Linear Algebra and Its Applications - Study Guide

STUDY GUIDE LINEAR ALGEBRA AND ITS APPLICATIONS THIRD EDITION UPDATE David C. Lay University of Maryland – College Park Copyright  © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. Reproduced by Pearson Addison-Wesley from electronic files supplied by the author. Copyright  © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN 0-321-28066-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 BB 08 07 06 05†¦show more content†¦All rights reserved. 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Orthogonal Projections 6-5 6-9 The Gram-Schmidt Process Least-Squares Problems 6-12 6-16 6-19 Applications to Linear Models The Geometrey of a Linear Model 6.7 6.8 Inner Product Spaces 6-20 6-22 6-25 Applications of Inner Product Spaces The Linearity of an Orthoganal Projection Glossary Checklist 6-26 CHAPTER 7 SYMMETRIC MATRICES 7.1 7.2 Diagonalization of Symmetric Matrices Quadratic Forms 7-6 7-1 Mastering Linear Algebra Concepts: Diagonalization and Quadratic Forms 7.3 7.4 Constrained Optimization 7-8 7-10 The Singular Value Decomposition Computing an SVD 7-11 7.5 Applications to Image Processing and Statistics Supplementary Exercises Glossary Checklist 7-19 7-19 7-16 APPENDICES TECHNOLOGY INDEX OFShow MoreRelatedAshford MAT 222 WEEK 1 TO 5 Essay1280 Words   |  6 PagesSolve problem 56 on page 437 of Elementary and Intermediate Algebra. 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Mercosur Nafta And The Eu Three Agendas Business Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 13 Words: 3861 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Did you like this example? ABSTRACT Three major international trade groups are characterized in terms of their overall strategic objectives using the categories developed by Raymond Miles and Charles Snow. It is hypothesized that the strategic orientation of MERCOSUR is primarily that of analyzer, that the strategic orientation of NAFTA is primarily that of defender and that the strategic orientation of the European Union is primarily that of prospector. The reactor category is seen as a secondary or back-up orientation for all of the groups. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Mercosur Nafta And The Eu Three Agendas Business Essay" essay for you Create order Implications of these categories for business management practices are discussed within the context of intergroup business transactions. INTRODUCTION The purposes of this paper are to present a comparative overview of three trading groups in terms of (1) their histories, structures and, especially, their strategic objectives (agendas), (2) their overall strategic orientations and (3) the implications of this material for business management practices. The three trading groups are MERCOSUR, NAFTA and the European Union (EU). Theoretical material concerning strategic orientation is drawn from the work of Miles and Snow (1994) in which they identify prospector, defender, analyzer and reactor categories. Based upon an assessment of their histories, structures and objectives the trading groups are classified as MERCOSUR-Analyzer, NAFTA-Defender and EU-Prospector. And, based upon these conclusions, management practices in each of the groups are differentiated both descriptively and prescriptively. Implications of these conclusions are drawn in terms of recommendations for intergroup trade at the level of the business firm. One of t he most enduring conceptual frameworks for the classification of the competitive strategy of a business is that developed by Miles and Snow (1994:12-15). The classification system includes three viable categories, which are the defender, the prospector and the analyzer, and a fourth dysfunctional form, the reactor, which is essentially a try anything regardless of consequences approach used when the firm is facing severe challenges to survival. The defender firms move slowly, tend to dominate their markets and work hard to improve quality and efficiency; they strive for economies of scale in areas that are healthy, stable and predictable. Prospecting firms try to achieve success by being first, by anticipating where the market is headed through their own research efforts; they continually search for new products, services and technologies. Analyst firms are a partial combination of the defender and prospector. They succeed by being careful followers of other firms, learning by other s trials and identifying a niche in an already existing market which can be exploited. Defenders typically use a functional and centralized organizational structure and their planning process takes the sequential order of planactevaluate. Prospectors usually have a divisional and decentralized organizational structure and their planning process takes the sequential order of actevaluateplan. Analyzers are structured as a mixed functional-divisional matrix with some decentralization to operating units and their planning process takes the sequential order of evaluateactplan. Innovation for the prospector focuses on new products, services and technology; for the defender, innovation involves developing new ways to produce and deliver existing products and services; the analyst is innovative by adapting to new trends either in their existing business lines or those developed by prospectors. The application of these frameworks in this paper is to entire groups of nations which have special trade agreements such that there are mutual benefits to trading within the groups. Three trading groups are discussed in this paper (MERCOSUR, NAFTA, The European Union) and the classification of these blocks by Miles and Snows (1994) scheme is proposed to be as follows: MERCOSUR-Analyzer, NAFTA-Defender and EU-Prospector. These classifications are the subject of the remainder of the paper. OVERVIEW OF THREE TRADE GROUPS The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA implemented in 1994) is an example of a free trade area in which barriers to trade among member countries are eliminated, but allows each country to establish its own external trade barriers. The current members of NAFTA are Canada, the United States of America and Mexico. A problem with free trade areas such as NAFTA is the potential for trade deflection whereby non-member countries try to avoid trade barriers by initially exporting their products to a member country with low trade barriers, then re-exporting the products to a member country with high trade barriers. NAFTA specifies rules of origin, which detail the conditions under which a good is classified as a member or non-member good to try to prevent trade deflection (Griffin and Pustay, 2002). Details from the Agreement itself are provided below. The Parties to this Agreement, consistent with Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, hereby establish a fr ee trade area. The objectives of this Agreement, as elaborated more specifically through its principles and rules, including national treatment, most-favored-nation treatment and transparency, are to: a) eliminate barriers to trade in, and facilitate the cross-border movement of, goods and services between the territories of the Parties; b) promote conditions of fair competition in the free trade area; c) increase substantially investment opportunities in the territories of the Parties; d) provide adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in each Partys territory; e) create effective procedures for the implementation and application of this Agreement, for its joint administration and for the resolution of disputes; and f) establish a framework for further trilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation to expand and enhance the benefits of this Agreement. (The North American Free Trade Agreement, Part 1, Chapter 1, Articles 101, 102; see als o www.nafta-sec-alena.org/english/index.htm). The MERCOSUR Accord, formalized in the Treaty of Asuncion in 1991, is an agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, to