An Analysis of the Epic Poem, Beowulf - Beowulf :: Epic Beowulf essays

Beowulf The classic hero is a well-known character of high social position whose qualities represent those valuable to his society. The hero is pitted against monsters and is, therefore, strong and courageous often to the point of seeming superman. Beowulf often displays cunning and craftiness in dealing with others. At the same time, since he represents all humans, he struggles to overcome human weaknesses. He is challenged and he triumphs. In Beowulf: A new telling by Robert Nye, Beowulf is a classic hero. He struggles against monsters, endures challenges, suffers, and eventually is victorious over evil. His words and actions, which help him decide the fate of a group of people, demonstrates that Beowulf is a brave, wise, and benevolent leader. Beowulf seems to always show signs of bravery thoughout the story. He is pitted against monsters and is, therefore, strong and courageous often to the point of seeming superhero. For instance, when Beowulf is going to go find and kill Grendle with his men, he stops to talk with the coast guard, Beowulf says " ... Then you are either the bravest man in the world..." Many poeple throught the story think the Beowulf is very brave! Once Beowulf and his men leave the coast guard the author makes a remark; "When Beowulf had heard of all the stories about the dreadful demon Grendle, he was determined to go and help Herothgar kill the monster..." This demonstrates intrepidity, because he is willing to go risk his life for another country. Another source of courage is when Breca and Beowulf fights off the nine sea monsters. First of all even doing the daring contest in the sea is a sign of dauntlessness, but a true sign of bravery is this, " And I swung my sword to fight them off. .." Can you now see that the author meant for Beowulf to be the hero, and the bravest one of them all ? Robert Nye wouldn't cut the hero of the story short with only bravery; Beowulf was also wise. All through the book Beowulf was wise. There are many of examples of his cleverness. Beowulf uses his sagaciousness when he is getting ready to do something and in his every day problems.

