In Seal Team Six English Literature Essay

In Seal Team Six English Literature Essay Herbert Spencer, a renowned philosopher once said, Life is the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations Herbert Spencer Quotes. Throughout his life, Wasdin was influenced by the experiences of his childhood, during which he was harshly abused by his stepfather. He decided to enlist after graduating from college, and went on to become a member of SEAL Team Six, an anti-terrorist group known for taking down Osama Bin Laden and various other terrorist leaders. His novel, SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of An Elite Navy Seal Sniper, describes his journey from a poor beginning in an impoverished neighborhood to a distinguished position in the army, and brings the reader through his journey to success. During his narration, he constantly reminds the reader of how experiencing abuse as a child helped him endure hardships and succeed. Howard E. Wasdin encountered many struggles throughout his life, but he was able to became one of the worlds most renowned and deadliest soldie rs, as evidenced and shown through his achievements in his life and his overcoming of abuse. Howard E. Wasdin was born Howard E. Wilbanks on November 8, 1961 in the quiet town of Screven, Georgia. His biological father ran away when Wasdin was a few months old, and his mother engaged and married another man, Leon Wasdin. Howard was born premature, but the clinic was so poor that it didnt have an incubator. Millie Kirkman, Wasdins mother, carried him home in a shoe box, and, for a bed, pulled out a drawer from one of the dressers and put blankets in it. As a child, I learned to endure forces beyond my control. My mother had me when she was sixteen years old (Wasdin 25). From an early age, Wasdin learned to adapt and live with a changing situation, an important aspect of a soldier. Belonging to a poor family did not help the fact that he was abused. The earliest memory I have of my childhood is when I was four years old awakened in the middle of the night by a huge man reeking of liquor. He snatched me out of the top bunk, questioning me about why Id done something wrong that day. Then he slapped me around, hitting me in the face, to the point where I could taste my own blood (Wasdin 26). Abuse heavily impacted Wasdin, and it stayed with him for the rest of his life. By the time he was five, Wasdin attempted to run away, but was later returned by the police a night later. On the night of his return, Wasdin was nearly beaten to death by Leon, his stepfather. Leon also happened to be a truck driver, and owned pecan trees in the yard of his house. It was Howards responsibility to pick up the pecans off the driveway when Leon came home, and if he heard any pecans pop under his wheels, that was my ass. Didnt matter if any had fallen since I picked them up. It was my fault for not showing due diligence (Wadin 28). In high school, Wasdin participated in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), and he discovered an interest in the military. He was fascinated with the discipline, structure, and nice uniform, and was always the outstanding cadet. It was a nice break from abuse, and after graduating from Cumberland Community College, he enlisted. On November 6, 1983, he reported to the Naval Training Center in Orlando, Florida for three months of basic training, and after basic training, Wasdin committed to six weeks of aircrew training and twelve weeks of search and rescue training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. Then, he joined the Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Seven as an antisubmarine warfare operator and rescue swimmer. One of Wasdins first encounters with war was when his helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while investigating a Russian nuclear submarine that had sunk while sailing off the coast of Bermuda. Wasdin jumped to action, rescuing the pilot and f ellow comrades who had been knocked unconscious by the impact and calling in another helicopter for exfiltration. He was commended for his efforts and invited to join SEAL training, which he completed a year later. At first, Wasdin was assigned to SEAL Team Two, a more basic group, before being promoted to SEAL Team Six. Before being allowed to undergo training for becoming a navy SEAL on Team Six, Wasdin fought in Operation Desert Storm, a conflict between the United States and Iraq that would last for a year, and along with his SEAL Team Two, he took control of a cargo ship disguised under an Egyptian flag that was laying mines in the Red Sea. Also, he destroyed undetonated missiles in enemy territory to make sure they did not get the invaluable technology, and helped Iraqi refugees by transporting food and water. After the operation, Wasdin tried applying for a position on the SEAL teams, and he wrote, If I hadnt been a player in Desert Storm, I probably wouldve had to wait anoth er two and a half years (Wasdin 146). During his occupation as a SEAL Team Six operative, he was wounded in the Battle of Mogadishu, and discharged from the army