Li & Fung Case Study

Li & Fung is an export trading company from Southern China that was founded back in 1906 by Fung Pak-Liu and his partner Li To-Ming. Li & Fung grew from a traditional export trading company to global supply chain management company it is today. After the passing of Liu, To-Ming decided to sell his shares. After both graduating from Harvard, Fung’s sons, Victor and William took over the company in 1974 and moved it to Hong Kong. The Fung brothers were both highly intelligent individuals. They used new ideas and innovation to turn the company into a more professionally managed firm that went public in 1992 (MacFarlan, 2005). Li & Fung manages the global supply chain for high volume and time sensitive consumer goods for large companies such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, Avon, The Limited and Warner Brothers (MacFarlan, 2005). The company operates in 40 economies and employs over 20,000 people worldwide (MacFarlan, 2005). I think part of the success of the company was that the brothers worked so well together. They each had their own strengths. While Victor was more of the strategic thinker and thought long-term, William focused on the operations and making money. As the CEO of the Group’s e-commerce stated a combination of both thought leadership and execution, with the unique relationship between Victor and William cementing the entire organization Although the company was spread out with different offices around the world they provided a centralized IT, financial and administrative support out of their Hong Kong office. However they had a decentralized corporate structure so that they were easily able to keep up with the up and coming fashions because as we know the styles are constantly changing. Li & Fung also had a very competitive compensation package and had bonuses that were based on profits which was different than other companies that had more restrictions. Along with the internet revolution, Victor and William were fast to understand and adapt to the changes brought on by new technology. By 2000 the company wanted to extend its supply chain via the Internet. Prior to this the only thing that was done was through an internal Intranet. This did expedite the orders but only with the manufacturing plants since they were able to track their orders. It also helped increase the speed of the orders because they did not need to send someone a sample to inspect via regular mail. They were now able to view the item online and approve it. Two years later they launched extranet sites so they were linked to their key customers and were personalized to meet the customer’s needs. This helped streamline all communications since their customers were able to track the progress of their orders. The only issue was all of the software development was outsourced and was not handled by Li & Fung’s employees. Management was aware of the success the extranets were having and finally started to consider looking at their online options. When looking at their options they wanted to make sure that they were doing it from within the company and not outsourcing. Michael Hsieh, president of LF International Inc. had met with John Suh, CEO of Castling Group which was an Internet start-up company. Suh was someone that Li & Fung needed in order to successfully start up their online side of the business. The confusing part with this is it was going against what Li & Fung had said about not outsourcing and keeping it within the company. They wound up working with the Castling Group and bringing them on board as part of their management team. John Suh stepped down as CEO of Castling and became CEO of lifung. com (MacFarlan, 2005). All in all they hired about 20% of Castling Group employees so it was not as bad as it first seemed. The good thing with hiring this outside company is the experience that they bring to the table. Since it was a new team they focused on team building to build the trust within the team especially with how fast they needed this project to move. This helped the employees work well together to get this project done. I feel that what helped them move along was the trust they had with the companies they were already dealing with because they had proved to them that they were more than capable and also focused on value and loyalty. The company put their customers first. They still believed in the old-economy know how. Another thing that made them stand above some of the others is when Li & Fung started to focus on the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This was decided after they did some market research. These smaller companies want the same options as the larger companies when ordering their products. Lifung. com allowed the smaller companies to at least get some options for customization unlike other online companies. Usually the smaller companies are not able to compete because they do not have the options to customize their product as much. By lifung. com being flexible and innovative it allowed them to reach even more businesses. In addition to focusing on SMEs, Li & Fung should focus on acquiring or merging with competing firms. The company should try to get into markets in developing countries such as India. It would also be beneficial for the company to try to break through into new products that are complementary to clothing such as footwear. Overall, the company been successful with its online company. They made the customization options easy for the customers. The customers were able to complete their orders twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. We all know how important it is for customers to have the flexibility and easy access to the internet as well as the ability to have access to orders at their convenience. Throughout its growth, the company stayed focused on the understanding of information systems and technology which enabled them to stay ahead of their competition.