Case Study of Mc Golden Arch Essay

Executive Summary This case study was about the Madison Hotel project in Memphis. After determining the case, there were lots of problems occurred during the processes which are over budgeting and delay opening because of the unplanned acquisition of facilities. The problems are occurred because the owner of project changed the concept of the restaurant, the land price was raised, the name of the building was belonging to the previous owner, refusing the loan from the back, and inaccurate and insufficient construction. After the root causes of the problems are discovered, there are many ways to solve and prevent the problem. There are three main ways to solve them. The first way is to improve the construction contract. The owner should invest the background of the construction company before signing the contract. Also, make a clear cut-contract to ensure that the constructors will finish the project on time. In case there is any fee from defaults or failures, the constructors have to respond for them. The second way is to consider the risk that involve with this project. The management team should be able to respond the unexpected risks that may occur immediately and they should have a second plan for more alternatives as well as reducing the period of working time. The last way is about planning process. The owner should have a plan which is covered all the part of the project and all responsibility of the project member for avoiding any complexity to prevent any pushing the responsibility off duties to other players. The more important of the project, the more efficient of the plan should be considered. If the plan is achieved, the hotel will be opened on time and the project owner will not have to pay for unnecessary processes. Also, the Madison Hotel will be the best boutique hotel in Memphis according to its fully service and facilities, and for special events, the hotel will have high occupancy rate from fully booking. On the other hand, if the plan is failed, the hotel will face with the same problems which are delay opening, over budgeting, complicated business plan, and failure to achieve the goal. The description of the case 1.1 Background of the case This case study focused on the creation of a 110-unit luxury boutique hotel in Memphis, Tennessee by four developers and the lessons they had learned during this complicated project. The individuals who identified in this project are – Walter Broadfoot: a veteran hotel owner and broker from Memphis – Tony Klok and Gene Kornota: they funded the majority of the equity for the project – Mohamad Hakimian: The long time general manager of Memphis’s most famous hotel who became involved in the project as a managing partner to shaping the renovation and character of the hotel Walter Broadfoot first eyed the Tennessee Trust Building as a possible hotel in Memphis because it was an ideal structure to convert to a hotel that is to say it already had a window and an identical floor plan from floors three though sixteen, a large ground floor lobby, a second-level mezzanine, a lower or basement level and the potential for a rooftop deck that would command a breathtaking view of the mighty Mississippi. But the Memphis lodging market had enough depth and there were a lot of complexities and extent of challenges faced him at the certain period of the time. Therefore, the project was abandoned right away at that time. The building was cost $250,000 and was selling by CNA Company, but CNA didn’t hold any legal right to it because it was in the name of previous owner. After the developer bought this building from CNA Company, they had to pay for this unplanned process which cost about $100,000 and took several months to be done. He encountered the owners who were either unwilling to sell or wanted to make a quick buck in order to make space for hotel’s food, beverage and banquet facilities. After many months of planning and meetings, the developers faced another exceedingly budgeting problem. By the time, the hotel was swelled to approximately $15 million which is 50 percent more than the estimated total project cost ($9.7 million). The developers site several major factors that drove up the original budget which are -the enhancement of the initial food and beverage concept: from limited in scope to full-service/upscale grill and bar – Inaccurate and insufficient construction cost budgets: by an unqualified general contractor – The expense for ensuring construction interest that they (new contractor) will be continued well beyond the time frame According to over budgeting, the entrepreneurs need to loan from the local bank but the local bank realized that this project hold too much risks, consequently, there weren’t any local banks interested in providing permanent financing for the project. Tony and Gene have to loan from the bank of Chicago base on banking relationship. The loan was about 50% of the project cost and the bank will continue to hold the title of the building as additional secured collateral. The business entity that was formed to own the hotel was a Tennessee limited liability corporation. Equity share is defined as the actual cash equity contributed by each partner while financial share represents the structure of the profit distributions after receives a return on their original cash equity. Equity shareFinancial share Investor#145%35% Investor#245%35% Investor#35%15% Investor#45%15% 1.2 The purpose of the case The purpose of this study was to understand the complexities involved in this project. Also, to create a new plan in order to prevent any unexpected situations or unfavorable conditions that may occur during the processes. To learn the previous obstructions and the lessons that already occurred to prevent current risks and problems that may exist as well as to think ahead and preclude complicated problems in the future. For improving and developing this boutique hotel to become the best European style boutique hotel in the Memphis, hopefully, in the Tennessee likewise. 1.3 The scope of the case This case study looks into the Madison hotel renovation which is located at Tennessee, United state by four entrepreneurs. It is all about the business planning process which is about how to start a hotel business starting from buying the properties along with finding the source of investment funds not including sale and marketing analysis, competitor analysis, or other irrelevant aspects. 1.4 The limitation of the case The case study involved with the financial incentives and tax free exchange provisions which were beyond our basic knowledge. Hence, this case study analysis will not refer to any financial topic which has no effect to analysis process.

