The Kennedy Administration Critique Essays - Kennedy Family

The Kennedy Administration Critique President Kennedy was an underrated, mysterious man that not many people knew. He was and still is the youngest man to ever be elected into the presidency and the youngest to die while still fulfilling his duties as Chief Executive. Throughout his term, he was faced with many challenges that he had to fathom, alone and against all American citizens. He dealt with racial discrimination, the Space Race with the Russians, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Berlin Wall with great precision, along with a couple incidents, such as, the failure to get tax cuts, to help education, and the Bay of Pigs invasion. John Kennedy was confronted with many things that nobody will ever face in their lifetime, and the way he responded to them, made him the best president that American has ever seen. Kennedy had many achievements with his domestic policies. Kennedy helped African Americans, such as, James Meredith, who was denied entrance into the University of Mississippi. The governor of Mississippi, Rose Barnett, said that no black person would enroll in Ole Miss while he was in office but JFK, along with his brother Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, were obligated to uphold the law. Although he helped out James Meredith, JFK was reluctant to help out a lot of African Americans because he didn't want to lose out on southern Democratic voters. When the Soviets sent Yuri Gagarin into space, Kennedy insisted that America match or beat them in this so called Space Race. NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration created by Eisenhower, sent Alan Shepard into space. When this wasnt enough, NASA sent Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr, and Michael Collins to the moon, but Michael stayed on the ship, so he didnt experience walking on the moon. Kennedy convinced Congress to r aise the defense budget by 20% even though they already had far more weaponry than the Soviets or any country had already. When it came to other domestic policies, Kennedy was not able to produce such a positive outcome. Kennedy tried to make huge tax cuts that Congress didn't approve of because that would lead to a very unbalanced federal budget. Even though Kennedy had helped James Meredith get into Ole Miss, he was not successful in helping every African American of this country. The Civil Rights Act, which was introduced in 1963, was not put into effect until after Kennedy had been assassinated. The war in Vietnam was in the stages of becoming a well-known war in the U.S. and Kennedy sent advisors. He wasnt getting us into the war, directly, but he was getting us into the area, that ended up not being a great place for us to be. Lastly, when it came to the foreign policies, Kennedy was successful along with one major failure, the Bay of Pigs. Cuba had fallen to the Soviet Union in 1959, and the U.S. provided training, equipment, and logical support. When they tried to invade, it failed miserably, and as result, Cuba turned to the Soviet Union. Not long after the Bay of Pigs invasion, in October 1962, a U-2 spy plane spotted that the U.S.S.R was building a missile launch site on the island of Cuba. In response to this finding, Kennedy decided to quarantine the island because if they decided to blockade the island, it would have been considered an act of war. JFK was into brinksmanship, or pushing to the edge of war, and hoping that the enemy backs down. He had thought that this as the only way to get the Soviets to back down. Soviet ships were moving closer to Cuba, but then the U.S.S.R leader, Khrushchev, ordered them to turn around. Days later, Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy saying that he would remove his missiles from Cuba if the United States would remove the missiles they had located in Turkey. In the early 1960s, the citizens of East Germany, controlled by the Soviets, were unhappy with their communist lifestyle, so they started to flee to West Berlin, where the people were free. In August 1961, the U.S.S.R. and East Germany built a wall that separated West and East Berlin, which prevented people from crossing

AOL SWOT essays

AOL SWOT essays When a person does something wrong there is always a friend or someone that takes care of that person and tells him/her that he/she is doing something wrong and at the same time addresses the strengths and the opportunities that they have in them. The same way this procedure or this vindication is done on a personal level and it is also done on a business level. How is a company to know just like the person where they are good, where they are lacking, and where they have potential points of growth, or where they have outside factors that can affect them? On a personal level there is not really a name of this, but if a person wanted to it can probably be called self-awareness or a critique of the person. On the business level this is called a SWOT analysis, an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a firm or company. This is the main objective or goal of this paper. In particular the company that will be discussed or remedied in this paper is AOL T ime Warner. As with a person, before one can judge or say anything, one has to understand that person, the history, so that will be addressed first in this paper. Then after the history and the background are understood the next thing to look at is where the company stands right now and all the forces of the competitors that are rivaling the company, or try to pinpoint where the company and its competitors are right now. If one does not do this, he/she will not be able to give suggestions of where the company needs to grow or where the company is lacking, etc. After this is done, the next step in the paper will be an in-depth look at the company, basically the SWOT analysis of the company. These points will not just be highlights but along with that there will be suggestions and recommendations on what AOL Time Warner, our company, should do in order to either keep what it has if the situation is a strength. Ways of improving or ways that they can ma...

Enzymes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Enzymes - Essay Example Enzymes do their best by working at lowering down the energy levels and hence they are present whilst doing the same within a reaction. The rate of a chemical reaction starts getting faster as and when they occur. The uncatalyzed reactions are much slower than the enzymatic reactions which are happening within a cell. The difference is quite comparable since the downfall is pretty noticeable. Enzymes are not at all consumed or eaten up by the chemical reactions which are taking place within it but at the same time the equilibrium is maintained during the whole activity which is a definitive plus point on the part of these very enzymes. Enzymes are much more specific than the remaining catalysts as they usually account for the crystallization process of around 4000 biochemical reactions. It is a case in point here to understand that not all the biochemical catalysts are proteins as the ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules which are known as ribozymes facilitate their bit at catalyzing different sorts of reactions. Enzymes are specific because their activity can easily affect the other molecules which are present and so in return can leave a lasting impression on the whole chemical reaction that is taking place. On the same token, inhibitors are those molecules which decrease the activity that is going on within the enzymes. On the other hand, activators increase the same process altogether. There are a number of enzyme inhibitors in the form of drugs and different poisons. These enzymatic activities are also changed through the different temperatures, pH scales, concentration present within the relevant substrates and so on and so forth. A number of enzymes are used for a commercial purpose as they are employed in the synthesis of different antibiotics and the like. An enzyme’s name is basically derived from the respective substrate and even the chemical reaction that it brings in catalyzing and the word more

