Folk Conceptions of Humanness System †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Folk Conceptions of Humanness System. Answer: Introduction Cross-cultural Communication is a sharing process of cultural ethics, manner and art of the nations. The relationship development becomes strong through this process and that helps to maintain a good form of communication through this cross-cultural communication. In case of global business, technology or an innovation of one country can extend their market by implementing their business over another company is important. In that case, global business relation, communication improvement and understanding of the communication are the most important aspect of the business. In this case Mary, an Australian girl wants to spread her business in China. The cultural development of China is completely different and that is the main concern for Mary. Mr. Lau is the person with whom Mary is going to meet. Thus some of the Chinese etiquette Mary has to know so that business can illustrate in China. Possible penetration of "The Aroma Shop" condiments is the concern matter for Mary as the taste of the products is completely different. In case of the business relation and management political, sociological and economic factor is important for the distribution of the product and Mary thinks over the matter in a deeper way. The essay signifies the possible penetration of The Aroma Shop and also state about the Chinese business etiquettes. The cultural differences of both the countries are aligned through HOFSTEDE model and that is the best possible way of understating the cross-cultural effectiveness in communication. In case of business administration, cross-cultural communication is a barrier and that provides a negative impact on the business. The socialization thought always influences inter-cultural communication and through this kind of communication, the business development has started. Ethnocentrism is a process dealing with competition and set the parameter of production and the quality in an organization. A sensitive look at people culture and their need from the market is the essential factor in business and that executed in form of the presentable way. There are some initial challenges that come in case of interacting with local people at the start of the business (So, Y.L. and Walker, A., 2013). But recruitment of local people is a good strategy that helps the cultural aspect and communication development of the business. The culture, morality, ethics, law, political situation, economy, market standard, product culture, art, custom, belief and knowledge all these things need to know about the penetrating country as business spreads their development in a globalised way so this is a good thinking to adopt all the situation within the business. The future of business will enhance if resulting extracts are positive and attitudes are good in case of communication is also reflects the execution of better business standard. Etiquettes in Chinese behaviour are quite relevant that all the etiquettes signify properly. The situation of Chinese people and their business meeting and all other work analysis evolve some manner or etiquettes which are important for Mary as well. In case of business mentality, they maintain a strong relationship with the stakeholders. In any case, the business is proceeding this good relationship help them to understand the value of the work. In any meeting, Chinese people expect a well-prepared person (Saunders, M.N., 2012). They also want that the person will start the meeting with a flamboyance that signifies the trust and belief of the person over the situation. Introducing the meeting in a fluent way and have enough knowledge about all situations are the concern matter for the meeting in China. A good listening power and composure along with that is the concern matter for the business as well and that resulted in the better decision-making situation. Chinese people are takin g lots of time in discussing as they analyse all the matter with significant way. Chinese people always maintain a queue of entry in case of entering a meeting. The process of a queue is in hierarchical order starting from the managers or executives. The people in China also used to take almost 2 hours of the break for their refreshment (Okoro, E., 2012). In case of the courtesy process, they used to take the surnames to show respect for the person and through the last name they interact with the people through the last name. In case of greeting, the handshake is the option that they used to do with people in case of the meeting or in the organisation. To show respect to another people Chinese people are used to saying a couple of words for their deeds. This is a kind of respect that they want to convey to another person. This is considered as a process of appreciation. In case of pleasantries, situation understanding and making a bonding with other people in the workplace is another way of organisational development. To mitigate the conflict situation is the organisation, political discussions are not allowed in office and that signifies a strong negative statement that something is not allowed in the company. In case of etiquette related to the body language, the clam and controlled behaviour of them is always approachable (Moran, Abramson and Moran 2014). The people of China used to wear formals and they have self-control and the good approach to talking. In case of belching and slurping of taking foods, they liver the situation very much and they