Importance of Accountabilty in the Military Essay Example for Free

Importance of Accountabilty in the Military Essay Accountability is defined by answering or accounting for one’s actions and results. It is something every leader should aspire to obtain and uphold. Accountability is easily talked about but can be very hard and uncomfortable to apply to one’s self. You will rarely hear someone stating that they should be more accountable for their actions, yet we do hear that from our peers and leaders on how we should take more accountability for our day to day actions and how they could eventually affect our futures. In the Army it is extremely important to be accountable for one’s self and their soldiers. From the purposes of a squad leader it is always important to know where and what your soldiers are doing. Prime case is if you notice that your soldier is not at accountability formation and they never have missed that formation before it would probably behoove you to try and get in contact with the soldier. Granted their tardiness most likely may be due to something as trivial as oversleeping, forgetting to turn on or wake up to their alarm or being stuck in traffic on slight chances it could be something terribly worse such as hospitalization or death. In my own experience I have seen a stellar soldier who one day did not show up to morning formation and his squad leader failed to recognize his absence and towards the end of the day is when everyone found out that the same soldier had committed suicide the night prior. I am not saying that the squad leader is at fault in any way for the soldier’s choice to take his own life, however his entire chain of command failed to recognize his absence which could have resulted in an earlier reorganization of the tragedy. But I digress from my tangent and shall go on further to discuss the importance of personal accountability ranging from the lowest ranking private to the highest ranking officer. The bottom line is that accountability means letting your actions rise above your excuses. In the midst of everything accountability is really about being specific. Specific expectations and specific outcomes and specific consequences. All soldiers have learned since the beginning of their time in the military that there are certain expectations of them and the core facts are to be in the right place at the right time in the right uniform. If one soldier is constantly late or doing the wrong thing than as a leader it may be easier to turn a blind eye to the actions and dismiss them for forgetfulness but regardless of that one mustn’t sweep poor performance under the rug because it could cause friction in a unit or team. When one person’s performance is not up to par it brings the group down and gives the impression that this behavior is acceptable when in reality it is not, especially in the military world. As a leader you must always make your standards very clear and follow through with rewards and punishments, and that can only be done by being specific. Never beat around the bush about what your expectations are or what information needs to be put out. Failure to inform and plan is planning to fail. We tend to think of our actions and shortcomings as consequences to the now and that they may not have any effect on us in the future. Which in all means could be true but it might just be the seed to bad habits forming. Doing something mistakenly wrong once and never receiving reprisal may give the weak willed the false idea that they may repeat said actions and receive the same results, which could in turn show peers that this same behavior is tolerable and then it becomes a habit in the organization and reflects on leadership. When soldiers realize that their actions no matter how small either help or hinder their unit or organization and not just themselves their personal accountability becomes evident like a slap in the face. Once that becomes clear a soldier will recognize that their performance directly impacts their developmental opportunities which could include promotions, awards or schools. In all ones performance is a direct reflection of their commitment to their self and job. In the army one of the most important time of the day is morning accountability formation. It is where you get your orders and outlines of the day. For leaders it is pivotal for sending up personnel whereabouts. If a soldier is not present and it is not due to being on leave or on detail then there could possibly be a big problem. Accountability and duty go hand in hand. The Definition of that Army value is to fulfill your obligations and to accept responsibility for your own actions and those entrusted to your care. To find ways to improve yourself for the good of the group. It also is very similar to integrity by basically understanding that from bottom to top and left to right and anyway in between everyone is going to and willing to do what is right even when no one else is looking. Even when taking personal accountability into mind you must always keep an eye out for your buddy and hold them accountable also. Doing the job correctly and ensuring others do it as well and do it safely, because we all know that even when not in combat we could potential be in a very dangerous situations given with our various equipment, weapons and training environments. Certain examples include live fire ranges- needing to be accountable of where you are and that you have the right equipment on. If you do not have your plates in your vest and heaven forbid a misfire happens and you