Monday, December 23, 2019

Spring- Gerard Manley Hopkins - 1347 Words

Spring Gerard Manley Hopkins [1844-1899] Relevant Background †¢ Hopkins was a priest who wrote Nature Poetry. †¢ He celebrated beauty in the natural world. He loved the freshness of spring. †¢ In many of his poems, like ‘Spring’, he linked beauty in nature to prayer. †¢ He thought that beauty in nature was a reminder of God’s love and greatness. †¢ He thought that beauty in nature was a reminder of the innocence and purity of childhood. †¢ He wrote this poem more than a hundred years ago. †¢ Hopkins wrote in a beautiful style that was sometimes difficult. He liked to express his feelings and views in new ways. He left out words such as ‘like’ in line three and changed the normal word order like in line eight. †¢ He often used striking†¦show more content†¦Hopkins regards nature’s beauty as a memory of Paradise: ‘ A strain of the earth s sweet being in the beginning in Eden garden’ Hopkins feels despair at the way maturity spoils childhood innocence: ‘sour with sinning’. He worries for the future of innocent minds. He tells Jesus to preserve children’s perfect innocence. Tones In the octave and the tone is happy and full of celebration: ‘Nothing is so beautiful as spring’ In line nine the tone is questioning: ‘What is all this juice and all this joy?’ Sometimes, also as in line nine, the tone is full of energy: ‘What is all this juice and all this joy?’ In the sestet the tone changes and becomes urgent and anxious: ‘Have, get, before it cloy, before it cloud’ In the sestet there is also a tone of regret that contrasts with the joy of the octave: ‘Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning’ In the sestet the tone is pleading: ‘Have, get’ In the sestet the tone is prayerful: ‘Most, O maid s child, thy choice’ Imagery Hopkins uses many comparisons: He compares the ‘eggs of a thrush’ to the speckled and cloud patterned sky. This is a simile, with the word ‘like’ omitted. He compares the song of the thrush to lightning, another simile. He compares springtime to the Garden of Eden from the bible. This comparison is a metaphor. Notice how he compares the pear tree in the distance to a paintbrush colouring the sky, another metaphor. Note how Hopkins usesShow MoreRelatedSpring by Gerard Manley Hopkins767 Words   |  3 PagesWith every end, there is a beginning. When the cold winter ends, there is a new beginning in nature where the trees and flowers start fresh as they grow once again. The poem â€Å"Spring†, takes us, readers, to a setting where the place shows complete nature. We are to imagine aesthetic scenery where spring has arrived and everything that happens during this season is happening right in front of us. The speaker seems to appreciate nature so much that he sees the complete difference between the seasonsRead MoreThe Beauty Of Spring, By Gerard Manley Hopkins1416 Words   |  6 Pages At first, Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem, â€Å"Spring,† seems to be just about the season of spring per its title. However, in considering Hopkins’s Catholic Christian background, this poem is also about beauty and sin and their effects on nature in relation to the story in the book of Genesis about Adam and Eve. â€Å"Spring† is a Petrarchan sonnet split into an octet and sestet and is organized in such a way to allow Hopkins to discuss beauty and how it (through sin) corrupts itself and humanity personifiedRead MoreThe Relationship Between Man and God Essay2522 Words   |  11 PagesGerard Manley Hopkins’ poem â€Å"Carrion Comfort† was written after his ordainment as a Jesuit priest, and his conversion from a High Church Anglican. At the time of his ordain ment, Manley Hopkins believed practicing poetry interfered with his relationship with God and thus led him to give up poetry almost entirely for seven years. However, in 1872 he recanted this belief and returned to writing. In 1884 he accepted a position teaching Greek and Latin at the University College Dublin. During his timeRead MoreHuman Connection With The World1022 Words   |  5 Pagesenvironment. William Wordsworth and Gerard Manley Hopkins were two of the poets during the Nineteenth century who were known for being leading nature poets in British literary history. The poem â€Å"The World is Too Much with Us† by William Wordsworth written during the Romantic Era is very similar to the Victorian poem â€Å"God’s Grandeur† by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Thus, both poems could be compared as they have similar themes of society and nature. Wordsworth and Hopkins express their feelings in their poemsRead More Comparing Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach and Gerard Manl ey HopkinsGods Grandeur1291 Words   |  6 PagesComparing Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach and Gerard Manley HopkinsGods Grandeur      Ã‚   Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach, and Gerard Manley Hopkins Gods Grandeur are similar in that both poems praise the beauty of the natural world and deplore mans role in that world. The style and tone of each poem is quite different, however. Arnold writes in an easy, flowing style and as the poem develops, reveals a deeply melancholy point of view. Hopkins writes in a very compressed, somewhat jerky styleRead MoreGod s Grandeur, By Gerard Manley Hopkins1115 Words   |  5 Pagesto each other. â€Å"God’s Grandeur†, a poem written in 1877 by Gerard Manley Hopkins depicts the interconnection between the natural world and humankind. The poem describes the beauty of God’s creation and how humankind tends to dismiss the fact that the world is a beautiful place. Hopkins formats the poem as a fourteen line sonnet where a problem is introduced in the first eight lines and a solution to the problem in the last 6 lines. Hopkins uses describing words like â€Å"greatn ess† and â€Å"grandeur† to describeRead MoreCompare the Ways in Which Hopkins’ ‘God’s Grandeur’ and Wordsworth’s ‘the World Is Too Much with Us’ Use the Sonnet Form to Address Their Contemporary Concerns.4584 Words   |  19 Pagesenvironmental change, experienced an astounding shift in poetic style, in which many based their work on the ‘beauty’ of their surroundings, and how mankind affected this. Of this period, two of the leading nature poets in British literary history, Gerard Manley Hopkins and William Wordsworth became known, renowned as great figures in British literary history. Both adopted a ‘sacramental’ view of nature, that is they saw beyond the obvious features commonly associated with the natural world such as phenomenalRead MoreGerard Manley Hopkins2457 Words   |  10 Pagesnineteenth and twentieth centuries, Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poetry is of great significance. As ofte n the case with innovators and artists who are ahead of their times, Gerard Manley Hopkins was torn by contradictions and his poems regarded as unconventional for the historical period. His works are specifically marked by the varied use of linguistic features and rhythmic patterns which did not match the traditional writing styles of the nineteenth century. Hopkins uses what he terms ‘sprung rhythm,’Read MoreStrength of Feeling in Spring and Holy Sonnet 10 Essay2255 Words   |  10 Pagesin Spring and Holy Sonnet 10 Spring, written by Gerard Manley-Hopkins, employs the ideas of the beauty of the season. Manley-Hopkins introduces references to his faith, portraying a religious approach. The feelings experienced within the sonnet are very intense, and the reader becomes progressively more engrossed amid the lines of the sonnet, as the poet delves into the peril that spring might be spoiled, and the innocence of youth might be lost. Manley-Hopkins addressesRead More God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manly Hopkins Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"God’s Grandeur† by Gerard Manly Hopkins As a Jesuit priest, Gerard Manly Hopkins devoted many years of his life to spiritual study and instruction. As seen in his poem â€Å"God’s Grandeur†, Hopkins translated his intense spirituality into poems that explore the relationship between humans and the natural world as an expression of God’s divinity. In the poem, Hopkins presents the Victorian fixation on progress and change not as an improvement, but rather as a regression from a constructive

