A Look at Graceland Mansion, Home of Elvis

Galileo Galileis Contributions to Scientific Advancements

Galileo was probably the most appreciable astronomer, mathematician and scientist of his time. In fact his work has been very essential in many scientific advances, even to this day. With things like improving the telescope and the discovery of the heliocentric orbit of Earth. Galileo had many other substantial discoveries that also had a great effect on astronomy. In the early seventeenth century,Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist, mathemitician, astronomer, and philosopher, is known for improving the telescope and his support in Copernicanism. He was known as Galileo. He has many different names for his brilliant work and observations in astronomy. Some of his many names are â€Å"father of observational astronomy†, the â€Å"father of physics†. His main two achievements were improving the telescope and observations to support Copercanicusm. Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 to Vincenzo Galilei and Giulia degli Ammannati in Pisa, Italy. His father, Vincenzo, was a musician. His family was not rich but they were of nobility.Galileo never married but he did have a brief relationship with Marina Gamba. He met her on one of his trips to Venice. She lived with Galileo and they had three children. In 1610 he moved to Florence, where he took a position at The Court of the Medici family. In 1581 Galileo went to study at the University of Pisa. His father hoped he would study medicine there, but Galileo studied physics. He mainly studied at school and he soonShow MoreRelatedHistorical Characters Of The Astell, Galileo, And Florence Nightingale1753 Words   |  8 Pagesimagination, but then he suggested me to choose three people from the past who I would like to meet and he would prove me that by bringing them into our time. I chose Mary Astell, Galileo Galilei, and Florence Nightingale. He asked why I picked these historical characters. My answer was obvious. The people like Mary Astell, Galileo Galilei, and Florence Nightingale left their enormous marks on the history by their outstanding works, ideas, and intellections. For me to meet them, to have chance to talk to

What can the public sector procurement learn from the private organisation procurement teams Free Essays

Simply viewed, purchasing is ultimately purchasing. Procurement specialists in the two sectors and even from the third sector of charitable, non-profit, and volunteer groups order their purchases from the same suppliers. Both the private and the public sectors pursue value for money. We will write a custom essay sample on What can the public sector procurement learn from the private organisation procurement teams? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Towards this end, they plan responsible efficient and flexible procurement systems. However, few differences draw the distinction between the two sectors. This is reflected in the radically different dynamics in the two sectors’ operations. As the paper unfolds, it emerges that there is a lot which the public sector can learn from the private sector if it is to achieve the same level of success enjoyed by the former (Barrett and Hill, 2004). The volume or size reflects on one of the commonly touted differences in the procurement sectors (Braczyk, Cooke and Heidenreich, 1998). However, it is inevitable to examine differences in reporting, competition, trade agreements, accountability, corporate culture, tendering processing, awarding tenders, and performance. It is also important to look into professionalism across the two sectors. The commonality or difference in skills is critical also. Ethical considerations across the two sectors are equalled examined with a view to raising valuable information whether the public sector has something to learn from the private sector or not. The public sector management environment is heavily regulated by policy, legislation, and specific processes while on the other hand, the private sector remains more receptive to enterprising and entrepreneurial dynamics as exhibited by their differences in corporate culture (Braczyk, Cooke and Heidenreich, 1998). It is true that the private sector is also subject to certain rules and regulations but the difference rests on the nature of the regulations. The entrepreneurial dynamics are apparently an absent phenomenon in the public sector apart from few instances. This entrepreneurial focus is an area where the public procurement sector needs to learn and improve on based on the private procurement sector model. However, the sector may be impeded by the political influence, as the partisan nature of political processes is influential. The professionals who work in the public sector procurement need significantly more than the regular amount of diplomacy, patience, communication skills, and political intelligence if it is to prevail (Barrett and Hill, 2004). On the other hand, private sector procurement operates in more advanced challenges in the form of bigger risks, more recognition, among other issues. It is on this premise that the view that private sector pays more recognition to competence as key towards success in comparison to the public sector is held. The public procurement sector should minimise the diplomacy and political leanings and focus on competency just as the private procurement sector. Such focus should ensure bigger and attractive returns. Accountability and transparency present other areas of concern in reference to procurement (Barrett and Hill, 2004). This is influenced by the fact that the stakeholders in the public sector procurement come from diverse circles and do not stand a meaningful chance in influencing it. The stakeholders largely composed of taxpayers, clients, elected officials, and in other instances; vendors, underscore this realization. On the converse, the