Business Model and Strategic Plan Essay Example for Free

Business Model and Strategic Plan Essay Advance Idea Mechanics is the new military weapon division of The Renco Group Inc. It is a promising addition that is designed to take its parent company to brand new heights in prestige and financial stability. In previous drafts, we outlined what Advance Idea Mechanics could do for its shareholders, now it is time to analyze how it compares to the vision and the strategic goals of The Renco Group Inc. Balanced Scorecard and Communication Plan The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used significantly in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to line up business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and observe organization performance against strategic goals. It is â€Å"A set of four measures directly linked to a company’s growth† (Pearce Robinson, 2009, p. 202). Here is a picture of how Advance Idea Mechanics matches up with The Renco Group Inc. vision and strategy. Financial Perspective – Shareholder’s Value The Balanced Scorecard or â€Å"dashboard† is a tool that gives managers and executives a â€Å"balanced† view of what the company is doing on the business side and how they are performing within the scope to the vision and strategy of the organization. The main responsibility of the company is to increase net revenue and achieve financial constancy while providing the best product and service at a reasonable price, on condition that customer satisfaction is met. To appraise the financial constancy of an organization, it is essential to compute the operating cost, growth income and return on interest and capital, and earnings per share. By utilizing efficient  processes we will be able to reduce expenses by lowering costs, improving on-stream time, and growing revenues. Advance Idea Mechanics new â€Å"state of the art† platform and processes will surely please The Remco Group Inc. as well as their shareholders of their financial viability. Customer Value Perspective If a business customer is satisfied, then a business knows that it is successful. Delivering uniformity in the price and superiority in your product helps to give the company an edge, over the competition, in the market, separating the company’s product by brand name or a particular image. This is how each company attracts the consumers, and builds hopefully, a long-term business relationship with the customer. Advance Idea Mechanics is doing that with the government by giving them the most advance products on the military stage. They not only sell a unique product, but they also provide a service, that no matter what their device encounters, Advance Idea Mechanics will provide a solution. Since our products will be in war torn areas it is important to know that safety of the people who use our product will be one of our main objectives. Advance Idea Mechanics wants to make sure that our clients leave their vehicles the same way they got in their vehicles. Advance Idea Mechanics will do on-going surveys to see what we can do to improve on the safety, care, comfort, and reliability of all the products we make. There will be a team operating twenty four hours a day to address any concerns that our clients might have. At Advance Idea Mechanics customer satisfaction is number one. Internal Business Process When it comes to customer satisfaction strategic planning is a must. It is used to raise customers and to present new products and to improving business capabilities. It is critical that we describe what our strategy is and use this to increase market share. By understanding our position, the company will be able to have the power it needs to evaluate its performance and line up with the vision and mission statement of the corporation. There will be internal audits of the goals and performance of the company, conducted daily, to monitor the balance scorecard to make any adjustments needed to have a flawless process, always keeping the concern of  the client at important. The Renco Group Inc. and its subsidiary, Advance Idea Mechanics, understand that the United States is a larger and powerful client and the earning potentials from this alliance can be huge. This is why it is important that we look at every metric to ensure that we are doing everything we can to satisfy the governme nt and stay loyal to our mission and vision. Learning and Growth Perspective The final piece of the Balance Scorecard is the learning and growth process. It is here that the vision aligns flawlessly with the company’s so that it can gain an aggressive upper hand and position in the marketplace. It focuses on the expansion and success of the business, and it focuses on the interior and exterior public, their thoughts and actions. The Renco Group Inc. and Advance Idea Mechanics use the Balance Scorecard as a tool to help the company to maintain its standing and also promote technological improvements. Advance Idea Mechanics will be a division that lives in the world of technological development and without it; it will be just another company. This is why one of the main changes that this perspective brings is an emphasis on employee training, to make ready for action employees, which will constantly improve their knowledge base and make them an effective part of our new vision. The second word in Advance Idea Mechanics is â€Å"idea† and we hope we can pull some of our inspiration from the people who work within the company. With a new division, fresh ideas, and a plan for internal employee training, The Remco Group Inc and Advance Idea Mechanics see no reason why we will not have great employee retention and a spirited workforce. Conclusion Advance Idea Mechanics is a new dream, but it is predicated on an idea that got its start from The Remco Group Inc. founding business. By using the Balance Scorecard and using the Communication Plan we know that we can implement strategic plan that will adhere to the principles outlined by the company’s vision and mission statements. It will take all four perspectives: Financial, Customer Perspective, Internal Business Process and Learning and Growth to move the company to the next level, but with monitoring and adjustments, shareholders will reap the benefits when the day is done. References Pearce II, J. A., Robinson, R. B. (2009). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation and Control (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. The Renco Group Inc.. (2014). Retrieved from http://rencogroup.net/index.php

