11 Compare And Contrast Different Organisational Essay

Organizational structures Organizational structure is a system used to define a hierarchy within an organization. It identifies each job, its function and where it reports to within the organization. (Lucy Friend, 2009) There are several organizational structures; however, the type of structure in an organization depends on aim, size of the business, and industry. Carefully chosen structures will improve the communication throughout the organization. Types of Organizational Structures Functional Structure Employees within the functional divisions of an organization tend to perform a specialized set of tasks, for instance the engineering department would be staffed only with software engineers. (Sutton, 2012) Matrix Structures Matrix Structure is an organizational structure in which workers have to report to more than one party, as having two or three supervisors at the same time. For example, the workers working at factories have to report to different managers including production managers and marketing managers and sometimes to project managers if a separate project is going on. Divisional Structure The divisional structure groups each organizational function into divisions. Each division within a divisional structure contains all the necessary resources and functions within it. Organizational culture Organizational culture is an idea in the field of Organizational studies and management, which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs, and values of an organization. It can be defined as the specific collection  of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. This definition continues to explain organizational values also known as â€Å"beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals members of an organization should pursue and ideas about the appropriate kinds or standards of behaviour organizational members should use to achieve these goals. (Cheng, 1995). Types of organizational culture: Power Culture In the organizations, where power culture is used the authorization to make decisions are only given to few employees. Those employees are the ones who enjoy the benefits at the workplace also have to delegate their power to the other employees. In such organizations, employees have no other option but to follow the managers or supervisors instructions. Furthermore, employees cannot give their view and ideas and this leads to de-motivated labours and finally labours turn over in the organization increases. (Mullins, 2005) Role Culture This is a culture where every staff is assign with roles and responsibilities according to the specialized area, qualification, and interest of the employee in order to get the best out of the employee. This helps the organization to improve their productivity, as employees are good at their job. Today role culture is very common in organizations and it is very suitable for large organizations. (Mullins, 2005) Task Culture In Task Culture Organization forms a group in order to achieve the targets or to solve a specific problem. The organization that practices this culture put together four to five employees in a group who are specialized in similar areas also sharing similar interests. The common goal of each member is to contribute as many ideas as possible to complete the task in an effective way. For example, a company can use team culture in a period where the company is losing market share to identify the reasons behind and to improve whatever is wrong. 1.2 Explain how the relationship between organisation’s structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business The organizational structure and the organizational culture have the relationship to each other and they are the backbone of the organization. The both organization can affect progress of the organization. It can bring the stability and social system in the organization. . In organization having culture and structure strange there will be working environment also provides appropriate standards of working environment. The organization has different policies rules and regulations that how to communicate with the employee. The organization also shows about the responsibilities that who will report to whom mean who will be responsible to whom majority in this kind of organization tasks a good decision foe the company. Culture and structure has also some drawbacks on the business progress. If the organization culture is too much complex then in the organization decision will be very slow and also there will be centralized decision making in which the lower level employee’s will not be entertained. Organizational framework and way of lifestyle can impact progress of organization in the precious and in the adverse way. In the precious way it distinguish the organization to the one, which don’t have a way of lifestyle and framework. It explains the restriction of the firm (Bond et al. 1996). It provides a feeling of certificate among the employees to know each other for the success and success of goals. It can carry balance and team system in the organization. In any organization having way of lifestyle and framework unusual there will be workplace also provides appropriate requirements of workplace. 1.3 Discuss the factors which Influence individual behaviour at work Individual behaviour explain why a person behaves and reacts in response to  different situation therefore in order to get a better understanding about the behaviour, organizations have to be well aware of the main factors which affects individual behaviour at work. (Balmer, Baum, 1993) There are many terms and factors, which influence the behaviour. They are demographic factors, Perception, Abilities and skills, Attitude, and Personality. Demographic factors Demographic factors are a population of the quantifiable statistics. Demographics are also used to identify the study of quantifiable subsets within a given population, which characterize that population at a specific point in time. It is mostly used in public opinion polling and the marketing. It includes the gender, age, and ethnicity, knowledge of the languages, disabilities, mobility, home ownership employment status, and even the location. Perception The perception is the cognitive process that is meant for the interpreting the environmental stimuli in a different ways. A lot of the factors influence the perception of the individual behaviours. The manager plays the important roles in the study of the perception. It is very essential for the managers to make the favourable environment so that employees perceive them in the favourable ways. Abilities and skills Ability and the skills were highly influenced by the individual’s behaviours and the performance. The ability is the capacity of an individual to do something and the skills is defined as the ability to act in a way that allows a person to perform well. The individual can perform well in the organization if his abilities and the skills are bringing together in his job description. Attitude The attitudes can be defined as a tendency to respond the favourably or unfavourably to the certain objects, persons or situations. The formation of attitude is influenced by factors such as family, culture, society, peers  and organizational factors. The organization need to study the variables information that is related to their jobs so they can create the work environment in a favourable way so the employees give their best efforts to perform best in the organization. Attitudes are either positive or negative. The employees can perform best in the organization if they form a positive attitude. (Mullins, 2001) Personality The personality is the study of the characteristics and distinctive traits of an individuals and the inter-reaction between them and the way in which a person responds and adjusts to other people situations. The heredity, family, society, culture and the situation are influenced by the personality.

History 20th Century Essay

The historical past of a particular country is essential in understanding its present situation as well as in planning the future. Past events served as a basis as to why particular situations happen in the present. In relation to this, lesson learned in the past also becomes a guide in order to avoid previous mistakes. Being the case, analyzing a country’s history is indeed important. These ideas also holds true in the case of the 20th century African American leadership. The era of slavery in the United States of America holds a very important part in their history. It was during the time wherein the southern region of the country capitalizes in the exportation of cotton that this slavery of African American took place. As such, maltreatment of these people happened that is characterized by the discrimination and segregation of the African Americans from the whites. This is also the reason why many African American leaders started to go against this inhumane treatment and asked for changes. Their efforts might have taken a long time before it made a difference but it was worth it. It is also essential that primary resources are use in studying and analyzing the history of African American leadership because it should be taken into consideration that majority of the people who are in power during those times as well as at the present are whites. As such, some of them are capable of manipulating the information about the African American history. Studying the leadership of these African Americans is important because they epitomize how people struggle in order to fight for their rights. They also embody a turning point in the United States history because it was due to their leadership that the country reassesses their idea of freedom and democracy. Furthermore, it plays an important role for the country to understand the present state of African Americans as well as the development and areas for improvement of the situation of these people. Moreover, the lesson learned from this experience would aid the people to make things better so that the mistakes done in the past would not happen again.

Howard Gardner Biography

Howard Gardner was born on July 11, 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His parents were refugees from the period of the Nazis, in Germany. As a child he loved music, he later became a great pianist. As a young man he enrolled at Harvard University. Gardner started to study other careers but ended getting inspired by the works of Jean Piaget to study developmental psychology.He is married to Ellen Winner, a developmental psychologist who teaches at Boston College, and they have four children together He spent some time working with two different types of groups, normal and gifted children and brain-damaged adults, Gardner began developing a theory designed to synthesize his research and observations. In 1983, he wrote Frames of Mind  which outlined his theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner believed that people had multiple different ways of thinking and learning.He has since identified and described eight different kinds of intelligence which are: Visual-spatial intelligence Gardne r also identifies spatial ability as one which lasts longest into old age, Linguistic-verbal intelligence which Gardner takes account of the importance of language in thought, and also in terms of music , Mathematical intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, Musical intelligence in which Gardner investigates neurological basis for the musical ability, Interpersonal intelligence is related to the ways in which we understand and respond to other people, Intrapersonal intelligence is mostly about our cognitive ability to understand ourselves as human beings and Naturalistic intelligence has to do with an individual's ability to perceive patterns in nature and to classify them. He has also believed that there might have been another possible addition of a ninth type which he refers to as â€Å"existential intelligence. Gardner’s theory has had one of the greatest impact in education In 1986 he started to teach at Harvard Graduate School of Education and began his role at Project Zero, which is a research group that focuses in human cognition with a special focus on the arts and was created by by the philosopher Nelson Goodman with the aim of improving learning in the Arts through research But Over this period Project Zero expanded from its original arts learning base to include research into learning across all types of things. Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences has not been accepted within academic psychology. However, it has met with a strongly positive response from many educators. After all, Gardner has been a great psychologist and his theory has inspired many educators, whether it hasn’t or has been accepted in psychology education.

