Anne Frank :: essays research papers

Anne hotdog was a German-Jewish diarist. She was known for the journal she wrote musical composition hiding from anti-Jewish persecution in Amsterdam during World War II. Her diary describes with wisdom and humor the two difficult years she spent in seclusion before her tragic death at the age of 15. Since it was first promulgated in 1947, her diary has appeared in more than 50 languages. Perhaps more than any other figure, Anne Frank gave a human face to the victims of the Holocaust.Annelies Marie Frank was innate(p) on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Because of their Jewish faith, Anne Frank and her family fled Nazi Germany for the Netherlands in 1933 to avoid persecution. After Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1942, the family spent two years sprightliness in a small hidden room in Amsterdam in order to elude capture by Nazi occupation forces. They were sight in 1944 and arrested. Anne was sent to a concentration camp, where she died the following year. Her fam ous diary of the two years she spent in hiding was later found in the room where she and her family had lived. Annes father, Otto, had taken the family to Amsterdam, where he had established a small food products business. When Germany invaded The Netherlands in 1940, the Franks once again became subject to escalating anti-Semitic persecution. In 1941 Anne was ask to transfer from a public school to a Jewish school. Secretly, Otto Frank prepared a hiding place by sealing off some(prenominal) rooms at the rear of his Amsterdam office building. A swinging bookcase hid the rooms Frank concealed.In June 1942 Anne received a diary for her 13th birthday. She began to relieve down her thoughts and experiences in the form of letters to an imaginary friend. One month later the Franks went into hiding in the office building. For the next two years the Frank family shared cramped quarters with four other Jewish people. In the ending the people she lived with were the ones that published her diary. Over the time of 25 months, Anne recorded her experiences while hiding from German troops. Her diary describes the fears and emotional conflicts of people crowded together in secrecy. The diary also had its good times apart from its bad such as funny and memorable moments. These include birthday celebrations and Annes first experience with falling in love.

John Stewarat Mills On Liberty and the Subjection of Women Essay

John Stewarat Mills On Liberty and the Subjection of WomenBorn in 1806, John Stewart Mill was an English philosopher who highly prized the utilitarian belief system, or the doctrine of seeking the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. Among his various political treatises, On Liberty and The Subjection of Women argon excellent applications of his convictions in individualism and prejudicial regimen. Though the subjects of each work differ to an extent, both are written in a dialogue format, and the oecumenical principles postulated in On Liberty can be easily applied to the second work. Essentially, Mill seeks to assert the importance of certain personal rights and freedoms, moral beliefs, and the faithfulness of the individual. The Subjection of Women incorporates concepts from On Liberty and defines them via concrete application to a real social problem.The crucial idea supported throughout On Liberty is state by Mill in Chapter 1 That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a polite community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant (9). This statement encapsulates Mills view that government should serve a negative role, or rather, interfere in the lives of the people only for the prevention of harm. Further, this assumes to an extent that the individual has some degree of common sense, morality, or knowledge of how to care for one s self. In The Subjection of Woman, Mill stretches this ideal to women to explain the irrationality behind the governments relegation of women to cabin class citizens against their will. Mills opponents assert that women are known to be inferior, both ... ...shment of friendship through deliberation, so too will the inclusion of women into intellectual inn color and expand the depth of knowledge. Womens thoughts are thus as useful in giving reality to those of thinking men, as mens thoug hts in giving width and largess to those of women (Women 63). In essence, Mill asserts that true wisdom only comes from those who hear what can be said about a subject by persons of every opinion, and study all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind (On Liberty 19). Therefore, The Subjection of Women expounds this notion by explaining the fallacy and potential dangers of ignoring the feminine potential. Throughout both works, his views are consistent toward preserving the individual, encouraging free thinking, and progressing society to a point past social prejudices and negative presuppositions.

Studying Law within a Broad Context :: Law College Admissions Essays

Studying Law deep down a Broad Context While the law may be overly ungainly and inefficient a vehicle to directly change the world, it offers a unique opportunity to help influence peoples interpretation of the world. I have everlastingly longed to be in a more intellectual environment where I might be allowed to see things from a opposite perspective. Having thoroughly enjoyed the academic cartoon of Government and Politics and Economics where understanding political rhetoric and economic influences on government policies had to be analysed through abstract theories I am tone forward to studying law within a broad political, economical, historical and social context. Through obtaining a law degree, I will also be able to join many others in the struggle of our rights and dignity and strive within an imperfect political system toward the goal of greater equality within the law. My work beget placements have left me wanting to do a lot more in the legal sphere. Whilst workin g at the BBC, the dominance of worldwide and domestic issues in news items which were broadcast, highlighted the relevance of a thorough knowledge and understanding of social issues and hence the legal system. In addition my work figure in a non-governmental organisation (HCA) helped me to distinguish the different types of problems faced by those who were seeking help from the organisation, such as injustice and civil conflict. My work experience with a freelance solicitor has also been invaluable in gaining practical skills in the implementation of the existing law system. My work experiences have undoubtedly build upon the skills I have gained through my academic experiences. Throughout my studies I have successfully undertaken individual research. I have prepared and presented seminars to my peer group and prioritised my workload to meet deadlines with work of a high standard. Within my shoal community I have undertaken volunteer work. As a library assistant my duties inc lude organising the book loan system and making sure younger students used their time efficiently. As a school prefect I held many responsibilities such as organising school events and monitoring younger students. I also participated in In-class support assistance where I assisted with year 11 German lessons. Out of school I enjoy travelling to a variety of locations as this broadens my perspective of life. Meeting a wide range of people and learning about different cultures and traditions is I believe of paramount importance in comprehending the entire world.

Irony of The Setting in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson :: Lottery Shirley Jackson Essays

Irony of The Setting in The draught by Shirley JacksonThe put downting perplex forth by Shirley Jackson in the beginning of The Lotterycreates a mood of peacefulness and tranquillity. This setting also creates an meet in the mind of the reader, the image of a typical townsfolk on a normal summerday. Furthermore, Shirley Jackson uses the setting in The Lottery to foreshadowan ironic ending.First, Shirley Jackson begins The Lottery by establishing the setting.To begin, she tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the storytakes place. This is important to get the reader to focus on what a typical dayit is in this small town. The time of day is set in the morning and the time ofyear is early summer. She also describes that school has just recently let outfor summer break, letting the reader infer that the time of year is early summer.The setting of the town is described by the author as that of some(prenominal) normal ruralcommunity. Furthermore, she describes the gr ass as richly green and that theflowers were blooming profusely (196). These descriptions of the surroundingsgive the reader a serene felling about the town. Also, these descriptions lickthe reader feel comfortable about the surroundings as if there was nothing wrongin this quaint town.Upon reading the first paragraph, Shirley Jackson describes the town ingeneral. The town is first mentioned in the opening paragraph where she setsthe location in the town square. She puts in perspective the location of thesquare between the ring mail office and the bank (196). This visualizes for thereader what a small town this is, since everything seems to be centralized at ornear the town square. This is also key in that the town square is the locationfor the remaining part of the story. The town square is an important locationfor the setting since the ending of the story will be set in this location.Also, Shirley Jackson creates a comfortable atmosphere while describingthe residents of the town . First, she describes the children conclave togetherand breaking into boisterous play(196). Also, the children are described asgathering rocks, which is an action of many normal children. She described themen as gathering together and talking about planting and rain, tractors andtaxes(196). Finally, she describes the women of this community as exchangingbits of gossip(196) which is a common stereotype of women. She creates a moodfor the reader of the town and residents of this town on a normal summer morning.

