The American Dream - 742 Words

Sean Bowman Professor Petrey English 101 30 May 2017 The American Dream: The American Dream is interpreted differently amongst Americans. Some people have the dream of owning a million dollar home or car and others have dreams of becoming famous. Although there is no definite definition of what the American Dream is, the concept of it has always been the same. That concept is that anything can be achievable for anyone, as long as they put their effort into it. The Declaration of Independence states that every American possesses the equal and natural rights that are given to them from birth, and that these rights ensure that they have â€Å"Liberty, Life, and the Pursuit of Happiness†, having these three rights are important to me and any†¦show more content†¦For example, at my school I was offered to participate in a First Step program to enroll in CAC while still being in high school. I enrolled in this program to be a step ahead in the future. Others and I had the freedom of choice to accept or decline the offer and I accepted it. Having the freedom of choice, speech, and thought has allowed me the luxury to receive these kinds of opportunities and do as I wish with them. The pursuit of happiness is the idea of living life to reach the goal of being happy, whether it is buying a car or owning a large home. â€Å"Important person†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ My pursuit of happiness is to have my independence. I am a self-centered person and I like being on my own. I do not let people tell me what my life and liberty should be. Instead, I follow my own morals and my own code. For example, when I need help solving a problem or completing schoolwork, I rely on my own intellect and resources to find my answer, I do not look for answers from other people unless I believe it is imperative. Everyone’s American Dream is different; there is no right or wrong in giving the definition of what the American Dream is. The American Dream is about having the belief that the effort that is put on is how much it will pay off. That’s the unique thing about America, the fact that someone can go and do whatever they like and pick what career they want to doShow MoreRelatedImmigrants And The American Dream1362 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants and the American Dream In the article â€Å"The American Dream†, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and highRead MoreThe American Dream By Kimberly Amadeo1637 Words   |  7 PagesNowadays, a large number of people migrate to the United States to work and achieve the American Dream. According to the Article â€Å"What is the American Dream?† by Kimberly Amadeo, â€Å"The American Dream was first publicly defined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in Epic of America. Adam’s often-repeated quote is, ‘The American Dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyon e, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.’† There are many peopleRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The American Dream 754 Words   |  4 Pages Nyreel Powell Ms. Jones American Literature 1 June 2015 The American dream in A Raisin in the Sun Have you ever had a dream and it didn’t come how you wanted it to be? Have you ever had accomplishments that you wanted to achieve but people were getting in the way of them? The four main characters in this book all have good dreams but there are people in the way of getting to those dreams or their dream is too high to accomplish. A Raisin in the Sun a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, andRead MoreSister Carrie and the American Dream1618 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream is surely based on the concept of â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness† but it is above all, a matter of ambition. James Truslow Adams, an American writer and historian, in 1931 states: life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†, which not only points towards a better standard of living for Americans but also denounces a degree of greed in the US society. Ambition not only â€Å"killed the catâ₠¬  butRead MoreGrapes Of Wrath And The American Dream1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of the American Dream is ever changing depending on the person and the time of life that person is in. Although the main ideas of the American Dream remain the same to be educated, economically sound, healthy, to have a family, and equal rights. Many great films and works of literature were created to show case all the different ideas people have for their American Dream. The film â€Å"Grapes of Wrath† directed by John Ford and the poem â€Å"I Will Fight No More Forever† by Chief Joseph, both depictRead More Destruction of the American Dream Essay2145 Words   |  9 PagesDestruction of the American Dream I’ve talked about it in the past, the destruction of the American Dream. Always, there have been papers, writings, and thoughts that quantify a particular section of its ultimate demise, be it due to money, education, or sexuality. Maybe the destruction cannot be viewed as a singular event or cause. Perhaps instead it must be examined as a whole process, the decay and ultimate elimination of a dream. Self destruction, if you will†¦ Mr. Self Destruct Read MoreSuccess As One Of The American Dream1137 Words   |  5 PagesApril 2015 Success as One of The American Dream When we hear the word â€Å"success†, we often think of wealth and money. To some people, the embodiment of being success is earning a lot of money. In fact, the concept of success is primarily based on how much money a person earns. However, each person views the definition of success differently. One way to define success is something that has more to do with flash than it does with substance. John Wooden, an American basketball player and coach viewRead MoreJim Cullen And The American Dream2081 Words   |  9 Pages The American Dream, as defined by Cullen, is starting your goal off with a little and ending with more; it s like a business, you invest in it in order to gain more money. Usually, people will define the American Dream as being able to achieve your goal because everyone is offered opportunities. Cullen does acknowledge that people are born with different opportunities, so he talks about the good life. The good life describes different factors that determine your opportunities. Throughout the otherRead MoreFactors Influencing The American Dream1834 Words   |  8 Pagesindividual to succumb or to not succumb to the seductions of crime. These three factors are brilliantly portrayed in the television show, Breaking Bad and the novel, The Stick Up Kids. The American Dream is what many American citizens strive for. However, not all of those citizens are able to achieve the American Dream through a legal pathway. The reason an indivudal may not being able to do so is because of his or her background factors. It is important to note that background factors are a fractionRead MoreShark Tank And The American Dream1755 Words   |  8 PagesShark Tank and The American Dream The TV show Shark tank embodies everything the American dream represents. The show obtains successful Entrepreneurs ready to invest their own money into other Americans wanting to be just like them, reaching the American dream and become a successful entrepreneur. The show presents entrepreneurs working towards the goal of creating a business to not only gain wealth but also change the way we live today. The show is to keep the American dream alive and well while

American-Cuban Relations A critical analysis Free Essays