Flexibility facilitates innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Flexibility facilitates innovation - Essay Example A great deal of attention has been given to the psychological research on the personality of highly creative people in comparison to the less creative people. Positive characteristics are deemed to be related to high creativity. Research has unveiled that the sensation- seeking trait, in terms of preference for new and different experiences and readiness to incur risk in order to experience such, leads to spontaneous flexibility (Georgsdottir, 2004: p 168: pag 2). Flexibility on the level of personality can further be reflected in the ability of creative individuals to merge opposite or conflicting traits. The dimension of cognitive style gives disparity between the explorers as individuals who demonstrate spontaneous flexibility in providing solutions to problems, and the assimilators as individuals who tackle problems in a rule- bound and more rigid way (2004: p 168: pag 3). It may be more advantageous and profitable to employ a universal processing style during commencement of a project, in order to identify the importance of novice merchandise in the marketplace, or to collect information from varied sources (Georgsdottir, 2004: p 169: pag 3). On the other hand, during the more content- based explanation of specific merchandise, after generation of an idea, processing locally is of great assistance. Creativity is a product of integration between an individual and cultural environment. Flexibility is a major characteristic of organizational culture. When the organizational structure is rigid with hierarchical model, corporate flexibility is low and managers make conservative decisions while desisting from risky procedures and thus suffocate creativity (Georgsdottir, 2004: p 170: pag 2). Adaptive flexibility in definition is the ability to conform to fresh methods and strategies to solve a problem because of failure in old methods, or redefining a problem so as to obtain an original solution (Georgsdottir, 2004: p 167: pag 2). The ability to

The Local Islamic Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Local Islamic Center - Essay Example After talking with Nazredinne, he informed me that he was presently cleaning the mosque. Summary of Experience I had made plans to meet Nazredinne at the mosque around six o’clock on a Friday evening. As I entered the mosque on the first floor, I saw piles of shoes lying upon the floor. So, following what other men were doing, I also took my shoes off and proceeded up the steps. Nazredinne served as my host and translator for the rest of the evening. After telling me that he had a few things to finish doing, he led me into the main room of the mosque and told me that he would be right back. As I looked around, I saw about 30 Middle Easterners sitting around the room, and it became very quiet. It was most uncomfortable. However, some of the men approached me out of hospitality to introduce themselves and their country of birth. Soon after my arrival, I was invited to partake of the fellowship meal. This is something that is done every evening of the day of prayer. The meal cons isted of lamb, rice, dates, eggplant, and many other Arab foods and delicacies. After going through the line to get my food, I then joined many of the other men who were sitting in lines on the floor of the prayer room eating their meal. All of the conversation, unless it was directed at me, was done in Arabic. Occasionally, Nazredinne would tell me what he and the others were talking about. After the meal, everyone helped out to clean up. While the men were cleaning up, Nazredinne and another Arab man took all of the male children to one corner of the prayer room in order to conduct Arabic lessons. These lessons were centered around readings from the Qur’aan, which I could not touch until Nazredinne took me to perform the ritual cleansing. After the lessons, the children left the room and everyone gathered around Nazredinne, who was standing at the front of the mosque. He delivered a sermon from the Qur’aan, and he talked much about the Prophet Noah. I only know this because Nazredinne had asked his Palestinian friend to translate the sermon for me. The pace of the sermon was so fast that I understood little, even with a translator at my side. The sermon lasted about twenty-five minutes, and it was timed perfectly so that at the conclusion of the sermon, the prayers could begin. I was permitted to stay in the prayer room during their performance of the Salah, as long as I did not speak and stayed in the back of the room. The prayer lasted much longer than what I would have thought, and Nazredinne of course led the Muslims in attendance through the ritual. Of course I did not understand what was being said, but I could feel the devotion within the room. Everyone knew exactly what to do, and everyone knelt and rose in one accord. At the conclusion of the time of prayer, everyone stayed around to talk and fellowship with one another. Up to this point, many of the Muslims in attendance had not come up to me to introduce themselves. However, once the ritual prayers were over, almost all of the Muslims came up to me and introduced themselves, and even offered their contact information in case I ever had any questions about Islam and its practices and beliefs. By this point, I am sure that everyone knew that I was not a Muslim, and for that reason they considered me a

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

HRM - Essay Example Moreover the staffs feel a greater sense of insecurity for the people of the upper management fail to pay a pleasant ear to their problems. Thus the company in the current juncture is largely facing the threat of rise in attrition levels of the staffs. Older staffs of the company have started developing a feeling that they are being rendered the same importance as given to the newcomers for which they are reflecting less attachment to the task ordered (Fuller, n.d.). Thus the management needs to devise plan of action to let the staff feel secured and motivated so as to reduce the attrition rate. Human Resource Audit-Significance In review of the above problems occurring in GS Plumbing the case for conducting a Human Resource Audit is widely suggested. The Human Resource Audit conducted would help the management to understand the potential and significance of the different Human Resource policies in properly monitoring the activities of the people through the satisfactory compliance o f legal and legislative standards. Human Resource Auditing Process earns due importance for it rests on the activity of conducting interviews on the staffs and employees of the concern pertaining to different levels. Subjects of the interviews mainly aim at highlighting the conditions of employment being offered by the company and the amount of job satisfaction reflected by the large number of interviewees amongst the employees. The Human Resource Audit activities are conducted both by internal and external people. However audit team generated from the external environment is considered more dependable than the internal audit team. The scope of Human Resource Audit is emphasized for it helps in the identification of obsolete policies being practiced by the company and renders fruitful suggestions in changing such for better efficiency. Further Human Resource Audit also helps in enhancing the training dimension of the company to better enhance the working standards of its employees. This practice also helps to focus on the areas, which are deprived of policy regulations and thereby provide efficient mechanisms, which would help in the sorting of problems pertaining to such. Thus the Human Resource Auditing Activity, which in itself is a quite expensive operation, encourages the indulgence of both the management and staff levels. It is because the set of policy recommendations suggested to develop the performances of the organization must be welcomed and reviewed by all. Through such the system of Human Resource Audit earns its due expertise (Gross, 2011). Unplanned Absence of Employees The employees at GS Plumbing were found taking sudden leaves which failed to be administered by the upper management owing to their unplanned nature. Unplanned leaves taken by employees constituted of absences regarding breakdown of their personal health or of the family members. Again the category of unplanned leaves also comprised of employee leaves, which happened due to occur rences of serious accidents in the workplace, and other leaves, which were payless in nature. To address the problem of the growing number of unplanned absences the managers both at the strategic and tactical level are required to conduct a useful process. Firstly the managers and the supervisory team must work to augment to make others aware of the frequencies and consequences of such leaves. Thereby a set of close monitoring actions also needs

To what extent was Russia responsible for the July Crisis in 1914 Research Paper

To what extent was Russia responsible for the July Crisis in 1914 - Research Paper Example In the Germany army, model for all others, a conscript spent the first two years of fill adulthood in uniform, effectively imprisoned in barracks. The French organized into twenty military districts, comprising four or five departments. The Germans also divided into twenty-one Corps Districts. The Russian military organization resembled Germany’s, as did that of Austria-Hungry who produced Europe’s most complex army. There was central uniformity to each of their organization. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungry all felt its position threatened in some way or other. The three great European empires, German, Austrian, and Russian, felt threatened by the national dissatisfactions of their minorities. The Germans deeply resented their lack of colonies, sought to extend the few they had acquired in Africa and the Pacific and were ready to quarrel, particularly with France, over influence in the few remaining areas not yet subject to European rule.1 All Europe an armies by 1904 had military plans, notable in most cases for their inflexibility. The First World War was the true turning point of the twentieth century. It brought down dynasties and empires. It made The Second World War inevitable and the set the stage for the Cold War. In hind-sight the events that led to World War I seem foolish misunderstandings yet, while there were some moderating voices on the continent, most were not ready to listen to reason. Above all, it was national pride, a genuine lack of understanding of each other’s national positions and miscalculations that caused World War I. The mood in each of the major countries at the time was quite different. Pre-war Germany was bursting with vigor and bulging with material success. Over all reined the Army with its discipline and high standards of professional conduct.2 The German people felt they needed and deserved an acknowledged supremacy like that of the British. The French yearned for the regaining of the A lsace-Lorraine region, lost after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Many believed the army was the means of restoring the national glory.3 In European forums, Russia would listen to the arguments on behalf of the balance of power but did not always abide by agreements made. Russia expected Europe to look the other way and felt hurt when it did not.4 England had no choice but to resist Germany who was already in possession of the strongest army in Europe and who began aiming for parity with Great Britain on the seas.5 By 1914 Austria-Hungary main foreign policy goals were to gain land in the Balkans at the expense of Turkey and to prevent the growth of South Slav nationalism undermining her Empire.6 In some degree, each of the major powers had something to gain from war. For Germany and Austria-Hungary there was a lot to be gained by war. The establishment of a position on the Continent that would enable them to compete on equal terms with England and attain the status of world power was perhaps Germany’s top goal.7 Austria saw it a way to gain territory and to stop her decline. In Russia, the ambitions for Balkan expansion and the recovery of Constantinople loomed great. As for France, a successful war would certainly remove a major threat to their security.8 Britain came to two conclusions though. The first was that if France and Russia defeated Germany unaided, the

ECT170 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ECT170 - Essay Example The internet is the central source of data among the external sources. The inputs of an MIS include scheduled reports produced periodically such as weekly or monthly, demand reports, produced, to provide certain information upon request. There are several characteristics of an MIS. One characteristic is that it provides reports with fixed and standard form as well as producing both soft and hard copies of the reports. It also uses internal data stored in a computer system allow users to develop customs report. The MIS requires user requests for reports developed by systems personnel (Stair and Reynolds 303). MIS can be divided along functional lines. Financial management information systems provide financial information to executives. Some financial MIS subsystems and outputs include profit/loss and costs systems, auditing and management of funds. Manufacturing MIS subsystems and outputs include monitoring and controlling the flow of materials, design and engineering, inventory control, process control and quality control. Marketing MIS supports product development, pricing and its distribution. Marketing functions are increasingly being performed on the internet. The subsystems involved include marketing research, product development, product pricing, sales analysis and advertising. The human resource MIS are concerned with issues related to previous, current and potential employees. Its subsystems include human resource planning, personnel selection, training and skills inventory, scheduling and job placement as well as salary administration (Stair and Reynolds 305). Decision support systems (DCCs) are used when the problem is unstructured. These systems’ performance is a function of decision quality and problem complexity. The problem complexity depends on how hard the problem is to solve. The DCC provides rapid access to information and can handle