have their good time at that moment. In case of deal signing section, a good bondi ng needs to be there and the bonding does not form the financial end but also from the mental appreciation also. These are things Mary needs to know about China before meeting Mr. Lau. These etiquettes will help Mary to understand the situation of China and the approach that Chinese people deed in case of meeting situation. HOFSTEDE model shows the cultural difference between two nation likely Australia and China. In case of Power distance, Australia has more communication efficacy and they do not have the power relationship with employees and manager, in case of China the situation of power distance is very much relevant as the positional grip and leading ego present in this leaders, nature. In case of Individualism, people of Australia have this opportunity to live their life independently. In the broader perspective the situation in which organisation has taken the views of employees and that showcases commitment to the organisation and through this process, innovative decisions will come (Harzing et al. 2012). On the other hand, collectivist cultural enforcement and the co-operative relationship are not present in China. Owner of the company or leader takes decision and employees have to take the decision by any means. In case of masculinity, workplace promotion, hiring and behavioural aspect of the concerned way cultural communication. Australian organisation motivates their people by rewards and recognition and on the other hand, they want the productivity from those people. In China, the people are basically success-driven and they got their motivation from their leader as well, the cultural gaining and future improvement of the work are important in that section. In case of uncertainty avoidance, workplace belief and situation is the most influencing matter for the business (Liu 2013). China has more control in respect of Australia in that case and this control situation handling is important for the development of cultural commitment. In long-term orientation, the dealing nature of future understanding and improve the scenario of the present situation is the concern matter of a nation. Australia has no such situational planning for the future and on the other hand, China thinks almost four times better than Australia in case future business, education and other associated aspects. In case of indulge situation, Australia is far better than China, in case of desire, possessing and positive attitude is the concerning aspect that maintains a good relationship (Goodrich and De Mooij 2014). The interaction is more positive and open-minded conversation can be possible in Australia, however in case of China some crucial moments have to face by China through the situation. Recommendation Open minded conversation is important for the cross-cultural communication. Knowledge about the new business place is always essential for the development of good business culture. Sometimes, non-verbal communication and decision-making statements can be understood by the helpful non-veal communication between people and that impact on the crucial business decision making a case (Bain et al. 2012). Knowledge about the cultural background of the company and training and development for the other nation's language is also important for the development of a business. Following the steps of etiquettes and place the right thing at right time for the development of bonding also stated as the recommendation in cultural acceleration as well as business. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that business in other country is depending on the cultural background and cross-communication efficiency. China's etiquettes and possible penetration issues of The Aroma Shop condiments are delivered here in this along with the HOFSTEDE cultural difference between the nations of Australia and China. In this case, Mary has to preserve all these etiquettes when the gathering will arrange by Mr. Lau. The non-verbal attitude and recommended possibilities are also delivered in this essay so that Mary will place the meeting properly and Chinese people can taste condiments from The Aroma Shop. References Bain, P., Vaes, J., Kashima, Y., Haslam, N. and Guan, Y., 2012. Folk conceptions of humanness: Beliefs about distinctive and core human characteristics in Australia, Italy, and China.Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology,43(1), pp.53-58. Goodrich, K. and De Mooij, M., 2014. How socialare social media? A cross-cultural comparison of online and offline purchase decision influences.Journal of Marketing Communications,20(1-2), pp.103-116. Harzing, A.W., Brown, M., Kster, K. and Zhao, S., 2012. Response style differences in cross-national research.Management International Review,52(3), pp.341-363. Liu, H., 2013.Chinese business: Landscapes and strategies. Routledge.Chaney, L. and Martin, J., 2013.Intercultural business communication. Pearson Higher Ed. Moran, R.T., Abramson, N.R. and Moran, S.V., 2014.Managing cultural differences. Routledge. Okoro, E., 2012. Cross-cultural etiquette and communication in global business: Toward a strategic framework for managing corporate expansion.International journal of business and management,7(16), p.130. Saunders, M.N., 2012. Organizational trust: A cultural perspective.Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal,26(2). So, Y.L. and Walker, A., 2013.Explaining guanxi: The Chinese business network. Routledge. Triandis, H.C., 2018.Individualism and collectivism. Routledge.