shortly after. He developed neck problems from his wounds, and after seeing a chiropractor, he was completely cured without any medicine. Wasdin later went on to study at a chiropractic college and open his own chiropractic clinic. (Gray 2) In Seal Team Six: Memoirs of An Elite Navy Seal Sniper, Wasdin brings the reader through most of his life, from him humble beginnings as an abused child to his great achievements as a SEAL warrior, with a majority of the book focused on his training and life during war. The fourth week of basic SEAL training is aptly nicknamed Hell Week, because trainees have died from being exhausted or overworked, training for five days and five nights on four hours of sleep total. Howard records a certain event during Hell Week: Instructor Stoneclam said, Everybody out of the water! We crawled out of the water and on to the floating steel pier. He made us strip naked and lay down. Mother Nature had prepared the pier by blowing cool wind across it. Then the instructors sprayed us with cold water. Our muscles contracted wildly. The spasms were uncontrollable. Mike said, Sorry man. I gotta pee. Its okay man. Pee here. He urinated on my hands. Oh, thanks, buddy. Most people think its just gross theyv e obviously never been really cold (Wasdin 69). Hell Week always starts late at night on a Sunday, and ends at dawn of Saturday. By Thursday night of Hell Week, the trainees only had three to four hours of total sleep since Sunday, and the dream world started to mix with the real world. While enjoying a meal on Thursday morning of Hell week, an instructor said to Wasdin, You know, Wasdin, I want to you take this butter knife, go over there, and kill that deer in the corner (Wasdin 72). He looked over, and sure enough, a buck stood still in the chow hall. He crept up to the deer and pounced, only to discover it was the tray table. It was common for an instructor to play a trick like this, as it was their job to break the trainees and find their weaknesses. After completing SEAL training, Wasdin went directly to airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He ridiculed the other students at the training, because he felt that coming from SEAL training, airborne training was very easy. W asdin writes, Some of the soldiers talked as if the training were the hardest thing in the world. They thought they were becoming part of some elite fighting force (Wasdin 89). Then, he trained alongside Swedish Special Forces while moving on to winter warfare training in Scotland. About a year after he finished winter warfare training, he participated in Operation Desert Storm, and after Desert Storm, he applied for a spot on SEAL Team Six, and was accepted. However, the worst of his battles was yet to come. The Battle of Mogadishu, or Black Hawk Down, took place on October 3, 1993, and was one of the bloodiest battles of the twenty-first century for the United States. The goal was to hunt down Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, but Wasdin and his comrades were ambushed while pursuing him. In spite of one hundred eighty soldiers fighting against nearly three thousand of Aidids forces, American forces managed to capture several high value targets. However, Wasdin was shot by a Somali militant at close range, nearly blowing his right leg off. After the battle, Wasdin was airlifted to the armys Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside the United States. Upon his arrival, the doctors took him straight to surgery. At first, Wasdin refused to take the general anesthetic, because he was afraid of losing his leg to surgery, but the surgeon eventually gave him an epidural, which numbed him from the waist down. Uncle Earl, from his wifes family, came to visit Wa sdin after the surgery, and was appalled at the stark conditions at the hospital. Wasdin was lying in his own excrement, and was filthy all over. After the epidural, he lost control of his bladder, and there was still dried blood caked on his body from the battle. Maybe the hospital had been too busy to perform proper patient care due to the sudden influx of wounded soldiers from the battle, but after a brief discussion, Earl got the staff to clean Wasdin and replace his bed sheets. Nonetheless, Wasdin contracted a staph infection from the hospital stay, and nearly died. He managed to fully recover, but still had an unexplained wracking pain in his neck. He assumed the pain was some lasting effect from the infection, but after a few visits to a doctor, he discovered that the pain originated from adjusting for his gunshot wound by changing his gait. Wasdin compared his body to a house: If the basement tilts to the right and sinks a little, the roof follows except the necks pulls the opposite way (Wasdin 287). Eventually, a friend recommended a chiropractor to him, and after a few appointments, he was completely rid of the neck pain. This particular event inspired him to pursue an education in chiropractic, and he later graduated with honors as a doctor of chiropractic on September 24, 2009 from Life University in Georgia. Currently, Wasdin runs a chiropractic clinic