form a customs union which combines the elimination of barriers to internal trade among member countries with the adoption of common external trade policies toward non-members. Trade deflection is not an issue in a customs union since member countries treat non-members in a uniform manner (Griffin and Pustay, 2002). Details from the Treaty itself are provided below. The Party States hereby decide to establish a common market, which shall be called the common market of the southern cone (MERCOSUR). This common market shall involve: (a) the free movement of goods, services and factors of production between countries through, inter alia, the elimination of customs duties and non-tariff restrictions on the movement of goods, and any other equivalent measures; (b) the establishment of a common external ta riff and the adoption of a common trade policy in relation to third States or groups of States, and the co-ordination of positions in regional and international economic and commercial forums; (c) the co-ordination of macroeconomic and sectoral policies between the Party States in the areas of foreign trade, agriculture, industry, fiscal and monetary matters, foreign exchange and capital, services, customs, transport and communications and any other areas that may be agreed upon, in order to ensure proper competition between the Party States; (d) the commitment by Party States to harmonize their legislation in the relevant areas in order to strengthen the integration process. (Treaty of Asuncion, Chapter 1, Article 1; see also www.mercosur.com/in/info/tratadosde_asuncion.jsp -and- www.sice.oas.org/trade/mrcsr/mrcsr1.asp). The European Union (EU) was created by the Treaty of Maastrich in 1992 and is an example of a common market. Twelve of its members (EURO-12) also present an exa mple of an economic union. The EU combines the elements of a customs union with a policy that allows for the mobility of factors of production. Productivity is expected to rise in a common market because factors of production are free to locate where the returns to them are highest. The EURO currency has been adopted by all but Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom, thus forming an economic union which eliminates trade barriers between member countries, establishes a common external trade policy, follows a policy of factor mobility, and coordinates economic policies of member countries (Griffin and Pustay, 2002). The fifteen EU member nations, in order of entry, are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland and Sweden. Details from the Treaty itself are provided below. By this Treaty, the High Contracting Parties establish among themselves a European Union. This Treaty marks a new stage i n the process of creating an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizen. The Union shall be founded on the European Communities, supplemented by the policies and forms of cooperation established by this Treaty. Its task shall be to organize, in a manner demonstrating consistency and solidarity, relations between the Member States and between their peoples. The Union shall set itself the following objectives: (a) to promote economic and social progress and a high level of employment and to achieve balanced and sustainable development, in particular through the creation of an area without internal frontiers, through the strengthening of economic and social cohesion and through the establishment of economic and monetary union, ultimately including a single currency in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty; (b) to assert its identity on the international scene, in particular through the implementation of a common foreign and security policy including the progressive framing of a common defense policy; (c) to strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of the nationals of its Member States through the introduction of a citizenship of the Union; (d) to maintain and develop the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice, in which the free movement of persons is assured in conjunction with appropriate measures with respect to external border controls, asylum, immigration and the prevention and combating of crime; (e) to maintain in full the acquis communautaire and build on it with a view to considering to what extent the policies and forms of cooperation introduced by this Treaty may need to be revised with the aim of ensuring the effectiveness of the mechanisms and the institutions of the Community (Treaty of Maastrich, Title I, Articles 1, 2; see also europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/treaties/livre102.html). CHARACTERISTICS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN THE THREE TRADE GROUPS The European Union (Prospecting) Business Management Model. The following five characteristics represent a summary of the views of directors of major European firms, all members of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), who were asked to describe the ideal profile of the European manager (Calori and DeWoot 1994:237): (1) ability to involve people including communication and psychology skills and the capacity to work in teams, to coordinate and to motivate; (2) international skills including international experience, competence in at least three languages, geographical mobility and global thinking; (3) flexibility with aptitudes to manage change and diversity, tolerance to ambiguity and uncertainty and the capacity to learn (selfà ¢ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬evaluation, openness); (4) intuition including creativity and the ability to innovate; (5) broad vision with an aptitude for interdisciplinary views and deep social, philosophical and ethical understanding. A similar set of characteristics was given by the European Round Table of Industrialists concerning common characteristics of European management (Calori and DeWoot, 1994). These are seen as inclusive of the ideas presented above and are as follows: (1) orientation towards people (ability to involve people); (2) internal negotiation (broad vision, intuition); (3) managing international diversity (international skills); (4) managing between extremes (flexibility). This set of categories is the basis for the EU common management model. The case study research of Paulson, et al. (2002) and Kramer (1996) provide evidence that these elements are, indeed, being practiced. The firms they described are engaged in high-risk entrepreneurial activities which present much ambiguity and uncertainty, requiring tolerance and a reliance on intuition. These firm-level elements are, thus, consistent with the prospecting model which, in turn, is consistent with the general classification of the EU. The NAFTA (Defending) Business Management Model. Essentially, the elements of a firm level management model for NAFTA firms are those which are prominent among existing U.S. businesses. The general rationale for this perspective is described by Herman Konrad (1995: 15-35) as a continentalization process with antecedents in the late nineteenth century. The process has been one of much variety through time but as Herman Konrad (1995: 15) indicates, one element has not varied and that is the asymmetrical nature of the relationships between Canada and the United States, and between Mexico and the United States as he says: Fears of dominance and dependence, on the part of Canadians and Mexicans, were and are important issues in the face of disproportionate economic and political influence of a seemingly all-powerful neighbor. Yet as with the Cold War military threat of the past, and Asian and European economic threats of the present, Herman Konrad (1995) concludes that inward-directed nationalist strategies will not be pursued. That i s, continentalism will continue to grow and that the United States, at least in the short run, will remain the primary influence. Belous and Lemco (1995), similarly, characterize the United States, and to a lesser extent Canada, as