLO into LEGO EXPLORER affected the external factor customer who did not approve this change and that is why sales decreased. In addition retailers started with too high inventory and needed to wait for it to sell before they were able to buy new LEGO supplies. So the company needed to reconsider their logistic strategy. Besides this, the number of competitors in the US increased which weakened the exchange rate of the US$ against the Danish Krone which led to a decrease in sales. In this case the external factor retailers also played a role. Due to their own problems they put more pressure on LEGO to create new products but since high stock levels blocked the launch of innovations retailers demanded discounts in return to buy more of their new products. A main problem was here the external factor of (seasonal) buying behavior since the customers especially demanded LEGO products around Christmas. To avoid this, the company now is eager to get closer to retailers in order to understand their sales to end customers. Also to compete in the price war between the competitors and LEGO they had to minimize their cost to offer a more favorable price. So the company cut the number of suppliers. The last feature of external environment which influenced the strategy of LEGO – like the oil crisis – was the financial crisis in 2009. Here the management decided to take the risk to increase the production to prepare for 2009 onwards and to order new equipment. This decision proved to be right and since then they show steady progress. To summarize, it can be said that many features of the external environment influence strategic management and that it is necessary for a company’s success to scan the environment, define critical success factors and react correspondingly. 3. The generic term which includes resources and competences is ‘Strategic capability’ where you identify the unique resources and core competences which give you an advantage over competitors and what makes your company ‘special’ comparing to others. Beginning with the resources of LEGO you can  name several resources such as their brand name which is well known under consumer of toys for children. The raw materials knowledge and the focus on high quality standards helped the company to regain their successful position because instead of outsourcing their production facilities which are also a resource they decided to leave their production in Denmark. Another resource which helped LEGO was their later management organization and leadership of family members. The most important resource of the LEGO Group which enabled them to regain their successful position in the global toy market is their product creativity. Concerning the last point of resources there is to mention LEGO’s most valuable competence, their innovations. During their whole development they always solved difficult times through launching innovations which gave them a comparative advantage over the competitors. Moreover the LEGO Group uses their brand name to create alliances with movie makers, publishing companies, game makers and other companies in different markets. Moreover they successfully keep on capturing different markets to internationalize but still setting value to stay a family business and keep their core business. 4. In 2004, Kjeld decided to be more involved in strategy and to take more responsibility. At this point the COO left the company. Additionally they changed the famous name LEGO DUPLO to LEGO EXPLORER and expected to expand their small children’s segment. Instead of the expected expanding segment, customers did not welcome this change and sales decreased. Another problem was that retailers had to high inventories so that they needed to sell those products before buying the new products of LEGO. There would have been different alternatives for the company. The thinking of getting family support back and representing the family business status of the company was a smart choice. But instead of now staying with their traditional product name and make use of their recognition value they wanted to rename it to attract a bigger spectrum of customers which went into the opposite direction. Another strategy concerning the retailers would have been to first wait for the reaction of the customer in terms of the new name. Or in advance the LEGO group could have conducted a market research to figure out if a new name is profitable. But they probably expected a higher demand and therefore wanted to stock the retailer’s inventory accordingly. 5. The LEGO Group should maintain their strategy concerning to innovativeness and adaption since the internal and external environment keeps on changing. Now it is advisable to secure a solid management and not to make many changes within the management structure. This will help to give the employees more security and confidence, as well as the customers. Moreover LEGO already realized that there is a ‘new’ age of customers who prefer more visual and electronic products then the so called old fashioned toys. For that reason they should keep making alliances with movie and game producer. In addition to that new technical devices like smart phones and tablets offer a new opportunity to keep up with the customer needs and with the time. Here the company could create a game App to gain even more popularity and to show that the LEGO group is an innovative company with traditional roots. Another suggestion is to try to conquer new markets maybe within Europe but keep their roots in Denmark. But also the idea to enter into the parlor game market with a LEGO board game is a way to stay innovative. With this idea as well as with LEGO movies also older target groups can be reached. All in all if LEGO Group stays innovative, keep on entering new markets to ensure their growth rate, focus on customer needs and focus on their main business which is to entertain children they will be successful in the future.