Most Effective Kicks in Tae Kwon-Do

Some kicks are more useful than others, so I'll be walking you through the most powerful/effective kicks that are In Ate Swoon-Do. Let's go through the attributes of a kick, we'll start off with the base leg, the leg that stays on the ground during the kick. This leg Is just as Important (If anything more important) than you're kicking leg, due to the fact that this leg has to grant you the flexibility to initiate the kick and also has to maintain balance throughout the kick.Whenever you begin a kick, you should allow the heel of the foot of your base leg to e raised slightly upward (Thus resting on the ball of your foot) to maintain maximum mobility while the kick is in motion, allowing you to turn in the correct position for the kick. If you need to shift your position as your Initiating the kick. You can also slide/ skip on the ball of your foot toward the desired direction.The knee of your base leg should be slightly bent whenever you perform a kicking technique, this adds to the over-all balance of your body; you will be able to adjust your position easily, by adding more or less bend to your knee, to compensate for the height and velocity of our kick. Now onto the striking leg, first off you never really want to fully extend your leg when kicking. The knee of the striking leg should remain slightly bent. This is accomplished by maintaining muscle control over the lower part of your leg, and not allowing the momentum of the kick to force your leg to hyper extend.Because the knee joint is one of the most sensitive joints of the human body be sure to keep both knees slightly bent, to prevent them hypertension or bending backward unnaturally. Side Snap The basic side snap, is performed by initially shifting the majority of your body eight to your base leg as your striking leg (Be it your front or rear leg) rises up with a bent knee to waist level. As your striking leg rises, you pivot on the ball of your base foot so your heel is facing your target. Your body leans sideways toward the ground as your striking leg is extended toward your target.The impact is made with the heel or outside ridge of your foot. You can substantially Increase the range of the side snap by allowing the momentum of its launch to drive you forward. To do so, enter into a fighting stance and begin by launching the side snap with the front or rear leg. Round. By performing the side snap in this fashion, you allow your base leg to slide slightly forward across the floor, propelled by the momentum developed when your striking leg is launched toward its target. Not only does this add to the range of the kick, but also increases its power as well, due to the fact that the force of your entire body is behind it.One of the main problems with delivering the sliding side snap is that many people will release the kicks power before they are in range of their target. When performing the side snap in this style, it is imperative to remember not to unleash your striking legs p ower from your hip, until your target is close and you are sure of making contact with it. If this kick is done to far from your target, the most you can hope to accomplish is that your extended leg will make touching contact with your opponent. You will not, however, have any debilitating impact. Therefore, keep your side snap retracted until target impact is ensured.Turn-around Side Snap Structurally similar to the side snap, the turn-around side snap is a spinning variation of the basic side snap. This kick is executed by first turning your head round, keeping an eye on your target. You turn your head simultaneously pivoting your body on the ball of the foot of you lead base leg so that the heel of your base leg is facing your opponent. Your kicking technique is then launched from rear-leg position, in side kick fashion The turn-around side snap is a muscle-driven technique. Impact with this kick is made with the heel or the outside ridge of your foot.The ideal targets for the tu rn-around side snap are your opponent's knee, midsection or head The turn-around side snap can be used both offensively and offensively; it can be used as a single offensive movement or as a rapid combination of kicks alternating from one foot to the next. It can also be used defensively as a counter attack when your opponent is throwing a punch or a kick that leaves him open. All-Around Swing Kick The all-around swing kick is one of the most powerful techniques in a Ate Swoon- Do practitioner's kicking arsenal. The momentum this kick can have has a devastating effect upon any object it strikes.The all-around swing kick is executed by turning your head around behind you, to make sure your target hasn't moved, as you multitudinously pivot 1800 on the ball of your base foot. Your rear leg lifts off the ground and proceeds toward its target in a circular fashion. This kick strikes its target with the back of your heel. The all-around swing kick is most effective when delivered to the h ead or mid-section of your opponent. It is important to drive your kick to go â€Å"through† your target, in other words, you don't want to stop Just as you hit your target, you want the kick to follow through.Doing this well result in greater power and making it harder to defend against. Like most kicks, the all-around swing kick can be used defensively or offensively Front Snap The front snap, is one of the first kicks that all Ate Swoon-Do students learn. Most devastatingly effective offensive/defensive techniques in your kicking arsenal when performed correctly. The basic front snap is performed by entering into a traditional fighting stance. You then launch your striking leg forward by quickly raising the knee of your striking leg up to the desired height (It all depends on where you planning to attack, be it the