Quick Facts About Americas Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of Keystone,  South Dakota. The sculpture of four famous presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln — was carved into the granite rock face over many decades. According to the National Park Service, approximately 2.5 million people visit the monument each year.   Fast Facts: Mount Rushmore Location: Near Rapid City, South DakotaArtist: Gutzon Borglum. Died seven months before it was finished; completed by son Lincoln.Size: The presidents faces are 60 feet high.Material: Granite rock faceYear Started: 1927Year Completed: 1941Cost: $989,992.32Notable: The artist was tagged for the project because of his work on the Confederate Memorial Carving at Stone Mountain, Georgia, which he began. His work was removed and another artist finished it, however. Also in the national park is the Avenue of Flags, representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.  In the summertime, the monument is also lit up at night. History of Mount Rushmore National Park   Gutzon Borglums model of Mt. Rushmore memorial, where you see the original plans. Library of Congresss Prints and Photographs Division/Public Domain/Wiki Commons   Mount Rushmore National Park was the brainchild of Doane Robinson, known as the â€Å"Father of Mount Rushmore.† His goal was to create an attraction that would draw people from all over the country to his state. Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who was working on the monument at Stone Mountain, Georgia. Borglum met with Robinson during 1924 and 1925. He was the one who identified Mount Rushmore as a perfect location for a grand monument. This was due to the cliffs height above the surrounding area; its composition of granite, which would be slow to erode; and the fact that it faced southeast, to take advantage of the rising sun each day. Robinson worked with John Boland, President Calvin Coolidge, Rep. William Williamson, and Sen. Peter Norbeck to gain support in Congress and the funding to proceed. Congress agreed to match up to $250,000 of funding for the project and created the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission. Work began, and by 1933 the Mount Rushmore project became part of the National Park Service. Borglum did not like having the NPS oversee the construction. However, he continued to work on the project until his death in 1941. The monument was deemed complete and ready for dedication on October 31, 1941. It eventually cost nearly $1 million. Why Each of the Four Presidents Was Chosen Tetra Images/Getty Images Borglum made the decision about which presidents to include on the mountain. According to the National Park Service, heres his reasoning: George Washington: He was the first president and represented the foundation of American democracy.Thomas Jefferson: With the Louisiana Purchase, he greatly expanded the nation. He was also the author of the hugely influential Declaration of Independence.  Theodore Roosevelt: He not only represented the industrial development of the nation but was also widely known for conservation efforts.  Abraham Lincoln: As the president during the U.S. Civil War, he represents the preservation of the nation above all costs.   Carving Done With Dynamite The powder monkey is holding dynamite and detonators.   Archive Photos/Getty Images With 450,000 tons of granite that needed to be removed, the sculptor found out early on that jackhammers were not going to take care of the job fast enough. He employed a munitions expert to insert charges of dynamite into drilled holes and blasted the rock off when the workers were off of the mountain. Eventually, 90 percent of the granite removed from the rock face was done with dynamite. Changes to the Design The unfinished hall of records behind Abraham Lincolns head, just as Gutzon Borglum left it. Rachel.Miller727/Creative Commons/Wiki Commons During production, the design went through nine changes. Entablature What appears isnt exactly how the sculpture was conceived by sculptor Borglum, who also had plans for wording to be etched into the rock face, called the Entablature. It was to contain a brief history of the United States, highlighting nine important events between 1776 and 1906, carved into an image of the Louisiana Purchase. Given issues over the wording and funding and the fact that people wouldnt be able to read it from a distance, that idea was scrapped. Hall of Records Another plan was to have a Hall of Records in a room behind Lincolns head that would be accessed by the public via a staircase from the base of the mountain. On display would be important documents in a room decorated with mosaics. It too was discontinued, in 1939, due to lack of funding. Congress told the artist to concentrate on the faces and just get it done. A tunnel is what remains. It does house some porcelain panels giving the background about the building of the monument, the artist, and the presidents, but its inaccessible to visitors due to the lack of a