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Law Brief Free Essays

Law Brief Assignment Case: Fans v. New York Highlanders Inc. Facts: The New York Highlanders are building a new stadium, offered a first come first serve season ticket special. We will write a custom essay sample on Law Brief or any similar topic only for you Order Now In order to be eligible, buyers would have to pay a $10,000 licensing fee which would guarantee a specific seat as identified in a stadium seating diagram. About 10,000 fans signed up and sent in their seating choices at the 50 yard line (the most desired seats) and received confirmation from the Highlanders that their seats were reserved. Unfortunately, after the licenses were sold to the 10,000 fans, the stadiums dimensions were reduced and only had 5,000 available seats on the 50 yard line. The Highlanders announced that 5,000 of the 10,000 would get the preferred seating based on a lottery, and the remaining 5,000 would be given other seats. Issue: The plaintiffs are suing the defendant to reimburse a $10,000 fee which guaranteed a specific seat in the new stadium. Due to reduced dimensions, the New York Highlanders Inc. would give the plaintiffs different seats Application: Referring to the case of Yocca v. Pittsburg Steelers Sports Inc. Yocca was sent a brochure granting the right to buy annual season tickets to games thru stadium building licenses. Yocca applied for the stadium building license and listed his seating preference. The Steelers sent him a letter notifying him of the section in which his seat was located. A diagram was included with detailed parameters of the section, but it differed from the origin al brochures diagram. The Steelers also sent Yocca documents including a clause that read,† This agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties. † Yocca signed the documents, and the Steelers told him the specific location of the seats. When he arrived to the stadium, the seat was not where he expected it to be. Yocca filed a suit against the Steelers, the defendants appealed to the state supreme court. Since the parties, without any fraud or mistake, have purposely put their arrangements in writing, the law states the writing to be the only evidence of their agreement. All previous negotiations, conversations and verbal agreements can not be combined or added to evidence. â€Å"Once a writing is determined to be the parties entire contract, the parol evidence rule applies and evidence of any previous written negations or agreements nvolving the same subject matter as the contract is almost always inadmissible to explain or vary the terms of the contract. Because the plaintiffs based their complaint on the claim that the defendants violated the terms of the brochure, and the court held the brochure as not part of the contract, the case was dismissed. The Yocca v. Pittsburg Steelers Sports Inc case is similar to the Fans v. New York Highlanders Inc, in which the fan(s) paid for specific seats that they were guaranteed to have. The fans signed up for their seat choices and received confirmation that the seats were reserved, same as Yocca’s agreement with the Steelers. A few differences between these two cases are that Yocca signs a clause that reads, â€Å"This agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties. † But this clause was signed AFTER he applied for the SBL documents. With the Highlanders case, we are not giving enough information as to what the fans signed off to, but we can make an assumption that the fans signed off to a similar clause because they both are applying for stadium building license. Also, in Yocca’s case the stadium was not reducing its dimensions. Both cases had plaintiffs purchasing â€Å"specific† seats in which they were guaranteed and resulting in having a different seat or wanting reimbursement. With the fans v. Highlanders, there was no brochure or previous negations; the plaintiff’s signed off on the SBL which is the only evidence of their agreement. Seeing as to the defendant violating the agreement, the plaintiff’s are subject to a reimbursement. Decision: In a court of law, the parties’ entire contract (the Stadium Building License Document) is the only evidence of their agreement. All negations, conversations, and brochures cannot be added to parol evidence. Because the plaintiff’s based their case complaint that the defendant violated the terms of the Stadium Building License, the defendants owe the fans a reimbursement of $10,000. Citations: 1. Clarkson, Miller. Business Law. 11. Yocca v. Pittsburg Steeler Sports, Inc. , Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2004 578 Pa. , 854 A. 2D, 425: Pages 313-314. 2. http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/23473/how_to_write_a_legal_brief_pg2 How to cite Law Brief, Essays

Saturday, December 7, 2019

 How has Baz Luhrman used film techniques to create a visually exciting film  Essay Example For Students

  How has Baz Luhrman used film techniques to create a visually exciting film?   Essay In fair Verona, a pair of star crossed lovers takes their lives. Leonardo Dicaprio and the rather attractive Clair Danes take on the distinguished role of playing Romeo and Juliet in the modern remake of William Shakespeares epic Love story. Luhrman recreated this dazzling and unconventional adaptation in 1997, carefully picking the actors to portray Romeo and Juliet and moved them from the Elizabethan origins and placed them in the urban backdrops of Verona beach, LA, thus making the movie at once modern and unconventional. The movie opens with a scene from a modern news report, but contains old language. The first image appears to be a TV approaching from far towards us with the sound of the news reporters voice. This immediately grabs the audiences attention due to the serious voice being used by the reporter. The audience has the movies attention, and then the feeling of curiosity settles in as they start to make sense of what the reporter is saying. As the picture of the TV screen approaches, a broken ring with the text star crossed lovers can be seen. This lays out the main setting of the movie; it tells the audience that the movie is a love story which encountered problems. This would interest the audience because modern society is very impatient and would want to know immediately what the story was about; also, the audience would want to know what the problem was, therefore keeping the viewer interested and increasing their curiosity. Luhrman placed the story in a news report because it would take something pretty serious or of great importance to make it onto news headlines, therefore, again grabbing the viewers attention and wanting them to know more. After the scene of the news report, there is a camera shot zooming down a city street, which had a very modern and modernised and developed population, at immense speed then stopping at a statue of Jesus. By doing this, Luhrman immediately showed that the rest of the movie would follow with great speed and would involve a religious portrayal. This statement could be backed up by the gothic music that was being played in they backround, which was probably used to increase the speculation of trouble; witch started slow, then increases in tempo. Then, the camera zooms out a bit and shows two buildings with the family names Capulet and Montague either side of the statue of Jesus. This camera shot would suggest to the audience that the two family names were competing for the role of god. The audiences response to this would be that two family were trying to beat each other in status, and that each family compared themselves to god, but neither of them were at that standard because Jesus w as still in the middle. The two families being either side of Jesus would also indicate the names had great power and importance as they were at a gods level. This would encourage the viewers that there was arch rivalry and heavy competition, which compares with modern society which also tries to be the best at everything. The film is set in modern society because today audience are not really interested in the past and want to see more up to date scenes. Also, the viewers may find that they would like something there that could relate to, instead of just using their imagination. Set in modern Verona beach, we see police swat teams with hi tech weapons and vehicles which related to modern society, racing around, with quick flashes of the statue of Jesus again, flowed by scenes of violence, death, injury, and fire. This set the scene of the movie in a highly populated city with raging conflict that involved the presence of police. This would excite the audience by letting them know that the film Would contain lots of action, violence and death. This was probably introduce to the film in this stage because he wanted to let the viewers know that this was not some boring love story. There was then a news paper with the headline Montague vs. Capulet, which show that again this conflict was very serious and was high profile. This would have let the audience know again that this was ordinary quarrel. While we are seeing these scenes, we hear a very serious and important sounding voice. The reason for this would have been to verbally introduce the viewer to the major problem; this would help in the effect of creating that verbal and visual indication of a major problem. Dramatically change EssayThe only characters not to be introduced this way are captain prince and Mercutio. This is probably to announce their difference in role. Captain Prince is just shown from the front, and Mercutio the same, but with one difference, Mercutio does still not have a first name. This was most likely to be introduce this way because Luhrman wanted to keep somethings the same, not complete change the whole original settings. He wanted to keep some originality which the audience would have like because modern society doesnt always like a complete change, they like to have their little bit of home. It would be expected here that the rest of characters would be introduced such as Romeo and Juliet, the nurse and so on. This was made like this because Luhrman must have thought that the characters had no relevance in the movie at this stage. It was unexpected that Mercutio would have introduced at this stage because you would have thought that he would have come along wi th Romeo as they were best of friends. In act three, scene one, Luhrman creates visual tension by firstly introducing the scene in a party situation where Mercutio and Tybalt are looking for Romeo. .Curiosity is created because the audience are wondering where he could be. There seems to be a slightly high profile conversation with lots of violence involved. The violence alone would have kept the viewer interested because they would want to see who wins. Mercutio plays around with Tybalt and shows off a lot by spinning his gun around in a skilful way. He also leaves an impression of ignorance which the audience would seem to like and be intrigued by it because they would want to know what he was really like. There is a point in the movie where Mercutio fires a bullet for fun. Everyone stops and looks at him as if to say he has over stepped the line. This would have shocked the audience as this would not have been expected the characters let alone the audience. That moment would have created a lot of suspense. While on the beat, the Montagues arch rivals appear. There is a perceived image of danger and importance. Mercutio argues with them also makes fun out of them. One of the Montagues say something to Mercutio that really makes him mad, and goes after the Capulet. An image of humour may be sent to the audience when a scene almost identical to a cowboy film is shown where Mercutio and one of the Capulets are about to have a shoot out. Romeo steps in to intervene, during this scene; a vast tension is being built with a burning impatience and desire to see what happens. Luhrman did really well in building up that suspense. Romeo offers a peace offering to the Capulets but it is turned away harshly. By making the refusal seem harsh, it makes the audience feel sorry for Romeo, bringing along that them of despair and hope. Romeo walks away but is chases again by the Capulet, and is being beaten. Mercutio steps in to defend Romeo because he was rather angered by the Capulet actions. Romeo stops Mercutio from killing the Capulet but in the process Mercutio is hit back and is injured badly but it is unknown. The audience would have felt unsure about what had happened to Mercutio as he was hit but did not die straight away. He joked again giving the impression that he was ok but then he suddenly dropped to the ground dead. During this scene, they audience would have felt saddened by these inhuman actions, modern society enjoys violence and death, but not when it is a over silly thing or for the sake of good. In conclusion of the original question, How has Baz Luhrman used film techniques to create a visually exciting film? the answer is that he used many techniques. Mainly, he used the technique of constantly keeping the audience in suspense, keeping them curious, using high quality sound effects, using many different formats of images, creating scenes of violence, conflict, despair, war and death and visually astounding text and emotion to help create that overall exciting film. After all, in todays modern society is used to seeing this and enjoys this type of viewing. Some may have even found the film rather entertaining as some of modern society is being brought up in this environment.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