head, mid-section or legs).The lower section of your tricking leg is then immediately snapped outward in the direction of your target. The front snaps power is developed by a combination of upper-leg muscle strength and lower-leg snapping momentum. The impact of the kick can be made with either the instep of your foot of the ball of your foot. To strike with the ball of your foot, you need to pull back your toes, exposing the ball of your foot. Performing the front snap with the ball of your foot is more advanced and takes additional practice.Through continued practice, however, the ability to instantly pull back your toes will become tie natural. The reason it is so important to pull back your toes (Even if you are wearing shoes), is that if you leave them in their naturally extended position, they can easily be broken when target impact is made. The basic front snap is an ideal close- contact fighting weapon. As us commonly understood, a front snap to the groin of any individual is universally debilitating. Other close-contact targets for this kick include; the solar plexus, the stomach, or the bottom of your opponent's Jaw.Axe Kick The axe kick, is a close-contact offensive and defensive weapon. The axe kick is performed by quickly raising your striking leg (Depending if your kicking with your front or rear leg), in a linear fashion, and then forcefully bringing your heel/ball of your foot, down onto the shoulder/chest/face of your opponent. The basic axe kick is only effective in close-contact infighting situations, but it is quite easy to extend the range of this kick. Enter into a fighting stance and prepare to launch an axe kick from your preferred leg front of rear (although it's mainly used with the rear leg).Now instead of performing it with your leg locked into position, visualize a target several feet in front of you. Quickly lift your striking leg. As you target. There are two ways to execute an axe kick; the traditional axe kick is brought inward, across your body, and then down-ward onto its target. The out-to-in axe kick is swung outward and is then brought down onto you opponents shoulder. The out-to -in axe kick is also a close- contact infighting weapon. It can most effectively be dispatched when your attacker has been taken hold of your clothing, or you have hold on his.Then, like before, the kick is quickly brought up and delivered to your opponents shoulder region Conclusion As we can see, kicks play a huge part in Ate Swoon-Do, we only went through 4 different kicks, there are many other (Such as hook kick, turning kick, swing kick, crescent kick, all-around hook kick, all-around swing kick†¦ Etc,). Kicks don't need to be complicated or hard to perform in order to be effective, like we went through at the start, for a kick to be effective in combat, it needs to be fast, difficult to block and able to get through you're opponents guard and hit its target.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Everyone else got to decide what would become of their lives, while she was now going to have everything decided for her. While Kim tells her story, she makes several statements that key on the readers’ emotions and get us to take her side. Kim uses good imagery when she tells about her village being burned down and her clothes scorched off. She says â€Å"I saw an airplane getting lower and then four bombs falling down. I saw fire everywhere around me. Then I saw fire over my body, especially on my left arm. My clothes had been burned off by the fire.Anyone who could imagine this happening to a nine year old wouldn’t be able to help feeling sorry for this person. To make matters for the little girl worse, she was then forced to become a poster child for the Vietnamese government to show the rest of the world. Kim’s freedom to become what she wanted was taken from her. While telling her story, she does a very good job using these rhetorical pathos to make the re ader feel sorry for her and take her side. In the story, â€Å"Untold Stories of Kindness†, an American soldier tells about the brutal reality of war. He explains that even though you may not agree with the reason for the fight or even know the truth behind the war, if you are a soldier, you have to do your job and continue fighting. He hits on the point that people want to help each other even in times of war and despair. He says that if everyone will just accept people who are different, the world will be a more peaceful place. His idea that people always want to help each other is supported by an example of a time he remembers people helping each other during his campaign in the Iraq war. After one particular fire fight that lasted nearly eight hours, Iraqi civilians helped the American soldiers clear the streets of wounded men and try to aid their injuries. People would also care for children, rebuild hospitals and schools, and feed the poor. The author of this essay uses strong imagery to make the reader have emotion towards his story. He tells about the time when insurgents detonated several car bombs killing over a hundred people. The number of people killed in this incident helps to emphasize the reality of all the people who dying in this war. He says â€Å"Cars were covered in blood as if they’d been hit with a paint sprayer. † This makes the reader try to imagine what he had to see and tries to make the reader feel the same emotions he has toward the situation. The rhetorical pathos used here are very similar to the pathos used by Kim in her story. Both of these essays made good points support the logic behind the statements and opinions in their stories. They also used good details and imagery so the audience could picture some of the things they had to see. The imagery in these stories tried to make the readers feel emotional and take the authors’ sides.

