Realm of Elements free essay sample

Music and the Impact on Youth in America free essay sample

Music and the Impact on Youth in America Film: 8 Mile Florida International college Synopsis 8-Mile Film The film starts in the tough roads of the 8-mile area of Detroit, Michigan. A youngster by the name of Jimmy tries to turn into a rapper. The situation is anything but favorable for him in view of the composition of his skin just as the way that he Is a much since secondary school gives indications of dissatisfaction and as such reprimands others for his misfortunes throughout everyday life. Set against Detroit Hip-Hop scene in 1995, Jimmy battles to discover his voice. The individuals of Detroit know 8-mile Road as the citys perimeter.It is additionally a mental partitioning line between what it is urban and what it is rural, among highly contrasting, between where Jimmy is and where he needs to be. In Detroit, endurance is vital, and for some in 8-mile, the enthusiastic life preserver is Hip-Hop music. We will compose a custom paper test on Music and the Impact on Youth in America or on the other hand any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Without sustaining guardians, Jimmy and his companions, the cool and the extremely alluring Future, idealistic visionary Sol, hopeful lobbyist DC Z, and the moderate yet consistent Cheddar Bob who shoots himself in the leg with his own firearm, have made a hover of kinship, and unbreakable security, their own family. Mine, 002) Jimmy and his group which they call themselves (Three One Third), live on any expectations of getting their enormous break while attempting to support a living at their regular impasse Jobs. As the nightlife springs up, Three One Third feed their fantasies in the Hip-Hop clubs where the citys best rappers fight each other with harsh rhymes, smooth words, and injurious comments that are used like weapons. In the rap fights words are intended to wound and triumph has a place with the snappy witted.No matter whom we are, regardless of where we live, fringes tie all of us yet its the music cap liberates and associates every one of us. (Adoring Hanson, 2002) Many of us are substance to live inside these bordersothers are essentially compelled to exist inside them. For Jimmy, the finish of just being compelled to exist arrives at end as he shows his expressive ability by winning the rap fight against the large terrible Free world. History of Hip-Hop Influence It has been very nearly a long time since the presentation of Hip-Hop.Over time, Hip-Hops become colossally well known, in America, yet in addition around the world. Hip-Hop has extended itself into music, style, ad, films, and the sky is the limit from there. Its given papers, and those related with Hip-Hop the opportunity to fan out into different endeavors and make their own brands, for instance Bad-Boy Records and Sean John. Additionally, it has permitted them to carry Hip-Hop to different networks through associations and pledge drives also. Starting today, Hip-Hop has become a worldwide marvel that ranges from music to a lifestyle.Hip-Hop has experienced numerous developments that a few people don't concur or relate to. It has affected a great deal of things on the planet from style to legislative issues. Hip-Hop music has been utilized as a way to make tunes that convey to some degree negatives messages, for example, ex, medications, viciousness, and the corruption of ladies (The Message by Grandmaster Flash), police severity (F**k the Police by NNW), neediness in America (Heard Me Say by Kenya West), and the debasement of ladies (Wonder W hy They Call You B*tech by OPAC) and so on. Change Cool Here, 2005) But Hip-Hop has likewise been utilized to advocate progressively positive messages about being anything you desire to be (l Can by Nas), a dad child relationship (Just the Two of Us by Will Smith), HIVE/AIDS mindfulness (Lets Talk About Sex by Salt-n-EPA), neediness and how ladies ought to be dealt with (Keep Yea Head Up by OPAC) and so forth. Generally, Hip-Hop has had a lot of acclaim and examination. The Hip-Hop economy increments at a bewildering rate. Hip-Hop is, as indicated by Forbes, an industry that accumulates 10 billion dollars per year. Sponsors consider rappers to be a generation.It is accounted for by the NYPD Group, that over half of individuals who buy Hip-Hop collections are either teenagers or in their initial ass. (Lealer, 2005) Young fans float towards the pictures that they see of the Hip-Hop way of life, the vehicles, adornments, costly apparel, and so forth. Thus, when seeing a rapper related tit a specific brand, they are progressively disposed to purchase a specific thing so as to be a piece of that way of life. For instance, when Busts Rhymes, Pass the Couriers Part Two was discharged, deals for Couriers cognac increased.For these reasons, rappers, for example, Jay-Z (Rockaway), Newly (Apple Bottoms), Sean Biddy Combs (Sean John, and different vodka brands, for example, Cirri) are instances of demonstrating a craving to make their own brands. Hip-Hop started in 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx in 1973. DC Cool Here, perceived as the originator of Hip-Hop, facilitated different gatherings at this area, cutting out a wide range of melodic sounds. Different things related with Hip-Hop incorporate beat boxing, breaking, break-moving, and numerous more.During the ass, Hip-Hop was not perceived by America, accepting that it was just a craze and that it would make the effect that it has today until the presentation of the tune Rappers Delight by the Sugarbird Gang, a gathering made out of Michael Anthony Wonder Mike Wright, Henry Big Bank Hank Jackson and Master Gee, amassed by Sylvia Robinson. A significant hit, Rappers Delight moved in excess of 8,000,000 units around the world. Before long, raps prevalence and style started to grow.During the ass, NNW (N***as With Attitude) was acquainted with the world as the embodiment of group brutality, sexism, and indulgent qualities. Anas verses were exceptionally unforgiving and direct, so a lot to the point that there melody F**k that Police raised worries among the FBI, notice them to look out or face inconvenience. This melody challenged police severity against minorities, this message was to some degree overlooked. It was basically a message to affront the Police Department, until it was later observed with the emission of the L. An uproars. Hip-Hop, throughout the years, has become well known and has figured out how to spread TTS impact all around the globe, affecting individuals with its messages and pictures somehow or another shape or structure. Hip-Hop has extended itself through the media with design, motion pictures, and worldwide fare. It has likewise permitted different rappers access to different endeavors, for example, acing, screenwriting, enterprise, and so forth. Notwithstanding this, numerous people keep on conveying their individual conclusions about Hip-Hop, some of them pessimistic, some constructive, and some are essentially undecided.Like every single melodic style, some are increasingly well known then others, and some before long don't have a similar they used to in those days. In any case, Hip-Hop will keep on staying inside the impact of the media, proceeding to affect the people inside and outside of the U. S. Also, while its prevalence may vacillate, won't vanish. Hip-Hops Influence on Education/Students Twenty years back you asked a kid experiencing childhood in the American School System what the individual in question needed to be the point at which they grew up and answers would fluctuate from space traveler, to specialist, to fireman, to President of the United States. Notwithstanding, times have changed!Teenagers are experiencing childhood in a general public where media has an extraordinary to be competitors, rappers/performers, or entertainers. These little youngsters are burning through broad measures of times tuning in to music or watching music recordings dolling the life of those rappers/vocalists in light of how the media embodies these people. People, for example, Drake, Ill Wayne, I-Cole, and Jay-Z are standard significant specialists that these youngsters need to imitate as a result of what they have and what they appear in these music recordings. What youngster or youthfu l grown-up not have any desire to be an effective youthful, rich, sex image? S in the expressions of the rapper The Birdman. I experienced childhood in the time of Hip-Hop where the music was tormented with hamburger between specific rappers. Rappers like OPAC shouted, West-side!!! as the hamburger between Hip-Hops most prominent rappers ever quarreled for most prominent rapper ever. With everything in life Hip-Hop can have an extremely amazing impact on society, yet it can likewise be damaging to those that hear it out. So damaging that the two rappers Outpace Shaker (OPAC) and Notorious B. I. G. (Christopher Wallace) were gunned down inside a multi month time range from one another.Rap music has changed from that point forward as the business has not had any desire to submit similar mix-ups. In a class of 1 slat graders at my school, I asked on whether they felt that Hip-Hop has been a positive impact in their lives. So as to comprehend their answers, one must comprehend their experience. The school is situated in Hialeah, where most families are from the poor class. Most understudies are of Hispanic cause and African American root. The class was separated as far as whether Hip-Hop had a positive impact or negative influence.Students in my group expressed that Hip-Hop communicates information is power and as such they should engage themselves and teach themselves so as to make an imprint in this world. Consider when Kenya West came out to the rap world ND expressed that he had dropped out of school and as such named one of his collections College Dropout. The understudies in my group expressed that training is not, at this point the conventional thought of heading off to a school or college. They felt that instruction could be hands on preparing, road information, and life lessons.The thought of training is not, at this point the check for estimating who is and who isn't effective. This guide to me was a piece repudiating in light of the fact that despite the fact that I concur that information can be procured from numerous points of view, the Jobs on the worldwide market require these degrees that originate from the customary college setting. The second point they focused on was that Hip-Hop has shown children from a poor financial foundation to convey their inventiveness not through the standard methods for workmanship, verse, and painting, yet through the us

The Easiest Way to See if Youre Spending Your Time Right