King Lear Essays (452 words) - King Lear, Operas,

King Lear "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive". Sir Walter Scott may not have intended to describe the tangled web of secrets that fuels Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear", but it certainly applies. Secrets come in many shapes and sizes, and in works of literature they can be categorized as either secrets that are unknown to the reader or secrets that unknown to the characters. In "King Lear", the secrets are kept from the characters. As in many great tragedies, it is the secrets in Shakespeare's "King Lear" that cause the tragedy to occur. In the first scene of "King Lear", Lear tells his youngest daughter that "nothing will come of nothing", referring to her refusal to profess her love for him, but unfortunately for him, he was dead wrong. Lear refuses to recognize that his two eldest daughters are evil and only his youngest truly loves him. This is the secret in the story; the two older daughters hide their wickedness behind a mask of kind words, and Lear allows the secret to remain a secret, by his unwillingness to accept the fact that his daughters do not love him. What follows plunges Lear into the depths of hell, and then through his eventual realization of this secret, he is able to redeem himself. Shakespeare writes this story in a manner that the reader understands the cause of Lear's problems, but Lear himself does not. This draws the reader into the story because the reader knows that Lear's actions will lead to his downfall. As the story progresses the reader begins feeling very sympathetic towards Lear, because they understand the failure of Lear to expose the secret. Without the secret, however, a lot of heartbreak would have been saved, but there would have been no story. For it is the secret and the subsequent heartbreak that draws the reader into the story. The overall effect of this secret is crucial to the development of the tragedy. This technique is seen in many tragedies. In "Oepidus Rex", the secret during this story is that Oedipus married his mother and killed his father, in" Romeo and Juliet" it is their secret love, and in "Desire Under the Elms" it is that the son is the secret father of his father's baby. The secret aspect in all of these stories aid in the mystery and also the horror. The secrets in "King Lear" set the story in perpetual motion, and aid in the effect and overall impression the story has on the reader. As seen in many tragedies the secretive element creates the story, fuels the plot, and sets the stage for the tragedy to occur. As the secret is exposed and the heartbreak occurs, the tragedy unfolds. The reader's knowledge of the secret draws them into the story allowing them to see the classic struggle between good and evil.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Mexican economics follow the U essays

Mexican economics follow the U essays Mexican Economy Follows U.S. Economic Slump Growth has slowed considerably in early 2001 in response to the hard downturn in the US economy. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2001 is forecast to slow to 2%, from 6.9% in 2000. A rebound of growth in 2002 will depend on an upturn in the U.S. economy and continued conventional economic management. A tightening of monetary policy should enable inflation to fall to under 7% by the end of 2001. With hopes in 2002 of a further reduction in inflation, provided the peso depreciates gradually. The first year of the Fox administration, combined both the fiscal and monetary tightening that will characterize the administration, this will limit GDP growth to only 2% in 2001. A pick-up in growth to 4.5% can be forecast for 2002 as private consumption and export-oriented industrial output rebound with the beginning of a turnaround in the US economy. A sharper slowdown than currently forecast is possible if the US economy goes into recession. A slowing domestic economy, combined with tight monetary and fiscal policy, will ensure that inflation continues to fall in 2001-02, although not as quickly as officials have targeted. With inflation already at single-digit levels and the peso likely to depreciate during the next year, further large reductions in inflation will be difficult to achieve. To reach its inflation target of 6.5% for 2001, Banxico will have to tighten monetary policy again following several tightening moves over the past 12 months. Even considering a relatively tight fiscal deficit target ceiling of 0.6% of GDP, year-end inflation will probably be around 7.5% in 2001 and about 5% in 2002. Positive investor sentiment towards Mexico, fuelled by expectations of an investment upgrade, has resulted in a strengthening of the peso in 2001. However, with the trade deficit widening on the back of the US slowdown and a possible cooling of sentiment towards Mexico, the peso ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Bike Service at Door Project System

The project would be one a kind of services in Australia. With this service, people can get their bike servicing at their doorstep. This project or service would be known as ‘Bike Service at Door’. There would be a mobile application for this project and people can book the appointment with a click. The executive of ‘Bike Service at Door’ would e and pick the bike at the appointed time (Krishan, 2012). The executive would get the bike services from the required service center. Once the servicing is done, the executive would bring the bike back to the owner. Initially, this project or this service would be launched in Sydney. The vision of the project is to make life easy and convenient for bike owners who are busy in their life and who does not have time to give bike for servicing. With this project, the bike owners can get the bike serviced at their doorsteps. The ou e is that the bike owners would not need to go to the service center to get their bike serviced (Suarez, 2014). To develop a mobile application and web portal for people to book the appointment with a click. The executive of ‘Bike Service at Door’ would e and pick the bike at the appointed time. The executive would get the bike services from the required service center. Once the servicing is done, the executive would bring the bike back to the owner The objective is to mobile application and web portal people to book the appointment with a single click. The output or the target state would be a website and a mobile application that the bike owners can use to book the service appointment for their bikes (Turner, 2014). It is targeted, the bike owners in Sydney would use this service as it would be ease and convenient for them to get the bike services without them going to the service station. The two key success criteria for this project can be discussed as: The mobile application and website would be developed that would be used by the bike owners to book the appointment (Kumar, 2012) There are enough executives that would go to the doorstep of people to collect the bike, deliver to respective service stations, and return the bike back to bike owners The people are ready to use this service and people would trust the executives to give the bike for servicing. There would not be any technological challenges to develop the website and mobile applications The service centers would accept the bike from the service executives who are not the owners of the bike. Corona-Suarez, G. A., AbouRizk, S. M., & Karapetrovic, S. (2014). Simulation-Based Fuzzy Logic Approach to Assessing the Effect of Project Quality Management on Construction Performance.  Journal of Quality and Reliability Engineering,  2014. Kim, D. Y., Kumar, V., & Kumar, U. (2012). Relationship between quality management practices and innovation.  Journal of Operations Management,30(4), 295-315.   Turner, J. R. (2014). The handbook of project-based management (Vol. 92). McGraw-hill. Antony, J., Krishan, N., Cullen, D., & Kumar, M. (2012). Lean Six Sigma for higher education institutions (HEIs) Challenges, barriers, success factors, tools/techniques. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 61(8), 940-948.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Cabaret Film (1972) Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cabaret Film (1972) Film - Essay Example Let us now look into film by segmenting it, so as to understand the film better. The film begins with a cabaret song performed by Joel Grey and other cast that actually welcomes the audience. Here Bob Fosse blends the introduction of Michael York, the scene takes a transition from the cabaret to the Berlin railway station and this transition happens abruptly with no effects of fade or wipe. The first scene completely focuses on the advent of an English man who enters Berlin with a hope to find a career as an English tutor. Soon after the completion of the first scene, there is actually a continuity of the English man finding himself a place to live in. Here Bob Fosse brings in the character around which the story actually revolves, Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli). The English man meets the singer Sally Bowles and finds accommodation in her place. In this particular scene the director introduces Sally Bowles as atypical woman with a strong desire to become an actress. This also gives us an impression about the girl who has a quite different attitude where she convinces the English man about the rent and persuades him to stay. The following scene shows Sally Bowles performing at the cabaret and this indeed is a perfect continuation of the previous scene letting the audience know about Sally and her profession. In this performance of Sally Bowles one has to definitely appreciate the work done by John Kander where his tunes leave the audience foot tapping. The third scene begins with a fade and this shows Sally Bowles talking over the phone to the English man Brian Roberts and here comes in the character of a Jewish man, who Sally introduces to Brian and suggests him taking English lessons from Brian. In the following scenes Sally discloses her strong desire to become an actress to Brian and in the same scene Sally screams under a railway bridge and asks Brian to do the same. This scene particularly tells us about the typical behavior of Sally. The following scenes al so have a good sense of continuity where Sally seduces Brian and Brian refuses romancing her. At the end of the scene doubts entail us about the sexuality of Brian for he has a different outlook for women. All the scenes so far have a cause to happen and their effect felt in the progressive sequences. The upcoming scenes find us in little sense of ambiguity of as to why the parallel story of the Jewish man and his love interest, Natalia happen to take place in this track of the movie revolving around the cabaret singer Sally. But little would we know at the beginning, of why this parallel track runs and at the end of the film this would find a meaningful integration with the main track of the movie. The scene, in which the Jewish woman, Natalia seeking to learn English from Brian pronounces â€Å"phlegm† amusingly, is certainly a hilarious scene with Sally’s sarcastic comments. Though some scenes merely appear as fillers their sense of appearance are found at the end. The Jewish man trying to please his love interest is one among them. The romance between Sally and Brian finds great sense as it is placed in the right time and the director’s art in making the scene a non deliberate one is impeccable. A song (â€Å"may be this time†) placed at this point is a mere justification of the emotions of a cabaret singer. The scene in which Sally speaks to the Natalia about physical relationships actually makes little sense as this has got