Bread Mold Experiment

Bread Mold Experiment By: Stephanie Westover PURPOSE The purpose of this experiment will be to determine how temperature affects the growth of mold on wheat bread. The researchers choose this topic because she thinks it will be beneficial to find a way to keep food from molding. Determining how long bread can be stored before molding can help save money, prevent illness and preserve freshness. The question the researcher will attempt to answer is how freezing affects the rate of mold growth in wheat bread.The information gathered in this experiment may be relevant to those individuals who contend with food borne molds at home, or professionally. Because the rate of mold growth can vary depending on the type of bread tested, the researcher will limit this study to a commonly available variety of wheat bread that can found in most stores. This will make the results of this experiment more relevant to average consumers and it will enable the results to be generalized across a larger selection of commercially produced wheat breads. Having some understanding of common practices regarding food storage and mold growth, the researcher sought out formal studies of food borne mold growth to help develop my hypothesis. What the researcher discovered was that food storage at low temperature slows many of the enzymatic reactions involved in spoilage and reduces the growth rate of microorganisms. (Microsoft Encarta, 2007) This literature review shows that refrigeration slows the growth rate of mold. Further, the article demonstrated that refrigerators should be kept at temperatures 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit to minimize bacterial growth.In this procedure the researcher discovered that refrigeration does indeed slow the growth rate of mold. Many organisms will not grow at all or will grow at a slower rate if stored in low temperatures. While low temperatures are not bactericidal, the low temperatures do slow the growth rate of bacteria. Although a few microbes will grow in super cooled solutions as low as minus 20o c, most foods are well-preserved against microbial growth in the household freezer. (Todar, Kenneth, 2011) In this article it states that even a household freezer can preserve foods against growth of mold if set at the right temperature.The researcher discovered that the zip lock baggie that the freezer in this experiment did in fact preserve the bread against the growth of mold. DESIGN The experiment design will be as follows: The researcher will purchase a loaf of commercially produced wheat bread and record the rate of mold growth on that bread over a period of 10 days at three different temperatures. The researcher will use commercial grade thermometers placed in a standard refrigerator, freezer and kitchen countertop to measure temperature. A commercial grade thermometer was used as it is close to the same type used in a typical restaurant.The researcher will place one piece of bread in a clear, sealed zip lock bag and put one of those bags in each of the three temperatures zones. Zip lock baggies were chosen over any other standard container because it was t he best choice to keep out any bacteria that might give false results. She will remove each test bag from its controlled temperature zone and measure the mold growth on each piece of bread through the clear zip lock bag using a fractional ruler. The researcher will record those measurements in a log book noting the time, temperature variation if any, and size of mold growth in inches.She will then immediately replace the bag back into its respective temperature zone. The researcher will repeat those measurements for 10 days and summarize my findings at that time. The researcher will be using commercially available wheat bread so that the results of this experiment can be at least partially generalized to all commercial bread products. She will be using common temperature settings throughout the experiment to mimic what is found not only in most households, but also in many commercial food establishments.