The Easiest Way to See if Youre Spending Your Time Right Are you frustrated by how you never clear anything from your To-Do list?Do you retire to bed disappointed condemning yourself for another day lost? Week and even month wasted? Do you look back and regret how you have lived the past years with nothing to show for it?Well, you have spent enough time beating yourself up. It’s time to correct the mistakes and live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. The good things is that you have enough time ahead of you to achieve your goals.The problem you have been facing has to do with your time management. It is the most common problem affecting productivity and it has some serious negative results. Check these statistics.Not to worry though, by the time you are done reading this, you will be able to see where you have been going wrong. Also, you will learn some great ways you can turn things around.SIGNS THAT YOU ARE NOT SPENDING YOUR TIME RIGHTIt may not be very easy to know when you are not spending your time right. However, when you consi der some of the things you usually do, you will easily tell.If you take some time to think of the habits you have formed, even unconsciously, you will see just how often you waste time. And the truth of the matter is that you usually know it when it happens. At least your sub-conscious mind knows it.Your mind knows the dreams and aspirations you have and wants to help you achieve them. As such, when it sees you doing things which don’t direct you towards those goals, it sounds an alarm. It is then up to you to exercise your willpower and make the right decision.Let’s look at some of these habits which sabotage you.1. You check social media first thing you wake upIt is a good thing to connect and want to know how your friends are doing. But if that is what you do first thing you wake up, then there is a problem.If this is your number one priority in the morning, you are simply not using your time well. Whether you are posting images and updates about yourself or checking what oth ers have posted, you are wasting a valuable resource.When you wake up, your mind is fresh. This is a good time to do some productive work. From the rest you had when asleep, your body and mind have rejuvenated and are ready to deliver. When you then task them with checking people’s social media posts, you are grossly under-utilizing them.What you think will take you just five minutes to do, may take up to one hour. As you scroll through what your friends and other connections have posted, you get lost in the information you are feeding yourself with.2. You are not doing what you should be doingYou most likely know that discipline is important and have expressed an interest in cultivating it. Recognizing that you don’t achieve much of what you plan for, you have learned some time management skills.To keep track of things and have a sense of direction, you create a To-Do list. But as soon as you embark on your work, you start engaging in activities which are not relevant to your g oals.For example, you know that you should be preparing a presentation for the departmental meeting set for next week Monday. But just because it is Friday afternoon, you keep checking with your friends on their availability over the weekend.Whereas you could easily do this after you leave the office, you find it easier to do it in the middle of your work. You may tell yourself that you are just planning ahead. But the lie in this consolation is in the fact that you are not planning for the bigger and more important event coming next week.This happens mostly out of boredom because time spent with your friends will certainly be more fun than creating charts and tables. But the question is, which of these activities would you rather focus on if you have the future in mind?3. You say “yes” to everyone and everythingAre you the so-called “nice guy?” Do you help everyone with (almost) everything?If so, then you are wasting a lot of your time. Everyone has things they should be do ing. And yes, no-one can stand alone; we need one other. But just in case you didn’t know it, no-one can live your life for you.You have your own life to live. Your own path to walk. You should be walking on that path and seeking the help of those who occasionally cross your path. But if you are the one available for everyone else, then you are definitely not on your path. At best, you are just wandering around the junction.You are yet to make a decision to pursue your goals. And if you have, then you are not determined to achieve them.Those who are pursuing something, get to a point and realize that they need help. And because you are not pursuing anything, you automatically become available to help them. Take note that “pursuing” here means working towards the set goals and not just having desires to achieve something.When you become available for everyone and everything else, when will you have time to do your own things? If you don’t have time to work on your own project s, when will your desires ever materialize?4. You wait for the “right time”If you find yourself waiting for the “right time,” then either of two things could be the problem. Either you are very unaware that there is nothing like the right time for something, or you are just struggling with laziness.In the first case, you may be a perfectionist. That in itself will not only waste your time but also your efforts. You should therefore seek to correct this notion of perfection as soon as possible before it ruins your life.If laziness is the problem you are battling, then you need urgent help. Talk to someone you trust and let them help you with this. He or she can act as an accountability partner to help you stay on course.Waiting for the right time so as to do something is a sure waste of time. The precious resource will be running out while you take no action. If you spend too much time thinking and organizing ideas in your head, you won’t ever implement them.As you get frus trated with the wait, you will likely start engaging in unproductive activities like playing online games. This serves to further derail you from the path you should be on.5. You are always watching the newsIt is important to be informed about what is going on around you. If you are in business for example, it’s necessary to know about the industry you are in, the new government policies, new international trade agreements etc.However, you cannot dedicate your time to getting information.If you are always learning, when will you practise what you learn? If you are always filling yourself with information, when will you put it into use?Always seeking to be updated is a trap for the unwary person. If you fall into this trap, then you will end up fighting the battle of perfectionism. You will be seeking the right amount of information before doing anything. In effect, you will move from having one battle to two.The important thing to note, is that news will always be happening. There will always be updates to be provided. More than that, the news makers are pursuing their goals. In reporting about an issue, the reporters are actually growing their careers. What are you doing sitting there watching them?6. You are constantly worryingWorrying can come in various ways. First, if you don’t manage your appetite for news, you will find that you are often worrying about something. News can also promote stress. This is especially so because a big percentage of the news is usually negative in nature.From insecurity and droughts, to other human evils like wars, life will always seem too bad if you concentrate on the wrong things. It then becomes difficult to concentrate on what you are doing as you move towards your goals.Worrying makes your mind busy with the wrong ideas. You constantly think of how to protect yourself instead of being creative to come up with solutions.Also, when you worry about something, it ultimately takes your mind captive and all you can think a bout is that particular thing. When your mind is taken over by this thing, thinking straight becomes impossible. In this situation, you hardly have any mental capacity to work on anything important.This is why stressed people often do shoddy jobs. Their minds are not on what they are working on. Although their hands may do what is needed, lack of concentration causes mistakes which affect the output quality.BENEFITS OF SPENDING YOUR TIME RIGHTTime wastage is very real and costly too. If you are set to achieve a goal, you should know that wasting time will keep you from it. Watch the below video and you will understand why every second counts. The difference between you winning that contract and losing it could be one hour of research about the client. The difference between you producing enough goods for your order and being unable to supply could lie in your production timelines.As you consider the importance of wise time usage, check out the below benefits of staying on course as far as spending your time is concerned.1. More productivityThis is obviously the biggest benefit of spending your time well. Not because your life’s focus is on working but because your life is all about making a difference. And the only way to make a difference in life is by being productive.Being productive means your life will add value to others. It means that you will do things which positively impact others. And in this positive impact, many will be influenced to do something similar. The the end result? A better life for all.Whether you want to improve your personal time management skills or that of your company, there is definitely a goal to be achieved. If it is business, you stand the chance to solidify your market share or increase it. If it is personal, then one great achievement will be self-discipline.If you stick to the proper use of your time, you will have an easier time deciding which activities to engage in and which ones not to. Because you are sticking to your decision on time usage, it will be easy to counter the distractions that so often come up.At the end of the day, the things you planned to do will all or mostly be done. Continuing in the same path, whatever is unfinished in one day gets finished the following day. This level of productivity will guarantee you success in all you do.2. Less stressDid you know that you can be stressed because of comparing yourself to others?Although it is okay to seek inspiration by reading about other people’s achievements, it is counter-productive to make comparisons. Unfortunately, this comparison can come about quite automatically unless you actively avoid it.You will find that you admire people who apparently have everything working for them. They have a successful career, a great family, wealth and an impressive social life. Then you ask yourself, “How do