are struck there is no one to blame but yourself and lack of personal accountability. Another example is out in a field exercise- making sure you bring all the necessary equipment and that you have ensured that it has all of its components and is in working order. If you fail to do so you could put your health at risk in regards to sleep tents, extra clean clothing and weather appropriate clothing articles. In leadership accountability plays a special role in setting standards of behavior and actions that will ensure that they, their peers and subordinates operate with integrity and great moral values. With this in mind as a leader you should always lead from the front and never put yourself in situations that you yourself would punish a subordinate for. Leading by example provides junior soldiers a person to aspire to be and what a great leader looks like. In my years in the military it has been like finding a needle in a haystack when it comes to finding great non-commissioned officers. Too many are taking the easy road and falling well under the expectations that they themselves have imposed on their soldiers. I feel in the Army today many are too willing to become non-commissioned officers for the money and are not really thinking about the fact that they are leaders and they have to be the example. However, I have been honored to have to the experience of learning from a few great non-commissioned officers who have always tried to do the right thing at all times and are not afraid to admit when they are wrong or when they just don’t know, but they will find out. Keeping the mindset that you are now and forever, as long as you wear the uniform and those stripes, under a microscope be mindful of the actions you possess and the words that you say. Your actions justify to newly soldiers of what may or may not be right. Your words can both uplift and encourage or they can tear down a soldier’s views or spirit. Accountability formation is important for many reasons. It lets the commander and command team know where all of their soldiers are at that precise moment. It is also essential because it lets leadership know how many people are available for the day to perform daily duties or how many people they have readily available for additional tasking’s. At this formation most information on daily activities are put out. In this formation it is vital for leaders to look at their soldiers and assure that they are in accordance with all grooming standards held in AR 670-1. During this time there could also be a time for the urine lottery of a urinary analysis, if you are not at the formation to hear your name there could possibly be some consequences. Other types of accountability are with your gear for example weapons and ammunition. It is important that if you are entrusted with a weapon and ammunition to keep track of it and never leave it lying around. If there is a time that you are not able to keep up with these items you should either secure them in a locked safe place or entrust one of your fellow soldiers to keep track of it for you, this is a short time period solution. Losing or misplacing these things can get yourself in really hot water. Not only will you definitely be receiving punitive punishments for your ignorance you can also be allowing the military to take money from you. If it is lost you are going to pay in sweat, tears and cash. Looking beyond the fact of punishments that would immediately follow your actions what if that gear landed in the wrong hands. It could very well cause a very bad situation. Accountability doesnt just mean showing up on time. It means responsibility. It means that if you fail your small part of the mission (to be on time), you must be held liable for your failure. Lets say you were supposed to depart for a mission outside the wire on a deployment. You are late to the convoy brief, the convoy brief must be given to you again, everyone is late to mount up, and the convoy misses its SP time (departure). The Infantry unit waiting to link up with your convoy for additional protection might get ambushed because your convoy is late. All because you didnt arrive on time. I know that this example is a bit of an overreaction especially if you are just late or miss PT formation nevertheless it just goes to show a slippery slope that all actions have to impact the others around you. Accountability is the act of taking responsibility for that which falls under your domain—in other words, it’s doing what you say you’re going to do. Accountability is the cornerstone of integrity, which is the result of consistent honesty and responsibility in your actions. In the military, it is absolutely imperative that you do what you say you’re going to do and that you agree to be held accountable for those orders that are directed specifically to you or those in your command. A breakdown in leadership and responsibility can be bad anywhere, but it has the potential to be downright catastrophic in the military. Being in the military, you’ve obviously built some level of trust with those above and below you in order to get to your current rank. For those just starting out, the time in training helps superiors gauge your abilities and your commitment to the whole. Aside from all this, you have to build a trusted reputation with those with whom you work directly and are of equal rank. In the case of armed encounters, these are the people who will cover your back, and who need to be able to trust you to cover theirs. Nothing breeds trust like consistent, sustained accountability.