Internet Censorship Essay -- Web Computers Technology Censoring Essays

The Internet distributes more information than any other medium in the world. There are several problems that have emerged along with the Internet, â€Å"As soon as the public began to use the Internet, people began to express concern about its use† (Clark 1). Some groups feel that the World Wide Web is dangerous because of it’s open accessibility, whereas other groups see that the Internet is something that can be used to share knowledge globally. The Internet should not be censored because censorship would restrict Americans’ first amendment rights; regulations have been tried and have failed in the past, and there are better methods of education and protection than censorship. The rights put forth by the first amendment protect the Internet. The first amendment states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (Wallace). In layman’s terms, this means that the government does not have the right to take away freedoms that involve speech or the press of the American people. The Internet’s lack of censorship encompasses Americans’ freedom because of the first amendment. The World Wide Web started as an idea that focused around the government’s need to communicate if there was a real war. In 1964 the Cold War was at its peak, the Advanced Researched Projects Agency, or ARPA began researching and developing a way to get computers to â€Å"communicate with each other,† this is how it all started (The Internet's History and Development). The government scientists who were, â€Å"developing networking technology in the 1960's knew that what they were building would be far bigger than themselves; nobody, however, could have predicted the explosion in Internet access and interest in the past several years† (The Internet’s History and Development). The government’s idea of an easier way to communicate during wartime became a reality slowly but steadily when â€Å"On January 2, 1969, designers began working on an experiment to determine whether computers at different universities could communicate with each other without a central system.† The first places to have access to the new â€Å"network† were some of the most prestigious colleges in the United... ...n America and in the world as well. If the United States government puts any constraints on the Internet, then the First Amendment will be broken. Due to the freedoms granted to the citizens of the United States by the First Amendment, the Internet should never be censored in America. Works Cited ACLU in the Courts: Reno v. ACLU Supreme Court Brief. 19 Sept. 2002 . ACLU Press Release: 07-18-02—ACLU Challenges Arizona Law That Censors Anti-Death Penalty Web. 18 July 2002. 19 Sept. 2002 . ACLU Press Release: 07-25-02 – In Legal First, ACLU Sues Over New Copyright Law; Says Blocking. 25 July 2002. 19 Sept. 2002 . ACLU v. Reno II. 22 May 2002. 17 Sept. 2002 . Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition. 18 Sept. 2002 . Clark, David. Student’s Guide to the Internet. Indianapolis: MacMillan Publishing, 1995. COPA Commission. 19 Sept. 2002 . Day, Nancy. CENSORSHIP or Freedom of Expression?. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2001. Edelman. 25 July 2002. 6 Oct. 2002 . History of the Internet. 6 Oct. 2002 . The Internet's History and Development. 31 Mar. 2002. 6 Oct. 2002 . Wallace, Jonathon. The Internet Censorship FAQ. 18 Sept. 2002 .

