Humorous Wedding Speech by Friend of Groom :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech by Friend of Groom Ladies and gentlemen, thanks Gary for those kind words. It has been a pleasure for all us attendants to play a small part in your big day. Before I say a word or two about the groom, what about that dress Jeanie is wearing? It has attracted so much favorable comment from the guests here that I have to give it a special mention. You look stunning Jeanie! When Gary asked me to be his best man I immediately thought of the speech. I saw it as an opportunity to talk about a great hero of mine†¦ a wonderful, handsome, kind-hearted man who is admired by many. But then I showed it to my wife and she ripped it up saying, ‘For once in your life Jason, talk about someone other than yourself!’ But unlike many of the best men you’ve probably encountered over the years – who were either old school friends or childhood friends of the groom – Gary and I actually met about six years ago. So not knowing an awful lot about his past, I made enquiries – at his local police station. I thought that would be a good place to start digging for dirt. But they had nothing to say†¦ except that he was the perfect guest whenever he stayed over. Next, I sought advice from his parents as to what he was like. ‘A model son driven by the ambition to succeed,’ was the answer from his mum. ‘A gentleman, a scholar and a sportsman,’ said his dad. Now, I know what you're all thinking - is this the same Gary? Well, all of this was indeed contradicted by his brother Stewart, who informed me that as a child, Gary was cheeky, naughty and the loudest kid on the estate. And as you may have judged from his earlier speech, not a lot has changed. To get a different perspective on the star of the day I contacted Gary’s school friends. Unfortunately, none of them volunteered any information – except one, who said his nickname ‘PlayByYourselfGary’ should provide some indication of his popularity with the other pupils. In the end I visited his old school to speak to some of his former teachers in the hope they could provide me with an amusing story to tell. The first person I got hold of was his math’s teacher of five years.

Process Strategy and Analysis For Toyota Motors Corporation Essay

Introduction When organizations seek to improve or transform their resources into goods and services, they are, in a way, developing their process strategy in producing their customer and product specifications at lower costs and less managerial constraints. As companies are targeting global markets at present, each organization needs to decide on long-term competitive goals that are strategic in nature. In making these process decisions, managers need to focus on controlling competitive priorities like quality, flexibility, time, and cost to meet the global demand for their products. In having a look at Toyota Motor Corporation’s process strategy, it will be helpful to realize why their decisions for both service and manufacturing processes are successful. By determining the processes that comprise their operations, we will be able to assess if their value chains are managed efficiently and effectively. According to Krajewski et al. (2007), a process strategy specifies the pattern of decisions made in managing processes so that they will achieve their competitive priorities. Also, a â€Å"process strategy guides a variety of process decisions, and in turn is guided by operations strategy and the organization’s ability to obtain the resources necessary to support them†. Thus, a process strategy consists of decisions that help define the value chain. Usually these decisions seek the improvement of processes and they are done most likely when: A gap exists between competitive priorities and competitive capabilities. A new or substantially modified service or product is being offered. Quality must be improved. Competitive priorities have changed. Demand for a service or product is changing. Current performance is inadequate. The cost or availability of inputs has changed. Competitors are gaining by using a new process. New technologies are available. Someone has a better idea. As a leading auto manufacturer in the world, Toyota Motor Corporation sells its vehicles in more than 170 countries and regions worldwide. Toyota’s primary markets for its automobiles are Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Employing nearly 300,000 people, its headquarters is located in Toyota City, Japan. Their products include passenger cars, recreational and sport-utility vehicles; minivans and trucks. Toyota’s subsidiary, Daihatsu Motor Company, also produces and sells mini-vehicles and compact cars. While another brand, Hino Motors produces and sells commercial vehicles. More importantly, Toyota manufactures automotive parts, components and accessories for its own use and for sale. Toyota has 52 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries and regions (Toyota Website). Process Strategies in Toyota One of the most notable processes that Toyota Motor Corporation had made famous is the Toyota