Quotes by Ahmed Skou Tour

Quotes by Ahmed Skou Tour Without being Communists, we believe that the analytical qualities of Marxism and the organization of the people are methods especially well-suited for our country.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, first president of Guinea, as quoted in Rolf Italiaanders The New Leaders of Africa, New Jersey, 1961 People are not born with racial prejudices. For example, children have none. Racial questions are questions of education. Africans learned racism form the European. Is it any wonder that they now think in terms of race after all theyve gone through under colonialism?Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, first president of Guinea, as quoted in Rolf Italiaanders The New Leaders of Africa, New Jersey, 1961 An African statesman is not a naked boy begging from rich capitalists.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, first president of Guinea, as quoted in Guinea: Trouble in Erewhon, Time, Friday 13 December 1963. The private trader has a greater sense of responsibility than civil servants, who get paid at the end of each month and only once in a while think of the nation or their own responsibility.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, first president of Guinea, as quoted in Guinea: Trouble in Erewhon, Time, Friday 13 December 1963. We ask you therefore, not to judge us or think of us in terms of what we were or even of what we are but rather to think of us in terms of history and what we will be tomorrow.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, first president of Guinea, as quoted in Rolf Italiaanders The New Leaders of Africa, New Jersey, 1961 We should go down to the grassroots of our culture, not to remain there, not to be isolated there, but to draw strength and substance there from, and with whatever additional sources of strength and material we acquire, proceed to set up a new form of society raised to the level of human progress.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, as quoted in Osei Amoahs A Political Dictionary of Black Quotations, published in London, 1989. To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song: you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, as quoted in Osei Amoahs A Political Dictionary of Black Quotations, published in London, 1989. At sunset when you pray to God, say over and over that each man is a brother and that all men are equal.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, as quoted in Robin Halletts, Africa Since 1875, University of Michigan Press, 1974. We have told you bluntly, Mr President, what the demands of the people are ... We have one prime and essential need: our dignity. But there is no dignity without freedom ... We prefer freedom in poverty to opulence in slavery.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©s statement to General De Gaulle during the French leaders visit to Guinea in August 1958, as quoted in Robin Halletts, Africa Since 1875, University of Michigan Press, 1974. For the first twenty years, we in Guinea have concentrated on developing the mentality of our people. Now we are ready to move on to other business.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©. as quoted in David Lambs The Africans, New York 1985. I dont know what people mean when they call me the bad child of Africa. Is it that they consider us unbending in the fight against imperialism, against colonialism? If so, we can be proud to be called headstrong. Our wish is to remain a child of Africa unto our death..Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, as quoted in David Lambs The Africans, New York 1985. People of Africa, from now on you are reborn in history, because you mobilize yourself in the struggle and because the struggle before you restores to your own eyes and renders to you, justice in the eyes of the world.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, as quoted in The Permanent Struggle, The Black Scholar, Vol 2 No 7, March 1971. [T]he political leader is, by virtue of his communion of idea and action with his people, the representative of his people, the representative of a culture.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, as quoted in Molefi Kete Asante and Kariamu Welsh Asantes African Culture the Rhythms of Unity: The Rhythms of Unity Africa, World Press, October 1989. In the history of this new Africa which has just come into the world, Liberia has a preeminent place because she has been for each of our peoples the living proof that our liberty was possible. And nobody can ignore the fact that the star which marks the Liberian national emblem has been hanging for more than a century the sole star that illuminated our night of dominated peoples.Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©, from his Liberian Independence Day Address of 26 July 1960, as quoted in Charles Morrow Wilsons Liberia: Black Africans in Microcosm, Harper and Row, 1971.