in Jessup, Georgia. (Why I became a Chiropractor) In his novel, Wasdin revealed a lot of information about his own life. He took the reader through the grueling weeks of SEAL training, and led the reader through several significant military operations, including Operation Desert Storm, the Battle of Mogadishu, and investigating Soviet Submarine K-219. He also goes into detail about suffering PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) after being discharged. Wasdin writes, I suffered the withdrawal symptoms of being cut off from the camaraderie. I was in culture shock, too. People around town could talk to me about their lives, but I couldnt talk to them about mine (Wasdin 272). Moreover, he talked about how he was motivated to become a chiropractor: After all the neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and other doctors, a chiropractor gave me back my quality of life, (Wasdin 293) referring to how only the chiropractor was effective in treating Wasdins pain. Wasdin described his childhood and its later influence on his life. In his novel, he compared his kinfolk to a lion pride, or family. He comments, When a lion acquires a lioness with cubs, he kills them. Leon didnt kill me, but anything that was not done exactly right, I paid for (Wasdin 27). If the chores were not done correctly by the time Leon came home, Wasdin was beaten. If the pecans were not completely removed from the driveway when Leon came home, Wasdin was beaten. If the incorrect number of produce was brought home from the market, Wasdin was beaten. Although Wasdin lived an unfortunate childhood, this helped prepare him both mentally and physically for his military career. Child abuse is an issue prevalent throughout the world, and it is not a simple matter. As Giardino, a doctorate in pediatrics writes, It is impossible and inadvisable to consider physical abuse of a child as an isolated incident with one cause and one effect. The ecological model of human development and interaction is generally regarded as an ideal conceptual framework à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ leading to the nonaccidental injury or physical abuse of the child. While the relationshop between the amount of stress in an environment and the likelihood of abuse is not completely understood, there is data that suggests that the likelihood of abuse tends to increase when stress increases. Also, some caregivers can handle stress better than others, as evident with Leon, who could clearly not manage his temper. Leon and Wasdins mother both came from the poorer regions of Screven, Georgia, Wasdins birthplace. This may have contributed to an increased amount of stress experienced by the two parents, an d Leon was depicted as an alcoholic in the novel. Wasdins parents were both explicitly abusive, shouting expletives and threatening his life. There are many severe and permanent consequences to abuse. Suffering abuse can completely devastate a child, as they should be receiving love and nurturing instead. Childhood is a period of development during which a person takes in ideas and notions that he/she will retain for the rest of his/her life, and it is crucial that a child lives in a supportive environment that promotes growth. Child abuse has consequences for both society and the victim: According to a National Institute of Justice study, abused children were eleven times as likely to be arrested for criminal as a juvenile, four times more likely to be arrested for violent and criminal behavior as an adult à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Long term Consequences). Five children in the United States die every day from abuse-related injuries, and approximately eighty percent of children that die from abuse are under the age of five. Also, two-thirds of people in drug treatment program report being abused as children. For Wasdin, abuse started at the young age of four years old, when human developme nt starts to quicken. Despite the negative aspects of abuse, it played an important part in keeping Wasdin at the top of his SEAL class and alive in war. The slap of a belt against skin and the sound of a hand against a face may be stark reminders to Wasdin of his past, but in essence, being beaten prepared him for the physical test of training. Being scared for his life and dreading the next encounter with Leon may have been mentally scarring to Wasdin, but being placed under stress helped prepare him for the mental strain of training. Wasdin mentioned that many of his fellow trainees were more fit and stronger than him, yet did not have the mental toughness required of a SEAL. Among his classmates included an Iron Man triathlete, a college football player, and others. Wasdin writes, Anybody can be physically strong. A lot of people can show up to training and be able to perform the tasks given to them. Professional athletes and high school sports stars sometimes participate, and they are the first to quit. Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness, even more so in times of war (Wasdin 156). These traits kept him al ive in war. Wasdin learned important lessons from suffering abuse as a child. From the pecan tree punishments, he learned to be aware of his surroundings and pay attention to every single detail. When he took out the trash and the wind blew the trash can over after he went back inside his house, Wasdin learned to adapt to the changing situation and just deal with it. When he was beaten for bringing home the wrong number of carrots and watermelon, he learned the importance of being exact when counting. These are all aspects of a successful soldier. For example, during the Battle of Mogadishu, Wasdin was the driver of a Humvee, and if Wasdin did not see the militant who had popped up to shoot him, he would likely have been shot to death. When Wasdin was shot, he stayed calm and looked for safety, adapting to the situation. Before the battle, he had checked his weapon magazine for the correct number of rounds, so that it would not jam during a firefight. He also made sure that his medical supplies were adequate; if he had missed a single tourniquet during Battle of Mogadishu, he almost most certainly wouldve lost his leg. While abuse negatively affected Wasdin as a child, it ultimately benefited him later on in life. Wasdin had a tough beginning as a child, but he took advantage of his struggles and went on to become a renowned soldier, receiving several honors and awards for his valiance in combat. His novel Seal Team Six: Memoirs of An Elite Navy Seal Sniper received acclaim from critics from The Washington Post and Time Magazine, and continues to be a harrowing account of his journey from a victim of abuse to a victorious, decorated veteran.

Human Development: Older Adulthood Essay

In considering the life experience of an older person, it is essential to know about the developmental stages of human beings. Erikson’s theories of development give a good general overview of the various developmental challenges and breakthroughs which people have throughout their lives, from conception until natural death. Older adulthood is a time when people are confronted with having a sense of generativity or feeling a sense of despair. The older adult who is accomplished and is able to look back on life knowing that one devoted oneself to good causes has generally a good feeling of generativity, while the older person who has a sense of failure in regard to one’s life endeavors, shame in regard to not having contributed enough, is often left despairing. At this point in life, in the later years of a person’s development, it is just as common to find people who are satisfied with their lifelong contribution as it is to find people who are dissatisfied with what they have for others. In speaking with Margie, it is clear that she is not sure if she has done the best for her children, because she is alone in an assisted living community without many visiting relatives. Margie is an 82 year old woman who lives in an urban assisted living apartment building. Although she has met some friends in the community and enjoys the indoor garden and parakeets as well as the weekly Catholic Mass celebrated by a local priest, she is saddened by the lack of visitors she receives. A small woman with dark grey and black hair and hunched shoulders, Margie moves around the building slowly and with a seemingly idle or nondirected stride. She pauses often to look around the room, as if searching for something. She says that out of her five children, only two of them come to visit regularly, and that is about once a month. I ask her if she feels deserted or ignored, and she says yes. In considering her relationships with her children, she often wonders if she was too inattentive with them, if she didn’t care about them the right way. I understand that she thinks that if she had formed better relationships with her children, then they would be closer to her now. I can sense this painful feeling sharply in her presence, and I cannot do or say anything to counter her feeling. Perhaps she’s right. I allow Margie to talk about her family members, her husband, siblings, and especially her children. She takes photographs from her room and points to her grandchildren, lovely people, I say. In asking Margie how she feels being an older person, she says that it’s ok. She doesn’t feel as good as she used to feel. She’s tired. I get the sense that there is an overarching umbrella of depression which covers her and follows her everywhere. I ask Margie if there’s anything society should change about how it deal with older people, and she says that society shouldn’t forget about them. She has the sense that her children have forgotten her, and she wonders if the mothering care she provided for them as children wasn’t enough to keep them devoted to her needs as she ages. At one point, tears roll down Margie’s face. â€Å"What can I do, an old lady, to make my children love me more? I just don’t know. † In speaking with Margie, I have to wonder if it’s truly her fault. Could it be the fault of her children? Did they change, get swept up in capitalism, forget their duty to care for their older parents? She’s too upset to ask her