private procurement sector employs up-to date mechanisms to ensure accountability ad transparency in engagements. Most private procurement entities also focus on specific markets, an aspect that the public procurement sector can only attain through the establishment of specialised separate units to address the various aspects of procurement demands. It is thus not surprising that before procurement decisions are made, it is preferred that consensus is struck. Public organizations thus focus on consensus building rather than working competitively (Braczyk, Cooke and Heidenreich, 1998). Public procurement officers are as a result under an obligation to work cooperatively as opposed to doing so competitively. This is further under-lied by the idea that public enterprises engage in the sharing of some information, as it is a requirement in most public organisations. Ontario Public Buyers Association offers an example of organisations, which operate under these conditions. Consensus building is desirable towards appeasing contending stakeholders but this holds limited economic sense. This holds true since consensus building does not factor in the essence of time and other factors, which influence business in a positive manner. As proposed earlier, public procurement should be split into specialised units to deal with specific issues in procurement as it happens in the private sector. The freedom and flexibility to conduct business is absent in the public sector (Earl, 2002). On the converse, the private sector enjoys the presence of these attributes, which constitute the dream pursuits of every buyer. Flexibility is examined in reference to the kind of red tape associated with the public sector procurement. The procedural rules negatively influence the procurement process as the lengthening of the exercise proves an unattractive proposition. The red tape as a result puts constraints and unnecessary demands on the process of procurement. Red tape was intended to ensure observance of set rules ad regulations, but this s no longer congruent with emerging trends in business. As a result, doing away with the unnecessary procedural demands is desirable if the public procurement sector is to make progress. The absence of purposeful negotiations, discussions, leniency measures further compounds the shortcomings associated with public sector procurement. It is notable that public enterprises do not take their time in responding to issues like requests for proposals. Precision and detail must be presented to every relevant department before a decision is arrived at. On the converse, in the private sector procurement, the clients’ issues are keenly attended to as required. In the entrepreneurship spirit, private sector procurement allows for the negotiation of deals on the basis of fees and terms of work which appeal to both parties, as a result, growth in private procurement in tandem with quality of work (Earl, 2004). The focus is on building a good and long lasting working relationship between customers and private organizations. In the private sector procurement, if a company or client secures a satisfactory engagement, when similar projects emerge, the need to go through the same sieving exercises are not considered. The basis upon which tenders are given rests o the previous records of accomplishment. The solid ethical and moral aspects, which governmental organizations lean on, account for some unnecessary engagements. Public sector procurement demands that adherence to rules and procedures are unquestionable (Edquist, 1997). The formal protocol on responsibility, liability, accountability, and the need to protect government information constrains public procurement. On the other hand, the private sector procurement extends freedom on contractual engagements. The private sector clients focus on the market share, competitiveness, and visibility, fees, and contracts act as a measure towards achieving these goals. The moment corporate professionalism is established with a private sector client, the credibility set is useful in determining fruitful future engagements. Of late, governments are embracing e-Procurement; this embracement is based on the realization made concerning the beneficial attributes arising from both administrative and cost reductions associated with such in the private sector (Malerba, 2002). Tendering platforms, desktop purchasing systems, and e-marketplaces, features common in private sector procurement have been adopted in the public sector procurement. This is a positive step, which should pave way for similar improvements towards the promotion of efficiency and effectiveness. The nature of public sector procurement goes through rigorous bureaucratic procedures based on institutional demands (Miles, 2004). The regulation process of public procurement, which witnesses different roles played by international, national, and regional authorities, implies that this type of procurement faces a number of hurdles to overcome. This regulation is meant to ensure competition and transparency in the procurement exercise. To cite an example, public procurement in the UK has to be consistent wit the European Union procurement guidelines, which offer a framework of rules on the issue. These rules and regulations deter EU member countries from distorting competition in public procurement on the basis of geographical or national basis. The creation of the European market provides an avenue for getting value for money in the procurement sector. Apart from adhering to the European Union policy on public procurement, the public institutions must also comply with the requirements imposed by the government as reflected by the Value for Money policy. This policy demands that procurement choices should be premised on whole life cost assessment as opposed to lowest price only. On the basis of this synopsis, it is clear that