they manage it?” “How did they make it?”You probably don’t have a family yet. That makes wealth and a successful career the only major goals you currently have. But you still struggle. You seem to be having less time than the person who has a family and a career to worry about.Logically speaking, since you have less to do, you should be able to manage things effectively. In fact, if you are comparing yourself to this particular person, you should be having a lot of free time. Meaning you have the potential to be better than they currently are.Comparing yourself with others, especially more successful people, is one of the causes of stress. When you learn how to utilize the time you have, you will start achieving your own goals. This naturally cuts down on your bouts of stress.3. Fulfillment in lifeEveryone wants to live a fulfilled life, but few know how to go about it.As hard as it may seem, this is really simple to achieve. As long as you achieve your goals, you will have fulfillment. The problem comes in pursuing other people’s goals instead of your own.For example, when you watch TV a lot and start admi ring the life of some accomplished individuals, you start desiring their status. You will then want to look like them, dress like them and obviously, live like them.Although there is nothing wrong with admiring and desiring something good, but realize that their lives are different from yours. You have your own goals which you should be pursuing and you are specially talented for them.When you understand this and focus on it, you will realize that your time is of great importance. You will then cut back on clutter so that you can concentrate more.Once you achieve your goals, there can be nothing as beautiful as just resting in the joy of the moment. The joy that you get makes everything else fade, including the effort you put in as you worked towards your goal.You will not be angry with yourself, frustrated with life or feel the urge to prove a point. When watching other people succeed, you will be able to celebrate them and not envy them because you have experienced the same succes s.Moreover, you will also be able and willing to help others reach their goals. You can do this even without any compensation. This is why many successful people have no problem sharing the secrets and tips they employed to get their success.And by the way, helping others also adds to your fulfillment. Any time you help someone, you experience more joy from knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life.HOW TO SPEND YOUR TIME THE RIGHT WAYThere can never be a substitute for doing the right thing at the right time. And this is not wishful thinking but a fact that can be evident in your personal life.So how can you ensure that you are spending your time right?1. Put first things firstThe most important things in your life should always come first. This means you should have determined what these things are.Think about the things which define your joy and happiness. Consider the things which when you have them, you automatically enjoy more peace from within. These should b e the things for which you are willing to sacrifice your all.For example, if you value having a financially secure future, then you know that you have to work on some investments. For this to materialize, you may need to stick to home-made meals, which are cheaper. This is compared to the more expensive unhealthy alternatives you go for when in a hurry.Implementing this when writing your To-Do lists, you will ensure you have time for cooking so as to avoid restaurant meals. In a month or so, you will have money which can go straight into investment.2. Learn to say “no”This is very crucial. Everywhere you go, there will be people seeking to have you help them with some of their own work. Giving assistance is a good thing.But the problem comes when you are unable to say “No” to someone asking you to help them with something. In most cases, to avoid the guilt that follows saying “No,” you agree to help.And what is the result?You have no time to do your own work. When this h appens, then you will not be able to achieve anything. In view of your desires and goals, you are therefore not spending your time right.Not being able to say “No” mainly comes from low self-confidence and the best way of handling this situation is learning how to be assertive.When you are assertive, you know yourself and your needs thus can communicate them confidently. You will also start respecting yourself and earn the same from others. When there is respect, you will value your time and not be open to everyone every time.3. Practice time boxingTime boxing is a great addition to your To-Do list and that is exactly where it starts. You create your normal list of activities you want to work on for the day. After that, you allocate time frames in which the specific activities will be worked on. An example is shown below:ActivityTime1Breakfast8:00 8:30 AM2Attend Manages Meeting9:00 10:00 AM3Research Work10:15 12:00 PM4Make Sales Report12:00 1:00 PMWhen you do this, you take your lists of activities a step further towards actualization. You can set up reminders on your computer or phone so as to sound a notification maybe five minutes before the time specified. This way, you have some minutes to quickly finalize whatever is pending.Time boxing is a powerful way to learn how to spend your time right. It ensures you stick to what you have to do at the time you set to do it.4. Concentrate on the task at handThis is another key skill you have to develop. Concentration is not easy, but possible. Even if you work in a noisy environment. The noise may be from machinery or your colleagues who are always chatting during work hours.If at home or your own office, then noise could be any form of distraction. This might be anything from internet, radio and TV to the magazines on your desk. As long as there is something distracting you from what you should be doing, then it is going to make you spend your time the wrong way.Distractions provide short-term rewards to the brain. That is why you’re inclined to indulge them. Unless you purpose to stick to the hard work, your brain will pull you towards the easier and more relaxing activities.5. Form habitsHabits are the drivers of some of the activities you unknowingly engage in. When you form a habit, you do things without thinking much about them. If the activities are beneficial in nature, then you are guaranteed to enjoy the results.As you seek to spend your time wisely, it will be good to form habits which help you move towards your goals. These good habits will eventually replace the bad habits you’re struggling with.If you just seek to stop bad habits and not build new ones, you might struggle a lot with little or no success. This is because the habits have already become a part of you. It is as though they occupy a space inside you. If you want to remove the habit, there would therefore be an empty space left behind.For you to be successful, you have to come up with something that will fill that gap even before creating it. The trick in doing this is to create an internal perception that the old habit is bad, unworthy and one whose results are unattractive or even painful.The opposite of this should be the perception you form in your mind about the new habit you want to form. You should see the new habit as good, attractive and beneficial.6. As you wait for something, do somethingIn your schedule and To-Do lists, you will have activities which have some idle periods of time in between sub-activities. These “idle times” could be harnessed and converted to extra time for use during other activities.For example, you may be running a machine and at some point, you need to leave it to run with no interaction for five minutes. You can use these five minutes to do something else. Instead of sitting there and watching the machine do its work, you could start another activity.The new activity which you start should however be one that can be broken into small bits so a s not to become a distraction from the current task. If the activity is something like preparing a sales report, you could use the five minutes to get the sales invoices file from the cabinet. Or pull the sales data from the system.This way, you have done a part of the work so that you have a head start once you are ready to work on the particular task. Another way to benefit from this extra time is by stretching a little. This will be great for your health especially if you have been sitting all along. You could do something as simple as getting a glass of water or just quickly re-organizing your desk.One thing for sure, don’t think of the “extra time” as time that you can use to have some rest. You should not entertain the idea of resting while still working. You can organize your To-Do list in such a way that you have breaks. But as for resting, that should come at the end of the day.7. Do lessIn our society which is obsessed with being busy, there are many things to be don e. Just going through one day can make you feel tired, even if you have achieved your goals.When you consider the numerous activities fighting for your attention, you tend to forget the more important aspects of life. In the rush to do more, you can easily compromise on things like family and friends.The solution to this?Just do less. Not less in quality but in quantity.Depending on your lifestyle, activities and maybe even beliefs, this might be a major shift in your life.When you consider the most successful people, be they in art, music, technology or any other field, you will realize that they concentrate their efforts on fewer things than most people. They even have a dedicated time for resting. They know that rest is key to achievement.Yet the people working under them, seeking a quick way to become successful, get themselves busy doing many things. Oblivious to the dangers of multitasking, some hold several jobs at the same time while others concurrently work on several caree r choices.When your mind has too many things to focus on, it becomes stressed. The many things to be done also increase the chances that you won’t finish them all. Failing to finish them all, especially if it happens often, you set yourself up for frustrations. You end up thinking more about your perceived inabilities and get more stressed.On the other hand, having a shorter To-Do list increases your chances of completing all the tasks. This increases the possibility of ending your day happy and proud of yourself. You will also have time for a more social lifeâ€"something that is more important than success and fame.CONCLUSIONHaving learned how to spend your time right, make the necessary changes and commit to them. You will definitely enjoy the benefits of using your time well.