Production System (TPS). At present, TPS is also known for a variety of terms like lean systems or just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, lean production, stockless production and zero inventories. Cox and Blackstone (1998) defined lean systems as â€Å"a philosophy of production that emphasizes the minimization of the amount of all the resources (including time) used in the various activities of the enterprise †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lean systems thinking was initiated and developed as the TPS. It was Toyota’s vice president Taiichi Ohno who pushed for the TPS beginning in 1937 when he discovered that labor at American manufacturers was nine times more productive than labor at Japanese manufacturers (Monden 1983, p. v). Since there was a pressure to improve after World War II because capital was restricted and production volumes were low, Ohno researched on some methods they can adopt in Toyota to make their production system work better. However, it was not until the 1973 oil crisis that most Japanese manufacturers became interested in TPS and it was not until the end of the 1970s that a significant number of U.S. manufacturers began to investigate TPS. The Toyota Production System became widely known in the United States in 1983 when a book of that title was published. During the 1980s, the popular term in the United States for the TPS system was â€Å"just-in-time manufacturing†. At the beginning of the 1990s, the term lean systems became popular because of a series of books and articles by U.S. consultants and researchers in which they referred to TPS as â€Å"lean systems,† because they allow more and more to be done with less and less. Fact is that Ohno only borrowed important roots of lean systems from two distinct American institutions: Henry Ford’s mass production system and the supermarket. Lean Systems That Sparked More Process Strategies In the book by Womack and Jones (1996), entitled Lean Thinking, they simplified Ohno’s lean systems approach. As it is not just a set of techniques but a management philosophy, this means managers must have a different mental model or perspective of managing the manufacturing process. The five steps or principles to develop this mental model are: Precisely specify value for each specific product. Identify the value stream for each product. Make value flow without interruptions. Let the customer pull value from the producer. Pursue perfection. During the 1980s, some U.S. companies have adopted lean systems successfully. But many more failed or even refused to take action. Many managers are skeptical that TPS could not succeed in the United States or it provided no real benefits. However, the publication of a book titled The Machine That Changed the World (Womack, Jones & Roos, 1990) ended the debate about whether lean systems created real, lasting benefits. The book presented the results of a three-year study of automobile manufacturing throughout the developed world. They found that in 1990 a Japanese plant in Japan took 16.8 hours to build an auto, while a U.S plant in the United States took 25.1 hours per car. Not only did a Japanese plant produce cars faster, its cars had fewer defects per hundred vehicles, lower space requirements, and lower inventories than their competitors. Their findings also indicate that it is the management system and not the country’s culture that is responsible for the success of lean companies, since Japanese plants in the United States performed better than U.S. plants on all criteria. Aside from the TPS, Toyota pursued total quality management or â€Å"kaizen†, a change strategy that involves a continuous incremental improvement of work procedures. Using kaizen, production-line employees are made responsible for finding ways to improve work procedures to drive down costs and drive up quality. Individually, and in quality groups or circles, employees suggest ways to improve how a particular Toyota car model is made. Over time, from their thousands of suggestions, incremental innovations made to the car assembly process result in major improvements to the final product. Employees receive cash bonuses and rewards for finding ways to improve work procedures, and the result has been a continuous increase in car quality and reduced manufacturing costs. In the 2000s, under the leadership of Toyota’s new president, Jujio Cho, the company sought to increase the speed of change to further improve its efficiency and quality to gain an edge over its major competitors such as GM, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler. It has begun a series of new kinds of change programs, each directed at improving some aspect of its operations, which Toyota hopes will bring both incremental and radical changes to the way it operates. Some incremental change programs involve strengthening its kaizen program, such as â€Å"pokayoke,† or mistake-proofing. This initiative concentrates on the stages of the assembly process that have led to most previous quality problems; employees are required to double- and triple-check a particular stage to discover