Taking The movie Candy man 1992. With reference to the opening scene Essay

Taking The movie Candy man 1992. With reference to the opening scene and at least one other scene from the film, discuss how the - Essay Example However, when the scene changed into an image of swarming bees with a terrifying, hollow voice in the background the meditative mood of the city changed into something threatening. Similarly, the scene where Helen Lyle is listening to the actual story of Candyman creates the same threat-- a threat that something very dreadful is approaching. The muffled screaming in the background, alongside menacing sound effects, adds to the terror of Candyman’s tragic story. Other film genres try to emotionally rouse viewers, but it is only the horror genre that rouses a certain and powerful emotional impact on the viewers. And although other film genres portray terrifying events, only horror films showcase the terrible, making terror its rationale. Horror never fails to discover a new frightening facade to reflect existing issues, unearthing the sinister facet to every desire, whether in a suburb or in deep space. A General Overview of the Symbols and Meanings in Candyman Candyman shows tr aditional horror and macabre premises: accompanied by a hounded female protagonist, the antagonist is a supernatural monster always hungry for a kill. Helen Lyle is an abused and emotionally tortured woman inflicting defensible vengeance, a demented murderer with a delusive second self. Thus the film establishes itself strongly and casually in a macabre ritual of horror. Common difficulties make the analysis of the film quite challenging. The finale, even though depicting brutal death for the enjoyment of the viewers, rejects the totally explicit moral pleasure of blameless ceremonial killing. Real and widely recognised scenery magnifies racial and social realities, interrupting the geographical dislocation normally obliged by the genre (Botting, 2001). Emphasising the combination of shock and inescapability, several film scholars sum up Candyman’s classic components: â€Å"knee-jerk shocks, stalking bogeyman, and touches of dark humour† (Botting, 2001, p. 140). They a lso noted that the film â€Å"locates the horrors in an identifiable and credible landscape of urban decay† (Botting, 2001, p. 140). Such juxtaposition upsets long-established beliefs and obscures analytic interpretation. As McCabe argues, â€Å"while it may be plausible to read Candyman as a complicated utopian fantasy of multicultural reproduction, it is also possible to read it as vicarious male desire for a black man who will finally give an uppity white girl what she’s been asking for† (Botting, 2008, pp. 66). Although the movie somewhat depicts social criticisms, especially as regards racial relations, the horror settles in the grisly entity of the black man and hence verifies racially prejudiced views of victimisation of white females and black sexual sadism. Where, traditionally, the issue of race embraces conflict, in Candyman the concept of race turns into a major manifestation of evil and when summoned, it erases all other options of gruesome characte r. Although the movie presents only a handful of constructive depictions of evil and appears to verify the most horrible fears of the white race in the black character that comes out, with vicious and brutal purpose, in the personal spaces of the home, the obstacles could be exaggerated (Botting, 2001). Candyman is not merely summoned by the white people; he also draws

Unit 4 Case Project Qeustions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 4 Case Project Qeustions - Coursework Example In the meeting, they became more anxious about security threats since they had recently noticed curious events occurring on the network. They also told you that another consultant told them they would have to abandon RIP to be able to use VLSM. They want a second opinion, so they have hired your company. The company does not expect significant growth of employees in the next five years, but they are interested in updating its capabilities and better secure it. Hogan Enterprises’ move to Variable-Length Subnet Masks (VLSM) is a great idea. Hogan Enterprises has Routers that support VLSM with RIP v2.VLSM addressing scheme will allow growth, and it does not entail wastage of addresses especially on point-to-point links. VLSMs enable secure control on the addressing scheme. Class C, for example, with default subnet mask when used contains 256 addresses in one subnet. VLSM allows adjustment of the subnets and addresses number depending needs of a specific network. VLSM features enable a single autonomous system that integrates networks with several subnet masks. Routing protocols that allow VLSM usage of 30-bit subnet mask for network connections (255.255.255.252); 24-bit mask in user networks (255.255.255.0),or 22-bit mask (255.255.252.0), on networks with a maximum of 1000 users. Hogan Enterprises’ idea of abandoning RIPv1, for RIPv2, is good despite it being suitable routing protocol due to its universal compatibility (supported by most IP routers). The protocol has the following limitations: The consultant was wrong for the advice on leaving RIP, Hogan Enterprises should embrace RIPv2. RIP v2 incorporates prefix routing, that allows it sending subnet data (information) with a route update. It allows use of classless routing whereby different subnets within a given network are able to utilize different subnet masks (VLSM). RIPv2

