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A 5 page paper discussing the practice of reinforcing soil with narrow steel bands, a technique that provides immense benefit in soil stabilization for construction projects and can reduce costs as much as 50 percent. This method of reinforcing soil for construction purposes has been found to be useful in a variety of settings and for a wide range of purchases. It is useful in virtually any setting in which there will be static or dynamic stresses on supporting soil, such as bridge abutments or roadways running along the top of sloping terrain. It is also useful in areas in which earthquake activity is common. Includes 2 figures. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page essay that analyzes an article relative to how it portrays multiculturalism in American. This article offer a transcript of a CNN financial news broadcast hosted by Valerie Morris, which aired April 21, 2004. The topic under discussion for this broadcast was the fact that a magazine Diversity, Inc. announced its top 50 companies for diversity, with PepsiCo "shooting up" the list from 25 last year to number 5 on the new list. Examination of this article demonstrates that the media--and mainstream culture in general -- tends to characterize the diversity of the US population through stereotypical images that offer little to towards a better understanding of that diversity. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that contrasts and compares Kate Chopin's The Awakening, published in 1899, and Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, first performed in 1982. The writer argues that these works represent feminist literature separated by close to a century of world events and feminist progress. However, the concerns of these authors are still very similar. They each emphasize the conflicts inherent in women's lives due to the restrictions imposed by society and by motherhood. In each case, the author highlights how society, as defined by men, necessarily impacts the relationship between mothers and their children. Social context and expectations, childbirth and maternal instinct are addressed by both Chopin and Churchill and shown to be part of the same interconnected web, which serves to influence how women react to motherhood in each work. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

An 8 page research paper investigating the ways in which negative publicity might have affected the performance of the nation's top two tobacco companies in the stock market. Some analysts have said that the companies' stockholders are bearing the brunt of the rash of lawsuits and multi-billion dollar settlements in questions of tobacco-related health concerns and that the losses are 'unfair' to the long-time investors. Philip Morris, the leading cigarette manufacturer, consistently posts gains and their three-year stock performance mirrors that of the DOW Industrials. RJR Nabisco posts performance that wanders all over a graph. The paper concludes that management practice is costing some stockholders even more than billion-dollar settlements. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

9 pages in length. The world has labeled John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil Company, a ruthless capitalist for his harsh business tactics and unpleasant disposition toward his workforce. This may be some people's interpretation of one of the nation's most influential magnets, but it is hardly the truth. Rockefeller was, indeed, high on the country's list of top industrial geniuses. This is quite evident not only in assessing his contributions but also in his savvy business practices, as well. The writer discusses the fact that while Rockefeller possessed a touch of imprudence when it came to matters of money, he was by and large a significant credit to society. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

An 11 page paper discussing the theory behind motivating employees. Following a decade of downsizing, cost cutting and merging, more and more businesses look for ways to give their employees what they want. Too many companies believe that employee motivation rests in monetary rewards, without either realizing or acknowledging individuals' needs for recognition. Formal studies and informal surveys alike reveal that while managers often will list money as the top factor in motivating employees, the employees themselves are much more likely to list first their desire for recognition, for someone to let them know they truly have done a good job, a fact well known by some of the country's most successful companies. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

30 pages in length. Too many companies believe that employee motivation rests in monetary rewards, without either realizing or acknowledging individuals' needs for recognition. Formal studies and informal surveys alike reveal that while managers often will list money as the top factor in motivating employees, the employees themselves are much more likely to list first their desire for recognition, for someone to let them know they truly have done a good job. Today's most successful companies are ones in which employees have no question of the regard in which the company's leadership holds them. Bibliography lists 20 sources.