Property valuation questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Property valuation questions - Essay Example Here discounted cash flow method is used in this type of property valuation methods. The Residual Method: This method is used to value existing properties that has a potential to redevelop. This method of property valuation consists of many variables and these variables are very sensitive to any changes in market conditions. The Profits Method: This method is also known as account method. It is used where a commercial property is used for accommodation as an integral part of its business. It is generally used in trading premises but also restricted to the property that changes hand on freehold basis. The cost Approach: This method of property valuation for a property that is acquired by its owner but lacks in comparable evidence for similar property transactions. It works on the assumption that the property valued forms part of an ongoing business asset. 5. The comparative method: When comparable transaction of a property is done against a property with similar characteristic. This method of property valuation is called the comparative method of valuation. Generally valuation of agricultural land is mostly valued using this valuation method where the value of the agricultural land is derived from the similar land sold earlier. This method is also in use in UK as an informative source. It is used as standalone valuation method in UK. The Investment Method: This method is generally used to value an income producing property. This method is used to value a commercial property that has a capability to produce rental income. Here discounted cash flow method is used in this type of property valuation methods. The Residual Method: This method is used to value existing properties that has a potential to redevelop. This method of property valuation consists of many variables and these variables are very sensitive to any changes in market conditions. The Profits Method: This method is also known as account method. It is used where a commercial property is used for accommodation as an integral part of its business. It is generally used in trading premises but also restricted to the property that changes hand on freehold basis. The cost Approach: This method of property valuation for a property that is acquired by its owner but lacks in comparable evidence for similar property transactions. It works on the assumption that the property valued forms part of an ongoing business asset. (b) (i) The comparative method (ii) The profit method (iii) The investment method (iv)The investment method 3. Assumptions: (i) First assumption is, the appraised value of a property will vary that depends on whether the appraisal is conducted for the buyer or the seller of the property. (ii) The second assumption is the appraisers are hired only to estimate real estate property values in property sales involving mortgage lending transactions for the property valued. (iii) The third assumption is, market value should approximate replacement cost for the similar property. (iv) The forth assumption is that the assessed value should equate to market value of the property. (v) The fifth assumption is that the appraisers use a formula, such as a specific price per square foot, to figure out the value of a home or any other residential property. (vi) The sixth assumption is that as because consumers pay for appraisals when applying for loans to purchase or refinance real estate, they own their appraisal for there property. (vii) The seventh assumption is that an appraisal is the same as a home inspection for property. 4. Statutory Reasons: (i) The property valuation for statutory purposes including rating of the property. (ii) Government taxes affecting property including land tax and should be taken care of on valuation. Non-Statutory Reasons: (i) Property non-statutory instrument to assert its influence on the land and property markets for the property. (ii) The property tax exemption is limited to the non-profit activities for the property. 5. The comparative method: When comparable transaction of a property is done against a property with similar characteristic. This method of property valuation is called the comparative method of valuation. Generally valuation of agricultural land is mostly valued using this valuation method where the value of the agricultural land

Mahatma Gandhi Worldview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mahatma Gandhi Worldview - Essay Example This paper, therefore, compares and contrasts Gandhi’s worldview about the nature of God, social issues and family with my own experience and worldview in the same. Gandhi became a role model to many people through his faith, in truth and justice, for all humankind. His faith, in religion, made him love those who opposed his ideals to bring about peace with non-violence (Damm, January 2011). His teachings on religion were transparent as most of it can be attested to those of the Bible despite his focusing on meekness and humility, which is rather a rare case for any society. Gandhi emphasize on making peace† an eye for an eye would cost us all our eyes† as he stated (Damm, January 2011), but through my worldview, I feel that conflict is brought about by self-interest, proving the point that there exist no ideal human society where everyone thinks and acts the same level for each other. According to Gandhi, people should take the responsibility to care about the poo r, and not refuse to take part, in oppressive practices, but also to fight domination whenever we see it (Damm, January 2011). Gandhi was a moral path of action since he believed in national independence, political and economic freedom of individuals and self-rule. Gandhi tries to explain the nature of God, in the human soul or life, and how God and man relate to explain the nature of God and family experiences. For instance, he believes that human suffering can be explained through assessing their relationships with God. He also believed that one should serve humanity, especially the poor and the downtrodden (Jahanbegloo, 1996). In this context, I agree with Gandhi that we should always care about the poor, in the society, just as nurses do. As an atheist, I strongly believe that humankind do not have any relationship with God. Therefore, it is every person’s duty to take care of one another, including the poor, without perceiving that their suffering is linked to some super natural being. Gandhi also shows how God should be intellectualized and linked with one dense theory of man. It is the basic contention of the present research endeavor that Gandhi’s greatest political ideas were like echo, and their reflections were simple and characterized by western positioning, which fail to some extent to escalate the true essence of Gandhi’s political ideas (Jahanbegloo, 1996). His ideas are firmly rooted, in the traditions, but are so modern in the spirit. According to my perception, Gandhi is not a meager theorist, but he an applied experimentalist, who tried to apply his ideas in the political arena. I also feel that those regarding Gandhi as their role models are those people who strongly believe in some supernatural power. This is because Gandhi’s greatness lies not only in his saintly and holy living, but also in his epic brawls and actions (Jahanbegloo, 1996). The success of every step of his struggle was attributed to God. In most cases, politicians and atheists, like I, are not generally reputed to take religion and God seriously, for the values, to which they are committed such as the political control of one individual or another, the economic exploitation and economic liberty of the poorer and weaker human being. These values are clearly incompatible with the value of religion that the latter could not be taken too seriously or