An Analysis of Recruitment and Selection in IBM

An Analysis of Recruitment and Selection in IBM Chapter 1. Introduction Today the success of every organization or business company lies just not in the mission or the goals set by the management, but a lot depends even on the employees of the organization. Employees are an integral part of any organization and they are the biggest assets that any company can have. The entire image of the organization depends on the performance of the employees, their code of conduct, and how they take their job responsibility. Every company looks out for employees who have the required capability and the qualifications that just not suits the job requirements but also can add to the value of organization. Recruitment and selection of the employees thus becomes an integral part of human resources. In simple terms getting the right person or a deserving candidate is much easier when compares to getting the right candidate for the right position. Through recruitment and selection, an employer will be able to find and select the appropriate and the most deserving candidate for the job vacancy. Recruitment and selection process has been considered as the most important part of hiring a new employee and also for the organization. 1.1 About the company In this research we will be focusing on IBM (Internal Business Machines) located in India to analyze the recruitment and selection. Now lets see some information pertaining to Internal Business Machines (IBM). Even though IBM was present in India earlier to 1970s, they re-entered the business sector in the year 1992. IBM has it headquarter based on Bangalore and operates in 14 other cities throughout India. IBM is considered as the leaders in terms of industry based on Information technology. IBM has been offering various customer solutions which includes both hardware and software. IBM India is considered one of the important market for IBM and they ensure that there has been enough investments in this industry. 1.2 Aim of the research Through this research we are trying to focus on the recruitment and the selection process, taking example organization as IBM. Now in order to ensure that the research is progressing towards achieving this aim, we will need to set an aim for our research. Hence the aim of the research is as follows: â€Å"To investigate, describe and produce a research report which shows how the recruitment and selection process of International Business Machines (IBM) is different from other companies recruitment and selection process.† Before we can into the details of the recruitment and selection at IBM, we will highlight the main reasons why employees get attracted and enthusiastic about working at IBM: Employees who are working and also would be joining would always prefer to be known as the innovators. IBM is known as the best company and employees can always expect to have a very bright future ahead while working at IBM. IBM has been known for providing competitive environment for their employees which can help them develop on l ong term professional basis. Every employee gets to learn new skills and facts at IBM daily. IBM encourages their employees to deploy their unique learning style at work.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 126

Case Study Example focus on developing athletics activities and equipment that attract people below the age of 19 years and single women between the ages of 30-39 years. These two groups of the population constitute the highest number of non-peak period visitors. The management should provide a discount for the unmarried people, especially the women. Single ladies are likely to have fewer responsibilities compared to the married couples. In this regard, single ladies are likely to have sufficient time to visit the club regularly. Essentially, offering discounts would increase the frequency of attendance and attract new customers’ thereby increasing revenue for the club (Fields, 1999). The management should introduce awards and gifts for frequent and royal customers. This will encourage them to visit the club more frequently since they are assured of a gift. In addition, special gifts should be given to customers who bring new customers during the low seasons. This will encourage the existing customers to invite their friends to join the club. During the low seasons, the management should offer aerobic and yoga classes to both the silver and gold membership holders. Such strategies will aid in expanding the membership base and increasing revenues for the

Analyse and discuss the advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons, Assignment

Analyse and discuss the advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons, of group decision making. What aspects should be avoided in multi departmental decision making in order for them to be effective - Assignment Example the success of any organisations are denoted by the strategic decisions made through initiatives such as group decision making and other strategic positioning plans. Nevertheless, specific aspects of decisions should be avoided in order to make departments effective. Stone (2013) articulated on core aspects that touches on sensitive matters and which should be avoided for effective running of organisations. In fact, Freeman (1999) further argued that group decision making can only yield good results if a set of conditions pertaining the group chemistry are met. It is evident that group members have different skills and competence. Thus, sharing of ideas and information on a particular issue can lead to more information and more comprehensive. The ground for the argument is many alternatives are provided and the most appropriate one is chosen from the list. This is unlike in situations where one individual is left to make decisions that affect a whole company or department. Chances of getting the best outcome are minimal when compared to individual decision making. In addition, the whole process becomes effective since issues related to revising the decisions made are minimal especially because the whole group is present or representatives are present during decision making. Thus, group decisions are acceptable by all since everybody is represented during the process. DuBrin (2012) conversely observed that, with group decision making, biases are eliminated especially those that come in as a result of lack of inclusion of the target individuals. In a broader sense, group decision making acts a training ground for subordinate and new members. They learn skills of articulating on matters as well as the importance of collaborative workforce. Further, group decision making is viewed as a democratic style of leadership, which is inclusive and accommodates views from all the parties and consolidate them before arriving into a single decision that suits everybody. Since