Investment Portfolio for the Susan Griffin Case Study

Investment Portfolio for the Susan Griffin - Case Study Example According to Susan's listing, her nondiscretionary expenses include utility bills, automobile expenses, and medical insurance. She notes that these expenses will be difficult to cut down since regardless of the turn in her business ventures, she must continue leading a comfortable life. However, she acknowledges that there are possibilities of reducing expenditure on some of her nondiscretionary items including holiday gifts and clothes. Other items that she opted to reduce spending on included her discretionary expenses that included the travel, membership, and occasional purchases. Additionally, she may as well forgo the expenses accrued in the tax-deductible expenses including charitable giving and property taxes. After determining the assets, it would be vital for Griffin to determine the appropriate asset allocation. This is usually the most challenging step since it is associated with varied risks; however, it is worth noting that high risk usually results in high returns. None theless, it is advisable for Griffin to allocate her assets in different ventures so that she may spread the risks (Elton 707). Her current financial needs are quite high; therefore, it would be for investments into businesses that will have equivalent or higher returns.   The greater return possibilities usually come at greater losses risk expenses. This is usually determined by risk/return tradeoff. Therefore, it would be appropriated for Griffin to subdivide her liquid asset into the degree of risks. Ventures that are associated with high risks must have higher percentages of her investment. From the list of her appreciate selections, the High – yield bonds or the â€Å"junk† bonds should be the first priority since they are issued with companies associated with relatively high credit risks. The company should be allocated fifty percent of the total investment followed by investment – grade bonds which should be allocated 35 percent. The investment grade bo nds are noted to be supplied by high credit quality companies; however, such companies have less liquid compared to treasury security. The rest of the investment should investments in the U.S. Treasury bonds (Reilly and Brown 88). This company is not associated with credit risks and has it is very liquid; hence, they are easy to buy and sell. The latter company ventures less into a risky business; thus, it is unlikely to make much profit.   It should be noted that Griffin was worried about active involvement into the business, these investment types will keep her active by monitoring the movement of these three stock markets and with the advice from her brokers, she will know when to sell and buy the same with return maxim. Through these investments, Griffin will maintain her monthly expenditure and still lead a comfortable life.

Not one less (film review) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Not one less (film ) - Movie Review Example Specifically, teachers in the school can go for several months without payment, important tools of delivering education are in scarcity, and beds are not enough for every student. The film is based on the tenets of the deplorable state of poverty the Chinese rural areas are undergoing. Poverty is prominent when Wei Minzhi is forced to share a bed with a lot of other fellow students. Further, poverty is evident in that the schools are suffering from the scarcity of important materials like chalks for writing. In fact, poverty is the real issue that faces most rural parts in china. The state of affairs in such parts of the country is best described in this movie. In a nutshell, the unfolding of events in this film is a true representation of what is taking place in the rural parts of china, where most pupils are forced to abandon schooling due to abject poverty. The political structure is another prominent theme articulated by Zhang Yimou. The film exposes how verbal negotiation, bureaucracy, and struggle are the main attributes that characterize the contemporary politics in the china’s society. Zhang Yimou creates scenery that pits Wei as the only female who has the guts to withstand her obstacles despite the fact that she does not have money. Most of the characters in this film seem to be very blind to following all that the corrupt authority offers. These characters do not have the courage to question anything that is being proposed by the authority, they only accept and move on. Though Wei is poor and does not have any powers in the society, she stands tall against her obstacles because of her persistency. In this case, Wei is a representation of the few courageous people in the Chinese country who are ready to face difficulties while challenging how the leaders conduct things. The determination of Wei through speech is an example of heroes in the society. Heroism requires perseverance of the highest order