Carnival Corporation Case Study Essay Example for Free

Carnival Corporation Case Study Essay Carnival Corporation as the largest cruise line in the world is being a leader and innovator in the cruise line industry. Many of the onboard activities and services were introduced to strengthen the competencies between competitors. The challenges of the Carnival were being overcome by the management with creative and innovative strategies. As a corporate entity, Carnival did not refuse to withdraw money to settle the ocean pollution charged by public. The expansions of cruise line market via acquisition of a few subsidiaries dominate the cruise line in the world. 1. Strengths (internal factors) First, the largest cruise line in the world, as the leader and innovator in the cruise industry (growth from two converted ocean liners into an organization with multiples cruise lines). Second, the belief of management and Board of Directors that the company will grows better. It motivates the employees to work hard. Third, internal grow in term of vessels that approximately ten vessels are under construction. Fourth, employees loyalty (the longest period employees remain in this organization is around eight years) because Carnival management treating well to their employees in terms of wages). Fifth, creative and innovative corporate officers that is ready to face challenges. Sixth, Carnival has operational experience and economic of scales that causing them to have lowest break even point in the same industry. Weaknesses First, in 1972, the speed of ship was slow. Second, the long-term debt within 1999 and 2001 is increased (the payback of debt may lower the revenue and thus decreasing the dividend payment for shareholders). Third, the expand market (business) of Carnival causing the difficulty in managing the business. Fourth, reducing on net income in 2001 is because of higher costs and expenses. 2. Opportunities (external factors) First, the expansion through acquisition can reduce the competitors in same industry and has the ability to compete with other competitors (lower advertising costs). Second, collaboration with travel agents can promote cruises. Third, the industry is expected to have bright future in passengers, consolidation through mergers, buyout, and smaller cruise operator failure, and the expansion of the industry worldwide. Fourth, expand of target customers from older people to younger people. Fifth, expand of onboard activities (casino, disco, and nightclub). Threats First, terrorist events that were happen in 11 September 2001. Second, negative publicity in 2002 where Carnival subjected by the ocean pollution charges and â€Å"Norwalk-like† virus that affect the cruise industry. Third, the increased of fuel costs and airline costs that affect the industry. Fourth, the failure of Carnival discontinued operations of Fiesta marina Lines that affect the company image. Fifth, Persian Gulf War that was increased competitors in the cruise industry especially in Caribbean area. Sixth, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines had institute a major shipbuilding program that challenges Carnival. The emergence of Walt Disney Company in the cruise market; and the prospect of new ships on the horizon give impact to the â€Å"family† cruise vacation segment. 3. Core competencies Yes, Carnival has core competencies because it is the competency crosses divisional boundaries, Carnival can do exceedingly well, and must continuously reinvest in it: i) Adding diversion onboard – such as disco, nightclubs, casino, and others. Carnival also tries to attract younger cruisers by providing vacation package that included airfare to the port of embarkation and home after the cruise. ii) Product positioning – Carnival believes that cruise market comprised to three segments (contemporary, premium, luxury) with different passenger demographics, characteristics, and growth requirements. iii) Travel agents – collaborate with travel agents to promote cruises. Carnival also training travel agents from nonaffiliated travel firm to sell cruises. 4. Distinctive competencies Yes, Carnival has distinctive competencies because distinctive competency is the superior to those of the competitions and difficult for competitors to compete with Carnival: i) Investment in new ships – Carnival is expanding its internal growth by investing in new ships. The ships under constructions are around 10 vessels. It is difficult for other competitors to invest in these large numbers of ships in same period but Carnival can do. ii) External expansion through acquisitions – Carnival has five subsidiaries that control the major cruise lines in different countries. This causing Carnival becomes as the largest cruise line in the world. 5. What trends are emerging in cruise industry?  i) The adding diversion onboard such as planned activities, disco, nightclubs, casino, and other forms of entertainment activities (different kinds of activities that suitable for different ages of target customers). ii) Moderate priced vacation for younger cruisers that included airfare to the port of embarkation and home after the cruise. iii) All inclusive packages that began with bags were tagged for the ship at the airport, air-conditioned bus, meals, onboard activities, house keeping service, until passengers were transported back to airport. iv) Love story movie such as â€Å"Titanic† and â€Å"Love boat† that promote the romance onboard encouraging couples to join cruise. 6. Marketing strategy i) Price – moderate price (vacation packages) that middle-class clients afford to pay. Prices for different levels of rooms are charged according to the customers needs. ii) Product – vacation package that suitable for the clients aged. Other onboard activities such as casino and disco. The service from picking up the clients at airport to board and dropping clients again at airport. iii) Place – Caribbean ports and other destination such as Walt Disney World, Holland, and Costa, as long as the clients want to go. iv) Promotion – some of the promotions are done by travel agents. The â€Å"Fun Ship† cruise that with designated shipboard party and everyone is welcomed by Carnival is another success promotion. 7. The importance of travel agents The travel agents will help Carnival to promote the cruises as an alternative to Disney or European vacation. For people who never take a cruise in their life, or afraid of taking a flight to the destinations will be attracted. Thus, it shows that the important role of travel agents to Carnival. Besides that, not only attracting clients to take a cruise as the core business, selling cruise is also part of the Carnival business. Thus, Carnival is training travel agents from nonaffiliated travel firms to sell cruise. Because of the attractive benefit in term of money provided by Carnival, in year 2000, Carnival took reservations from about 29000 travel agencies to promote the business. And, it proves that this strategy in promoting cruises either to attract clients boarding the cruise or selling the cruise is succeed. 8. Flight or cruise? We will choose cruise because we have not travel yet to some where by cruise before. i) In our opinion, although the price for a cruise might be higher a bit than to take a flight to Caribbean island that we can afford to pay. By choosing a package for the cruising is worth because there will be variety of services that suitable for us as active younger cruisers rather than just to sit in the flight and we have nothing to do. ii) Even though cruise may take a longer time to reach Caribbean island, the final destination that we will reach is Caribbean island no matter we take a cruise or flight. Thus, we can enjoy the onboard facilities that we have paid for. Disco, nightclubs, gym room, cinema, and casino are the places that we seldom go for but we can enjoy if we take a cruise for this vacation. iii) Cruise is a place that we can relax ourselves since the purpose of travel is to relax our mind. The sea view from a ship can make us happy and reduce our stress. On the other hand, we c an also meet some new friends through this trip. iv) Besides, we can experience some exotic destinations when the cruise will sail in the ports. The cruisers can come down from the vessel and visit some famous spots. Adversely, if we take flight, we can’t visit anywhere except just transit in airport. 9. Evaluation of Carnival’s targeting to specific target market i) Contemporary segment – served by Carnival ships, featured a casual ambiance. ii) Premium segment served by Holland America, for longer market and appealed to more affluent consumers iii) Luxury segment – served by Seabourn and Cunard, catered to experience cruisers. The above are the target market for Carnival. Each segment has different types of costs to be charged to consumers. For the contemporary segment, it is more suitable for family and people who need relaxing during a short period of holidays. The price is cheaper than premium or luxury segment. For the premium segment, it is more suitable for affluent consumers, who need a longer period to relax. It normally targets an older people to board because the facilities in the ship are more suitable for their ages. This segment of cruise will have more cabin or public space per person. In term of price, it is the most expensive and little people can afford to pay. The price for this segment is higher than contemporary segment. Not everyone will prefer this segment of cruise because they need to consider the available time for taking the cruise. The luxury segment targets for extremely rich consumers where they were served as â€Å"king† and â€Å"queen† in the ship. The consumers who taking this segment of cruise can show that they have a higher social status and prestige is the main consider by consumers. 10. Strategic management in Carnival Carnival has a very unique and successful strategic management in cruise industry. During terrorist events in 2001, the world cruise industry was negatively impact by it. However, to overcome this problem, Carnival offered a deep discount to lure back the passengers. In year 2002, Carnival was subjected to the ocean pollution charges. The company was withdrawing $18 million to overcome this issue. This strategy is not only to overcome the issue ethically but also to maintain the company image. Carnival is doing well in pricing strategy where they offer different kinds of packages with moderate price for different kinds of customers. To improve the core competency of the company, Carnival tried to increase the services onboard and adding diversions onboard. Even though other cruise company can imitate this strategy but Carnival is the first to invent the same strategy that succeeds to gain revenue from it. Carnival tried to introduce new strategy to make more convenience to consumers such as the â€Å"all-inclusive package†. The main purpose of this strategy is to maximize the satisfaction of consumers on Carnival services. Finally, to reduce the competition in cruise industry and to compete with other competitors in the same industry, Carnival did acquisition on many cruise lines as subsidiaries. The expansion of Carnival in cruise line market through acquisition can tighten the status of Carnival in cruise industry. 11. The advantage of being a CFC The individuals (foreigners or locals) who held the stocks of Carnival under the CFC status are incorporation exempt shipping operations of United States persons from income tax. Carnival with all of its income (except of United State source of income from transportation, hotel and tour business of Holland America) would be exempt from United State federal income taxes at the corporate level. This exemption not only can increase the revenue of Carnival, it also allows the company to have more funds (liquidation assets) to run more projects or activities for the company. The reason of government to give exemption to Carnival is because to encourage this industry to growth and attract more passengers boarding on ship, especially the ship with casino. It will increase the government sources of money. 12. How to maintain low costs, high level of service? i) Vertical integration or outsourcing – Carnival can try to produce in-house or outsource the products or services in related industries such as shipbuilding, meal preparation industry, and transportation (bus). This is because either vertical integration or outsourcing, which contributes the lowest cost, will be the choice of Carnival to either produce in-house or to outsource the needs. The good relation with suppliers can guarantee the best quality of the products or services. The in-house produce (vertical integration) can guarantee for the high level of products and services quality. ii) Maintain employees – Experienced employees can be the senior for the new comers. They can train and guide the new workers while doing a task rather than the company to send them for training course. Thus, maintaining experienced employees can save the labor cost and maintain the service quality to passengers. iii) Maintain crui se standard (such as sanitary standard) by periodically checking to avoid break down during cruising and it may need higher cost to repair and bring inconvenience to passengers. Conclusion The success of Carnival is depends on the innovative Board of Directors and management. The growth of cruise market becomes more significant because of the low fares high quality of service. Carnival is dominating the cruise line market but they still do investment in improving the services so that to avoid the core competencies become the weaknesses of the company. Even though the net profit of year 2001 is decreased but it did not mean that they have weak internal control. External factors such as increased in fuel cost also are considered the factor in the declining profit. Finally, Carnival has the potential to grow in cruise line market because they already gained the experience in cruise line and they have strong financial to support many cruise activities.