Eal Observed In A Primary School

Eal Observed In A Primary School Learning a second language is one adaptation skill that proves to be necessary when diverse cultures come together.   For example, children from diverse linguistic backgrounds study English as a bridge to better education. The Rationale for Planning for Children Learning English as an additional language (2008) advocates that in planning for children who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL), the following key principles must be observed: that bilingualism is an asset instead of a liability for children who know more than one other language other than their mother tongue or primary language.   This first language is essential not only in learning another language but also for ones identity formation. The EAL provider should keep the learner challenged cognitively with the continuous provision of linguistic and contextual support.   Lastly, the acquisition of another language should go hand in hand with the students cognitive and academic development within the same school environment and the student would not need outside support. It is already integrated in the inclusive curriculum given to the learner. Cummins (1984) came up with a matrix to explain the dynamics of second language learning development. One axis represents the BICS or the Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills while the other axis represents the CALP or the Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency.   Baker (2006) explains that students engage in BICS when they communicate with contextual supports and props such as face-to face â€Å"context embedded† situations where they read the other persons non-verbal gestures, hand movements and sounds to support verbal communication. On the other hand, CALP happens in â€Å"context reduced† situations requiring higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis or evaluation. This is usually encountered in more academic learning and communication where language is â€Å"disembedded† (Baker, 2006). This paper will report observations in a primary school that embraces multiculturalism and multilingualism and analyzed according to theories and to its compliance to standards and policies for implementing English as an Additional Language (EAL). Observations were done for key stage 2. The physical environment of the school and classroom Upon entering the school, a large map welcomes people with the sign that read: â€Å"Welcome to our school.   We come from all over the world and we speak 27 languages†.   For each language, it was connected to the country of origin as indicated in the map.   This sign gave a very warm welcome to anyone who visited the school no matter what culture he or she comes from. An IT room is available for any EAL learner to use whenever one needs to consult a computer for spelling or grammar or anything that pertains to the English language.   This additional resource to support their learning is another indication that the school anticipates learners needs and provides them when called for. The classroom observed had a big inflatable globe which represents a wide range of diversity is accepted there.   The children can freely explore the globe and search for their own countries and link it to their native language. A trained EAL teacher was employed by the school to help facilitate the cognitive, language and literacy development of foreign children.   Adults play a huge role in the language development of children, as they need someone who uses simple language in correct form and is flexible enough adjust his language to suit the childs (Clay, 1988).   Having a good second language teacher is essential to learning the language more fluently.   The researcher does not discount the fact that imitation of proper pronunciation and intonation is necessary. Hence, learners should have attentive ears and retentive minds, and of course, cooperative tongues to be able to speak fluently in such language.   Children also need opportunities to practice speaking and listening to the second language outside the language lessons, so that means they need a support system of learners to interact with. The school acknowledged and respected the childrens different cultures. As an example, the school held a Polish mass celebrated by a Polish priest on Tuesdays. Cummins (1986) contend that children are empowered when their cultural roots are celebrated.   Usually, when schools and teachers do not seriously consider foreign students their native culture, these children feel unaccepted and unworthy to belong to their classes, hence display inappropriate behavior.   They become lost in terms of academic achievement and develop insecurities about their skin color, ethnic characteristics or language accents.   Such embarrassment develops stress or anxiety during class. The students family may likewise seem withdrawn or non-participative in their childrens schooling and feel the same sense of not belonging to the new culture they have joined.   In view of this, culturally-relevant teaching must be learned by teachers.   Such teaching takes into consideration the cultural background of the students at all times.   It also keeps in mind cultural aspects in all interactions with students on both personal and educational levels. (Edwards Kuhlman, 2007).   Students cultures, languages and experiences need to be acknowledged, valued andused as important sources of their education because they deserve the best that society can give them.   This involves teachers learning about students backgrounds and personal experiences to use as tools to make connections with these students.   Some strategies that teachers can employ are the inclusion of the various histories, contributions, perspectives and concerns relevant to the diverse backgrounds of students (The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements, n.d.).   Incorporating these in the curriculum makes learning meaningful to these students.   Multicultural education using literature from various cultures engages such children in reading and writing and makes them eager to learn the social or cultural contributions made by various groups of people. Observations of the children It was learned that the children in the school were not allowed to speak their native language within the classroom but they are free to speak it outside with their peers.   This is part of their learning the English language in the classroom. This may be considered by the school as an effective way to immerse the children in the English language, however, the Rationale for planning for children learning English as an additional language (2008) recommends that children have free access to their primary language (L1) in order to fully understand their second or additional language (L2), so the classroom teacher should be more lenient in allowing children to use their L1 in class as a tool to learn their L2. There was quite a number of foreign students enrolled in the school.   The researcher approached some and asked them some questions regarding EAL.   Two Portuguese children were observed to be peer-teaching.   One was already fluent in the English language while the other was still struggling so the more adept one was helping him translate some words. Vygotsky (1962, as mentioned in Clay, 1998) emphasizes the value of childrens talk and their growing ability to articulate their understanding of their world orally and in writing.   Taking part in negotiating meanings is part of the educational process, and Vygotsky believes that just being with others helps children learn. In observing the two Portuguese children, some theories may explain why the more English language-adept child uses their native Portuguese to teach the less knowledgeable child. Swain Lapkin (2000) conclude in their study that the first language is by default, a tool used by students to learn their second language.   Collaborating with other students in tasks for learning a second language, students try to make sense of the requirements and content of the task, focusing their attention on language form vocabulary use and overall organization, then turn to their native language to process and discuss before finally getting back to completing the task.   Swain and Lapkin point out that without the use of their native language, they might not be able to accomplish the task effectively or it might not be accomplished at all.   They argue that the insistence of not being allowed to access their first language in a linguistically and cognitively complex task of decoding a second lan guage task would deprive them of an important cognitive tool.   They stress that bilingual programs that allow for the development and maintenance of the first language while learning the second language are successful in both goals. The researcher interviewed two students who both spoke Spanish.   When asked if they speak to each other in their native language, they admitted they only speak it at home with their parents.   They did not speak it in school and said they were more comfortable speaking in English because most of the time they were in school and with friends who all spoke the English language.   In this case, Lamberts (1977) subtractive bilingualism seems to be taking place as the childrens first language is being extinguished by the second language which is English.   Otto (2010) elaborates on Lamberts   theories on bilingualism. One issue in second language acquisition is its effect on the first language of the individual.   The immense concentration necessary to learn a second language may create a negative impact on the first language. This is known as Subtractive bilingualism.   When a child becomes fluent in a second language due to immersion in that language, there is a strong te ndency to forget the first language, causing disruptions in communication with family members who only know the first language.   Transmission of cultural beliefs and parenting interactions would need a shared language for it to be successful. If not, social relationships with families or other members of the community who are monolingual may break down. On the other hand, in learning a second language, a child need not forget the first language, but can be fluent in both.   This is called Additive Bilingualism which means that although a child actively learns a second language, concurrently, there is continued development in the home language (Lambert, 1977; Otto, 2010).   The goal is to enhance language skills in both languages.   In view of this, the case of the two Spanish boys interviewed by the researcher may also display additive bilingualism because they continue to speak L1 at home even if they are gaining competence in L2 in school and with peers. Two boys from Ethiopia do not speak the same language even if they come from the same country. In the different parts they come from, different languages were also used.   One of the boys speaks three languages French, English and Portuguese because his mother came from Portugal and his father from Ethiopia.   The other boy speaks Amharic which is similar to Arabic, but he is from Ethiopia.   Leon (1996) has outlined the need for migrant workers and their families to be supported in gaining English-speaking competencies to enable them to live more satisfying lives in English-speaking environments. He said lack of bilingual support for students impedes their motivation to learn, as they could not cope with other English-speaking peers, so they feel unwanted, and just skip school.   Gaining English language competency for these children will also raise their self-esteem so they get to be more confident to develop more personal and academic skills. Although the observations were limited to what has been reported, it already gave the researcher a good picture of how the school upholds the EAL program.   The foreign children seem to be comfortable in the school setting as they have settled in well in a welcoming environment.   The government consultation document ‘Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils (DfES 2003) states that â€Å"the particular needs of bilingual pupils are best met through a coordinated whole school approach led by headteachers and senior managers.† (DfES, 2005, p. 14).   The ethos of the primary school observed reflected a clear respect for the multicultural perspective. Otto (2010) contends that one of the main challenges posed by the English as a Second Language (ESL) approach is the development, selection and implementation of effective strategies and instructional techniques to suit the diverse learners since they come from various backgrounds.   The Rationale for planning for children learning English as an additional language (2008) takes upon Vygotskys (1978) concept of â€Å"scaffolding†.   As the term implies, scaffolds are temporary supports in the process of learning which are gradually taken away when the student is already capable of learning without them.   In EAL, scaffolding comes in three forms, One is scaffolding by adults by making their expectations clear by sharing learning objectives and criteria for success with the students by way of modeling and demonstrating the English language, ‘recasting of the childrens language from their L1 and providing them with opportunities to use their whole language repertoire to aid them in understanding their L2.   Another form of scaffolding is through collaborative work.   They engage in small group talks or work in pairs, usually with children who are more adept in the language are paired with children who are less adept, such as the two Portuguese boys observed peer-teaching in the school. The teacher may also use scaffolding thro ugh visual support, via pictures, props, models, frames and language prompts, graphic organizers, diagrams, maps, plans and essentially all the print and picture cues they put up in the environmental setting (Rationale, 2008).   Most of these scaffolds were observed in the school. The numerous issues on second language learning, especially English, only prove that it is creating much impact on the development of children from diverse cultures.   More and more people consider its advantages and possible disadvantages.   Such amount of attention is worth it because people think up of ways on how to maximize its benefits.   Learning another language apart from ones native language helps children be ready to be highly competent in an increasingly globalized world.   However, although they become bilingual, it should not be forgotten that they also become bicultural, and learning of one language and the culture that goes with it does not mean forgetting their original one. Teachers should take into consideration that their non-English speaking students should learn English in both its context and language elements so the students gain a better understanding and appreciation of the English language.