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Self-assessment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self-assessment - Term Paper Example Based on the big five personality assessment, the aspect of openness to experience and intellect had a score of 47% which was judged as typically uncreative. This needs improvement which will mainly be guided by getting involved in creative sessions, complex activities, though on a gradual process and more conventional aspects of the learning environment. This is important given the current global trends that require creativity for one to ail through in whatever career they choose. Conscientiousness was ranked at 64% which meant that I am able to organize myself and am reliable. However, there needs to be an improvement to attain self-discipline. Self-discipline in any working or social environment is important because it sets one apart from all the rest (Drucker, 2010). Reliability will come in handy too in other areas within the organization. Extraversion was ranked at 64% which meant that I relatively enjoy social gatherings. There needs to be some improvement in the area of being talkative and fun-loving. I am however more agreeable, at 74%, which indicates consideration for the feelings of others. This needs to be maintained and nurtured (Kelvin, 2011). I am also more relaxed during a crisis which was ranked under neuroticism and had a score of 27%. Such is an important attribute when in management or dealing with hostile people in social settings while in school, this is something that aids in creating bond with many people, hence a better lifestyle and a peaceful environment for all. The emotional intelligence quiz showed a high score on emotional intelligence. This implies that I am good at skills that have to deal with the interpretation and understanding of emotions and also when there is a need to act upon those skills. However, more work is required to maintain these since adeptness to react and deal with social and emotional conflicts is always an important attribute in real-life situations. Emotional intelligence is

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Good Will Hunting Essay Example for Free

Good Will Hunting Essay Sometimes our past can cause pain that doesn’t allow us to trust others. People we trust can cause us to put up a wall and look to other things for comfort. In the movie, Will Hunting found his comfort in books. Will Hunting needed a real friendship to help him open up his mind in order to discover that there is more to life than living through the books he reads. In the movie, there are four main characters, each different in many ways, that form individual friendships in the movie. One of the characters, Will Hunting works as a janitor at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is a foster child and is living life through his experience in books and lacks real life knowledge. This is holding him back from becoming intimate with anyone. While working there he sometimes writes on the school’s math department blackboard and is soon discovered as a genius. Will gets caught fighting and is arrested and in leau of incarceration is put under the supervision of Gerald Lambeau, who attended and is now a professor at MIT. Under his supervision, per court order he must see a therapist and stay out of any trouble. Sean Maguire is a professor at a local community college and also grew up in the same town as Will and went to MIT. He is Will’s therapist and in the sessions challenges him to open up and stop living life through a book. A friendship develops and Sean tries to guide him to break his fear of intimacy. Chuckie Sullivan is a character in the movie that Will refers to as his brother. Chuckie is a nice guy with an aggressive attitude from being brought up in the rough side of Southie, Boston. Then there is a girl named Skylar, cute with a British accent and goes to Harvard University. She gets involved with Will Hunting and soon asks him to move with her to California where she will be attending at Stanford’s medical school program. Unfortunately, fear of intimacy prevents him from forming a relationship with her and breaks this friendship apart. Eventually, Will starts to see his true friendships with Chuckie, Sean and Skylar and starts to open up. He begins to trust others and takes a risk at experiencing life first hand outside the covers of a book. Will Hunting came from poverty, raised as a foster child in Southie. He didn’t trust people because he always looked at every angle of the relationship and assumed that in the end they wouldn’t be there for him. Professor Gerald Lambeau, who took pride in himself because of a Field Medals award which granted him public status, comes around to try to build a friendship with Will. Will soon realizes that Gerald is using him to gain social status, public recognition and to solve his difficult math problems. He then ends his relationship with Gerald because of his intensions. Then Sean, seeing what his former classmate, Gerald, was up to, soon becomes more than just Will’s therapist. Sean becomes a friend and tries to prevent Will from taking the same path as Gerald by only wanting social recognition. As Will’s Friend, Sean didn’t want him to fail. He wanted Will to succeed in life and take a chance and not just live it through a book. The doctor-patient relationship soon becomes a very close friendship. Towards the end of the movie Will leaves a note for Sean, â€Å"I had to see about a girl,† this was a quote from Sean’s story of his courtship with his wife. This lets Sean know he had decided to take a chance on life and to attempt to form a lasting relationship with someone he could trust. Will’s â€Å"brother† Chuckie, who is really Will’s best friend, also wanted him to succeed in life. He tries to encourage Will to take a chance in living a real life and tells Will, â€Å"You know what the best part of my day is? It’s for about ten seconds when I pull up to the curb to when I get to your door. Because I think maybe I’ll get up there and I’ll knock on the door and you won’t be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothing. Just left. I don’t know much, but I know that.† Will then sees that Chuckie might have a point and takes his friend’s advice. A few people come into Will’s life, some for real friendships and some just to gain public status. After discovering his true friendships, Will begins to enjoy their company and wants them in his life. He begins to build relationships he can count on. He is willing to take a chance and succeed in life and relationships, no longer needing books to fulfill this for him. He finally decides to trust and to look at the positive things life has to offer. On his 21st birthday, with the car, Chuckie and his other friends gave him, he packs up to head to California to pursue life. In the end, Will finds true friendships and decides to live his life outside of just a book.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Angers of the Rich :: Character Analysis, Buchanan

Paul Krugman discusses topics including anger, wealth, self-pity, and self-righteousness in his article, â€Å"The Angry Rich.† All of these characteristics are reflected in the character Tom Buchanan, from The Great Gatsby. Tom, who depicts himself as an imperious man, puts himself above everyone just because he has money. In The Great Gatsby, money rules the society from where you live, whom you’re friends with, and even the way people look at you. Tom and Daisy both think of themselves as exclusive compared to everyone else and put themselves above the rules. Tom has a mistress, Myrtle, she isn’t the most appealing woman, but it is enough to fuel the fire of Tom’s ego. The Great Gatsby illustrates Tom getting irritated and angry while driving to the city as a result of noticing the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, and no one informing him of it: â€Å"Did you see that?† †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You think I’m pretty dumb, don’t you?†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ He paused. The immediate contingency overtook him, pulled him back from the edge of the theoretical abyss† (121). Tom is starting to catch on that Daisy might be cheating on him with Gatsby, but he has no right to be upset; he is doing the same thing with Myrtle! Tom’s realization also supports his beliefs in rules not applying to him because he is higher than everyone else. Jordan Baker, one of Daisy’s friends, sums up Tom’s feelings toward Gatsby in one statement: â€Å"Listen, Tom. If you’re such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?† demanded Jordan crossly† (122). If Tom has â€Å"made a small investigation of this fellow† (122); and concludes that he doesn’t like him, then why does he invite him places and attend his party? Before Nick goes to dinner with the Buchanans, he fills us in on Tom’s privileged life: â€Å"Her husband†¦a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax. His family were enormously wealthy† (Fitzgerald 6). This passage illustrates Tom’s trouble-free access to masses of money. With this money comes power and obviously this power has made Tom feel like he is at liberty to anything. Paul Krugman also states this in his article: â€Å"And among the undeniably rich, a belligerent sense of entitlement has taken hold† Another one of Tom’s amazing traits is having self-pity.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Human Resource Is the Most Important Assest in an Organization Essay