April Morning by Howard Fast Book Review Essay Example for Free

April Morning by Howard Fast Book Review Essay The book April Morning by Howard Fast is a dramatic story of the bloody battle of Lexington set up with a one day structure from the view of a fifteen year old boy turning into a man. In the book we see the life of Adam Cooper changing from child to man in the matter of one day. Each chapter is a different time period of the day telling us what has happened and what the effects were on his life. Adam Cooper is a fifteen-year-old boy living in colonial Lexington, Massachusetts with his family. He feels demoralized by his father, Moses Cooper, but finds consolation from Granny Cooper, his paternal grandmother. When a meeting of the township Committee is called on the evening of April 18th, Adam wishes to attend but his father questions whether or not his son is a man and has earned the right to attend the meeting. Instead of attending the meeting, Adam visits his neighbor Ruth Simmons, a distant relative whom he loves whom he loves and sees himself marrying in the distant future. When his father returns home from the meeting, Adam eavesdrop as Moses tells his wife Sarah and Granny Cooper what happened, as the colonial communities prepare for a possible confrontation with the British army. During the late night early morning, a rider arrives in Lexington, waking up the community with news that the British army is on the march to Concord to take out supplies and ammunition that is being stored by colonists for a possible rebellion. Once the news of the night rider reaches the town the committeemen hold a muster for the militia, and Adam decides to sign the muster book and commit to fighting for the militia. His father is present when he is signing the muster and allows for it to happen. Moses Cooper no longer sees his son as a boy but as a determined man willing to fight for his family and community. Both Adam and his father prepared themselves for the battle and a total of seventy militia men wait for the arrival of the British army. Moses Cooper argues persuasively with the committeemen that the small number of men can’t stand up to the thousands of Redcoat troops they will be greeting alone, and so its decided that they will state their case but do no more; they decide to talk it out rather than to fight. However when the British finally reach Lexington, the officers are sneeringly dismissive of the colonists and tell them to leave the common and a mysterious shot is fired causing the British troops to begin firing on the colonists. The British massacred the small militia that stood in front of them, and Adam watched as his father and other men he had known his entire life be shot down. Adam hides in terror and cannot go home because of the British troops in town and it is unsafe. Adam is off to the woods to find the rest of the militia and he is almost discovered by British soldiers, but before they do so are called away to march towards Concord. Adam runs from the British and is shot at by redcoats, only to be caught in the grip of an older colonial man named Solomon Chandler, who helps Adam and provides him with some consolation and food. Adam joins Chandler on his journey to meet up with more members of colonial militias. Along the way, other colonists join the two, also ready to fight the British. Once at the pasture, Adam is greeted by Cousin Simmons and The Reverend, and is relieved that others from the Lexington militia had survived. Though the various town committees and militia have general instructions, there isnt a single leader chosen to lead the battle. It was a confused time for the colonists fighting and finally Chandler guides them and instructs the men waiting at the pasture to split up into groups according to the firing range of their weapons. Adam and the other men in his group lay under the brush and fire at the redcoats, Adams gun does not reach a far distance so he does not shoot but watches instead; he see the burning of Lexington and the bloodshed of the redcoats. Through the mist of all of the battle Adam seems to fall asleep leaving everyone to believe that he is wounded and dead. When Adam wakes up he finds that the battle has moved to a distant location; he hears Cousin Simmons and The Reverend talking, meets them, and they all agree to go home to Lexington, or what is left of it. Once home Adam is greeted with relief and happiness by the surviving members of his family and others from the town. Adam is now treated like a fully-grown man when he was only recently considered a simple child to everyone. Adam makes peace with his fathers corpse, and then helps to carry the casket to the church. At the church Adam lights some extra candles so his father won’t have to rest in the dark of night. Cousin Simmons makes sure that Adam is aware this battle was only the start, and that he must consider his other responsibilities as the new head of household when deciding if hell continue to fight. When Adam returns home his mother is already asleep but Granny Cooper is awake and says she knows he will go back into battle eventually. He puts off the question for the time being, and is relieved to finally go to sleep and end this momentous day. The book is a great and quick read being that it is only 202 pages long. The text gets you involved and makes it feel as if you are there with Adam Cooper through the battles and his day. You feel as if you are standing next to Adam while on the field holding your riffle awaiting the battles. The pressures and emotions that the boy is going through as he transitions into an adult are heartfelt and many people can relate to Adam in some ways. The pressure of becoming a man over night and resuming all these responsibilities he never had to deal with before is a struggle that many can relate too. I personally would definitely recommend this book to my peers as well as to younger and older audiences. This book in my opinion was very good in the fact that it drew me in and kept me wanting to read more as the story went on. I don’t usually like reading and the fact that this book makes me want to keep reading and not stop till it was finished in my opinion makes this a good book. Fast is a great author and knows how to draw in an audience. Overall this was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to all.

The Wife of Bath Analysis

The Wife of Bath Analysis Chaucer is generally considered as the father of English poetry; looking specifically at The Canterbury Tales we can see that Chaucer attempted to portray a depiction of society as he knew it. It is also evident that he attempted to provide his own commentary on his society. Chaucer distances himself from the comments made in The Canterbury Tales as he tells his audience Blameth nat me (Chaucer, 2006, line 73) if they are to take offense from what the Miller says as it is not Chaucer, himself, saying it, he simply has too repeat what was said. This is a very clever technique that Chaucer uses so that he cant be faced with controversy or come under attack from any one as he has only repeated this tale. Chaucer would have had to ensure that his work did not offend those in the church, seeing as the church was the only place where literature was preserved. However Chaucer still attacks society, and the greed of the church amongst other social issues, by not personally saying it, he skilfully distances himself from the issues he highlights in this tales. Chaucer also manages to tactfully deal with these issues, resulting in highly enjoyable tale, which offers a social commentary on a society faced with corruption and hypocrisy. The Canterbury Tales was written in a time where an audible, social reading of literature (Ford, 1976, p86) was preferred, this is possibly because of the influence that the church had on Medieval Literature. One of the main reasons for this may be due to the church, as they supplied the only form of education, everyone at church would have been listened to preachers, and as preaching itself had throughout the Middle Ages a great influence on other literature of all sorts (Ford, 1976, p85) it is not unreasonable to assume that this is why oral forms of literature were preferred in the medieval period. The Canterbury Tales were written as thought hey were being spoken aloud, so they fit in well with this medieval trend. The language and diction used in both The Millers Tale and The Wife of Bath conforms to a plain, low style (King, 2000, p47). Chaucers dominant sentence structure is paratactic (King, 2000, p47); with a rhyme scheme consisting of couplets of iambic pentameters (King, 2 000, p47). The purpose of Chaucers use of language, allows both tales to be easily read aloud for a group of people, rather than just read alone. Aware of his language choices, Chaucer will have also been attempting to make the background story to The Canterbury Tales seem authentic. The narrator is telling these stories on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, so as we read the tales to ourselves we can get a sense of the pilgrimage, and the way these tales would have been told. Chaucer uses The Canterbury Tales as a social commentary. Through the general prologue we can see how he feels about whole sections of society by making individuals represent whole groups of medieval life (Bunting, 2003, p6). These representations slowly begin to build up an entire view of Chaucers life in the medieval period. The Canterbury Tales is famous for upsetting the social hierarchy. Despite the conventions, after the Knights tale is told at the very beginning the rest of the tales are not told in order of those with the higher social standing, as would be conventionally expected. Certain characters interrupt, pushing their tales over others, making The Canterbury Tale humorous as it does not follow the conventional order as som bettre man shal telle us first another (Chaucer, 2006, Line 21). Chaucer also satirises the medieval idea of romance, through the tales, he satirises courtly love, and how it is portrayed as being the ideal way to create a romance. The Millers Tale, in particular, satirises this concept as it is a parody romance (King, 2000, p73). This medieval concept is often found ridiculed in these tales. In the Wife of Bath she admits that I have wedded five! (Chaucer, 1995, line 44), if this had been a courtly love, surely it would have lasted and the Wife of Bath would not have been able to marry again, out of love for her previous husband. Absolon in the Millers Tale attempts to woo Alison using techniques expected of a courtly lover, however he fails to impress Alison and his efforts go unrecognised. Chaucer uses the literary convention of courtly love with Absolon to demonstrate just how ridiculous the efforts of the courtly lover can be, and how ridiculous it can be presented in literature. Chaucer is able to express some views on religion in the tales, even though he would have had to ensure that this was not a deliberate or obvious attack on the church. In the Millers Tale Absolon is satirised as the parish clerk (Chaucer, 2006, line 204) as That of no wyf took he noon offrynage (Chaucer, 2006, line 242). Chaucer also suggests that when Alison goes to church it is much more of a social outing, rather than a religious event. In the Wife of Bath the satire is directed at the sex obsessed and guilt-ridded attitudes of medieval christianity (Whittock, 1968, p121). The main social issue that Chaucer is seen to satirise in both these tales is the idea that women are repressed. Chaucer seemed able to perceive the genius and subtlety of the female mind in making the best of their situation in life, while still allowing the men to think they were in control (Bunting, 2003, p5). This is perhaps best envisioned in The Wife of Baths Prologue. She mentions her having had wedded five! (Chaucer, 1995, line 44). However she is able to defend this position that she is in as God says that to be wedded is no sinne (Chaucer, 1995, line 51), she also asks when God commanded he virgintee? (Chaucer, 1995, line 62). She speaks out against the church and what they are saying in the medieval period, where women were given two stereotypes, either compared to the treacherous Eve, or had to live up to the standards of the Virgin Mary with her being both a virgin and a mother this was an impossible role model for women to achieve. The Wife of Bath is unashamedly a larger than life character designed to squash the constraints that medieval Christianity have placed upon women. She is a matriarchal figure who has declared war on mankind (Whittock, 1968, p119) Chaucer uses the Wife of Bath to defend womankind. Chaucer looks at the relationship between the two sexes, as it is often perceived that women were always the weaker of the two, due to all the constraints put upon them from the Medieval church. However Chaucer seems to argue that not only do they not deserve this, but that women are cleverly able to control men, by subtlety manipulating them, however they exist in a masculine world so self-satisfied, or stupid to realise it (Bunting, 2003, p45). The Wife of Baths tale itself sees an important moral message, Chaucer cleverly places behind the shadow of the Wife of Bath. Faced with the issue of what women desire, the Knight concludes that: Wommen desiren have sovereynetee As wel over hir housbond as hir love, And for to been in maistrie hym above. (Chaucer, 1995, lines 1038-1041) The moral hides not behind the fact that women desire equality, the tale condemns the desire for mastery (Whittock, 1968, p126). When the Knight allows the woman to be independent and gives her the choice to be with him, he does not force his will upon her, resulting in an ideal relationship between the two. Chaucer demonstrates that possessing a woman can bring no man joy, out of fear that they will end up a cokewold (Chaucer, 1995, line 1214). When the woman chooses the Knight Chaucer shows that woman should have the right to choose their husband too, and more importantly he shows that when this happens this creates the best marriage. With the Wifes constant use of plural, it dissolves her individual situation into a general female experience (Saunders, 2001, p292) emphasising that this is a universal problem for all women in the medieval period. In the Millers Tale Alison manages to secure a victory at the end, being the only character not punished for her actions. She is able to manipulate Nicholas into thinking that she was doing him a favour by sleeping with him, however it is obvious throughout the tale that it is mutually beneficial for both of them. She manages to escape her narwe (Chaucer, 2006, line 116) cage (Chaucer, 2006, line 116). Both the Wife of Bath and Alison demonstrate that Chaucer definitely approved of women being treated as equal to men, allowing them to choose their own destiny, he also held them in high regard for their ability to overcome the fact that they were used as a commodity by men by quietly controlling small issues, eventually helping their own trapped and difficult situation. However it can be argued that although the Wife of Bath was a vehicle for satirising male attitude (Whittock, 1968, p121), but also to satirise female attitudes (Whittock, 1968, p121). She is a grotesque personification of all the undesirable traits found in women. While she argues that God has never forbidden marriage, and that she is actually doing a good thing by following her owene juggement (Chaucer, 1995, line 68), she then contradicts her arguments for marrying five times by wondering why members maad of generacion (Chaucer, 1995, line 116) were made and argues that they were nat maad for noght (Chaucer, 1995, line 118). This statement suggests that she marries for sex and lustful thoughts, not for the ideal love. The Wife of Bath is every anti feminists dream come true (Cooper, 1983, p76). It is argued that Chaucer uses the Wife of Bath to make these arguments against the church and male dominance as she is sexually predatory, extravagantly dressed, ultra sensitive to social positions and worst of all irresistible attractive (Cooper, 1983, p76). She is over indulgent, and it is often suggested that she has married her husbands for reasons other than love, something both the church and society frowned upon, regardless of gender. Alison is described by Chaucer using a heavy amount of animal imagery, suggesting that she is in fact an animal, with uninhibited desires and wild attitudes. She is also described with a high undertone of sexuality, again suggesting her unmanageable sexuality. This is not a woman who would be expected to dispute the controlling power men hold over them; although neither does the Wife of Bath, yet in both Tales women secure a victory, albeit a small one, against the men in their lives. Suggesting that Chaucer is not only trying to give women a disguised victory, but shows that in every undesirable position you find yourself in there will always be a small victory to be had. Chaucer is viewed as inheritor of a great tradition as well as the inventor of a new one (Saunders, 2001, p5) he stuck to particular conventions of the medieval period, and is work is characteristically medieval. He is also held in high regard as he invents a whole new way of tackling many of the medieval literary and social issues that he did not agree with in this social commentary. Chaucer has contributed highly to literary criticism as he produced a prose narrative that is clearly medieval in its style and delivery, however its message provides a strong moral message, and a social commentary on a society that without literature we would not know how society worked and what people thought about it without Chaucers work providing a social commentary and literary criticism.