staircase. More Than Heads Mock-ups of the design include the four presidents from the waist up. Funding was ever an issue, and the directive was to just stick with the four faces. Jefferson Moved Over Thomas Jefferson was originally on the other side of George Washington. Carmen Martinez Torron/Getty Images Thomas Jefferson was originally started on George Washingtons right, and carving of Jeffersons face began in 1931. However, the granite there was full of quartz. Workers kept blasting off the quartz, but after 18 months they realized that the location was just not working. His face was dynamited off and carved on the other side. Carving Stone carvers on scaffolding and hoists carve the face of Thomas Jefferson into Mount Rushmore. George Rinhart/Getty Images Workers hung from a 3/8-inch steel cable in bosuns chairs as they worked with jackhammers, drills, and chisels and carried dynamite. To their credit, no one died during Mount Rushmores construction — or the mountains destruction, as the case may be. A crew of four hundred worked on the sculpture. Facts About Borglum American Sculptor Gutzon Borglum. George Rinhart/Getty Images Art Background Gutzon Borglum studied in Paris and became friends with Auguste Rodin, who heavily influenced the young artist.  Borglum was the first American sculptor to have his work purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.   Stone Mountain Although Borglum had begun the sculpture on Stone Mountain, Georgia, he never finished it. He left on bad terms, and his work was cleared away from the mountain face. Another sculptor, Augustus Lukeman, was called in to finish the work.   Tempestuous Boss Borglum  was often away during the sculpting of Mount Rushmore. While it was being completed, he also made a sculpture of Thomas Paine for Paris and Woodrow Wilson for Poland. His son supervised the work on the mountain during his absence.   When he was on site, he was known for his mood swings and was continuously firing and rehiring people. His energy for the project and persistence, through many years of trials and issues with funding, eventually led to the projects completion. Unfortunately, he died seven months before it was done. His son completed it. Origin of the Mountain Name The mountain took its name — incredibly — from a New York attorney there on business who asked the name of the location in 1884 or 1885. A local man with the group looking at the mountain informed him that it didnt have a name but said, We will name it now, and name it Rushmore Peak, according to a letter from Charles Rushmore, the lawyer who was in the area for a client researching a mine.

Human Resource Management Instrument Of Performance...

Globally, international performance in upper and lower management can be described as a process which allows an international organization or multi-national company to critique and consistently improve the individual and corporate performance in its relation to its pre-set goals and expectations. Performance appraisals are to be considered and designed to be a key human resource management instrument of performance management and can influence the execution of the business strategy within the organization or company. According to (Business Directory, 2016) The process by which a manager or consultant (1) examines and evaluates an employee s work behavior by comparing it with preset standards, (2) documents the results of the comparison, and (3) uses the results to provide feedback to the employee to show where improvements are needed and why. Performance appraisals are employed to determine who needs what training, and who will be promoted, demoted, retained, or fired. International performance appraisal can be regarded as a strategic process that helps to continuously improve global operations through their employees by matching up to certain pre-set objectives. However, we will find that while performance appraisals are important in terms of performance management, they can also often be viewed as problematic. The global manager is and can be generalized and considered as someone who has the capability, the ability and the experience of working for additional countriesShow MoreRelatedPerformance Appraisal Instruments : Performance Management1131 Words   |  5 Pages Performance Appraisal Instruments Performance Management Human Resource Management â€Æ' Performance Appraisal Instruments (Performance Management) An overview According to Zweig (1991), performance appraisal instruments are tools that are used to measure the performance of employees in the workplace. 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BHP Billiton SWOT Analysis and Porter Five Force Analysis Free Essays