Changes in Leadership and CEO Succession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Changes in Leadership and CEO Succession - Essay Example Founded in 1839 by Oliver Chace, the Valley Falls Company specialized in textile manufacturing. Its 1889 merger with Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing saw the company’s name change to Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates. The company’s final merger then followed this in 1955 with Hathaway Manufacturing Company, which resulted in its new name Berkshire Hathaway. Initially, the company had been successful expanding its operations across the US. However, after the World War I, a decline in the textile industry led the company shutting down several of its mills. This was when (1962) Warren Buffet began buying stock in the company. By 1964, Buffet had acknowledged that the waning textile industry would not lead to an improvement in the company’s finances; therefore, he agreed to sell his shares when he received an oral tender offer from Seabury Stanton (the company’s owner). Stanton’s failure to uphold his end of the bargain rendered the deal void, which moti vated an aggrieved Buffet to purchase more shares from the company to become majority shareholder. In 1967, Buffet set his sights on insurance, and decided to purchase the National Indemnity Company. Since then, he shut down the remaining textile mills and continued to acquire subsidiary companies while investing in the stock market. Currently, Forbes magazine ranks Berkshire Hathaway as the fifth biggest public company in the world. Presently, Buffet serves in the capacity of CEO, Chairman, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and majority shareholder. As such, the company must find an individual or group of individuals with the expertise required to perform the diverse functions. The proposed succession plan is split into five parts whereby three parts focus on personnel, one on corporate culture and the last on institutional ownership. The company’s Board of Directors proposes that

Analysis of the US Market from Various Perspectives Essay

Analysis of the US Market from Various Perspectives - Essay Example So, this may be considered a good time to enter the US market by acquiring well managed and under-valued insurance companies. However, the investment decision should be backed up by thorough due diligence. Also, the investment should be done with a long-term perspective. 2. The government is amenable to foreign investment: The present economic recession has forced U.S. banks to tighten their credit standards and the issuances are getting more expensive. With the weakening dollar and depressed domestic and the foreign demands, U.S. businesses are currently facing hard times. In times like these, the administration will welcome any kind of foreign investment, including in the form of acquisitions. New President means changes and changes come from new policies. So the policies formulated by the new President will definitely affect business operations of the firm to an extent. Additionally, the new President has a substantially high acceptance among the US population and it is expected that entering the office will help boost the sagging morale of the US economy. All these factors may result in an earlier than expected recovery of the US economy. For most of the aspects of management and business operations, having a better understanding of a country’s culture is very important, both for a single country and international settings. Cultural backgrounds influence people’s conjectures about the organization and hence have a profound impact on the management and business operations. (IMD, n.d) 2. The decline of the â€Å"family†: Family as a social unit has been increasingly losing its importance in the US, and the percentage of family households out of total households have dipped to 69% from 89%. This trend is critically linked to Insurance Industry as there are more units of society that will look for individual insurance. (Michael T. R.,2003) These are the 6 major trends of the U.S. from three- Economic, Political and Cultural  Perspectives.  