behemoths. But, of late, these behemoths are opening their doors to Mexico which represents a major shift in continental policy. Policy, that is, which is more consistent with accelerated continentalization. As Blank and Haar (1998: 83) indicate: There may be a tendency in the United States to take North America for granted . . . Many firms no longer view Canada as a foreign country [and] . . . Mexico is not very foreign either. . . We came to Canada says the CEO of one of Americas largest retail-securities brokerages, because we believed the services we offer are universal. Theyre not American; theyre not Canadian. The notion of North America may have become so commonplace that companies are less conscious of specific arrangements in the region. The s pecific rationale for adopting the U.S. business, firm level, management model as the model for NAFTA is in two parts, Canadian and Mexican. In terms of Canada, the U.S. model has been the Canadian model since the 1950s when Peter Drucker, Douglas McGregor and others began to shape management prescriptions for the U.S. and became the basis for ideas taught in business school of the U.S. and Canada. Regional differences within the U.S. and within Canada are greater, for example, than overall differences between the U.S. and Canada. And the expectation is that this will become more the case as NAFTA facilitates international business transactions (cf. Safarian, 1996). In terms of Mexico, conversely, there are substantial differences in business management yet the trend in the last ten years has been toward emulation of the U.S. approach even in the face of some very rough spots (Baer, 1996). As described by Castillo Vera, 1995:119) Toward the end of the [1980s] the private sector c ame to the conclusion that exporting to the United States was the means to survive and . . . that a stronger union with the United States was a wise, if not the only, policy alternative. Also, as with the Canadian case, the dramatically increased, and very influential, presence of U.S. higher educational systems has had a reorienting effect (Victor Konrad, 1995: 353-362). This reorientation has been toward adoption of a U.S. business management perspective with the expectation that with NAFTA-facilitated business transactions it will become even more pronounced. The expectation is that this orientation to the U.S. model by Canada and Mexico will deepen considerably (Doran, 1996) and that the international mergers and acquisitions, as well as privatization efforts, of the last fifteen years have fostered and will continue to foster this development (Gianaris, 1998: 61-86, 189-206). The result of this trend by the United States, Canada and Mexico has been described by the Conferenc e Board (Taylor, 1991) as a North American Competitive Space toward which all three nations are evolving. As evidence for this conclusion, the Conference Board notes the development of bi-national regions which include the single markets of Ontario-Michigan and Southern California-Northwestern Mexico. The development of the maquiladora industry, likewise, is an example of such bi-national regionalization (Ganster, 1995). Thus the specific elements of NAFTA are those associated with U.S. firms and they are delineated in Calori and DeWoot (1994:11-15) as follows: (1) profit orientation which emphasizes shareholders wealth, stock value growth and price levels; (2) competition which focuses on customer satisfaction; (3) individualism, suggesting a strong orientation to self-achievement and mobility with a high turnover of managers; (4) professionalism of managers who learn detailed techniques and apply them through formalized systems. These firm-level elements are evidence of the def ending model which is consistent with the general classification of NAFTA. The MERCOSUR (Analyzing) Business Management Model. In a report issued in 1998 by Simonsen Associates, a major business consulting firm located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the critical success factors for the businesses of MERCOSUR are as follows (Simonsen Associados, 1998: 84-89): (1) perseverance in pursuit of a clearly defined goal; (2) formal and well-substantiated knowledge about the market; (3) creativity in utilizing knowledge about the market and adding it to objective knowledge about the company; (4) resources which are available not only at home but also in the other countries; (5) courage; (6) rapid and early decisions. These points, in turn, reflect a set of MERCOSUR market conditions which firms will be facing and they are recommended by Simonsen to be part of a firms Program of Integration Marketing (PIM) which is an elaboration of a diagnosis of the company, conducted in accordance with time and resources available and aimed at a systematic approach. This program has the function of providing executives and shareholders wit h the necessary elements to be able to define better the positioning and strategic actions of the company in new market realities. The PIM model, and the six success factors listed above, are based upon accumulated experiences with client firms in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, market surveys conducted by Simonsen and six case studies which are described in detail as illustrations of these points (Simonsen Associados, 1998: 93-123). The six cases are Groupo Brasil, Arisco, Banco Itau, Brahma, Cotia Trading and LUPATECH S.A. These elements are reflected in the work of others. Peter Coffey (1998:7-8) indicates that the two major factors which were indispensable to the creation and subsequent success of MERCOSUR were the return to democracy and accompanying implementation of sober economic and monetary policies by the countries involved, especially Brazil and Argentina. In their review of hemispheric regionalism, Mace and Belanger (1999:2-7) indicate that beginning in the late 1980s, Latin America observed the development of trading groups in North America, Western Europe, Asia and, especially, regional developments in an opened Central and Eastern Europe, and concluded that they must follow suit. And Fischer (1999) describes the integrationist-competitive model as the currently dominant model which has the main purposes of fostering competition within the region and exploiting regional comparative advantages in international markets. This, in turn, requires a careful analysis of other regions and the costs/benefits of developing a market where there is an apparent advantage vis-a-vis other regions. Clearly these firm-level elements are evidence of the analyzing model which is consistent with the general classification of MERCOSUR both defending and prospecting elements are found in combination. CONCLUSION The general conclusion of these assessments is that a structural effect is operating such that the stage of development of the trade group (free trade zone, customs union, common market/economic union) influences the broad strategic orientation of the group which in turn influences the specific orientation of the firm. In the case of NAFTA, as a free trade zone, the trading group is at a very elementary level which encourages a cautious adherence to processes/products/services already mastered and clearly understood the effort remains one of looking for ways to fine tune operations for greater efficiency. This is, then, the basis for the defending approach of the trading group and individual firms within member nations. This has been verified, in this paper, by examining independent assessments of management practices at the level of the firm. In the case of the European Union, the most sophisticated and advanced forms of trading bloc development are found and those are the com mon market and economic union. At this level it is expected that the most aggressive and proactive strategic orientation would be pursued and this is exactly what has occurred in the form of the prospector orientation. Likewise, this orientation is expected at the level of the individual firm in the form