these questions. I ask her if she’s like to take a stroll through the garden together, and we do. Older aged people need as much or even more care as any other individuals. It makes sense for the younger generation to remember the needs of their parents and older relatives, to help them and to provide them with care. However, it is also important for people in general to recognize that if they want their children to be around for them in their later years, then parents and need to form strong relationships with their children, honorable and respectful relationships which can carry them throughout the span of time. Generativity in later years is marked by security in personal relationships. The successful and happy older individuals are the one who are now reaping the benefits of what they have planted. As Margie says, â€Å"The birds all stick together in that one tree, and they’re happy. †

The Civil Rights Movement During The September Trilogy By...

There isn’t one person who hasn’t felt in complete disagreement with a statement someone else has made. At one point or another, we have all been moved enough to state our opinion. This is what starts wars on the comment sections of various social media platforms today. Disagreements even happened in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. In the March trilogy by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, you see these differences of opinion play out. March is about the story of John Lewis’ early life and later on, his involvement in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the fight for equal rights. Although the Civil Rights Movement resulted in desegregation, which wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of its leaders†¦show more content†¦He, and many of SNCC believed paying bail to get out of jail when you are involved in a nonviolent protest was just justifying the unjust system. Marshall seemed rather content with jus t protesting, but Lawson wanted to push things further because as Lewis points out, â€Å"Young people, as we knew very well, are willing to risk everything for the cause.† (Lewis and Aydin 2: 131). Lewis knew the newer generation was extremely passionate about the movement and would do anything to help it succeed. Since the newer and older generation had different ideas about resisting segregation, we can see why they didn’t approve of each other’s ideas. These disagreements weren’t the only ones that caused divisions the movement, . There were also organizations who unlike SNCC, SCLC, and CORE wanted to use violence. One such organization was the Nation of Islam led by Malcolm X. Lewis, like many others, believed profoundly in the nonviolent method because he was taught and trained on how to resist nonviolently by Jim Lawson. He disagrees with Malcolm X’s use of violence when he states â€Å"†¦ violence, no matter how justified, was not som ething I could accept. But I could understand his appeal and the feeling of restlessness that drove it.† (Lewis and Aydin 2: 149). Although Lewis was conscious of what would cause people to use violence, it still wasn’t what he stood for. In making this statement, Lewis makes it clear thatShow MoreRelatedThe Trials And Tribulations Between The March Trilogy Books And The Movie Selma1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe Trials and Tribulations between the March Trilogy Books and the Movie Selma As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, â€Å"The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage they did not know they had†. (King) The conflicts met between the Civil Rights Movement protesters and the white people of the South were incrediblyRead MoreSelma Book Vs Movie Essay1640 Words   |  7 PagesThe conflicts met between the Civil Rights Movement protesters and the white people of the South were incredibly gruesome. While peace and equality for African Americans was the driving force of the protests, violence and inhuman resistance was the force of the white people. In the March Trilogy Books, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and in the movie Selma, written by Paul Webb and directed by Ava DuVernay, we are given a glimpse of these troubling times during the 1960’s. The to ne was preciselyRead MoreSelma Book Vs Book Essay1451 Words   |  6 PagesThe conflicts met between the Civil Rights Movement protesters and the white people of the South were incredibly gruesome. While peace and equality for African Americans was the driving force of the protests, violence and inhuman resistance was the force for the white people. In the March Trilogy Books, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and in the movie Selma, written by Paul Webb and directed by Ava DuVernay, we are given a glimpse of these troubling times during the 1960’s. The tone was very