A 6 page paper discussing the holistic view of manufacturing plant maintenance. TPM as a strategic tool quite possibly could become the telling factor that separates the most successful companies from those whose overall performance is strong but never spectacular. In today's increasingly competitive business climate, organizations must operate as efficiently as possible. While TPM alone likely will not yield that edge that has the potential of sending the organization to the top of its industry, it can nevertheless make important contribution to the overall success of the company and contribute to the organization's sustained competitive advantage. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

An 10 page research paper that includes Nike's earnings as reported to the SEC. Nike was founded in the mid-1960's by a former college track star to import high-quality athletic shoes. Total revenues in 1996 were more than $6.5 billion, and the company is expected to top $8 billion for 1997. As the U.S. market for athletic footwear and apparel matures, Nike is looking outward for its future growth, particularly to the world soccer market. Other cultures of the world are much more reserved in the types of advertising they will tolerate without offense, however, and Nike needs to closely study those cultures they see as most important to their success in the global marketplace to avoid risking alienating millions of people to the point that Nike's global ventures become unsuccessful. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 15 page paper discussing corporate strategy at Honda. Honda Motor Company went to the crest of the hill of decline in the early 1990s, and it has only been the astute leadership of CEO Nobuhiko Kawamoto that prevented a free fall from the top. Honda was found to be suffering from what Kawamoto called 'big company disease,' ironic within a Japanese company that contributed to the upheaval in the US auto market in the 1970s and 1980s that led to radical changes not only in the manner in which American cars are constructed, but in the philosophy behind designing and selling them as well. Bibliography lists 14 sources.

4 pages in length. To go or not to go: That is the question many budding professionals want to know as they graduate high school, before they plunk down the big bucks for that all-important higher education degree. As one would expect, there are two opposing schools of thought on the answer; however, no matter which fork in the road one may choose, it is faster to get to the top through on-the-job training because of one important factor: experience. The writer discusses various professions that do not require additional degrees in order to make big money. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 10 page case research paper with Southwest Airlines as its focus. Southwest is one of America's largest airlines in terms of passenger boardings, and yet it serves airports in a relatively small number of 24 states. Overall, the company's marketing strategy is to provide the best-possible no-frills service with the newest equipment available, then tell the flying public about the top-notch safety record In a report filed with the SEC mid-way through 1996, Southwest included a list of 'what ifs' of things that might happen, things that prevented them from forecasting performance for the very next quarter. They just keep flying—often, right past the competition. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

6 pages in length. In a world where money is omnipotent and those who possess great wealth are revered as being God-like, Bill Gates stands on the top of the highest monetary mountain. However, the Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is feeling the strength of that mountain crumble just a little bit beneath his feet as the result of an anti-trust lawsuit brought about by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and twenty state attorney generals. Their claim: Gates' manipulative manner of using monopolistic practices in an overt attempt to control the Internet, including related software products. Their demand: That Microsoft detach its browser, Internet Explorer, from the Windows system and sell it separately or give users a choice between Explorer and its number one competitor, Netscape Navigator. The writer discusses actions taken by Gates in dealing with the lawsuit. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 9 page paper analyzing the performance of Babson Value Fund, a low-risk, top-performing mutual fund over the period of 8/1/92 through 8/1/97, and then comparing that analysis to the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average over the same period. Babson Value is a stock fund of the growth and income category. As such, its growth in Net Asset Value (NAV), the value of one of its shares, has closely followed that of the Dow for the same period. The paper briefly glances at the Dow's flirt with the 'impossible' mark of 3000 in 1990 and 1991 and includes historical leading economic indicator indices. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

9 pages in length. Because people are not able to avoid work-related stress, they have to learn to address and manage it. It can be argued that stress management plans -- such as implementing ergonomic workstations -- must take top priority if an organization is going to run smoothly and have the least amount of frenzied workers. The initial step in implementing such a program enlists the expertise of company representatives that manufacture ergonomic furniture, paying particularly close attention to chair design. The writer discusses various aspects of ergonomic chairs. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 5 page paper discussing the similarities and differences between these two approaches to organizational change. Too often, proponents of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) believe that their favored change initiative is the only valid one in all circumstances, and many believe that the two approaches are mutually exclusive. Such is not the case: TQM and BPR both work for the ultimate goal of higher efficiency, and they share several common characteristics. Their differences are very different, in that TQM is driven from the bottom up, requires time and can never be called "finished;" while BPR is driven from the top down and is accomplished rather quickly. Aside from their beginnings and their endpoints, however, the two approaches to organizational change are far more similar than they are different. Includes one table. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 6 page research paper on how Ondaatje's novel, In the Skin of a Lion, reflects the situation of immigrants and the political power structure in Canada earlier in the century. The writer argues that those at the top of society's power hierarchy during that period, from both a political and financial standpoint, were cavalier in their disregard for the welfare of this workforce, often requiring ultimate effort under unsafe conditions for limited pay, and that Ondaatje's novel reveals the life of the immigrant as it spotlights the complicated mixture of elements that characterized the conflict between majority and minority culture that are inherent to a population that is multi-ethnic in its composition. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 15 page report discusses the various issues associated with collective bargaining in the professional sports world. Issues that have been of concern to Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association and the players associated with each organization are discussed. Labor law and related regulatory constraints exist side by side in either the non-union of the union workplace. It is important to understand that basic federal labor policy favors, where appropriate, organized efforts at collective bargaining for terms and conditions of employment, regardless if the employer is a welder on an automobile production line or a power forward for a top NBA team. Bibliography lists 17 sources.