Forensic science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Forensic science - Essay Example 165) This is essential because it ensures the integrity of forensic science before proceeding to the court. Even though, the clinical laboratories have been working based on the national regulatory scheme since 1968, forensic science does not a similar scheme (Neufeld 2005 p. 107). Consequently, this has reduced the level of protection for the evidence and measures to investigate, and address the discovered abuses (Moore 2007, p. 127). Quality assurance is an important concept that should be considered during crime investigation because most criminal trials depend on expert testimony. Consequently, mistakes in the expert testimony pose several challenges. The use forensic science when investigating different criminal incidences is not reliable because it offers invalid results. Additionally, the process is biased because it lacks enough internal control for the evidence (Birkhead & Hosken 2009, p. 575) Semen quality assurance refers to the test conducted in the crime laboratories usi ng the victims’ semen to determine whether the victims were involved in crime or not. Currently, there are different methods used in the measurement of semen quality assurance. The most applicable methods include serology and DNA typing (Higgins 2009, p. 45). These methods can be applied in a criminal case to determine whether the suspect is responsible. ... Furthermore, the girl’s bed sheets with scattered hair were also collected. After the victim described the perpetrator, the police came up with a sketch that resembled the suspect. The victim identified the suspect as the rapist once they got to his hideout (Neufeld 2005, p. 107). Serology can determine the victim’s semen through the quality assurance approach. This can support the prosecutor when securing a conviction. The lab serologist will take the girl’s body fluid found in the semen and test whether they match with the accused blood type. Scientific standards discourage serologists from drawing inferences about the semen’s source when they are not sure though this method is commonly used when investigating crimes (Ishmael 2005, p. 13). Based on the case, crime laboratories can use DNA typing method to match whether the semen recovered from the girl’s underpants match the DNA profile of the suspect. This criminal investigation process is not re liable because DNA experts states that only 20% of the total violent crimes benefit from the evidence resulting from DNA testing. This is because most of the forensic discipline applying the DNA method lacks the needed scientific dimensions that support the performance standards (Jeyendran 2003, p. 127). It is essential to consider the application of good forensic science in DNA typing method. This is because forensic scientists discovered lab misconduct in arresting, indicting and convicting an innocent person. Criminal cases that include forensic science investigations should take meaningful precautions to guard against meaningless science and unreliable results (Bjorndahl, Mortimer & David 2009, p. 17). The forensic scientist should ensure that before they walk into the