government procurement is diverse in respect to what it has to cover. This extension and complexity implies that achieving efficiency and lower costs is hard to make operational. Reducing the complexity characterising public sector procurement is thus a challenge. The tendering process is designed in a way that ensures that work done by the government is given out fairy. The government considers the pricing and the nature of the entity offering the required services. The aim is to ensure that tender processing is fairly done based on governmental policies. Though important, pricing is not the major focus in public procurement (Malone, 2001). On the other hand, private sector tendering focuses on fairness and effectiveness in reference to competition. This is based on the drive towards achieving the most cost-effective outcomes in the tendering process. The primary focus is the cost effect, an attribute the government needs to learn from the private sector tendering (Malone, 2001). The political elite holds a lot of power when it comes to public tendering. This is partly due to the fact that the political class hold executive powers in country leaderships. On the other hand, in the private sector, key officials of companies who hold the required expertise holds the power of making decisions on the tendering processes (Malone, 2001). The public sector should learn from the private sector by fully authorising the bureaucratic experts to control the tendering process. If the public sector is to be in a position to operate competitively, it needs to posses buyer power. As in the case of the private buyer power, the public purchasing power may rise from the size of demand in reference to the public sector against the total market demand or due to strategic importance (Cohen and Levinthal, 2006). The size of the market however big, it may be affected by the uncoordinated and fragmented approach by the public procurement sector. This uncoordinated approach lowers the purchasing power of the public procurement sector. This presents one area the public sector needs to learn from the private sector. Towards this end, the public procurement sector should learn how to coordinate its activities properly in order to take advantage of its aces to big markets. The public procurement sector is fraught with unnecessary restrictions on participation (Cohen and Levinthal, 2006). The sector is also characterised with cost escalation. This especially affects small bidders. Such represent the level of discrimination in the sector. Large firms who are at a sound financial standing are thus the ones favoured in the public procurement sector. Towards reducing the chances of participation from the procurement process, the nature of restricted communication as reflected in the limited publication of contracting opportunities, this coupled with the narrow based qualification criteria place too much focus on firm size and experience. There are both benefits associated with increasing the number of bidders. However, the question of whether the government attains the balance between increased costs due to the higher number of participants and the expected drop in the prices as a result of the fierce competition both within the short term and the long-term. The pursuit of value for money should ensure the correct trade off is made, however, this may never be the case. This is attributable to the fact that the administrative costs are more visible as compared to the cost savings obtained from intense competition. Further, afield, risk aversion may lead to favouritism in which case, well-established companies and incumbents take the opportunities ahead of new entrants. Incumbency may limit participation. This is possible if minor suppliers believe that the public procurement sector is friendly to senior suppliers. This implies that some suppliers may boycott the bidding exercises, as they fear their success chances are limited. Such boycotts may in turn trigger price increases due to lowered competition (Cohen and Levinthal, 2006). Openness and publicness pass as challenges on the public procurement sector. Everything, which is done by public procurement, is subject to scrutiny from the public. The public purchases are normally orchestrated through invitations for bids. This opens the process to public bidding. In public procurement, public bid tabulations, which are posted on government websites. This implies that everybody understands what is going on. Overall, the private sector procurement focuses on profit, which is achievable through fierce competition. In practice, there is great variation in the way in which private managers go about establishing links with the customers. This is captured by the pursuit of firms’ attempts to lock opponents out of the market (Malone, 2001). Some firms operate in unstable environments, others like do like monopolies, while others operate in relatively protected niches where entrants find it difficult to make inroads, this under-lies the kind of challenges facing private businesses. Some sectors and businesses adopt methods, which are technologically advanced than others, further compounding the challenges (Egeberg, 1995). On the other hand, the public sector passes as a more homogeneous entity operating in a placid environment. Bureaucratic organisations are in most cases long establishments, which act, as monopolistic suppliers. The supply is to the society as opposed to the market, further to this, the pursuit of profits do not take precedence ahead of the provision of services to the citizens. The assumption that the public sector has been lacking in innovation is often advanced. However, Tan, (2004) notes that the spur of competition lacks in public procurement, a stark contrast with the private sector procurement. The public procurement sector should embrace new technological innovations like e-Procurement if it is