20 pages in length. For as long as mankind has been technologically mobile, the quest for better, more efficient means of obtaining energy has been a top priority. This ongoing pursuit has considerable implications with regard to rural electrification from a global perspective, inasmuch as there are communities worldwide that have either yet to even obtain electricity or are being squeezed out by industry deregulation. With the significant concern over health and economic welfare, the thought of solar energy to facilitate household rural electrification has come to the forefront of all other considerations. Indeed, rural areas are often left without the means by which to tap into the power grid that provides electricity for more populated communities, making it crucial for rural residents to receive a worthy alternative. Bibliography lists 17 sources.

6 pages in length. When comparing the political and social impact of Adolph Hitler, Pius IX, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill and Chiang Kai-Shek, one can easily distinguish the line that exists between and among these varied leaders. To compare Hitler to Gandhi is to place a lion and a lamb in the same confined space and watch to see who comes out the victor. Pius IX, as well, represents misdirected authority, while Kai-Shek stands firm in an autocratic society. Churchill's political and social contributions lean toward the quest for complete abolition of tyrannical rule, with Hitler at the top of his list. The writer discusses how the impact each man has had upon the world as a whole has been nothing short of significant. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 10 page paper argues that management in companies sometimes fails to fully understanding the complexities it faces in introducing new technologies. This paper asserts that if management understands this, they have a better chance of succeeding in their goals. Specifically, this paper attempts to convince top management to better understand the complexities involved in introducing SAP software and the amount of change that will be required in the current business process in order to integrate this software. Further, this paper also presents the argument within the scope of a business process reengineering format. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 5 page paper reviews two principles of Japan's management - lifetime employment and seniority-based pay raises. Economics are causing top executives to re-think these principles but still most express their desire to maintain at least one of these practices. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

The mountain as metaphor is not an unusual literary device. Mountains, and the act of climbing the mountain, is a common symbol for the processes of living. From Moses to Martin Luther King, there has been religious associations with mountains. One 'goes to the mountain top' for knowledge and understanding as well as to be as close to God as is possible. This 5 page paper argues that the mountain as metaphor is appropriate for both Plath's The Bell Jar and Updike's Rabbit, Run, but from entirely different perspectives. No additional sources are listed.

This 14 page paper presents a case study of how one hotel chain changed their training program and dramatically reduced turnover rates and increased employee satisfaction levels. A brief overview is followed by a report of the past training programs, an analysis of these programs and then a description of the new programs. The training system is unique and is intended to be a career development system rather than a "training program." They also changed the interaction between top executives and the rest of the system. Within the report is a description of a multimedia program the hotel was using and how they have incorporated part of the system in the new career development program. Success is evident in the data. 2 graphs are included. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

5 pages in length. The corporate strategy in an organization is considered to be that of creating a strategic plan to meet planned goals and then being able to accurately guide the corporation toward the completion of those goals. In the case of many businesses, they are moving laterally and are not moving forward. The ability of a top manager or management team to get the entire corporate entity moving in a synchronized fashion is not an easy one. This paper examines performance management and corporate management and the aspect of using both in order to fine-tune a corporation. Bibliography lists 4 sources.