Travel agency or company

The act of traveling to different places for leisure or recreational purposes is leisure travel and tourism is a travel for leisure or recreational purposes. Globalization has increased the tourism industry a big boost. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries that contribute greatly to the economy of a country in this era of globalization. Majority of the working class spend their leisure time for travel. Many services describe a leisure travel experience that include guided tours, farm stay tours, tours for the activity of the kids, entertainment programmes at resorts or hotels, and weekend accommodation/holiday packages.A travel agency or company sells the travel services, particularly the package travel. There are commonly three types of three different types of agencies that include multiples, maniples and independent agencies. The multiples comprise of national chains of international conglomerates. A package travel comprises of a pre-arranged travel for 24 hours, which is a combination of accommodation, transport and a tourist service such as entertainment that forms a significant part of the package. Normally there exists an exclusive price for this package travel.The package is generally provided for a discount and the travel company should provide the information regarding the requirements of the visa and passport, health requirements. The Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland, Australia, with tourism as an important industry for the economy of the state attracting 4. 9 million of domestic and 0. 9 million international visitors annually. Brisbane neighbors the tourism capital of Australia, the gold coast, with golden beaches and exciting nightlife.The present paper discusses on designing the leisure travel product, a package tour to the Brisbane the capital of the state of Queensland, Australia. It also analyses the existing market opportunities for the product when compared with the products of the similar nature. Variables of the mark eting mix in a package tour: Product: The product in the tourism industry is the customer value, and for the elements of the marketing mix to be effective, it is important to concentrate on the unique characteristics of the product for tourism, the demand and the range of the determinants for the demand.In a tourism industry, for a strategic planning of the product there are two possible approaches that include, Market approach and the destination approach. It is important to select the right package of products to make the market more attractive. Securing a unique position and a good reputation in the market is very important for the strategic place of the product in the market. A package of benefits and offerings that can meet the expectations of the visitors, investors will increase the business.Promotion: Communication in an effective way plays an important role that increases the effectiveness of the market. Awareness of the product: it is important to make the customer aware o f the product to get the attention of the customer. Interest: generating interest on the product plays an important role. Desire: Creating a desire that is related to the needs relative to the competitors is important. Action: stimulating the target market to purchase the product plays an important role.Giving the information and building awareness of the product, creating a positive attitude towards the product, and creating a good climate for purchase by clearing the doubts about the product are some of the attributes that has to be considered for promoting a product. The product offering in the form of stimulus input that provokes for a holiday tour, taking the full advantage of product promotion through the communication channels such as guides, brochures etc, will motivate the customers to purchase the product.Price: The price factor in the tourism industry is perceived in terms of value for money. This is largely influenced by the prior expectation of the customer as to how ex pensive or cheap the trip would be. The price and the perception the price in the market needs to be handles carefully in the marketing mix. Description of the travel product, the package tour A package tour is a service that comprises of transport and accommodation organized by a tour operator and sold by a travel agent.The package tour of the modern times has evolved from the package tours of 1960’s when there was a package tour that comprises of flights, accommodation and transfers. These package tours mostly existed in the United Kingdom where most of the people got an affordable travel to various destinations including the foreign travel. With a decreasing demand for the package tour, the sector is now largely operated by a few large tour operators. With the advent of dynamic tour package, the consumers have the freedom to choose their own packages consisting of accommodation, flights and transfers.(First conferences battle, 2005). Analysis of the product: Australian cul tural environment is unique in that it is a combination of the aboriginal, Europe and American cultures. The excellent cities, snowfields, deserts, rain forests, and the golden beaches of Australia provide a wealth of travel experiences. Australia is a tourist attraction for its events, arts from aboriginal culture, antiques, cuisine and most of all the flexible government policies to obtain visas for the foreign tourists.Contributing a large share to the economy, tourism in Australia represents about 5. 