The Semantic Web and Relational Databases essay

The Semantic Web and Relational Databases - Essay Example I think maybe when you've got an overlay of scalable vector graphics - everything rippling and folding and looking misty on Web 2.0 and access to a semantic Web integrated across a huge space of data, you'll have access to an unbelievable data resource." (Wikipedia, 2009) World Wide Web consortiumW3C is working on this technology to make it more efficient, extendable and presentable to the users. Semantic Web enables the user to find, share and combine information on the web. It is based on machine readable information and uses XML technology to define customized tagging. It provides the common language to represent how the data is related to real world objects. The central idea is to provide the specific user requirements from the web. It is not a communication between web pages, but it describes relationships between objects. A software database technology includes some aspects through which semantic web works. Data which is transferred by human intervention or by machine is portably collected in a data space. Data spaces are domain specific. They are identified by an identifier. The data which can be viewed in object oriented view is called a data space. Linked data is a part of the Semantic web which is identified by URI (Uniform resource identifier). The Data or object existed in the data space must be movable and can be identified and cited by the uniform resource identifier whenever required. Open linked database, which is called as â€Å"ODS† is a distributed, collaborative web application platform, social network and content management system. It has been written using VSP, VSPX and the open link AJAX toolkit. It incorporates wide range of industry standards for data access and management (Wikipedia, 2009).

Journal Of Course Readings Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Journal Of Course Readings - Coursework Example Nevertheless its study is still of great importance in order to grasp the dynamics of the cognitive capacities of a human being. P.D. REYNOLDS A theory no matter how abstract it may be presented is still bound by reality, it can be a result of experiments, observations, or simply the product of insights on how something works or how it comes into existence. But ultimately these theories start with a simple idea. DAVID HUME To further delve into the concept of what actually is an idea and what gives birth to it, there is a need to understand its origins. In or daily existence we perceive a lot of things, which are consciously or unconsciously stored in our memory. Different perceptions stored in our minds in the form of memory or imagination mimic the sensations, perceived by the body’s five senses, in so far as representing the perception based on its characteristics. (e.g. how a body shivers whenever feeling cold) But can never fully copy the force of the actual perception fe lt by the body (Hume, 2008, p.7). Hence we often come across phrases such as â€Å"we can almost taste† what a certain food actually tastes like. Otherwise if no such limitation is placed, an individual would be able to transcend the need for physical contact or worse madness may set in. Feeling an emotion is different from thinking how that same emotion felt like. Thus it is worth noting that, of all the thoughts that an individual posses about different subjects that he or she had encountered, it is the vaguest of these thoughts that make a person’s ideas. If an individual does not have a clear perception in mind about a certain subject all the information pertaining to that subject will simply be impressions of the individual. Such impressions can be correct or incorrect, or based on the individuals innate nature or referenced from another impression. Thus we can also come across a phrase like, â€Å"I was under the impression† that this was how it was suppos ed to be done. KARL POPPER Due to an individual’s orientation and or nature one can develop ideas into theories, scientific or non scientific in nature, and through the criticism that these theories yields more objective knowledge as it opens the door to more questions and possibilities for its own improvement or paves the way for it to be debunked. Nonetheless the process of criticizing a theory rather than holding on to its proposed validity ensures that it is cleared of any biases, and false claims thus promoting objectivity even more. T. KUHN Furthermore if a theory can be criticized then it is not farfetched that a deviation from a long standing train of thought brought about by a theory is possible. A paradigm shift, or an event of deviation from a widely known belief founded to incur several anomalies. Hence, a shift is needed, once an established theory is proven to be unprecedented and sufficiently open-ended. Much like in conducting an experiment, in order to prove its validity, repetitive experiments are done to gain acceptance in the research community. There are different kinds of paradigm which can explain parts and parcel of different events. Such weakness prevents them to gain notable success. Paradigm shift is a radical idea in expounding and establishing new concepts that contributes to contemporary beliefs and making them more sophisticated and comprehensive theories.