IKEAs Marketing and Expansion Strategy Analysis

IKEAs Marketing and Expansion Strategy Analysis This report is a follow on from the in class IKEA presentation based on the IKEA case study IKEA-Managing global expansion. Being a multinational successful organisation there would be various corners to look at in order to analyse IKEA however this report will focus on the analysis of IKEAs globalization and internationalization models, as well as key opportunities and threats faced by IKEA and their cultural web and how it supports their current strategies. Overview of the furniture market Based on Mintel research database, the sales of furnishings and houseware in the top 25 global economies generate annual revenues of more than $270 billion. However the sales of furniture were hit hard in 2008 and 2009 by a combination of fewer housing transactions and the recession. With the exception of IKEA, US companies (Furniture Village, Homebase, DFS etc) dominate the global home furnishings landscape, yet the worlds most lucrative regional market is still Europe. Buying furniture nowadays is not as simply organised as in the past where you just had to take what was available from the few retailers and wait weeks before it was delivered. Today competition is all about offering the right product, for the right money, in the right way. Just under half of adults (25 million) look for lasting quality when buying furniture. Retailers need to prove their quality with customer reviews and demonstrating how items can stand up to heavy usage especially in households with kids. Service is important and four in ten adults are influenced by the presence of knowledgeable and helpful staff when choosing between stores. The role of staff has shifted from one of a sales person to be one of consultant. Further visiting showrooms is a key part of the buying process for furniture as it gives the customer an idea about their wanted environment however focus remains on price. Overview of the company IKEA Group is a global and privately-held retailer of Scandinavian (Swedish) designed home furniture and accessories and now retailer of its own food label. Their products range focuses on good design, good quality and function at a low price. In the mid-2000s the company was leader in the flat-pack furniture business generating annual sales of 21.5 billion euros. The company has the biggest market share in the UK. It operates about 301 stores overall in 36 countries most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. The company was founded by Mr. Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 and although partly controlled by the Kamprad family, it is under the ownership of the Stichting INKGA group, a charitable foundation registered in the Netherlands. IKEAs main UK competitors include Asda, Argos, Debenhams, Next, Tesco, John Lewis etc. The Difference between Internationalisation and globalization Globalisation entails all the operations undertaken by an organisation that envisions itself present in many countries worldwide. IKEAs past globalisation strategy was based on one design fits all which meant that initially they did not adapt to the local markets. However as they expanded in Japan and the US they soon realised that they had to tailor made their products to fit the countrys specifications and requirements if they wanted to succeed. For instance, the US customer preferred big and ample furniture and houseware while in Japan they looked for small and simple items to fit their small living environments. In opposition internationalization is at the other end of the globalization as it takes into consideration what each particular market has to offer and not what the company has to offer to the market. IKEAs strategy has adapted over the years in a way that they think globally and act locally. IKEAS INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY Key Opportunities IKEAs main strength is its international brand recognition built up on low product prices and design. Its product portfolio caters for most lifestyles and budgets. The implementation of cost leadership strategy in order to penetrate new markets is a definite strength and opportunity IKEAs costs were/are approximately 30%-50% below competition prices. The costs of transportation were cut by 80% by providing furniture in flat packs. By offering simple and modern designs and by introducing cash and carry and self service concepts, IKEAs stores were guaranteed a success. After investigating the German market IKEA took advantage of the poor organisational strategy of the existing furniture dealers in the country and changed its operations by providing customers immediate delivery of quality goods at low prices when they opened their Munich store. Their West German market has expanded through aggressive advertising despite the challenges encountered by the law suits initiated by its competitors and trade associations. In the UK, IKEA provided unique products, low prices and cashcarry service. In this way the firm achieved competitive advantage over its existing competitors that were taking as long as 3 months to deliver the goods. Opposed to their competition, IKEA demonstrated efficiency and skill. As mentioned previously, in their US placement IKEA had to adapt their product range to suit the requirements of the American market. They redesigned the store layout to provide more directions and shortcuts for customers who opposed to the idea of wandering through the store. They also increased the size of their beds, bed linens, sofas, armchairs etc., as the European sizes were too small for the American customer. In addition they also offered a customization of their products. Further their US expansion IKEA made a bold move by opening a mega store in Chicago with a new layout (double the size of a normal IKEA store). It had 3 levels that included a self service warehouse, customer service and cafe on the first floor as well as a showroom and a market place on the other floors. From there on the stored were designed to improve the direction and flow of customers. IKEA also offered home delivery and assembly for an extra charge. The US expansion was a success due to these measures and strategy adaptation despite their competition continuously replicating IKEAs products. Threats The organisations main weakness is that they are very much reliant on the European market where 82% of its stores are located. The threat here is represented by the competition as IKEAs methods have been copied by other retailers that have introduced similar product ranges at low prices. Market saturation is another threat as with the development of e-commerce in each European country customers can compare prices, reviews and switch to alternative suppliers if necessary. Further threats are represented by the recession in Europe as well as the adverse effect of a weak dollar on sales in the US. Political and