Management and Leadership Carphone Warehouse - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2266 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Essay any type Level High school Did you like this example? Management and Leadership: Carphone Warehouse 1.0 Critical Recent Development As this is being written Carphone Warehouse is part of The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC which consists of the Carphone Warehouse, a retail and distribution business and Europes leading independent retailer of mobile phones and services with over 2,400 stores in 9 countries and TalkTalk Group a fixed line telecommunications business that is currently one of the UKs largest broadband provider with more than 4.1m broadband customers and 1.1m voice-only and narrowband customers.   The two operations are being split into separate companies and it is planned that TalkTalk will begin trading as separate companies as of 29 March 2010.   This obviously has had a major impact on the management and organizational culture as they preparations for the separation of the two elements of the company prepared to operate as individual entities.   Each would by definition have their own managements, board of directors, and will develop a unique and individual corporate culture. It is also likely that there will be considerable shifts in management emphasis in the operation of the retail business. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Management and Leadership: Carphone Warehouse" essay for you Create order 2.0 The Management and Leadership of Carphone Warehouse Carphone warehouse is in actuality a subsidiary of the US corporation Best Buy Co Inc as the result of a purchase and sale agreement with The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC consummated on 30 June 2008.   Based on the Press release of 19 January 2010 Best Buy continues to operate The Carphone Warehouse in most respects as a separate and stand-alone business, but Best Buy controls it.   In a dynamic situation such as the acquisition of CPW by Best Buy there is an obvious problem with the maintenance of management continuity even if there is not a turnover in personnel. The Best Buy relationship is unusual in that the company is still publicly traded in Europe, but is effectively controlled by Best Buy.   There is also a close relationship with Best Buys European operations and it is difficult to actually separate them in terms of reporting and as entities.   Combined with the sale of TalkTalk the internal situation must be very dynamic at this time.   To understand the manage ment dynamics of the company it is necessary to understand that it is involved in a very challenging period in its development with the sale of the TalkTalk group and its interest in Best Buy Europe that is basically a big box store operation compared to the historically physically small stores that comprised Carphone Warehouse operations. The problem with the use of Carphone Warehouse relative to the questions of effective management and leadership development is that the company is going though a dramatic change in its operational format.   Historically, the small stores involved close employee client interface.   Essentially people came to Carphone Warehouse as much to get advice and help in choosing a handset and a service provider and provider plan as in simply buying a portable telephone handset.   The stores were small, relatively easily managed and the relationships within the stores between â€Å"The Management† and the commission compensated employees were cl ose and personal.   The stores were usually staffed with a general manager and three or four sales associates.   The stores typically comprise about 600 square feet and are open 60 to 80 hours per week and 7 days a week. In contrast the Best Buy Big Box store in the US and Canada have 30,000 plus square feet, approximately 100-150 salaried employees and â€Å"grab and go† merchandise.   It is clear that the required interface between the customer and the organization employee is far different in the two types of operation. 3.0 Leadership and Management There is a huge body of research on the topics of leadership and management and the relationship between the two.   Krishnan and Park however point out that, â€Å"researchers have confined their studies to exploring the impact of observable upper echelon characteristics, namely the demographic traits on corporate strategies and performance.  The question is what characteristics are important in developing effective management in Carphone Warehouse. In a retail environment an effective management and leadership development programme is based on duplication.   The basic Carphone structure is the small store with a single manager and few subordinates all of whom have the same responsibilities.   These store manager reports to area managers who report to district managers in a classic pyramid structure.   The question here is not creativity or innovation, but following a successful formula in terms of operation and presentation of product to the customer.   It is interest ing that the duplication is if anything more important in the â€Å"big box† environment of the Best Buy store where there is minimal customer interface.   Here the focus is on stocking the shelves, and creating displays according to predetermined plans and collecting and getting paid for the merchandise purchased.   