string(132) " Different personnel have various delegated responsibilities, which help the smooth process of activities during the boarding time\." The American Cruise Line is a United States small ship company. Its operations are around Eastern Seaboard in the US. Its operations commencement is dated back in early 1970’s. We will write a custom essay sample on American-Cuban Relations: A critical analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, the business stopped sometimes in 1980s due to a decreasing level of customers. Its operations either went in business again in 2000, by launching some three ship fleet with the American Eagle (49 – passenger capacity) being the first ship. Others launched in 2002 and 2005 where the American Glory (49 – passengers) and the American Sprit (98 – passengers) respectively. In 2007, the company is to launch the American Star. The owner had sold the company in late 1980’s before it went under due to operational inefficiencies. Since it’s rebirth in 2002, the company continues to embrace a big growth, with its operation expanding highly. The same rebirth followed an acquisition by the owner of the then former company which was operational in 1980’s. The company is a US based small ship company registered in Maine. Its operations are along the US coastal line form the Maine to Florida. Operational profile. The company owns a much larger fleet with a capacity of 220 square fleets. Its cabins are of a larger size than any other small ship company. In its fleet Profile, its currently operates with three cruise ships such as the American Eagle, American Glory and the American Spirit. Its current decision to launch the fourth ship (America Star) within the year is perhaps its greatest achievement. Its ships are profound in three characteristics which make it to adequately compete with its competitors at the market place. They are highly roomy, and of the most modern nature. (http://www. cruisecritic. com/reviews/cruiseline. cfm? CruiseLineID=57) Their ships have adequate privacy due to the large capacity, intimate relations for their relatively small size as well as allowing its passengers to be able to frequently meet within a week. Their dining room are located at the deck which primarily lowest at the stem point, where it has some windows on its three sides it has other two cabin sized lounges, with the tip deck making open cut facility for the remaining part of the ship. The four decks will then be linked together by an elevator. Many of the cabins have balconies which provide an attractive environment for the passengers on the coastal scenery while traveling. Those without balconies will have their windows painted large pictures which are then opened for free circulation of air and also the different sounds emanating form the sea. They also offer cabin facilities for persons who are single or disabled. Generally, the vessels will have identical features in regard to the facilities, decor and also layout. The passengers are free in their choice of cruise in terms of date or even itinerary without been forced to use a cruise without their choice. (Morgan, 2004) The decors are attractive and exciting, with both muted and a range of simple colors. Their close array is like that of a hotels generic lobby. Its main lounge has a specific location. This is underneath their bridges at a directly forward position. It has a set of tail windows in one of the three sides which are used for providing a way of viewing the attractive scenery while passing. However, the stringent maritime laws have worked to lower the company’s activities. These laws prescribe an attractive package in the certain conditions relating to capacity, modern, operating diameters, and other legal conditions on the cruise business. At one point, we can talk of the advantage into the nature of the business customers. However, the same laws may be argued as stumbling blocks into the cruise business where stringent legacies ought to be followed. Consequently, cruise businesses are required to have a layout of specific modalities in the operational system and the physical nature of their ships. Such conditions have been voted as been highly expensive leading to conditions of high operating costs. The company has the launch of the American Star in progress which is to be later in this year. Either, its development of Pearl Seas Cruises within the course of 2008, will find the company at the most competitive edge in the international waters. This would have the same similarities to the other ship models, though it’s highly sophisticated. With a regard to the environmental laws about water pollution, the company has been in the fore front to ensure Low rates of environmental pollution. The construction system of its ships follows a highly conventional manner in which high standards ships manufactured with lower cases of oil spill-over in the water. Either, it has various facilities for ensuring safe custodies for any emergency cases and accidents that would lead to oil spillages in the water. Above these parameters, its high advocacy to the travelers of frontiers that provides conditions for lower environmental pollution has been ensured by the management. The company has continued to recognize and put in place various campaigns on environmental conservations, and reduction in water pollution. Through such a campaign, it has ensured high operational statuses which provide a hallmark in the conservation of the water environment through reduced pollution. (Sagers, 2006) Organizational structure and current operating environment. The company has provided a layout in terms of its organizations structure. A compliment of various stakeholders to be same structure is therefore available. It has the CEO as the highest rank in the structure. A panel of board of directors also accompanies the same structure. Elsewhere, various managerial staff positions provide management services to the different management offices. The current operating structure may be summarized under the aspect of ship board organizational structure. The shipboard organizational structure is comprised of system of controls into the various activities and operations at the time of boarding a ship. Like any other organizational activity, the ship boarding activity is comprised of various activities that help an adequate environment for the operations. Different personnel have various delegated responsibilities, which help the smooth process of activities during the boarding time. You read "American-Cuban Relations: A critical analysis" in category "Papers" (Hazell, Fitzpatrick, 2006) Various control persons are therefore delegated with various duties. These include; operations control who is capable of the communication process within the shipping process. The engineering control, who provide various engineering services for the shipboard process incase of mechanical breakdowns; the damage controller, who provide repairs and maintenance to any materials breakdown in the shipping process. The shipboard directors(s), who provides a package of directorship in the control layout systems of the ship board process. Above these profiles, the shipboard organizational structure is compounded by other systems of control / control officials. These are medical controls, finance officials, supervisors, safety officers, security control and quality assurance controls. All the controls play their relevant authorities and displiness in correspondence to the requirements of the shipboard process. Summarily therefore, shipboard organizational structure is comprised of a system of control that ensure adequacy in the company’s organization at the shipboard process. The shipboard operating structure is comprised of a system of control available at the process of its operations. While the ship is on its traveling process, there are various operating controls and processes that accompany it for