The Game-Changer free essay sample

CRAAACK! I take two steps backward, hear screams from the stands, and fall down next to home plate. As I lower my head to the dirt, I spit out a thick mixture of blood and teeth. I was just hit straight in the mouth by an 80 mile-per-hour fastball. When the ambulance arrives, I stand up, to the surprise of terrified parents muttering about possible brain damage. My teammates stare at me as if I have risen from the dead. My solemn, stern coach is crying. I began to think that my life would never be the same, but did not realize that it may have changed in a positive way. What turned out to be the last baseball game I would play in high school would also prove to be the climax of my decade-long obsession with the sport. For the majority of my childhood, baseball was my life. I did not refer to periods of the year as â€Å"winter† or â€Å"summer†, but rather â€Å"the off-season† and â€Å"game time†. We will write a custom essay sample on The Game-Changer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My bedroom was filled to the brim with autographed balls, posters, and bats. I could not possibly comprehend how any American citizen could dislike our national pastime, and secretly held grudges against those who did. I could play, too. Boy, could I play. I was a member of the citywide all-star team from the age of 9 onward. I hit my first homerun at age 11, and let everyone I had ever met know it. All of my friends were fellow baseball players, and we would spend long summer days playing catch and homerun derby, talking about how someday we would play together in the big leagues. High school baseball was something completely different for me. The added pressure brought by weeklong tryouts, brutally lengthy practices, and the hope of progressing toward the Varsity team took some of the fun out of the game. My hobby turned into a hassle, and my nerves began to keep me from playing as well as I could. My dream of being a Varsity baseball player was closer than ever, but I was now playing with the hope of impressing the older players and the head coaches, instead of for my own enjoyment. After a life-changing moment or a near-death experience, many people choose to re-evaluate their lives. I did something very similar after the warm July night when I lost my teeth. When the pitch came, I thought it was a curveball, and stayed in the box to impress the Varsity players with my bravery. The pitch never curved, and my life has changed drastically ever since. At first, I felt that nothing positive could possibly come out of a fractured jaw, the loss of six front teeth, and a seemingly wasted summer spent traveling to dental appointments and eating soft foods. I quickly realized, however that I did not have to let sports determine the course of my high school life, and that I had numerous other interests and talents to explore. I knew that I would be free to live my life as I truly wanted, and so I gave up my beloved sport. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, but one that has made me into a stronger person. Before, I could be defined as a â€Å"baseball kid†, but now I truly have too many different interests to be grouped into one category. In the year since my injury, I have been able to pursue many new facets of social and academic life. I have found the confidence to do things which I was previously hesitant to do, like join the school chorus, try out for the musical, and even start my own club. By re-evaluating my life through the decision to give up baseball, I have been able to experience many things that my previous sports-minded self would never have considered taking part in. Although my baseball accident was one of the worst events to ever occur in my life, the resulting decisions that I was able to make about my future have profoundly changed my outlook on life and allowed me to find my true self.