Search for Meaning in Siddhartha Essays -- Hesse Siddhartha Essays

await for Meaning in Siddhartha Siddhartha is a young man on a long quest in search of the last-ditch answer to the enigma of a mans role on this earth. Through his travels, he finds love, friendship, pain, and identity. He finds the true meaning behind them the hard substance, but that is the best charge to learn them. He starts out by finding friendship with his buddy, Govinda. They have been friends ever since their childhood. There are really close, like each others shadow. They have travelled and lived most of their life together. Govinda was a very loyal friend. Govinda, his friend, the Brahmins son, loved him more than anybody else. He loved Siddharthas eyes and clear voice. He loved the way he walked, his complete grace of movement he loved everything that Siddhartha did and said, and above all he loved his intellect, his fine ardent thoughts, his strong will, his high vocation. Govinda knew that Siddhartha would not grow an ordinary Brahmin, a lazy sacrificial official , an avaricious dealer in magic sayings, a conceited worthless orator, a wicked sly priest, o... Search for Meaning in Siddhartha Essays -- Hesse Siddhartha EssaysSearch for Meaning in Siddhartha Siddhartha is a young man on a long quest in search of the last answer to the enigma of a mans role on this earth. Through his travels, he finds love, friendship, pain, and identity. He finds the true meaning behind them the hard way, but that is the best way to learn them. He starts out by finding friendship with his buddy, Govinda. They have been friends ever since their childhood. There are really close, like each others shadow. They have travelled and lived most of their life together. Govinda was a very loyal friend. Govinda, his friend, the Brahmins son, loved him more than anybody else. He loved Siddharthas eyes and clear voice. He loved the way he walked, his complete grace of movement he loved everything that Siddhartha did and said, and above all he loved his int ellect, his fine ardent thoughts, his strong will, his high vocation. Govinda knew that Siddhartha would not do an ordinary Brahmin, a lazy sacrificial official, an avaricious dealer in magic sayings, a conceited worthless orator, a wicked sly priest, o...

Search for Meaning in Siddhartha Essays -- Hesse Siddhartha Essays

Search for Meaning in Siddhartha Siddhartha is a young man on a long quest in search of the ultimate answer to the enigma of a mans role on this earth. Through his travels, he finds love, friendship, pain, and identity. He finds the true signification behind them the hard way, but that is the best way to learn them. He starts out by finding friendship with his buddy, Govinda. They have been friends ever since their childhood. There argon really close, like each others shadow. They have traveled and lived most of their life together. Govinda was a very loyal friend. Govinda, his friend, the Brahmins son, loved him more than anybody else. He loved Siddharthas look and clear voice. He loved the way he walked, his complete grace of movement he loved everything that Siddhartha did and said, and above all he loved his intellect, his o.k. ardent thoughts, his strong will, his high vocation. Govinda knew that Siddhartha would not become an ordinary Brahmin, a lazy sacrificial official, a n avaricious dealer in magic sayings, a fruitless worthless orator, a wicked sly priest, o... Search for Meaning in Siddhartha Essays -- Hesse Siddhartha EssaysSearch for Meaning in Siddhartha Siddhartha is a young man on a long quest in search of the ultimate answer to the enigma of a mans role on this earth. Through his travels, he finds love, friendship, pain, and identity. He finds the true message behind them the hard way, but that is the best way to learn them. He starts out by finding friendship with his buddy, Govinda. They have been friends ever since their childhood. There argon really close, like each others shadow. They have traveled and lived most of their life together. Govinda was a very loyal friend. Govinda, his friend, the Brahmins son, loved him more than anybody else. He loved Siddharthas eye and clear voice. He loved the way he walked, his complete grace of movement he loved everything that Siddhartha did and said, and above all he loved his i ntellect, his all right ardent thoughts, his strong will, his high vocation. Govinda knew that Siddhartha would not become an ordinary Brahmin, a lazy sacrificial official, an avaricious dealer in magic sayings, a egotistic worthless orator, a wicked sly priest, o...