adequate and safe traveling and services. At one level, the demographic population of the company can be echoed in a close perspective between the ships and the passenger volume they operate in. The demographic structure of the company depicts diversity in its clients in terms of geographical parameters. Clients are from the whole region. Generally, the number of children clients has been voted to be low. However, a higher volume of children is available during the summer within the Maine and the New England. Currently the company has its three ships with the American Star at the verge of been launched within this year. (Talley, 2000) The major nationalities working in the onboard process are Americans. The company has had dominance in the employment of Americans for its onboard activities. This is in attribute and understanding that fellow Americans can provide good customers relation in the onboard process during the ship traveling. However, the onboard process is accompanied by a number of activities on process where different personnel perform different roles. Firstly, the role and position of show excursions controller should not be overlooked. This is the controller person in charge of excursions in every port in which passengers are taken through to know the different environments they are driving in. This is taken as a refresher course to the passengers in the long journey processes. Food and drinking personals (waiter) who are allied to the different schedules of the passenger feeding. With the long journey process, passengers are ideally provided with food, this is taken care of by the food controller. Like the shipboard organization structure, the on process is also accompanied by a system of control which includes quality assurance, finance, medical, security, administration, above others. At the onboard process, the persons are responsible for these controls. At the shore side either, a comprehensive, package of management structure, controls and human resources issues is highly pronounced to provide a higher and better environment of the shipping process. Majority of the characteristics of activities found at the shore side is a combination those at the shipboard organizational and operating structures above those of the onboard structure. A combination of the relevant system of control relating to the various systems of control is therefore attributable to the shore side organizational structure. Marketing positioning The small ship industry in America is highly competitive. The company continue to get a high and stiff competition form its competitors around the world. The success to the company has however been through a package of providing relatively high quality products and services above other strategies which helps it to even pursue well in such a competitive market. It has however a highly developed and established system of itineraries which are found placed in the whole Eastern Seaboard covering the Penobscot Bay at the Maine up to the Florida. (Haigh, Nomikos, Bessler, 2004) The traveling system changes considerably during the various seasons of the year. The cruises allied to England Island have the Block Island as their stopping areas at the summer periods. They can also stop at Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. Trips also change in the course of the year depending on the environmental conditions allied to the navigation process. There is the June offer of itineraries from the Chesapeake Bay which are allied to the Baltimore case. However, these are all short trip cases. The great passageway which is form the Baltimore to the peak of Florida is among its long paths. Elsewhere, the ships will sail via the Antebellum Itineraries, which is form the Jacksonville and the Charleston. This occurs at the periods form November throughout April. The Okeechobee trip is offered as an occasional trip. As the 2008 approaches, other cruises will be introduced by the Pearl Seas Cruises. There destinations are proposed to been Canadian Marmites, St. Lawrence Seaway Caribbean American itineraries and also the Central American itineraries. This 2008 activity plan is a clear indication of the high level of expansion by the company in their itineraries. (Still, 2001) The target market of the company is to include the whole of the US costal line. However, this is only its immediate (short run goals) with the intensity into its expanding phenomena, the company is perhaps to embrace its final attribute of expanding to reach the various water ways and ports in the US coastal strip. Elsewhere, its greatest achievement would be expanding to the broad foreign market. Foreign market is seen as an attribute in which the company will develop in capacity to even reach the global market, through mergers, acquisitions, starting or even through Franchises. Miscellaneous details The American Cruise company has continued to embrace the sovereignty as one the largest small ship company in US. Over the last three years, it has had an average of reported profit amounting to $ 694 per annum. The price of it share in the American stock market has considerable been improving. Since is rebirth in 2002, it has continued to show an increasing level of profit. . References Cruise Review and News (2007) American Cruise Lines. Retrieved on 7th Nov. 2007 from http://www. cruisecritic. com/reviews/cruiseline. cfm? CruiseLineID=57 Haigh, M. S. , Nomikos, N. K. , Bessler, D. A. (2004). Integration and Causality in International Freight Markets: Modeling with Error Correction and Directed Acyclic Graphs. Southern Economic Journal, 71(1), 145+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5006987575 Hazell, L. C. , Fitzpatrick, S. M. (2006). The Maritime Transport of Prehistoric Megaliths in Micronesia. Archaeology in Oceania, 41(1), 12+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5015172724 Morgan, C. (2004). The Public Nature of Private Industry in Confederate Georgia. Civil War History, 50(1), 27+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5006500885 Sagers, C. (2006). The Demise of Regulation in Ocean Shipping: A Study in the Evolution of Competition Policy and the Predictive Power of Microeconomics. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 39(3), 779+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5019554251 Still, C. (2001). Thinking outside the Box: The Application of COGSA’s $500 Per-Package Limitation to Shipping Containers. Houston Journal of International Law, 24(1), 81+. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5000945085 Talley, W. K. (2000). Ocean Container Shipping: Impacts of a Technological Improvement. Journal of Economic Issues, 34(4), 933. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001180959 The state of conflict that has come to define the relationship between the United Sates of America and the tiny island nation of Cuba is, unknown to many, as old as the history of Cuba as a nation state. The first signals of conflict came early in the life of Cuba as a Spanish colony when in 1795 Negro slaves and whites came together to revolt against the Spanish overlords. That momentous occasion caused a great disquiet amongst slave owners in the American south, and thus attracted the keen attention of the American establishment, who did not desire such an example to be set too close to home. The first overt reaction of the American rulers at that time was to make overtures to Spain for the purchase of Cuba. In this respect, Thomas Jefferson, the American President, was reported to have said in 1809 that, â€Å"I candidly confess that I have ever looked upon Cuba as the most interesting addition that can be made to our system of States. † Though Spain persistently rejected the American request, the Americans never dropped their desire to annex Cuba by any possible means. This ardent American desire and policy on Cuba was summed up by the then American Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, â€Å"These islands (Cuba and Puerto Rico) are natural appendages of the North American continent, and one of them (Cuba) almost within sight of our shores, from a multitude of considerations has become an object of transcendent importance to the commercial and political interests of our Union†¦ These are laws of political as well as physical gravitation. † It was therefore only a matter of time before the first real conflict over Cuba erupted. When it did, it did so in two fronts, one involved America and Spain while the other involved Cubans themselves, who desired independence from Spain. In 1823, US President Moore declared the Western Hemisphere, including Cuba, as an exclusive sphere of influence of the United States, warning European powers to take heed and steer clear of any interference in the affairs of any nations within the so declared ‘sphere of influence’. Subsequently, in 1898, Cuba became a theatre of war between the Americans and Spain, the Spanish American War. This was coincidentally at a period Cuban revolutionaries claimed they were on the threshold of liberating Cuba from Spanish rule. The Americans won in the ensuing war and subsequently took control of the governance of Cuba as protectorate. What was to follow was a despoliation of the Cuban state by successive American appointed administrators, land speculators, profiteers, the Mafia and their local Cuban collaborators. Attendant to these was the economic emasculation of the Cuban nation as American colonists swooped on the island and acquired large swats of fertile farm land, marginalizing the local people, and in so doing sowed the seeds of the many conflicts that were later to help shape American-Cuban relations for almost the past half century. 2. 7. 1. The Actors General Fulgencio Batista Formerly a Sergeant in the Cuban Army, Batista came into limelight when he led a group of sergeants, ‘The Revolt of the Sergeants’ to overthrow a sitting government in 1933. Though he relinquished power shortly afterwards to become the army chief, he made himself the elector of the next president and subsequent five others until 1940 when he contested and won the presidency for himself. Successive American administrations found him a willing ally and were in tacit support of his conducts and rule over Cuba. Under Batista, the Miami mafia mob became the co-rulers of Cuba. Batista was to retire from presidency in 1944 only to make a quick come-back in 1948 when he was elected into the Cuban senate. Later in 1952 he sidestepped the elections and took over power in a coup. With the support of U. S administration of Harry Truman, Batista cancelled the elections all together and became the maximum leader. Fidel Castro was one of the contestants in that botched election. Fidel Alejandro Castro. The son of a wealthy Creole farmer, Castro was educated in Jesuit schools, and finally graduated from the Havana University with a law degree. Disillusioned with the poverty he saw around him and the display of wealth by the American colonists, Fidel joined the political movement with intent to stand for an election into the Cuban congress. When this desire of his was scuttled by the cancellation of the elections and the usurping of power by General Batista in 1952, he took up arms with other rebels, ‘The July 26 Movement’, including his brother Raul to wrest power out of Batista forcefully. Their attempt at rebellion in 1953 ended in disaster and the killing of most of the rebels. Fidel, his brother and a few others were arrested, tried and jailed, but later released. Castro was to strike again, and eventually defeated Batista’s soldiers to take over power in 1959. On assumption of power, Castro took several populist actions, which endeared hum to the down trodden Cuban masses. But his later actions of nationalizing all American run and owned businesses in Cuba, closing down all casinos, whore houses and sending the mafia on the run, as well as his switch to communism earned him powerful enemies in the American establishment. Ever since, American Cuban relations can be effectively summed up in two this short term- mutual hostility. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Two-term president of the U. S, 1953-1961, Eisenhower was in power at the height of the Castro rebellion, which ousted General Batista from power. Eisenhower was the architect of initial American policy response to the Castro challenge. Hostility was the initial and consistent response to the Castro regime. This response was later to be institutionalized, thus setting the mood for subsequent US-Cuban relations. Eisenhower took far-reaching steps to checkmate Castro. Some of these steps were the authorization of the CIA to train Cuban exiles to form a force that could overthrow Castro and install a more acceptable regime in Cuba, cancellation of American orders for Cuban sugar, prohibition of American exports to Cuba, putting pressure on European banks to cancel loans meant for Cuba, blacklisting of naval vessels carrying cargo to or from Cuba, massive propaganda offensive to discredit the Cuban regime, liaisons with and use of mafia links to try to assassinate Castro or destabilize Cuba. J. F. Kennedy. He succeeded Eisenhower as American President, and true to his election campaign pledge to ‘do something about Castro’, Kennedy went a step further by authorizing and sponsoring the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban dissidents. This was in addition to other US sponsored covert and overt terrorist attacks against Cuban interests and attempts on Castro’s life. Kennedy followed up late with the termination of diplomatic relation with Cuba in 1961. Some other attempts by Kennedy to deal with Castro included: Operation Mongoose, whose aim was to overthrow Castro through acts of terrorism and subversion; The invoking of US military intervention to â€Å"overthrow the Castro regime; Operation Peter Pan, (1960-62) in which the US colluded with the Catholic Church transport 14,048 unaccompanied children between 6 and 18 years old out of Cuba for the US; Institution of a full trade embargo against Cuba; Punishment and denial of US aid for third countries which allowed assistance or commerce with Cuba; Imposition of travel to Cuba on US citizens; Though President Kennedy was assassinated in circumstances which some speculations have linked to the Castro issue, the US policy direction on Cuba did not change, but had rather intensified with successive US regimes. 2. 7. 2. Issues Basically the Issues at stake in American-Cuban relations could be described as both ideological and territorial. The United States on the one hand had a long standing interest to annex or control Cuba and to have the island nation come under its capitalist mode of operation, whereas Cuba had traditionally resisted any such designs by the Americans and had under Fidel Castro towed the communist line of production and ideology. 2. 7. 3. The Underlying factors Many recent commentators on the unending face-off between Cuba and the United States have wondered why the US has found it difficult to accommodate the Cubans and their communist form of government at a time that they have normalized relations with such other communist regimes as China and Vietnam. `It is quite obvious that such commentators have failed to take into account the full weight of the underlying factors that have helped shape and instruct American policy direction on Cuba. Some of these factors can be discussed below: 1. The ideological war: Capitalism vs Communism. It is an established fact that the United States is as rabidly capitalist as the former Soviet Union was Communist. So when Castro concluded his revolution by tilting towards communism he inadvertently touched America at it sorest point. It was a declaration that an enemy was at its back door. Thus Cuban American relations were ab initio anchored on diametrically opposing posts the moment Castro took over power. 