Human resources are the set of individuals who makes up the workforce of an organization, business sector or an economy. This resource resides in the skill, knowledge and motivation of people and under the right condition it improves in age and experience which no other resources can do. It is therefore considered the most productive resources that can create the longest advantages for an organization. For an organization to sustain and grow they do not only rely on advanced technology, good marketing strategy and other factors etc. In fact, they have to rely on their employee performance, contribution and image. As in most organization, they are mainly human orientated. Thus, without their support and contribution to the business operation, the organization daily business operation will not be functioning well. Christina. P (2009) mentioned that organizational psychology holds that successful organizations do not owe their success solely to market realities and sustainable competitive advantages. Actually, there is a lot more. Successful companies are those that consider their human capital as their most important asset. Facts and figures are the quantitative elements of successful management, yet the qualitative, i.e. the cognitive aspects, are those that actually make or break an organization Here are a few factors that explain how human resource can contribute to an organization to help them meet their future goals and expectations. Firstly, having strategic human resource planning. It is a process that identifies current and future human resources needs for an organization to achieve its goals. Reilly (2003) define human resource planning as: ‘A process in which an organization attempts to estimate the demand for labour and evaluate the size, nature and sources of supply which will be required to meet the demand.’ Without human resource planning, an organization may not be ready and well prepared for the future challenges ahead. Secondly, by having a positive working environment. In order to allow employees to contribute to the organization it is important to create a positive environment for the employees so as to ensure the smooth running of business of an organization. For instance, encouraging employee to go for lunch break on time, taking short breaks in between during working hours if there is too much stress, minimal overtime work. Such work practice will actually motivates employees to contributes more to the organization as they are not overwork or over stress. As mentioned by David.I (2009), â€Å"work environment, employee satisfaction and employee turnover are three distinct concepts that are inseparably linked; workplace environments greatly influence employee satisfaction, which in turn directly affects employee turnover rates. Knowing how to use a positive work environment to increase employee satisfaction and reduce turnover is a key to developing a high-performance workforce.† Thirdly, continuous learning within an organization. It is important for an organization to promote and send their employees of different level to attend workshops and courses. This is to allow employees to have an opportunity to learn new skills and to continue to upgrade themselves regardless of their age. Without the right knowledge or skill in a certain organization, employees may not be able to contribute to the organization more effectively. As mentioned by Robert J.V (2006), â€Å"a learning organization embraces a culture of lifelong learning, enabling all employees to continually acquire and share knowledge. Improvements in product or service quality do not stop when proper training is provided to the employees. Employees need to have the financial, time and content resources available to increase their knowledge.â€Å" Lastly, by having attractive benefits and compensation. Pay and benefits are the most important incentives that organization can offer to employees in exchange for a more productivity and quality contribution to the organization. Employees should also be rewarded when they have accomplished a big assignment for their hard work and efforts to the organization as this attractive benefits and compensation will also help booze the employee morale. At the same time, they will feel appreciated by the organization where they may contribute more to the organization in future. If employees are not satisfied with the level of compensation or benefit, they may not be motivated to work and the level of standard for quality and productivity will definitely be low. As mentioned by Rebecca. L (2012),† when your workers feel you’re looking out for them, they’ll look out for you, too, by producing higher quality work and staying in their jobs longer. Providing good benefits packages—which might include retirement, health care or dental plans—is a tangible way to show employees that you value them and their quality of life. Sure, the rising cost of benefits has made offering an attractive package more difficult for small businesses, but there are still ways to offer competitive packages to recruit and retain the best workers while staying within your budget.† In conclusion, â€Å"Human Resource† is the most important asset of an organization as it plays an important role in every aspect .It is the backbone of an organization, without human resource the organization will not be able to function well and may not succeed in the future challenges.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Human Performance Technology

Human Performance Technology (HPT) uses a wide range of interventions that are drawn from many other disciplines including, behavioral psychology, instructional systems design, organizational development, and human resources management. It stresses a rigorous analysis of present and desired levels of performance, identifies the causes for the performance gap, offers a wide range of interventions with which to improve performance, guides the change management process, and evaluates the results. Human Performance Technology Process The human performance technology process begins with a comparison of the present and the desired levels of individual and organizational performance to identify the performance gap. A cause analysis is then done to determine what impact the work environment (information, resources, and incentives) and the people (motives, individual capacity, and skills) are having on performance. Solution to performance problems can fail when they are selected to treat only visible symptoms rather than underlying causes. When the root causes of a problem are uncovered and eliminated, however, the likelihood of significantly reducing or eliminating problems is greatly enhanced. Once the performance gap and the causes have been determined, the appropriate interventions are designed and developed. These may include measurement and feedback systems, new tools and equipment, compensation and reward systems, selection and placement of employees, and training and development. The interventions are then implemented and the change process managed. Evaluation is done after each phase of the process. Initially, formative evaluation assesses the performance analysis, cause analysis, intervention selection and design, and intervention and change phases. Then evaluation focuses on the immediate response of employees and their ability and willingness to do the desired behaviors. The final evaluations are centered on improvement of business outcomes (such as quality, productivity, sales, and customer retention, profitability, and market share) as well as determining return on investment for the intervention. Components of the Human Performance Technology One of the most powerful steps a company can take is to establish measurable, observable criteria whereby a competent individual can determine if a specific, critical task has been done correctly and completely. If individuals have no formal, structured means to evaluate their own performance, supervisors will have no structured, formal means to evaluate an individual performance and provide useful feedback. Training can only address skill deficiencies, that is, the â€Å"can't do† versus â€Å"won't do† behaviors. Nonetheless, training can have a dramatic impact by increasing productivity, decreasing unplanned downtime, reducing the learning curve, and reducing trial-and-error learning. A deficiency that companies must often overcome is the lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs), job aids, and other visual tools that can be used to minimize or mitigate process variations introduced by people. The processes, systems, or methods whereby information is conveyed to job incumbents individually and as a group are integral to the total technology plan. Give the workforce early and frequent information. Give all ranks of employees plenty of advance information regarding the impending technological changes. Help them to understand – in clear and simple terms- project objectives. Educate them as to why these technological upgrades are necessary and how they present opportunities for changes in the way things are done. Let workers know that concurrent with your commitment to technology upgrades is an equal commitment to employee development. Assure them that you will provide them with adequate and timely training support. Finally, set up a structure to harvest process improvement ideas during the debugging and trial run stages. A human performance technologist, high levels of human performance is usually accomplished through instructional technology and performance technology. Instructional technology attempts to improve organizational performance through improving the ability of individual to perform. While performance technology attempts to improve organizational performance through improving the work environment and the work practices of the organization. In today's educational environment, educators use computer applications to perform many rudimentary tasks, such as preparing instructional materials, reporting student progress, and delivering instruction. The objective of most performance technology into a work environment should be to assist the teacher in completing the tasks. So, human performance technology applied to the design of teacher tools, which is an electronic performance support tool for teachers that will help them in their work environment and task performance by recording the occurrences of tasks, such as grading, lesson planning and reporting and the amount of time performing the tasks. But most of the teachers are not proficient in using the latest technology so they revert back to the manual way of doing their tasks. They need enough time to use the new technology because current work responsibilities demanded a great amount of time. However, the perception of more time needed to use the technology can be elimina ted when teachers realize that the technology is an easier method of performing some of their current work tasks. Many students have limited access to technology because some educational institution cannot afford to adapt to the latest technology because of limited resources. In some instances technology is provided but students have not yet develop the necessary skills to learn it (e.g. the client are kindergartens.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Human Cost of an Illiterate So essays

Human Cost of an Illiterate So essays The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society I agree slightly with Kozol, that widespread illiteracy may undermine democracy in the United States. Kozol says that illiteracy undermines democracy in the US since most illiterates do not vote. He claims that even when they do vote, illiterates are almost certain to vote not by ideology or political platform, but for whomever they can remember from a street sign or television ad. Kozol also claims that since 60 million people in the US are illiterate, about one third of the population at the time of his publication, that our own US government is neither of, nor for, nor by, the people, which is the very basis of American democracy (p. 207). Illiteracy works hard here to undermine our political democracy. There are many things that I think can be done to lessen the problems of illiteracy. We should push harder in primary schooling to be sure that everyone who attends is able to read. If someone is able to slip through there, then there should be other social programs that teach reading. A number of reading courses could be set up through community centers, non-profits, churches, etc. to help those who cant read get help. I think that anyone who knows that they cant read would obviously take whatever assistance they could get if they only knew it existed. Kozol describes many challenges that the average illiterate would have to face on an almost daily basis. I think that Kozol does a good job in describing how illiteracy can impact someones life so relentlessly, but at times I felt that Kozol might have been exaggerating exactly how much illiteracy would have caused problems. Kozol may have several motives for exaggerating. I think he was attempting to evoke sympathy by showing what the extremist illiterate must face. He shows what the most acute problems could be for an illiterate. He does this so that people may realize t ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Political Party System in Canada Research Paper