economical instability of the Chinese and Russian markets are also a potential threat since IKEA is planning on expanding in these two markets. However IKEA is successfully counteracting its main weakness (over reliance in Europe) with its key opportunity expansion in the emerging markets in Asia and Eastern Europe. The Cultural Web and the Organisational Culture The organizational culture describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization which define its environment or it can simply describehow things are done around here To analyse IKEAs cultural web we need to use the Cultural Web model. The Cultural Web identifies six elements that help to make up the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, we can see: what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. Stories The hero in the company is Ingvar Kamprad seen by the employees as a visionary who worked hard, lived simply and gave an example to all. In fact IKEA is all about the Swedishness a simple culture with simple values such as humbleness, simplicity, teamwork etc. The brand image varies in different countries depending on the countrys culture. eg: in Sweden (low priced, low quality brand), UK (poor service) etc. Rituals and Routines The Company strongly believes in staying close to its customers. In fact every store is a parent-friendly environment people come first. However IKEA is also focused on its people and their working way. Employees dress informally and work in a relaxed office environment with open plan floors. On their website IKEA remarks that A career in IKEA is not a ladder, is what and where you make it. They expect teamwork and mistakes as long as the employee learns from them. However IKEA is also about making the impossible in cost cutting. In fact, staff travelled economy and took buses or stayed in hostels. There are wall stickers to turn off lights, taps and computers after each use. Stores that cut costs the most receive a reward from the management. Symbols It is normal to find the same features in every IKEA store. For instance, all shop floor staff dress in uniform (yellow blue) for the Swedish flag colours. There is a restaurant, a food hall a childrens corner as well as little shopping helps such as pencil, paper, shopping bag, and tape measure. As mentioned previously, IKEA is all about Swedishness and focus on a minimalistic and simple design delivered in their custom flat packs. Their main symbol is the brand name and the brand colours all significative of Sweden and their Swedish founder Kamprad. Organisational Structure Typical of IKEAs organisation is their informal management which is presented in a non-hierarchical and caring manner. There is typically only 3 hierarchical levels of responsibility between the store manager and the employee. Every month there is the so called Anti-bureaucrat week where management spend a whole week in the warehouses and stockrooms. Appropriate training programmes are given to all company management. However as always on IKEA s organisational structure is their focus on cost cutting and as such they incite all designers and material buyers on cost reductions. Control Systems At the centre of the IKEAs control systems is quality control. Emphasis is put on delivering good quality, sturdy furniture that passes their standards. Further way to control their operations is by making sure that the management works closely with the staff making also sure that their warehouses are correctly labelled in their products. Rewards are given to the stores that generate more profit and that cut more costs considering that one of the principles of IKEAs strategy is cost cutting. Power Structures Senior management was predominantly Scandinavian and only in the last 5 years the strategy of only forwarding employees who were Scandinavian or Swedish speaking into management has changed. However all employees are involved the individual store operations and encouraged in their work thanks to their friendly management strategy. Employees are in fact egged on to take responsibilities in order to assess their performance; their ideal is that every employee is important to IKEAs success. The Paradigm IKEAs cultural web supports its current strategy. In the past IKEA favoured the Sweds for managerial programmes but in the last 5 years international career management is now seen essential to sustaining international growth but more steps and measures need to be taken to ensure that other backgrounds are fitted into the managerial programmes. The organizational career culture supports the corporate strategy with suitable structure and rewards. IKEAs cultural values are things like informality, cost consciousness and a very humble and down to earth approach as passed down by Kamprad along with responsibility and teamwork and ensuring that their employees are highly motivated and committed. Cultural and Corporate Strategy Changes Put more emphasis and work on employees of other nationalities/backgrounds in order to create a multicultural environment by having a diverse management and strengthen IKEAs corporate view being a multinational group. Since all IKEAs stores are out of the city centres many customers in the big metropolis do now own a car or have suitable transportation in order to be able to shop in IKEA therefore a possible strategy change could entail IKEA to have smaller retail outlets near city centres perhaps selling furniture on catalogue but definitely having stock in-store for houseware and smaller items. Many IKEA competitors offer free delivery on orders above a certain amount; as we have previously shown competition is fierce in Europe therefore this measure could ensure that the profit is taken by putting a minimum spending limit in order to qualify for free delivery (e.g. free delivery on orders above 150 GBP or more) and would therefore open IKEA to more budget oriented customers. Another suggestion to attract more customers would be to have quick assembly tips/class in store for the non-diy oriented customers. IKEA is all about self service but not many customers are skilled to deal with DIY and assembly. This measure would make sure that their products are opened to every type of customer. Self service warehouse and furniture pick up places all contain some long numbers in regards to the desired item. Perhaps IKEA could implement a new system where warehouses havelabels, not numbers making it easier on customers. (e.g. Section: Chairs. Aisle-3, Type: Victa) Conclusions IKEAs main strategies remain the same; success is ensured by adopting aggressive price strategies and aggressive advertising as well as a wide product range unlike any competitor at the moment. Service however needs to come to focus to improve customer purchasing and still maintain their market position as other cheaper players are entering the market such as the supermarkets. Is getting any bigger better?