9% of the GDP. With a large number of domestic and international tourists visiting every year, there is a lot of scope for the dynamic package tours in the country. Activities and benefits of a package tour: The activity of a package tour is to plan a journey to a different place without many hazels at a reasonable cost. The benefits of the tour include the avoiding the hassles of searching for accommodation in a new place and all accommodation and transportation are pre arranged.Wi th packaging to tourism the tourism operators get the benefits such as increase in the sales, increasing marketability of the product and increase of the share in the market beyond the own resources. Target markets: Many tourists buy the package tours as they feel it is the secure, economical and a convenient way for a leisure travel. The travel agents can use this opportunity to enhance their product value by offering some compliments along with their services. The best packages give appealing experiences for a good value to the target market.The best package chooses specific products based on the best fit in the target market. Price: Price of the package is decided upon the per customer basis and is calculated based on variable costs, fixed costs and the overhead or the marketing costs. All these costs together with the profit will form the basic package of the price. Location/schedules: Many travelers and the budget minded in particular, prefer the travel that is safe convenient and secure. These package travels are useful for those who travel for an unfamiliar location that is exotic that can be covered in a short period.Many of the partially escorted tours take care of transportation and lodging in which meals are excluded. Personnel for the package tour: The warm and friendly personnel and their welcoming and receiving nature will give the tourists a relaxation. The relaxing environment provided by the personnel at every stage of the travel gives a feeling that the tourists feel excited and relaxed. Physical facilities for a package tour: The organizations, which offers services for package tours has to change the strategy in such a way that the package offered constantly meets the demands of the customer.By considering the aspirations of the tourists, it is possible to manage the resources effectively. Process management policies: The process management policies include package types that supports user-defined product types, dynamic packages that allows choice of items adjusted according to the budget, flexibility in accommodating the packages in different seasons, a complete rule based pricing mechanism, managing multiple currencies, pooled inventory management and powerful traveler reward programme. Competitive advantage or unique selling point:For selling a package, it is beneficial to develop the package that has appealing inventory of experiences, and support services. Developing a package concept that includes setting a theme, market position, and giving a full description of the specific services are appealing to the target market that give a competitive advantage. Travel products offered by one company Package tour-1 The package includes four days and three nights, and the price includes morning city sights, rivers and return private car transfers to airport, hotel and the choice of selecting star hotels including one lunch.Package tour-2 The package tour includes four days and three nights. The pricing includes escorted t ouring with knowledgeable guides. One night each at pinnacles, beach, museums, that includes six meals (3 breakfasts and 3 dinners). Package tour-3 The package includes five days and four nights, the price includes accommodation for two nights at rain forest retreat, excursions, guided walks, morning and afternoon teas, accommodation for two nights at a resort, four breakfasts and one lunch and private car transfer to hotel and airport.Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each package tour Package tour-1 Strengths: The strengths include city viewing in the morning, offering choice to choose a star hotel for accommodation and transport by private cars to airport and hotel. Weaknesses: The weaknesses include providing only one lunch during the period of stay. Package tour-2 Strengths: That include visit for the museums, viewing wild flowers, dolphins, beaches, and pinnacles and offering six meals. Weaknesses: Not offering transport by a private car to the hotels and airport.Packa ge tour-3 Strengths: The strengths include providing accommodation for two nights at rain forest retreat, with excursions and guided walks, all transfers, and private car transfer to hotel and airports. Weaknesses: The weaknesses include providing only four breakfasts and one lunch as the travelers has to visit the rain forest retreat. Proposed travel product The travel product comprises of a trip to Brisbane a cosmopolitan city that provides relaxation. The stay includes 3 days and two nights.The price includes two nights at Brisbane, transports by a private car to hotel and airport visit to a sanctuary, and high lights of the city in the afternoon, and a tour to the zoo. The price also includes three lunch and two breakfasts and one dinner and the choice of choosing one out of the three good star hotels for accommodation. The price will be reasonable at 520 US dollars. Presentation of the product A trip to Brisbane A trip to discover a young cosmopolitan city Brisbane will relax y ou from the hassles of routine life.Stay: 3 days and two nights Price: †¢ two nights at Brisbane †¢ private car transfers to the airport and hotel †¢ visit to sanctuary †¢ afternoon highlights of the city †¢ a tour to the zoo †¢ three lunch, two breakfasts and one dinner Day-1 Transport by a private car, a tourist guide will accompany a tour to the afternoon high lights of the city. A visit to the wild life sanctuary, and choice of choosing a hotel Day-2 Visit to the zoo, entertainment by many shows and demonstrations. Day-3Transfer to airport from Brisbane by a private car References From the journals: 1. Angel roper(2005), Marketing standardisation:tour operators in the nordic region European journal of marketing,vol. 39(5/6), pp. 514-27 2. Jay kadumpally(2000), The impact of demand fluctuation on the quality of service: a tourism industry example. Managing service quality, vol. 10(1), pp. 10-19. From the internet: 3. Travel Agents Could Lose Out in t he Dynamic Packaging Battle, First Conferences Ltd. (2005).