defective parts or to fix improper assembly operations that lead to subsequent customer complaints. Another program is Construction of Cost Competitiveness for the 21st Century program or â€Å"CCC21,† which involves working with the company’s suppliers to find ways to reduce the costs of Toyota’s car components by 30 percent—something that will result in billions of dollars in savings. Toyota has also introduced a new manufacturing process called â€Å"GBL,† which uses a sophisticated new assembly process to hold a car body firmly in place during production. This allows welding and assembly operations to be performed more accurately, resulting in better-quality cars. GBL has also enabled Toyota to build factories that Toyota to build factories that can assemble several different kinds of models on the same production line with no loss in efficiency or quality. This is a major competitive advantage. The company’s global network of plants can now quickly change the kinds of cars they are making depending on buyers’ demands for various models at different points in time (Dawson, 21 February 2005). Other radical change efforts have focused on revamping Toyota’s development and design process to keep up with changing customer needs and demographics. In the 1990s, for example, the age of the average Toyota car buyer steadily rose. Despite Toyota’s climbing global sales (which exceeded $203 billion in 2006), the company was criticized for failing to understand how the market was changing. Some blamed the problem on centralized decision making at the company and a culture that had long been dominated by Toyota’s cautious and frugal Japanese designers. Rather than designing innovative, flexible vehicles customers were increasingly demanding, Toyota continued to focus on cutting costs and increasing the quality of its vehicles. To quickly get an improved design process into gear, President Cho bolstered two new change techniques to radically alter the design process: PDCA and â€Å"obeya†. Obeya is based on frequent brainstorming sessions among engineers, designers, production managers, and marketers designed to speed new model cars to the market. PDCA (â€Å"plan,† â€Å"do,† check,† â€Å"action†) is a program designed to empower the company’s designers outside of Japan to intervene in the car development process and champion designs that meet the needs of local customers. The results of promoting a flexible, decentralized car design process were the speedy introduction of the rugged eight-cylinder Tundra pickup truck and the angular, ScionxB compact in the United States, as well as the Yaris, Toyota’s best-selling European car. The Yaris was designed in Europe, and its success there led to its subsequent introduction in Japan where it also sold well (Hill, 2004). Conclusion Throughout its existence, we could see that Toyota has managed their process strategies effectively as they root everything out from the TPS. Through the TPS, they continued to change and improve their processes to lessen production time, lessen the wastes and make production efficient to the benefit of both the company and its employees. Also, it is important to note that, despite all these changes, their customers remain at the core of their focus as Toyota seeks to meet all their demands. As for their management, the decisions are translated into actual process designs or redesigns. This matches the complementary philosophies for process design: (1) process reengineering and (2) process improvement (Krajewski et al., 2007). In this regard, we could say that Toyota Motors Corporation has an excellent decision patterns to further improve their manufacturing processes in the future. The Process Analysis of the Toyota Motor Corporation Introduction In the book The Toyota Way, Liker (2003) claimed that Toyota has the fastest product development process in the world. In analyzing their manufacturing process, Liker found that new cars and trucks take only 12 months or less to design in Toyota, while competitors typically require two to three years. Also, Toyota has been benchmarked to be the best in its class by all of its peers and competitors throughout the world. This is because Toyota maintains high quality, high productivity, faster manufacturing speed and flexibility in processing their products (p. 5). All these successes are due to the TPS that Liket (2003) summarized into 4 Ps (Problem-Solving, People and Partners, Process and Philosophy (see Figure 1). Figure 1. 