Curleys wife in the story Of Mice And Men - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 705 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/06/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Of Mice And Men Essay Did you like this example? Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. These lines are spoken by Winston Churchill. The novel is set in the farmland of the Salinas valley, where the author (John Steinbeck) was born. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Curleys wife in the story Of Mice And Men" essay for you Create order The story Of Mice And Men tells the story about two displaced migrant workers named George Milton and Lennie Small. The struggle between moving town after town just to find job opportunities in California during the Great Depression. Of Mice And Men shows us the self consciousness of George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, And Curleyrs wife. All characters at one time found themselves in a sense of loneliness and isolation. The importance of the American dream through the eyes of George and Lennie shows everyone to keep going if it doesnt work. George shows many different ways on how he wants to live his life. In the novel Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie have always dreamed of moving away and buying a house on a farm where George and Lennie can be alone and free. Unfortunately, George and Lennie had no money, making it sorrowful. George would always speak out loud to Lennie about how their dream farm is going to be, well said george, well have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens and when it rains in the winter, well build up a fire in the stove and set about it an listen to all that rain coming down from the roof(Steinbeck 16-17). George sees the future as an imagination through his brain of what he wants from his dream farm. Through the dreams of George and Lennie, in order to be successful, both need to work hard to achieve it. Next, George explains to his friends how they have nothing, since it is the great depression all they do is work. Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place. They come to a ranch an work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know theyre poundin their tail on some other ranch. They aint got nothing to look ahead to(Steinbeck 8). The hardest obstacle for George and Lennie are to keep on moving through life. Without parents or family to support you, morals in life will give a person a struggle into growing up. The motivation and dream that George and Lennie shows us is that they wont back down till they get what they want. Distant goals are often set as objectives to the most superior American Dream. Accordingly, it is not that the dream is isolated, but that people set unreachable, not pragmatic, goals. With Curleys wife, she always had this dream to become an appealing and stunning model and actress. She expressed her feelings to Lennie about how she cannot become either of those. Coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes .An I coulda sat in them big hotels, an had pitchers took of me(Steinbeck 44). Curleys wife only wants to be famous, she doesnt really care about Curly. The goal being an actress and a model shows that she cares about herself and no one else. Curleyrs wife dreams about what she wants but can she pursue the words she said. Life of Curleyrs wife is all imagination, caring only about herself means she only uses Curley for money and shelter. Curleyrs wife will do anything just to be a famous actress, getting a handler to star in movies is a start, Can she trust anyone? Curleyrs wif e states, a guy was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside dances with him. He said he was gonna put me in the moviesSoons as be got back to hollywood, he was gonna write to me about it(Steinbeck 88). The man that Curleys wife was conversing with about acting, he never talked to her again. Now, she talks about that dream and what she could have been. Overall, she wants to leave Curly, run away from the ranch, and have her own freedom. She wants to be famous and have a tremendous acting career.

An Analysis of John F. Kennedys Civil Rights Address

At the height of the Cold War, racial tensions in the United States were also reaching a breaking point. This era brought with it many of the seminal events in civil-rights history: the start of the Freedom Rides in 1961, the University of Mississippi’s admission of its first black student, and the Birmingham riots of 1963. While America struggled with the ever-present threat of nuclear war, this other kind of conflict threatened to undermine and demoralize America from within. It is 11 June, 1963, and the Alabama National Guardsmen are called to the University of Alabama to ensure the safe admission of two black students. That same afternoon, John F. Kennedy addresses the nation in an attempt to sooth flared tempers on both sides of the†¦show more content†¦World War II and the Nazi regime, though supplanted by fears of nuclear conflict and communism, would surely be a painful memory for many Americans. This allusion to the espoused ideologies of Hitler and his ilk w as calculated to associate segregation with those ideas. This is a further emotional appeal to the patriotism of Americans. His audience would be instantly repulsed by the idea of having such similarities to a despot and dictatorship, the antithesis of the very things which they love. It is also a logical appeal; to suggest that America would love her ideals and yet not adhere to them is illogical. By drawing attention to this, Kennedy further impresses upon his audience the need for change, and their duty in that change. During this call for change, Kennedy does not alienate his audience by putting himself above the need for reform. Throughout the text he speaks with an unequivocal tone, but also draws attention to his own status as a citizen. He greets the audience as â€Å"fellow citizens†; he uses inclusive words such as â€Å"us† and â€Å"we†; he goes on to describe the actions he personally intends to take. In this way, he is communicating to his audience that he is not absolved of responsibility because of his presidency, but equally responsible because he is equally a citizen of the nation. In theShow MoreRelatedThe Leadership Styles And Behavioral Analysis1532 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past—let us accept our own responsibility for the future† -John F. Kennedy, 35th US President. This paper describes about the Leadership styles and Behavioral analysis of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Elected in 1960 as the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy was the youngest man to hold that office. He was born on May 29, 1917, in BrooklineRead MoreThe Leadership Styles And Behavioral Analysis1687 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction â€Å"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer. 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Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society and Legacies of the 1964 Civil Rights Act are the twoRead MoreThe Great American Speech By Robert F. Kennedy2346 Words   |  10 PagesI am bewildered by the fact that one of the greatest American speeches ever written is unknown to the majority of the Ameri can public. A speech so powerful that it prevented a major city from rioting. The words of Robert F. Kennedy on April 4th, 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana still persists strong in the sight of his burial in Arlington Cemetery and in the minds and hearts of the individuals who got to witness this live. The speech was known to be so dynamic that some scholarly institutions like thatRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement Essay2043 Words   |  9 Pagesthe Civil Rights Movement? The Civil Rights Movement and President Johnson are closely linked in history. Though there were many other faces to the Civil Rights Movement, Johnson’s was one of the most publicly viewed and instrumental in its passing. 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Title IV declaredRead MoreAmerican Revolution and Study Guide Essay example5377 Words   |  22 Pagesdemocracy developing in colonial America Pocahontas Anne Hutchinson Benjamin Franklin Royal veto John Rolfe Roger Williams George Whitefield Lord Baltimore William Bradford John Peter Zenger Virtual representation Walter Raleigh John Winthrop Paxton boys James Oglethorpe Puritans Triangular trade First Continental Congress John Smith Separatists Molasses Act Sugar Act Francis Drake Pilgrims Scots-Irish Quartering Act Read More Affirmative Action Essay2990 Words   |  12 Pagestoday’s society or if such policy should be done away with, and, finally, possible resolutions to this dilemma, will be reviewed, beginning with the explanation of how affirmative action came about. In March l96I, less than two months after President John F. Kennedy took office, he issued an Executive Order (10925), which established the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Its mission was to end discrimination in employment by the government and its contractors. The order requiredRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War3899 Words   |  16 PagesThe American involvement in the Vietnam War created widespread division between the American people. There were many United States citizens who believed that the United States was involved in the Vietnam struggle for the right reasons, in order to prevent communism from taking over South Vietnam. There were also other citizens who believed that the United States was involved over there for the wrong reasons, due to the feeling that it was none of our business, and that it was considered another formRead MoreImpact of Consumer Protection Agencie in Nigeria15948 Words   |  64 Pagescare of themselves. Consumer Protection l aws are a form of government regulation which aim to protect the rights of consumers. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products—particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food. Consumer protection is linked to the idea of consumer rights (that consumers have various rights as consumers), and to the formation of consumer organizations which help consumers make better choices