Unrealistic Expectations of Women :: Media

Unrealistic Expectations of Women I can’t tell you how many times I have opened up a fashion magazine, listened to adds on the radio, watched commercials on TV, or observed the stereotyping in today’s extremely judgmental society and seen the effects that our expectations have had on people, especially young women. There are so many instances throughout the course of everyday life, that I feel expected to live vicariously through the body of a Victoria’s Secret model. I can only wonder how many others feel this way as well. I was recently leafing through the pages of the 2002 Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and within a matter of five minutes, I was majorly downing my body and my looks. I couldn’t help but compare my body to that of a woman who is 5’10† and weighs 105 pounds, when the average female is 5’6† and weighs 140 pounds. It’s no wonder there are so many cases of anorexia and bulimia when a model, comparable to the stick figures drawn by kindergartener's everywhere, is yet another symbol of what is considered to be beautiful. Another article that caught my eye was in an old Cosmopolitan magazine I just had lying around. It was entitled, â€Å"Five Fixes That’ll Make Him Want You.† Now, my initial reaction was one of frustration. Why is there so much pressure to make the opposite sex want you. It’s a dreaded curse that is utterly inescapable. We will always be trying to impress the opposite sex. There is always going to be something about us that isn’t quite right, or one flaw that if we could just in some way fix, we’d be perfect. Girls, let me ask you something. Do you think those models are happy? They are constantly under an enormous amount of pressure to keep the body they have, to not eat, and to be absolutely flawless.

Rhetorical Figures in Leda and the Swan Essay -- Leda and the Swan Ess

Rhetorical Figures in Leda and the Swan   Ã‚   "Leda and the Swan," a sonnet by William Butler Yeats, describes a rape.   According to Perrine, "the first quatrain describes the fierce assault and the foreplay; the second quatrain, the act of intercourse; the third part of the sestet, the sexual climax" (147).   The rape that Yeats describes is no ordinary rape: it is a rape by a god.   Temporarily embodied in the majestic form of a swan, Zeus, king of the gods, consummated his passion for Leda, a mortal princess (Perrine 147).   The union produced two offspring: Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife.   In recounting this "momentous rape" with "large consequences for the future," (Perrine 147) Yeats uses rhetorical figures in each of the sonnet's three stanzas.    The figures in the first stanza create tension and portray the event.   All definitions for the rhetorical figures mentioned in this essay are derived from Lanham's A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms.   Yeats opens with an example of brachylogia, brevity of speech.   His elliptical fragment, "A sudden blow," recreates the stunning impact and tension of the assault.   The poet uses alliteration in the form of consonance: the plosive "b" first found in "blow" subtly batters the ear throughout the quatrain--"beating," "bill," and "breast," which occurs twice; the initial "g" found in "great" echoes in "girl"; and an initial "h" repeats in "her," which occurs three times, "he," "holds," "helpless," and "his".   Yeats ends the first line with "beating still," an example of anastrophe, a kind of hyperbaton, the unusual arrangement of words or clauses within a sentence, frequently for poetic effect.   The figure not only creates tension through arrangement but also throug... ...idled sexual passion, the coexistence of power and wisdom in human life, and the potential for combining youthful vitality and passion with mature knowledge and wisdom.    Works Cited Lanham, Richard A.   A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms.   2nd ed.   Berkeley: U of California P.   1991.   1-161. Perrine, Laurence.   Instructor's Manual to Accompany Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.   4th ed.   New York: Harcourt.   1983.   147-48. Yeats, William Butler.   "Leda and the Swan." Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.   4th ed.   Ed. Laurence Perrine.   New York: Harcourt.   1983.   636 The Spiritual Marriage of Maud Gonne and W.B Yeats (excerpt from Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestesses by Mary K. Greer--an account of Yeats's fascination with the beautiful Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne, who inspired his greatest poetry and plays))   

Macbeth - Manipulation :: essays research papers

When we first hear about Macbeth from the sergeant’s report, we are led to believe that he is very much a person who does only what he believes is right. Furthermore, when he first appears in the play, his fellow nobleman, Banquo, accompanies him. Given this, we would think that he does what is right, and makes all his own decisions. However this belief is proven wrong. Although Macbeth starts off as a loyal subject of Duncan, he is ambitious and this is a weakness, which allows him to be manipulated by a few factors in the play. From the beginning of act 1 scene 5 till the murder of Duncan in act 2 scene 2, it is evident that Lady Macbeth manipulates and convinces Macbeth into murdering Duncan. This is basically the only part of the play where Lady Macbeth has control over Macbeth. After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth is partly driven by evil powers. Proof of Lady Macbeth understanding Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings are visible in her thoughts "Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it." (1.5.19-21). From the very same speech and small implications from the letter, we can tell that Macbeth was ambitious enough to want to be the King, but would not think of murdering Duncan. Because Lady Macbeth knew this, she also knew that she would have to push Macbeth into performing the deed and she starts by telling him "Thy letters have transported me beyond this ignorant present and I feel now the future in the present" (1.5.57-59) the moment they meet. From Macbeth’s reply "We will speak further" (1.5.69) he is obviously noncommittal, but was already thinking about it. The first step of manipulation has started. Not much further in the play, we see that Macbeth decides not to murder Duncan but rather, carry on serving as his Thane. However, Lady Macbeth starts her persuasion again, but this time she questions his manhood, saying "When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more then what you were you would be so much more the man." (1.7.49-51). Had she not challenged his manhood and his love for her, he would not have usurped the throne and she would not have become a Queen. Not only did she get him to think about the murder, she even knew what to say after he had started thinking about the murder. Macbeth - Manipulation :: essays research papers When we first hear about Macbeth from the sergeant’s report, we are led to believe that he is very much a person who does only what he believes is right. Furthermore, when he first appears in the play, his fellow nobleman, Banquo, accompanies him. Given this, we would think that he does what is right, and makes all his own decisions. However this belief is proven wrong. Although Macbeth starts off as a loyal subject of Duncan, he is ambitious and this is a weakness, which allows him to be manipulated by a few factors in the play. From the beginning of act 1 scene 5 till the murder of Duncan in act 2 scene 2, it is evident that Lady Macbeth manipulates and convinces Macbeth into murdering Duncan. This is basically the only part of the play where Lady Macbeth has control over Macbeth. After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth is partly driven by evil powers. Proof of Lady Macbeth understanding Macbeth’s thoughts and feelings are visible in her thoughts "Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it." (1.5.19-21). From the very same speech and small implications from the letter, we can tell that Macbeth was ambitious enough to want to be the King, but would not think of murdering Duncan. Because Lady Macbeth knew this, she also knew that she would have to push Macbeth into performing the deed and she starts by telling him "Thy letters have transported me beyond this ignorant present and I feel now the future in the present" (1.5.57-59) the moment they meet. From Macbeth’s reply "We will speak further" (1.5.69) he is obviously noncommittal, but was already thinking about it. The first step of manipulation has started. Not much further in the play, we see that Macbeth decides not to murder Duncan but rather, carry on serving as his Thane. However, Lady Macbeth starts her persuasion again, but this time she questions his manhood, saying "When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more then what you were you would be so much more the man." (1.7.49-51). Had she not challenged his manhood and his love for her, he would not have usurped the throne and she would not have become a Queen. Not only did she get him to think about the murder, she even knew what to say after he had started thinking about the murder.

