Essay Topic Hub

Definition
Essays

8,333+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

8,333 papers
1 subject area
UG & Grad levels
Free to browse
About This Topic

 

Ironically, the definition of the term “definition essay” is not very specific.  Definition essays are short pieces of writing on a particular topic.  However, not every essay on a topic can be properly labeled a definition essay.  Instead, a definition essay is an attempt to describe the topic thoroughly enough for the reader to understand it very well and might be compared to an encyclopedia entry for the topic.  Any of our example essays could provide a good start on a definition essay about the topic.  However, we have collected a sample of our best definition essays and included them below to help you explore the genre.  

8,333 papers
Sort by:
Paper Undergraduate
Public vs. Private Social Networking
Public information is defined as being suitable for use across a very broad range of segments, audiences and interest groups of a given population. One of the main attributes or characteristics of public information is its applicability and relatively low level of harmfulness to any person or institution (Hugl, 2011). Public information is often deliberately created to support a given communications program or plan and is evaluated in terms of its overarching value to the entire population of a region or country. Lastly, public information can be as if not more valuable than private information, in that it contains useful, insightful analysis and ideas, including recommendations, of how to solve complex problems. Private information hasn't got through the same vetting and analysis process that public information has, and often contains insights and data that is very harmful to institutions, organizations and people. For companies and people alike, private information often incudes their most vulnerable and weakest areas, in addition to insight into their strongest as well – that is precisely why it needs to be kept private (Hugl, 2011). Private information carries with it an explicit responsibility to manage the value of it widely and with discretion as a person's and organization's life can change rapidly if it is not used well. Private information is also the most potent as it can completely change the perceptions others have a person or organization, and often does (Asiimwe, 2010).
Paper Undergraduate
Comparative analysis of 3M, Procter & Gamble, and General Electric
As the leading provider of consumer, commercial and institutional soap, cleansers, and packaged goods, Procter & Gamble (P&G) (NYSE:PG) has chosen to take a global leadership position in the areas of sustainability and environmental effectiveness. The cornerstone of the strategic initiatives is the development of a thorough methodology for assessing, analyzing, measuring, and reporting corporate-wide performance to sustainability goals and guidelines. P&G has isolated the greatest potential risks to their sustainability objectives as being in their globally-based supply chain (Warner, 2008). To gain greater insights into how they can alleviate the significant risk associated with suppliers, who if not well managed could jeopardize the entire series of strategic initiatives surrounding sustainability, P&G created the Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecard (P&G, 2010a). The methodology behind this scorecard form the basis of measurement, assessment and reporting systems within P&G today and have since been emulated by other suppliers as well, as their results are quantifiable (Richardson, 2005). Previous to the scorecard being defined, P&G often relied on a wide range of metrics, scorecards and analytics platforms that were never in sync with one another, often causing less-than-optimal levels of quality to be attained (P&G, 2010). There was also a significant level of siloed operations going on, as P&G operates across more than 130 counties and dominates the top-of-mind awareness levels in each national and global market those choose to compete in. While P&G is best known for its marketing prowess, its supply chain and quality management operations, and now its sustainability initiatives, have gained it significant traction in global markets (Joseph, 2010). According to the latest annual reports from P&G, the global soap and cleaning compound manufacturing industry is valued at $54.7B in 2011, growing at a relative flat 3.7% compound annual growth rate through 2012. P&G holds a commanding share in this industry globally, challenged by well-known brands including Colgate-Palmolive, Ecolab and S.C. Johnson, in addition to a few more dozen smaller competitors scattered across geographic regions. P&G competes across many sub-segments of the consumer and commercial cleaning markets, personal care, personal and commercial soap in addition to consumer packaged goods. Of their many lines of business however, P&G faces the toughest challenges in the areas of government regulation and continued government monitoring of environmental performance in the chemically-based production processes it has. Of the several agencies that routinely monitor and at times even fine P&G if they do not comply with government requirements, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is often the most rigorous and thorough in their assessments (Joseph, 2010). The costs of non-compliance for P&G can be in the tens of millions of dollars and can also significantly slow down a new product introduction process as well (Warner, 2008). A lack of quality management is such a significant risk for the company that they have chosen to attack it as an opportunity to gain greater lean manufacturing and process workflows into their company. This more aggressive stance on quality management has helped to save the company literally millions of dollars in fines while also setting the foundation for greater performance gains through its green and sustainability-based initiatives globally (P&G, 2010). P&G has also appointed a Vice President of SustainAbility who has the primary role of ensuring all sustainability initiatives and programs are coordinated and work towards the strategic objectives the company has (Joseph, 2010). Not satisfied with the role being within a functional area, P&G has elevated this position to report directly to the CEO, creating a position that has oversight of nearly 75,000 suppliers globally. P&G has also given this person direct accountability for the performance of each product division and brand to the Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecards mentioned in this analysis. The integration of metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs) and the use of corporate-wide and by-division Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecards has helped P&G surpass even its own expectations and led to sustainability objectives being achieved (Warner, 2008). The remainder of this analysis includes an assessment of the progress P&G is making on their sustainable business objectives, an analysis of the measurement methods they are using and reporting including the Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecard, in addition to a series of recommendations and a conclusion.
Research Paper Undergraduate
The leadership challenge: perspectives and insights
The book by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner - the Leadership Challenge - has launched these two management and HR consultants into a highly visible and very successful position as "experts" on leadership.
Paper Undergraduate
Personal leadership assessment and development
An Initial Evaluation of My Leadership Skills
Paper Undergraduate
Colander, David. The Stories We
Colander, David. The stories we tell: A reconsideration of as/AD analysis.
Paper Undergraduate
Wealth of Nations Adam Smith,
Adam Smith, whose Wealth of Nations was published in 1776, was the father of modern economics and capitalism. He argued that the free operation of market forces was the best recipe for a flourishing and growing economy.
Essay Doctorate
Environmental analysis and strategic planning for organizational functions
Environmental Analysis: Target Corporation
Research Paper Doctorate
African American Assimilation, Acculturation, and Pan-Africanism
Self-identity and acceptance are important for any individual attempting to adapt to society and social change. Many African-American's have a difficult time adapting to cultural values and traditions in Western America.
Paper Doctorate
Waking Life and Plato\'s Republic Richard Linklater\'s
Richard Linklater's 2001 film Waking Life explores the nature of reality and its relationship to dreaming, and in particular the way in which the worlds of dreaming and reality intersect and cloud each other.
Research Paper Undergraduate
Carl Jung's psychological theories and contributions
The Theory of Psychoanalysis: A Critical Review