4Ps That Comprise the Toyota Production Systems (Source: Liker, 2003). Analyzing the TPS In the process part of the TPS, we can see at its core is the goal of eliminating waste. For example, in the manual assembly operation of a truck chassis assembly line (see Figure 2). The operator takes many individual steps, but generally only a small number of the steps add value to the product, as far as the customer is concerned. In this case, only the three steps identified add value. Although some of the non value-added steps are necessary (for example, the operator has to reach to get the power tool), the point here is to minimize the time spent on non-value-added operations by positioning the tools and material as close as possible to the point of assembly. Toyota has identified seven major types of non-value-adding waste in business or manufacturing processes: Overproduction. Producing items for which there are no orders, which generates such wastes as overstaffing and storage and transportation costs because of excess inventory. Waiting (time on hand). Workers merely serving to watch an automated machine or having to stand around waiting for the next processing step, tool, supply, part, etc., or just plain having no work because of stockouts, lot processing delays, equipment downtime, and capacity bottlenecks. Unnecessary transport or conveyance. Carrying work in process (WIP) long distances, creating inefficient transport, or moving materials, parts, or finished goods into or out of storage or between processes. Overprocessing or incorrect processing. Taking unneeded steps to process the parts. Inefficiently processing due to poor tool and product design, causing unnecessary motion and producing defects. Waste is generated when providing higher-quality products than is necessary. Excess inventory. Excess raw material, WIP, or finished goods causing longer lead times, obsolescence, damaged goods, transportation and storage costs, and delay. Also, extra inventory hides problems such as production imbalances, late deliveries from suppliers, defects, equipment downtime, and long setup times. Unnecessary movement. Any wasted motion employees have to perform during the course of their work, such as looking for, reaching for, or stacking parts, tools, etc. Also, walking is waste. Defects. Production of defective parts or correction. Repair or rework, scrap, replacement production, and inspection mean wasteful handling, time, and effort. Unused employee creativity. Losing time, ideas, skills, improvements, and learning opportunities by not engaging or listening to your employees (Liker 2003, p. 28-29). Figure 2. Waste in a Truck Chassis Assembly Line (Source: Liker, 2003). Figure 3. Timeline of Waste in a Value System (Source: Liker, 2003). TPS: A Goal Driven Process Like any system, the TPS is a goal-driven set of interrelated or linked activities. Managers who recognize that they are managing a system are aware of two main points: (1) the system reacts to any solution and (2) the system controls the behavior of those individuals who operate within it. The first point means that there are often unintended consequences when a solution to a problem in a system is introduced. To avoid unintended consequences, managers must fully understand the system. The second point means that managers must avoid attributing the problems in a system to the character of the individuals within the system. The manager must instead identify how the structure of the system is shaping the choices of the individuals within the system. By understanding these two points, the manager can now redesign the system to increase the system’s performance. The incorrect use of performance measures can prevent the successful introduction of lean systems. For example, a performance measurement system that encourages high equipment and high labor utilization often discourages production at the rate demanded by the customer. Indeed, these performance measures actually encourage large-batch production, thus creating the waste of overproduction and decreasing the system’s ability to respond to the customer. Firms that implement lean systems often use a performance measure called overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Soiichi Nakajima (1988) first formulated this performance measure to assess how effectively equipment is maintained and operated. Figure 4 shows six types of capacity losses in the right-hand column (breakdown losses, setup and adjustment losses, idling and minor stoppages, speed losses, quality defects, and start-up and yield losses). These capacity losses are organized into three categories: downtime losses, speed losses, and quality losses. Figure 4. Six Probable Causes For Equipment Losses (Source: Masaji & Goto, 1992). Knowing performance measurements are an important part of any manufacturing system, thus TPS support the elimination of possible waste. The operations manager must select the performance measurements that will encourage behaviors that lead to the desired business performance. In TPS, the desired business performance is shorter flow time, reduced costs, and faster response to the customer. Another advantage of the TPS is its support towards employee empowerment as a means for continuous improvement. Toyota empowers its employees by training them to use the scientific method to continuously improve processes. The scientific method involves four elements: theory, hypotheses, data, and verification. In the research of Spear and Bowen (1999) they indicated that the scientific method is integrated into the Toyota Production System so that every time a job is performed is an experiment. This creates a system where all the work processes are very specified and structured, but