The Representation of Race in Mass-Media

Race as a discourse, has emerged from society romanticizing the idea of biological and psychological differences existing between various ethnic groups. To comprehend and analyze the phenomenon of this racial dilemma, one must have a complete understanding of how culture and identity work hand-in-hand within our society. By controlling most of the social institutions, such as mass communication, politics and corporations; the dominant culture methodically overpowers and exploits the ethnic minority groups, in order to establish its own cultural identity. One such institution is mass media- an industry that not only historically oppresses ethnic minority groups such as African-Americans, but also diminishes their societal status to that of a second-class citizen through the use of stereotypical representations. Because, it is controlled predominantly by the white liberal elites- an autocratic, financially driven organization, whose main objective is to protect the integrity of white culture; mass media industry is therefore, forced to reject all moral conventions, in order to present ethnic minorities as antagonists. The ideas of Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Stuart Hall accurately represent the century-old exploitative and oppressive nature of mass media- an industry that has perpetually employed racialized discourse and racist expressions against ethnic minorities such as African-Americans, in order to portray them as subordinate. Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist and sociologist from the United Kingdom, suggests that humanity should simply not just study the theme of culture, but also view it as a primary source of social interactions (Proctor 16). Because culture is a site of an ongoing struggle of power between different ethnic groups, what Hall is suggesting is that, one should only study it with the mindset of exposing each and every one its negative consequences on humanity. According to Hall, in American culture, the mass media industry is one of the main reasons why such a power struggle continues to exist within our society. He describes mass media as an industry that not only generates and influences the beliefs of mankind, but also produces â€Å"representations of the social world, images, descriptions, explanations, and frames for understanding how the world is and why it works as it is said and shown to work† (Hall, â€Å"The Whites† 19). Since the beginning of time, race has played a vital role in the transformation of human consciousness. Therefore, as long as this notion exists in our society, mass media will continue to exploit it for financial profits. During the eighteenth-century, racial stereotyping was so widespread in the United States that any illustrator could pick up a pen and draw minorities based on the two themes of their lack of culture and innate laziness (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 249). These caricaturists and cartoonists degraded the African-American community by exaggerating their physical characteristics: big noses, frizzy hair, wide faces, dark complexion, thick lips and hips, etc (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 249). Hall describes such a form of ethnic discrimination as a â€Å"racialized regime of representation†, a phenomenon that continues to exist, even in the twenty-first century (Hall, â€Å"The Whites† 26). Throughout history, African-Americans have always been presented as a race that is juvenile, one-dimensional, and greedy for money and sex, and perpetrators of violence and crime (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 272). The uneven distribution of power in American culture has allowed the white population to characterize the lives of African-Americans as inferior, an objectification that has been frozen in time and space. Popular representations of racial stereotypes against African-Americans can be examined in the American cinema of the mid-twentieth-century. Donald Bogle’s 1973 critical study titled, Toms, Coons, Mulattos, Mammies, And Bucks: an interpretive history of blacks in African films analyzed the five main stereotypes that were prevalent in Hollywood films of the fifties and sixties: Toms- the good Negros, who were always â€Å"chased, harassed, hounded, flogged, enslaved, and insulted† (Bogle 6). Coons- a black child who was â€Å"unreliable, crazy, lazy, subhuman creatures good for nothing than eating watermelons, stealing chickens, shooting crap, or butchering the English language† (Bogle 7). The Tragic Mulatto- a fair skinned, mixed-race woman, with whom the viewers sympathized, because she was refused entry into the white community because of her â€Å"tainted† blood (Bogle 9). Mammies- the predominant black female servant who was big, loud, bossy, obese and self-sufficient (Bogle 9). Finally the Bad Bucks- physically strong characters, who were always â€Å"big, badddd niggers, over-sexed and savage, violent and frenzied as they lust for white flesh† (Bogle 10). According to Hall, the feature-length film that gave birth to such African-American characteristics was David Llewelyn Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, released in 1915 (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 271). The silent film provoked great controversy, because not only did it promote white supremacy, but also depict the Ku Klux Klan positively as heroes- a secret white society that was destined to lead humanity to salvation. Griffith, a firm believer in anti-miscegenation laws and white supremacy, portrayed the African-Americans as negative characters who were a threat to white integrity; hence they had to be eliminated. Therefore, as the film demonstrates, white supremacy is upheld, and the good (whites) triumphs over evil (blacks) when the Ku Klux Klan physically assault the African-Americans, burn their houses down and lynch them in public (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 252). Karl Heinrich Marx, a renowned German philosopher, political theorist and sociologist argues that society is comprised of two classes: the exploited and the exploiters (Balkaran 1). He suggests that in any given society, one class will eventually conquer the other and exploit it thereafter, through any means necessary (Balkaran 1). Looking back at the American society of the nineteenth-century, it is evident that there was an existence of such class system, one in which the white population overpowered the African-Americans, and forced them to be slaves (Balkaran 1). Even in present day, such a form of exploitation can be discovered in the racial stereotyping of ethnic minority groups. According to Stuart Hall, the uneven distribution of power between the exploited and the exploiters can not only lead to economic profiteering, but also physical violence (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 259). This power has such a strong influence that it can allow one to represent the other in any form desirable: positive or negative. Hall describes such a form of objectification as a â€Å"racialized regime of representation†, a phenomenon that has negatively influenced the lives of African-Americans for centuries (Hall, â€Å"The Whites† 26). In the eighteenth-century, American culture granted an extraordinary power to the white population- the authority over African-Americans; forcing them to be slaves, hindering their success and confining them to lives to subordination. The white owners overpowered the black male slaves physically and emotionally by illustrating them as a gender, which did not have the apacity to own land or provide adequately for their families (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 262). As a result of the denial of these male attributes, black slaves were portrayed to the rest of the world as adolescents, who could neither take care of themselves or their families- a stereotype that is prevent, even in present day. Such stereotypes are only a reference to what has been conceptua lized in fantasy by the ones who hold most of the power (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 262). By representing the African-American slaves as lazy and incompetent, the elites are corrupting the minds of and perceptions of the general public. For Hall, racial stereotypes only present one-half of the story, the other half is where the deeper meaning lies (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 263). What he is referring to is the notion of a single racial stereotype leading to two different and independent human perceptions. This idea of a double meaning existing in a single stereotype can be examined in Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 motion picture Training Day. In the film, whenever Denzel Washington’s character, Detective Alonzo Harris acts ‘macho’, he negatively portrays the African-American community as perpetrators of violence, in addition to promoting the stereotypical black childlike behavior. However, in accordance with Hall’s notion of an implicit meaning existing in every stereotype, one can see that the ‘macho’ behavior is validating a much more disturbing and complicated white fantasy- that African-Americans are in fact aggressive, better endowed than their white counterparts, over-sexed and superspade (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 263). Henry Louis Gates Junior, an eloquent commentator on issues of multiculturalism and racism argues that the direct correlation between race and racism can be disputed. What he is suggesting is that discrimination against ethnic groups is linked more to the phenomenon of power relations than any biological assimilation (Daley 1). He believes that the notion of race is simply a fabrication, one with no real purpose with the exception of formal discussions, because: ‘races', put simply, do not exist, and to claim that they do, for whatever misguided reason, is to stand on dangerous ground†¦ For, if we believe that races exist as things, as categories of being already ‘there,' we cannot escape the danger of generalizing about observed differences between human beings as if the differences were consistent and determined, a priori (Gates 402). He is arguing that the notion of race has simply been etched in humanity’s consciousness with one goal in mind- to confine ethnic minorities to lives of subordination. Throughout the nineteenth-century, the Iroquois in Canada and the blacks in America were being forced into the so called ‘civilized’ white Christian society, because the bodies of these ethnic minorities were deemed inferior. Therefore, Gates believes that the portrayal of minorities was due to the wrongful employment of racial characterization, a process in which: one generalizes about the attributes of an individual (and treats him or her accordingly). Such generalizations are based upon a predetermined set of causes or effects thought to be shared by all members of a physically defined group who are also assumed to share certain ‘metaphysical' characteristics†¦ can have rather little to do with aggression or contempt in intent, even if the effect is contemptible (but often ‘well-intentioned') (Gates 403). According to Gates, not only does this form of representation lead to a ‘racist’ benevolence, paternalism and sexual attraction towards African-Americans, but also a romanticizing of black culture (Daley 2). This form of racial representation was condescending to the African-Americans, because it depicted them as having instinctual physical, structural, and biological characteristics of greed and violence. Through the use of mass media, white supremacists represented black culture as being an entity that was separate from the African-Americans (Daley 2). Mass media at time of the twentieth-century played a vital role in forming and reflecting public opinion on the issues of racial representation and discrimination. As a result of media, the word ‘Negro’ began to be associated with the balance of power in society. It became a metaphor of the conflict between good and evil, educated and barbaric, master and servant- a fight for the control of power; a struggle that was etched into the consciousness of all Americans (Daley 2). By negatively representing the African-Americans, mass-media had caused a division between the ‘blacks’ and the ‘whites’- a rift that is still evident in twenty-first-century; not only in the United States, but all over the world (Daley 2). One can argue that not only has this gap dictated every discussion related to race and racial bias of our time, but that it will continue to do so for centuries to come with no end in sight. Media will continue to depict African-Americans as individuals who perpetrate violence, and are only motivated by greed and ex, because this approach allows the industry to gain a mass audience- a predominant white population that believes in white supremacy and wants to see the black race oppressed and destroyed. Linking back to Gates view on minority groups being confined to lives of subordination in the eighteenth-century, one can see that mass-media in present day carries out the same form of oppression. Because the industry is dr iven by monetary profits, it employs racial prejudice in its broadcasts, and enforces certain negative stereotypes against minorities, in order to confine them to deteriorated lifestyles. The American cinema of the mid-twentieth-century is regarded by many cultural sociologists as an era that promoted the positive representation of African-Americans for the first time. Motion pictures released in the early fifties enlightened the general public of the sensitive issues of race and stereotypes. In spite of the industry being controlled predominantly by the elite class of White-Americans, the films that were generated, characterized the black community as positive role models. A clear-cut example of such positive racial representation in mass media can be found in Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones, a 1958 cult classic, in which the character of Noah Cullen portrayed by Sidney Poitier disregards the notion of differences in race; instead assisting a white prisoner escape from jail. Not only did the portrayal of Noah Cullen allow Poitier to score a BAFTA award for best actor in a lead role; it also secured his admission into mainstream Hollywood films. Following the success of The Defiant Ones, Poitier’s on screen roles now exemplified everything that the stereotypical African-American figure was not (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 253). Even though the white elites controlled American cinema, they continued to construct characters for Poitier in such a way so as to positively portray the African-American community. His film characters were widely accepted by the white population as one of their own, because the morals, and behavior that he exhibited, met the standards of the mass audience (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 253). Poitier’s characters represented the quintessential Caucasian male: one who was fluent in English, well-educated, smart and had proper table etiquette (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 253). History had repeated itself in the case of Sidney Poitier, because by portraying the role of a reformed African-American male, he relinquished the very little power that he had, to the white elites. In the eighteenth-century, the White-American population established its identity by means of absorbing ethnic minorities into their so-called ‘civilized’ Christian body. Because white elites had transformed Poitier’s African-American character, from an un-cooperative, over-sexed, savage beast into a sexless, docile and sterile ‘civilized’ gentleman; he no longer posed a threat to the integrity and dignity of white culture (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 253). In the late sixties and early seventies, American cinema implemented different strategy, in order to financially exploit the African-American community. The industry introduced a new class of African-American heroes- individuals who challenged the notion of white culture as superior to all others. Case in point, Gordon Parks’ 1971 box office success, Shaft, in which the main character- a black detective disputes the very existence of white patriarchal power in American society (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 271). To attain maximum pleasure in his ‘mythic’ life, John Shaft resorts to violence, drugs, illegal money and sexual relations with white and black women (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 271). The stereotypical notion of an African-American’s child-like dependency on the white community that had been prevalent since the eighteenth-century could no longer be applied to John Shaft, because he was confident and self-sufficient. Because, his elegance and charisma appealed to the African-American audiences, they were susceptible to the exploitation of the film industry. Black viewers were able to identify with characters such as John Shaft, because they represented a â€Å"mythic† life- one which was glorious and heroic (Hall, â€Å"Representation† 271). They flocked to theatres by the thousands, in order to watch films that depicted the triumph of ‘black’ over ‘white’, but what they failed to recognize was that such movies were only produced so that they could be financially exploited. Word Cited: Balkaran, Stephen. â€Å"Mass Media and Racism. † Yale University. Oct. 1999. Web. 03 Dec. 2009. http://www. yale. edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b. html#fn1. Gates, Henry L. â€Å"Race,† writing, and difference. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1986. Hall, Stuart. Representation cultural representations and signifying practices. London: Sage Publications Ltd. , 1997. Hall, Stuart. The Whites of Their Eyes: Racist Ideologies and the Media. London: Silver Linings, 1995. Bogle, David. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films. New York: Viking, 1973. â€Å"Mike Daley: The representation of ‘race' in mass media. † Mikedaley. net. York University. Web. 03 Dec. 2009. http://www. mikedaley. net/essay_raceinmassmedia. htm. Procter, James. Stuart Hall. London: Routledge, 2004. Balkaran, Stephen. â€Å"Mass Media and Racism. † Yale University. Oct. 1999. Web. 03 Dec. 2009. http://www. yale. edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b. html#fn1.