Is Fast Food Good Or Bad - 1100 Words

Advantages Disadvantages of Fast Food More than 14, 350 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States alone, and over 18, 875 KFC’s worldwide, only goes to reflect the popularity of fast food all over the world. Fast food can be defined as food that is easily and quickly prepared and is sold in restaurants and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken out. Such food fits perfectly into the fast-paced life of a modern, working individual. Although nothing appeals more to a hard-working professional than ready-made food, it comes along with many health-related disadvantages that simply cannot be ignored. Despite all the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of fast food, the industry is flourishing. So the question remains, is fast†¦show more content†¦Besides time, saving money gives fast food an edge over a regular meal prepared in the kitchen. Especially for individuals living on their own, it is much cheaper to go out and buy a meal, rather than to cook o ne in the kitchen. Not only would one have to buy the ingredients necessary, but one would also have to buy any equipment needed in order to cook the meal. Not to mention, in comparison to healthy foods available at a local supermarket, fast food is much cheaper. The healthiest diets cost about $1.50 more per day than unhealthy diets according to new research from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The researchers found that healthier diet patterns—for example, diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts—cost significantly more than unhealthy diets (for example, those rich in processed foods, meats, and refined grains). Instead of spending all that time and money, one could just as easily travel to their closest fast food restaurant and order a meal for a fraction of the price. Majority of the issues related with consuming fast food are directly tied to one’s health and well-being. However, many of these issues can be avoided if one is careful when selecting a meal from the menu. Many fast food restaurants include items on their menu that are healthy. Foods such as salads, bread products made from whole wheat bread, lean meat, and low-fat foods. If the choice of fried or boiled preparations is given,