Introduction Aim: This essay aims to perform an analysis on the basis of integration of SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces frameworks. The key aim of this essay is to establish the reasons behind the success of BHP Billiton, which is ranked 11th in FTSE100 Company ranking, and thereby represent the implications and recommendations. Methodology: This paper is based on integration of the secondary research, which includes recent reports, books and journal articles. We will write a custom essay sample on BHP Billiton SWOT Analysis and Porter Five Force Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Findings: The key findings indicate that BHP Billiton is a renowned diversified natural mineral resources company, with a distinctive market approach which gives the company a competitive edge over its peers. Being one of the world’s top producers of iron ore and coal (thermal and metallurgical), the company’s other products include aluminum, copper, manganese, nickel, silver, uranium and potash. BHP also has significant crude oil and natural gas holdings. BHP Billiton’s strong market presence, vast array of products, and long-term customer relationship implies that the company stands firm, despite the recent economic adverse events. (BHP Billiton) SWOT Analysis The objective of the SWOT analysis is to highlight the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats from the completed external and internal analysis. This SWOT analysis will translate conclusions into strategic actions so that the company can execute opportunities and defend against threats. Strengths BHP Billiton is a renowned natural resources company with a diversified portfolio of assets. The company is one of the largest suppliers of uranium, copper, silver, lead and aluminum. BHP is also a major producer of iron ore, metallurgical coal and manganese with operations in Australia, Brazil and South Africa. With eight operations across South Africa, Australia, the United States and South America, the company’s Energy Coal section provides thermal coal for use in the electric power generation industry and general industrial concerns. BHP Billiton has delivered superior financial returns over the past decade by returning the capital to its investors through an aggressive share buyback program has returned capital. This gives the company ability to retain strong A credit rating, which assists in raising the capital in global market. The company offers a dedicated customer service for its product portfolio and at the same time pass along price increases to its customers as well. Weaknesses The company needs to improve the measures of gross margin and the long-term financial return on equity to be closer in line with its peers. BHP Billiton is currently facing several human resources issues impacting the operations. There is not enough qualified staff especially those trained in the mining sector. The company is weak in corporate communications as the staff is not proactive in responding to corporate enquiries using new media or making effective group communication with the investors and stakeholders. Opportunities BHP Billiton has several projects in pipeline to execute. The feasibility phase of 29 projects, which is likely to become a significant source of revenue, provided projects are executed in a cost-effective manner. The company can further work on strengthening its brand position by inducing innovative marketing solutions and using new media tools and customer outreach while marketing natural resources from the company’s extensive assets. This means promoting the company’s strengths and operations by creating brand awareness amongst its customers. After Kyoto Protocol becomes essential to abide, BHP Billiton committed to a reduction of 5% in greenhouse gas emissions. This program if managed properly can become a positive source for environmental responsibility and sustainable development. Being a significant source for energy commodities there are opportunities to further integrate into the supply chain and operations of transportation companies and utility companies to capture additional profit margin and lower costs further. Threats BHP Billiton is facing threat from continuously rising costs from suppliers, including energy, shipping and contract labour costs; inflation and labour staffing issues, which are restricting the company growth and development. The company is facing continuous political threats even in its home country, Australia, as the company has received an unfavourable ruling from the government regarding infrastructure access and the political dynamics of being on the ‘right side’ of issues cannot be underestimated. BHP Billiton severely relies upon China’s demand for natural resources and any global slowdown in world markets could directly impact the sales and profitability of BHP. The company must work to fulfil demand yet remain financially disciplined to achieve increasing levels of profitability along with growth in shipments of natural resources commodities. PORTER FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS The Porter Five Forces Analysis offers a strategic view of the competitive external environment facing BHP Billiton. It enables the opportunity to assess the sources; strength and impact of the competitive forces and the affect each of these have on