The management structure is more complex because of the larger number of individuals involved, but the duplication concept is identical.   Tesco is a master of this, and all Tesco supermarkets look virtually identical inside in terms of layout and display.   The underlying function of the management is to see employees do what they are told in the manner prescribed.   The HRM model is almost martial.   There are doubtless at headquarter and senior levels room for creativity, but for most of the employees duplication is the key to their responsibilities.   The need for more knowledgeable salespeople is pointed out below in opportunities.   This wil l however require extensive training in complex technology, which will be a challenge to management under the duplication approach to HRM. 4.0 SWOT Analysis The strengths of the Carphone Warehouse operation are mass purchasing power as the largest vendor of portable phones in Europe, a well-recognised brand name with a good image, and pervasive presence in the nature of vast numbers of retail outlets is desirable locations.   The other key strength is the increase pervasiveness of portable information access devices. This same element will be used below as a weakness of the business model. The weakness the Carphone Warehouse business model is embodied in the word phone in its name.   It grew to its present size and prominence as a vendor of telephones, devices people talked to each other over.   The modern â€Å"smartphone† like the iPhone is a far more sophisticated and complex device.   It can obviously be used as a telephone, but it is effectively a personal communications device. It is rapidly becoming a pocket computer that provides navigation, games, Internet access and more new uses almost daily.   As of the time this is being written there are 154,726 applications available for the iPhone, and almost 9,000 new applications are being added per month. This is a far cry from the simple original business model of Carphone Warehouse. The growing importance of portable computing communications devices is also a huge opportunity for the operation.   Most people already have at least a conventional mobile phone in Europe.   According to â€Å"netimperative†, in October of 2008 there were 592 million mobile phone subscribers in Europe of 119% market penetration.   As the consumer demands more sophisticated devices they will replace their existing phones with more expensive and complex devices and will require the assistance of knowledgeable sales people to guide them.   It will also imply larger stores handling larger numbers of products with more personnel and higher skill and knowledge levels among the salespeople.   If Carphone Warehouse can meet the challenge of recruiting and training the requisite human resources it will have a considerable competitive advantage relative to most outlets for mobile phones. The increasing complexity of the technology is also a threat .   With the development of net books, iPads, and a host of other devices that are not phones but offer many of the same capabilities the industry environment is and will continue to change dramatically.   Carphone Warehouse is responding with a new â€Å"midsized Store format that will permit it to carry and display a far larger variety of devices the current relatively small stores can accommodate.  The question is the existence of more than 2,400 existing small format stores that will not remain competitive in the new environment that is developing.   These must be replaced or expanded to remain viable.   This can involve a considerable capital outlay and considerable time.   These existing stores may become uncompetitive before they can be replaced. 5.0 PEST Analysis Political considerations are minor in the Carphone Warehouse operation.   Communications regulation could have an impact, but it probably would not have significant business implications for the operation. The economy is obviously a consideration in any retail operation and sales and profits will respond to the economic environment.   Inventory levels and new store openings will doubtless reflect economic conditions to some extent, but the tech market has been relatively resistant to the current economic softness.  Ã‚   The social impact of tech developments such as social networking will obviously spur conversion of existing phones to more sophisticated handsets. Technology is having an impact on society as great as mass production and the auto did in the 20th century.   This can do nothing but help a company dedicated to the sale of products utilizing the rapidly developing technology.   The elements of social and technological are key to the development and future of the company. 6.0 Developing an effective leadership and management programme The key consideration in the development of Human Relations Management for a company such as Carphone Warehouse is the training of the salespeople to deal with the increased complexity of the products they are selling to what is, in large part, customers with limited knowledge and understanding of their products.   