What Is A Robot Essays - Robot, Industrial Robot, Mobile Robot

What is A Robot WHAT IS A ROBOT The term robot comes from the Czechoslovakian wordfor "forced labor," invented by Karel Capek. Karel Capek used robots in his plays and had them look and behave like people. Today, the word "robot" is harder to define because of new designs and technology. The third edition of Websters's New International Dictionary defines a robot as "a machine in the form of a human being that performs the mechanical functions of a human being." However, today's robot makers are not interested in giving their creations human forms. Most industrial robots look like lobsters or oversized grasshoppers. Around 1981, the members of the Robot Institute of America, held a meeting to develop a definition of an industrial robot. Finally after long debate, they came up with the definition: "A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices, through variable programmable motions, for the performance of a variety of tasks." The key wor ds in their definition are "reprogrammable" and "multifunctional." By "reprogrammable" they mean that if a robot gets a new assignment, it will need new instructions, but its basic structure will not change (except maybe a new mechanical hand). By "multifunctional" they mean a robot is the mechanical counter part of a computer that can handle various problems without any major hardware modifications. The only thing that changes when a robot is reassigned is its program of instructions. In modern robots, programmable microprocessors control all the robot's movements and actions. Robots can be taught by using a teaching mode. An operator moves the robot's hand through all of the desired motions manually with his own hand. When the robot is activated, it will repeat those same motions over and over again. Most robots are equipped with one hand and one arm of several articulated joints. Some of these joints swivel in smooth arcs mimicking the behavior of the human shoulder, wrist, and elbow. Other robots move in straight lines similar to a crane. Robots rarely have a pair of arms, and are usually stationary. If a robot moves that is all it does. Examples are delivery robots rolling down halls delivering mail or supplies. The hands and arms of early robots were pneumatically powered (air pressure) or hydraulically powered (fluid pressure). Flexible tubes carried the pressurized substances to the joints. Now, electric motors located at the joint give the robot greater precision and control, but slow down its movements. All robot manufacturers dream of joints with human-like tendons. Most robots are blind and are insensitive to their surroundings. Some have sensors triggered by light, pressure, or heat that can create a crude picture of what is happening. ROBOTIC ARMS There are four types of robot arms that are used today. Degrees of freedom are the axes around the arm in which it is free to move. The area a robot arm can reach is its work envelope. Rectangular arms are sometimes called "Cartesian" because the arm's axes can be described by using the X, Y, and Z coordinate system developed by Descartes. Descartes is a famous French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician. If a pen were attached to the arm, it would draw a rectangle which would be its work envelope. Imagine a graph where X would be side to side, and Y would be in and out on the graph. Up and down would be Z which runs through the graph and describes depth. Z also adds the third dimension. A cylindrical arm also has three degrees of freedom, but it moves linearly only along the Y and Z axes. Its third degree of freedom is the rotation at its base around the two axes. The work envelope is in the shape of a cylinder. The spherical arm replaces up and down movements along the two axes with a rocking motion of the arm. The spherical arm's work envelope is a partial sphere which has various length radii. The last and most used design is the jointed-arm. The arm has a trunk, shoulder, upper arm, forearm, and wrist. All joints on the arm can rotate, creating six degrees of freedom. Three are the X, Y, and Z axes. The other three are pitch, yaw, and roll. Pitch is when you move your wrist up and down. Yaw is when you move your hand left and right. Rotate your entire forearm as if you are drilling a hole. Your arm would rotate around an axis that goes through the center of your wristbone.