Essay examples --

How is morality defined? I never really grasped a straight forward definition of morality given by the speaker. Morality to me is a person’s code of conduct that they live their life by. It is a person’s beliefs that make them feel if something is right or wrong. What are the three interpretations of the hypothesis that morality evolved? The first interpretation of the hypothesis that morality has evolved is that some components of our moral sense evolved. This hypothesis is the least controversial of the three interpretations. This is because it is the only one that has any real sort of evidence that I can see. That evidence comes in the form of phylogenetic evidence. Scientists have been able to determine the primates exhibit some of the same emotions that humans have. Dr. Machery specifically reference a setting where one primate had more desirable food than the other and envy or jealously was exhibited by the primate with the less desirable food. This evidence means that emotions were passed down from a common ancestor before humans evolved. The second interpretation... Essay examples -- How is morality defined? I never really grasped a straight forward definition of morality given by the speaker. Morality to me is a person’s code of conduct that they live their life by. It is a person’s beliefs that make them feel if something is right or wrong. What are the three interpretations of the hypothesis that morality evolved? The first interpretation of the hypothesis that morality has evolved is that some components of our moral sense evolved. This hypothesis is the least controversial of the three interpretations. This is because it is the only one that has any real sort of evidence that I can see. That evidence comes in the form of phylogenetic evidence. Scientists have been able to determine the primates exhibit some of the same emotions that humans have. Dr. Machery specifically reference a setting where one primate had more desirable food than the other and envy or jealously was exhibited by the primate with the less desirable food. This evidence means that emotions were passed down from a common ancestor before humans evolved. The second interpretation...