Political Party System in Canada - Research Paper Example In the contemporary political scenario, the major players of the system are the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, and the New Democratic Party. During the period 1945 to 1984, the Liberals were the usual governing party, the Conservatives the usual opposition, and the New Democratic Party the third party, and the election results of these parties support this view. In recent times, the New Democratic Party has grown more like the two old parties and it has now become more success-oriented and less ideologically committed. However, a reflective analysis of the constitutions of the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic Parties of Canada confirms that the party system in the nation clearly lacks a clear ideological distinction among the various parties. As H. G. Thorburn maintains, "the Canadian party system has lacked a clear ideological distinction between the two old parties. The traditional distinctions were: Conservatives for Britain, the monarchy, a hierarchically structur ed society, Protestantism, protective tariffs, and the Liberals, the observe-sympathetic to the United States, democracy, and freer trade, and open to Catholics, French Canadians, and immigrants. These crude distinctions never really fitted in a comprehensive way, but before the Second World War they used to be the generally understood distinctions that marked the old parties." (Thorburn, 210) Therefore, the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic Parties of Canada have several ideologies in common and a comparative analysis of the constitutions of these parties confirms this fact. A comparative analysis of the constitutions of the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic Parties of Canada substantiates the view that the Canadian party system lacks a clear ideological distinction among the major parties. However, to distinguish among these political parties on the basis of their ideological components, they can be arranged on a left-right continuum – NDP on the left, the Lib erals in the middle and Conservatives just to the right of Liberals. Canadian political parties agree that they can be arranged on a left-right continuum, NDP on the left, the Liberals in the middle and Conservatives just to the right of Liberals. One of the basic facts about the political character of the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic Parties of Canada is that they observe their political policy closely and the origin and formation of each political party confirm the basis of their political ideologies. Thus, it becomes lucid that the New Democratic Party, commonly referred to as the NDP, is based on the leftist ideologies, as it is a social democratic political party, and its political stand confirms that it believes in the center-left ideologies. With its populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots, the NDP has been the strong advocate of leftist ideologies. In the contemporary political context of Canada, the NDP has been particular to incorporate the ideologies of the New Left, and crucial issues such as gay rights, peace, and environmental protection are covered by its political ideologies in the contemporary scenario. The leftist leanings of the New Democratic Party become conspicuous when the constitution of the party is carefully analyzed.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Social Policy and Personal Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Policy and Personal Lives - Essay Example We will also explore different ways in which this affects the way both qualitative research is conducted and the ways it has affect personal lives and social policy In order to attempt to make social sciences a 'pure science', sociologists previously gathered data only in the form of quantitative methods. This was primarily to avoid empirical problems involving the lack of 'hard' evidence, but it removed one vital aspect of social studies that essentially set it apart from other sciences: the personal element. Indeed, deductive methods are less refutable but they do not involve the individual and certainly do not entertain the idea of the spiritual or mental differences between two people. Over time, both qualitative and quantitative research have been melded into an interdisciplinary approach to social research but this depends on the type of research, the problem/issue to be dealt with and the question one wishes to answer. How research is conducted depends on the nature of the reality one wishes to study, the knowledge we have about that reality and then the way that knowledge is organized. In other words the ontology, epistemology and metho dology of social research refers to the various sectors of sociological information we have. With regards to social policy and personal lives, quantitative research will tell us very little about the way we perceive our surroundings, but qualitative research is focused on the individual for whom that very society is constructed. Social policies such as welfare systems and educational institutions are built around the specific social group and while it is well known that generalizations about society are often made, qualitative research seeks to verify certain realities. The research essentially grants the scientist the viewpoint 'from the horse's mouth'. For example, what people think about legal systems can be postulated around ones own opinion, but it is only when others are asked that this hypothesis can be true or not. One can always assume that people work for instance in the Care-giving industry because they enjoy it or because they feel a moral obligation to do so, but by asking the recipient themselves a clearer picture is given. That Care work is relegated to those with more compassion than other, may necessarily be assumption, but the relationship between personal lives and this form of social policy cannot be removed. This is because Care work is based on the individual and not the collectivity. Therefore care-workers are often spit into formal and informal (Fink, 2004: 5). This basically splits the category into those that volunteer and those that are paid. Over time there has unfortunately been a great deal of dissention regarding abuse of these positions in cases of potential sexual molestation and physical abuse (Fink, 2004: 11). This meant that prejudices were in place regarding the use of male 'carers' in female homes. Again this problem arose due in part to misconceptions surrounding what men are supposed to be. The biological approaches to sociology often put men across as being the breadwinner who has to go out and kill the beast for meals and then come home and procreate in order to maintain the population and the spread of their seed. This Darwinian hypothesis was proved only

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Target costing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Target costing - Case Study Example Thus the cost has never been a primary consideration for the company. But the changes which aroused the competitive environment of the company were cost competition and product innovation with its competitors. The invention of the new segment related to the sports utility vehicle and other market niches are the other factors of the competitive environment for Mercedes. Answer 2 The main changes that took place in the worldwide luxury automobiles were the introduction of the new products in the market which led to the rise in the competition of the company; partnering with the suppliers; reduction in the complexity of the system; new emphasis was being placed on the cost control of respective companies whereas Mercedes cost control was being led by engineers rather than accountants; the number of managerial level were being reduced which was still high with Mercedes; the concept of lead time were being introduced to tackle the costing of companies in an organised way but Mercedes lack ed accountants specifically assigned to look after the costing of the company. Answer 3 The factors based on which MB competes with the other automobile producers are pricing of the product ranging from mid to upper zone, quality and functionality of the product maintained at a very high level. The pricing of the product afore mentioned ranged as its target customer rangers from the higher middle class to the bourgeois of the society. Through this they are able to distinguish themselves as a luxury car which is also affordable by a section of the middle class of the society. This helps in expanding the customer base of the company. However, the quality and the functionality of the company are kept high for maintaining the world-class standard. Moreover, Mercedes does not produce the most expensive sports utility car unlike Land Rover. Furthermore, Mercedes does not strictly follow target costing as the cost control measure of the company so as to produce the lowest priced product in its class (Cooper 163). Answer 4 The product line expansion has occurred though its new expansion as the traditionally luxury-oriented manufacturer. The latest add-ons to the company are A-class, C-class, SLK, E-class and M-class. The recent introduction of the company includes off-road vehicles and new sports car. The C-class which is a mid-sized vehicle also referred to as the baby-Benz. The target costing of a company mainly comprises of three components namely, target cost which is obtained by subtracting target profit from the target selling price of the product of the company. So as to diminish the cost of the company it should focus on the customer group and comparable products both potential as well as existing. However the profit margin of the company depends on the critical volume of the company which is the production volume. Since Mercedes is an automobile manufacturing company, it is dependent on capital intensive structure which in turn is based on the NPV model. Furt hermore the NPV of the company is determined from the long-run profitability, cost of capital, sales volume by class and profitability across vehicle classes. Answer 5 The development of the index comprises of five steps namely, categorically ranking the consumer importance, target cost percentage by function group, categorising of the function group matrix, importance matrix and the target cost matrix. Development of the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Business plan for the Proposed AfroCare Restaurant in Allerton, Essay

Business plan for the Proposed AfroCare Restaurant in Allerton, Liverpool - Essay Example The researcher states that the name of the proposed Afro-Caribbean Restaurant shall be AfroCare Restaurant. It will be based in the Allerton borough approximately 4.8 kilometres from the city centre of Liverpool. AfroCare Restaurant will specialize in the preparation of Afro-Caribbean dishes including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ideally, this business envisions a large market with mixed customer base incorporating mainly the British Afro-Caribbean community residing in the suburbs of Liverpool and its environs including the Hunt Cross and Calderstones Park. On the other hand AfroCare Restaurant will also incorporate a wide range of fast foods and customized drinks at affordable prices suitable for the vast majority of college students living around Allerton. While the business is set to roll out by the end of this year 2012, it looks forward to capture a market share of about 60% by the close of Year 1. The projection is based on the fact that there are no restaurants in Allerton wh ich have specialized in Afro-Caribbean dishes. However, it is prominently argued that the few that prepare Afro-Caribbean foods have recorded remarkable increase in customers and thus an improved attributable revenue performance. In terms of capacity, AfroCare Restaurant will be established in a spacious facility along the Allerton Road with an optimal sitting capacity of 200 heads. At full occupancy, the restaurant projects sales revenue of about  £9,000 per day. ?9,000 per day. This translates to an AfroCare annual return of ?3.24 million. If the business therefore realizes at least 60% customer base, it will manage an annual revenue performance of ?1,944,000 at the end of Year 1. To that end, the proponent of this venture has set aside a starting capital of ?300,000 with an estimated reinvestment rate of 10% on the cost of capital (Taylor and Brown, 2003). Thus, AfroCare Restaurant envisions the attainment of a full capacity by the second quarter of Year 2. The business and its Management Proper management is one of the core elements of every business especially when competition as a factor to consider. Guided by a realistic vision and SMART objective, the management of any enterprise defines the overall stricter and operational dynamics of the business as reiterated by (Toren and Adam, 2011). AfroCare Restaurant will basically be a sole proprietorship company with limited liability. As such, the manger will reserve exclusive authority of the operations of the business while taking into account the possibility of outsourced expertise in Food and Beverage Management in line with common practice in the modern world (Boone and Kurtz, D. (2010). With that in mind, AfroCare Restaurant endeavours to set an exceptional and unmatched standard in the provision of Afro-Caribbean dishes beyond the expectations of our customers. Therefore, its operations and service delivery shall always be inclined toward achieving the following vision and objectives. Vision Primari ly, a vision refers to the main goal that an organization seeks to achieve over a predetermined period of time. Whereas the vision governs the operational efforts of an enterprise, it keeps the business in focus at all times as postulated by (Liebig, 1994; Walters, 2011) The vision of AfroCare Restaurant is to be the best service provider of Afro-Caribbean foods across Liverpool and beyond. Mission According to Shane (2003), a mission refers to the basic philosophy on which the daily activities of an organization are

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Characteristics of leadership