Reflection on Teaching Statistical Research Methods

Reflection on Teaching Statistical Research Methods I began teaching almost fifteen years ago, while in medical school. It was then that I discovered my love for teaching and its potential to transform the lives of both students and teachers. These two aspects have become the driving forces of my teaching. My teaching philosophy rests on four elements. First, I set challenging goals for both students and myself. Second, I believe in the effectiveness of action-oriented and participatory learning. Third, I value diversity in and outside of the classroom. Finally, I view teaching as complementary to research. My preferred teaching areas (biostatistics, epidemiology and social determinant of health) are closely related to choice of my research area. This will allows me to bring examples from my own research and service into the classroom, as well as to further my own thinking through classrooms discussions. Teaching research methods and methods of statistical analysis often provides a unique opportunity to motivate and empower students, as many are often skeptical about their abilities in these areas. Because students learn in a variety of different ways, I use a variety of methods in my classes to help ensure that one method will clarify concepts when others do not. By being flexible in my approach to teaching quantitative methods, I am able to help build the self-confidence of those who need it, and to communicate the principles of sound research methodology and statistical analysis to all students. Flexibility alone, however, is not sufficient. I also believe that it is important to demonstrate my own passion for the subjects I am teaching, not only to build my credibility as a teacher and mentor, but also to inspire students to develop skills and aspirations of their own in quantitative areas in which they may not have been interested previously. My overarching concern when teaching courses on research methodology and methods of statistical analysis is that students develop an ability to think critically and logically when evaluating statistical information that is presented in research, as well as in their everyday lives. Although not every student can be expected to develop an interest in quantitative methods per se, I believe that they all need to be able to evaluate whether stated conclusions are supported by the available data and analytic results. This helps to create informed consumers of research and provides students with a skill set the can apply to their future careers. My teaching plans include developing interactive and audiovisual teaching materials. I will also use various tools, both technological and pedagogical, that will effectively reinforce the teaching materials. I make use of a variety of instructional methods, including traditional lecture, technological tools, group work, and individual practice. I also vary my methods according to course content and student preferences. I will also like to take advantage of the internet, especially in terms of using some great applets that are available on the web for class demonstrations. I believe that one should employ whatever tools that will most effectively accomplish the job of teaching students so that they retain the main ideas long after they have forgotten who taught them. I believe that epidemiology and medical statistics courses should be tailored to the needs of the students, with a balance of theory and application that is appropriate to the audience. Graduate students need a good under standing of both the theory and application of statistical methods. It is important for all students to see the connections: the connections between theory and practice, the connections between raw data and inferences, and the connections between different types of statistical methodologies. I also think that students need to practice with the connections between raw data and inferences. By this I mean that students need hands-on experience not only with data analysis, but also with explaining the results of their analyses clearly and concisely in writing. It is important that they are not just able to do a regression analysis, for example, but to also understand the usefulness and limitations of their analysis. On a practical note, I will like to supplement my lectures with numerous example data analyses, using real data whenever possible, and base my homework assignments on realistic problems. I also like to give homework assignments that involve writing a brief report to summarize a statistical analysis, or a critique of a published analysis, as well as individual or group projects and presentations. I also think students should be exposed to the practice of statistics through critical appraisal of journal articles using standard and validated tools. In and out of the classroom, I strive to present material to students in a clear, logical and interesting manner. I work hard to provide examples from empirical research, and to connect the course materials to the areas in which they are interested. To create a dynamic classroom experience for everyone, I encourage students to express themselves through class discussion and to apply course concepts to their own experiences. And, to ensure students know they make a difference in my courses, I always try to have them complete an informal mid-semester evaluation of the course and my teaching. This allows me to make positive changes during the semester and to make sure each course is successful. I would like my students to see me as an accessible, supportive person who respects them as individuals and is interested in their intellectual and personal development. I will strive to communicate to them the excitement that is gaining new knowledge from day to day. Often it is the interaction between teacher and students that nurtures the motivation and enthusiasm for science.

Soda bottle rocket :: essays research papers

Soda bottle rocket Purpose The students will investigate the effect of the rocket length upon the distance of flight. The students will also investigate the mass upon the distance flight. Background The students will proof Newton's third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's third law also applies to rockets. A rocket gets its lift from the gases pushing out of its tail. The force of the rocket pushing on these gases is the action force. The gases exert an equal but opposite force on the rocket, which forces the rocket up, this is called the reaction force. According to the original guide sheet, the two items NASA will be evaluating the rocket on will be distance flown and time aloft. A two liter bottle with a cone and fins. The time is measured by seconds that the bottle flays, starting when it lives from the launch pad until it rites the ground. The distance is how far it flew. The motion will be projectile. The average velocity will be the total distance of rocket sting measured. The average speed will be the total distance of rocket flight measured in meters and total amount of time aloft measured in seconds. The altitud e will be measured by an altimeter. The acceleration will speed up and change direction. The force can be the gravity. The kinetic energy will be the mass and velocity. The potential energy on the launch pad. Newton’s first law is about the state of motion of an object does not charge as long as the net force acting on the object is zero. His second law is about the acceleration of an object is equal to the net force acting on it divided by the object’s mass. Newton’s third law is whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first object. The momentum is mass Ãâ€" velocity. The kinetic energy is the mass Ãâ€" velocity. Momentum is a property of any moving object. For a slow moving object it is given by the mass times the velocity of the object. For an object moving at close to the speed of light this definition gets modified. The total momentum is a conserved quantity in any process. Weight is the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity.