A critical analysis of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Essay

Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, depicts a grim and also quite feasible prediction of a futuristic world. In Bradbury’s technology-obsessed society, a clear view of the horrific effects that a fixation for mindlessness would have on a civilization shows through his writing. Being carefree is encouraged while people who think â€Å"outside the box† are swiftly and effectively removed. The technology Bradbury’s society is designed to keep the people uninformed, which the vast majority of are happily and voluntarily in their ignorant state. There are many details in this novel that suggest that the future of a society obsessed with advanced technology is not only bleak but also dangerous. Bradbury’s use of certain machines shows the emphasis his society has on thoughtlessness. For example, a commonly referenced appliance is the parlor wall. The parlor walls keep people thoughtless by blasting noise and colors at its audience, which is evident in the passage: â€Å"A great thunderstorm of sound gushed from the walls. Music bombarded him at such an immense volume that his bones were almost shaken from their tendons; he felt his jaw vibrate, his eyes wobble in his head. He was a victim of concussion†(45). The speed of which the shows hit their viewers is so intense that one cannot think or grasp on to any sort of thought. Another key example of technology promoting a thoughtless society is the earpieces. Earpieces are small enough to place inside your ear, where, when in place, broadcast the noise from the parlor walls. Mildred, throughout the entire novel, wears her earpieces, â€Å"She had both ears plugged with electronic bees that were humming the hour away†(18). The technology in school also illustrates how thinking for oneself and being an individual is considered both appalling and strange. Clarisse describes her school’s schedule, ‘†An hour of TV class, and hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures, and more sports, but do you know that we never ask questions, or at least most don’t; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four more hours of film teacher†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(29). After analyzing the evidence presented, it is clear that the society in Fahrenheit 451 does not value thoughtful consideration and does not have to  worry about being inconvenienced by such concerns with the use of their advanced technology. Read Also:  Critical Review Essay Topic Examples Numerous examples of technology also suggest the threatening aspect of a society based upon advancements. The Mechanical Hound, for instance, directly shows the potential for danger. This contraption’s main purpose is essentially that of a killing machine; if someone is a menace to society, it is only a matter of time before they are exterminated. The Mechanical Hound is introduced in the novel by Montag, â€Å"It was like a great bee come home from some field where the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with that overrich nectar, and now it was sleeping the evil out of itself†(24). Montag’s description of the Hound introduces his concept to the readers that although a robot is not human and, therefore, cannot be evil; there is still an ominous characteristic looming about the Hound. However, Bradbury’s society is also a great danger to itself. An example of this would be people driving in their jet cars. Members of this society do not understand the meaning of caution, which clearly shines through when they get behind the wheel, â€Å"The beetle was rearing. The beetle raised its speed. The beetle was whining. The beetle was in high thunder. The beetle came skimming. The beetle came in a single whistling trajectory, fired from an invisible rifle. It was up to 120 mph. It was up to 130 at least†(127). The use of this machine shows that society is more concerned with speed and pleasure seeking than the well-being of others, which is an exceptionally dangerous priority to have. The frightening side of technology is apparent, also, when the advanced bombs of this world are mentioned. The setting of Bradbury’s novel is at a time of war; bombs are dropped onto the society that once was home to Montag, â€Å"Perhaps the bombs were there, and the jets, ten miles, five miles, one mile up, for the merest instance, like a grain thrown over the heavens by a great sowing hand, and the bombs drifting with dreadful swiftness, yet sudden slowness, down upon the morning city they had left behind†(158). Undoubtedly, these bombs are a sinister and dangerous progression for technology. Bradbury’s society has many reasons to feel threatened by the advancements of its world. However, feeling threatened is impossible for a society that is founded on the principals of apathy. The people are carefree, which is encouraged by the government. How can a society with no worries rise up and rebel? The government obviously has the advantage of manipulation, which is carried out by their technology. Clarisse has an appropriate way of describing the bleakness of a society that doesn’t care, ‘†I sometimes think drivers don’t know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly,† she said. â€Å"If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! He’d say, that’s grass! A pink blur! That’s a rose garden!†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(9). The uneasiness Clarisse feels for the way people behave in her time depicts how people do not take the time to enjoy the smaller parts of life because nobody in this society cares. Another machine that proves the threat of a technology-obsessed society is the need for the stomach pump. Brad bury mentions early on in the novel that people often overdose on sleeping pills, not purposefully, but because they pay so little attention to the amount of pills ingested, overdosing is extremely commonplace. Mildred, at one point, swallows too many pills, Montag describes the machine used to pump her stomach, â€Å"They had two machines, really. One of them slid down your stomach like a black cobra down an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there†(14). The need for a piece of technology like the stomach pump in this novel, only further supports the evidence of technology showing the threatening effects of a carefree society. Another advancement designed to accommodate the need to have no worries all the time would be the incinerator Beatty speaks about to Montag, ‘†Funerals are unhappy and pagan? Eliminate them, too. Five minutes after a person is dead he’s on his way to the Big Flue, the Incinerators serviced by helicopters all over the country. Ten minutes after death a man’s a speck of dust†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(60). Beatty confirms the severity of the level of apathy in the fact that his society is so concerned about being unconcerned that technology must do all of the dirty work. A society, which has all the technology to take care of such inconveniences, would and, by using Bradbury’s novel for verification, does make a society carefree, which has been proven time and time again to be an incredibly threatening outcome. Several fine points of the novel portray Bradbury’s implication that a  society founded on the need for advanced technology is doomed to lead a bleak and dangerous existence. Examples of technology promoting a brainless society are abundant throughout the entire book. Even more technology illustrates the hazards and harmful aspects of these technological advancements. When both the developed machines that encourage thoughtlessness along with the destructive technology of the future are considered, one can plainly see that the worst advancements of all of those of which show the grim and threatening effects of a carefree society. Possibly the most uncanny feature of reading Bradbury’s novel is the fact that, realistically, our society has been working up to a technology-obsessed way of life for quite some time, and our impending future could very well be a mirrored image of Fahrenheit 451. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1991.