Contemporary Society

Question: A significant debate in the field of sociology ? Answer: Introducation: A significant debate in the field of sociology in the recent years has been on the topic of whether religion and science are mutually irrelevant and scholars from across the world have responded to the argument. The common notion prevalent among the societies is that the war between theology and science is a coarse oversimplification and the topic is a deformed piece of propaganda[1]. The present essay compares and contrasts religion with science from the point of view of sociology. It explains whether science is a form of religion and whether religion and science are similar social constructions. The essay considers both the relationship between proof and faith and how irrational social factors influence every aspect of life. Religion and science are not to be regarded as enemies. However, they are not friends either. Religion and science are mutually irrelevant, and they are the representation of tow domain that is non-overlapping. The concept that individuals have in their minds is that religion is to deal with faith whereas science is to deal with facts and reality. Nevertheless, this concept is an unpleasant misrepresentation of religion and science. When the universe is being probed from the scientific viewpoint, there is a number of question and problems that are encountered which are predominantly philosophical in character. There is often a lack of scientific explanations for these questions, but theological perspectives may illuminate the solutions of the issues[2]. It is not true that religion does not contribute towards factual claims regarding any societal issues. The authors argue that religion makes various conflicting claims about the origin of humanity and how the universe works but all of them cannot be true. Religion and science are therefore just like two circles intersecting each other or rather partially overlapping each other[3]. The last few decades have been witnessing a thriving dialogue between theology and religion. To discuss about implications of science for theology is a matter of much speculation. The authors explore different aspects in which religion and science serve as collaborators in the search for truth. Firstly, religion fosters the conceptual framework for science to flourish in. Moreover, the complete scientific enterprise has the foundation on different assumptions that are not possible to be proved in a scientific manner but are guaranteed by the religious world view. Secondly, science has the power to verify as well as falsify claims made by religion. When religion puts forward claims regarding the natural world, there is a fine line of intersection with the sphere of science. Thirdly, science comes across different metaphysical issues that religion can help in solving. Science has often been known for an insatiable quest for an explanation. But the ability of science to hold up explanat ions is limited, and this is where religion can help. An individual who has the belief in God is possessed with a strong force of resources that can be applied for getting the ultimate explanations for any arising question. Next, religion helps in the adjudication between stories of science. The adoption of a number of scientific theories rests on philosophical presuppositions. In addition, religion has the ability to augment the instructive influence of science. Lastly, science establishes a premise in certain arguments where the conclusion has religious significance[4]. There has been an ongoing debate regarding the differences between religion and science and different issues set them apart. Though the differences between the two schools are far reaching, the similarities are also significant. Both religion and science have the basis on a never-ending search for more knowledge and wisdom. Many religions have a strong emphasis on the idea that researchers are to obtain more knowledge of wisdom and self and the earth for coming closer to the holy spirit. This can be done through prophecy, traditions and nature symbology. Likewise, science puts the emphasis on the need for researchers to understand and identify all forms of wisdom and knowledge to come closer to nature. This can be done through ideas, symbolism and textbooks. Keeping this in view, religion and science are found to be two different groups of thoughts with each having a possession of a rich pool of information beneficial for humanity and nature[5]. There that there are similarities betw een science and religion since each claims to be the real truth. In this regard, several elitists and purists view them to be mutually exclusive[6]. Many schools of thoughts have compared and contrasted religion and science from the sociological point of view. One of the fundamental differences between religion and science is that unlike religion science can undergo changes. Religion and theology do not undergo any changes once it has been established among the common. Science has theory and evidence, and they claim things to be true since they fit in different theories and evidence. However, with the emergence of a new theory ann previous theory can be proved wrong and scientists may consider not applying it any further. For instance, the theory of relativism of Albert Einstein has proved the laws of motion of Newton to be invalid outside the world. In contrast, religion resists changes completely. This leads to conflict between scientists and churches and epistemologies change often[7]. In contrast to science, religion is reliant on faith. A religious person believes in a lot of things that he cannot see. This is not the case f or science. Science aways demands proofs for supporting the theories and thesis[8]. A number of scientists have put forward rationales and theories that aim to prove that the universe is not created by God. For example, Stephen Hawking strives to prove that God has no role in creating the universe and makes God redundant. According to the famous scientist, if researchers can find the fundamental laws of nature then we can understand how God function and what are the implications being held for us. The search for the Holy one is almost over, and the behaviour of all basic particles and forces accounts for all origins in the universe. It is prominent that scientists contributing most enthusiastically to the disagreements are from the field of fundamental physics and evolutionary biology[9]. Many scientists belive that science is more advanced over the theories and religion, and there are major fundamental differences between theories and experiments. Even if a theory or belief is beautiful, it will get discarded if not backed up by any proof[10]. In conclusion, it can be stated that science and religion have their own cosmology, belief and sanctity and each has their own impact on the lives of people. The logic of religion and science are challenging in their own respect and an ordinary individual can believe in all of them. We are living in the advanced level of technologies and at the top of modernity; however, religion still has a major influence on our daily lives. The debate of which is more powerful religion and science would continue for ever, and from the social viewpoint new ideas may be coming up highlighting the interrelation between science and religion. There are many comparables between religion and science, and there are few reasons to place them totally at odds. Bibliography Clulee, Nicholas.John Dee's natural philosophy: Between science and religion. Routledge, 2013. Coleman III, Thomas J. "James W. Jones: Can Science Explain Religion?The Cognitive Science Debate."Review of Religious Research58, no. 3 (2016): 459-461. Greenway, Tyler S. "Can science explain religion? The cognitive science debate, James W. Jones." (2017): 1-2. Polanyi, Michael.Science, faith, and society. University of Chicago Press, 2013. Ross Jr, John.Science Religion: A Handbook for Interpersonal Dialogue, Discussion and Debate. Xlibris Corporation, 2016. Schtz, Gunter M. "Faith and Science: Friend or Foe?."Contemporary Physics57, no. 1 (2016): 104-109. Smart, Ninian.The science of religion and the sociology of knowledge: Some methodological questions. Princeton University Press, 2015. Stahl, Devan. "Building Better Humans? Refocusing the Debate on Transhumanism." (2017): 1-4. Warren, Elizabeth Curran.The Religion-Science Debate. AuthorHouse, 2016. Weldon, Stephen P. "1 Science and Religion."Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction(2017): 1. [1] Warren, Elizabeth Curran.The Religion-Science Debate. AuthorHouse, 2016. [2] Coleman III, Thomas J. "James W. Jones: Can Science Explain Religion?The Cognitive Science Debate."Review of Religious Research58, no. 3 (2016): 459-461. [3] Smart, Ninian.The science of religion and the sociology of knowledge: Some methodological questions. Princeton University Press, 2015. [4] Ross Jr, John.Science Religion: A Handbook for Interpersonal Dialogue, Discussion and Debate. Xlibris Corporation, 2016. [5] Stahl, Devan. "Building Better Humans? Refocusing the Debate on Transhumanism." (2017): 1-4. [6] Clulee, Nicholas.John Dee's natural philosophy: Between science and religion. Routledge, 2013. [7] Weldon, Stephen P. "1 Science and Religion."Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction(2017): 1. [8] Greenway, Tyler S. "Can science explain religion? The cognitive science debate, James W. Jones." (2017): 1-2. [9] Polanyi, Michael.Science, faith, and society. University of Chicago Press, 2013. [10] Schtz, Gunter M. "Faith and Science: Friend or Foe?."Contemporary Physics57, no. 1 (2016): 104-109.