Essay --

Introduction A lot of NCAA division 1 athletes come from poor backgrounds. In fact over 85 percent of college athletes live below the poverty line. Playing a sport in college is appealing to underprivileged athletes because it provides them with the opportunity to receive a scholarship for an education that they otherwise would not have be able to afford (Hayes). However, although they are getting a scholarship, it is very hard for many of these athletes to afford things other than the necessities that are provided to them by their school (Hartnett). One solution is to get a job. Though, finding time for a job between class, practice, studying, traveling and competing can prove to be very difficult. Another option for athletes is to earn money by using their image and athletic ability for profit. However, the NCAA has rules that control many financial actions of student athletes and strictly prohibit them using their image and athleticism for money(NCAA). They justify this control by arguing th at these rules protect the idea of amateurism. Amateurism is when an activity is done as a hobby and not a profession. The National College Athletic Association â€Å"NCAA† believes that amateurism in college athletics is beneficial and thinks that student athletes should not receive any type of payment for being a college athlete (National Collegiate). Ever since its inception, the NCAA has enforced rules that protect amateurism (Treadway). Currently, these rules are causing a lot of controversy. Some people believe that the NCAA is limiting the actions of players so much that it is illegal. Others believe that NCAA rules are just and necessary for maintaining the best academic environment for student athletes. Ed O’Bannon experienced what ... ...ht up in the case and convince jurors to decide in their favor (Differences). Once the jurors have seen the evidence and heard the arguments they will deliberate. This is when they come together and discuss the trial. They then must decide whether to find for the defendant or plaintiff (American). If the losing side believes that the case was not conducted correctly they have the right to appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals (Federal). The O'Bannon lawsuit is a civil case in United States District Court in the Northern District of California. So far, the case is still in the pretrial stage. Judge Claudia Wilken, the District Court judge for the Northern District of California, certified this case as a class action suit after a motion from O’Bannon (McCann). This allows more than one plaintiff to sue the same plaintiff (Roos). The hearing is scheduled for July 2014.

Fight for Freedom in Toni Morrisons The Song of Solomon :: Song of Solomon Essays

Fight for Freedom in Toni Morrison's The Song of Solomon "The scream that boomed down the cave tunnel and woke the bats came just when Macon thought that he had taken his last living breath. The bleeding man turned toward the direction of the scream and looked at the colored girl long enough for Macon to pull out his knife and bring it down the old man's back. He crashed forward, then turned his head to look at them. His mouth moved and he mumbles something that sounds like 'What for?' Macon stabbed him again and again until he stopped moving his mouth, stop trying to talk and stopped jumping and twitching on the ground" (pg. 171). This is an excerpt for the novel The Song of Solomon (1987), by Toni Morrison. Macon one of the main characters, only a child at the time, kills a man whom he thinks is threatening him and his sister's, Pilate, life. After killing the man the two children travel to the man's camp where they discover three bags of gold. Macon also sees, " the dusty boots of his farther" (pg 170). Becoming alarmed, Pilate says, "I t is Papa!". To her cry a voice whispers 'sing, sing'. Macon greedily packs up the gold while Pilate searchers frantically for their farther. After a terrible fight the two separate. Ironically years later they end up living in the same small Michigan town. Macon and Pilate hate and their family secret all the while still grows in differnt directions. Macon moves on with his life and marries Ruth. The couple have three children, Lean, First Corinthians, and Macon who receives the nickname of Milkman. Milkman being interested in Pilate granddaughter, spends a great deal of his childhood at Pilate's house--despite his fathers disapproval. After living at home for the past thirty years Milkman becomes swamped with his family secret. His farther claims that Pilate stole the gold from the man his killed camp sight. And Pilate claims the bag of her 'inheritance' only to be bones. Becoming frustrated, Milkman sets out to find the truth of his family fude. Toni Morrison's mystery novel keeps the readers curiosity,as she write her storyline about the lifestyle of a black society in the 1980's. Within this black society, the people are pursuing their freedom. Toni theme of her novel is freedom, and each character can only obtain their freedom by one of two paths.