Leadership in Practice: the Columbia Accident Essay

Introduction: For this paper, I have chosen to analyze the leadership performance of Linda Ham, Chair of Mission Management Team, and Daniel S. Goldin, NASA Administrator, 1992–2001. Both, in my estimation, were part of the problem, and not part of the solution. Both succumbed to outside political forces and placed much more emphasis on meeting self-imposed deadlines than astronaut safety. Both gradually dismissed the vast majority of the recommendations of the Rogers Commission after the loss of the Challenger and doomed NASA to repeat history. Background of leader #1: Linda Ham, Chair of the Mission Management team for the last Columbia mission, was hired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) soon after she graduated college. She began her career with NASA as a Propulsion Systems Monitor at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Over the years she rose through the ranks of NASA to Chair the Mission Management team for STS-107, which was the failed mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia that broke up upon re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. Background of leader #2: Daniel S. Goldin, NASA Administrator, 1992–2001, was hired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) soon after he graduated college. He began his career at NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio working in electric propulsion systems for human interplanetary travel. He left NASA a few years later and began working for the TRW Space and Technology Group. Over his 25 year career at TRW, Goldin rose through the ranks to become the Vice President and General Manager of TRW. Goldin then returned to NASA and became its longest tenured Administrator. Goldin was known for being able to cut costs and still provide many space programs. His â€Å"crusade for efficiency† (2004) ended up being the most visible flaw in an administration philosophy that lost another seven astronauts. Another glimpse into what kind of man and leader Daniel S. Goldin is, can be found in a lawsuit by the Department of Justice that â€Å"that seeks more than $170 million from TRW Inc., which is accused of padding government space contracts with research-and-development costs ‘that should have been paid out of TRW’s profits.’ The lawsuit contends that Daniel S. Goldin, who ran the company’s Space & Technology Group during the early 1990s, participated in the alleged overcharges by authorizing suspect accounting practices.† (1998) Leadership styles: Both Goldin and Ham clearly pushed the NASA agenda which was set by Goldin. Both appear to fit into the autocratic leadership style in that they demanded absolute obedience. Neither fostered a culture where diverse opinion was welcome. Both created an atmosphere where diverse or dissenting opinion was ignored and unwelcome. Goldin and Ham forced many NASA employees, specifically engineers and safety personnel, to become â€Å"organizational bystanders† (2008) because they were unwilling to risk their career to challenge the agenda of Goldin and Ham. NASA became a workplace with administrative blinders on. â€Å"NASA is not functioning as a learning organization† (Gehman, 2003). â€Å"[NASA mission managers] were convinced, without study, that nothing could be done about such an emergency. The intellectual curiosity and skepticism that a solid safety culture requires was almost entirely absent. Shuttle managers did not embrace safety-conscious attitudes. Instead, their attitudes were shaped and reinforced by an organization that, in this instance, was incapable of stepping back and gauging its biases. Bureaucracy and process trumped thoroughness and reason† (Gehman, 2003). Ham’s influence on STS-107 is most clearly described in this excerpt from the Case Study on the Columbia Accident by Maureen Hogan Casamayou, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia: Ham did inquire about the foam strike, but: not to determine what action to take during Columbia’s mission, but to understand the implications for STS-114. During a Mission Management Team meeting on January 21, she asked about the rationale put forward at the STS-113 Flight Readiness review passed muster not because of their inherent validity (and hence greater safety for the crew) but simply to launch another shuttle into