Do Illegal workers help or hurt the economy Essay

While growing up in Mexico, I perceive many stories of people who were going to give-up the ghost in the United States, some guiltyly, so they could provide a better life for their families. To them, they were going to the land of opportunity, where jobs were luxuriant for people who were willing to work hard. They planned to go to the United States and do the work that Americans didnt want, while getting paid more than they could make in Mexico.Many of them sought work in construction, where their lower pay would mean cheaper homes and buildings for Americans. Although there was the risk of getting arrested and deported, it assistmed like a risk worth winning to many people. Now that I live in the United States, I bring forth seen the other side of the story. I have seen the economic difficulties that Americans face in their own country. It is even harder for someone like me, who came here leg everyy, but faces challenges that many Americans dont.I have met people here who b e working feloniously, and see their daily struggle to survive. I have also met Americans who were innate(p) here and have difficulty finding work. Instead of plenty of jobs for everyone, good jobs are unprecedented with many people fighting to get them. I see the resentment some people have toward those who are here illegally, and working for lower wages, reservation it harder for others to complete. These observations have made me wonder do illegal workers help or hurt the economy?Dr. George Borjas, Professor of Economics and affable Policy at the posterior F. Kennedy School of Government, found that the earnings of US born workers were reduced by an average of 3.7% by immigrant workers, both legal and illegal. The greatest effect was to US born workers without a high school degree as well as young workers. In his research, published in the paper Increasing the Supply of tire out Through Immigration, Dr. Borjas writes The 10 gazillion aboriginal-born workers without a high school degree face the most competition from immigrants, as do the eight million younger subjectives with hardly a high school education and 12 million younger college graduates.In the study entitled The Economic Logic of penal Immigration by Gordon H. Hanson, Professor of Economics at University of California, Gordondiscovered that immigration has a modest impact on the economy, pushing incomes slightly lower for low-skilled native workers, and pushing incomes slightly higher for highly-skilled native workers.However, because legal immigrant workers encounter more restrictions and delays in entering the work force, it is illegal immigrations that provide a fluid, low-skilled workforce that is involve during economic booms. Gordon states It (Illegal immigration) provides U.S. businesses with the types of workers they want, when they want them, and where they want them. If policy reform succeeds in making U.S. illegal immigrants more like legal immigrants, in terms of their skil ls, timing of arrival, and occupational mobility, it is likely to lower rather than raise national welfare.In June of 2011, the state of aluminium passed the strictest anti-immigration law in the United States, known as HB 56. Alabama is an unlikely state for such a law, since only 120,000 of the countrys 11 million illegal immigrants live in Alabama. However, politicians painted illegal workers as an epidemic, contributing to budget shortfalls and high unemployment. Included in the law, is a requirement for police to validate a persons immigration status if they have reasonable suspicion.The law penalizes anyone who employs, transports, or rents to an illegal immigrant. As a result of this law, Alabama farmers, who opposed the law from the beginning, saw their workforce disappear. In an expression appearing in Mother Jones magazine entitled Help non Wanted, by Paul Reyes, Alabama farmers expressed their frustration with HB 56. Their problem is that the work they have is difficul t and requires experience and training that most native workers dont have or are unwilling to do. In the article, Jerry Spencer, who runs Grow Alabama, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) project, is quoted. During a single month, Spencer employed 75 Alabamians to work on a farm, picking tomatoes. Of the 75 workers, 15 of them showed up more than once and only 3 lasted for the whole month.Spencer says A Mexican can honestly make $300 a day at the height of tomato season, but thats based on $3 per box. The (Alabamian) workers we took up there couldnt come close. Im going to be generous and say $20 a day was average. I actually was proud to see how hard they did work, but they couldnt live up to the efficiency, and therefore the speed and production, that Mexicans couldAn earlier law that interdict employers from hiring illegal workers was the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which was passed by congress in 1986. This act created penalties for employers who knowingly hire ille gal immigrants. However, illegal workers have found a way to counter this by obtaining fake Social Security numbers and green cards, which can be purchased easily in most immigrant neighborhoods for a secondary fee. These false documents allow employers to claim ignorance if caught hiring an illegal worker.This also means that the illegal workers are paid the same way as other workers, along with measure deductions. In an article appearing in Generations magazine entitled Not on the Radar Illegal Immigrant are Bolstering Social Security, author Eduardo Porter provided the pastime statistic, The estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year. It is important to note with this statistic, that illegal workers are not eligible for Social Security benefits. Their Social Security deductions are creation paid to retired legal workers.While illegal workers with false documents are p aying taxes and contributing to the Social Security system, illegal immigrant workers also add a pecuniary strain on city and state budgets. For example, in states like California, where one third of foreign born people in the United States live, children of immigrants are alter public schools. In the book Immigration in a Changing Economy Californias Experience, authors Kevin F. McCarthy and George Vernez advocate that more education needs be provided in California public schools for English proficiency for immigrant children lest they, and California with them, fall behind the rest of the country warns McCarthy and Vernez.Illegal workers may have dreams of making carve up of money while working in the United States, but the truth is that they will face low-level jobs with the likelihood of exploitation.In a study of illegal Mexican workers, which is documented by Francisco L. Rivera-Batiz in the study Undocumented workers in the wear out market An analysis of the earnings of l egal and illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States, published in the Journal of PopulationEconomics, it was found that 93.2% of male illegal workers and 87.4% of female illegal workers worked in service occupations. Furthermore, they made significantly less(prenominal) income than legal workers performing the same functions.Although some of the pay discrepancy is due to their time spent in the United States and English proficiency, it does not explain all of the pay discrepancies. Rivera-Batiz writes, The large proportion of the gap in wages between legal and illegal immigrants unexplained by differences in the measured characteristics of these two groups strongly suggests the presence of systematic discrimination against undocumented workers.After conducting my research, I have been surprised to learn that illegal immigration has a minimal impact on the overall US economy. The most negatively affected are young, low-skilled, less educated native workers, who experience sligh tly lower wages due to illegal immigrant workers. Highly-skilled native workers actually receive a slightly higher income due to illegal immigrant workers.Illegal workers benefit of course, but they are also easy targets for exploitation, since they are often not paid the same as legal workers performing the same job functions, and do not receive the same benefits that legal workers do. The corporeal winners from illegal immigration are the businesses that knowingly employ illegal workers. They receive a workforce willing to work for minimal wages, and perform jobs that many native workers are unwilling to do. Government agencies also benefit by receiving tax payments from illegal workers, while not having to pay out such benefits as Social Security. For these reasons, I foresee little change in Immigration laws, since the current situation benefits those with the most power and money.Works Cited(1) Borjas, G. J. (2004, May). In Increasing the Supply of task Through Immigration Me asuring the Impact on Native-born Workers. Retrieved Mar. 29, 2013, from http// www.cis.org/articles/2004/back504.html(2) Hanson, G. H. (2007, Apr. 26 ). In The Economic Logic of Illegal Immigration. Retrieved Mar. 29, 2013, from http//www.cfr.org/content/publications (3) McCarthy, Kevin F., Vernez,George. Immigration in a Changing Economy Californias Experience. Rand, 1997 338 EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 19 April 2013 http//www.ebsco.com (4) Reyes, Paul. Help Not Wanted. Mother Jones March/April 2012 EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 19 April 2013 . (5) Rivera-Batiz, Francisco L. Undocumented workers in the labor market An analysis of the earnings of legal and illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States Journal of Population Economics (1999) 91-116EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 29 March 2013 . (6) Porter, Eduardo. Not on the Radar Illegal Immigrants Are Bolstering Social Security. Generations Spring 2005, Vol. 29 Issue 1 100-102EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 29 March 2013 .