2. Proximity. Cuba’s proximity to the US which put it within the so-called American sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere precluded that the US must, as a matter of national security, have interest in what happens in its back waters. And what the American administrations loathed most was for Cuba to become an example which other Western hemisphere counties could look up to and copy. 3. Interest groups. Most of the American business interests that were nationalized by Castro are today part of the dominant group ruling the United States, and dictating state policy. They have not forgiven Castro and will never forgive him for disrupting their lucrative business operations in Cuba. The same is true of the mafia elements within the Cuban exile groups. 4. Resistance from ordinary Cubans. Having witnessed firsthand what unbridled capitalism and corrupt did to them the first time they came under U. S rule, ordinary Cubans are loathe to again welcome any American hegemony over them. 2. 7. 4. Scope The scope and ramifications of US-Cuban relations crossed national and continental boundaries in the 70’s and 80’s when Cuba embarked on shoring up leftist regimes or groups in South America and Africa. These attempts brought them into direct conflict with the US; with disastrous effects in Nicaragua, Grenada, Angola, Ethiopia and Congo democratic republic. Consequently, local conflicts were internationalized, protracted and resulted in tremendous human tolls. The effect of almost fifty years of American economic embargoes on Cuba has also been horrendous on Cubans. 2. 7. 5. Previous Attempts at Settlements The first known attempt at settling the disputes between the US and Cuba was in 1964 when Cuba offered to desist from exporting revolutionary ideals to South America if the US would halt its hostile actions against Cuba. The US refused, urging Cuba to first stop close relations with the USSR. It was also speculated that Kennedy had intended to engage Castro in negotiations shortly before he was assassinated in 1965. Another secret attempt was made at reconciliation in 1974, but was supposedly cancelled after Cuba got involved in Angola. President Ford at that time linked normalization of relations with Cuba with its voluntary pull out from Angola. It was under Jimmy Carter that the most real attempts at the normalization of relations with Cuba were initiated when he lifted the travel embargo on Cuba. A maritime boundary and fishing accord was signed by both countries during this period, while diplomatic interest sections were opened by both countries in Havana and Washington, respectively. Other bilateral negotiations were started; the American Congress also repealed the provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 banning aid to countries permitting their vessels to trade with Cuba. The National Security Council also rescinded the ship blacklist. 2. 7. 6. Phases and Intensity The Kennedy era was perhaps marked zenith of American-Cuban hostility. It was then that the botched Pay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was carried out in 1961, same as the Cuban missile crisis, which involved the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962. Though the missile crisis was eventually resolved, when the Soviets willingly dismantled the missiles, the crisis almost precipitated a nuclear war between the US and the Kruschev-led Soviet Union. Several U. S instigated attempts were also made during that same era to assassinate Fidel Castro, but the climax was the assassination of President Kennedy himself. The other high intensity points in American-Cuban relations were in the 70’s and 80’s when Cuba actively supported leftist insurrections against American backed dictatorships in Africa and South America. The most notable of these countries where Cuban forces played direct combat role were Angola, Ethiopia, Grenada, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The U. S countered these Cuban moves by pouring in massive support to the opposing groups. However, the relations between the have traditionally been known to experience upward and down swings in response to the parties in power in Washington- much more favorable under the Democrats and less so under the Republicans. 2. 7. 7. Balance of Power In territorial size and resources, Cuba is no match to the United States, but the active support of the Soviet Union at the start of the Castro revolution and until the collapse of the Soviet Union brought a semblance of balance of powers between the two feuding neighbors- U. S and Cuba. However, at the collapse of the Soviet Union, there were expectations that Cuba would falter and collapse, but world public opinion and the support of Canada, the European Union, China and of late Venezuela have helped stabilize Cuba ideologically and materially. 2. 7. 8. Capacity and Resource There is no room for comparison of the resources and capacities of both countries, the U. S is way ahead of Cuba in all respects, but as explained earlier what Cuba has going for it are favorable world opinion and the resilience of its leadership and people. 2. 7. 9. State of the Relationship The support for the continuing US embargo of the island nation have been completely eroded, as many of the nations of Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa have since normalized relations with Cuba. Even fellow North American countries of Canada and Mexico have consistently opposed US embargoes on Cuba, especially as it affected US subsidiary companies within these two nations. Even many Americans have come to question the wisdom of continuing with the hostilities when it is obvious that Cuba, at present, poses no threat to U. S national security. Visits have been made of late by sitting congressmen and other influential Americans in efforts to settle the disputes between the two neighbors that are so close but yet so far apart. Works Consulted Chadwick Ian. History of Cuban American relations. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://www. ianchadwick. com/essays/cubahistory. html Siera J. A. Compilations of History of Cuba. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://www. historyofcuba. com/history/batista. htm How to cite American-Cuban Relations: A critical analysis, Papers

The Impact of Recruitment