Characteristics of leadership Introduction The characteristics of leadership are examined in the context of business management. Leadership Shackleton (1995) defined leadership as the process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or organisational goals. According to Torrington et al (2008) the leader may or may not be the nominal head of a group, implying that managers may or may not be leaders, and leaders may or may not be managers. Hollington (2006) argues that any individual may act as a manager at one stage and a leader at another time, depending on the situation. It should not be assumed that leadership is always a downward process, as there are times when employees or managers lead upwards. There is a degree of confusion between management and leadership, which is clarified by Northouse and Northouse (2009) who state that while management is concerned with the provision or order and consistency within organisations, the prime function of leadership is to drive change and development. Management seeks order and stability, whereas leadership aims to adapt behaviour and promote beneficial change. Qualities of leadership The understanding of leadership involves a blend of approaches according to Adair (2003). The combination of personal qualities (what you are), situational (what you know) and functional (what you do) all form a critical combination which distinguishes a leader. The attributes of a good leader are that they should possess most of the characteristics of the field they operate in. As an example, the leader of a law firm should typically have the characteristics of a good lawyer. More generic qualities are associated with leadership, such as enthusiasm, integrity, moral courage, warmth, and a combination of toughness and fairness. Both generic and typical qualities are necessary for recognition as a leader, supplemented with the natural authority which differentiates leadership from others. The increasing global competition in business has led to a focus on developing high-powered organisations which can differentiate themselves from the competition by the performance of their employees. According to Swart et al (2005) leadership had been identified as a key to the high-performance organisation. Leadership is seen as power to inspire, motivate and fill employees with the desire to change the organisation and to be the best. Leaders can act as change role models within the organisation. Building commitment to a common organisational purpose is essential to gaining competitive advantage and learning and development of employees plays a major part in delivering this. Dave Ulrich, whose work has had a profound influence on thinking within the human resources profession, has developed a framework for guidance of human resource professionals in developing commitment and common core values to organisations (Ulrich and Smallwood 2003). According to Harrison (2005) a key capability proposed in Ulrichs framework is leadership. Harrison relates that the latest human resource research findings show that there is an overwhelming need for effective leaders in the face of the radical change agenda facing the public and not-for-profit sectors of the economy or at the highly competitive environment in which all private sector organisations now operate. Leaders at corporate level are accountable for the results of the organisation and their brand has a major influence on shareholder confidence. At the line manager level leaders play a key role in communicating and enacting the organisations vision and in implementing the human resource strategies to raise employees commitment to it. Whether leadership characteristics can be developed within a person is the subject of debate. Price (2007) offers the following quote from Bennis (1990): I would argue that more leaders have been made by accident, circumstances, sheer grit, or will than by all the leadership courses put together. Price argues that whereas good leaders are comparatively easy to recognise when they are in positions of authority, developing people to achieve the necessary qualities is not so easy. Just as the nature of leadership is not fully understood, the appropriate methods of training and leadership are a matter of controversy. It is arguable that many supposed leadership training courses are actually teaching management skills rather than those of leadership. Training courses have concentrated on identifying the nature of leadership and the form in which the individual trainee wishes to adopt, which incorporates a range of options from being able to give orders to a more specialised form. Self0awa reness is often an optional training requirement for those who feel they lack identified leadership skills, by delivering a general boost in self-confidence. In each case the training depends of factors such as the participants level of seniority, or the organisational culture in which the individual operates. Clearly it would be inappropriate for a junior manager to adopt the manner of a managing director, or apply authoritarian forms of leadership in a business whole culture encourages wide participation in decision-making. Organisational strategy may be clearly stated and communicated, but the primary key to successful strategy implementation is leadership. Daft (2006) states that leadership is the ability to influence people to adopt the new behaviour needed for strategy implementation. An important part of implementing strategy is building consensus. People throughout the organisation must believe in the new strategy and have a strong commitment to achieving the vision and goals. Leadership means using persuasion, motivating employees, and shaping culture and values to support the new strategy. As an example Daft relates that CEO Sam Palasino of IBM used leadership to get people throughout the organisation aligned with the new e-business strategy. His actions included dismantling the executive committee that previously presided over strategic initiatives and replace it with committees made up of people from all over the company who now have a voice in strategy formulation and implementation. He inves ted considerable money in teaching managers at all levels how to lead rather than control their staff. He is also communicating with people all over the company, appealing to their sense of pride and motivating them to make IBM great once more by uniting behind the strategic vision, and facilitating the implementation of the strategy by making people feel they are participating, understand the strategy and therefore have more commitment to achieving it. Leadership in achieving successful strategy can be attributed to the drive and determination of a charismatic leader. Ruddock (2008) relates the Michael OLeary relentlessly drove change in what was a failing airline by concentrating on changing the publics perception of air travel as being somehow elevated above other forms of transport and turned the concept into one as commonplace as boarding a bus. The low-cost-no frills strategy was driven into every aspect of the airlines operation and OLearys considerable ability to generate publicity at every possible opportunity was utilised to the full. Every possible cost-saving action was taken, from negotiation of landing fees to relentless promotion of cheap flights with the lowering of passenger expectations of the service provided by such low costs. Ryanair, like many airlines today is suffering from the economic depression, but has up until recently been profitable and is still planning expansion at a time when many airlines are near collapse. This is in no small part due to the leadership qualities of Michael OLeary. The context in which leadership occurs is often a deciding factor in whether it is successful o not. The kind of leadership exercised will be related to the nature of the task and the people being led. It will also depend on the environment, and the actual leader. An analysis of the qualities of leadership in terms of intelligence, initiative, self-assurance and other characteristics is of limited value. The qualities required may be different in different circumstances, and it is important to take account of the variable leaders have to deal with, in particular, the task in hand, the group being led, and the leaders position relative to the group (Armstrong 2006). Leadership exists at different levels according to Adair (2006). There is the team level, where the leader is in charge of ten to fifteen people. The operational leader is responsible for a significant part of the business, such as a business unit, division or key functional department such as marketing. Operational leaders often have more than one team leader reporting to them. At the strategic level, the leader, often designated as the CEO, is leading the entire organisation. Strategic leadership is the art of leading a large body of people. The key to achieving sustainable business success is to have excellence in leadership at all three levels. Strategic, operational and team leaders need to work harmoniously together as the organisations leadership team. Cole (1997) relates that leadership is exercised against a background of the culture of the organisation. and this fact has important implications for the amount of power assigned to leaders as well as the styles that will be permitted. It does not follow that in any one organisation all leaders will adopt a less task-centred style than line managers, because their particular sub-cultures may be sufficiently different from the organisations as a whole. The sub-culture is a value-system of one part of an organisation which is a variance with the dominant value-system of the organisation as a whole. As an example, the research and development leader may be focussed on future product development while the marketing leader will aim to maximise market penetration. Conclusions Leadership appears to be characterised by many factors, some of which are inherent in the personality and actions of the individual, while others are dictated by circumstance, but are almost always accompanied by change in the circumstances of the organisation being led. Leadership is often confused with management, and the nature of leadership is not fully understood. References Adair, J. (2006) Leadership and Motivation, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 33. Adair, J. (2003) The Inspirational Leader, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 25. Armstrong, M. (2006), A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th Edition, Kogan Page Limited, London, p 300. Bennis, W. (1990 Managing the Dream: Leadership in the 21st Century, Training: The Magazine of Human resource development 27 (5): 44-6. Cole, G.A. (1997), Personnel Management, 4th Edition, Letts Educational , London, p 57. Daft, R.L. (2006), The New Era of Management, Thomson South-Western, USA, p 292. Harrison, R. (2005), Learning and Development, 4th Edition, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London, p 256. Hollington, S. (2006) How to Lead your Boss, People Management, Vol 12, no 24, 7 December, pp 44-5. Northouse, P.G, Northouse, P.G. (2009) Leadership: Theory and Practice, Edition 5, SAGE Publications, London, p 10. Price, A. (2007) Human Resource Management in a Business Context, 3rd Edition, Cengage Learning EMEA, London, p 531. Ruddock, A. ((2008), Michael OLeary: A Life in Full Flight, Penguin Books, London, p 194. Shackleton, V. (1995), Business Leadership, Routledge, London, p 2. Swart, J. Mann, C. Brown, S. Price, A. (2005) Human Resource Development, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, London, p 179. Torrington, D. Hall, L. Taylor, S. (2008), Human Resource Management, Seventh Edition, FT Prentice Hall, London, p 318. Ulrich, D. Smallwood, R. (2002), Why the Bottom Line Isnt: How to Build Value Through People and Organisations, John Wiley Sons, Inc., USA, p 43.