of management practices and this has also been verified, in this paper, by examining independent assessments of management practices at the level of the firm. Finally, MERCOSUR is in the complicated middle stage of trading bloc development, the customs union, in which there is a combined prospecting and defending orientation. This orientation manifests itself in the common attempt to emulate the success of the EU while recognizing the strength and dominance of NAFTA classic characteristics of the analyzing strategic orientation. The manifestation of the analyzing orientation is seen in the practices of managers at the level of the operating business firm which has been documente d, in this paper, through examining independent assessments. The most useful implications of these conclusions are at the level of the individual firm and its managers which desire to establish relationships with firms across trading bloc boundaries. A fictional scenario which applies to these conclusions is as follows. Imagine that a South American pasta maker, with home offices in Montevideo, would like to expand beyond the MERCOSUR market. At the same time, imagine that there is a network of European retail grocery stores with headquarters in Bologna that is interested in supplementing the domestic supply of pasta against possible shortages owing to several years of severe draught in the central regions of Italy the source of 80% of the firms pasta. Both firms independently contact the worlds largest volume supplier of pasta which is located in the NAFTA region with centralized management staffs in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis firm studies its long range plan and discovers th at there is no provision to become a third party mediator and thus decides to not attempt to buy from Montevideo and resell to Bologna this would represent too great a departure from routine company activities and too great a risk for the defender strategy. But, upon hearing that there is a potential supplier in Uruguay, AND realizing the defending tendencies of the U.S., along with the Uruguayan tendency to be cautiously analytical, the Bologna business staff offers to pay a high price for Uruguayan pasta. At the same time, the Italian firm provides consultant expertise which convinces the U.S. firm that third party relationships are an American Tradition. At that point the Italian firm will have provided key inputs at the very time when the U.S. and Uruguay are on the verge of entering the act stage in their respective planning processes (see above discussion concerning the relationships among planning, evaluating and acting). If so, then the MERCOSUR firm can rely on the U.S. fi rm to buy their product because they have an eager customer in the EU all of which was initiated by the Italian firm in true prospecting fashion! This scenario focuses exclusively on strategic activities and, of course, there would be other factors which could play a part in the decision-making of the Italian firm and its desire to secure an additional, very independent supplier, through the risk-taking of the U.S. and Italian firms.

Analysis Of The Movies Shall We Dance And Billy Elliot

Jacob-Thomas Donida SOC 150-01 Professor Hwa-Ji Shin October 14, 2015 Reaction Paper #1 The world we live in today is constructed by human thought of how a male or female is supposed to conduct themselves in everyday society. When you think of the word â€Å"male† or â€Å"female† certain words pop into your head. Men are thought of to be masculine, play tough sports, described as handsome, and they can be aggressive. Women on the other hand are considered feminine, do â€Å"girly things† such as dancing, described as being â€Å"pretty,† and can be sensitive. These are just a few things that can come to mind. What happens if a person acts outside of that norm that society has constructed? In the movies Shall We Dance? and Billy Elliot, the two main male characters are considered to have acted out of the norms that society has created. Simply put, these two characters participated in ballroom dancing and ballet dancing, respectively, something that is considered to be feminine. The Japanese movie Shall We Dance? follows the story of a middle aged man named Mr. Sugiyama. Even though he is a successful middle-aged business man with a wife, daughter, and home, Mr. Sugiyama feels a sense of emptiness. In the English setting of Billy Elliot, Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy caught in a family struggle. Having lost his mother years ago, his father and brother take part in the miner’s strike furthering the conflict within their family. Billy’s father forces him to take up boxing, but heShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesBehaviors 119 †¢ Safety and Injury at Work 119 †¢ How Managers Can Influence Moods 120 Summary and Implications for Managers 121 Self-Assessment Library How Are You Feeling Right Now? 98 Self-Assessment Library What’s My Affect Intensity? 104 Myth or Science? We Are Better Judges of When Others Are Happy Than When They Are Sad 107 glOBalization! Should You Expect â€Å"Service with a Smile† All Around the World? 108 Self-Assessment Library What’s My Emotional Intelligence Score? 115 An Ethical Choice SchadenfreudeRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesLeadership Chapter 2 Organization Strategy and Project Selection 1.4 Projects and programs (.2) 1.4.1 Managing the portfolio 1.4.3 Strategy and projects 2.3 Stakeholders and review boards 12.1 RFP’s and vendor selection (.3.4.5) 11.2.2.6 SWAT analysis 6.5.2.7 Schedule compression 9.4.2.5 Leadership skills G.1 Project leadership 10.1 Stakeholder management Chapter 11 Teams Chapter 3 Organization: Structure and Culture 2.4.1 Organization cultures [G.7] 2.4.2 Organization structure

The Disciples Of Christ Tradition - 1281 Words

Having grown up United Methodist, it has been compelling to discover how much I have been influenced by Wesleyan theology, without even realizing it. This embedded theology continues to be refined through an ever-deepening understanding of scripture, experience, traditions and with the use of reason. I am most drawn to those theologians who are rooted in this Wesleyan tradition. My mother grew up Disciples of Christ, and her tradition influenced my theology through its broad understanding of faith. This led me toward an openness about the various ways people experience and understand the Divine. The Disciples of Christ tradition also influenced my understanding of baptism, while John Wesley’s Treatise on Baptism helped me affirm a Wesleyan†¦show more content†¦While being both three and one, the Triune God is both accessible to us through relationship and more expansive than we can fathom. Having experienced both God’s nearness and distance in my own life, I am comfortable with the mystery of God. My own relationship with the Divine is sustained through prayer, worship, study, sacrament, vocation, relationships and acts of justice. Throughout my life, especially during more challenging experiences, I felt God nearby, present, and engaged in my life, especially through communion. At other times, God feels more distant, more mysterious, and more unavailable. This ebb and flow in my relationship with God allows me to be comfortable with God being three in one and both immanent and transcendent. I also experience God in moments of tension, when caught between two seemingly distant paradigms. By acknowledging the mystery of God, I am able to have a relationship with God, while God remains infinite and beyond full human comprehension. I believe that God created the world and continues to remain active and responsive to the world as it is. God is, first and foremost, loving. As both Father and Mother, God seeks to be in relationship with the world and calls the church toward a vision of creation that is beautiful, diverse, just, and good. God remains with us, even when we turn away and sin. God’s love is greater than we can ever imagine.