Organization “in the News” Analysis Paper Essay

Company Overview Research in Motion, (RIM), is â€Å"a global leader in wireless innovation, (which) revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry solution in 1999† [ (Research In Motion, 2011) ]. While RIM has no publically available mission statement [ (missionstudy, 2009) ], we can deduct the following: 1) From the aforementioned description, they are committed to innovation. 2) From the article we will discuss later on, they are seeking to strengthen relationships with developers 3) From past history, reputation, and numerous achieved certification; they wish to provide a highly secure means of communication through mobile devices While it is not possibly to quantify most of RIM’s operational goals we can try to establish what they may entail. A recent interview with new CEO Thorsten Heins points towards having their operative goals built around having an innovative culture that involves employees and develops them and having a top 3 market share globall y in the mobile market [ (BlackBerry, 2012) ]. Furthermore, they are also very focused on reducing their costs which is demonstrated by their announcement of a core optimization program and CORE on June 16, 2011. These programs were meant to analyze the companies’ procedures and cut out overhead and redundancy [ (Research In Motion, 2011) ]. RIM’s competitors have been highly publicized and are listed by Yahoo Finance to be Nokia, Google, and Apple [ (Yahoo! Inc., 2012) ]. With RIM being in the mobile market, their consumer base is very broad selling to the general market. With such an advanced device the list of suppliers is vast as they need to provide all the parts from glass to processing chips and these suppliers are located around the world. Lastly, their key partners  are mobile companies large and small such as Verizon, Sprint, Vodafone, and Orange. Having previously worked at RIM for a year I know these statements to be fact. Article Importance and Recap RIM is currently going through relatively tough times exemplified by, â€Å"collapsing market share† [ (Isaac, 2012) ] and their declining stock value. RIM’s shares were being traded mostly between the $14 and $17 range per share in the month of February to date compared to $144 a share in the summer of 2008 [ (Google, 2012) ]. As recently as 2009, RIM accounted for half of the US smartphone market share [ (Gardner, 2009) ], but latest reports have them only accounting for 6.5% of the US market [ (Miller, 2011) ]. This fall from grace from the once dominant organization of the mobile space creates interest from a wide range of stakeholders. Consumers are interested as many have used RIM products in the past and investors are interested as they have gained and lost many dollars from the organization. As the mobile space is a very broad market it means that there is going to be many opinionated individuals for very different reasons. Because of RIM’s high profile and past and present penetration in the general population, a new business strategy is very newsworthy and is something people will talk about. Mike Isaac’s article, â€Å"RIM Claws Back Against Apple and Google With Free Tablets,† covers RIM’s decision to give android app developers free playbook tablets so long as they make their app available on the Playbook ecosystem [ (Isaac, 2012) ]. The article starts with a quote from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop who describes the importance of a platform’s ecosystem or in layman’s terms the amount of apps built for a platform. It further describes the relative lack of apps RIM has compared to Android, the Google platform, and iOS, the Apple platform. After stating the previously mentioned new strategy being employed by RIM, the article describes the reason for such aggressive tactics. The article lists the sales of RIM’s Blackberry playbook tablet being very disappointing, calling it a flop, as the main reason. The article lastly lists the other strategies that RIM has been employing to encourage app development citing extreme price cuts and Playbook’s virtual android environment which allows android apps to be easily transferred over to the Playbook. This is only possible due to the Android platform being an open OS meaning anyone can develop on it including  competitors. With an organizational theory perspective, this article best articulates a manifestation of 2 important concepts in the mobile market: 1) A resource based approach of assessing organizational effectives with apps and app developers being the scarce resource of note 2) A description of the organizational ecosystem being that of ‘population ecology’. This is demonstrated by the possible compatibility of Android and RIM platforms and the selection process of the market that is still happening most notably with the abandonment of HP’s webOS Resource Based Approach of Organizational Effectiveness The resource based approach to measuring organizational effectiveness focuses solely on an organizations ability to obtain scarce or key resources. The key measures of this approach are: * Ability to perceive and interpret the external environment * Ability to respond to environmental change * Bargaining position While RIM’s ability to obtain manufacturing resources is not being questioned, its ability to lure app developers and garner app creation is being put to the test. The tablet market itself is still maturing only having 19% penetration rate in the US and it is growing rapidly [ (Kopp, 2012) ]. RIM entered the market much later then their competitors with apple having released 2 iterations of their iPad before playbook had their initial launch. Currently, the iPad accounts for 57% of the market much due to the early release dates it had over competitors [ (Warner, 2012) ]. The rather quick emergence of the market may have exploited RIM to have a relatively slow response rate to changes in the environment as even when