Transitions Of Reptiles To Mammals Essays -- essays research papers

Transitions of Reptiles to Mammals A long long time ago, in a galaxy not too far away, was a little blue planet called Earth, and on this world not a single mammal lived. However a lot of time has past since then and we now have lots of furry creatures that are collectively called mammals. How did they get their? Where did they come from? These are the kinds of questions that led me to my subject of choice. I will endeavor to provide examples, using specific transitional fossils, to show that mammals have evolved from a group of reptiles and were simply not placed here by unknown forces. Before I begin, I would like to define some terms so that nobody gets left in the dust. The term transitional fossil can be used in conjunction with the term general lineage, together they help explain the how one species became another. "General lineage": This is a sequence of similar genera or families, linking an older to a very different younger group. Each step in the sequence consists of some fossils that represent certain genus or family, and the whole sequence often covers a span of tens of millions of years. A lineage like this shows obvious intermediates for every major structural change, and the fossils occur roughly (but often not exactly) in the expected order. However, usually there are still gaps between each of the groups. Sometimes the individual specimens are not thought to be directly ancestral to the next-youngest fossils (e.g. they may be "cousins"" or "uncles" rather than "parents"). However they are assumed to be closely related to the actual ancestor, since the have similar intermediate characteristics. Where Does It All Begin ? Mammals were derived during the Triassic Period ((from 245 to 208 million years ago) It began with relatively warm and wet conditions, but as it progressed conditions became increasingly hot and dry.) from members of the reptilian order Therapsida. The therapsids, members of the subclass Synapsida (sometimes called the mammal-like reptiles),generally were unimpressive in relation to other reptiles of their time. Synapsids were present in the Carboniferous Period (about 280 to 345 million years ago) and are one of the earliest known reptilian groups. Although therapsids were primarily p... ...ng the origin of major new adaptive types. To simplify definitions and to allow the strict delimitation of the Mammalia, some authors have suggested basing the boundary on a single character, the articulation of the jaw between the dentary and squamosal bones and the attendent movement of accessory jaw bones to the middle ear as auditory ossicles. The use of a single character allows the placement in a logical classification of numerous fossil species, other mammalian. characters of which, such as the degree of endothermy and nursing of young and the condition of the internal organs, probably never will be evaluated. It must be recognized, however, that if the advanced therapsids were alive today, taxonomists would be hard-put to decide which to place in the Reptilia and which in the Mammalia. References Carroll, R. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Co., New York Gingerich, P.D. 1977. Patterns of Evolution in the Mammalian Fossil Record. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co. Gingerich, P.D. 1985. Species in the Fossil Record: Concepts, Trends, and Transitions. Paleobiology. Rowe, T. 1988. Definition, Diagnosis, and Origin of Mammalia. J. Vert. Paleontology.