the system itself is very flexible and responsive. Toyota implements the scientific method as part of four unspoken rules that everyone in the organization must learn and practice: Highly Specified Work – Toyota’s first rule requires that managers, engineers, and line workers fully understand how a job is to be done and its relationship to other jobs. By ensuring that every job has a very clearly defined set of steps, it is obvious when the correct process is not being followed and it is also obvious when more training is needed or when the job definition needs to be changed. This allows quick identification and correction of any problems that occur. This first rule reduces variance in how work is done. By creating a highly specified sequence of steps to perform the job, Toyota is actually proposing a theory that this procedure is the best way to do the job. Given this theory, two implicit hypotheses in every standard job specification are first that each person doing the activity is capable of performing it correctly and second that performing the activity as specified actually creates the expected outcome. Direct Connections – Toyota’s second rule states that there must be direct, unambiguous communication between each customer and supplier. Direct, unambiguous communication means that each customer and each supplier know the exact form and quantity of goods and services to be provided. The theory implicit in this second rule is that the supplier has the capacity to meet the customer’s needs as they are communicated. This theory leads to two hypotheses: (1) the customers’ requests will be for goods and services in a specific mix and volume and (2) the supplier can respond to the customers’ requests. The production process generates data through the observation of the customer-supplier interactions. Simple Direct Pathways – Toyota’s third rule is that all pathways must be simple and direct. This means that goods and services must flow to a specific person or machine. The underlying theory in this rule is that having simple and direct pathways will quickly reveal any source of variances in the flow of goods and services. This rule suggests two hypotheses: (1) every supplier is necessary and (2) any supplier not connected to the pathway is not necessary. Each day of production provides data to analyze the hypotheses. Was there a supplier who was not connected to a pathway? Obviously any supplier or activity not connected to the flow pathway can be eliminated. This rule eliminates noise from the system and means that there are no pooled queues of completed work from suppliers waiting for the customers to use. Instead, completed work leaves one activity and goes to the next activity. If one supplier has a high variance in deliveries, their variance will not be hidden b y the deliveries of the other suppliers. Scientific Method – Toyota’s fourth rule requires that employees be trained to formulate and test hypotheses about how they can improve their job activities. Toyota constantly encourages its workers to conduct experiments trying to identify a better method of performing their job activities. Conclusion In analyzing the Toyota Production System, we can deem that the company seeks to benchmark their operations to become more efficient. This is the reason why that the TPS is highly regarded among all companies in the world because it focuses on setting quantitative goals for improvement. TPS seeks to make Toyota’s manufacturing processes to be made simple and they are utilizing a scientific model that goes one step further it transforms their processes to be more dynamic. The Toyota management is also constantly gathering ideas for reengineering or improving a process become apparent after documenting the process. They are carefully examining the areas of substandard performance, efficient interaction between departments and finally making customers’ preferences a prime priority. The ultimate goal of TPS is to apply the ideal of one-piece flow to all Toyota’s business operations, from product design to launch, order taking, and physical production by eliminating the unnecessary waste. Thus, the TPS is an all-encompassing philosophy that includes product design, process design, equipment and facilities design, supply chain coordination, job design, and productivity improvement. If there is one â€Å"key† to successful implementation of TPS, it’s adopting a holistic approach. This is probably the reason why Toyota remains to be one of the most admired companies in the world because they implemented a system that cut all the unnecessary costs and produced faster results without compromising the product expectations of their stakeholders. References Cox, J.F. & Blackstone, J.H. Jr. (Eds). (1998). APICS Dictionary, 9th ed. Alexandria, VA: APICS. Dawson, C. (2005, Feb 21). A China Price for Toyota.   