Turning an Idea Into a Novel

Turning an Idea Into a Novel The Lightbulb Moment: Turning an Idea Into a Novel M.T. Ellis is a Brisbane-based crime thriller author. She has just published her debut novel, Azrael,  which was inspired by a nightmare she had in 2014. In this article, M.T. talks about the so-called â€Å"lightbulb† moment - the moment an author strikes plot-gold. Writers, she explains, can have many lightbulb moments. They don’t each turn into full-fledged novels, but that doesn’t mean they belong in the recycle bin. M.T. is currently writing the second novel in her Detective Allira Rose series. Turning a nightmare into a novelPutting my ducks in a row Being an aspiring author is hard when you’re still searching for the right idea. That being said, when they all start coming to you, things can get challenging again. To keep myself organized and to make sure that I can fill in plot holes and gaps, I add a comment bubble at the start of each scene I write, with a sentence or two describing the scene and the character’s point-of-view. That way I can scroll through all the comments I’ve left for myself and get an overview of what scenes need to go where. Writing is hard when you’re looking for the right idea. When you find it, it's still challenging. Getting out of my own way After writing about 20,000 words, I was forced to abandon my manuscript for about eighteen months because I became busy with my day job. During this time, I occasionally wrote notes but it wasn't until that project finished that I was able to write the rest of the manuscript, which took about six months.During those six months, there were times when I couldn’t even look at the manuscript because I had developed such a fear of failure and a loss of confidence in the story. Conflictingly, I had also developed a fear of the book actually doing well and the potential of the ensuing attention. It was a strange struggle, which I eventually got over with the encouragement (and nagging!) of my family and friends.Turning to professionals After I wrote the first draft of Azrael, I took the first 20 pages and the synopsis to the 20 Pages in 20 Minutes session at the Brisbane Writers Festival where I was able to sit down with award-winning author Midge Raymond, and discuss the manuscript. Midge pointed out that my novel’s antagonist was too overbearing and unlikable. So for my first big rewrite, I incorporated parts of the antagonist's past into the story so that readers would be able to understand why he came to be a â€Å"villain.†Once my next draft of Azrael was ready for an edit, I turned to Reedsy and hired Allister Thompson for a structural edit and a copy edit. Allister was great; he pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript and went through the text with a fine-toothed comb, offering suggestions on how to make the story more psychologically sound and more enticing to the reader.Tom Vowler was the final editor I used to complete my manuscript. I found him via Reedsy as well and he d id a thorough proofread of the manuscript. Tom taught me a lot: I was able to address the spelling and grammar mistakes I was constantly making while learning how to keep my writing consistent throughout the novel.My advice to fellow authorsWhat to do with all of those â€Å"dead-end† ideas? In short, keep them. Write them down and save them - all of them. While writing Azrael, when I thought of ideas that didn't quite fit, I’d put them in a folder called â€Å"Book 2.† Now that I have started writing the second book of my thriller series, some of the work will already be done because I’ve acquired a wealth of inspiration from unused scenes in the first novel. Don't see unused ideas as a waste of time - they may serve a purpose down the road. So don't see unused ideas as a waste of time because even if you feel like they don’t go anywhere in the moment, they may serve a purpose further down the road.Azrael is available in paperback and on Amazon Kindle!  For more information, visit M.T's website!Please  share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for M.T, in the comments below!