Nurse Betty

â€Å"Nurse Betty† is not so much a movie about a nurse, but it is a good depiction of how  nurses can sometimes be portrayed by the media. In this film a small town waitress named Betty  fixates on one doctor as portrayed in her favorite soap opera, â€Å"A Reason To Love.† After witnessing her husband’s murder while watching an episode Betty begins to  become delusional, believing that she is a nurse in the hospital where the character of Dr. Ravell  from the soap opera works. Betty also believes herself to be his ex-fiancà © and that she is still in  love with him. As this delusion takes hold she packs her bags and leaves the scene of the crime to  head to Los Angeles to find him. Because of her delusions Betty does not often relate well with others. She has convinced  herself that she is an actual nurse and is in love with Dr. Ravell. For this reason she fails to  understand why others cannot accept this.  The remaining nurse, doctor and hospital administration portrayals are all minor roles.  Many are little more than walk-ons and cardboard cut-out soap opera stereotypes. The ones who  are really in these positions and not characters from the soap opera are portrayed more fairly than  the soap characters.  When Betty arrives at what she believes is the hospital where Dr. Ravell works the  administration is at first depicted as sincere in response to her claims of being a nurse and  looking for Dr. Ravell, an acclaimed cardiologist who should work there. Even though he has  never been heard of before. Little is shown of how Betty handles herself as a nurse. Mainly this is due to the fact  that she is not a nurse. Even though she believes herself to be one. The other minor portrayals of  nurses in this movie are generally positive and believable.Overall this movie shows several examples of how Hollywood portrays those in the  medical profession. Both with the medical professionals as characters and with the more  stereotyped soap opera characters. LaBute, N. (Director). (2000). Nurse Betty [Film] Hollywood: Gramercy Pictures

American Government Oversight

The government of the United States involves the concept in political science known as separation of powers. This concept means that the different branches of government share power amongst themselves. Intricately connected with this concept is the system of checks and balances, which provides that all com/relationship-between-the-three-arms-of-government/">branches of government may challenge the exercise of power by the other branch. More accurately, this concept ensures that one branch would not encroach upon the power of another branch since each branch is given the power to make sure that the others remain acting within their bounds.The system of checks and balances was conceptualized by the Framers to ensure that no branch would overstep its boundaries in the exercise of its powers. For Congress, the system of checks and balances is made effective through its power of oversight (USConstitution. net). One example of congressional oversight relates to interceding with agencies on behalf of the interests of their constituents. Through oversight, Congressmen could look into the operations of agencies and determine whether the interests of their constituents are taken into account.The oversight power of Congress likewise involves the authority to monitor, supervise, and review the activities of the executive branch. The exercise of this power allowed Congress to look out for the interests and benefit of the American people. Examples in history include the opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1960s, and the investigation of the Watergate scandal that unearthed anomalies involving partisan gain (Kaiser, 1988).Another example of congressional oversight involves other channels, such as meetings with the staffs of legislative and executive officials. Through these meetings and consultations with the executive department, Congress is able to propose changes and suggest policies to the executive branch (Kaiser, 1988). It is clear that congressional oversight is very useful in ensuring that the other branches of government, such as the executive branch, do not overstep their boundaries.As representatives of the people, Congress occupies a special role in ensuring that the people’s will and interests are protected, and this duty is accomplished through Congress’ power of oversight. References Kaiser, F. M. (1988). Congressional Oversight of the Presidency. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 499(Congress and the Presidency: Invitation to Struggle), 75-89. USConstitution. net. Constitutional Topic: Checks and Balances. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://www. usconstitution. net/consttop_cnb. html