Mini Company and Kaizen Essay Example

Mini Company and Kaizen Paper The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www. emerald-library. com IJOPM 19,11 Continuous improvement and the mini-company concept Jan de Leede and Jan Kees Looise University of Twente, The Netherlands Keywords Continuous improvement, Teamwork, Organizational design, Case studies, Kaizen Abstract The key issue of continuous improvement (CI) seems to be the problem of combining extensive employee involvement with market orientation and continuation of CI. In this article we review some existing organisational designs for CI on these three essential characteristics of CI. As an alternative to the shortcomings of current organisational designs for CI we present the mini-company concept, related to the sociotechnical concept of the self-managing team. The minicompany concept incorporates the three key issues: it has a self-propelling capacity for CI, involving everyone on the shop floor. A constant and market-oriented source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the mini-company. Results of an in-depth case-study are presented, showing some strong effects of the mini-company concept. 1188 International Journal of Operations Production Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, 1999, pp. 1188-1202. # MCB University Press, 0144-3577 Introduction Continuous improvement (CI) is viewed as vital in todays business environments. CI is one of the core strategies towards manufacturing excellence, as it appears, for example, within the context of world-class manufacturing (Schonberger, 1986; Schonberger, 1996) or total quality management (Hackman and Wageman, 1995). Furthermore, CI as a concept is nothing difficult to understand or new. Bessant and Caffyn (1997) define the concept as an organisation-wide process of focused and sustained incremental innovation Many tools and . echniques are developed to support these processes of incremental innovation. However, the difficulty lies within the consistent application of the CI-philosophy and the CI-tools and -techniques. As an organisation-wide process, CI requires the efforts of employees on all levels. Here, the CI-approach can be linked with long established traditions of employee involvement and employee participation. This line of research showed that the involvement of employees is not just a matter of the application of tools and techniques alone (among many others: Cotton (1993)). We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Other organisational elements such as organisational frameworks, leadership and management styles, culture, employee needs, values and norms are needed as well. Only an integrated approach will lead to lasting results. The key problem of CI seems to be the issue of employee involvement (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Berger, 1997). How to involve the employees of all levels in the process of market-oriented continuous improvement? What motivational aspects have to be taken into account in making CI a lasting routine? It is our statement that existing organisational frameworks do not address this issue to a satisfying extent. In spite of the recognition of the people orientation of kaizen (Imai, 1986) and the broad participation and high involvement of CI (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Berger, 1997), CI still needs thorough elaboration on organisational designs in which these aspects are realised. Especially, the problem is how to direct the CI activities to customer requirements and business strategy, while maintaining true employee involvement. In this article we want to contribute to this issue. We focus on the organisational aspects of employee involvement in CI. Therefore, the focus of this article is the shop floor. We present a concept that is derived from sociotechnical systems theory but is enriched by principles from Shop Floor Management (Suzaki, 1993). This concept is called the mini-company. The most important characteristic of the mini-company concept is the integration of the customer in operations. An interesting example of the mini-company concept is presented in the case of a manufacturing plant. We show its organisational aspects and its effects on the contribution of the operators in improvement activities. This article is structured as follows. First, we present a framework in order to identify the links of the core principles of CI with market orientation and employee involvement. Second, a brief review is presented of organisational designs of CI. We present another organisational design in the next section: the mini-company concept. This concept entails some strong points in which the reviewed organisational designs are weaker. The case of Philips CMA is an illustration of the mini-company concept and shows some good results with respect to the contribution of operators in product and process improvement. Finally, some conclusions are drawn from the case discussion. CI, market orientation and employee involvement We view organisations as configurations of at least three domains. Every domain is related to the outside world. Products are related to the market place, processes are related to technology and human capital is related to labour. The three domains are interrelated. Innovation occurs in each of these domains when we look at product innovation, process innovation and social innovation, but are interrelated as well (Looise, 1996). In Figure 1 this framework is presented in a schematic way. Based on this general framework, one can analyse the strengths and weaknesses of various new production concepts. Some concepts start from the interaction of market and technology, while others are rooted in the interaction between market and labour or technology and labour. For instance classical sociotechnical systems design talked about the joint optimisation of the social and the technical system (Trist, 1981). This is exactly the interaction of technology and labour. The modern sociotechnical approach is aimed at reduction of complexity, and tries to create efficient product flows (De Sitter et al. 1997). The concept of the autonomous group is still very important in modern sociotechnical theory. The main contribution of sociotechnical thinking is to design a structural basis for enhancing the quality of the organisation in line with an increase in the quality of working life and the quality of the industrial relations. However, this approach too is one-sided. It is too much of a design approach stressing the technological and the structural aspects of organising, but to some extent neglecting the market perspective and the social-dynamical aspects of organising. On company level a sociotechnical Mini-company concept 1189 IJOPM 19,11 1190 Figure 1. Organizations as configurations of product, process and personnel (after Looise, 1996) structure intends to enhance the companys responsiveness to the market, but a closer look at the design principles reveals that on the shop floor level the market or even the customer focus is far away. Let us return to CI and characterise CI using this framework. Following Berger (1997), we distinguish some core principles of CI by using the ideal characteristics of Imais kaizen (Imai, 1996). The first principle is processorientation. Before results can be improved, it is the central tenet of CI that processes must be improved. Good results will follow automatically when processes are both understood and controlled. The orientation is towards the activities and work methods and not towards the outcomes. The second principle is small step improvement of work standards. Imai states it very decisively: There can be no improvement where there are no standards (Imai, 1986, p. 74). For all major operations Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formulated and improved in an ongoing process of small improvements. One requirement of these SOPs is discipline. All employees have to comply with the established standard operating procedures. Adherence to standards is also stressed in a tool for CI called CEDAC (Fukuda, 1989). Another aspect of this principle is the never-ending process of kaizen. It is an ongoing process. This is symbolised in the PDCA problem-solving format for improvement: a wheel. The PDCA-loop itself is a standardisation of the improvement process. The third principle is people-orientation. CI needs the involvement of everyone in the organisation from shop floor workers to top management. Managementoriented, group-oriented and individual-oriented kaizen have their specific focus within the overall improvement process. In terms of our framework, one can see the primary focus of CI in the interaction of technology and labour. The first and second principle both refer to the process, while the third principle is people oriented. CI has an internal focus and looks for the policy, tools and techniques to integrate processes and personnel in order to improve operational and management processes. So, the market is not in the picture. However, CI is often integrated in broader management philosophies like total quality management (Hackman and Wageman, 1995). Then, of course the market orientation is included in CI. Organizational designs of CI: a brief review In this article we focus on organisational designs for CI. Which organisational mechanisms exist in literature to enable such an organisation-wide process of focused and sustained incremental innovation? We reviewed some specific CIliterature (Imai, 1986; Fukuda, 1989; Bailey, 1997; Berger, 1997; Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Lindberg and Berger, 1997), and analysed their descriptions of organisational designs. Here are the results. The prime source for CI is still the Japanese kaizen approach (Imai, 1986). According to Imai (1986) there are at least three types of kaizen: managementoriented, group-oriented and individual oriented kaizen. The managementoriented type is focused on the improvement of organisational systems, organisational procedures and machinery and equipment. The group-oriented type has its primary focus on the improvement of work methods, routines and procedures. Organisational vehicles to perform these improvements are quality circles and other small-group-activities using various statistical tools to solve problems. The individual-oriented type of kaizen is focused on improvements in ones own work area and resources. Most often, this is organised by traditional individual suggestion systems. Improvement in every type is aimed at cost reduction and the elimination of waste. Although CI and elimination of waste is something like second nature in the Japanese work system, CI takes place in parallel structures and is not integrated in normal work. Group-oriented kaizen occurs in small groups that are established to improve work methods or to solve specific problems. When management approves a solution, it must be implemented and all employees must adhere to the new standard. In sum, employees are performing their routine tasks and at regular times they participate in off-line small groups to improve their daily routines. Berger (1997) presents a typology of organisational designs for CI. The typology is based on two dimensions: basic task design (individual vs group tasks) and improvement task (parallel vs integrated). His typology (see Figure 2) presents five organisational designs: Mini-company concept 191 Figure 2. Bergers typology of organizational designs for CI IJOPM 19,11 1192 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Quality control circles. Wide-focus CI. Organic CI. Expert task-force CI. Individual CI. The two extremes of this typology are Organic CI and Expert task-force. Organic CI means that improvement activities are integrated in the operational multi-functional work groups. Improvements are not left to experts or staff for design and planning and they do not presuppose decision making by other authorities outside the group. On the other hand, expert task-force CI means that staff from outside the operational working group perform the improvement in a temporary parallel team. On the basis of their expertise, it is possible for worker representatives to participate in the parallel team. Widefocus CI is partly a combination of organic CI and expert task-force CI. It combines parallel process improvement teams and CI in (self-managed) permanent work groups. However, it is not experts from higher levels or other functions who are participating in the parallel teams but members of adjacent work groups at the same level. The parallel CI-teams are covering a complete process. To be complete, individual CI is organised in some form of an individual suggestion scheme. Quality Control Circles are similar to the Japanese group-oriented kaizen approach: a parallel structure where ideas are generated and tested and where senior management approves good solutions. Another typology of CI organisational designs could be found in Bailey (1997). She found three types of manufacturing team improvement programs in the semi-conductor industry: (1) Continuous improvement team programs. (2) Quality circle programs. 