The Name of the Rose

The Name of the Rose The Name of the Rose The Name of the Rose By Maeve Maddox Spring is in the air so I feel like writing about flowers. One of my all-time favorites is the rose. Most people can quote Juliet’s comment about the name of the rose: Whats in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. And there’s Gertrude Stein’s â€Å"A rose is a rose is a rose.† Sometimes, however, a â€Å"rose† is not a rose. The rose family (Rosaceae) includes about 2,930 species in 95 genera. Among the 95 genera is the genus Rosa Linnaeus, which is divided into four subgenera, one of which is Rosa, the subgenus that Juliet and Gertrude had in mind. Roses have been shedding their fragrance on the air since before there were human beings to inhale it. The ancestors of the roses in modern gardens originated in the Tertiary Period, about 70 million years ago. Ancient Chinese and the Egyptian gardeners are believed to be the first to begin selective breeding of roses for color. Here’s a simplified example of the taxonomy of a rose, based on the USDA.gov site: Kingdom: Plantae (Plants) Division: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants) Family: Rosaceae (Rose family) Genus: Rosa L. (the L. is for Linnaeus.) Subgenus: Rosa Common name: Rose Rosa contains from 100 to 150 species and thousands of cultivars, with more being introduced all the time. A cultivar is a plant variety that has arisen from cultivation. English rosarian David Austin, for example, has developed more than 190 rose cultivars since 1961. When shopping for roses, it’s enough to know the name of the cultivar. Some popular cultivars are ‘Knockout,’ ‘Peace,’ ‘Abraham Darby,’ ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ ‘Don Juan,’ ‘William Shakespeare 2000,’ and ‘Mr. Lincoln.’ When plants are identified by genus, species, and cultivar, the genus name is capitalized, the species name written in lowercase, and the cultivar name is enclosed in single quotation marks. To illustrate how the three terms are used, here are five plants whose common names contain the word rose, but which are unrelated to the rose of poetry. I’ve included the Family name to show that they do not belong to Rosaceae. In each three-word description, the first word is the genus, the second is the species, and the third is the cultivar. moss rose Family: Portulacaceae (aka Purslane) Example: Portulaca grandiflora ‘Happy Hour’ rose of Sharon Family: Malvaceae Example: Hibiscus syriacus ‘White Chiffon’ Lenten rose Family: Ranunculaceae Example: Helleborus  orientalis ‘Kingston Cardinal’ Christmas rose Family Ranunculaceae Example: Helleborus niger ‘Eva’ primrose Family: Primulaceae Example: Primula vulgaris ‘Arctic Mix’ Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Addressing A Letter to Two People16 Misquoted Quotations90 Verbs Starting with â€Å"Ex-†

Brazil and Venezuela Economic Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brazil and Venezuela Economic Governance - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  it was the period from the second quarter of 2005 to end months of 2006 that preceding repeated presidential elections, the idea of â€Å"swing to the Left† or â€Å"new Left† was introduced in the Latin American political history. This gave rise to a new notion in the Left government of the region polarizing two social coalitions, one being a â€Å"social democratic Left† such as that of Brazil and the other being a â€Å"populist Left† illustrated by the democratic system of Venezuela.This study highlights that  under the leadership of Luiz Inà ¡cio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian economic governance became more inclined towards chasing the traditional macro-economic policies being practiced in the nation generating robust financial surplus owing to its agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In relation to its democratic governance, the nation began encouraging it’s regional as well as local capacity aiming dynamism in its socio-economic structure, even though the employment rate and other social growth factors were recorded to be worthy of deep concern. Where the aforementioned attempts made by Brazil demonstrates the main features of the governance in a   Ã¢â‚¬Å"social democratic Left† country under the influence of Latin America’s â€Å"Left Turn†, the policy measures adopted by Venezuela with the leadership of Hugo Chà ¡vez demonstrate a quite distinct picture of the â€Å"populist Left† region.   

Public Policing Vs Private Security Comparison Paper Essay

Public Policing Vs Private Security Comparison Paper - Essay Example Such programs include crime prevention and drug awareness. They have the authority to search, arrest, and detain individuals under the provisions of territorial and other police acts. They have the integral responsibility to protect the public property and places. On the other hand, private investigators usually carry out investigations to locate missing persons or obtain information for civil and legal litigation cases. Some of the other important services rendered by them include, ‘investigating corporate fraud, endowing with risk management consultations, and executing security measures to defend property from theft and fire’ (‘Private investigator, 2011). These personnel are not recruited by the government; instead they are directly employed by security companies and public administration industries. The private security personnel renders their services in protecting the ‘mass private property’, which means venues that are privately owned or run, b ut used widely by the public such as the privately owned airports, sporting arenas, or shopping malls. In the same way they offer many services offered by the public police, but they act only on behalf of the employer and not on