to gain from benefits associated with such advancements, as is the case in private procurement (Fagerberg, Mowery and Nelson, 2000). Conclusion The drive towards introducing private-like procurement style into the public procurement sector is a plausible effort as this in the end translates into a number of benefits desirable to the needs of the clients its serves. Such adoption is bound to increase efficiency thorough cost reductions and improvement on service provision. The social responsibility is the major bottleneck affecting the public sector procurement. The public institutions remain accused of being irresponsive to the needs of the people they serve. However, all public organisations exist in a global setting, which heavily bears on how operations are conducted. This co-existence; between public and the other sectors imply that there is a lot to be passed or transferred through learning. The continued nature of existence of the public sector also indicates that learning through experience is a possibility since the various governments institutions are in a position to determine what works and the others which fail. The role of competition however desirable it is may prove inapplicable to the public sector procurement. This is the case in reference to when the public institutions are bidding for example, weaponry and other sensitive products. The public sector is also charged with diverse responsibilities, which are not based on economic terms but rather on the social responsibility aspect. Despite this, the public sector should learn from the public sector on how to become competitive on various fronts. On the basis of the above realisation, it is hypothetically presented that adopting measures to delink the public procurement sector from the diplomatic and political machinations presents a way out in the area. The sector should also encourage more competition in terms of recruiting skilful personnel and in allowing a level playground when it comes to the tendering process. The sector is equally expected to alter the procedural requirements, which mire the biding and tendering exercises. Such a move should lead to a flexible system, which paves way for the achievement of efficiency and effectiveness in the sector. 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Organisational Obstacles and Challenges

Introduction Many corporations are looking for talented and competent employees who can produce the best results. Such workers should also be ready to learn new skills and concepts in order to make their companies successful. Employers are currently focusing on the best traits and values whenever recruiting new workers. This practice explains why various researchers have identified several competencies that can make corporations profitable.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational Obstacles and Challenges specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employers expect every job applicant to possess certain values such as passion, discipline, ethics, creativity, competence, determination, and curiosity. Individuals with such traits will be ready to promote the best practices and strategies. The above values will make it easier for individuals to look for new skills and lessons in an attempt to make their companies success ful. These concepts will become critical in the future. Globalisation is forcing many corporations to hire individuals who can deal with organisational obstacles and challenges. Comparing and Contrasting the Articles According to Fernandez-Araoz, many companies hire individuals who have attended the best colleges. However, managers who lack the required technological and competitive skills cannot compete in the global market. New leaders should have the best skills in order to adapt to every new challenge. Employers should focus on certain aspects such as motivation, engagement, and curiosity. Whenever identifying new talents, ‘it is appropriate to look for motivation because it ensures individuals do not focus on their personal goals’ (Fernandez-Araoz 2014, p. 8). According to the author, employees should possess four unique qualities. These qualities include ‘insight, engagement, curiosity, and determination’ (Fernandez-Araoz 2014, p. 8). The best manager s and employees will eventually improve the level of collaboration and team leadership. The practice will also promote the concept of change leadership. Change leadership is the capacity to align a corporation and transform it in order to become successful. Interviewers should assess the above abilities and competencies in order to get the right individuals who can provide the best results (Fernandez-Araoz 2014). Good employees should be passionate about their jobs. They should also be happy and ready to serve their respective customers. The article also explains why employers should hire individuals who can learn new values and skills. This approach will ensure every corporation emerges successful.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employers should be able to retain their talented workers. This ‘strategy is necessary because every competitor is working hard to get talen ted employees’ (Fernandez-Araoz 2014, p. 9). Employers should ensure every worker portrays a strong connection and engagement with his or her occupation and workmates. The workers should also be ready to overcome setbacks and problems. Some factors such as experience, desire, experience, performance, and intelligence will ensure every firm hires the right people (Fernandez-Araoz 2014). The above practice will make it easier for employers to get the right talents. The article â€Å"Minds Viewed Globally† explains why individuals should embrace five specific minds in order to become competent employees. The ‘first mind is associated with discipline’ (Gardner 2008, p. 3). Every disciplined employee will work steadily in order to