Fair vs. Fare How to Choose the Right Word

The words fair and fare are homophones, meaning they sound alike but have different meanings. One can be used as a noun or an adjective, and the other can be used as a noun or a verb. How to Use Fair The noun fair (as in state fair) refers to an exhibition, exposition, or public event where there is often food and entertainment.  The adjective fair has a range of meanings, including just, unbiased, pleasing, clear, and clean. How to Use Fare The noun fare refers to food and drink or to a transportation fee (as in bus fare). The verb fare means to go, get along, or succeed (as in fare thee well). Examples As an adjective, fair is often used to describe someone or something that is impartial and just, such as a neutral authority like a judge: The judge was harsh but fair; she handed down a sentence that was appropriate for the crime.The rules of the game are fair—both teams have an equal chance of winning. Fair describes someone or something that is pleasing and attractive as well: The knight hoped to draw the attention of a fair maiden. The adjective is also used to describe something of a moderate condition or a moderately large amount: Though the house was old, it was still in fair shape.By the time he retired, he had saved a fair amount of money. As a noun, fair refers exclusively to gatherings, recreational or professional, where there are exhibitors or vendors: They bought kettle corn at the county fair. Fare is also a noun, though it refers either to the price of transportation or something offered for entertainment or consumption, especially food: The city has raised the bus fare to $3 per ride.They enjoyed fine Italian fare at the new restaurant. As a verb, fare means to perform in a certain way (it often works as a synonym for get on): Because of his knee injury, he did not fare well in the race. How to Remember the Difference There are a few tricks for keeping fair and fare straight. The first one is simple—if its an adjective, its fair. The adjective fair has a range of meanings, and you may need to use context clues to figure them out, but its always spelled fair. If the word is used as a verb, however, its always fare. Things get a little more complicated once we move beyond adjectives and verbs. Both fair and fare can be used as nouns. One way to remember the difference is with this sentence: We enjoyed excellent fare at the fair. The fare is the food itself; the fair is the gathering at which it is eaten. Sources Straus, Jane.  The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: The Mysteries of Grammar and Punctuation Revealed. John Wiley Sons, 2006, p. xxxix.Strumpf, Michael, and Auriel Douglas.  The Grammar Bible. Owl (Henry Holt and Co.), 2004, p. 185.

Food’s Role of Foreshadowing and an Escape from Reality...

In Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, a young man named Gregor gets transformed overnight into a massive grotesque bug, much to his family’s disgust. After trying to live with his family and hold onto his past relationships, he eventually dies due to lack of love and wounds he received from members of his household. In A Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen, a woman named Nora Helmer struggles to maintain her relationships with her husband, friends, and associates as she deals with financial troubles and scandals. Eventually, she ends up divorcing her husband Torvald after she goes through an awakening and realizes that she has been miserable with her marriage. In both works, the authors use food as a symbol of an escape from reality for Nora and Gregor,†¦show more content†¦Later in the play, Nora’s spirit of indulgence advances to the stage that she is not afraid to ask Helen for â€Å"lots [of macaroons], just for once† for their banquet, and she does this in front o f Helmer’s face. The lying about a small thing like macaroons foreshadows how she then becomes revealed as a character that lied about a major financial scandal that broke the law. Nora’s open rebellion by purchasing the macaroons was a very minor act in the start of Act 1, however her idea of freedom extends from eating sweets to freeing herself of familial obligations and going out â€Å"to see if [she] can make out who is right, the world or [herself]† (Ibsen). The macaroons were a method for Nora to escape from the miserable reality of living with Torvald, and this foreshadowed how she eventually would actually leave her world at home to escape this reality. After Gregor was transformed into a giant bug in Metamorphosis, his family despised his appearance and locked him in his room. Gregor was alienated, and he was stuck as a bug and his family even attacked him when he attempted to leave. When he was alone in his room, his sister Grete gave him sweetened milk with bread, which was his favorite food as a human. However, the food â€Å"did not appeal to him at all† which surprised him, so his sister then got him â€Å"old half-rotten vegetables, bones from the evening meal, covered with a white sauce