Public Finance-Social Security Insolvency Essay

Public Finance-Social Security Insolvency - Essay Example At the initial stage of this program, permanently disabled soldiers and widows of soldiers were given the benefits of social security policies. The most noted disadvantage of this program is that it had not designed any provisions for the Confederate side veterans and families. In order to remove the inefficiencies of the program and to coordinate the whole unions of soldiers, this program was restructured later and thereby all unions of soldiers got the benefit of the program regardless of the intensity of their injuries. Due to the expansion of the program, the federal government was driven to spend more than one third of its funds to meet the military pensions in 1984. The United States was shaken by the great depression of 1930 when millions of Americans lost their jobs and struggled to meet the livelihood. The event prompted the thoughts of a comprehensive social security system for the survival of the weakest in times of such severe situations. Franklin Roosevelt became the pre sident of America in 1932 and the depression was at its intense stage in this period. He was the first person who suggested an idea of social insurance in America although it was characterized by several weak aspects. Roosevelt’s idea was the milestone in the history of social security programs and it was molded into its present form subsequent to various amendments of Roosevelt’s basic frame. ... This plan persuaded the workers to set aside a specified percentage of their income to a separate account so that they can use this amount to meet the monthly expenses after retirement. Subsequently, Social Security Act (SSA) came into force in 1935. Since 1935 the SSA system has been exercising in US with relevant modifications in accordance with changing economic situations and population of the country. Currently, social security system in United States is known as Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. Deaven and Andrews (vii) lists other social security programs which include â€Å"Unemployment Insurance, Temporary Assistance to Needy families, Health Insurance for Aged and Disabled (Medicare), Grants to States for Medical Assistance Programs (Medicaid), State Children’s Health Insurance programs (SCHIP), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). 2. Causes of the anticipated insolvency: Anticipated insolvency or expected insolvency is a threa t to business as it leads the business to failure in the near future. Insolvency may occur in small businesses as well as in big businesses although small business ventures have more possibility to confront with it. There are large numbers of causes for anticipated insolvency. Lack of working capital is the main cause of anticipated insolvency as it interrupts the smooth running of the business (The 65 most common reasons for business failure). The inadequate capital resources cause to diminish the management incompetence which is the catalyst that leads the business upwards. The thoughtless managerial decisions, unfair issue of credits, and unnecessary purchases are the major factors which create the situation of capital deficiency. Unforeseen contingencies like floods,

Module Procedure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Module Procedure - Essay Example It is also contempt of court for a jury member to ask for opinions and views on case from a person who is not part of the jury. However, in order to determine the facts and background information of the case in question, some jurors have gone ahead and fetched information from the internet. It is highly unlikely that the information available on the internet is reliable.1 A good percentage of the information on the internet is either exaggerated or false. Hardly do you find substantial facts on a case on the internet and it is illegal to use it for legal reasons. Basically it is the obligation of jurors to base their verdict only on the facts presented at the courtroom and not outside. It is also against the rules of a just deliberation to use the internet as a source of information to back up a case. Jury deliberation is where the jury, after a court proceeding thoughtfully, exits the courtroom to the deliberation room, listens and considers both sides of a case or a trial in order to reach a just verdict. Here, they share and exchange elements of a case that has just been presented before them with utmost fairness, analyze them and settle on a common decision. Usually, the deliberation is facilitated by a fair, strong opinionated juror.2 Basically, this is where the jury spits out their interpretation or understanding of t he case, collectively analyze and test each other’s points without biasness or bullying in order to come up with a reasonable common verdict, usually within law. The deliberation usually set the basis for any judgment that will be passed. The jury is usually not allowed to hold any external consultation to come up with a verdict. The advancement in technology and easy access to the internet has enabled jurors to obtain information on cases and parties involved with ease. Internet research by jurors is not allowed in criminal and civil trials because it has been described as a cause of the increasing cases of mistrials in the modern l aw courts. 3Judges have a responsibility of instructing jurors to avoid doing internet search on the case at hand. Despite the instructions from judges, many jurors have not refrained from using the internet in getting extra information about a case in which they are involved or the people who are involved in the case. It is also important to note that jurors are instructed to refrain from sharing case information with the public but among themselves. However, the access to social networking and electronic media has caused jurors to share with other people about cases and as a result they obtain questionable information about the case which plays a role in their perceptions about those who are being tried. The restriction that the jurors are given in the access of the internet is however limited to that period when deliberations on the case has began. The misuse of the internet by jurors has become a serious problem within the justice system.4This is illustrated by the easy with whi ch jurors can access obscure information on the individuals involved in cases through blogging or accessing information on Facebook or Twitter. These sites do not offer credible information because online community would post malicious or exaggerated information about individuals involved in case proceedings and thus make jurors to have a biased perception about a case. It has been revealed that jurors fall into the temptation of web search and which