achieving company goals and objectives. Bargaining Power of Buyers Is moderate to low as the company can pass along any price increases due to strong demand and limited supply of natural resources in the market. There are not many substitutes available in large quantities, which reduce the bargaining power of buyers. The company focuses on retaining long-term customer relationships, thus diminishing the impact of price increase. The global macroeconomic environment is expected to stabilise before improving in the first half of the 2013 financial year. This is likely to maintain the company’s position strong in the upcoming period. (Digital Look, 2012) Bargaining Power of Suppliers BHP Billiton is largely impacted by the bargaining power of suppliers in labour, materials, energy, shipping, and energy costs. As the company ensures reduced capacity through enhanced operations, the overall costs from suppliers have increased as well. In the above-mentioned categories, there are negligible substitutes available, which enhance the strong bargaining power of suppliers. Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is relatively low. Due to dearth of natural resources there is very limited capacity and supply available in the global market, which restricts any new entrants in the market. Due to drop in commodity prices, the pace of demand of iron ore from China has slowed down by more than half. Demand will grow less, although still quite impressively and the producers, in general, are more prepared. These factors are likely to play significant barriers for the new entrants rather existing. (Bloomberg, 2012) Moreover, BHP Billiton, being the biggest mining company, holds enhanced infrastructure, latest technologies and trained staff to offer better quality products to the market. For the new entrants it will take a while to upgrade the level. In regard to geographic locations, BHP Billiton has best natural resource locations than new competitors entering the market. Several companies have made extensive moves across Arica, India and China for natural resources but the threat of these companies remains moderate to low. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes is quite low, as there are not many substitutes for raw material products in the market. BHP Billiton is strongly placed, due to its broad, diversified portfolio of natural resource assets, to counter any threats of substitutes. Intensity of Existing Rivalry The rivalry among competing sellers is tough. This is due to the fact that several natural resources companies are competing for access to the reserves available across the world; along with retaining qualified staff; and building infrastructure, transportation and new development projects. On the reserves side, there is a geographic overlap in most areas worldwide, and to retain trained staff has augmented labour wages. However, despite the strong rivalry, the industry remains lucrative due to strong profit potential. As a result, the lowering natural prices are not likely to impact the industry players as they stand affirmative. Also, there have been takeover speculations in the natural resources industry. Mining titans BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are to generate about $20bn in free cash flow, giving each substantial options for acquisitions and capital management. (Merril Lynch, 2011) In 2005, BHP Billiton purchased WMC Resources of Australia during a takeover battle. The company as a result has the largest uranium reserves in the world and secured a major source of future growth. REFERENCES FTSE All-Share Index Ranking (October 2012) http://www.stockchallenge.co.uk/ftse.php (Accessed 06/10/2012) Digital Look 2012. BHP looking for upturn in first half of 2013 (October 2012) http://www.digitallook.com/dl/news/story/20311406?username=ac=(Accessed 06/10/2012) Hoovers, BHP Billiton, (2012) http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.BHP_Billiton_Plc.7649c747268ff225.html (Accessed 06/10/2012) Business With The Wall Street Journal, Michael Bennet, The Australian 2011. BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto well funded for takeover programs, says Merrill Lynch (June 2011) http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/bhp-billiton-rio-tinto-well-funded-for-takeover-programs-says-merrill-lynch/story-e6frg9df-1226082744863 (Accessed 06/10/2012) Bloomberg 2012. BHP Says Pace of China Iron Ore Demand Has Slowed by Half (September 2012) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-19/bhp-says-pace-of-china-iron-ore-demand-has-slowed-by-half.html (Accessed 06/10/2012) Pierre-Yves Benain (2007), BHP Billiton Presentation, International University in Geneva, http://pierre.benain.free.fr/MBA%20698%20BHP%20Billiton%20Presentation.pdf (Accessed 06/10/2012) Strategic Options, BHP Billiton, Jeremy L. Gordon (May 2007) http://pierre.benain.free.fr/MBA698%20BHP%20Billiton%20Report.pdf (Accessed 06/10/2012) How to cite BHP Billiton SWOT Analysis and Porter Five Force Analysis, Essay examples