space on schedule. As the CAIB report states, Ham’s focus on examining the rationale for continuing to fly after foam problems with STS-87 and STS-112 indicates that her attention had already shifted from the threat of the foam posed to STS-107 to the downstream implications of the foam strike. Ham was due to serve . . . as the launch integration manager for the next mission, STS-114. If the Shuttle Program’s rationale to fly with foam loss was found to be flawed, the flight, due to be launched in about a month, would have to be delayed per NA SA rules that require serious problems to be resolved before the next flight. An STS-114 delay could in turn delay completion of the International Space Station’s Node 2, which was a high priority goal for NASA managers. Further evidence of her preoccupation with meeting the designated launch schedule was reflected in Ham’s concern about the length of time to process photos of the Columbia on-orbit. According to the CAIB, on January 23rd: Ham raised concerns that the extra time spent maneuvering Columbia to make the left wing visible for imaging would unduly impact the mission schedule; for example, science experiments would have to stop while imagery was taken. According to personal notes obtained by the Board: â€Å"Linda Ham said it was no longer being pursued since even if we saw something, we couldn’t do anything about it. The Program didn’t want to spend the resources.† (CAIBR 2003) Further evidence of the unchallenged assumptions and lack of intellectual curiosity at NASA is described by Niewoehner & Steidle, â€Å"At the January 24, Mission Management Team meeting at which the â€Å"no safety-of-flight† conclusion was presented, there was little engineering discussion about the assumptions made, and how the results would differ if other assumptions were used. Engineering solutions presented to management should have included a quantifiable range of uncertainty and risk analysis. Those types of tools were readily available, routinely used, and would have helped management understand the risk involved in the decision. Management, in turn, should have demanded such information. The very absence of a clear and open discussion of uncertainties and assumptions in the analysis presented should have caused management to probe further.† (2009) A different outcome: In reviewing this case study, I am nearly certain that leadership style played a secondary role in the situation. The primary issue appears to be that the leaders, Goldin and Ham to be specific, allowed the outside influence of budgetary constraints imposed by Congress and the Presidential Administration to shape their mission and vision for NASA. In practical terms, the amount of money in the budget and the self-imposed goals of the number of shuttle missions to keep that budget from decreasing over-road concern for safety. Not only did it over-ride that concern for safety, but it created an organizational culture that ignored any line of thinking that challenged or threatened NASA’s goals. We must remember that there are drawbacks in stating specific identified government organizational goals. When a government, or a component of government, forecasts where it wants to be in the future, it binds itself to those identified goals. Administrators become personally attached or emotionally involved and are loath to change for fear of appearing to admit failure. This certainly affected the leadership and policy decisions of Goldin and Ham. Rocha could have done more to bring the safety concerns to light, however in retrospect, he clearly would have risked his career in doing so. We need more leaders, and followers, who are willing to risk their career especially when human life is at stake. A different outcome for STS-107 is very likely if NASA had truly functioned as a â€Å"High Reliability Organization†, which Weick and Sutcliffe (2001) say is characterized by: †¢A preoccupation with failure †¢Reluctance to simplify interpretations †¢Sensitivity to operations †¢Commitment to resilience †¢Deference to expertise Goldin and Ham could have implemented the five key dimensions of collaboration: governance, administration, organizational autonomy, mutuality, and norms of trust and reciprocity. They could have created a team or committee to review, research, and assess each and every safety concern that was raised