What Race and Ethnicity Means Essay Example for Free

What Race and Ethnicity Means Essay When I hear the word â€Å"race†, the first thing that I think of is a person’s skin color, facial features and the texture of their hair. Although I am colorblind, I can’t help but to think of this when I hear the word race. This is due to the fact that the majority of the time when we fill out an application or any paperwork of importance the question of race is raised. I’m not sure why it matters, your experience and education seems more important to me. It seems as if some people still want to separate us depending on the color of our skin. Being that there’s so many races mixing, there’s no such thing as a pure race. Race seems to be unimportant to me. Ethnicity is a word that I prefer and enjoy when speaking of culture. Ethnicity makes me think of everybody’s struggle dating back from their ancestors to the present. Where did your ancestors originate? Where did you come from? Ethnicity is ones background and cultural differences. For example just because I am considered black doesn’t mean that I am from Africa; which means that I will be considered an African American. I thought for years that I was an African American till an African man that I was friends with broke it down to me and gave me some knowledge to read. He is considered an African American because he’s from Africa and now resides in America. I am considered to be a black American because I’m from America. This is weird being that my ancestors were American Indians. Your ethnicity is the group that others place you. I do have my personal opinion on all of this and why America still tries to identify us by race. Since my opinion was asked I felt the need to tell the truth on how I feel. Race and ethnicity are important in America because some people in the government still strives for division and don’t want us to come together as one. It seems as if the government gets more powerful when we separate ourselves from each other. If we all were to come together I feel as if they would consider us as a threat.