Personal Insight Paper

Through the StrengthsQuest progam Gallup has identified 34 themes that are the key to gaining direction in one’s life, building self confidence and finding success. This program helps to identify a person’s top five themes, which allows them to utilize their personal profile to benefit them academically, professionally, and personally. The Gallup StrengthsFinder Profiler identified my signature themes to be Achiever, Woo, Includer, Positivity, and Consistency. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter investigates personality differences, temperament and character to distinguish one from the other.I was classified as an ESFJ, a Provider. The Achiever theme accurately explains my drive to succeed and my determination to reach goals that I have set forth. I have always had a competitive spirit and strong desire to be the best at whatever I set my mind to. Whether it’s with sports or being nominated for an award, I want to win. When I was in the military, my supervisor s would say you want something done and done right; I was the one they would go to. They called me â€Å"their go to girl†. I would never deny or change this part of my personality.By being an achiever I have accomplished many wonderful things and it has helped me get where I am today. I can see where this part of my personality can be a negative attribute or an area of challenge, I find myself being very competitive and if I fail at something I am very hard on myself almost to the point of being devastated. The second theme of my profile is Woo. â€Å"Woo stands for winning others over† (Anderson, Clifton, & Schreiner, 2006, p. 69). While reading the main points of this theme, it was like I was reading a description of myself. I could not believe how accurately this theme described a dominate part of my personality.Woos are drawn to strangers, we want to know their names and get to know as much about them as we can. Woos are not intimidated by strangers, we are drawn to them. As a woo, I am not scared or timid around people I do not know, on the contrary, I enjoy meeting new people, talking with them and getting to know them. I love hearing their stories and the history behind the experiences that have made them who they are. As a woo I am constantly gaining more knowledge, wisdom, and an understanding of the people and things around me that I may not have known before.The only drawback to this theme is that I find myself having so many friends or rather acquaintances, that I only know the superficial aspects of their personalities and lives. I find myself envying others who have a small group of friends because they have a deeper connection with them, they know what makes them tick and they have a closeness about them that resembles that of a family. I would not necessarily change this aspect of my personality because I thoroughly enjoy being friendly and meeting new people and without the woo factor, I wouldn’t have these wonderful experie nces daily.I would like to work on building deeper connections with a smaller group of friends and develop that closeness that is missing from my life. My next signature theme is the Includer, which is another very accurate description of my personality. The includer does not like to leave anybody out, we are very conscious of others feelings, and we don’t pass judgment on others. I am very aware of other peoples’ feelings and I take it upon myself to make sure people feel comfortable. The includer does not cast judgment on someone based on their race, sex, nationality, or religion (Anderson, Clifton, & Schreiner, 2006).Since I can remember I have always felt very strongly about these issues. I believe that people should respect each other regardless of their differences. I often have a hard time understanding why people do not think the same way. Being an includer comes natural to me and I believe it is common sense and I get very offended and often hurt when I wi tness people passing judgment and not treating others with respect. My mother always tells me â€Å"I want to save the world and carry the world’s burden on my shoulders. † My fourth theme was identified as Positivity.It is pretty self explanatory and I was honored it was one of my five themes. I strive to be positive by smiling and speaking to every person that I cross paths with. I try to always give my children, friends, and co-workers uplifting words of encouragement although sometimes I fall short. While I was reading the section on positivity, I was able to relate with the points, that people in this category are generous with praise, quick to smile, and try to see the positive in every situation (Anderson, Clifton, & Schreiner, 2006).I can definitely see that positivity is one of the main aspects of my personality, and one of the aspects that I find to be the most rewarding. Lastly, my fifth theme is Consistency. At first I was unsure how this theme fit with my personality, but after reading the section in the book it made perfect sense to me. People who value consistency are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, no matter what their situation in life is (Anderson, Clifton, & Schreiner, 2006). I find it offensive when I witness people being judged, treated differently, or unfairly due to their financial status, race, sex, religion, etc.The book states that, we see ourselves as guardians against it (Anderson, Clifton, & Schreiner, 2006). I find whether I am at work or at home, my friends and family always joke with me about fighting everyone’s battles. I tend to defend people who do not have the courage to stand up for themselves so I wind up fighting the battle for them. This is a trait I am proud to have, although I find that by taking on other people’s problems, or battles, I in turn take on an extra amount of unneeded stress in my own life. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II questionnaire identifies your basic temperament type.At the end of the questionnaire it provides a combination of letters which describe your type of personality. I was identified as an ESFJ, (E) Standing for extraverted, (S) for sensory, (F) for feeling, and (J) for judging (Keirsey, 1998). These combinations of letters help determine your specific type of temperament. Temperaments are broken down into four groups: Artisans, Guardians, Idealists, and Rationals. ESFJ’s are placed under the category of the Guardians. Members of the Guardian group are then broken down into another four groups: Supervisor, Inspector, Provider, and Protector.This test classified me as a Provider. I read the section that described the attributes of the Provider and I felt it was another accurate description of my personality. Providers take it upon themselves to arrange for the physical health and welfare of those in need, yet they are the most social of all the Guardians, and thus are great nurturers and would do well w orking in intuitions such as schools, churches, hospitals, or social clubs (Keirsey, 1998). Providers are very emotional, conscious of appearances, and take the opinions of others very seriously.I am a very sensitive person and my feelings are easily hurt. I personally believe that one’s outward appearance is very important and do my best to make sure my children and I are presented in a respectable manner. I also take criticism to heart; I tend to worry too much about what others think of me. ESFJ’s need to be needed, and spend much energy making sure they deserve to be (Keirsey, 1998). Those statements are mostly true of my personality but the section in the book that discusses the roles of a Provider with their family, mates, and children were a perfect fit for me.When I read these paragraphs, I laughed out loud because it was so true of my personality and my beliefs. It was like I was reading an exact description of myself. I take my role as a mother, wife, sister, and daughter very seriously. I am a very loyal and loving wife and an extremely devoted mother to my children. I am amazed at the accuracy of this test and had quite a an eye opening experience, all the while, learning more about myself. Based on the knowledge and understanding of my strengths and Keirsey profile, I believe that my traits, would contribute greatly to a group or team.I am an achiever who has the drive, energy, and motivation to accomplish any task. The WOO in me, allows me to meet and accept new people easily. I believe my characteristics as an includer are also very important and crucial to being a team player. I want people to feel included and always try to make them feel comfortable. I understand that people are different and therefore will have different beliefs, but everyone should be treated with respect no matter what the situation. Positivity is another trait that would be beneficial for a team member to possess, I am always smiling and friendly with everyo ne I meet.I try to be optimistic and bring out the good in every situation even when it is hard for others to see the positive. Consistency is also important because members of a team should be consistent, reliable, and dependable. I strive to be all of those things with the team that I belong to at work. The aspects of my personality that are a challenge for me would be my traits as an achiever. By being an achiever I can come across as ultra competitive so I have to be conscientious about my competitive nature and try to contain it, understanding that I don’t always have to be the best.I have noticed that my drive for success and achievement on occasion has cast a shadow over the other areas of my personality that may be better suited to a group setting. Being happy for someone else is sometimes a challenge for me but I know that, that is one of my weaknesses and I try to make a conscious effort to control it. I believe that I am blessed to have many attributes that make me a good team player. The journey to self discovery and self understanding has been insightful, fun, and motivating.I have learned to embrace the strengths that I do possess and to try to enhance and strengthen the traits in others that I may be lacking. By better understanding the different personality traits and the different temperaments we can learn from one another and figure out a better way to solve the problems associated with life.References Anderson, E. â€Å"Chip†. , Clifton, D. O. , & Schreiner, L. A. (2006). StrengthsQuest. New York: Gallup Press. Keirsey, D. (1998). Please Understand Me II, Temperament Character Intelligence. Del Mar: Prometheus Nemesis Book Company.