by any NASA employee. This team should have negotiated, committed, and then implemented those commitments. There was no trust and reciprocity between the NASA engineers and the NASA mission managers. Goldin and Ham should have embraced a more Democratic Leadership Style. â€Å"Although a Democratic leader will make the final decision, he/she invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision making process. This not only increases job satisfaction by involving employees or team members in what’s going on, but it also help to develop people’s skills. Employees and team members feel in control of their own destiny, such as the promotion they deserve and so are motivated to work hard by more than just a financial reward. As participation takes time, this approach can lead to things happening more slowly but often the end result is better. The approach can be most suitable where team work is essential and quality is more important than speed to market productivity.† (2012) Yes, they would have likely missed future deadlines, probably scratched future missions, and maybe even lost some of NASA’s precious funding from Congress, but the strengths of the five key dimensions were never given a chance to prevail. The reason why is glaringly clear: â€Å"The most costly resources of collaboration are not money but time and energy, neither of which can be induced.† Huxham (1996) With NASA’s entire function hinging on budgetary concerns that became strict deadlines, time trumped safety and everyone from Congress and the Presidential administration to NASA management and the entire workforce, all have â€Å"blood on their hands.† My outlook: As a future leader, I am most profoundly struck by the impact of bureaucracy. I believe that even Goldin and Ham would have changed their decisions had they had the benefit of hindsight and knew that seven astronauts would lose their lives because of their lack of leadership, management, and administrative capabilities. We must listen to alternative viewpoints and encourage open dialogue as future government leaders. We must strive for objectivity in our perspective and not allow our vision to be narrowed by clinging too tightly to a concept or idea that was good in another setting. If human safety is in any way a factor, our level of scrutiny in gathering facts for decision making must be to the utmost. My biggest take-away from this assignment is learning the definition of a â€Å"high reliability organization† and the five bullets that must be embraced to be a true â€Å"high reliability organization†. I will take this concept with me for the rest of my career. Roberts, A. (2004). The reform bubble bursts. Public Administration Review, 64(5), 625-629. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197172592?accountid=27965 By, A. P. (1998, Feb 20). Civil fraud lawsuit against TRW inc. over space contracts is joined by U.S. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/398647798?accountid=27965 Marc, S. G., & Robert, B. S. (2008). Organizational bystanders. People and Strategy, 31(1), 47-54. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224596278?accountid=27965 Gehman, H.W. et. al., Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Report Volume 1 (CAIB) (August 2003). Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report (Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, Limited First Printing, August 2003) Robert, J. N., & Craig, E. S. (2009). The loss of the space shuttle Columbia: Portaging leadership lessons with a critical thinking model. Engineering Management Journal, 21(1), 9-18. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/208970180?accountid=27965 Weick, K., & Sutcliffe, K. (2001). Managing the Unexpected. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Bhatti, N., Ghulam, M. M., Shaikh, N., Muhammad, A. H., & Faiz, M. S. (2012). The impact of autocratic and democratic leadership style on job satisfaction. International Business Research, 5(2), 192-201. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/963357720?accountid=27965 Huxham, Chris. 1996. Collaboration and Collaborative Advantage. In Creating Collaborative Advantage, edited by Chris Huxham, 1–18. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (Stillman cccxxiii) Stillman, Richard. Public Administration, 9th Edition. Cengage Learning US, Aug-04. .