Foundation and Empire 5. The War Begins Free Essays

From the radiating point of Siwenna, the forces of the Empire reached out cautiously into the black unknown of the Periphery. Giant ships passed the vast distances that separated the vagrant stars at the Galaxy’s rim, and felt their way around the outermost edge of Foundation influence. Worlds isolated in their new barbarism of two centuries felt the sensation once again of Imperial overlords upon their soil. We will write a custom essay sample on Foundation and Empire 5. The War Begins or any similar topic only for you Order Now Allegiance was sworn in the face of the massive artillery covering capital cities. Garrisons were left; garrisons of men in Imperial uniform with the Spaceship-and-Sun insignia upon their shoulders. The old men took notice and remembered once again the forgotten tales of their grandfathers’ fathers of the times when the universe was big, and rich, and peaceful and that same Spaceship-and-Sun ruled all. Then the great ships passed on to weave their line of forward bases further around the Foundation. And as each world was knotted into its proper place in the fabric, the report went back to Bel Riose at the General Headquarters he had established on the rocky barrenness of a wandering sunless planet. Now Riose relaxed and smiled grimly at Ducem Barr. â€Å"Well, what do you think, patrician?† â€Å"I? Of what value are my thoughts? I am not a military man.† He took in with one wearily distasteful glance the crowded disorder of the rock-bound room which had been carved out of the wall of a cavern of artificial air, light, and heat which marked the single bubble of life in the vastness of a bleak world. â€Å"For the help I could give you,† he muttered, â€Å"or would want to give you, you might return me to Siwenna.† â€Å"Not yet. Not yet.† The general turned his chair to the comer which held the huge, brilliantly-transparent sphere that mapped the old Imperial prefect of Anacreon and its neighboring sectors. â€Å"Later, when this is over, you will go back to your books and to more. I’ll see to it that the estates of your family are restored to you and to your children for the rest of time.† â€Å"Thank you,† said Barr, with faint irony, â€Å"but I lack your faith in the happy outcome of all this.† Riose laughed harshly, â€Å"Don’t start your prophetic croakings again. This map speaks louder than all your woeful theories.† He caressed its curved invisible outline gently. â€Å"Can you read a map in radial projection? You can? Well, here, see for yourself. The stars in gold represent the Imperial territories. The red stars are those in subjection to the Foundation and the pink are those which are probably within the economic sphere of influence. Now watch-â€Å" Riose’s hand covered a rounded knob, and slowly an area of hard, white pinpoints changed into a deepening blue. Like an inverted cup they folded about the red and the pink. â€Å"Those blue stars have been taken over by my forces,† said Riose with quiet satisfaction, â€Å"and they still advance. No opposition has appeared anywhere. The barbarians are quiet. And particularly, no opposition has come from Foundation forces. They sleep peacefully and well.† â€Å"You spread your force thinly, don’t you?† asked Barr. â€Å"As a matter of fact,† said Riose, â€Å"despite appearances, I don’t. The key points which I garrison and fortify are relatively few, but they are carefully chosen. The result is that the force expended is small, but the strategic result great. There are many advantages, more than would ever appear to anyone who hasn’t made a careful study of spatial tactics, but it is apparent to anyone, for instance, that I can base an attack from any point in an inclosing sphere, and that when I am finished it will be impossible for the Foundation to attack at flank or rear. I shall have no flank or rear with respect to them. â€Å"This strategy of the Previous Enclosure has been tried before, notably in the campaigns of Loris VI, some two thousand years ago, but always imperfectly; always with the knowledge and attempted interference of the enemy. This is different.† â€Å"The ideal textbook case?† Barr’s voice was languid and indifferent. Riose was impatient, â€Å"You still think my forces will fail?† â€Å"They must.† â€Å"You understand that there is no case in military history where an Enclosure has been completed that the attacking forces have not eventually won, except where an outside Navy exists in sufficient force to break the Enclosure.† â€Å"If you say so.† â€Å"And you still adhere to your faith.† â€Å"Yes.† Riose shrugged. â€Å"Then do so.† Barr allowed the angry silence to continue for a moment, then asked quietly, â€Å"Have you received an answer from the Emperor?† Riose removed a cigarette from a wall container behind his head, placed a filter tip between his lips and puffed it aflame carefully. He said, â€Å"You mean my request for reinforcements? It came, but that’s all. Just the answer.† â€Å"No ships.† â€Å"None. I half-expected that. Frankly, patrician, I should never have allowed myself to be stampeded by your theories into requesting them in the first place. It puts me in a false light.† â€Å"Does it?† â€Å"Definitely. Ships are at a premium. The civil wars of the last two centuries have smashed up more than half of the Grand Fleet and what’s left is in pretty shaky condition. You know it isn’t as if the ships we build these days are worth anything. I don’t think there’s a man in the Galaxy today who can build a first-rate hypernuclear motor.† â€Å"I knew that,† said the Siwennian. His eyes were thoughtful and introspective. â€Å"I didn’t know that you knew it. So his Imperial Majesty can spare no ships. Psychohistory could have predicted that; in fact, it probably did. I should say that Hari Seldon’s dead hand wins the opening round.† Riose answered sharply, â€Å"I have enough ships as it is. Your Seldon wins nothing. Should the situation turn more serious, then more ships will be available. As yet, the Emperor does not know all the story.† â€Å"Indeed? What haven’t you told him?† â€Å"Obviously – your theories.† Riose looked sardonic. â€Å"The story is, with all respect to you, inherently improbable. If developments warrant; if events supply me with proof, then, but only then, would I make out the case of mortal danger. â€Å"And in addition,† Riose drove on, casually, â€Å"the story, unbolstered by fact, has a flavor of lese majeste that could scarcely be pleasant to His Imperial Majesty.† The old patrician smiled. â€Å"You mean that telling him his august throne is in danger of subversion by a parcel of ragged barbarians from the ends of the universe is not a warning to be believed or appreciated. Then you expect nothing from him.