Caterpillar Case Essay Example

Caterpillar Case Essay Example Caterpillar Case Paper Caterpillar Case Paper Caterpillar Case Analysis EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS Global. In 1915, the British military invented the armor tank and modeled it after Benjamin Holt’s steam tractor, Caterpillar. Also during World War I, the United States and its allies used Holt’s track-type tractors to haul artillery and supply wagons. Shortly after it formation, during World War II, Caterpillar served as the primary supplier of bulldozers to the US Army. Although it was a successful company for many years, for three consecutive years, 1982-1984 it had lost $1 million a day. This was partially caused by tough global competitive challenge and the collapse of the international markets. Sociocultural / Demographic. Instead of focusing on large clients like multinational engineering and construction firms, Cat began marketing to a new category of customers like small scale owner operators and contractors. Developing nations in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe were a big part of Cat’s sales, accounting for 23% of total company sales. These countries have a strong demand for Cat’s equipment since they are undergoing development. Also, Caterpillar entered the market for rental equipment. Another sociocultural phenomenon that affected Caterpillar and other companies was the rise of unionization across America and their ability to make changes in a company’s structure. Legal / Political. Caterpillar faces the policies and laws of many governments because of its heavy involvement in the international markets. High tariffs and taxes have a negative impact of foreign transaction. The company also faced legal challenges as the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) filed numerous charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in claiming that Caterpillar had unfair labor practices. Economic. Unfavorable currency exchange rates were one of the leading causes of Caterpillar’s loses during 1982-1984. The steep rise in the value of the dollar (relative to Yen and other currencies) made US exports more expensive abroad and US imports cheaper at home. The strong dollar was a major part of reduced sales and earnings for Cat. On the other hand, the steady growth for construction machinery since 1945 came to an end in 1980. As highway construction slowed down, oil prices depressed the global market of mining, logging, and pipe laying equipment as the global recession began. Technological. The heavy construction equipment industry supplied engineering firms, construction companies, and mine operators. The industry typical lines included earthmovers (bulldozers, loaders, and excavators), road building machines (pavers, motor graders, and mixers), mining related equipment (off-highway trucks, mining shovels), and large cranes. On a global basis, earthmoving equipment counted for about half of industry’s total sales in the 1990’s. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Barriers to Entry. The barriers include diversification, economies of scale, marketing and distribution, and alliances. New companies in the industry must diversify their product lines to compete with the multinational companies. A barrier to entry is the need to achieve economies of scale. According to the case, the optimal scale of operation was approximately 90,000 units annually. The typical amount of global sales per year in 1997 was 200,000 to 300,000. This low number of annual sales further intensified competition over market share. Lastly, manufacturers built alliances because of intense competition over market share. This included full scale joint ventures to share production, technology sharing agreements between equipment manufacturers and engine makers, and technology sharing alliances between major global firms and local manufacturers. Power of Buyers. The power of buyers in this industry is fairly strong. The buyers have the options available to pick what type of machinery they need whether it is a new machine or replacement parts. The buyers have the advantage of stiff competition between retailers which drives prices down. The buyers in developing countries have less power because the equipment retailers know there is higher demand for machinery in developing nations. The buyer has the option to buy an entire new machine or keep the same machine but purchase replacement parts. Power of Suppliers. Under a new policy created, â€Å"shopping around the world,† Caterpillar chose to outsource 80% parts and components from low-cost suppliers who maintained high quality standards. There was the risk a supplier may refuse to work with Caterpillar or charge excessively high prices. With vertical integration, Caterpillar would make sure its products were made of the highest quality by branding the final products. Product Substitutes. The heavy machinery industry is not worried about substitute products or services from outside industries. The equipment sold is made for the purpose of earthmoving or construction jobs. No other substitute product will do this job effectively. Competitive Environment Analysis. This industry is highly competitive. Caterpillar’s major competitors were Komatsu, John Deere, and CNH Global. However its direct competitor and rival was the Japanese giant, Komatsu. Komatsu was challenging Cat by gaining advantage in the Latin America and European, and the U. S. markets instead of only remaining in Asia. It launched a massive drive to improve quality while reducing costs. Komatsu achieved a 50 percent labor productivity advantage over Caterpillar, and in turn, underpriced Caterpillar’s products by as much as a 30 percent. The result was devastating as Komatsu’s market share doubled to 25 percent between 1979 and 1984 as Caterpillar’s fell by almost a quarter to 43 percent. Under George Schaefer’s direction, Caterpillar focused on the important functions of the company like purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, personnel, and labor relations. Its sales more than doubled to that of Komatsu’s in 1989 as a result of these improvements. RESOURCES: TANGIBLE Physical. Caterpillar is a heavy construction equipment firm with a product line of earthmovers (bulldozers, loaders, excavators), road building machines (pavers, motor graders, and mixers), mining related equipment (off-highway trucks, mining shovels), and large cranes. The company was broken down into 17 semi-autonomous divisions, 13 responsible for products (tractors engines, etc. ), and 4 for services. In 1999, 207 independent dealers served Caterpillar, 63 of who were stationed in the US and 144 abroad. Caterpillar purchased the Mak Company- a German maker of engines for power generations (1996) and Britain’s Perkins Engines, a manufacturer of engines for compact construction machinery. With the purchase of Perkins Engines, Caterpillar obtained Perkins’ best-selling engine that powered the skid loader. Financial. Cat’s sales grew over $15 billion in the first half of the 1990s due to reorganization and cutting back on managers. Fites purchased the Mak Company, a German engine maker. This purchase helped increase the sale of engines by 20 percent each year from 1995 to 1999. In addition, in 1998 Fites also bought the British company, Perkins Engines with $ 1. 3 billion. â€Å"The new acquisition contributed to Caterpillar’s efforts to increase its share in the small equipment market, which was growing at a rate of 10 percent a year†. By 2010, Cat’s engine sales were expected to exceed $14 billion. In 1998, Fites agreed to sign a contract agreement concerning changing policies of employee’s wages. Fites wanted to retain relations between the company and employees by enforcing flexible working hours and competitive wages. By 2000, Cat entered into a joint venture with DaimlerChrysler to explore the medium duty engine market. By the end of 2000, Cat’s sales and revenues reached $20 billion, which generated $1 billion in profit. Organizational. Caterpillars outsourced product manufacturing while maintaining high quality standards by choosing to keep product design in house. By keeping control over the design of many of its outsourced products, Caterpillar managed to keep in-house design capability and ensure quality control. When Schaefer came up with the plant modernization program, â€Å"Plant With A Future,† it combined just-in-time inventory techniques, a factory automation scheme, a network of computerized machine tools, and a flexible manufacturing system. Caterpillar reconfigured the layout of its manufacturing plants flexible work â€Å"cells. Workers would use computerized machine tools to perform several manufacturing steps in sequence, processing components from start to finish and sending them â€Å"just in time† to an assembly area. To reduce material handling the company used an automated electrified monorail which delivered parts to storage and assembly areas, traveling on a long aluminum track throughout the modernized plant. Managers