behalf of the public. Some Distinctive Features Private security professionals like the ASIS helps to develop security management standards and guidelines. Their commission works with numeral national and international standards-setting organizations to advance their security practices. Utilizing the knowledge and experience, they practice worldwide through development of standards and guidelines (ASIS IT security, July 2011). The primary objective of private security officials is to keep up order and enforce rules at public events and concerns. They also provide a vast variety of services like providing armored car service for transporting valuables, controlling the access to venues, and protecting the property from theft and vandalism. Usually corporate co mpanies directly employ the security personnel for their protection and safety. They are also employed at public administration, banking companies, entertainment and recreation industry, transportation and warehousing, healthcare and social assistance, and accommodation and food services. Private security personnel, acting on behalf of the employer have many of the same cranial law enforcement powers as public police have. They are legally able to arrest and detain individuals. The trespass laws, in particular, are frequently used by private securities, because most of such laws allow them to arrest the trespassers. The Supreme Court of Canada defines that â€Å"the trespass acts are the workhorse of private security services in their patrol of the shopping malls, airports, sports stadiums and other private spaces where the public tends to congregate†( In search of security, 2006). Major Differences in Leadership On comparing both policing, we find that public policing and pr ivate security have many distinctive features with regard to leadership. Public policing is the ability to implement the law and maintain order in the society; whereas, private securities are paid agencies which perform defensive and loss-preclusion duties. Though both forces are handling different services and duties, the ultimate goal is to maintain a composed and tranquil atmosphere in the society. In the same way, as Allen and Sawhney (2009, p. 40) point out, the day-to-day activities of police and detectives differ according to

General Motors Essay Example for Free

General Motors Essay I first want to start out with the bailout in 2009 where the government gave General Motors money ($40 million) to help get them out the situation with their creditors and took over most of the company. According to reports all of the outstanding stock has been sold and now the company is out of the government’s hands. The total amount given to them was not paid in full and they do not feel like they need to repay anymore because they said that there was a risk with taking the stock and that the government would just get back what the stock sold for. I know that this is true in the stock market, as I have stocks myself and know the risks that I am taking. I still have a problem with giving them money when one of the other larger automobile companies (Ford Motor Company) took it upon themselves to restructure and is paying off their own debts little by little and is still moving along today. Along with the sale of all of the stock came a lift on the freeze of upper management wages and incentives. This is just not right. I would like to live on what some of them make, and I am sure that I could live very comfortably. Let them come and live on my income and see what they can do. I really have a problem with going overseas for production and I always will. It is probably my age and all of the trials and tribulations that I have lived through as well as what I have seen others live through. Many people were told that their jobs would be secure and since then General Motors has cut back on jobs here in the United States. I wonder just how many people outside of this country have been given jobs that could have been here at home. I know that many companies take production overseas because they say that the costs for labor are a lot  lower. Well, that may be true but has anyone seen the living conditions of those people overseas. Are we really paying them what they should be getting? Let’s take into consideration all of the recalls that General Motors has made in the last few years. Way too many in my book. Why is there faulty material being used to manufacture a product that could easily take the lives of many people. These products were made mostly overseas, I believe, and could lower wages be part of the problem of not noticing the faulty parts in the first place? By taking away incentives for prospective buyers, I believe, really hurt their business, but then I say, â€Å"Why give an incentive and not just reduce the price of the car in the first place?† I know that consumers look f or incentives but I think that they would look just as hard if the price of the cars were lower too. Let us look at the strategy that General Motors is wanting to take. The strategy that I believe that they are using is a combination of three strategies. They are as follows: Defensive Strategy in that General Motors decided to cut back the number of makes of automobiles; Cost-Leadership Strategy in that expenses needed to manufacture the cars are kept at a lower cost and maintained at that lower cost; and Differentiation Strategy in that they need to make a superior product for a vast number of people at a low cost. According to the plan General Motors is going to start making their automobiles using the same parts in the same laid out plants and using the same kind of tools throughout. They are also cutting back on the number of models from 86 to 49. When it came to the cost-leadership strategy, I put the loss of incentives to customers in