Business Week, 3921, 50-51. Hill C.W.L. (2004). Toyota, in C. W. L. Hill & G. R. Jones, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Krajewski, L.J., Ritzman, L.P. & Malhotra, M.K. (2007). Operations Management: Processes and Value Chains, 8th   ed. NJ: Prentice-Hall. Liker, J. (2003). Toyota Way. Blacklick, OH: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing. Monden, Y. (1983). Toyota Production System, Norcross, GA: Industrial Engineering and Management Press. Nakajima, S. (1988). TPM: Introduction to TPM, Total Productive Maintenance Cambridge MA: Productivity Press. Spear S. & Bowen, H. K. (1999, Sept-Oct). Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Harvard Business Review, pp. 96–106. Tajiri, M. & Gotoh, F. (1992). TPM Implementation: A Japanese Approach, New York: McGraw-Hill. Toyota Website. (2007). Retrieved November 10, 2007, from http://www.toyota.com/about/our_business/ Womack, J.P. & Jones, D.T. (1996). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, New York: Simon and Shuster. Womack, J.P. Jones, D.T. & Roos, D. (1990). The Machine That Changed the World, New York: Rawson Associates

New Business Venture: Forms of Business

A New Business Venture Going into business is not as easy as a snap of a finger. If it were, more people would have one and be successful at it. However that is not the case. There are many steps you must take and the best way to do that is in creating a business plan. Ebert and Griffin state â€Å"Before investing time and money, the starting point for virtually every new entrepreneur is a business plan in which the entrepreneur thoroughly develops and describes her or his business strategy and demonstrates how it will be implemented† (p. 7). In the scenario, I am an inventor who has created an idea that will be suitable for the daily needs of consumers. There are many issues that can hinder my progress as an entrepreneur. The scenario states that I lack the financial and management skills it takes to begin and even own my own business. For example, I am financially unable to â€Å"fund† the costs that will be necessary to begin any investments needed to begin this pro ject. I’m oblivious to how I’m going to begin production of my idea.I’m also aware of similar inventions that could possibly heed the sale of my own, however, â€Å"Innovations are not always new products† as stated by Ebert and Griffin (p34). There are three forms of business: sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. There are many advantages and disadvantages in the different forms of business in relation to my business venture. To begin with, as sole proprietor, I wouldn’t work under anyone and could be my own boss.I could make up the rules and could develop what I wanted based on my own ideas. However, considering I do not have the funds, it would be extremely difficult knowing that I would be â€Å"personally liable (or responsible) for all debts of the business† (AIU Online, 2010). Subsequently, there are partnerships. Ebert and Griffin state that a â€Å"partnership is a sole proprietorship multiplied by the number of partn er-owners† (p41). That’s great if I am feeling uneasy about my skills and do not want to go into something alone.I can use the skills of my partners and I also am backed up financially because the money will not be coming only out my pocket. As well as my chances of getting financing will increase. Yet, my and any ideas have to be agreed upon which can cause problems amongst all partners. Last of all, there are corporations. â€Å"Corporations are businesses that have property rights and separate status from the owners and they are financially liable (or responsible) (AIU Online, 2010).This form of business is great in reference to the amount of liability you are responsible for. As an owner, I am accountable for only the amount of funds I invested. However the disadvantage of this type of business is how extremely pricey it would be to start up. Between the three different forms of business, I would choose to go with partnership. With a partnership, all partners can p itch in ideas for the invention and we could come to a well developed conclusion. Also someone may have talents that I do not possess.Someone may â€Å"contribute a well known name or special expertise† as Ebert and Griffin state (p41). Responsibilities will be many, and with co owners not only will they be delegated out but, it will give all the owners more time to do other tasks that may not be business related. Since you are in a partnership your chances of getting financing may become easier. Loan opportunities are important for your business start up to be successful (Ebert & Griffin, 2009). There are several investors, programs, and banking facilities that are available to you.In conclusion, with business opportunities being countless, and the funds to start those, few, partnership is the best approach for this scenario. In order to be successful in business today funds are not the only thing one needs to possess. Having ideas, a business sense, and time management are needed as well. Take the time to make a business plan is the first step anyone needs to make when deciding to go on a business venture. Then you will know what your total investment is, who you want to involve, where you will begin and how you will finance it all. It can mean the rise or fall of your business.