† â€Å"Unless you count a special envoy as something.† â€Å"And why a special envoy?† â€Å"It’s an old custom. A direct representative of the crown is present on every military campaign which is under government auspices.† â€Å"Really? Why?† â€Å"It’s a method of preserving the symbol of personal Imperial leadership in all campaigns. It’s gained a secondary function of insuring the fidelity of generals. It doesn’t always succeed in that respect.† â€Å"You’ll find that inconvenient, general. Extraneous authority, I mean.† â€Å"I don’t doubt that,† Riose reddened faintly, â€Å"but it can’t be helped-â€Å" The receiver at the general’s hand glowed warmly, and with an unobtrusive jar, the cylindered communication popped into its slot. Riose unrolled it, â€Å"Good! This is it!† Ducem Barr raised a mildly questioning eyebrow. Riose said, â€Å"You know we’ve captured one of these Trader people. Alive – and with his ship intact.† â€Å"I’ve heard talk of it.† â€Å"Well, they’ve just brought him in, and we’ll have him here in a minute. You keep your seat, patrician. I want you here when I’m questioning him. It’s why I asked you here today in the first place. You may understand him where I might miss important points.† The door signal sounded and a touch of the general’s toe swung the door wide. The man who stood on the threshold was tall and bearded, wore a short coat of a soft, leathery plastic, with an attached hood shoved back on his neck. His hands were free, and if he noticed the men about him were armed, he did not trouble to indicate it. He stepped in casually, and looked about with calculating eyes. He favored the general with a rudimentary wave of the hand and a half nod. â€Å"Your name?† demanded Riose, crisply. â€Å"Lathan Devers.† The trader hooked his thumbs into his wide and gaudy belt. â€Å"Are you the boss here?† â€Å"You are a trader of the Foundation?† â€Å"That’s right. Listen, if you’re the boss, you’d better tell your hired men here to lay off my cargo.† The general raised his head and regarded the prisoner coldly. â€Å"Answer questions. Do not volunteer orders.† â€Å"All right. I’m agreeable. But one of your boys blasted a two-foot hole in his chest already, by sticking his fingers where he wasn’t supposed to.† Riose shifted his gaze to the lieutenant in charge. â€Å"Is this man telling the truth? Your report, Vrank, had it that no lives were lost.† â€Å"None were, sir,† the lieutenant spoke stiffly, apprehensively, â€Å"at the time. There was later some disposition to search the ship, there having arisen a rumor that a woman was aboard. Instead, sir, many instruments of unknown nature were located, instruments which the prisoner claims to be his stock in trade. One of them flashed on handling, and the soldier holding it died.† The general turned back to the trader. â€Å"Does your ship carry nuclear explosives?† â€Å"Galaxy, no. What for? That fool grabbed a nuclear puncher, wrong end forward and set at maximum dispersion. You’re not supposed to do that. Might as well point a neut-gun at your head. I’d have stopped him, if five men weren’t sitting on my chest.† Riose gestured at the waiting guard, â€Å"You go. The captured ship is to he sealed against all intrusion. Sit down, Devers.† The trader did so, in the spot indicated, and withstood stolidly the hard scrutiny of the Imperial general and the curious glance of the Siwennian patrician. Riose said, â€Å"You’re a sensible man, Devers.† â€Å"Thank you. Are you impressed by my face, or do you want something? Tell you what, though. I’m a good business man.† â€Å"It’s about the same thing. You surrendered your ship when you might have decided to waste our ammunition and have yourself blown to electron-dust. It could result in good treatment for you, if you continue that sort of outlook on life.† â€Å"Good treatment is what I mostly crave, boss.† â€Å"Good, and co-operation is what I mostly crave.† Riose smiled, and said in a low aside to Ducem Barr, â€Å"I hope the word ‘crave’ means what I think it does. Did you ever hear such a barbarous jargon?† Devers said blandly, â€Å"Right. I check you. But what kind of co-operation are you talking about, boss? To tell you straight, I don’t know where I stand.† He looked about him, â€Å"Where’s this place, for instance, and – what’s the idea?† â€Å"Ah, I’ve neglected the other half of the introductions. I apologize.† Riose was in good humor. â€Å"That gentleman is Ducem Barr, Patrician of the Empire. I am Bel Riose, Peer of the Empire, and General of the Third Class in the armed forces of His Imperial Majesty.† The trader’s jaw slackened. Then, â€Å"The Empire? I mean the old Empire they taught us about at school? Huh! Funny! I always had the sort of notion that it didn’t exist any more.† â€Å"Look about you. It does,† said Riose grimly. â€Å"Might have known it though,† and Lathan Devers pointed his beard at the ceiling. â€Å"That was a mightily polished-looking set of craft that took my tub. No kingdom of the Periphery could have turned them out.† His brow furrowed. â€Å"So what’s the game, boss? Or do I call you general?† â€Å"Me game is war.† â€Å"Empire versus Foundation, that it?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I think you know why.† The trader stared sharply and shook his head. Riose let the other deliberate, then said softly, â€Å"I’m sure you know why.† Lathan Devers muttered, â€Å"Warm here,† and stood up to remove his hooded jacket. Then he sat down again and stretched his legs out before him. â€Å"You know,† he said, comfortably, â€Å"I figure you’re thinking I ought to jump up with a whoop and lay about me. I can catch you before you could move if I choose my time, and this old fellow who sits there and doesn’t say anything couldn’t do much to stop me.† â€Å"But you won’t,† said Riose, confidently. â€Å"I won’t,† agreed Devers, amiably. â€Å"First off, killing you wouldn’t stop the war, I suppose. There are more generals where you came from.† â€Å"Very accurately calculated.† â€Å"Besides which, I’d probably be slammed down about two seconds after I got you, and killed fast, or maybe slow, depending. But I’d be killed, and I never like to count on that when I’m making plans. It doesn’t pay off.† â€Å"I said you were a sensible man.† â€Å"But there’s one thing I would like, boss. I’d like you to tell me what you mean when you say I know why you’re jumping us. I don’t; and guessing games bother me no end.† â€Å"Yes? Ever hear of Hari Seldon?† â€Å"No. I said I don’t like guessing games.† Riose flicked a side glance at Ducem Barr who smiled with a narrow gentleness and resumed his inwardly-dreaming expression. Riose said with a grimace, â€Å"Don’t you play games, Devers. There is a tradition, or a fable, or sober history – I don’t care what – upon your Foundation, that eventually you will found the Second Empire. I know quite a detailed version of Hari Seldon’s psychohistorical claptrap, and your eventual plans of aggression against the Empire.