they did launch, the common perception of the playbook was that it was an unfinished product [ (Stevens, 2011) ]. Such offers as cutting their prices dramatically, and giving away playbooks to developers also proves that RIM currently has very little bargaining posi tion with those developers and they have to go to extremes in order to get traction on their development. By all definitions, this means that RIM is proving to be an ineffective organization by a resource based approach of assessments. If these aggressive measures are effective, the need for them will shrink as time goes on. The tactics are geared towards both increasing consumer bases to  create higher earning potential for developers and to encourage more app development with one time offers. More app development will mean higher adoption rates for consumers and the cycle goes on like this. This is in essence what RIM is trying to create; a snowball to roll down a mountain hoping momentum will take over at one point to create an avalanche. Although RIM currently stands as ineffective at collecting these resources, it is clear that they are trying hard to overcome their current shortcoming in assembling an ecosystem. Although a resource based approach still has the weakness of assuming a stable environment, which is far from the truth in the technological markets, it is actually a much more relevant measure to this situation then it would be to others. Usually a resource based approach lacks the consideration of consumer needs; in this case the scarce resource is created because of consumer needs. The ecosystem of the device became as important as the device itself in the tablet market. As an ecosystem doesn’t directly reflect internal processes or goal oriented approaches of assessment, a resource based approach is very effective in evaluating the creation of a value proposition to consumers in the tablet market. As the article stated, â€Å"a tablet is only as good as the apps it runs† [ (Isaac, 2012) ]. The Organizational Ecosystem An organizational ecosystem can be described by the nature of the interactions between organizations with the environment and each other [ (Daft & Armstrong, 2009) ]. The ecosystem can be described by its interorganizational framework which is defined by how similar the organizations are to each other and whether they act competitively or cooperatively with each other [ (Daft & Armstrong, 2009) ]. Analyzing the current mobile market, it is apparent that the functions each of the platforms have are very similar some apps being available across all platforms and each having very similar functions. The only differentiation there is within the market is the platform they are on, and the form factor of the tablets. Because of the similarity in the tablets across the platforms, it can safely be assumed that the organizations are similar to each other. However, since the differentiation involves different platforms, it also means that they are acting competitively towards each other. While some platforms are very proprietary like iOS and Blackberry, Android is open  source allowing for anyone to develop on it. Certain apps are only available on one device or another and they do not generally share their apps with each other. This is much different if everyone was on one platform and they were being differentiated solely on the tablet hardware. In this circumstance they are pooling their scarce resources of app development and creation in the effort to create a much greater app library and stronger ecosystem. Currently they are each trying to produce their own ecosystems. Since this is the case, it can also be concluded that the companies are competitive towards each other. With both factors being determined, we can refer to the organizational framework know that the current tablet market is that of ‘population ecology’. ‘Population ecology’ market is defined by: * The emergence of new models to meet consumer needs * The process of ecological change including variation, the appearance of a new population of organization; selection, whether an organization can survive in the environment; and retention, the preservation and institutionalization of organizational forms * The choice of pursuing the general market or a niche within that market meaning being a generalist or specialist respectively The iPad was the first mainstream tablet to have emerged with a market launch date of April 3, 2010 [ (Apple, 2010) ]. This was the first emergence of a tablet business model which was very much an extension of the mobile model but with a new class of product. The tablet is a device that is small in design but has similar functionalities then a laptop. This more portable form factor was the identification of consumer needs. However, since this launch almost 2 years ago, 4 new OS’s of note have emerged being that of Blackberry OS, Android, WebOS and Windows OS. The key question to ask is how many OS’s can survive in the tablet market. If it is anything like the smartphone market, it is closer to 3 or 4 as demonstrated by market share [ (Smith, 2012) ]. With the emergence of 4 new OS’s and the original iOS this means that eventually one of these would have to default. On August 18th 2011 it was confirmed that WebOS would be the ill fated platform [ (Kumparak, 2011) ]. As WebOS was selected out by the market, it provided a little breathing room for RIM with the quickly expanding market and less competition. To avoid the same fate as WebOS, RIM is actively trying to work on creating their ecosystem as described in the  last section. The emergence of an open OS platform as Android also provided it opportunity to adapt their platform to try and include Android apps as well. Both of these tactics are described in the article. What’s Missing? While the article extensively covers a resource based approach of assessing an organizational effectiveness and describes the organizational ecosystem, it fails to well define