were given control over the speed of the line. However, the managers empowered production workers to change the speed of the assembly line at will to better suit the needs of the workers. Under Fites control, he chose divisional structure instead of functional and broke down the company into 17 semi-autonomous divisions or â€Å"profit centers;† 13 responsible for products and 4 for services. With this new divisional structure, Caterpillar cut 10,000 jobs in three years between 1990 and 1993. This new reorganization plan also affected the company’s distribution network. For example, dealers began to contact the 17 product and service-profit centers directly. With 22 distribution centers, Caterpillar serviced 500,000 different parts, keeping over 300,000 in stock and manufacturing on demand. RESOURCES: INTANGIBLE Human Resources. Caterpillar’s intangible resources include its top leadership and its network of distribution. After the company suffered huge losses in 1984, its CEO George Schaefer was largely responsible for the turnaround of the company in the years 1985-1990. The CEO that followed Schaefer, Donald Fites, has also played a big role in the company’s continued growth and competitiveness. Another intangible resource of Caterpillar is the relationship with its network of distribution centers. Many of Caterpillar’s dealerships were privately owned and sold Caterpillar products independently. Caterpillar maintained these relationships by actively encouraging dealers to keep the business in their families and by running various seminars and regular conferences. They have also taken steps to protect their dealers by offering discounts and helping reduce dealer costs. Reputation. Caterpillar maintained a strong reputation amongst its customers. Caterpillar has been an industry leader and prime provider of heavy equipment for the US government during WWII. Due to its longevity, Caterpillar has built a strong reputation by maintaining a strong brand name. Caterpillar is also known for their service and their close relationships with their customers. By striving to provide quick repairs and replacement parts to customers to avoid downtime, they have maintained a reputation for their great service. Caterpillar currently remains an industry leader in all aspects of their business. Innovation. In 1904, the Holt company (which later became Caterpillar) was the first to put a gasoline engine on a tractor to replace the heavy steam engine. Caterpillar has also shown great innovation in their information technology. They developed an electronic alert information system under Donald Fites that monitored machines remotely and identified parts that needed replaced them before they broke down or failed. Caterpillar has also honed the operation processes of their plants by taking innovative ideas from their Japanese competitor Komatsu and developing them further. In the case of the plant at Grenoble in France, the assembly time for machines was cut down from between 8 to 20 days to just 3 days. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS Marketing Sales. Cat marketed its products mostly through dealerships all over the world. The network consisted of mainly independent dealers. In 1999, there were 63 dealers in the US, 144 dealers outside the US, 382 brand stores in the US, and 1122 brand stores outside the US. These dealers worked closely with their customers which were mainly large, multinational companies. They generated 100 percent of their revenues through selling and supporting Cat’s products. A dealership of Cat products generated $150 million annual sales in 1996 while large dealerships generated up to $1 billion. Under the policy of George Schaefer, Cat began to expand their target market to smaller scale businesses in the 80’s and started outsourcing their products. Under the leadership of Fites, Cat promoted guaranteed 48 hours delivery of parts anywhere in the world with the help of vast computer network and distribution channels. Operations. After the crisis in the 1980s, George Schaefer made big changes to the operation system of Cat. He set the company’s goal to outsource 80 percent of the product’s parts and components while the other 20 percent of product’s parts and components were to be produced by Cat. The assembling channel was to be controlled by Cat in order to ensure product’s high quality. George Schaefer also initialized changes to the company’s assembling channel and system. The batch production system was changed to a cellular manufacturing system. Under cellular manufacturing, parts and components of a product were put together in one assembling channel. Also, the automated electrified monorail delivered parts and components to needed areas. In addition, computerized assembling systems cut the costs of storing, controlling and fixing inventories. HRM. Caterpillar has had some difficulty with their human resource management. Strikes in the early 1980s organized by worker unions contributed to the company’s heavy losses. Under George Schaefer, Caterpillar implemented the Employee Satisfaction Process to help please the unions. However, under the leadership of Donald Fites, relationships with the unions faltered. Fites was very stern when it came to cutting costs. He pushed for lower wages and more control of Caterpillar by the management rather than the unions. This resulted in various strikes against Caterpillar, for which Fites was prepared. The poor relationships with employees and the union caused increased dissatisfaction and a higher number of grievances being filed. Fites eliminated the Employee Satisfaction Program due to tensions with the unions. Service. Caterpillar used a worldwide network of dealerships to sell machines, provide support, and offer after sales service. Dealers in need of assistance could contact any of the 17 product and service profit-centers directly. Caterpillar also worked directly with dealerships to conduct surveys to improve its service and parts delivery. In the 1990s, 90,000 survey forms were sent out through the dealers with a response rate of 40 percent. Caterpillar’s service guaranteed a 48-hour delivery time. Company Technology. Caterpillar started out very technologically advanced. Benjamin Holt created a tractor named â€Å"Caterpillar† that utilized a gasoline engine instead of a heavy steam engine. The Caterpillar tractor solved farmer’s problems of wheels sinking in moist soil. Holt then acquired the â€Å"Caterpillar† trade mark and applied it across other various machines his company sold. Caterpillar was the first to introduce a diesel engine on a moving vehicle in 1931 and began to focus on production of road-building, construction, logging, and pipe laying equipment. The company’s technology was advanced enough to create the DC10 bulldozer which became Caterpillar’s signature item for a decade. It was 15 feet tall, 73 tons, $500,000 and had no competitors. But demand for this product dwindled as demand for highway construction projects shrank. Cat’s technology and equipment have been used to reconstruct Europe, build the US interstate highway system, erect the giant dams of the world, and lay out the major airports of the world. Caterpillar also pioneered a new electronic alert information system under Fites. The new system monitored machines remotely and identified parts which needed to be replaced before they failed. The new system was designed to help dealers repair machines before they broke down and provide Caterpillar and related dealers to cut inventory costs. OUTSOURCING Formerly, Caterpillar was vertically integrated and relied heavily on in-house production. Caterpillar self-produced two-thirds of its parts and components. The company also assembled nearly all finished machines. Caterpillar began a new policy called â€Å"Shopping Around the World†. Within this policy, the company looked for low-cost suppliers who maintained high quality standards. Caterpillar’s goal was to outsource 80 percent of its parts and components. Caterpillar took advantage of its superior marketing organization and began to purchase final products for resale under its own brand name. In the mid-1980s, Caterpillar purchased lift trucks from a Norwegian company, hydraulic excavators from a West German manufacturer, paving machines from an Oklahoma corporation, off-highway trucks from a British firm, and logging equipment from a Canadian company. Caterpillar resold them all under their name. Caterpillar made sure, however, to outsource product manufacturing but not product design. This allowed Caterpillar to manage in-house design capability and ensure quality control. CORE COMPETENCIES Caterpillar has several areas in which it was superior to its competition that allowed it to stay competitive and profitable over the years. First, Caterpillar’s research and development has always been superb and the company had top of the line technology for which it was known for. Second, Caterpillar had built strong relations with its distribution network which was its main advantage over its competition. Its distribution network was honed by strong marketing practices of Donald Fites. Third, Caterpillar provided superior customer service. They strived to reduce downtime for the customer was another core competency of Caterpillar, and gave it advantage over its competitors. COMPETETIVE DYNAMICS In 1904, Benjamin Holt was the first one to remodel the original tractors with gasoline engine in order to make it lighter and more efficient. In 1931 Caterpillar was the first to introduce a diesel engine vehicle. In late 1970s Komatsu adopted just-in-time inventory techniques and flexible manufacturing system. Caterpillar later in 1986 also adopted the two just-in-time inventory system and the â€Å"quick change over tooling† technique. BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGY Caterpillar’s Business Level Strategy consisted of a mixture of Integrated Low-Cost/Differentiation Strategy. As it started its global outsourcing strategy, it became a low-cost leader because it reduced its in-house building of parts and made them cheaper by building them elsewhere. This outsourcing strategy combined with their joint ventures for sharing technological advances and a global dealership distribution differentiate Caterpillar as the most diversified and innovative company in the industry. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Reputation and Brand Name The first strength of Caterpillar is that they had a very strong brand name. They are currently the world’s biggest manufacturer of earthmoving machinery, construction and mining equipment. During the 1950s and 1960s, Caterpillar was the uncontested leader of the heavy construction equipment industry and had the market share in sales of said equipment. They were also known for their superior customer service because they provided 48-hour equipment repair and replacements to reduce costly downtime. Due to the fact that they have been in business for so long and their strong customer support, they have established a strong brand name and are recognized throughout the world. Distribution and Dealer Network The second strength of Caterpillar is its worldwide distribution system. Caterpillar had a strong and efficient system of worldwide distribution. Caterpillar maintained strong relationships with its network of 207 independent worldwide dealers. Each dealership generated $150 million in average revenue annually in 1996 and several of the large dealerships generated up to $1 billion. Caterpillar took care of its dealers by maintaining close personal relationships with them. The company CEO Donald Fites mentioned that Caterpillar’s distribution system was their biggest advantage over its competitors, primarily Komatsu. Superior Technology and Research and Development Caterpillar had a superior worldwide computer network system linking together factories, distribution centers, dealers and large customers. Due to this network, Caterpillar had the most comprehensive and fastest part delivery system in the industry and was able to promise its customers 48 hour delivery of parts anywhere in the world. Another technological strength Caterpillar possessed was their electronic alert information system. This system was designed to monitor machines remotely and helped identify parts that needed replacement or repair before they broke down reducing downtime. Caterpillar also had strong research and development capability and was a leader of technological innovation in the industry. They were the first company to introduce a diesel engine on a moving vehicle in 1931. Using research and development, Caterpillar improved the operation process of their plants. For example, in Grenoble, France, the assembly time for machines was cut down from 28-8 days to just 3 days. The superior technology and research and development of Caterpillar was a major strength for them. Weaknesses Relationships with worker unions and employees Throughout the company history, Caterpillar had problems with employee and union relationships. Caterpillar has had a poor relationship with the worker unions in an attempt to increase its flexibility and reduce union influence. Caterpillar experienced numerous strikes, including a 205 day strike in 1982 which was the longest company-wide work stoppage in the UAW history. CEO George Schaefer was successful at mending relationships with the workers and implemented the Employee Satisfaction System. However, this system deteriorated later under CEO Donald Fites. After the deterioration, company grievances have significantly increased. Opportunities Emerging Markets There were opportunities for Caterpillar to increase sales in emerging markets. There are many developing nations that do not have a fully developed infrastructure thus creating a demand for Caterpillar earthmoving products. Also, some of these developing countries such as China and India are experiencing annual growth of 7-8%, and thus have a strong demand for the equipment Caterpillar provides. New Energy Technology There is opportunity for Caterpillar to gain a large market share in the new energy markets. The world is moving to the direction of cleaner energy sources and Caterpillar is moving in the same direction. For example in 2001, only 10% of Caterpillar’s generators were powered by natural gas. In 2011 however, their use of natural gas generators is projected to increase to 50%. Threats Sensitivity to economic factors The demand for Caterpillar products heavily relies on various economic factors. Some of these factors are foreign exchange rates. When the dollar trengthens in relation to foreign currency, it makes Caterpillar products more expensive in the foreign markets thus decreasing demand. Also, the demand for earth moving equipment is heavily dependent on world events such as wars and economic crises, which may lower demand. Legal issues The United Auto Workers union filed charges against Caterpillar to the National Labor Relations Board. There were 400 â€Å"unfair labor p ractice† charges filed and this could negatively affect Caterpillar’s bottom line by increasing legal costs and create future losses. PROBLEMS E-commerce is currently playing an important role in today’s global marketplace. Caterpillar is faced with a choice to participate or to be left behind if they do not. If Caterpillar chooses to sell its equipment online, it can hurt the distribution network by taking away some of the networks business. This can severely undermine Caterpillar’s position as a global market share leader. If Caterpillar does not participate in E-Commerce, they risk a competitor gaining a competitive advantage over Caterpillar. As a multinational firm, Caterpillar faces numerous tariffs, policies and laws of different governments. Also, its inconsistent labor relations and their deteriorating relationship with their employees can limit its flexibility. Another problem Caterpillar faces is the lack of consistent upper-level leadership. They have had 3 different CEO’s in the past 20 years and each CEO has made inconsistent decisions in regards to certain policies such as labor. STRATEGIC COMPETITIVENESS Caterpillar should use its superior Research and Development to focus on new product development in the new clean energy sector. They should also take advantage of emerging markets by increasing their brand presence in developing countries. Caterpillar should not fully convert to e-commerce. However, they should use the power of the internet to market themselves and limit search cost for its customers. Caterpillar should works with its dealers to slowly intergrade the internet with their marketing strategy. Caterpillar should mend its relations with its employees by re-inventing its Employee Satisfaction Program and allowing for their voices to be heard. This will help mend relationships with the United Workers Association as well. Caterpillar needs to establish a strong leader and hire competent management to help mend labor relations and manage the company. They should encourage its employees to climb the corporate ladder into upper leadership positions. EPILOGUE In 2004, James Owens replaced Glenn Barton as CEO, and in 2010, Douglas Oberhelman became CEO and is currently still in office. In 2011, Caterpillar recognized a 41% increase in revenue from 2010, and an 82% increase in total earnings. Earnings have been mostly growing in the last 10 years. This is attributed in the company’s annual report to three different factors: a reorganization of strategic businesses, a new Enterprise Strategy that brought renewed focus to customer-service and expansions that included the acquisitions of Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. , MWM Holding GmbH and Bucyrus International, Inc. Cat made its global diversification stronger by completing these acquisitions. Currently, Caterpillar is the leader in its industry market. It is currently leading all of its major competitors in almost every area like revenues, net income, market cap, assets and etc.

Bigger essays

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