achieve the greatest goals. A disciplined mind will focus on the best practices and ideas. A good employee should also possess a synthesising mind. This person will be ready to collect information from various sources and combine it i n a proper manner. This mind will also become relevant in the coming years because more people are using different technological resources. The ‘individual will produce quality ideas and concepts that can be understood by the other employees’ (Gardner 2008, p. 5). An employee with a creative mind will be ready to achieve the best objectives. This person will always be eager to break new grounds. A creative mind is capable of identifying new values and questions that can make a difference. The individual will also present quality answers in order to make his or her corporation successful. A creative mind will always be ready to deal with the issues and challenges affecting the targeted company. An individual with a creative mind will always be a step ahead in an attempt to achieve the greatest potentials. Persons with respectful minds possess another powerful value known as respect (Gardner 8). Respectful persons will address every challenge affecting their groups or tea ms. Respectful persons will always understand others and promote teamwork. Every ethical person will focus on the issues affecting his or her working environment. Such individuals will present the best ideas in order to deal with the problems affecting their teams. The ‘ethical mind will examine how human beings can serve others without focusing on their personal gains’ (Gardner 2008, p. 9).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational Obstacles and Challenges specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ethical workers will always work hard in an attempt to improve the conditions encountered by others. These five minds will produce the best results. Individuals possessing these five minds will ensure their companies are on the right track. The companies will embrace the best strategies in order to get the targeted goals and potentials. The author of this article believes that such minds will ensure every emp loyee deals with the obstacles affecting his or her company. Such workers will also be ready to focus on new skills that will make them more productive and resourceful. The practice will produce the best results within a short period (Gardner 12). The article Howard Gardner goes further to explain why different corporations will be hiring ‘disciplined, resourceful, creative, and ethical workers in the future’ (Gardner 2014, p. 18). This approach will ensure every employee promotes the best ideas and concepts. This idea supports the current use of modern technologies and resources to deal with various organisational challenges. Conclusion The above two articles encourage workers and managers to focus on the best talents in order to remain productive. The first article by Fernandez-Araoz supports some unique values such as passion, commitment, engagement, and curiosity. These values can promote the best organisational practices. The second article by Garner identifies fiv e minds that will become meaningful in the coming years. That being the case, employers will always expect their workers to have discipline. Employees should also promote specific values such as creativity, competence, determination, curiosity, and engagement. Readers should examine these two articles differently and carefully in order to identify the best competencies that can make their businesses successful. List of References Fernandez-Araoz, C. 2014, ‘21st Century Talent Spotting’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 92, no. 6, pp. 1-11.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gardner, H. 2008, ‘Minds Viewed Globally: A Personal Introduction: An Overview of the Five Minds for the Future’, Harvard Business Press, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-20. This essay on Organisational Obstacles and Challenges was written and submitted by user Aydin Serrano to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Christianity in To Kill a Mockingbird

Christianity in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee displays many acts of generosity and understanding, but most importantly, the novel sends out a positive notion towards Christianity. The fact that Atticus, a white man, is defending a Negro in a racially segregated community brings a sense of equality for all races to Lee's novel. This idea is a foundation on which many Christian parishes build their beliefs. The most important belief of a Christian is that God creates all humans equally and instructs them to accept each other with warmth and kindness. Because of Lee's exemplification of this belief, the novel is very deserving of its award given by the 1961 Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.One of the cardinal rules in Christianity is to love others as thy brother or sister. Atticus definitely shows his Christian views of equality and justice as well as his psychological stability when he decides to take the case of Tom Robinson.Gods and sodasNot only is Atticus able to cope with the unreasonable, highly emotional views of the white society around him, but is also able to deal with the Negro population of Maycomb both honestly and justly.Atticus causes great controversy between himself and practically the entire society of Maycomb. Women begin to talk of his unethical ways and the preposterous idea of him defending and believing the word of a Negro against the word of Bob Ewell, a man of his own race. All of this conversing of a man who is going against the grain eventually leads to the unlocking of the prejudice and racial minds of the citizens of Maycomb. Some begin to think of Atticus' gesture as a baby step towards racial equality not only in Maycomb, but perhaps the whole southern part of the...