Asian Americans Essay

Asiatics atomic number 18 not a homogenous mathematical group. They do, however, constitute a significant minority group in the United States. Asian Americans represent many distinct subgroups that speak different languages, worship through different religions, and practice different customs and beliefs. The chief(prenominal) groups ar East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians (Thai, Viet namese, Cambodian, Laotian), and South Asian (Indian and Pakistani). Threads of similarities may run through the subgroups, but they all project distinct histories, origins, and heathenish roots. Among these groups, differences excessively exist within national groups, families, and man-to-mans themselves. Some Asians were born in the United States, while others come from abroad. Some argon affluent and come with highly developed skills while others are barely literate.Regardless of success or acculturation, many Asians are stereotyped as the model minori ty because often the Asian student is often the whiz who is at the head of the class and is the valedictorian at graduation. Many people believe that the Confucian ideas that stress family ideals, look upon for elders, deferred gratification, and discipline, are the reason for high educational achievement. Studies show that Asian Americans are more likely to believe that success in life is connected to what has been studied in school. American schooling may contradict the fundamental cultural beliefs of Asians because it emphasizes individualism and competition, while the ethnic identify of Asian children is often based on their kind to the group and allegiance to family.Academic achievement and upward mobility are viewed as an obligation for the maintenance of the family, which is the responsibility of all family members. Additionally, Asian parents teach their children to respect authority, scent responsibility for relatives, and show self-control. School failure is seen as a lack of will, and this failure can be alleviated by increasing parental restrictions.Baruth and Manning (1992) make that Asian American children need reinforcement from the teacher, and work more efficiently in quiet, heartystructured surroundings. These children appear to be more dep arrestent, conforming, and obedient by placing the familys well-being before their owndesires.Asians may be confused with the apparent teacher/student informality of the American classroom, and function break with structure and organization. (Baruth & Manning, 1992). Asian cultures also value the idea of humility and/or self-effacement. Children may not volunteer to participate in the classroom until specifically asked by the teacher. Drawing attention to oneself by virtue of misbehaving might cause great distress and result in losing face because children are taught to value silence, listen more than speak, speak softly, and be petty(a) in dress and behavior. The following suggestions are offere d by Feng (1994) as a formula for teachers to address issues concerning the diversity of Asian American cultures. It should be noted, however, that these suggestions could be implemented for any ethnic group. turn to know the customs, values, and traditions of various cultures, and learn the conditions under which students came to the United States. Try to visit the students homes and get to know the families. Learn a some words of the students native language to set the tone for communication. Encourage native language use at home. Use English-proficient interpreters with parents. Try to learn the childrens names and pronounce them correctly. Be careful not to instigate discord between home values and school expectations.For example, if the home expectation is conformity, dont encourage the child to challenge the teacher. Academic expectation should be based on ability rather than stereotypical beliefs. Peer tutoring can be used for children who are not yet proficient in English. Know who make decisions for the child and utilize the natural support system. Develop strong home-school links for communication. keep down assumptions about childrens prior knowledge and experience (e.g., not every child has experienced a birthday party). Discover what you can about Asian parent networks. The best way to remove a cultural barrier is to appear sincere. Common Characteristics of Many Asian Cultures (Culture grams)GreetingsBow or nodIndividuals do not touch each otherLittle or no public display of affectionStand far apart (even farther than Americans do)Gestures jolly and laughing often indicate embarrassmentLittle or no affection is shown in publicIt is impolite to speak loudlyHand and build gestures are not often used in conversationPeoples sneezes are not usually acknowledged.People are beckoned by gesture all the fingers with the laurel of the hand facing down. Pointing is done with the entire hand.Japanese say no by shaking the hand from side to side with the palm forward, and point to themselves with their pointer finger facing their nose. People must sit erect with both feet on the floor it is impolite to put an ankle on the knee. Yawning is impolite.Vietnamese men do not offer to shake hands with women.General attitudesSociety is group oriented.Loyalty is to the group, the family, and to ones superiors as opposed to personal feelings. Humility and self-effacing comments are normal.It is essential to act similar to or in harmony with the crowd. People strive to conform in appearance (even when wearing the latest Western styles, people must try to look like everyone else). Reserve and modesty must be observed at all times.It is important to save face at all times, for self and others. People will often allow others to escape potential embarrassment with dignity. Goals and decisions are made with the good of the group in mind, not for the personal benefit of any individual. TimeBeing late is impolite.People are prompt or a little bit ea rly (for social as well as business affairs).Family The family is extremely important.The family has a strong tradition of respect and loyalty. in that location is a strong sense of family reputation and family obligation.Eldersare highly respected.Many members of the extended family (particularly in- laws) live together.Cultural BackgroundsTeaching and reading styles reflect cultural backgrounds. Students who have teachers from their same culture have little problem understanding the cues provided by the teacher. Students will already be familiar with the conquer interactional behaviors judge in the classroom. Some students are from cultures with values that promote landing field dependence (a more community oriented style), while other cultures are inclined to be field independent, which encourages independence and competition.With proper instruction, field-dependent and field- independent students can learn to be bicognitive that is, their learning styles can be expanded to f unction appropriately in any given over situation. Teachers need to provide activities that incorporate all types of learning styles. If they are aware of their own cultural learning styles and preferences, teachers will be better prepared to be intimate the learning styles of their students.StereotypingStereotyping can happen when false and exaggerated characteristics of a group are attributed to the individual, but socio typing involves an accurate cosmopolitanization about cultural groups as a whole. If teachers misinterpret the learning style data and make decisions based on incorrect assumptions, students can be hurt or limited in their school experience. Mainstream teachers are often at odds with their diverse students because they are unaware of the differing cultural values they bring to the classroom. To promote trenchant teaching, teachers need to purpose curriculum and instruction to incorporate the learning styles of their students. If students are uncomfort fitted in class, they may become bored, unresponsive, or test poorly.Classroom InteractionBased on cultural norms, participation structures describe the interactions of students in the classroom, when and how to speak, and what to speak about. Teachers may misinterpret inappropriate or awkward classroom interaction, as every culture has individual norms that dictate proper classroom behavior and student-teacher interaction. Directness in speech is valued in the American cultures. Dont beat around the bush, Get to thepoint, and The bottom line is, are indicators of the values placed on direct speech. Indirect speech is an objective of cultural patterns held by Asians, Native Americans, and many Latin American cultural groups. It is important to save face by not embarrassing others or shaming another person. High-context cultures (such as Japanese) do not have to splatter much because the members of the society communicate with intrinsic knowledge of how others think, feel, and what they ex pect. Low-context cultures (such as American, Swiss and German) must be very specific and explain everything- what is expected, what the rules are, and how things should be done. These cultural expectations are mirrored by how people think and act.Body LanguageMiscommunication occurs during verbal interaction as well as through tree trunk language. Kinesics (the study of body language) includes facial expressions, posture, gestures, body movements, eye contact, or any ritual, that conveys messages or meaning for a culture. The Japanese bow is an example of kinesics. From the American standpoint, a bow is estimable a hello or good-bye gesture. However, to the Japanese (and some other Asian cultures), a bow can be quite complex because a deeper meaning can be conveyed by the bow. The lower-status individual must begin the bow, and must bow lower than the higher-status person. When the individuals bowing are equals in society, the bow is synchronal and of the same depth. It can be e rroneous to attempt to read someones behavior based on our own frames of reference.Nonlinguistic Communication all(prenominal) culture has its own way of depicting the following domains of nonlinguistic communication Paralinguistic Sounds that accompany language and vocalizations that replace speech. Kinesics The study of body motion, gestures, unconscious body movement. Oculesics bosom contact and motion to indicate meaning. Individuals from some cultures show respect and interest by making eye contact (e.g. Americans) while other cultures show respect by not making eye contact (i.e., Haiti, and Puerto Rico). Haptics Location, frequency, and contexts in which people touch. Proxemics The unconscious use and organization of personal space.Chronemics Perception and use of time.Monochronic time Doing one thing at a time, in a linear fashion (e.g., American). Polychronic time Doing many things at a time (e.g., Hispanic). All cultures operate on their own systems of communication, and t hese beliefs will be manifested within the everyday context of the classroom. Knowledge of nonverbal communication specific to other cultures will help teachers to understand the students they teach, and well as students parents. Educators must be careful not to make the mistake of judging peoples emotions by using their own cultural indicators. not everyone shows grief, anger, happiness, and embarrassment, or other emotions in the same manner. Students with teachers from their same culture have little problem understanding the cues provided by the teacher and the appropriate interactional behaviors expected in the classroom. Those children and teachers from differing cultures do not know the rules of each others cultural rules and have difficulty interpreting correct teacher-student interactions.Although not the panacea to end all classroom problems, effective teaching is more apt to take place if both the teacher and student are aware of the benefits of integrating appropriate ins tructional materials that correspond with culturally congruent teaching and learning styles. Knowing that cultural patterns drive behavior, teachers who are aware that their students have differing cognitive styles are able to adapt their classrooms to include activities that incorporate all types of learning in their teaching. The teacher will begin to understand why some students experience problems when their natural learning styles are incompatible with the teaching style of the teacher.Various researchers have pointed out that Asian students tend to be highly visual learners. Hispanics are generally audile learners, and non-Westerners are more inclined to learn through tactile and kinesthetic modes. The following information is given as a general guide for teachers to better understand the needs and styles of individual students. Individual personalities will always preside over the overarching cultural characteristics, yet teaching will be more effective and teachers can make modifications and adaptations to their curriculum and if they are aware of cultural differences.HispanicsCarrasquillo (1991) notes that Hispanic students are diverse due to different backgrounds, but they may share general experiences through familystructure, religious beliefs, and general customs. Spanish-speaking cultures include people from many countries (including the United States) with unique characteristics. The common thread is the fact that they all speak Spanish, albeit with vary degrees of fluency, accents, intonation, verb structures (i.e. tu, usted, and vos) and certainly different connotations for similar words. These societal variations can be likened to the differences among the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, and South Africa. Culture grams (produced by Brigham Young University) offer cultural information as an aid to the understanding of, feeling for, and communication with other people.