the environmental uncertainty. It doesn’t consider the broader picture of the market and it could be made more in depth with the addition of an analysis of the environmental framework. Furthermore, it has a very micro approach focusing only on the struggles of RIM with app developers. The environment is a huge factor in technological companies and it could illustrate how important the right decisions are to future success and the wrong decisions to complete failure. To analyze the environmental framework we have to see two key factors: * The stability of the environment meaning the speed of change * The complexity of the environment As previously described, the tablet market is rapidly expanding and it is only 2 years old. Combine this with RIM’s dramatic change in market share over the past 3 years it strongly indicated that the environment is quick changing. The complexity of the environment can also be defined as complex one. This can be proven by RIM having to worry about not only manufacturing resources, and app development, but also the extensive testing they must complete in order for their devices to be compliant with regulations. With many different radio bands, Bluetooth compatibilities, wifi bands, java compliance, throughput testing, and active pursuit in both hardware and software, RIM has to deal with an endless amount of variables. The hardware alone would contain a list of suppliers that are wide but then they must further ensure that all the radio frequencies are properly calibrated and the software works seamlessly amidst the global demands of their products. The article called them a flop even though they had shipped in the hundreds of thousands of devices in 2011 [ (Isaac, 2012) ]. What this means to RIM is that even though they may be down on market share, the market can easily turn in their favor. However, this also means that the market can select them out. The high uncertainty described of the environment is the sword  that decides whether RIM will prosper or die. The article does briefly describe the release of BB10, which is RIM’s new OS to be released later this year. However, it doesn’t emphasize that it would be the newest OS on the market and it was able to create the OS in a year and a half years [ (BlackBerry, 2012) ]. With the unstable environment, this means that it could very well be the basis for which their future will be decided upon. The article has a gloomy outlook on RIM’s future but also concludes with â€Å"perhaps it can find its way back to a seat at the mobile ecosystem table.† Thi s last statement would be better reinforced with an environmental analysis. Bibliography Apple. (2010, March 5). iPad Available in US on April 3. Retrieved from Apple Press Info: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/03/05iPad-Available-in-US-on-April-3.html BlackBerry. (2012, January 22). Meet Thorsten Heins the New President and CEO of Research In Motion. Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUFwhpcrCTw Daft, R. L., & Armstrong, A. (2009). Organization Theory & Design. Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd. Gardner, W. D. (2009, August 19). RIM Owns Half Of U.S. Smartphone Market. Retrieved from InformationWeek: http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/219400707 Google. (2012, February 14). Research In Motion Limited (USA). Retrieved from Google Finance: https://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:RIMM Isaac, M. (2012, February 3). RIM Claws Back Against Apple and Google With Free Tablets. Retrieved from Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/02/rim-ecosystems-blackberry-playbook/ Kopp, C. (2012, January 24). Tablets, E-Readers Double Market Penetration, Says Report. Retrieved from minyanville: http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/megaupload-anonymous-kim-dotcom-filesonic-tablets/1/24/2012/id/38996 Kumparak, G. (2011, August 18). It’s Official: HP Kills Off w

Critical Analysis of Robert Frost

Benjamin Swan Prof. Bittenbender ENG208W: Studies in Poetry 04/14/13 Frost’s Metaphoric use of the Natural World in Poetry Born in San Francisco in the spring of 1874, Robert Frost is considered to be amongst, if not solely, the greatest poets in American history. Around age eleven, Frost moved to New England where the majority of his poetic inspiration is presumably drawn from. Although he never managed to obtain a collegiate degree, he did attend both Dartmouth and Harvard, two of the countries most prestigious universities.Publishing his first poem entitled â€Å"My Butterfly† in 1894, Frost began his career as a poet just as the modernist literature movement of the early twentieth century was gaining traction in the United States. Although Frost did not break from poetic convention as radically as some of his peers in the modernist movement, he is nevertheless considered a modernist poet in part due to the use of the New England vernacular that is present in the maj ority of his poetry.Another influence on Frost’s work as a poet comes from New England as well; this is the influence of growing up in New England’s natural landscape and the life he led on a farm there. Frost’s love for the natural and tendency towards including it in his writing is possibly the most distinguishable constant in his work. The following quote best describes this constant in his work, â€Å"As Frost portrays him, man might be alone in an ultimately indifferent universe, but he may nevertheless look to the natural world for metaphors of his own condition. † (The Poetry Foundation).The purpose of this paper will be to explore the some of the pieces in which Frost’s use of nature as a metaphor or simile for the human condition, as well as identifying the theme that the human race is alone in the vast universe where it occurs. Perhaps the best example of this recurring theme and Frosts use of nature as a metaphor can be found in his poem â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay. † In