The Dan Harmon Story Circle 8 Simple Steps to a Powerful Structure

The Dan Harmon Story Circle 8 Simple Steps to a Powerful Structure The Dan Harmon Story Circle: What Authors Can Learn from Rick and Morty Writer Dan Harmon, the creator of TV’s Community, has a reputation for being a story structure evangelist. For over a decade, he’s been known to ‘break’ the stories he’s working on with a system he known as ‘The Embryo,’ ‘The Dan Harmon Story Circle,’ or just ‘The Story Circle.’ It’s an approach that many other writers have since adopted, including IT Crowd creator Graham Linehan. Zone of Comfort: Pip, a young orphan, lives a modest life on the moors.But they want something: He becomes obsessed with Estella, a wealthy girl of his age.They enter an unfamiliar situation: A mysterious benefactor plucks Pip from obscurity and throws him - a fish out of water - into London society.Adapt to it: He learns to live the high life and spends his money frivolouslyGet what they wanted: Pip is finally a gentleman, which he believes will entitle him/make him worthy of Estella.Pay a heavy price for it: Pip discovers that his money came from a convict, he drowns in debt, he regrets alienating his Uncle, he realizes that his pursuit of Estella is futile.Then return to their familiar situation: Pip makes peace with his Uncle Joe (who nurses him back to health). Pip disappears to Egypt for years, and once again returns home†¦Changed: Back once again where the story started, a now-humbled Pip reunites with Estella who, due to some plot, is ready to open her heart to him.Alt hough Great Expectation was a serial, written week-by-week, Dickens must have consciously or unconsciously been aware of this cycle. He sent his characters on a journey towards something they wanted -   only for them to pay the price and return home, changed.As with any sensible advice about structure, the takeaway here is not that you must slavishly adhere to a set formula or risk ruining your story. This story circle, along with other popular story structures like the three-act structure, are simply tools based on observations of stories that have managed to resonate with readers over the centuries. Just know this: if you find yourself at an impasse with any story you’re writing - you could do a lot worse than to crack out the story wheel, identify where you are, and see what comes next in the cycle.What other novels could you break down using the Dan Harmon Story Circle? Take your favorite book and tell us what all 8 plot points are in the comments below.

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Reaction paper - Essay Example There is no marker pointing to any direction at all to guide the visitor. Also, the people can come in anytime from any point which is very much similar to the Jews who were imprisoned at the camps. One could be easily brought into the camp and leave as a dead person; hence, uncertainty was the order of the day during that time. This architectural monument has attracted millions of tourists because they are curious about the structure. Some of them could have been Jews who want to pay respect to their fellowmen who were victims of the Holocaust. The video showed the beauty of the structures yet it exhibited a certain coldness that spells indifference to humanity. If I were there, I would feel sadness because it seems that I have lost my identity and could not find my way out of such as disorienting situation. So many mixed emotions ran over me as I watched the video and imagined how hard it must have been for the Jews. Although the structure really avoided symbolizing anything at all , it provokes visitors to reflect on the plight of the murdered Jews. This just makes me think how man’s heart could be that dark and evil when given a wrong cause.