Free Essays on James Watts Biography

James Watt (1736-1819) James Watt was born in Greenock in 1736. Watt had little formal education because he had health problems during his childhood, but helping his father and seeing his father work at his shop made Watt develop an interest to make things work better. Later he went to London to learn to be a "mathematical and philosophical instrument maker", and when he returned to Glasgow he got a job making instruments with Glasgow University, who gave him a workshop. In 1763 John Anderson asked him to repair a steam engine he had bought. This early model was called: the Newcomen engine and it was very inefficient. The cylinder (where the piston was) had to be heated when steam was admitted, and then it had to be cooled again to condense the steam. This wasted a lot of time and fuel. Two years later, Watt had the idea of condensing the steam in a separate vessel. This removed the necessity for heating and cooling, making the engine faster, safer, and more fuel-efficient. The Watt’s engine was 75% more efficient than Newcome engine. Then Watt met Matthew Boulton, a Birmingham engineer, and started to make business with his new improved steam engine. At first Watt’s engines were used for pumping water from cornish tin and copper mines, steam power was used mainly for spinning, but eventually weaving was also powered by steam engine. By 1819, there were 18 steam weaving factories in Glasgow.This influenced into the Industrial Revolution, because people started to lose their jobs and the machines will replace them because now the industries preferred the machines. Besides of being an intelligent and creative person, Watt was also an insecure and a jealous person. When one employee of the company, a man named William Murdoch, started to experiment with high pressure of the steam engine, Watt discourage him from continuing his work. Murdoch’s engine was better and smaller than Watt’s engine. However, Murdoch... Free Essays on James Watt's Biography Free Essays on James Watt's Biography James Watt (1736-1819) James Watt was born in Greenock in 1736. Watt had little formal education because he had health problems during his childhood, but helping his father and seeing his father work at his shop made Watt develop an interest to make things work better. Later he went to London to learn to be a "mathematical and philosophical instrument maker", and when he returned to Glasgow he got a job making instruments with Glasgow University, who gave him a workshop. In 1763 John Anderson asked him to repair a steam engine he had bought. This early model was called: the Newcomen engine and it was very inefficient. The cylinder (where the piston was) had to be heated when steam was admitted, and then it had to be cooled again to condense the steam. This wasted a lot of time and fuel. Two years later, Watt had the idea of condensing the steam in a separate vessel. This removed the necessity for heating and cooling, making the engine faster, safer, and more fuel-efficient. The Watt’s engine was 75% more efficient than Newcome engine. Then Watt met Matthew Boulton, a Birmingham engineer, and started to make business with his new improved steam engine. At first Watt’s engines were used for pumping water from cornish tin and copper mines, steam power was used mainly for spinning, but eventually weaving was also powered by steam engine. By 1819, there were 18 steam weaving factories in Glasgow.This influenced into the Industrial Revolution, because people started to lose their jobs and the machines will replace them because now the industries preferred the machines. Besides of being an intelligent and creative person, Watt was also an insecure and a jealous person. When one employee of the company, a man named William Murdoch, started to experiment with high pressure of the steam engine, Watt discourage him from continuing his work. Murdoch’s engine was better and smaller than Watt’s engine. However, Murdoch...

Hospitality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Hospitality Management - Essay Example The purpose of communication is to clearly understand people and for the other people to understand me. The different background and personalities along with the different perceptions present great challenges in comprehending people and things. If my communication are, thus, improved, then the benefits are overly broad. Excellent communication skills will help be achieve a successful response from individuals, as well as the surroundings. It will help me build sound relationships in a personal and business setting. It will help me develop efficient problem solving plus decision making skills and improve my level of productivity. Effective communication skills will also improve my work flow and my personal and professional image. Finally, proper communication skills will help in compelling my advocacy. The reality is that proper communication skills are significant to peoples growth. It has to be among the areas which people must give consideration if they are having a personal develo pment plan. I have three areas of communication, which I feel I need to be good at in order to achieve my personal development plan. These areas include listening skills, writing skills and oral communication skills. In writing communication, it is significant that people know my English position, as well as my business English. In both of these views, my writing must be overly effective. I should know these diverse styles in writing and also when to apply each of the style. In listening communication, it is advisable to listen to what my heart and mind tells me. In order to achieve the effective listening skills, I have to maintain eye-contact with the people who speak or listen to me and never interrupt the speaker. I should learn to express my understanding through nodding instead of just interrupting the speaker like I used to do in the past. If I