In a retail operation there obviously is a cadre of trained and sophisticated managers and strategic planners at the apex of the pyramid, but for the bulk of the workforce the key is duplication.   In the case of Carphone Warehouse the level of complexity of the training to produce this duplication will have to be far higher than that of a McDonalds, but is fundamentally similar.   The use of commission compensation provides a strong element of incentive to learn and perform on the part of the staff, and should facilitate the effectiveness of the training program. At the higher management levels the control of Carphone Warehouse by Best Buy implies that the deve lopment of management and leadership must originate with what is now effectively the parent company.   The question devolves to the management and leadership of Best Buy. References 148Apps.Biz. (2010). App Store Metrics. Retrieved from https://148apps.biz/app-store-metrics/ Best Buy Form 10-K filed April 29, 2009 for the period ending February 28, 2009 p.7 Krishnan, H., Park, D. (1998). The Influence of Top Management Team Leadership on Corporate Refocusing: A Theoretical Framework. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(2), 50. Netimperative. (2009, September 17). Mobile phone market penetration across Europe. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from https://www.netimperative.com/news/2009/september/mobile-phone-market-penetration-across-europe/view The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC. (2009). Annual Report 2009 [Brochure]. London: https://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/12/123964/AR09/CPW_AR09.pdf The Carphone Warehouse. (2010, January 29). Press Release Circular and TalkTalk and New CPW Prospectuses. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from https://www.cpwplc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=123964p=irol-home Appendix The concept of duplication in training in large organizations is not discussed in any academic reference found.   It is however a widely accepted principal in military training, franchising and multi-level marketing training.   It simply is the concept that the trainee performs the same action in response to a given stimulus exactly the same way each time.   The training is repeated until the desired response is produced each time the stimulus is applied. Military close order drill is a classic example.   Troops are trained so that on the command â€Å"column left† every soldier in the group automatically turns left in the same way at the same point. In an environment like Carphone Warehouse the training might include greeting each customer with the appropriate â€Å"good morning sir† or â€Å"good afternoon madam†Ã‚   as opposed to â€Å"can I help you?†Ã‚   It would also include extensive training on the qualities and features of each model of handset sold.   The concept is that every customer in every store is greeted exactly the same way and provided with exactly the same information in the same way.   This has been determined by the sales training department and disseminated throughout the operation.  Ã‚   This does not preclude rewarding or recognising outstanding performance.   Even the military gives medals for performance above and beyond the call of duty.   What it does is standardize the product presentation so it is done in the most effective manner.   With 2,400 stores, it is imperative that performance and procedure be standardized. The Carphone Warehouse. (2010, January 29). Press Release Circular and TalkTalk and New CPW Prospectuses. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from https://www.cpwplc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=123964p=irol-home The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC. (2009). Annual Report 2009. London: https://media.corporateir.net/media_files/irol/12/123964/AR09/CPW_AR09.pdf Best Buy F orm 10-K filed April 29, 2009 for the period ending February 28, 2009 p.7 Krishnan, H., Park, D. (1998). The Influence of Top Management Team Leadership on Corporate Refocusing: A Theoretical Framework. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(2), 50. See Appendix Best Buy Form 10-K filed April 29, 2009 for the period ending February 28, 2009 p.7 Tesco is used as an example because it is familiar to most residents of the UK and is more common than the Best Buy store.   The principal is identical in both cases.   The customer knows where the canned tomatoes are in Tesco and where the ink jet cartridges are in Best Buy even if they have never been in the particular store they are shopping in before. 148Apps.Biz. (2010). App Store Metrics. Retrieved from https://148apps.biz/app-store-metrics/ Netimperative. (2009, September 17). Mobile phone market penetration across Europe. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from https://www.netimperative.c om/news/2009/september/mobile-phone-market-penetration-across-europe/view The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC. (2009). Annual Report 2009 [Brochure]. London: https://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/12/123964/AR09/CPW_AR09.pdf p.18