† â€Å"That so?† Devers nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"And who told you all that?† â€Å"Does that matter?† said Riose with dangerous smoothness. â€Å"You’re here to question nothing. I want what you know about the Seldon Fable.† â€Å"But if it’s a Fable-â€Å" â€Å"Don’t play with words, Devers.† â€Å"I’m not. In fact, I’ll give it to you straight. You know all I know about it. It’s silly stuff, half-baked. Every world has its yams; you can’t keep it away from them. Yes, I’ve heard that sort of talk; Seldon, Second Empire, and so on. They put kids to sleep at night with the stuff. The young squirts curl up in the spare rooms with their pocket projectors and suck up Seldon thrillers. But it’s strictly non-adult. Nonintelligent adult, anyway.† The trader shook his head. The Imperial general’s eyes were dark. â€Å"Is that really so? You waste your lies, man. I’ve been on the planet, Terminus. I know your Foundation. I’ve looked it in the face.† â€Å"And you ask me? Me, when I haven’t kept foot on it for two months at a piece in ten years. You are wasting your time. But go ahead with your war, if it’s fables you’re after.† And Barr spoke for the first time, mildly, â€Å"You are so confident then that the Foundation will win?† The trader turned. He flushed faintly and an old scar on one temple showed whitely, â€Å"Hm-m-m, the silent partner. How’d you squeeze that out of what I said, doc?† Riose nodded very slightly at Barr, and the Siwennian continued in a low voice, â€Å"Because the notion would bother you if you thought your world might lose this war, and suffer the bitter reapings of defeat, I know. My world once did, and still does.† Lathan Devers fumbled his beard, looked from one of his opponents to the other, then laughed shortly. â€Å"Does he always talk like that, boss? Listen,† he grew serious, â€Å"what’s defeat? I’ve seen wars and I’ve seen defeats. What if the winner does take over? Who’s bothered? Me? Guys like me?† He shook his head in derision. â€Å"Get this,† the trader spoke forcefully and earnestly, â€Å"there are five or six fat slobs who usually run an average planet. They get the rabbit punch, but I’m not losing peace of mind over them. See. The people? The ordinary run of guys? Sure, some get killed, and the rest pay extra taxes for a while. But it settles itself out; it runs itself down. And then it’s the old situation again with a different five or six.† Ducem Barr’s nostrils flared, and the tendons of his old right hand jerked; but he said nothing. Lathan Devers’ eyes were on him. They missed nothing. He said, â€Å"Look. I spend my life in space for my five-and-dime gadgets and my beer-and-pretzel kickback from the Combines. There’s fat fellows back there,† his thumb jerked over his shoulder and back, â€Å"that sit home and collect my year’s income every minute – out of skimmings from me and more like me. Suppose you run the Foundation. You’ll still need us. You’ll need us more than ever the Combines do – because you’d not know your way around, and we could bring in the hard cash. We’d make a better deal with the Empire. Yes, we would; and I’m a man of business. If it adds up to a plus mark, I’m for it.† And he stared at the two with sardonic belligerence. The silence remained unbroken for minutes, and then a cylinder rattled into its slot. The general flipped it open, glanced at the neat printing and in-circuited the visuals with a sweep. â€Å"Prepare plan indicating position of each ship in action. Await orders on full-armed defensive.† He reached for his cape. As he fastened it about his shoulders, he whispered in a stiff-lipped monotone to Barr, â€Å"I’m leaving this man to you. I’ll expect results. This is war and I can be cruel to failures. Remember!† He left, with a salute to both. Lathan Devers looked after him, â€Å"Well, something’s hit him where it hurts. What goes on?† â€Å"A battle, obviously,† said Barr, gruffly. â€Å"The forces of the Foundation are coming out for their first battle. You’d better come along.† There were armed soldiers in the room. Their bearing was respectful and their faces were hard. Devers followed the proud old Siwennian patriarch out of the room. The room to which they were led was smaller, barer. It contained two beds, a visi-screen, and shower and sanitary facilities. The soldiers marched out, and the thick door boomed hollowly shut. â€Å"Hmp?† Devers stared disapprovingly about. â€Å"This looks permanent.† â€Å"It is,† said Barr, shortly. The old Siwennian turned his back. The trader said irritably, â€Å"What’s your game, doc?† â€Å"I have no game. You’re in my charge, that’s all.† The trader rose and advanced. His bulk towered over the unmoving patrician. â€Å"Yes? But you’re in this cell with me and when you were marched here the guns were pointed just as hard at you as at me. Listen, you were all boiled up about my notions on the subject of war and peace.† He waited fruitlessly, â€Å"All fight, let me ask you something. You said your country was licked once. By whom? Comet people from the outer nebulae?† Barr looked up. â€Å"By the Empire.† â€Å"That so? Then what are you doing here?† Barr maintained an eloquent silence. The trader thrust out a lower lip and nodded his head slowly. He slipped off the flat-linked bracelet that hugged his fight wrist and held it out. â€Å"What do you think of that?† He wore the mate to it on his left. The Siwennian took the ornament. He responded slowly to the trader’s gesture and put it on. The odd tingling at the wrist passed away quickly. Devers’ voice changed at once. â€Å"Right, doc, you’ve got the action now. Just speak casually. If this room is wired, they won’t get a thing. That’s a Field Distorter you’ve got there; genuine Mallow design. Sells for twenty-five credits on any world from here to the outer rim. You get it free. Hold your lips still when you talk and take it easy. You’ve got to get the trick of it.† Ducem Barr was suddenly weary. The trader’s boring eyes were luminous and urging. He felt unequal to their demands. Barr said, â€Å"What do you want?† The words slurred from between unmoving lips. â€Å"I’ve told you. You make mouth noises like what we call a patriot. Yet your own world has been mashed up by the Empire, and here you are playing ball with the Empire’s fair-haired general. Doesn’t make sense, does it?† Barr said, â€Å"I have done my part. A conquering Imperial viceroy is dead because of me.† â€Å"That so? Recently?† â€Å"Forty years ago.† â€Å"Forty†¦ years†¦ ago!† The words seemed to have meaning to the trader. He frowned, â€Å"That’s a long time to live on memories. Does that young squirt in the general’s uniform know about it?