Question: Write an essay onidentifying the impact of recruitment and selection on the employee performance. Answer: The research work is focused on identifying the impact of recruitment and selection on the employee performance. The current part will be able to introduce the research topic with a greater efficiency and purpose. The proper aims, objectives as well as questions will be most helpful for constructing the pathway for the research work. Research Aim: The research work will investigate the factors of the recruitment policy as well as employee performance with the formulation of proper aims and objectives. The research will be focused on finding out the relationship between recruitment policy and employee performance. Research Objectives: The research objectives will be highly effective for constructing the framework which will eventually pave the pathway of the entire research work. The research objectives are mentioned below: To investigate the factors of recruitment and selection To identify the aspects of employee performance To find out the relationship between selection process and employee performance To suggest ways for improving selection process to enhance employee performance Research Questions: The research questions will be highly crucial for guiding the entire research work with a strict guideline as well as focus. The research questions are mentioned below: What are the factors of recruitment and selection What are the aspects of employee performance What are the relationship between selection process and employee performance What are the ways to improve the selection process so as to enhance employee performance Background and Literature Review: Introduction: In this section of the portfolio, the concerned literatures related with the issue of determining the role of recruitment and selection procedure in enhancing employee performance has been reviewed. A number of literatures have been reviewed in this regard and the concerned concepts and issues have been addressed. Hence, this chapter will provide a brief description of the previous studies conducted in this regard. Presently, recruitment and selection procedure are regarded as one of the most important key operations in the human resource management practice. It is a widely known fact that employees are the backbone of an organization as they determine the productivity and operability of the organization. Therefore, it is quite important for an organization to follow the proper recruitment and selection technique so as to acquire the best possible labor force for the company. This will in turn help the company to sustain in the competitive market successfully. Hence, it is essential for an organization to determine the best possible technique that should be followed for acquiring the most efficient and effective workforce. Concept of Recruitment: According to Sung and Choi (2014), recruitment is defined as the process for searching appropriate candidates for employment and thereby convincing those candidates to apply for jobs in the concerned organization. Therefore, recruitment can be characterized as the process of linking job seekers with the employers. Again, recruitment can also be defined as the process of attracting eligible candidates for employment. The recruitment process begins when application for new recruitments is sought and the process ends when all the applications are submitted. Therefore, the recruitment process gives results in generating a pool of applicants and from that pool the most efficient and perfect employees are selected. In order to conduct the recruitment process effectively the organization should follow a staged approach and fill up the vacant posts. In the first stage of the recruitment process, the organization should determine the vacancies, which are needed to be filled. For determining t he vacancy appropriately, the organizations are needed to conduct a close job survey within the organization and thereby determine the recruitment positions, job roles and responsibilities and the skills and qualities needed by a person to fit into the job. In the second stage of recruitment cycle eligible candidates are attracted. For this purpose, the human resource personnel are required to advertise in the local media, newspapers and televisions mentioning the requirements of the job, responsibilities and other eligibility criterions that are needed to be fulfilled by the candidates in order to apply for the post. The suitable candidates will therefore apply for the position specified and thereby a pool of applicants will be generated. Therefore, the sole purpose of the recruitment process is to generate a pool of perfect applicants and that too in an cost effective manner. Here after generation of the pool of applicants the recruitment process ends. Concept of Selection In the process of recruitment and selection, the last stage of the process is selection itself. This process involves a way by which the recruiters will reduce the number of suitable applicants by the method of short-listing the applications and thereby makes the recruitment decisions. In this, process the human resource personnel of the concerned organization reviews the applications from the pool of applicants and short lists the most suitable applicants. These short listed candidates are then called for an interview and based on the performance on that interview the most appropriate candidates are recruited. However, the interview process may involve a number of stages. According to Patel et al. (2013), companies that are well known for possessing the most efficient workforce are observed to follow a staged interview process. This interview processes may constitute of four to five stages. At first the short listed candidates are called and a telephonic round of interview is conduc ted. Based on the performance in the telephonic round a few selected candidates are then called in for a face-to-face interview and the line managers conduct this interview in most of the time. Again if selected on that interview another round of interview is conducted which is generally be the stressed interview. Finally by performing well in the final round the most suitable candidates are selected. Some times at the first stage an aptitude test is conducted in order to test the intelligence of the candidates. Role of recruitment and selection in an organization: The type workforce possessed by an organization determines the goodwill of the organization. According to Renwick et al. (2013), the more effective a deficient workforce an organization will possess the more productive and profitable the organization will be. Hence, for the wellbeing of the organization it is necessary to adopt proper recruitment and selection procedure. Again as pointed out by Belle (2013), it is quite hard to always find the perfect person walking by during the recruitment process. Therefore, the recruitment process should be so designed that it becomes efficient to attract the most efficient potential employees. Moreover, retention of employees also depends on the techniques of recruitment and selection process applied. If a person is selected as an employee, received training from the part of the organization, and suddenly leave the company, it will involve a huge cost for the company. Therefore, it is also essential to retain the selected employees in an organiz ation. For this purpose, the organization may implement reward facilities as well as the modern employee benefit schemes (Den Hartog et al. 2013). Therefore, in a simplistic statement it can be said that employees are an asset to the company, and to the employees the recruitment and selection procedure develops the initial idea about the organization. Hence these three are interrelated and should be coordinated in an effective and efficient manner. Impact of recruitment and selection on the performance of employees A number of factors determine the performance of an employee, such as, the managerial standards, motivation, and reliability of the organization, job satisfaction and commitment of the employees. All of these factors are dependent on the recruitment t and selection procedure adopted by the organization. The managerial standard is an important determinant of the employee performance. At the first time during the recruitment process the behavior and management of the managers of the organization creates the first impression about the organization on the employees (Parmenter 2015). If the applicants find inefficiency in the managerial capacity, it is quite evident that they will not be willing to discharge their duty up to the full extent. Again, the job description, role an responsibilities mentioned in the advertisement should also be appropriate otherwise the applicants may get disappointed and become disrespectful to the organization. Another vital responsibility