3) Self-directed work team programs. The first two programs are parallel structures with off-line teams. Operators participate on a voluntary basis to solve small problems (1) or on a mandatory basis together with direct supervisors to solve problems within a specific work area adopted by the operational work group (2). Within the third program (SDWT program) the work teams are held responsible for CI. The y create temporary teams with other staff or work group members for problems beyond their capacities. We see significant overlaps in these three sources on organisational designs for CI. The CI team programs and the QC programs of Bailey are similar to the QCC of Berger and group-oriented kaizen of Imai. In addition, individual CI of Berger is similar to the individual-oriented type of Imai. There is one major difference: both Berger and Bailey mention one type of CI (wide-focus CI, organic CI and SDWT programs) in which CI is integrated in normal day-today operations of the shop floor. Imai does not mention this kind of integrated group-oriented CI. The provisional conclusion must be that western literature on CI is providing more alternatives to organisational design for CI than Japanese literature does. What do we learn from this short review of organisational designs for CI? . Parallel versus integrated. We see a fundamental distinction of CIactivities parallel or integrated with routine tasks. Traditional kaizen activities are performed within parallel structures, like small-group activities, quality control circles, process improvement teams and so on. In Scandinavian countries (Berger, 1997; Lindberg and Berger, 1997) and in North America (Bailey, 1997) on-line CI activities are also in use. Here it seems that CI is seen as a normal, daily activity performed by work groups. On-line CI is made possible because basic task design  ± inspired by sociotechnical systems theory  ± is an enabling mechanism for such activities. That means that tasks are broadly defined, members of work groups are more functional and highly educated, work groups are responsible for a complete part of the process and last but not least work groups do have a lot of authorities. . Fragmented work versus team-based work. A second fundamental distinction is between fragmented and individual work design and teambased work design. Again, traditional kaizen activities are performed within highly standardised, fragmented work environments. Employees have to improve their own small task and related procedures. Unlike in team-based structures it is the team that is responsible for both operations and improvement of the team tasks. A good example of this basic distinction is the discussion on fragmented versus holistic learning in Volvo Uddevalla and NUMMI Fremont (Adler and Cole, 1993; Berggren, 1994). This can be traced exactly to the difference in basic task design. . Many options. Within these two fundamental dichotomies, we encounter in the reviewed literature and in practice (De Leede, 1997) many options and combinations. Combinations of parallel CI-structures and CI integrated in normal daily activities are possible, for instance for CIactivities with different focus. That is, integrated CI for problems within the scope of the work group, and parallel CI for problems beyond the groups scope. Individual CI can be used in combination with grouporiented parallel or integrated CI. In short, every context requires its own CI design. In addition, it is also a matter of management choice: how do we want to involve our employees in CI? . Source of improvement: management, staff or workers. Three sources of improvement are derived from literature. Problems are generated either by management, by staff or by workers themselves. These problem generators have to be constantly active to generate new problems or goals. We did not find a problem generator built into the organisational design to ensure a constant flow of issues to improve. This is a serious weakness in these organisational designs. Mini-company concept 1193 IJOPM 19,11 1194 In the remainder of this article we present a relatively new organisational design for CI: the mini-company concept (Suzaki, 1993; De Leede, 1997; Verkerk et al. , 1997). The mini-company concept builds upon several elements of the reviewed organisational designs. It is developed to address the major shortcoming of the existing designs in generating a continuous source for improvement. That is the special feature of this concept: its self-propelling capacity. A dynamic and constant source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the work groups. The mini-company concept It was Suzaki (1993) who coined the term mini-company for work groups who are responsible for their supplier-client relationships. Each work group within the company has its own process. The next process is viewed as the customer and the previous process is viewed as the supplier of every unit. Involving the chain of processes is potentially powerful in cases where improvement and innovation is needed, since it is known that diverse contacts outside ones own group enhance innovation ideas generation (Pelz and Andrews, 1966). In fact, it is an external criterion that stimulates improvement and innovation. For our purposes, here we adapt this insight from Suzaki and transform it into a European concept of team-based work: sociotechnical systems design (Trist, 1981; De Sitter et al. 1997; De Leede, 1997). We use the term minicompany as a metaphor in thinking on the organisation of the factory (Verkerk et al. , 1997). The word mini-company provides us with ideas like ownership, commitment, entrepreneurship, client-supplier relationships. The structural basis of the mini-company is similar to the sociotechnical view on the semi-autonomous group, albeit complemented by the concept of client and supplier relationships. The mini-company has four characteristics, distinct from sociotechnical semi-autonomous groups: (1) The mini-company has a name and a mission statement. Both are formulated by the mini-company itself. (2) The mini-company identifies its clients and suppliers and is responsible for managing its relationships. While external clients and suppliers are not always appropriate for having direct contacts with the mini-company, the internal client-supplier relationships are in most cases suitable. (3) The mini-company is responsible for its own improvement programme. Based on its contacts with clients, suppliers and management, the minicompany is able to identify its weak points, which are due for improvement. 4) The mini-company presents its name, mission, members, customers, suppliers, improvement programme and results on display walls. This has been called glass wall management (Suzaki, 1993). Everyone, including a stranger, must be able to see and understand the process and the actual state. The mini-company process is the dynamic side of the mini-company concept. It represents a cycle in which in every period the name and mission are un der discussion, and in which in every period the relevant clients and suppliers are identified and visited. These visits are oriented at overall assessments of the mini-company. In realising the cycle of the mini-company process every time the requirements of (internal or external) customers and suppliers are made visible for the mini-company by itself. These requirements are the inputs for the improvement programme. At the end of each cycle, the results are reported to management. Since every cycle in the end is restarted in fact this is a regular evaluation of the functioning of the mini-company on the basis of market requirements. Case study design The question now remains how this concept performs in practice. What is the contribution of mini-companies to improvement? Therefore, we next present a case-study of the application of the mini-company concept in a Philips business unit. The case-study design consisted of the following methods: document analysis (notes and company reports), observation techniques (one of the authors took part in the action team program and did a two-week internship on the shop floor) and interviews (a total of 30 interviews with all-level managers and operators). In addition, two surveys have been carried out on some socialdynamic aspects on teamwork and on the effects of the mini-companies. The first survey (N=102) was answered by 80 per cent of the (first) operators. The second survey was answered (N=23) by 50 per cent of indirect staff. The time span of the case-study was from early 1995 until mid 1996. Case Philips CMA Market and product In 1992 Philips Components decided to start a new business unit. The new business unit was to be held responsible for the development, production and marketing of Ceramic Multilayer Actuators. It was located at Roermond, The Netherlands, because there was available both an industrial infrastructure and a development laboratory for ceramic and multilayer technology. The market perspectives were promising from the start. The demand for the main product (CMA) was rapidly increasing. However, the market for ceramic multilayer actuators is very dynamic. The product is an important device for ink-jet printers. In fact, Philips CMA is a sub-contractor for a company operating in the turbulent market for ink-jet printers. Short time-to-market, high flexibility and very tough competition are typical for this market, and these are part of the market situation of Philips CMA. The dynamic situation caused by the market is even increased by the complexity of the product. CMA is a new product, applied in a new technology. The product itself was not completely ready for production. Further development was needed in co-operation with the (Japanese) customer. Co-development  ± both in co-operation with the customer Mini-company concept 1195 IJOPM 19,11 1196 and some suppliers  ± was needed. Only then could some technological problems be tackled. These characteristics of the market and the product do imply high demands on the organisation. At Philips the solution has been sought in concurrent engineering  ± that is, development and production at overlapping stages. The product is in production, though not fully developed. Test series are made in the shop floor, not in the laboratory. This implies a very strict co-operation between production and development. In addition to the concept of concurrent engineering, continuous improvement is needed to ensure higher yields, better quality and timely delivery. To cope with the growing demand for the product, it is necessary to enhance the production capacity. Design and implementation of mini-companies at CMA The mini-company concept was introduced in 1994, after two years of operation. In fact it was no more than an intensive continuation and formalisation of former management policies. In the years 1992 ±1994 the business unit was growing from 25 to 125 people. The quality and the yield of the production had to be enhanced dramatically. The general approach was characterised by a focus on process control and step by step improvement. No breakthrough by one big innovation, only many small improvements were attained by an interdisciplinary approach: many joint efforts of development, factory