The shortcomings experienced in the adult learning system syllabi that Dissertation

The shortcomings experienced in the adult learning system syllabi that is implemented by prisons departments - Dissertation Example This essay discusses that the British prison educational system has many challenges to overcome if it desires to address its mandate of rehabilitating prisoners. The British government must deal with the fact that the vast majority of the people it incarcerates have tremendous learning problems, including suffering from high levels of illiteracy and innumeracy than the general population. As a result, education in prisons is filled with many obstacles that the British government, staff, and prisoners must overcome. In order to ascertain the efficacy of its educational programmes in prison, the British government provides tests and diagnoses to seek if it can remedy the problems of prison learning. The issue of evaluating inmates remains a central concern for the prison educational system because of the particular characteristics of inmates that impact their learning, including the fact that some serve shorter sentences versus longer sentences, the lack of funding for classes, the abs ence of a system of transferring school records to the next prison, the lack of a uniform educational system for all, the constraints of prison life, the lack of access to the Internet and library, the lack of high level courses, etc. All of these factors and more militate against inmates learning in the prison educational system. However, in giving these tests, the thesis of this dissertation argues it has uncovered even more problems in terms of making these prisoners take them over and over again, which is called repetitive assessment diagnosis. Finally, it makes recommendations on how to address this problem. The construction of the syllabi design and implementation should not have any items that will cause monotony, such as repetition. Major academic theories of syllabi design and the implementation argue that the learning environment of learners may be definitive of the actual outcome of the learning. Repetition serves as a particular problem of the prison educational system w ith compromising syllabus implementation for inmates. One of the problems that plague the prison educational system is the routine practice of the relocation of prisoners and their subsequent successive subjection to diagnostic assessments. On the other hand, it underscores plausible solutions with respect to the prison educational system in the United Kingdom. With the collaboration of A4E (Action for Employment), adult education system, and prison’s setting training are carried out. The concept of assessment in the learning process and its coordination in successive procedures are important in facilitating education among students. The learning experience of students should to be facilitated with the use of assessment techniques that encourage active participation. Repetition in assessments could result in alienation and loss of interest from students. A well designed assessment should facilitate self-evaluation and progression in personal development rather than be punitiv e and repetitive. This study examines the problems in the prison educational system of the United Kingdom in regards to the assessment failures in its tests, especially in regards to repetitive evaluations of transferred prisoners. In order to understand the impact of successive

Leadership style of a successful international businessman

Leadership style of a successful international businessman INTRODUCTION This essay explores the leadership style of a successful international businessman, Howard Schultz, the Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks coffee-house company, arguably the worlds most successful coffee company. Fellner (2008) credited Schultz with having a highly successful year in 2003 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with a net sales of $4.1 billion (almost twice what it had earned in 2000 when it yielded $265 million (p.16). Schultz was ranked as the 354th richest person within the USA in 2006 with a net worth of over one billion dollars (Forbes.com, 2006). Schultz joined the Starbucks Company initially as an executive in the early 1980s before becoming chief executive officer in 1987 and was credited for developing the company into an internationally recognized brand and multi-national corporation (James, 2009). He took a step down from CEO to Chairman in 2000 and witnessed the company struggle through the economic down-turn before returning to the helm as CEO in 2008 and navigating the compa ny through an international expansionist strategy whilst reducing the number of physical companies in the domestic US market. The premise of relevant leadership theories and models will be used to analyze the topic of Schultzs leadership style. In particular, one will assess the type of skills that he has demonstrated in order to ascertain his style of leadership in terms of competencies and meta-competencies. This assignment will enable the reader to understand what makes a successful entrepreneur and global leader by providing a lens into their world-view. In conjunction with references to academic discourse, the components of this effective leader are illuminated through a personal bibliography within the following section. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND SCHULTZS LEADERSHIP STYLE Burns (1978) introduced a theory on leadership that has had global implications for organizations. At the heart of Burns argument was a differentiation between two different types of leader: transformational and transactional. The latter often bases his approach on interactions and exchanges with those at lower organizational tiers in order to meet his desired strategic goals. In turn, his employees get what they require such as a salary, praise or promotion in exchange for what the leader values (such as effective performance levels). Conversely, a transformational leader seeks to redress employee/follower concerns and meet their desires whilst leading effectively and dealing with organizational issues at a higher contextual level. In this latter respect, followers are accorded respect and encouraged to develop as persons in their own right. They are also encouraged to participate at a collective level in order to ensure organizational objectives are met. Transformational Leaders te nd to adapt a selling style of leadership. The influence of this approach is captured in the following quote: [It] engenders high levels of motivation and commitment among followers/members. The emphasis is on generating a vision for the organisation and leaders abilities to appeal to the higher ideals and values of followers/members in order to achieve high performance, high commitment and high inclusion to an organisation or system (Rodgers et al; 2003: p.16). The emphasis shift from Transactional to Transformational leadership occurred in order to redress the hierarchical imbalance associated with Transactional theories by encouraging active participation and inclusion amongst followers. Discourse widely proffers that effective leadership development is an ambiguous and contested concept due in part to the variability of peoples leadership styles. Bryman (2007) argues that heroic and hierarchical forms of leadership that focus on a leaders competencies and behaviours have traditionally prevailed within business circles yet are increasingly unsuitable in the current and somewhat chaotic, global business environment (Collinson, Collinson, 2009: p.367). It is widely argued that modern leaders must eschew novel skill-sets, meta-competencies such as inter-personal skills and positive behaviours in order to increase organizational efficiencies and effectiveness (Kiel and Watson, 2009). Kutz discusses some of the tensions emanating from globali zation and free-market structures where a: Constant pressure to innovate, gives rise to continually changing contexts. In turn, these phenomena require executives and leaders to respond and adapt to quickly changing contexts (2008: p.18). Schultz recent advocated the use of mobile technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the company by accepting purchase payments through a mobile device. A Starbucks Card-Mobile iPhone application also enables use in a gift card capacity by presenting a technically secure QR bar code for baristas to scan in front of a high-tech 2D scanner during the payment process (Butcher, 2010). Participating customers now have the ability to reload their card balance via their mobile device using a major credit card. They also have the ability to check the status of their My Starbucks Reward status and to search for Starbuck stores in situ (ibid). From an historical perspective and before mobile technologies were piloted and implemented across New York Stores, Schultz had a vision to create 2000 physical stores by the year 2000. Some observers credit this vision with the driver behind Starbucks success. Schultz used his ability to translate this vision across the organizations management teams and supervisors who possessed micro level visions that directly sustained and supported his aims: His powerful communication skills define a leader who knows not only what he stands for, but also the values he promotes, and who knows how to make an emotional connection with his listeners (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2006: n.p). At a lower contextual level, management and supervisors directly supported their staff by providing them with the opportunity and resources to grow through various activities such as coaching, training, mentoring and educational opportunities. A shift towards a situated, networked and fluid leadership style based on n ovel forms of participation has been the consequence of Schultzs actions. Schultz stresses the importance of sharing both the success and the credit of entrepreneurship (Neff Citrin, 1999). Collinson Collinson cited research by Bolden et al. (2008, 2009) within the higher education establishments which identified strong evidence of distributed leadership. Conversely, and paradoxically, respondents (employees) also recognized the importance of powerful and inspiring leaders (2009: p.376). Schultz advocated the purchase of companies including Seattle Coffee Company in the UK and subsequently expanded their operations beyond the United States into Europe and South East Asia. By 2003 the number of stores rose to 6,000 and by 2010 approximately 16 thousand stores existed in over 50 countries (New York Times, 2010). The success of Starbucks has been attributed to Schultz collaborative style that contained powerful social essence, encouraged follower empowerment and which was seen as non-hierarchical and less-centralized compared to many other business models. Starbucks business strategy was driven by a man who exhibited effective leadership skills by empowering lower-tiered management and staff to participate in decision-making activities (associated with the 2000 vision) and by, for instance, providing universal healthcare for all employees. Starbucks uses 2 mission statements which are noted in the companys website: To inspire and nurture