of managers is to c heck the details of the employees appropriately, their educational records this will help them to select the appropriate candidates more easily (Kehoe and Wright 2013). The candidates who are absorbed in an organization via proper and effective recruitment and selection process will definitely be respectful to the organization and at the same time, they will definitely put their best in the works. Therefore, for an organization to become successful, it is quite necessary to adopt the right recruitment and selection policy to attract, recruit and retain efficient employees. Research Gap: While conducting the study an extensive review of literature relevant to this topic had been conducted. Based on the knowledge gained by the literature review, the attempts to shed light on the relevant concepts and issues related with the topic. However, while conducting the literature review it has been found that a lot of researches have been done in this context but there is a lack of research that solely concentrates on the role of recruitment and selection procedure in determining the performance of an employee. Therefore, more studies should be conducted in this regard to help the researchers who will conduct their studies in near future. Research Methodologies: Research Methodology is one of the most essential parts of every research work. The methodologies greatly contribute to the research in respect to paving the pathway of the entire study. The chapter mostly focuses on the selecting the appropriate techniques for the research work which will enhance the quality of the research findings along with ease out the research effort (Bolger and Laurenceau 2013). The major techniques of the research methodologies include research philosophies, research approach, research design, sampling size and technique along with data collection techniques.3.1. Research Philosophy: Research philosophy is one of the vital parts of the research work. It formulates the mindset of the entire study as well as individual activities. There are three major research philosophies which are broadly implemented in the academic sector. The research philosophies are Interpretivinsm research philosophy, Pragmatism research philosophy, Realism research philosophy as well a s Post positivism research philosophy. The post positivism research philosophy will be most suitable for this particular research work as this particular research philosophy deeply emphasizes on the scientific approach as well as well defined structure of the entire study. This will help to investigate the impact of recruitment as well as selection on the performance of employees in a scientific as well as well structured fashion. Therefore, the research will be focusing on the selection of post positivism research philosophy. Research Approach: Research approach is also crucial methodology of an entire study as it is greatly focused on directing the research work with a controlled focus towards the effective outcome of the entire study. There are two basic classifications of research approaches which are deductive approach as well as inductive approach. On the one hand, deductive approach mainly deals with the testing of the hypotheses as well as theory of the study by empirical support of the data. On the other hand, inductive approach focuses on generating new theories by analyzing the patterns and styles of the collected data.The current research work is deeply focused on the testing various hypotheses which will identify the impact of recruitment and selection on employee performance. The research work will not need any kind of theory generation approach. Therefore, the respective research work will be selecting deductive approach for conducting the study. Research Design: The research design is another major pillar of the research work which will effectively increase the efficiency of the entire research findings. There are three different research designs which are highly popular in the academic practice. These research designs are exploratory, explanatory and descriptive research design. The descriptive research design will be most effective in the current context as it greatly focuses on describing the aims and objectives of the research work. As the particular research objectives does not need any kind of explanation as well as exploration the descriptive research design will be most appropriate selection (Ioannidis et al. 2014). Considering all of these aspects the research work will select the descriptive research design.3.6. Data Collection Techniques: The data collection technique is highly imperative part of any kind of research work as it is the major factor for ensuring the quality of the research. Data, itself is categorized in two differe nt parts which are primary data as well as secondary data. Primary data refers to the information which is collected fresh sample perception on any specific research topic. On the other hand, secondary data refers to the existing information on the respective research topic which is collected from established literature in the form of books, journal articles, newspapers as well as internet. Both of the research data can be further classified on the basis of the data collection focus. These are quantitative data collection as well as qualitative data collection. Quantitative data collection refers to the data which are collected based on the facts, rates, percentages as well as percentage. On contrary, qualitative data collection refers to the collected information based on the underlying styles and patterns of the information. In this research only primary data will be selected as the project requires fresh perception of the sample. In this context, both of the quantitative and qual itative data will be selected as the research will need extensive clarity of the information.3.4. Sampling Size and Technique: Sample refers to the targeted population which is selected for aiming to reflect the perception of the entire population. In the current context 85 employees will be selected for quantitative data collection. At the same time, 5 managers will be selected for collecting qualitative data collection. The quality of the reflection is deeply relied on the proper selection of the sampling techniques. There are two basic sampling techniques which are used in the research work across the globe (Marshall et al. 2013). These techniques are probability sampling technique as well as non-probability sampling technique. Probability sampling techniques provides random opportunity to all of the respondents to be selected in the research work. On the other hand, the non probability sampling technique mainly selects the respondents with biasness so that the research work can obtain a specialist opinion on the research topic. The quantitative data will need a human influence free perspective from the target population so the sample must be selected in a random manner. Therefore, the research work will select non probability sampling technique. On the contrary, the qualitative data must provide a detailed and expertise view on the research topic, therefore probability sampling technique will be used for collecting the qualitative data. Research Tools: There are various different research tools which are highly useful for conducting the research work. These research tools are survey, interview as well as focus group. In this particular context survey questionnaire will be used for collecting the primary data and face-to-face interview will be used for collecting secondary data (Nelson et al. 2013). Expected Outcome: The research findings will be able to properly evaluate a concrete understanding of the impact of recruitment and selection on the employee performance. The study will be helpful for