Knowledge Management Conocophillips Essay

We express our deep gratitude to Mr. Gurparkash Singh for his constant support, focusing and motivation which helped us immensely in completing this objectify. The project provided us with an opport unity to understand the fundamental principle of Knowledge Management in a better manner and its application in corpo tread world. The insistence on taking up a project on application of Knowledge Management in energy based firm and promoting it with latest technologies utilise by them to get a competitive advantage. crimpWe entertain ConocoPhillips as our project firm of Knowledge Management. We keyt a lot ab reveal the importance of Knowledge overlap in todays firms. The accompany continues to make tremendous progress toward its vision of creating a wrench place where employees unrelentingly deliver corresponditional value through global collaboration and expertness sharing. At ConocoPhillips, support for sharing comes from the executive level and cascades downward and extin ctward throughout the U.S.s 6th largest global firm. The following report draw and quarter the approach, hold outledge opening moves and use of lessons learned that have propelled ConocoPhillips current companionship sharing and learn platform forward. At the end of this inventory, we have provided metrics that demonstrate the big-b iodind growth of Knowledge Sharing at ConocoPhillipsCOMPANY PROFILEConocoPhillips Company is an Ameri nominate multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the muscularity Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States. It is the worlds largest independent pure-play exploration & production company and is too one of the Fortune 500 companies. ConocoPhillips was created through the nuclear fusion of Conoco Inc. and the Phillips Petroleum Company on August 30, 2002 and was the fifth largest integrated oil company until spinning off its downstream assets to Phillips 66ConocoPhillips focuses solely on exploring for, under begeted and producing oil and natural gas globally. The company allots its operations through six operating segments, which be defined by geographic region Alaska, Lower 48and Latin America, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East, and Other International. It currently owns 8.4% of the sh argons of the consortium exploiting Kashagan oil field however the company seeks to muffle its non-core assets in order to use the gold for debt reduction, fund its capital program, and dividend payments. On October 3, 2012, the Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister told reporters that ConocoPhillips has informed Kazkahstan of their intention to sell their shares. In November 26, in its biggest acquisition ever, ONGC Videsh agreed to buy ConocoPhillips 8.4% pole in the Kashagan oilfield for about US $5 gazillion. The stake buy is conquer to approval of governments of Kazakhstan and India and as well to other partners in the Caspian Sea field waiving their pre-emption rights. shoot of kn owledge ManagementSmart managers intuitively understand the importance of the problems that knowledge care apparent motions are often designed to address sprinkled crossways most brass instruments are bulk doing similar kinds of work, but they often remain unaware of one anothers expertise, victoryes, and failures. Some of this lack of awareness is the result of waves of downsizing, reorganizations, leadinghip multifariousnesss, and in the altogether acquisitions. But even in the crush-managed large organizations, employees who could gather from one anothers experiences are often isolated by formal structures and mechanisms that subdivide work into different reporting channels and focus employees on local rather than global goals. To serve customers well and remain in bank line companies must reduce their cycle times, operate with minimum fixed assets and overhead ( commonwealth, inventory and facilities), shorten product development time, mitigate customer value, emp ower employees, innovate and deliver full(prenominal) forest products enhance and adoption, capture information, create knowledge, share and learn.Effective knowledge management should dramatically reduce costs. Most individuals, teams and organizations are today continually reinventing the bike. This is often because they simply do not know that what they are trying to do have already been done by elsewhere. They do not know what is already known, or they do not know where to access the knowledge. Continually reinventing the wheel is such a costly and inefficient exercise, whereas a to a greater extent positive reuse of knowledge pull up stakes tape substantial cost benefits immediately But as well asreducing costs, effective knowledge management should also dramatically increase our speed of response as a direct result of better knowledge access and application. Effective knowledge management, utilise more collective and systematic processes, will also reduce our tendency to repeat the same mistakes. This is, again, extremely costly and inefficient.Effective knowledge management, therefore, can dramatically improve quality of products and/or services. Better knowing the stakeholder needs, customer needs, employee needs, industry needs, for example, has an obvious immediate effect on the relationship management. The Knowledge Economy is the side by side(p) booming economy in a world of recession. More individuals, teams, organizations and inter- organizational earningss will be restructuring and renewing themselves with the primary purpose of profitably trading their knowledge to add even higher value, predominantly on the World Wide Web. Already we see more enlightened organizations developing and applying the knowledge they have about their industry, customers, partners and stakeholders, as their prime strategic asset, and at the highest point in the value chain. And many another(prenominal) are becoming less involved, and more open to profitably outsourcing the other business operations.Around the world we find out automobile companies talking far more about their sarcastic and key knowledge areas of design, knowledge of manufacturing , knowledge of distribution, knowledge of service and support etc as their crown jewels or master recipe. Based on applying this key knowledge they then outsource the other business components. We hear the same from the aerospace industry, the oil and gas industry, the information technology industry, the food and agricultural industry, the healthcare industry, in fact most, if not all, industries. None of this is possible without a continual focus on the creation, updating, availability, quality and use of knowledge by all employees and teams, at work and in the marketplace.CORE CONCERN AT CONOCOPHILLIPSBaby boomers nearing privacy age pose a challenge to engendering effective communicates. At ConocoPhillips. close to 20 percent of the employee base is worthy for hideaway. In the com ing years, another nearly 20 percent will qualify for retirement. These highly experienced employees possess valuable business knowledge and often serve as equal to(p) depend experts or meshleaders. It is vital to capture their knowledge and experience so that it can be reused across the enterprise and accelerate learning.Losing core team interlocking members presents another challenge to networks of duty. The project management network, for example, a great deal redeploys and reassigns network leaders and core team members in the organization. High leadership turnover rates can lead to network dis interest and a loss of expertise. The knowledge-sharing team works closely with networks that experience changes in leadership to overcome obstacles and find ways to sustain continuous leadership vanes of goodness (NoEs)Due to all these needs ConocoPhillips came with the concept of NOEs. These internal communities of practice intended to encourage knowledge sharing. Articulating roles and responsibilities, attending to the networks daily operations, and working to institute a culture that supports the exchange of knowledge are all crucial, but at ConocoPhillips, the foundational principle of network building is this a Network of Excellence must demonstrate its ability to contribute significant value, either in cost savings or in revenue generation. In 2004, ConocoPhillips launched a large initiative to create internal communities of practice that would enhance knowledge sharing within the firm. For this international integrated energy company with thousands of wrinkle sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very realand the potential payoff was large.Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of anticipate that t echnology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, cured managers understood that effective global communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. They also recognized that severally had to be focused on solving difficult business year challenges.With more than 10,000 employees participating in about 100 of what ConocoPhillips calls Networks of Excellence (NoEs) and a growth rate of about 10 new networks per year, the company has developed a set of valuable principles for identifying, nurturing, and enabling these topic-focused communities. A culture of knowledge sharing has emerged in which network members take responsibilityfor helping their globally distributed colleagueseven if they meet face to face plainly once or twice a month.Network composition at ConocoPhillipsEnsuring that each new network has the greatest chance to succeed is a process that begins long before the network is formed. Many authors and consultants stress the inner nature of such communities, arguing that any attempt to systematize them will crush them. ConocoPhillips found the exact oppositethat without clear and explicit links to the organization and its business purpose, networks often evolve in ways that fail to contribute to business goals. The company adheres to two fundamental principles in this regard. First, no network is created without a clear and detailed business case that specifies the value proposition to the company and is agreed on by network leaders and members. Insisting on a business case prior to the creation of a network goes against the typical let a thousand flowers bloom approach that is often encouraged. But in many cases, uncontrolled growth of new networks saps employees attention and escort, leading to neglect and network failure.Setting a high bar at the outset gist that every potential new network must have a strong business justification, which signals to potential leaders and members that the result will not be something that consumes their time without producing real business value. Today, more than 120 networks exist across the organization. Networks align with business functions to assist in the achievement of functional excellence. The portals are open, in that both contract and full-time employees have access to most network activity. Given that amidst 70 percent and 80 percent of organizational learning occurs informally and outside the classroom, networks support informal learning among members.Networks exist across all technical disciplines, and most arc support by functional excellence teams. Functional excellence teams include line managers from business units and assets who are accountable for networks. Functional excellence teams provide structure, governance, and leadership required for effective networks of excellence. The knowledge-sharing leadership team (i.e., not the core group) includes representatives from various business streams across the or ganization who help set direction and strategy. The knowledge-sharing leadership team also provides support for reward and acknowledgement programs organization-wide. The enterpriseknowledge-sharing team oversees network activities.Promoting Knowledge Sharing at ConocoPhillipsINTERACTIVE SESSIONSThey reorganized and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. More than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other.TOP LEVEL PARTICIPATIONThe most successful KM efforts have senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting wad more than collecting documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggere d response.ARCHIMEDES AWARDSIn 2005, ConocoPhillips introduced its Archimedes Awards to recognize business units and regions for the four primary types of behaviors that an effective knowledge sharing-enabled culture requires. The awards, known informally as the 4Gs, symbolize* giving,* grabbing and* gathering knowledge,* Along with spilling ones guts to prevent others from having to repeat painful lessons learned. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. These awards are given to the business units or regions that have successfully created a collaborative work force through giving, taking and applying, and sharing knowledge.Network of the Year awardOn an individual basis, ConocoPhillips also recognizes the most outstanding networks through the Network of the Year award. Three networks are nominal every quarter by the global governing body of high-level program sponsors, based upon several criteria of collaboration and networkingperformance. Four ne tworks are yearly selected as Networks of the Year. Being nominated is considered a high honor within the company. The awards have make highly respected symbols of global collaboration.HALL OF HONORSRegions and certain functions have created their own rewards to recognize people at a local level. For example, the North Sea Business Unit and the Operations Excellence function let people recognize their peers for outstanding efforts that promote knowledge and collaboration. As notwithstanding evidence of the strength of the Archimedes Network of the Year award, in 2011, ConocoPhillips introduced the Hall of Honors to recognize networks which have produced superior results year over year. Networks which have won the title of Network of the Year three or more times are named into the Hall of Honors and retain the honor for three years. Afterwards, they are eligible again to compete for Network of the Year. The Hall of Honors represents a significant milestone in the growth and maturit y of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing program and enables the recognition of more noteworthy networks.KNOWLEDGE PROMOTION TOOLSConocoPhillips has three main tools Ask and debate, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki . Ask and Discuss component has led to 100,000 exchanges. They dont regard in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. The formal lessons learned beat out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Knowledge libraries and Discussion forums are embedded in each association portal. Network portals are accessed frequently for example, ConocoPhillips recorded more than 1.3 million hits monthly on its family of SharePoint-based network portal sites during a six-month period between April and October 2009 Within each familiarity, the Ask and Discuss forum is a place to post questions and initiate discussions. The organization tracks th e number of questions posted, the number of replies, and the number of readers per question or discussion. Data show that an average of 20 people read a single reply.In other words, for just five replies, about 100 people read the responses and absorb the information contained therein. Content that complements Ask andDiscuss forums is stored in the networks knowledge library. This content is reviewed and analyzed by subject effect experts and then posted to the library using a taxonomy developed by the knowledge-sharing team and corroborated by network leaders. Knowledge library content is quality controlled only the most valuable knowledge is retained in the library The wiki is the first place to envision for content. All of their success stories have an economic opposition. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing .attested success stories, best practices and lessons learned in the form of closed discussions play a large role in providing context to Wiki articles. OneWiki has been deployed across the company and involves many networks, teams and work groups. Even at this early stage, OneWiki is proving to be a natural place to capture the insight and wisdom that accepted knowledge (lessons learned and best practices) has become. Further, the Wiki concept is familiar to people and encourages them to find and keep accumulated knowledge up todate. Internally branding the wiki as OneWiki has sent an important message that this is the one and only place for contextual, encyclopedic knowledge in ConocoPhillips. To introduce OneWiki to the enterprise, the global KS Team created a set of highend computerbased education modules. The team meets regularly with individuals deemed content moderators to ensure they are aware of the governing streamers. unlikeable discussions enabling portal discussions a s a way to capture and shift lessons learned is a cornerstone of the ConocoPhillips Knowledge Sharing strategy. The sharing of discussions across sister networks yields even greater value for the company. But the latest, most exciting KS initiative is rapidly positioning ConocoPhillips to gain significant value by integrating Web 2.0 technology with the Knowledge Sharing platform. The twopronged approach consists of Closed Discussion Items and Wiki technology and processes. Four years ago, the KS Team recognized the potential of lost knowledge retention opportunities when valuable knowledge from online discussions eventually aged on network portals.Many discussions contain detailed analysis and background information that represent an extensive body of knowledge from experienced network members. To recapture the benefit of such knowledge and provide it asecond life, the team actively researched the discussions that had reached closure and were deemed to have yielded a successful re sult. The KS team created a process and indemnity to encourage network leaders to officially close those discussions. These were then turned into searchable lessons learned documents that were added to the networks knowledge library for members and others to search and browse. This approach has be to be a more useful and efficient means of capturing,storing, accessing and reusing intellectual capital than more traditional and costly methodsMEMBER elaborationWhen ConocoPhillips first began launching networks, business units perceived them as a corporate initiative that was being added to normal workloads (i.e., above the flow of work). Membership espousal has helped change that perception and is one of the building blocks required for successful networks of excellence. Creating connections between similar networks increases engagement and allows the organization to leverage knowledge more effectively. Sister networks are link by business objectives and functions. One network cur rently has 16 sister networks. Network members can post Ask and Discuss questions to think networks to engage a broader audience in finding a solution. Only meaningful, out-of-the-ordinary questions approved by the network leader are posted to sister network sites. The goal is to further engage similar networks and let others know of network issues and activities.METHODS OF PROMOTING MEMBER ENGAGEMENTNetwork leaders are constantly aware of the need to promote engagement and increase membership. One method for promoting engagement is to transition members from e-mail to the know ledge portal to more effectively drive use of the Ask and Discuss forums. When a leader receives an e-mail message, for example, he or she may suggest that the member post the question on the network portal this action will encourage users to become more active in the network by visiting the site rather than posting a question to a single resource.Network leaders also drive network participation by posting n ew announcements, events, and discussion items in the portal keeping the network wise to(p) helps sustain members interest. Another strategy for member engagement involves incorporating network use into day-to- day stockresponsibilities. Deliberately designing the network through business training makes activities more relevant to individuals the intersection between network activities and daily business functions is expanding. The goal is to link part of an individuals performance expectations to network participation, which boosts engagement as well as know ledge sharing.CHALLENGE WITH THE NOESAll 120-plus networks arc global, and this can present some challenges. The knowledge-sharing team works with the network leaders and network core teams to address these challenges as they arise. One such challenge is the cultural differences among various regions with regard to sharing knowledge. Whereas most Westerners are jolly comfortable with posting questions and comments to ask and discuss forums, attractive members in the Asia-Pacific region can be more difficult because employees from these cultures arc less comfortable singling out individuals. Core team members in these regions work diligently to build network participation. Time zones present another challenge for global networks. Virtual meetings are plan in the early morning or the evening to accommodate different parts of the world and can be repeated at 12-hour intervals if needed.RolesSeveral vitamin C employees across ConocoPhillips work on knowledge-sharing activities, most of them part-time. As mentioned, the core knowledge-sharing team supports network activities, and six full-time resources help manage networks. Each network is supported by a network sponsor and leader, a core team, network members, and subject count experts.Network SponsorsA network sponsor provides overall guidance and visibility for the network. Sponsors are influential senior-level managers from organization-wide busine ss streams. They secure funding and help set direction and strategy with community leaders. A network sponsor also helps create and refine the networks business case and verify buy- in with business unit leaders. He or she supports the network through executive briefings and conversation with stakeholders. Sponsors appoint, coach, and support network leaders, including linking their performance to career progression. In addition, sponsors ensure that network members community activities are recognizedand rewarded within their business units and globally.Network leadershipNetworks of excellence are supported by network leaders who are selected by sponsors or business-unit leaders. These individuals are responsible for ensuring that core team members, subject matter experts, and other network members understand the purpose of the community and their roles and responsibilities. They work closely with the network sponsors to ensure that the focus of the network reflects business unit needs. Network leaders also seek feedback from core team members about network activity, communicate the value of participation, and solicit business unit feedback. In addition to checking the community portal for submissions and pushing new content to members and subject matter experts, leaders* Facilitate responses for portal-based questions in a timely manner* Direct Ask and Discuss questions to the take over subject matter expert or member* Encourage the regular use of content with questionsLeaders help train members on how to use the tools and resources accessible in the community. They also acknowledge member participation with awards, recognition, and performance feedback. The time spent on leadership activities varies by network. One individual may manage three networks and spend approximately 33 percent of his or her time doing this. Others may spend 20 percent of their time on managing one network, depending on other business demands. The role is integrated with job resp onsibilities it is not an additional role that leaders are expected to assume on top of their day-after-day functions. They dont put on another hat and slop doing their other jobs, said Miriam Fjellaker, network specialist. The role is integrated and helps them improve their other job functions.Core Team MembersCore team members check the portal site daily for new submissions and developments and respond to Ask and Discuss questions. They also set up alerts for members on key content areas. Core team members also * Work with network leaders and sponsors to make sure the needs and issues of the local business unit are adequately reflected within the scope and activities of the global network * Push e-mail threads to the portal as much aspossible* sink community activities to the business units * Empower and encourage members to use networks as part of their daily work processesNetwork MembersNetwork members are encouraged to select and pith the networks that relate to their work. They are also encouraged to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal and leverage network relationships to ask questions, get answers, and learn with global colleagues.Subject Matter ExpertsSubject matter experts share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the