this category. I still do not understand why there are incentives when they could just reduce the price of the automobile or truck. I think that people would look more if the price were lower. The differentiation strategy they have cut back on the workforce but are still making the superior produc t for a vast audience. I realize that they need to watch their competitors closely, especially those overseas but they also need to take care of the people right here in the United States. General Motors has a vision to reduce costs and increase revenue through global sales growth to a net profit of 10%. I think that they are asking for a lot out of the economy, as it is today As the plan states, Ford is farther ahead of General Motors and they made more of a profit per vehicle sold than General Motors. This was all done because of  going globally. The culture needs to change too and get away from focusing on selling the most cars and take care of the customers that they currently have and possibly will have in the future. Yes, sales are important, but they will come if their customer focus is there first. I think that the 10% increase in profits is a little out the park when you are just restructuring and trying to maintain your status. You will need to take smaller increases in profit for a few years and then the profits will increase as the years go by. When looking at SMART goals I find that General Motors set their goal of making more than $10 billion per year. This is a very challenging goal for a company that is just coming back from restructuring. This goal is very specific but I do not believe that it is attainable with the economy that we have today. I know that they look at achieving this goal globally but they really need to concentrate right here in the United States. To be results-oriented they needed to decrease the number of types of cars they produce, reduce the number in their global workforce, (which they did), reduce the number of union workers here in the United States (which they did) and close down plants that were not up to par (which they did). Was this the right decision to make? Who knows for sure? The only thing that I can see is that they put a lot of people out of work. In looking at the Planning/Control Cycle, I see that General Motors followed it by making the plan, carrying out the plan, they looked at the results of the plan and they controlled the direction of the plan by making any corrections as they went along with the plan. Planning is very important in everything that you do. You must always follow through too and watch as the plan is being carried out and always have control of what is going on and make sure that you make any corrections as the plan goes on. If need be, go back to the beginning and start all over again if the plan goes off track too far or if you have to make too many corrections. According to Mr. Akerson when asked about being back on top and the world’s largest auto maker his response was: â€Å"General Motors needs to focus on profits and margins and not necessarily try to post nu mbers on the board.† Maybe they need to go back and re-think their plan again and make sure they are staying on track as they proceed. In conclusion, I just want to add that I read two reports that just came out on CNN today. â€Å"One concerned a former manager for General Motors, Bill McAleer, who was in charge of the Global delivery system from 1988 to 1998 which was  used to access the quality of cars before they were sent to various dealers. He said that the culture of General Motors was the main problem of the company where if there was a problem and you said anything that you could be fired and then on the other hand if you did not say anything, you still could be fired.† What kind of culture is that? It is kind of twisted, if I must say. He said that he had sent a letter to the upper management about all of the defects that he had found and that they just ignored it. He also said that he never received a response in any way about the letter. He mentioned that in 1997 the focus for the company really changed and internally and that there were to be NO problems admitted to. How ridiculous is that. There is never a time during the day that a company does not have some kind of problem. He went on to say; â€Å"That’s what happened with the ignition switch, people knew that there was a problem but problems were not acceptable. They just ignored it.† Mr. McAleer was laid off in 2004 and filed suit agains t the company under the Whistleblower Law but he lost his suit. And what happened yesterday, June 27, 2014? General Motors recalled another 430,000 2013 and 2014 vehicles for various defects from windshield wiper assemblies on Caprice Police Cars, to transmission software, to rear shock absorbers, and to air bag problems. What is with this company? The article stated that since January, General Motors has recalled more than 20 million vehicles worldwide. If they knew about the ignition switch more than a decade ago and did nothing until this year, why are they still in business? Where are most of these defective parts coming from? I would imagine that you can see why I cannot be happy about this company. I have lived many years and have worked in various occupations and have seen the defective merchandise come from out of the country and would just sit there and shake my head. Working in retail for over 20 years, I just would not put merchandise on the floor for customers to purchase if I found it to be defective. Did I get into trouble for it? Absolutely not! We cared about our customers, why doesn’t General Motors. Seems like all they are interested in is the almighty dollar. Ref: CNN.com Article by Patrick Sheridan, June 28, 2014 @ 12:24 pm ET Article by Patrick Sheridan, June 27, 2014 @ 6:564 pm ET