identifying the factors of the employee recruitment along with various aspects of employee performance.5.0. Contribution of the Research: The research will be highly useful for the HRM professionals for indentifying the factors of the employee performance. Considering the research direction they will be able to modify the recruitment policy so that the employee performance will be enhanced. Moreover, the future researcher will gain a distinct idea on the topic of impact of recruitment on the employee performance.6.0. Conclusion: The above described study will be highly influential for identifying the impact of employee recruitment on employee performance. The study will provide a clear idea of associated theories, models and concepts through the literature review. The methodology will be able to guide th e research through proper pathway. The data analysis will be focused to find out the efficient findings of the entire research. Reference List: Bell, N., 2013. Experimental evidence on the relationship between public service motivation and job performance. Public Administration Review, 73(1), pp.143-153.Bolger, N. and Laurenceau, J.P., 2013. Intensive longitudinal methods: An introduction to diary and experience sampling research (Methodology in the social sciences).Den Hartog, D.N., Boon, C., Verburg, R.M. and Croon, M.A., 2013. HRM, communication, satisfaction, and perceived performance a cross-level test.Journal of Management, 39(6), pp.1637-1665.Ioannidis, J.P., Greenland, S., Hlatky, M.A., Khoury, M.J., Macleod, M.R., Moher, D., Schulz, K.F. and Tibshirani, R., 2014. Increasing value and reducing waste in research design, conduct, and analysis. The Lancet,383(9912), pp.166-175.Kehoe, R.R. and Wright, P.M., 2013. The impact of high-performance human resource practices on employees attitudes and behaviors. Journal of management, 39(2), pp.366-391.Marshall, B., Cardon, P., Poddar, A. and Fontenot, R., 2013. Does sample siz e matter in qualitative research?: A review of qualitative interviews in IS research. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 54(1), pp.11-22.Mkansi, M. and Acheampong, E.A., 2012. Research philosophy debates and classifications: students dilemma. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 10(2), pp.132-140.Mondada, L., 2013. The conversation analytic approach to data collection.The handbook of conversation analysis, pp.32-56.Nelson, T.C., Doukakis, P., Lindley, S.T., Schreier, A.D., Hightower, J.E., Hildebrand, L.R., Whitlock, R.E. and Webb, M.A., 2013. Research tools to investigate movements, migrations, and life history of sturgeons (Acipenseridae), with an emphasis on marine-oriented populations. PloS one,8(8), p.e71552.Parmenter, D., 2015. Key performance indicators: developing, implementing, and using winning KPIs. John Wiley Sons.Patel, P.C., Messersmith, J.G. and Lepak, D.P., 2013. Walking the tightrope: An assessment of the relationship between high-performance work systems and organizational ambidexterity. Academy of Management Journal, 56(5), pp.1420-1442.Renwick, D.W., Redman, T. and Maguire, S., 2013. Green human resource management: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(1), pp.1-14.Stoecker, R., 2012. Research methods for community change: A project-based approach. Sage publications.Sun, Y., Yang, J., Wang, H., Zu, C., Tan, L. and Wu, G., 2015. Standardization of leaf sampling technique in jackfruit nutrient status diagnosis. Agricultural Sciences, 6(02), p.232.Sung, S.Y. and Choi, J.N., 2014. Do organizations spend wisely on employees? Effects of training and development investments on learning and innovation in organizations. Journal of organizational behavior, 35(3), pp.393-412.Yin, R.K., 2013. Case study research: Design and methods. Sage publications.

Samsung Galaxy SIII Product Features

Over the last two decades, almost everyone in the world has acquired a mobile phone. One of the leading mobile phone manufacturers in the world is Samsung (Schwartz, 2012). The company came up with their galaxy series a few years back with the Samsung Galaxy SIII being launched a few months ago. The previous version, Samsung Galaxy SII, is still being held by many Samsung enthusiasts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Samsung Galaxy SIII Product Features specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The phone has one of the best hardware as well as software designs in as far as the smart phone market is concerned. The phone is quite light as it weighs only 116 grams, and this is complemented by the fact that it is quite slim at just 8.5mm. This, compared to its competitors such as the iPhone 4s and the Sony Ericson Experia arc, makes it the slimmest phone ever made. The phone has a 4.3 inch screen, which ensures that the user g ets an impressive video and visibility experience especially when reading. The screen has an excellent touch capability that ensures quick response and defined navigation. The fact that it has a Super-AMOLED screen means that it has a better power saving capability than its previous predecessors even with its huge size (Gralla, 2011). The manufacturers of the phone sought to provide the user with a real life experience by providing a resolution of approximately 480 x 800 pixels. The phone’s battery has a standby time of approximately 710 hours, which is more than some of its competitors such as the iPhone 4s, which maxes out at 300 hours. The phone comes with a dual-core processor, which is complemented by 1 GB of RAM. This makes it quite powerful to a point where there may not be enough phone operations to utilize its speeds fully. The phone comes in two options of 32 GB internal memory and 16 GB. This is complemented by a memory slot that accommodates up to 32 GB of memory (Schwartz, 2012). It also comes with an eight megapixel camera, which makes the user’s experience even more magical. This, coupled with its graphics capability, ensures that the user is able to enjoy high quality photos as well as personal videos. While its inbuilt sound may be wanting, the phone comes with impressive earphones that ensure quality sound especially when listening to music. The phone has a micro-USB slot and a data cable (Gralla, 2011). This makes it easier to transfer data to and from the phone. Even though the phone looks quite delicate, it is quite resistant to damage under the normal confines of phone usage.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The phone runs on an android operating system preferably Gingerbread 2.3.3 with options of upgrades. This supports hundreds of thousands of applications, which go farther to maximize the users experience with the phone (Roebuck, 2011). It also supports multi touch where one can use pinch zoom to view a number of screens at the same time. The phone is gravity sensitive, which applies when changing the viewing format as well as when receiving calls and listening to music. It also comes with voice recognition, which applies when searching through documents and contacts. It supports voice command as well as voice talk, which allows one to engage directly with the phone and increase his or her experience (Roebuck, 2011). The phone may not be identified as one of the cheap alternatives in the market, but its steep price is worth once one gets a feel of it. References Gralla, P. (2011). Galaxy S II: The Missing Manual. New York: O’Reilly Media, Inc. Roebuck, K. (2011). Android: High-Impact Strategies – What You Need to Know: Definitions, Adoptions, Impact, Benefits, Maturity, Vendors. London: Emereo Pty Limited. Schwartz, S. (2012). My Samsung Galaxy S III. New York: Pearson Education . This essay on Samsung Galaxy SIII Product Features was written and submitted by user Matteo U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.