network portal. They also work with the community and other subject matter experts to develop and agree on best practices. Being responsive is important, subject matter experts are encouraged to respond to Ask and Discuss questions related to their areas of expertise as quickly as possible they are expected to use their expertise to move others forward. Subject matter experts also provide excitant to the network leader and core team regarding how their areas of expertise should be addressed in the networks business case and other projects and initiativesTechnology for NetworksSharePoint is used across the enterprise to post questions and promote knowledge sharing. A dedicated team creates and manages portal sites and networks. All networks are standardized and have the same look and feel.Cultural Enablers for Sustaining NetworksNetworks at ConocoPhillips vary in size, scope, and function. The goal, said Smith, is to uncover the unique personality of each network and promote a culture that works. You cant click your heels and change the culture leaders have to make it happen. The community leader is expected to brainstorm ways to shape the culture and increase engagement Pushing alerts and responding to Ask and Discuss questions are important and help promote a culture that is conducive to sharing knowledge. Knowledge sharing is indirectly linked to ConocoPhillipss performance and incentive compensation structure. This link serves as a strong motivator for employees toparticipate in knowledge sharing, and it demonstrates the organizational commitment to networks of excellence. requite and recognition programs are designed to increase network participation. S pecifically, a reward and recognition structure helps motivate employees to participate in networks and promotes a knowledge-sharing culture raising is another cultural enabler. ConocoPhillips has a number of training efforts that explain network functionality and potential.TrainingThe Network University is the training vehicle that supports ConocoPhillipss network activities from launch to deployment Network University provides access to documents, presentations, and role descriptions that help form and fight networks. Quick links from the KM home page provide overviews for new and experienced members. Users can also download a FAQ on networks or link to established sites. The organization uses Network University to train network leaders. It provides detailed descriptions of roles and expectations related to network leadership.The more than one hundred fifty network leaders frequently go to the site for guidance on how to maintain networks at ConocoPhillips. In addition, less ex perienced network leaders are often paired with experienced leaders for mentoring purposes. New hires receive training on networks during the onboarding process. A 90-minute segment shows how to map to networks and how networks tap in to expertise across the organization to better share knowledge.CommunicationCommunicating the value and purpose of networks of excellence is critical to sustaining engagement and attracting new members. According to Ranta, We realized we had to get out there and tell our story if we wanted networks to succeed. The organization continues to increase communication efforts designed to spread the word on the value of networks. Network leaders and sponsors frequently communicate success stories to network members. External validation is promoted across the organization. For example, a number of corporate magazine articles showcase the success of networks at ConocoPhillips. The organization publicizes these articles to show the value of network activity.In 2 009, ConocoPhillips was named a North American Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE), and this award was also communicatedacross the organization. Communication is so important to the overall success of ConocoPhillipss knowledge- sharing program that one of its full-time knowledge-sharing team members, Yvonne Myles, is the designated communications adviser. This individual supports the communication efforts of the networks of excellence along with communication initiatives that promote networks to the larger organization and externally. Each network uses a portal to communicate activities and news. In addition to linking to key news and discussions, portals showcase award recipients and network leaders.Participation RecognitionMotivating employees to participate in networks of excellence is critical. Global and local rewards programs recognize members for network participation. For example, the prestigious Archimedes Award is presented to the top networks and success stories each year and recognizes regions for their knowledge-sharing behaviors. ConocoPhillips also collects collaboration success stories to highlight the business value of networks. To date, there are thousands of success stories that provide optimal business solutions.The stories are quality controlled and stored in the knowledge repository for future access. Regional areas sometimes create their own awards. Other recognition programs are supported by peers and implemented across networks Peers may also nominate members for awards through the network portal. Online submission is quick and easy. Members are nominated for excellence in contributions, Ask and Discuss forum participation, and engaging others in trusted relationships. Some networks of excellence have an award for outstanding discussions. Winners are celebrated on the network home page.KNOWLEDGE ONLINEKnowledge OnLine is a centralized digital hub for all knowledge sharing activities, resources, and intellectual property. It is acc essed through the corporate portal. Within Knowledge OnLine, subject matter experts and community members maintain profiles that showcase their expertise. Each profile includes a member picture and incorporates technical background and project industry experience. Members attach current resumes to their profiles. They ask their experts to perform a search on their expertise to make sure they show up in the search results and it helps them to show theirexpertise Global excellence leaders develop and maintain functional networks (i.e., communities) that cross all business groups.They provide leadership for their respective knowledge communities. Specifically, global excellence leaders are responsible for best-practice approvals, annex systems, and career paths for the organization, including training, required readings, and unique tools for that discipline. An additional responsibility is career development. The role is prestigious after serving as global excellence leaders, many ind ividuals become executives. Communities are supported by leaders, knowledge managers, a global core KM team, and subject matter experts. A centralized KM team oversees community activities and works closely with leaders, knowledge managers, and subject matter experts across the enterpriseStrategy for Sustaining Effective Networks of ExcellenceConocoPhillips KM program replicates its community, content, discussions, and profiling approaches across its 42 functional and four corporate communities. It implies a global mind-set, with consistency of purpose and practice regardless of topic or geography. It implies designing KM so that each employee can tap in to the knowledge of the organization as a whole in order to respond to a clients needs. It also implies access to content and people from anywhere clients or employees need help to solve a problem or enhance their skill. Knowledge communities are used to drive organizational transformation. In fact, communities are often created to fill a business need or knowledge gap and then decommissioned when they are no longer relevant. A work-share community, for example, addressed practices and effects that were required to work in New Delhi and Manila. Now these practices are embedded into daily work processes and incorporated into standard operating procedures, and the community no longer exists. Similarly, a next-generation community is currently in place to explore future technology solutions.However, when next-generation technology is implemented and begins to become the de facto way to work, this communitys content will be migrated into appropriate mainstream communities for long-term stewardship. Communities also provide work process innovation. For example, practice and procedure updates are managed and implemented in communities. A subject matter expert uses a discussion forum to collect suggestions or ideas to improve a procedure document. use feedback fromcommunity members, the subject matter expert will u pdate a policy or procedure and review changes. This process helps gain buy-in for policy and procedure changes, as well as global buy-in for the practice. The approach also has an associated cost benefit. In the past, they had large budgets for this process. Today, they have set a goal of updating or reviewing one-third of the practices using a fraction of the old budget.Communities also support more distributed project execution at Fluor. The organization uses a project activity model to illustrate activities and provide project management guidance. Using the community framework, members are able to update a map and provide color-coded areas of responsibility for more effective project execution. Communities can add training materials on how to complete project activities, along with templates and descriptions. Another work process improvement is linked to the organizational communication strategy.The old practice was to disseminate information about communities through the organi zational hierarchy. However, not everyone saw those communications. Now communities send newsletters to the entire community membership. As a result, messages have a broader readership (greater penetration), which ultimately helps attract new members. Each message is sent as an e-mail with a link to the latest newsletter. This draws in employees who perhaps are not familiar with the system, thereby potentially recruiting new members. Employees frequently reply to messages and are encouraged to join a particular community as part of a routine follow up.Knowledge Loss Risk AssessmentCommunities help in the identification of knowledge gaps or knowledge at encounterthat is, knowledge that might be lost if the individual who possesses it retires from the organization. Fluor uses a knowledge-loss risk assessment process to determine the impact of retirement and resource gaps. The assessments also effectively communicate the potential impact of knowledge loss. Adapted from the Tennessee Valley Authority model, the formula multiplies the retirement factor (how soon) against the position risk factor (uniqueness of the individuals knowledge) to determine the total attrition factor.This process helps integrate knowledge sharing with human capital management by identifying when subject matter expertise is atrisk and when the organization should identify a successor or protg for a subject matter expert. Measuring Networks of Excellence ConocoPhillipss knowledge-sharing team employs both objective and subjective tools to evaluate the health of the organizations networks, identify where weaknesses exist, and prescribe ways for network leaders to improve their networks. Measuring the business impact of networks is a regular activity for the knowledge-sharing team and network leaders.Assessing Networks for Value Success StoriesConocoPhillips believes that you manage what you measure. Keeping detailed records of business impact has served to galvanize sponsorship and attract and sustain membership to networks. One way the organization assesses business value is through validated success stories. Stories are submitted by employees and document cost savings, reduced cycle times, safety and environmental improvements, and other tangible business benefits. A story may also identify a critical business or technical issue that was solved using the community. Each year, the organization collects success story nominations and selects the best examples of collaboration. Supervisors, regional representatives and the knowledge sharing leadership team review and validate each story, adding a value statement to provide quick snapshot of the business value provided. Once success stories are approved, they are posted to the knowledge library where they can be accessed by other networks.BIBLIOGRAPHYwww.conocophillips.com/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConocoPhillipswww.apqc.orgwww.ibforum.comwww.aiim.orgwww.hrcommunication.comwww.zoominfo.com