Free Essays on The First Measured Century

The First Measured Century The television documentary â€Å"The First Measured Century,† illustrated trends in America, during the 20th century. The movie reflected the slow refinement towards equality towards minorities’ and women’s rights as well as roles in society. The narrator has a monotone distracting voice and mood that forced the audience into a daydream. Overall the movie tried to produce the facts of the book with about the same time it would of took to read the book. The movie showed the increasing abolishment of discrimination against minorities and women. The movie also illustrated how much we worked, when we worked, what we worked for, and what we bought with our money. The movie displayed how women worked in factories during World War II, which changed the role of women’s work from homemaker to factory-worker. Blacks and Hispanics found job opportunities increase, as the century grew older. The movie revealed how the Great Depression and World War II shaped the remaining century because it was the most influential turning point in the century itself. The movie was fine at showing the facts in illustrated charts and tables that were easy to read and understand, but the movie failed to bring the audience into the movie to really enjoy it. The first mistake the movie made was the selection of the narrator. He left the audience in a lackluster mood with minor concentration in the meaning of the movie. His monotone voice led to my dismissal of attentiveness of the significance that the movie portrayed. The movie should of used motion pictures instead of the slide-show presentation. This would have invited the viewers to experience the past personally. The movie needed better editing because it covered more information than it had time for. It tried to provide all the facts and trends that the book covered. Unfortunately it made the movie extensive and tiresome. A wise investment ... Free Essays on The First Measured Century Free Essays on The First Measured Century The First Measured Century The television documentary â€Å"The First Measured Century,† illustrated trends in America, during the 20th century. The movie reflected the slow refinement towards equality towards minorities’ and women’s rights as well as roles in society. The narrator has a monotone distracting voice and mood that forced the audience into a daydream. Overall the movie tried to produce the facts of the book with about the same time it would of took to read the book. The movie showed the increasing abolishment of discrimination against minorities and women. The movie also illustrated how much we worked, when we worked, what we worked for, and what we bought with our money. The movie displayed how women worked in factories during World War II, which changed the role of women’s work from homemaker to factory-worker. Blacks and Hispanics found job opportunities increase, as the century grew older. The movie revealed how the Great Depression and World War II shaped the remaining century because it was the most influential turning point in the century itself. The movie was fine at showing the facts in illustrated charts and tables that were easy to read and understand, but the movie failed to bring the audience into the movie to really enjoy it. The first mistake the movie made was the selection of the narrator. He left the audience in a lackluster mood with minor concentration in the meaning of the movie. His monotone voice led to my dismissal of attentiveness of the significance that the movie portrayed. The movie should of used motion pictures instead of the slide-show presentation. This would have invited the viewers to experience the past personally. The movie needed better editing because it covered more information than it had time for. It tried to provide all the facts and trends that the book covered. Unfortunately it made the movie extensive and tiresome. A wise investment ...

LEE Surname Meaning and Family History

LEE Surname Meaning and Family History Lee is a surname with many possible meanings and origins: The surname LEA, including the common alternate spelling LEE, was originally given to a person who lived in or near a laye, from the Middle English meaning clearing in the woods.LEE is possibly a modern form of the ancient Irish name OLiathain.LEE means plum tree in Chinese. Lee was the royal surname during the Tang dynasty.LEE may be a place surname taken from any of the various towns or villages named Lee or Leigh. Lee is the 21st most popular surname in America based on analysis of the 2010 census. Surname Origin:  English, Irish, Chinese Alternate Surname Spellings:  LEA, LEH, LEIGH, LAY, LEES, LEESE, LEIGHE, LEAGH, LI Where Do People With the Lee Surname Live? According to surname distribution data from  Forebears, which also brings in data from Asian countries, the Lee surname is most prevalent in the United States (ranked 15th most common in the nation), but most dense, based on percentage of population, in Hong Kong, where it ranks as the 3rd most common last name. Lee also ranks 3rd in Malaysia and Singapore, 5th in Canada, and 7th in Australia. Famous People with the Surname LEE: Robert E. Lee: Confederate general in the U.S. Civil WarShelton Jackson Spike Lee: American film director, producer, writer, and actorBruce Lee: Chinese-American martial artist and actorJoseph Lee (1849–1905): African American inventorJim Lee: comic book artist and publisher Genealogy Resources for the Surname LEE: 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames and Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown.... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2010 census? Lee DNA Surname ProjectThe purpose of this Lee DNA project is to bring together those genealogists who are researching the LEE surname and its variants (LEIGH, LEA, etc.), with an emphasis on the use of DNA testing. Lee Family Crest: A Common MisconceptionContrary to what many believe, there is no such thing as a Lee family crest or coat of arms for the Lee surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   Lee Family Genealogy ForumRead this archive of the former popular genealogy forum for the Lee surname to see what others who have been researching your ancestors have posted. This forum is no longer active. FamilySearch: LEE  GenealogyAccess over 9  million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Lee surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LEE Surname and Family Mailing Lists RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Lee surname. In addition to joining a list, you can also browse or search the archives to explore over a decade of postings for the Lee surname. GeneaNet: Lee  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Lee  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. Sources Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia.  Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings.  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993.Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow.  Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Information Systems Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Information Systems - Term Paper Example The company also appears in the Forbes Global 2000 as the fourth largest company in the world, considering further metrics. This is in spite of the company ranking 14th most profitable corporation in the US, also according to the Fortune 500 list. The success of this company comes from its lean management style, as well as the internal controls structures implemented within the organization. GE has in place a number of internal controls that enable it to operate both efficiently, as well as profitably. According to the latest 10 – K report from the company, it is evident that the company meets the rules and regulations criterion of the Internal Control Integrated Framework as established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and the PCAOB. This commission established a number of guidelines to adhere to while undertaking internal control processes and procedures, and as such, General Electric (GE) Corporation has to adhere to these provisions in order to be compliant with Internal Control Integrated Framework set by COSO and PCAOB. Initially, the essence of internal controls is to keep the company on the right course in order to guarantee the achievement of its mission, as well as ensure maximum profitability in operations. Furthermore, internal control systems are equally instrumental because they enable the company to minimize the level of surprises that they may encounter along the way. As such, internal control mechanisms enable the executive team of the company to deal appropriately with the rapidly changing economic field, as well as the growing competitive environments of trade, in addition to shifts in customer priorities and demands. Therefore, the administration of the company is better place to restructure the organization for future growth and development within the modern day dynamic business environment. The company ends up enjoying a significant wide range of benefits through it

Ethics in medical research case studies Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethics in medical case studies - Research Paper Example Believing that the procedure would succeed, the researchers strongly stand on their ground that no consent from patients was necessary (Johnmueller.org, 2010). Three years after the incident and after a year of probation of the researchers involved in the incident, one of them was elected president of the American Association for Cancer Research (Johnmueller.org, 2010). The proponent of this paper tries to assess the issues involved in the above case, how they were handled and might have been handled differently. Below are some of the ethical issues involved in the above case. Oral consent but no documentation The researchers were able to point out that oral consents were made but there was no documentation involved due to some certain reasons. This made it clear that the entire research was a one-sided approach which strongly emphasized only the main objectives of the researchers, without taking into account the rights of the respondents. Rules or guidelines on what is right and app ropriate conduct are all incorporated in ethics (Rumrill, Cook, & Wiley, 2011). Thus, there should be appropriate way to conduct research among the chosen respondents especially in medical research. Research involving human subjects includes legal and ethical considerations which primarily include human subjects’ protection, protection of privacy and the disclosure of risks involved (Kulynych, 2002). Furthermore, since 1980s epidemiologists and physicians adhered to the importance of informed consent in certain investigations (Regidor, 2004). In the case of Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital, researchers strongly argued that they were able to inform the respondents through oral consent due to certain reasons. One reason is that the respondents were indigent, which means it would be appropriate to explain everything to them in an oral approach. However, the case of Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital did not only include ethical considerations, but tied in it was legal accountability of the researchers. These two seemed to be integrated in the case of Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital and the researchers involved. Citing the significance of informed consent, the researchers were able to do at least somewhere in the right thing, but the problem in this approach is the lack of showing some documents to prove that indeed there were oral consents made on the part between the respondents and the researchers. Oral consent was appropriate at some point knowing that it still belongs to the category of informed consent. However, there still something lacking in it in the case of therapeutic research where there seems to some remarkable risks involved. Consent should be highly documented in this case so whatever may happen, there would be some legal basis that will point out to adherence to the ethical standards. Custom to perform dangerous medical procedures without consent As stated earlier, in medical research, the respondents have the right to express their consent in certain research investigations. This is considered to be sound and ethical especially if it has to be applied in the case of Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital. However, the said hospital had certain customary procedure that in the event of performing dangerous medical procedures, consent from patients or respondents will not be necessary because it can be waved. In fact, this is supported by some legal and ethical standard that at some point, the