human spirit one person, one cu p, and one neighbourhood at a time and Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business (www.starbucks.com). James (2009) recently noted how the company still prides itself on its treatment of workers (baristas) who receive the same health benefits as all other tiers of the company: He gave baristas health care plus a share of the profit. When the AIDS epidemic was at its height, Starbucks paid for terminal illness care for employees for 29 months until the government took over (n.p). James also noted some of the current tensions facing Starbucks Corp and its CEO in particular. Schultz may have provided all employees with a 401(k) plan and stock options (including health benefits); however Starbucks Workers Union has restricted rights which limit its ability to defend staff against low-paid work and unsociable hours. James noted how Schultz stated: I was convinced that under my leadership, employees would come to realize that I would listen to their concernsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦If they had faith in me and my motives, they wouldnt need a union. On his return to the CEO fold in 2008, Schultz planned to dramatically reverse a decline in sales and achieve a turnaround in the companies financial performance at a time when the business world presumed that Starbucks had effectively lost its innovative edge. He advocated the closure of 300 US stores and cut hundreds of jobs yet aggressively opened hundreds of new stores beyond the US market (New York Times, 2010). Schultz took the decision to downsize in the US market and expand further globally with the support of his senior management team. This reflects Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy (1999, p. 365), who found that: [members] solidify into an interdependent team of mutually supporting friends and colleagues (cited in Bentley et al; 2004). Tobak, (2009) questions whether Schultz had the vision at that time to acknowledge that Starbucks undertook such changes without foreseeing the problems that may ensue. He conveniently blamed the economic downturn  [1]  for much or Starbucks p roblems when in fact significant problems occurred approximately 18 months before the economy: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦took a nose dive. From January 2007 to August 2008, its share price was off 60 percent while the Nasdaq index was essentially flat. This is not about the economy, and Schultz knows it (n.p). Schultz stated in a recent July/August 2010 Harvard Business Review article: The past two years have been transformational for the company and, candidly, for me personally. When I returned, in January 2008, things were actually worse than Id thought. The decisions we had to make were very difficult, but first there had to be a time when we stood up in front of the entire company as leaders and made almost a confession-that the leadership had failed the 180,000 Starbucks people and their families. And even though I wasnt the CEO, I had been around as chairman; I should have known more. I am responsible. We had to admit to ourselves and to the people of this company that we owned the mistakes that were made. Once we did, it was a powerful turning point. Its like when you have a secret and get it out: The burden is off your shoulders. Cited in Petty (2010: n.p) In early 2009, the company bounced back and has seen more store traffic and renewed earnings growth with Starbucks shares raising to $24 a share. By spring 2010, the company: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦announced its first dividend to be paid in cash to investors. In April, the company said its profit rose more than eightfold in the second quarter, as more customers visited its stores and spent more (ibid: n.p). Kiel Watson (2009) suggest that most organizational issues encompass human rather than technical challenges and suggest: While no academic study has been conducted on this topic [affective leadership and emotional intelligence], we believe that [those] who are successful in developing the support of their communitiesare ones who expend considerable emotional labo[u]r (p.22). Schultz leadership style has been described in the following terms: They dont teach caring in business schools, and benevolence isnt usually discussed in corporate management seminars. But these values anchor Schultzs leadership philosophy as he seeks to build connections between people through demonstrations of heart and conscience. Starbucks baristas, for example, receive a Green Apron Book that exhorts them to be genuine and be considerate. And the company works hard to treat its coffee growers in Third World countries with dignity while purchasing their products at above-market prices (Meyers, 2005, p. 1) Lara Wyss, Starbucks director of global consumer public relations also noted how: The company is testing concept stores with various platforms that fit in with its Shared Planet pledge hat each new store built in 2010 will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified (Zegler, 2010: p.62). Starbucks has recently introduced three concept stores in Seattle, Disneyland Paris and London. The former was recently redesigned in the light of its heritage concept theme and uses various recycled and revamped materials as part of its dà ©cor. Schultz illustrated examples of effective leadership by embracing a culture of open communication and by constructing active partnerships with his work-force. Schultz style of leadership would be at odds with a somewhat aggressive and negative management style that reflected an authoritarian and hierarchical leadership approach, such as that adopted by Michael OLeary from Ryanair. A Wall Street Journal (2009) article