Friday, October 25, 2019

How much do we learn about Gatsbys character and how is it revealed Es

How much do we learn about Gatsby's character and how is it revealed to us? Throughout The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby appears to be motivated by the pursuit of wealth and a life with Daisy, but how does this show up his character? What we know about Gatsby is severely limited by the information that Carraway, who himself only meets Gatsby at the start of the novel, feeds to us. During the short summer, in which the book takes place, our information is limited by the format of the story i.e. the first person viewpoint limits what we know about Gatsby. We can tell through the way that he acts in his pursuit of Daisy that he is ultimately a shy, reclusive person who will try anything in order to meet his old love. But the first knowledge of when Gatsby first met Daisy at Camp Taylor, before he went to Europe, was at the beginning of the chapter in which he was killed. During this period, he was in the company of many rich and successful officers who all wanted to be with her. In going out with Daisy, Gatsby had proved that he could have a relationship with a person from a more privileged background than he had. The fact that he falsified his wealth in order to become acquainted with her shows that he is longing for a trophy of success that capturing Daisy's heart will bring him. The way that he asks Carraway to arrange a meeting between himself and Daisy is strong proof of this link. Soon it becomes apparent that Gatsby wishes his relationship to return to the state that it was before he left to fight in Europe during the war. This is demonstrated by the quote, 'Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!'. These words from Gatsby demonstrate a very profound wish for his relationship with Daisy to be as i... ...e. As Carraway puts it, 'They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made'. Such a strong statement fully shows how these people could have taken in Gatsby. Trying to hide business dealings cast doubt for the reader but for any man to go to all the trouble of arranging to meet his true love shows his romantic side. One thing that this novel shows to the reader is that although Carraway is told some details by Gatsby, what we know eventually turns into a great deal of information. I believe that Gatsby is overall a good person trying desperately to achieve the two things that his life has desired - Daisy and the pursuit of money, which were denied to him earlier.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How Thorpe Park markets Swarm Essay

One of the techniques used by Thorpe Park to market their rides is influencing buyer behaviour. Influencing buyer behaviour is when businesses change things around their product to try and get customers to purchase their product or service. For example Thorpe Park may lower their prices during the autumn because that is when their repeat purchase declines. This may encourage customers to go because Thorpe Park usually doesn’t sell their tickets at this price; they will also know that they are getting a good deal from this because Thorpe Park is actually worth more than that. Thorpe Park could also influence buyer behaviour through using celebrity endorsements by making the theme park look fun, cool and enjoyable place to go, by doing so they are building up their brand image as well. This may influence consumers and may draw them to the park because of the way Thorpe Park has presented themselves through their brand image. Another technique which Thorpe Park could use to market their product is brand building. Thorpe Park could build up their brand so that they can get more customers by using celebrity endorsements. For example they could give celebrities free tickets to Thorpe Park in exchange of them promoting and telling people how amazing the rides are etc. Once people hear and see how amazing Thorpe Park is, Thorpe Park will start to see more people coming to Thorpe Park. This will help them build up a good brand image because of the popularity of the celebrities. Thorpe Park could also use celebrities from well-known movies or programmes to influence buyer behaviour and create a certain brand image which allows Thorpe Park to have an effect on consumer’s choice. Evaluating the techniques I will be analysing the way Thorpe Park uses colours, sounds, duration, ability to target market, message and reference to product in their advert to build up their brand also influence buyer behaviour. I’ll be ranking in the order which I think Thorpe Park uses best in their advert. Colours 9/10 Sounds 8/10 Duration 10/10 Message 8/10 Ability to target market 7/10 Reference to product 7/10 1. Thorpe used colours really well in their advert, they made it link to their theme. They used dark/ greyish colours to create the mood and tension in their advert. This enabled the audience to watch it and question what’s going to happen next. It’s important for Thorpe Park to be successful in this area of the advert to have a successful campaign; if not the businesses advertisement wouldn’t be worthwhile and have no effect on the business by not increasing sales or visitors. 2. Ability to target market is would be no. 1 because they used young people a lot in their advert which is who they are aiming at. They also made the advert appeal to their audience. For example when the swarm goes through the billboard and boy is screaming it makes the ride look scary because it seems like you’re going to crash and seeing that adrenaline and scared look on his face may convince them enough to try out the Swarm ride. 3. Reference to product will be in second place because they’re main focus is to promote the ride and they need to give the audience a visual image of the ride so they know what they are going on. However others may say that’s not how Thorpe Park looks when you get because they’ve exaggerated the scenery to go with the theme of their advert. 4. Duration is just the right length because of Thorpe Parks target audience (teenagers/ young adults). The advert is short and to the point. If the advert was longer, the audience may not pay attention as they are easily distracted. However the beginning is a 5. The message is very clear to the audience. The message tells the audience that it is a thrilling but fine ride you don’t want to miss out on. It also gives you a bit of history on what the ride was based on (alien invasion). They delivered the message well to their audience so it doesn’t leave them guessing what was this about? 6. I think the music in the background worked well in certain areas. For example when he’s taken on the ride the rock music works well with it but I think near the end they should’ve brought back down to the tensed music in the beginning.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Best Buy Culture

Question – 1 Describe the culture of Best Buy Answer – 1 Best Buy culture has changed tremendously. The company’s culture was once to embrace long hours and sacrifice, now the culture is more relaxed. The employees are now really able to run their own schedule as well as their own work progress. Before the ROWE program was introduces to the Best Buy employees would have to work until they found a solution. That means staying at work all night and day if the job or situation requires it. For example the book talks about one employee that was given a plaque for staying up and at work for three days to right a report that was due. He made a sacrifice for his job that made him end up in the hospital. The ROWE program which stands for Results-Only Work Environment program is a way that employees can still work whether in the office, at home, or coffee shop as long as they finish the job. This program has changed the culture of Best Buy as well as the performance. Question – 2 discuss the approach to Organizational change that the ROWE program illustrate Answer – 2 Instead of launching a work-life balance program, Best Buy rethought the very concept of work. Under the Results-Only Work Environment program or ROWE, employees can work when and where they like, as long as they get the job done. The ROWE program is based on 13 principles and rules. The key ones include: * There are no work schedules in the traditional sense. * Every meeting is optional with a few key exceptions. * There is no focus on â€Å"how many hours did you work† * Work is not a place you go, it’s something you do. * As long as work is done, employees do whatever they want whenever they want. In brief ROWE is all about results. No results, no job. The public relations team has papers to make sure someone is always available in an emergency. Many teams realized that they need only one regular weekly meeting, so they eliminated the unproductive ones. By ROWE culture the employees feel happier about their work. They feel more ownership of their work. They feel clearer about what they are doing for the company. Question – 3 discuss the resistance, both organization and individual that the ROWE program had to overcome. Answer – 3 the corporate team led by CEO Brad Anderson, was initially skeptical about the ROWE program and whether it should be expanded. The managers at the Best Buy put up the most resistance. The Best Buy’s legal department has resisted the new way of working, partly because the in-house attorneys are worried that it will reduce their pay. When Thompson proposed extending flexibility to hourly workers, the managers resisted, arguing that â€Å"there are certain people that need to be managed differently than other people. Because we believe that administrative assistants need to be at their desks to serve their bosses. One of the corporate strategists has struggled to figure out how to prove him in new environment. Without children, she had an advantage. She could be the first one in and the last one out. She said she had all this panic and everything she knew about the success was suddenly changing. One of the legal attorney felt that she checks the emails on her day off. She was afraid that the ROWE will push more work into her downtime. Question – 4 discuss the sources of stress that are apparent in the case Answer – 4 Best Buy introduced the ROWE program to reduce stress and overwork in their employees at their headquarters. The program basically allows you to work from anywhere, any hours you choose, as long as the job gets done. The employees at Best Buy’s headquarters generally worked long hours until the ROWE program was introduced. Employee burnout and turnover was high. After the ROWE program’s implementation, productivity has increased and voluntary turnover has decreased. The Culture of Best Buy Prior to the implementation of ROWE at Best Buy, employee morale was low; the turnover rate was high, employees worked very long hours. â€Å"The company’s culture used to embrace long hours and sacrifice†. Employees spent a lot of time in impromptu meetings called by management. Employees were called upon to complete reports with little or no notice. Some employees stated they spent little time with their families and worked even when they were not physically in the office. The system at Best Buy before ROWE was work, work, and more work. Employees seemed to be working 24hrs a day. Now, with more control of their time, employees are more productive. They are able to decide when and where they want to work. The change has also helped them to confront some biases in the workplace. Deciding whether or not to extend the same benefit to hourly employees exposed how some managers felt. They resisted because of their belief that it was not for everyone, some people needed to be held to the old system. Question – 5 discuss whether or not the organizational culture has helped with the change Answer- 5 the ROWE experiment started quietly. While the sample size was fewer than 300 employees, the early results were promising. Turnover in the first three month of employment fell from 14 percent to zero. Job satisfaction rose 10 percent and team –performance scores rose 13 percent. The results from and reactions to ROWE has been encouraging. Productivity increased an average of 35 percent within six to nine months in the units that implemented ROWE. The voluntary turnover has dropped between 52 percent and 90 percent in three Best Buy divisions that have implemented ROWE. As Thompson stated â€Å"the employees feel happier about the work. †They see Rowe as a benefit that’s almost more important than any other. They talk about it as if to say, someone else could offer me more money but I wouldn’t go because I now have control over my time. Ultimately for Best Buy, the new approach to work is about staying competitive, not just helping its employees. Reference- Integrating cases from the Organizational Behavior book [page no – 553]