African Americans Face Discrimination Free Essays

African Americans, especially women have been discriminated against for decades. For many years even after receiving legal rights things like segregation held African Americans back. In Margot Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures she highlights the true struggle of Black women in the times around WWII. We will write a custom essay sample on African Americans Face Discrimination or any similar topic only for you Order Now Shetterly make the point that Black women contributed greatly to the war effort and not just, that they were a great part of our society and yet were still discriminated against. Shetterly begins the book with an opening prologue connecting her life and her families experiences to the story that the book tells. She then dives into the 1940’s, Explaining that around this time how as many men were enlisted and there were not many highly educated people in the field of math places like Langley needed many more people she writes â€Å". This establishment has urgent need for approximately 100 Junior Physicists and Mathematicians, 100 Assistant Computers, 75 Minor Laboratory Apprentices, 125 Helper Trainees, 50 Stenographers and Typists,† (1) this is a primary source of a newspaper ad that shows the need for people to help, she then goes on to write about how women had been filling these rolls and were discriminated by men even if they were white. â€Å"First female computing pool, stated in 1935 had caused a uproar among the men† (4). As the book continues she introduces Dorothy Vaughan a 32 year old African American woman who decided to work at Camp Picket for some extra money, she says how though it may be a menial task it was a great contributor as many of those jobs were. In the summer of 1943, Dorothy jumped at the chance to head to Camp Pickett and earn extra money during the school break† (10) Dorothy worked as a teacher, it was one of the few jobs that African American women could get that paid well enough and still it wasn’t much. Dorothy didn’t have to take the job at camp picket but she did, she wanted to earn more money for her children and she wanted to contribute. The perspective is of a intelligent woman in the era of WWII that just wanted what was best for her family, she uses pathos here appealing to emotion and we see through her eyes as a woman and African American in this time. Dorothy got her chance in May of 1943 to work at Howard Institute, it was a job that would pay her more than double of what she was earning and her intelligence and her preparation would allow her to get the job and succeed as seen when shetterly wrote about her applying † How soon could you be ready to start work? She knew the answer before her fingers carved it into the blank: 48 hours, she wrote. I can be ready to go within forty-eight hours.† (17) Shetterly then introduces Katherine, another Black teacher and though Katherine was younger than Dorothy, the two women’s families knew one another from the close knit communities that there were in black neighborhoods and, though they didn’t know it yet, their paths would cross many times in the future. This shows the ties among middle-class black families. Shetterly also puts the lives of these women in perspective, she gives a quote from African American people on the front and those helping out country â€Å"What are we fighting for? they asked themselves and each other. The question echoed† () and although they were risking their lives for their country at the front and on the battlefield, at home, they weren’t granted the same rights as white citizens. She shows the social issue of discrimination still very prevalent. Shetterly goes on and talks about langley and their involvement in the war. â€Å"The NACA sought nothing less than to crush Germany by air, destroying its production machine and interrupting the technological developments that could hand it a military advantage.† (52) She uses this to explain the background of langley and how The Langley laboratory gains prominence among important cultural figures, indicating its status in the fight against the Axis forces. The lab saved the city of Hampton from economic collapse after Prohibition. The American Aircraft industry had grown predominantly in the years from 1938-1943. Though Langley was progressive in hiring black computer’s woman especially it still had rampant segregation that Shetterly highlights â€Å"Most groups sat together, for the west computers it was mandatory a white cardboard sign on a table in the back beckoned them† (43) reading COLORED COMPUTERS marks the west computers table so even though Langley allows the women to work for white engineers, the facility keeps them separate under Virginia’s â€Å"separate but equal† statutes. She here supports her argument, even though they worked so hard and were a very valuable member of the Langley team they were separated from their white counterparts. Introducing a woman named Mary Jackson into the scene with learning of her past and what lead her here such as her dedication to community service, her parents, and her husband and son. setting up the idea that her accomplishments belong not just to her, but also to the community she’s a part of and that helped shape her. â€Å"Mary Jackson managed the USO’s modest financial accounts and welcomed guests at the club’s front door. Her daily schedule, however, usually overflowed well beyond the job’s narrow duties, since the club quickly became a center for the city’s black community.† (95) Shetterly introduces another one of the amazing women into the story explaining more about her background and we see how the women connect. Then as Mary begins to work at Langley and proves herself â€Å"Dorothy Vaughan sent Mary to the East Side, staffing her on a project alongside several white computers.† () Mary, will face opposition in the form of racism, segregation, and prejudice in her quest to build a career for herself at Langley. Technology has changed but policies surrounding race have not. Thus proving her argument. A black man named James Williams cme to work at Langley around the same time as Mary, whe wished to be a engineer after falling in love with planes when he was younger. However â€Å"Williams had had to convince the guards at the Langley security gate that he wasn’t a groundskeeper or cafeteria worker † (113) this shows how institutional racism impacts both men and women ways. black male engineers, have to endure daily embarrassment simply to do their jobs. However, the black men at Langley don’t quite benefit from the support of others as many of the computers do, while still we see the fact that black women don’t have as many chances to prove themselves that men may have. This proves more about the social stigma but also supports how she keeps saying about the segregation almost 100 years after gaining rights. As we move from the events placed such as ww2, its aftermath and the cold war the new technology it places how these things affected computers and really the whole of the american people. She brings this history into context saying â€Å"With the complexity that attended the relentless advance of aeronautical research came the need for a new machine. In 1947, the laboratory bought an ‘electronic calculator’ â€Å"and as the space industry continues to grow and thrive and many technological advances are opening path for innovations at Langley still the end of WWII threatened the jobs of women and African Americans, the accelerating technology of the Cold War threatens to put many female computers out of work. Shetterly explains Katherine and her determination but also how things like The Flight Research Division is doing some of the most innovative work of its time and the fact that Kathrine as a Black woman in this time got to attend things like the Editorial Meeting is a huge step, as the civil rights movement was gaining speed, there was still a long way to go. When she says † â€Å"Why can’t I go to the editorial meetings?† she asked the engineers. A postgame recap of the analysis wasn’t nearly as thrilling as being there for the main event. How could she not want to be a part of the discussion? They were her numbers, after all.† Then shetterly puts things like what happened in brown v. board and little rock nine in the context of the book â€Å"So far as the future histories of this state can be anticipated now, the year 1958 will be best known as the year Virginia closed the public schools,† () The very same goals NASA tries to pursue are undermined by the state’s refusal to provide an equal education to all children, regardless of race. By shutting children of color out of white schools that offer more resources and better opportunities, the state reduces its own potential and not only that just proves how rampant the discrimination is. Shetterly also takes the context of history, as during the cold war when the U.S and the Soviet Union were fighting over technology and who was more advanced, though she brings civil right movement into this with the quote â€Å"All that money—and for what? †¦Negro women and men could barely go to the next state without worrying about predatory police, restaurants that refused to serve them, and service stations that wouldn’t let them buy gas or use the bathroom. Now they wanted to talk about a white man on the Moon?† () she compares this time to previous times throughout american history, these events are important because black activists see it as further evidence that the US government doesn’t care about the lives of its black citizens. Shetterly ends the book with this † Dorothy played it close to the vest, she had expected to serve out her last few years as a section head, What a triumph it would have been to return to management, but as the head of a section that employed both men and women, black and white. The section head position was given to Roger Butler, a white man. In 1971, there were still no female directors at Langley† It’s upsetting that Dorothy’s story ends in this way, but Shetterly notes that it doesn’t really end here instead it continues through the women who work at Langley in the years during and after she leaves, and who are only able to be there because of the opportunities she helped make possible. As she focused on Dorothy the most, to see how it ended and how Dorothy felt you can really feel it from her perspective In conclusion i thought this book did a amazing job on taking the perspectives of women and african americans during this time period, and i believe Shetterly had good context in her book. One criticism i have of the book personally is that i believe it moved a little slowly. So overall i would give the book 4.5 stars, this is because of its good writing style, use of historical sources, connecting to the modern audience of african american women, those who still to this day face the discrimination that was prevalent throughout the book, and good use of the social history frequent through this time. How to cite African Americans Face Discrimination, Papers