this piece, nature’s change from spring to summer is a metaphor for the loss of innocence in the world. Frost points to the fact that the world started out innocent when he opens by saying â€Å"Nature’s first green is gold† (Line 1).He glorifies our innocence by comparing it to the beauty of tree with golden buds just before they bloom. This observation and metaphor is true to the human condition as well, as we are born innocent. He continues on to describe how this doesn’t last for very long though when he says, â€Å"Then leaf subsides to leaf† (5). He then makes an allusion to the Bible about this loss of innocence in the following line, â€Å"So Eden sank to grief,† (6). As for the recurring theme, at the end of the poem man is left alone in the universe, stripped of innocence and disconnected from God.Another prime example of the recurring theme and frosts use of nature to illustrate his point can be found in his poem entitled â€Å"Desert Places. † In this poem the theme is clearly the loneliness and isolation felt by Frost. He uses nightfall during winter in the woods as a metaphor for loneliness. His description and figurative language paint a picture of the most lonely and isolated place imaginable, a wintry desert place. From here he lets the reader know that this place will only get more lonely before when he says â€Å"Will be more lonely ere it will be less† (10).After painting this picture of the most lonely place the reader can imagine, Frost concludes by saying that â€Å"I have it in me so much nearer home To scare myself with my own desert places. † (15, 16). This is where the recurring theme fits in; Frost internally is more concerned about his human condition where he finds himself alone in a vast universe that is indifferent to his existence. The entire poem sets up the delivery of these last two lines so that the reader can understand the significance of this theme to his life.The next poem examined is entitled â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. † Although Frost does use nature as a metaphor for the human condition in this poem, it’s theme is in stark contrast to the one found in â€Å"Desert Places. † In this poem, the woods in winter are a metaphor for isolation and solitude rather than loneliness. This could be for a couple of different reasons; perhaps it is the fact the speaker has the companionship of his horse. Either way, the poem begins in the woods as the speaker thinks back to civilization and the man whose property he is on. He notes that it is an nusual place to stop in the middle of the night since it serves no practical purpose and that his â€Å"horse must think it queer† (5). From here the speaker makes the observation that â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† and takes a brief moment to enjoy the beauty, isolation, and solitude they offer befor e carrying on about his business (13). In contrast to the theme in â€Å"Desert Places† Frost appears to have found peace with the human condition in being alone in the woods that represent the vast and indifferent universe. Another poem that contains just one of the two constants being examined is entitled â€Å"Birches. In this poem Frost observes birch tree’s that have been permanently bent from the weight of winter snow and ice, this observation makes him nostalgic for the days he used to swing from the branches of these trees as a boy. He recalls being playing as carefree boy and the birch trees become a metaphor for his childhood innocence that he longs to have back. Near the end of the poem Frost writes, â€Å"It’s when I’m weary of considerations, And life is too much like a pathless wood† (44, 45) that he feels the most nostalgic for his carefree childhood.This statement makes the â€Å"pathless wood† a metaphor for the trials of a dulthood that are like cobwebs and twigs that poke you in the eye in untamed woods (45). He longs to escape the reality of trials and this can be seen in the line stating â€Å"I’d like to get away from earth awhile† (48). Although the recurring theme of the being alone in the vast universe does not present itself in this poem, the constant of nature as a metaphor can be found again in this piece.The final poem that this paper will examine Frosts use of nature as a metaphor and the recurring theme of the human condition is entitled â€Å"Out Out—. † In this poem Frost takes the reader to a logging community where the days work is coming to end. In this setting, nature is a metaphor for both the livelihood and mortality of a young man/older boy working with a chainsaw at a logging camp to make firewood. Frost paints the picture of beautiful landscape off of which the subject is making a living, but when he is distracted from his work he accidentally cuts h and nearly clean off.Even with the doctor’s best effort to try to save the boys life, the boy passes away during the operation. It is here that the recurring theme reveals itself when Frost writes, â€Å"No more to build on there. And they, since they Were not the one dead turned to their affairs† (33, 34). In this poem the bystanders represent the indifferent universe, they continue on with their lives, as the boy dies alone. In conclusion, the influence of the New England landscape has clearly played a huge role in Robert Frost’s life’s work as a poet.One is hard pressed to find a poem of his that does not contain some kind of metaphor inspired by the natural world surrounding him. Although the great poet does explore the recurring theme of the human condition where man is alone in the vast and indifferent universe, this theme is not nearly as constant as his metaphoric use of natural world. Frost was able to make a name for himself through this poetic style and will remain as one of the greatest American poets there ever was and will be. References â€Å"Robert Frost. †Ã‚  The Poetry Foundation. The Poetry Foundation, n. d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.