A Case study of j boats

A Case study of j boats Objective: The objective of this essay is to look at the issue of organizational tensions and basics for successful strategy via the case study of J Boats. This essay introduces the case study of J Boats and the key players, details the five forces analysis, looks at resources and capabilities, tensions, the 4 Ps of strategy and finally comes up with the future recommendations to management and strategic risks faced by J Boats. J Boats and Key players: J Boats is Americas most successful and famous boat-builder. Over the period has won many awards. J Boats operates its business in eight countries Argentina, Australia, Italy, France, England, Japan, Brazil and South Africa. Each year, over 100,000 people around the world sailed on one of their boats. It is operated by only five individuals of a single family. Rod who is the founder of J boats made his first boat Ragtime in 1974. Bob is the co-founder of the company and elder brother of Rod and he made the strategy of business. Jeffery, son of Rod became president of the company in 1987. Stuart and Drake sons of Bob became vice-president and sales manager in the same year 1987. Alan, son of Rod became product development manager. In 1993 Drake left his position and Jim (nephew of Rod and Bob) became sales coordinator. Tillotson Pearson International (TPI) is the major supplier of the company. J Boats has a network of 65 independent of dealers around the world . Five Forces Analysis: The five forces analysis provides a useful framework and checklist for analyzing the competition dynamics of any given industry (Simons 2000, pg 19). The five forces that determine the degree and nature of competition in boating industry are: industry 1. Threat of new entrants Easy to set up for example boat manufacturing can take place in home garage. High investment in research and development and product innovation required. J Boats has created professional dealer network distribution. J Boats have a long history of heavy advertising and this has earned brand equity and loyal customers all over the world. 2. Suppliers All the Boats of J boats are building by TPI and this gives supplier, TPI, a lot of bargaining power. On other hand there is mutual agreement between TPI and J Boats where TPI is exclusive manufacture for J boats. 3. Substitutes Large numbers of recreational activities available e.g. skiing, swimming and outdoor sports such soccer etc. 4. Buyers Buyers are price sensitive. Buyers can easily switch to different suppliers. Dealer earn industry standard margin. 5. Industry rivalry High fixed cost increases the firms willingness to discount to utilize capacity, increasing rivalry. Firms Resources and Capabilities: Resource is more broadly defined as strength of the business embodied in the tangible or intangible assets that are tied semi permanently to the firm (Simons 2000, pg 21). Capabilities refer to the special resources and know-how possessed by a firm that gives it competitive advantage in the market place (Simons 2000, pg 23). J Boats has strengths in the major functional areas of a business, such as research and development and marketing and sales. It has ability to respond quickly and effectively to market needs. J Boats capabilities are also created by being first at creating new design- a first mover and locking out competitors. Tension in organization: Organizations are complex entities in which managers must balance a variety of forces (Simons 2000, pg 7). J Boats needs to balance opportunities and attention. It has three projects in production J/160, J/32 and J/100 that absorbs time and money. It is hard for a company to decide which project to continue with for next years. The managers must ration their time and attention wisely. Secondly, J boats are attempting to grow it business however an excessive emphasis on growth can lead to danger without consideration to profitability. J boats need to balance profit, growth and control. J boats need to make strong financial planning. Only when a business is profitable can managers focus on growing the business (Simons 2000, pg 8). The 4Ps of Strategy: These are Perspective Mission, Position in Industry, Patterns of Action and Plans Goal. These are explained below. Mission statement: A mission statement is a formal commitment to stakeholders that the companys strategy incorporates and recognizes their claims on the organization (Hill 2007 p 34). J Boats mission is to become one of Americas most successful and famous boat- builders. Position in Industry: Means what industry position it wants to achieve through its strategies? (Hubbard, Jaynes, Clowes, Winter, Samuel, Pg. 3.7, 2009). J Boats wants to build best performance sailboats, thus creating value by offering quality products. Patterns of Action: To succeed over the long term, managers must keep their eyes focused on customers and competitors and their ears to the ground. They must listen and learn (Simons 2000, pg 37). J Boats is a best performing brand because of product innovation, advanced research and development and networks and relationships with suppliers and buyers. J Boat is very creative and fast moving with a new idea and currently its moving in low cost boat. Plan Goals: Goals are the ends or results that management desires to achieve in implementing the business strategy. Plans and goals can be used to communicate strategies and coordinate actions (Simons 2000, pg 32). From management perspective greater success of company is to handover J Boats successfully to next generation. Recommendation: These are a few recommendations that could support company to perform in more effective and efficient manner in future. These are explained below. Effective planning system: Effective financial planning means the development and implementation of co-ordinate plans for the achievement of a clients overall financial objectives (Leimberg 2007, p 3). J boats need to make strong financial planning. These will tell the J boats that whether the company is running as efficiently as possible or not. It will also help management to analysis cash flow position, further investment objective and goals. Quality and performance: By being the first mover (means first to create a new performance boat design) in the niche product segment ( i.e. quality and performance) alone is not sufficient to ensure this advantage is maintained, and J Boats must continue to innovate in product development, maintain good supplier and dealer network and stay one step ahead of its competitors. Expansion: To create long-term strategic advantage, J Boats really needs to look to expansion options that ensure strong growth and profitability. On this basis, expansion of new low cost boat and different supplier bases will provide a good foundation. Strategic Risk: The process of overseeing the management of all the firms risks is strategic risk management (Hubbard, Jaynes, Clowes, Winter, Samuel, 2009). However, it is vital that the risk attached to any options is carefully considered by J Boats before embarking on these options. They will significantly change the underlying business model of J Boats, increasing the level of complexity and uncertainty associated with revenue streams generated from new products and markets. In order to successfully integrate any expansion into the existing business, J Boats must ensure that risk management becomes an essential component of the business planning cycle. Conclusion: Future growth and development are clearly important factors in the J Boats business model. The development of brands loyalty and consistency of product innovation and expansion into low cost boat is likely to be the way to success. J Boats ensured that one of the Johnstons was represented on the class association executive board to monitor closely any proposed changes in racing rules that might affect specifications and allowable equipment when racing, this a good example of how the company is ensuring its well placed for the future and has strong capabilities that are able to meet the strategic goals of the company. Company should understand running a business on one supplier base is much more risky in term of long future plan thus its vital to have more than one supplier. Finally we recommend J Boats to consider rotation of duties for fear that if misfortune happen to a family member the business will continue in future without major interruption.