Lightweight vs. heavyweight construction and their implication to Essay

Lightweight vs. heavyweight construction and their implication to energy efficiency in non-domestic buildings - Essay Example Since the effectiveness of the above strategies is related to the thermal mass of the building, the selection of the construction type is crucial. Considering that each type of construction has advantages and disadvantages in terms of energy efficiency, it is difficult to indicate which type of construction is likely to be more effective. Nevertheless, energy efficiency may be achievable when the advantages of both types of construction are exploited. It is well known that, almost half of the delivered energy is being used by buildings (Bellew, 2000). Energy is consumed in buildings for space and water heating, lighting, ventilation, air conditioning systems and general electrical services (Nicholls, 2002). In order to meet the above description, which is necessary both for survival and adequate levels of comfort it is important to consider the type of construction that consumes energy efficiently. In addition to this, the aim of this paper is to assess the methods used in each type of construction - lightweight or heavyweight- in order to provide efficient energy performance in conjunction with comfort in buildings. Energy efficient buildings are characterised by maximum utilization of natural means that result in minimised energy demand for heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting (Goulding & Lewis, 1994). According to this, methods such as natural ventilation, passive cooling, day lighting and effective use of external (solar) and internal heat gains are the main natural means that define energy efficient buildings. It is also important mentioning that, energy efficiency is specified by the effective use of natural means on the fabric of the building. As such, natural means present different performance when reacting with different fabrics. Nonetheless, energy efficiency of buildings is achievable when a well-managed combination of

Changes in American Government of the 20th Century Literature review

Changes in American Government of the 20th Century - Literature review Example As a result of his determination, Collier soon gained the respect and admiration of Roosevelt and Ickes. While making changes in their government policies, (Olson 1986, 108) both men were open to the incorporation and implementation of new and unconventional ideas of possible reform. Because of their steadfast faith in him, Collier was given permission to change or modify government policies during the Depression. Collier initiated the Indian New Deal, which was a revolutionary approach to the reformation of Native American Indians. As a staunch believer in cultural pluralism, he understood the importance of ethnic values and community solidarity. Such principles led Collier to adopt an acculturated approach in assimilating the Native Americans into the mainstream of society. Olson clearly describes the manner in which Collier attacked the Indian problem and his success in assimilating the Native Americans into the dominant society. In this enlightening book, he reveals how, even tho ugh greeted with a multitude of opposition from American critics, Collier firmly believed in his goals and sought to fulfill them at any cost. As the prior allotment program was a major social and economic disaster, he then set out to reconstitute the tribes and enhance their traditional land base. Not satisfied to deal solely with reform work, Collier went a step further and convinced President Roosevelt to abolish the Board of Indian Commissioners on the basis that it was a huge obstacle in the wake of reform. (Olson 2006, 109) Collier, wanting the Native Americans to play a more active role in their decision making, provided them with specialized training for the management of their land and natural resources. He also insisted that the United States Federal Government should not, in the name of assimilation, suppress the culture and tradition of the Native Americans but should foster the preservation of their distinctive nativity.

Trends in the development of Intel after WW1 Assignment

Trends in the development of Intel after WW1 - Assignment Example In its replacement, he established a Central Intelligence Group to monitor his incoming cables, as well as supervise the duties that were being conducted by the disbanded OSS. The need to have a central intelligence agency led to the increase in missions and capabilities of the CIG. It is worth noting that most of the oversight was conducted by a committee known as the National Intelligence Authority which was made up Secretaries of War, Navy, and State, as well as the chief military adviser of the president. The National intelligence Authority played an integral role in ensuring that the unification process progressed on. Having thoughts of unifying the security system, the brains behind the National Security Act of 1947 strived to create National Security Council, a Secretary of Defense, a Central Intelligence Agency, and a constitutional Joint Chiefs of Staff that was bound by the principles of unity of intelligence, and unity of command. The Act guaranteed that statutory Joint Chiefs of Staff would not use the Prussian-style of leadership by creating an independent air force, and insisting that the CIA should not have law enforcement mandate. Additionally, the Act also dictated that the several divisions of intelligence within civilian departments and the armed forces would remain autonomous to the CIA. The fact that the Directors of the Central Intelligence could not have the full measure of authority to execute their duties has frustrated several of them; thus, leading to several reforms aimed at increasing their powers. These reforms have consistently been pushed forward by the National Security Council; however, they have faced several obstacles. In conclusion, there are several reforms aimed at improving the national intelligence; however, they face challenges since there are senior most people in the security docket who have specific changes that they cannot tolerate. This has led to the production of veto to any