Metapath Case Report Essay

1. PURPOSEThe purpose of this briefing note is to provide recommendations for Metapath Software Corp. (Metapath) on its financing offers received in family line 1997. These two offers came from 1) a fund consortium led by Robertson Stephens Omega Fund (RSC) and Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) and 2) CellTech Communications (CellTech), a vendor of wireless technology which had recently gone IPO.2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARYMetapath has made good progress in developing its business since its inception generating $6.4m revenue in the September quarter of 1997 with representation of three large customers. However, with the ambition to win a good chance of IPO within the next two years, more ceiling needed to be raised to gain traction in customer acquisition and smooth out current quarter-to-quarter revenues. Metapath has received two offers as at September 1997 and they are discussed as follows RSC and TCV consortium offered to buy $11.75 billion of stock at a $76 million pre-money valu ation (Series E pet). The proposed stock instrument was a participating convertible stock (PCPT). This instrument functions the same as the convertible preferred stock in the event of a qualified public offering whereas in the event of a sale, RSC and TCV consortium not only receives the face value of the conside balancen, but also gets the equity participation. CellTech offered Metapaths shareholders to receive common stock at closing in CellTech at $115 million.3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMSThe problems associated with the offers from RSC and TCV consortium are listed as follows Proposed stock instrument is exceedingly dilutive to the founders in the event of a sale where the liquidity preference go forth reducethe amount of funds available to the other four tranches from previous investments. If the Metapath goes public, the pct of ownership for C & D tranches ordain be further diluted, after RSC and TCV consortium exercises its liquidity preference. The problems associated wit h the offers from CellTech are listed as follows CellTechs liquidity and financing issues. strategical/Business run between CellTech and Metapath.4. ANALYSISComparing the term sheet of the offer from RSC and TCV consortium to that of CellTech, RSC and TCVs PCPT had a much more dilutive impact to Metapath upon exit. under(a) liquidation, the term sheet stipulates that the Series E investors is entitled to claim its initial investment of $10.75 million plus any accrued but unpaid dividend. all proceeds after this claim forget then be distributed to all common and Series E Preferred shareholders on an as-converted pro-rata basis. This double dipping means that RSC will not only recover its initial investment of $5 millions, but also enjoys the convertible benefits.As a result, if the sale occurs before 2000, the profitability for A-D tranches will be negatively impacted by the preferred device characteristic in the Series E. However if the sale occurs after 2000, A and B tranches w ill be gradually redeemed on an annual basis, which will leave C and D tranches to be mostly impacted adversely by the preferred characteristic in the Series E stock.Under the circumstance of an IPO, tranches C, D and E will convert to common at their negotiated prices while A & B will be redeemed.However, on the flip side, the price offered by RSC and TCV consortium was $6, which was significantly higher than the first three rounds of financing (tranches A,B and C) at $1.05 and final round (tranche D) at $1.62. PCPT instrument was created to enable the consortium to mitigate the risks in the event of a sale/liquidation that would be of the founders interests andvalue destroying.CellTechs valuation of $115 million was certainly attractive for a company like Metapath with a revenue run rate of $25.6 million. However, this represents approximately 30% of the totally capitalisation. The willingness from CellTech to sacrifice such a large amount of capital indicates that either CellTech genuinely believed that Metapath would contribute significantly to the synergies to the NewCo or there could be asymmetric information hidden from the management. It signalled CellTechs fundamental business might have limited upside. This issue needs to be further investigated if offer is accepted from CellTech.In addition, CellTechs balance sheet indicated ongoing liquidity and financing risks. As we can see from the table below, the company continued to face liquidity pressure where its cash ratio and quick ratio deteriorated over the course from 1995 to 1997. CellTech had six consecutive quarters operating loss, which indicated that its unhealthy operating cash flow ratio.Doubts were raised whether CellTech was a good strategic fit to Metapaths business model. This is due to the fact that CellTechs products were mostly hardware-based and installed in the field with cellular base stations, whereas Metapaths products largely consisted of software running on standard server platfo rms in the wireless switching office. The only benefit gauged regarding this point was that some of CellTechs engineers could potentially be useful to Metapaths outgrowth group.5. CONCLUSIONSThe recommendation for Metapath is to take the offer from RSC and TCV consortium. Even though CellTech has performed well since the IPO and bullish views from the stock analysts, its potential information asymmetry issues and liquidity risk could accidental injury the value of Metapath post acquisition. The limited strategic fit is also of our concern, which might constrain Metapaths growth potential. With our ambition to lead Metapath to IPO, we see RSC and TCV consortium as a better fit in this case. Tranches A and Bsinterests will be protected through their initial capital structures. Tranches C and Ds interests will be diluted however it enables Metapath to continue its growth momentum with limited downside.