highlighted OLeary s abhorrence and total disregard of trade union power within the airline industry and how his drive for cost savings included the prospect of refusing free food for airline staff if the opportunity arose. Further criticism was directed at him for a perceived lack of moral leadership by refusing to provide wheel chair assistance for disabled passengers (Box Byus, 2005: p.68). Conversely: Starbucks was among the first companies to provide medical benefits to part-time employees. Today, however, Starbucks is spending more on healthcare than on coffee, and the workforce is nervous about shrinking benefits. Were not ever going to turn our backs on our partners [employees], says Schultz reassuringly. Then he faces reality. But we need relief. Where is the money going to come from? (US.news.com, 2005) In this respect, Schultz and OLeary are clearly different types of leaders with opposing leadership styles, yet both have similar beliefs in regards to trade union power. Fellners (2008) book viewed Schultz as the leader of a coffee chain with a proffered liberal consciousness and whose reputation was paradoxically categorized as a symbol of globalization and all that is immoral with free-market capitalism. She found paradoxes in the basis of employee friendly structures that espouse universal healthcare provision with anti trade-unionist practices; and between what she perceived as community individuality and forms of cultural hegemony. Carroll, Levy Richmond (2008) discussed Alvesson and Sveningssons (2003abc) research findings which stipulated that numerous managers involved in leadership development may effectively articulate abstract ideals such as vision and inspiration. However, an inability to define or explain concrete actions undertaken in pursuit of such ideals was also d eemed prevalent (ibid). CONCLUDING NOTES This section will provide a conclusion to the assignment and discuss some of its limitations. It was noted within the main body of text how different leadership styles can influence employee motivation and job satisfaction. A clear comparison can be made between Schultz leadership style and that of a successful entrepreneur in another industry (Michael OLearys Ryanair airline company). It was also discussed above how various leadership styles impact upon employee motivation and job satisfaction. Nelson and Quick (2006) attributed Schultzs leadership to a transformational style because his caring and generous nature reflects transformational leadership qualities. In some respects, it is clear that Schultz shows concern for the whole Starbucks organization and exhibits openness and debate amongst its employees and management rather than pursuing activities out of his own selfish interests. Spillane proposes that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ from a distributed perspective, leadership practice takes shape in the interactions of people and their situation, rather than from the actions of an individual leader (2004: p.3). In realist terms, Fellner (2008) illuminated the chaotic social and business blend that Schultz embraces which seeks to maximize corporate profit by targeting new markets (foreign markets, mobile technology markets) whilst exhibiting sufficient social justice tendencies. It is this paradox that has led Schultz and his team to constantly align itself with one set of principles whilst seeking solace in another set of principles that are arguably at opposing sides of the spectrum. Collinson Collinson (2009) noted how Cameron et al. (2006) viewed effective leaders as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦simultaneously paradoxical, integrating factors usually seen as competing, contradictory and even incompatible (ibid: 377). Schultz seems to have used high degrees of emotional intelligence by seeking alliances and partnerships within the Starbucks organization, rather than thrive on adversity and seek economic benefit from unethical channels. As noted above, OLearys approach to staff meals and customer wheel chairs highlight his domineering and hierarchical leadership approach whilst Schultz willingness to support employees suffering from HIV shows aspects of social justice in his personality traits. Schultz embraced change and development in a chaotic, competitive and complicated external environment. He seemed to display a significant amount of vision and emotional intelligence in order to transform the status quo into a global brand in over 50 countries. Overall, the literature suggests that modern leaders must provide effective leadership skills that compliment and encompass traditional management skills. These are increasingly linked to emotional intelligence, empowerment, empowerment, reflection, the ability to take risk without apprehension and the need to reflect upon the ethical and moral consideration of others. Schultz openness for social and ethical practices in pursuit of Starbucks business objectives has been applauded by many observers. Much of Schultz skills included trust building, negotiating with opponents and encouraging mutual co-operation. Therefore, one must possess a combination of hard, technical and softer, intuitive leadership skills in order to solidify their role as an effective leader in all situations. They must also be charismatic and inspirational yet calculated risk takers in order to navigate their respective organizations through the chaos and complexity (for instance, see Wheeler et al., 2007 in Coll inson Collinson, 2009)

Pyrotechnics :: essays research papers