engineering, repair and maintenance, quality department and purchasing. In addition to this, operator involvement was arranged by teamwork. Many so-called Process Inventory Teams dealt with problems for one specific part of the process. Members of the teams were one developer, one factory engineer, at least one first-operator and, depending on the problem, other indirect people. The results of these teams were very promising. Quality and yield increased, and products could be delivered to the customers. In 1994 the specifications of the customers were set even more tightly. Again, the organisation faced a challenge. Then, factory management introduced the minicompany concept. The structural basis of the mini-company is the unit structure, already designed on sociotechnical principles. The units are responsible for a complete part of the process, which is well identified. The boundaries of the units are carefully chosen, based on the principle that the number of internal relationships exceeds the number of external relationships. The mini-company is designed to be the unit. It is not their own shift, it is not the entire factory, but it is the unit with which they should identify themselves. In five shifts the operators make one discernible product, which is a distinct phase in the process. The production structure consists of five units: foil casting, screen printing and pressing, furnace processes, dicing, visual inspection and packing. The hierarchy within Philips CMA includes four layers: general manager, factory manager, unit leader and operator. Every shift has one first operator and several other operators. Operators are working in a five-shift schedule. There are three unit leaders, who have a span-of-control varying from 16 to 55. See Figure 3 for the organisation chart. The units, i. e. all operators including the unit leader, form a mini-company. They have followed a training programme. In this programme, the minicompany philosophy and the mini-company process was explained. Also the improvement techniques were trained. The mini-company process The mini-company process incorporates two separate cycles, a nine-step-cycle and a seven-step-cycle. The nine-step-cycle is a long-term cycle lasting one year. This cycle is a modification of the cycle mentioned in Suzaki (1993). The most important activities of every cycle are the formulation of the mission statement, the identification and interviewing of suppliers and customers, and the design and implementation of an improvement programme. Based on the interview results with suppliers, customers and management, the minicompany itself sets the priorities of the needed improvement activities. Management has to affirm the improvement programme, and demands thorough arguments; however, it never happened that the programme of the mini-company was changed by management. In this way, management values the contribution of the mini-companies on the basis of solid arguments. The improvement programme is realised by improvement teams, so-called action teams. These teams carry out the seven-step cycle, a short-term cycle, which is in fact an extended version of the plan-do-check-action circle. The planning stage consists of four phases. The action teams consist of one operator of every shift in the mini-company and  ± depending on the problem  ± several indirect people from quality, factory engineering, development, etc. The chairman of this action team is in most cases the unit leader. Some examples of improvements realised by the mini-companies are the following. Several mini-companies improved their shift change procedures. One mini-company changed the layout of their process. Another mini-company tried successfully to reduce the frequency of some maintenance activities. Also Mini-company concept 1197 Figure 3. Organization chart Philips CMA IJOPM 19,11 the registration procedures to the computer-aided-manufacturing system were reduced. Another action team focused on a specific quality problem and identified the hidden process parameter causing the problem. Effects What are the results of this application of the mini-company concept? We only resent four effects: (1) the contribution of the mini-companies to improvement; (2) the number of contacts with internal and external clients, suppliers and experts; (3) the power relations within the business unit CMA; (4) the trust relations within the business unit CMA. The results presented in this section are based on the two surveys, respectively among the (first) operators (N=102) and the indirect employees (N=23). The results are supported by the interviews and documents. First, we give an indication of the kind of contribution the mini-companies deliver  ± three different types of innovation. We distinguish between small improvements, rather big improvements and big innovations. Improvements are changes within the existing process, while innovations are changes resulting in radical new processes. In Figure 4 the results are presented, based on the survey among the (first) operators. A similar picture arose from the survey among the indirect employees, with one exception. The indirect employees indicated that the operators usually delivered valuable observations and experiences also in the case of big innovations. According to them, this is a prerequisite for a smooth innovation process. They view the operators as the eyes, ears and hands of the developers on the shop floor. The conclusion is that the mini-companies in most cases deliver a contribution towards improvements, and they play a relatively small, though valuable, role in innovations. Their role is in the co-operation with developers in Failure Mode and Effect Analyses in the assessment of ergonomic aspects of new equipment, in the design of the lay-out of new workplaces, in the support of new tests and samples, and so on. Another effect in this area is that the number of improvement actions increased so much, that the department of 198 Figure 4. Contribution of minicompanies to improvements/ innovations (percentage of (first)operators (N=102); 0=no contribution, 1=contribution) technical maintenance was not able to respond to all requests for assistance. This seems to be an indication of the self-propelling characteristic of CI in a mini-company process. A second effect of working in mini-companies is the number of contacts with internal and external customers and suppliers. Figure 5 shows the results of the survey, indicating the percentages of (first) operators who have regular direct contacts with the relevant outside world. Included are also the contacts with internal and external experts. It is obvious that most operators have regular contact with internal clients and suppliers and internal experts (developers, factory engineers, technicians). External contacts are not usual. The third effect of the mini-company concept is the change in the power relations. We have measured the power relations with the control graph, an instrument developed by Tannenbaum (1968). In Figure 6 the control graph of this case is presented. This control graph is based on the survey among the (first) operators (N=102). This control graph shows high levels of influence among all hierarchical levels, as perceived by (first) operators. In the words of Tannenbaum (1968), this indicates a large total amount of control, which is an indicator of effectiveness. The fourth effect is on trust relations. When we view the relationships between hierarchical levels, it is not only power that comes in. It is also a matter of trust. In this case 85 per cent of the (first) that they had operators stated to have trust in the management, which is quite high. Both observation and Mini-company concept 1199 Figure 5. Internal and external contacts of the minicompanies (N=102) Figure 6. Control graph (N=102; 1=very little influence, 6=very much influence) IJOPM 19,11 interviews confirmed this result. These high trust relations are in line with the successful implementation of the mini-company concept and in the real changes in management style the operators report. Discussion and conclusion We interpret these case results as a good illustration of the mini-company concept. In the case, this concept proved to be implemented carefully, with a balanced attention to both structural and social-dynamic matters. This appears to be crucial: it is not only the structural features of the mini-company concept that are important, but also the social-dynamic factors like power and trust of the mini-company process. The control graph of the Philips case illustrated this. Some authors (Van Haren, 1984; Van Oostrum, 1989) have elaborated on the reasons for the relation between total amount of control and effectiveness. They view the relationships between the hierarchical levels as exchange relations in which power plays an important role. The higher the total amount of control, the higher the intensity of the exchange relationships between the levels. It is necessary to have information exchange and joint decision making to increase this intensity. This joint decision making, and at least the information exchange, is a prerequisite for effectiveness in many situations. They specify also some situations in which it is not effective to have a high amount of control. In short, in standard situations this is not appropriate, but where uncertainty plays a role, it is wise to incorporate in decision making processes as much knowledge and as many stakeholders as possible. In cases of improvement and innovation, uncertainty by definition plays a role. Therefore it is important to create a structure fostering intense exchange relationships between the different hierarchical levels and between the different groups in production, development and support. The mini-company concept is an attempt to provide such a structure. How can we characterise the mini-company concept in the light of our theoretical review of organisational designs for CI? First, the mini-company concept embodies parallel CI-activities as well as integrated CI-activities. Integrated activities include the job consultation mechanisms with all minicompany members and the awareness of all employees in the need for improvement and client orientation. The parallel CI-activities strengthened this awareness by circulating the progress of the action teams by shift representatives. In addition, the glass wall is the medium for information sharing. Second, the mini-company concept is based on a team-based work design. The sociotechnical analysis created the boundaries of the minicompanies, indicating a natural group-orientation of the involved employees. The combination of these two characteristics implies the hybrid nature of the mini-company concept in terms of Berger: the most dominant type is widefocus CI, but for some activities this is combined with expert task-force CI and organic CI. Third, the factory management of this case strongly advocates a true involvement of employees in improvement activities. This is illustrated in the positive power and trust relations. Also, the co-operative 1200 working styles of operators, factory engineers and developers are illustrations of this consistent approach of operator involvement. Fourth, the mini-company concept incorporates the self-propelling capacity for improvement: from clients, suppliers and management a constant stream of ideas for improvement is regenerated in every cycle. Particularly at this point, the mini-company concept seems to be powerful, compared to other organisational designs for CI. This is in line with old findings like Pelz and Andrews (1966). Our final question is this one: Is the mini-company concept as an organisational design for CI the promising bridge between day-to-day operations and improvement activities, with a strong market orientation and with true and sufficient employee involvement? The answer is yes and no. On the one hand, the concept offers promising elements in the integration of market and client relations. The mini-company process ensures a constant connection with clients and suppliers, which starts a continuous source of improvement possibilities. 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