† Barr nodded. Devers’ eyes were dark with thought. â€Å"You want the Empire to win?† And the old Siwennian patrician broke out in sudden deep anger, â€Å"May the Empire and all its works perish in universal catastrophe. All Siwenna prays that daily. I had brothers once, a sister, a father. But I have children now, grandchildren. The general knows where to find them.† Devers waited. Barr continued in a whisper, â€Å"But that would not stop me if the results in view warranted the risk. They would know how to die.† The trader said gently, â€Å"You killed a viceroy once, huh? You know, I recognize a few things. We once had a mayor, Hober Mallow his name was. He visited Siwenna; that’s your world, isn’t it? He met a man named Barr.† Ducem Barr stared hard, suspiciously. â€Å"What do you know of this?† â€Å"What every trader on the Foundation knows. You might be a smart old fellow put in here to get on my right side. Sure, they’d point guns at you, and you’d hate the Empire and be all-out for its smashing. Then I’d fall all over you and pour out my heart to you, and wouldn’t the general be pleased. There’s not much chance of that, doc. â€Å"But just the same I’d like to have you prove that you’re the son of Onum Barr of Siwenna – the sixth and youngest who escaped the massacre.† Ducem Barr’s hand shook as he opened the flat metal box in a wall recess. The metal object he withdrew clanked softly as he thrust it into the trader’s hands. â€Å"Look at that,† he said. Devers stared. He held the swollen central link of the chain close to his eyes and swore softly. â€Å"That’s Mallow’s monogram, or I’m a space-struck rookie, and the design is fifty years old if it’s a day.† He looked up and smiled. â€Å"Shake, doc. A man-sized nuclear shield is all the proof I need,† and he held out his large hand. How to cite Foundation and Empire 5. The War Begins, Essay examples

Project Report on Industry Analysis free essay sample

Limitations of Porterian Models: The five forces and strategic group models provide very useful frameworks for analysing the nature of competition in an industry. These models, however, suffer from some important shortcoming mentioned below. In many industries competition is a process driven by innovation and industry structure are very significantly changed by innovation. In a later work, Porter has recognized the role of innovation in revolutionizing industry structure. Innovations, according to him, can unfreeze and reshape industry structure. He holds that after a period of turbulence triggered by innovation, the structure of an industry once more settles down to a stable pattern. Once the industry stabilizes in its new configuration, the five forces and strategic group concepts can once more be applied. This view of the evolution of industry structure is often referred to as punctuated equilibrium. The punctuated equilibrium view holds that long periods of equilibrium, when industry’s structure is stable, are punctuated by periods of rapid changes when industry structure is revolutionized by innovation. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Report on Industry Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thus, there is an unfreezing and refreezing process. SOWT Analysis: Identification of the threats and opportunities in the environment and the strengths and weaknesses of the firms is cornerstone of business policy formulation; it is these factors which determine the firm is the courses/courses of action to ensure the survival and/or growth of the firm. The environment might present many opportunities, but a company might not have the strengths to exploit all the opportunities. Similarly, sometimes a firm will not have the strength to meet the environment threats. If a company, thus, finds that it will not have the competence to survive in a particular line of business, it will be prudent to give it up and concentrate on such business/ businesses for which the firm is most competent. The economic liberalization ushered in India in 1991 drastically changed the business environment. Many companies have exited several of their businesses and have been concentrating on their core businesses. For example, the Ceat exited four non-tyre businesses (glass fibre, electronics, photocopiers and nylon code) and decided to concentrate on its core business – tyre. Funds obtained by the divestment have been used, in many cases, to consolidate or further develop the businesses they decided to focus on. Indeed, strategic management has come to assume great importance as a result of the liberalization. The liberalization, by substantially expanding the scope of private enterprise and removing the entry and growth restrictions, has gives substantial leeway to private enterprise to decide the portfolio strategy. A number of companies have changed their business portfolios (i. e. , the businesses they are in). Many have entered new businesses (Reliance, for example) and exited some of their businesses, while many have done both (like the Tata group and RPG group). A number of companies have been growing organically as well as by acquisitions (e. g. , Gujarat Ambuja). The environmental opportunities and threats should be evaluated in the light of the strengths and weaknesses of the internal factors comprising finance, technology and skill, production facilities, personnel and marketing capabilities. The capability of a company to exploit the environmental opportunities or to meet the challengers depends on the strength of these factors. Procter and Gamble (P amp; G) , Unilever’s arch rival globally, had a tough time in India because Hindustan lever sitting entrenched with its long standing familiarity of the India market and marking prowess was a formidable force in India. Japanese companies saw an opportunity in the US market segments for compact fuel efficient cars, small screen T. Vs, and low horse power tractors etc. , which were rather neglected by the American firms. As the Japanese forms were marketing these products in the home market, they were, unlike the American counterparts, counterparts, comfortable with these products. The conjecture of the market opportunity and the strategic enabled the Japanese companies to penetrate the American market. After having consolidated their position in these segments, they moved up to other segments with the strength of the reputation they established. The general success of the Japanese in the world market is attributed to the right chaise of the products and markets, based on a proper understanding of the environment and the internal strengths. Kotler and Fahey point out that â€Å"the Japanese government and companies work hard to identify attractive global markets.