PYROTECHNICS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pyrotechnics special effects are widely used in motion picture production to create all types of effects involving explosions, fires, light, smoke and sound concussions. The types of pyrotechnics materials used include flash powder, flash paper, gun cotton, black powder (gunpowder), smokeless powder, detonator explosives, and many more. They are used in bullet hits (squibs), blank cartridges, flash pots, fuses, mortars, smoke pots, sparkle pots, etc. The main problems of pyrotechnics include prematurely triggering the pyrotechnic effect, use of larger quantities or more dangerous materials than needed, causing a fire, lack of adequate fire extinguishing capabilities, and, of course, inadequately trained and experienced pyrotechnics operators. As a result of these risks, all pyrotechnics special effects are regulated at the federal, state and local level. In general, all pyrotechnics are explosives, but not all explosives are pyrotechnics. Class A explosives (high explosives) are materials like dynamite and Primacord which may detonate even if unconfined. Pyrotechnic special effects materials are Class B explosives. They will burn, but not explode unless confined. Examples are black powder and pellet powder, safety fuses, igniters, igniter cord, fuse lighters, Class B special fireworks, and Class B composite solids propellants. Class C explosives are common fireworks. Note that short lengths of Primacord may be classified as Class C under certain conditions. Both Class B and C explosives are also called low explosives. All pyrotechnic materials and other explosives consist of an oxidizer (source of oxygen) and a reducer (fuel). Examples of oxidizers include potassium nitrate, strontium nitrate, potassium perchlorate and potassium chlorate. Examples of fuels include metals like magnesium and aluminum, sulfur, silicon dioxide, and organic fuels like charcoal, starch, resins, and chlorinated hydrocarbons. The choice of fuel and oxidizer determines the type of effect (flash, smoke, sound, etc.) its color, and its intensity. There are two basic types of pyrotechnic materials: single component and two component systems. Single component materials will either burn if ignited, or explode if ignited when enclosed, since the oxidizer and fuel are in the same mixture. Flash paper, for example, is a partially nitrated cellulose and contains both fuel and oxidizer internally. The traditional black powder has potassium nitrate as the oxidizer, and sulfur and charcoal as fuels. In two component or binary systems, the oxidizer and fuel are separate components which are transported and stored separately and only mixed when ready to use.

Turning Strategy into Great Performance

First, let me start by explaining that a lot of times executives, and some HR leadership fail to recognize that performance and potential are two completely different dynamics that get often confused when companies are trying to hire new talent or possibly promote their current talent for new roles within their organizations. In fact, today's leaders cannot assume that their current top performers are the next potential talent in the industry for future purposes. Certainly, high performers may master their specific job task at the moment, but the â€Å"potential† challenge is going to be how well they will adapt to future role changes, and the ambiguity that may follow with that new role and their current skills capability. Unlike performance, individuals showing potential are identified by how well they adapt at accomplishing new tasks quickly and effectively while learning new roles quicker than their peers. After all, performance keeps businesses running optimally at the moment, but it's potential that helps run the future state of the business and that's what's needed to bring companies to the next level. Besides, employees who have potential have the ability to grow and take on more responsibilities in the future. In short, performance keeps the business moving, while potential makes the business prosper, grow, and mature.In fact, this is where the dynamic changes to potential rather than performance. In his book on Strategy-Driven Talent Management, Silzer and Dowell, (2009) explains that Executives and human resource personnel need to be better trained at accurately assessing talent to identify both potential and behavior rather than just judging by past performance because they will need to predict and envision whether a person will be successful in the long-term or not in future new roles. In the same way, they will need to take into consideration the fact that before moving existing talent into future positions that assessment measures must be taken whether these individuals will continue to be able to perform and grow in their new roles as they did in their past roles. In particular, consider how likely they are to develop and be successful in rapidly learning, adapting, and growing into these future roles (Silzer, & Dowell, 2009). In the same way, Church and Rotolo, (2013) explain in their benchmark survey of large corporations that multi-source assessment tools are a great way for organizations to make decisions about their potential talent and performance identification within their talent pools; help aid in succession planning; and drive behavior change for those selected individuals. In addition, they emphasized that not one specific tool is perfect, but that in using many feedback assessment tools the common end result should point to the same conclusion. In fact, they found specifically that the constant feedback from executives and their peers using 360-degree feedback surveys were successful in almost 70% of the organizations researched. The 360-degree feedback survey helped executives make important decisions regarding their talents potential and performance measurements towards predicting future behavior. Similarly, they also discussed the importance of making these surveys specific to their own needs, challenges, and business strategies (Church, & Rotolo, 2013).Likewise, Dries, Vantilborgh, & Pepermans, (2012) explain the role of learning agility and career variety in the identification and development of high potential employees. Their research found that in order to help identify talent in high potential individuals those individuals needed to succeed in a variety of other roles while being subjected to tough or difficult conditions other than their current limited job tasks and their past performance alone. In fact, those select employees needed to have a high agility for continuous learning they had to be willing and able to learn new competencies. Nevertheless, they emphasized that management in the past have always depended on current job performance to identify high potentials, but have failed because not all high performers are high potential individuals. In brief, they emphasized the need for a learning agility assessment in their development and identification of high potential individuals, in order for organizations to sustain their competitive advantage (Dries, Vantilborgh, & Pepermans, 2012). Equally important, is Campbell & Smith's, (2010) article on High-potential talent: A view from inside the leadership pipeline. These two researchers found that an overwhelmingly 96% of survey participants said that both engagement and commitment were very high on their list for developing potential employees to be motivated to perform above and beyond their specific job duties. More importantly, they explained the vital role that their employee's experiences and perspectives play in identifying potential talent from within the companies talent pipeline. In fact, they believe that when companies invest in talent management to include both career pathways and support for their high potential employee developments that those processes help identify the next steps needed to advance leadership potential and performance within the organization. All the while, building employee engagement, commitment and loyalty to their organization that results in an overall business advantage (Campbell, & Smith, 2010). Nevertheless, because it's such a financial challenge to attract, develop, and support talent management policies for companies today, I believe it's vital for organizations to have in place retention initiatives, tools, and resources to help avoid any such loss of their high potential employees intellectual knowledge, skills, and abilities. Besides, there is a high cost of turnover for companies when employees leave for career advancement elsewhere. Surprisingly, Frey, & Stechstor, (2007) found in their double round of survey interviews of twelve senior human resource experts from large and medium multinational companies that in the first round of the survey, most companies had no real retention management policies or initiatives in place and that their attitudes towards retention management strategies varied greatly from some who thought it was critical to the success of the company, to some who didn't think retention tools were necessarily important at all (Frey, ; Stechstor, 2007). Subsequently, in the second round of survey questionnaires, collected from those same HR experts who were asked to then rate three specific categories of retention management tools that were deemed to be most important to them when possibly implementing them in their own retention policy strategies. The categories for the initiatives for retention were labeled as:1. ‘Must-have', 2. ‘Optional', or3. ‘Trend-setting' As a result of the data collected, in the first group of ‘must have' employee retention tools HR management of those twelve organizations thought that performance related pay, constant feedback, culture and developmental career opportunities were the highest priority for retention of high potential talent. Next, they thought that the second most important tools for retention that should be in the ‘optional' group were listed as job rotation, retirement benefits, coaching, and mentoring. Finally, in the third ‘trend setting' category the tools that they thought were good for future retention strategies were stock options, working from home, and specific job tailoring (Frey, ; Stechstor, 2007). In sum, the value of investing in employee training and development can help an organization in many ways. Namely, by having the ability to run a business leaner and more importantly, by helping to diversify the talent and potential that already exists within the organization. Certainly, when companies invest in their employee development and talent management policies it motivates employees to perform at their best, while at the same time offsetting costs associated with high employee turnover, and retention of skilled labor. All in all, in these difficult economic times when businesses are cutting costs and headcount, identifying and assessing high potential employees can help management move workers around to different areas of the business and run a leaner and cost efficient process. Finally, a company with good employee development also attracts loyal and motivated individuals. Simply put, businesses must have employees who are knowledgeable in more than one skillset to remain competitive. Altogether, training, assessments, and education help ensure that employees have the skills needed to perform their business needs. Therefore, when you invest in your employee's aspirations and abilities, it improves your business performance, efficiency, loyalty, and profit. In other words, the ROI on employee talent development is one of the best long-term investments that a company can make.