Report on a mid size business. Soccer scene is the business Essay

Report on a mid size business. Soccer scene is the business - Essay Example It has earned a better reputation because of the technical staff that it has hired over these years which is able to provide the customers with the right thing on the right time. The company excels in possessing all the important things that a shop would have for the fans of the respective sports. The company is not only limited to itself but its strength can also be seen in the press. On several instances the company has been cited in the press which has helped people to know about the store. Soccer Scene is believed to be a developing business which would take over the limits in the coming years. With the quality and expertise that it possesses it can be said that soccer scene might become very successful in the future. In this report the strategies followed by the company would be highlighted along with its current plan of growth and advertisements (Soccer Scene 2010; ECR Newsletter 2006). Situation Analysis SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats The company is dev eloping with the rise in the fans of the football and rugby fans. Currently the company possesses the right expertise and talent required to expand their company in accordance to the needs of the customers. It is creating a brand image which can help them in the future to enhance their promotional activities. The most potent strength of the company is that it has chosen a large audience which can be its customers. It has opened stores in those locations where the sports are commonly seen and hailed. A great part of the population residing in United Kingdom watches the football matches and hence the fans of the sports are more than anywhere in the world. The company uses this as a strength and targets this audience to increase their sales. Furthermore the company is located in specific areas so it is able to attract a large population of fans. The company has some weaknesses which can prove to be a hurdle for it to expand. Currently the company has not created a brand image like othe r brands which exist in the market for a longer time. Soccer Scene is still in its developing stages and hence faces intense competition in the market of sports where already some famous brands exist. Brand loyalty cannot be easily achieved if certain techniques are not employed and this can prove to be a weakness for Soccer Scene. In comparison to other brands it can also be said that it lacks the funds to advertise itself like other brands. It also has limited options as to where it has to choose the audience from as it is located only in some nations. The company has several opportunities which it can avail to make them its strengths. The company can open its outlets in other countries where already some brands exist so it can have a wider market to choose from. It can include other types of goods so that it can attract a wide range of customers which can benefit the business. It can allocate its funds effectively such that intense advertisements are done to create brand loyalty. Furthermore its products can be improved so that it can face the competition in the market. Currently the company is facing many threats in the market which it exists. It faces immense competition from organized brands in the country that it is located. With intense competition it can be impossible for it to expand as its competitors have already created a

Explained on the attachment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Explained on the attachment - Assignment Example Employee motivation is key in influencing employee behavior. Mainly emphasizes on intuition and understanding. People are viewed as independent from environmental influences. On the contrary, the theory portrays people’s ability to determine the condition of the environment. A psychological approach that focuses on personal development for example through learning. Individuals are seen as seeking self-actualization through adequate learning and are able to actively control the learning activities independently. Puts emphasis on learning by observation of other people. Therefore, individuals learn from others in their environment. Role models are imperative in this case because they influence the behavior of those who look up to them. The theory stipulates that learning is context-dependent. This means that after learning, people make their own conclusions on over what was learned and develop personal meaning of the knowledge gained. It is an unstructured learning procedure that has recently been adapted by professionals. In this case, what is learnt by the workers is related to the work they do and not to other planned learning materials or procedures. Workers in organizational settings are able to learn informally through the daily activities they carry out. They can also learn from each other. Therefore, structured or planned training programs are not the only solutions to employee learning

Discussion 1 Week 5 Outsourcing and In-House Operations Assignment

Discussion 1 Week 5 Outsourcing and In-House Operations - Assignment Example These functions are crucial in nature and scope that core competencies of federal employees are needed for their undertaking and performance. According to O’Connor (2007), some of the functions included in the list are: (1) conducting criminal investigations; (2) commanding military forces; (3) conducting foreign relations and policy; (4) prioritizing Federal programs for budgetary purposes; among others. Accordingly, these functions are reviewed and modified, as deemed necessary, by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials (OConnor, 2007). As such, only when projects or programs are classified not within the inherently governmental function could other options through outsourcing could be resorted to. As emphasized, the option to outsource would only be justified when the cost of contracting services to private agencies or organizations is considerably lower than in-house services. Likewise, the decision to outsource or retain in-house transactions, is still governed by policies and procedures outlined by the OMB. 2. Outsourcing and in-house operations are interactive elements of materials acquisition planning, resource allocation planning, and materials flow control. Argue whether or not inherently government functions should be outsourced. Support your argument with example(s). Then, offer an alternative based on your position. One strongly believes that classifying functions as inherently government, by nature, should not be outsourced. For instance, one of the functions noted as inherently government is the â€Å"command of military forces, especially the leadership of military personnel who are members of the combat, combat support, or combat service support role† (OConnor, 2007, p. 109). In this particular situation, only the expertise and skills of federal officers are needed to perform the specific function. In no way would outsourcing serve the best interests of the

Ethnography interviewing Parents who encourage their children to play Research Paper

Ethnography interviewing Parents who encourage their children to play aggressive sports - Research Paper Example Several parents are in favor of having their children play aggressive sports. One mother that was interviewed gave her side of the story. According to parent Sandra Hemingway (personal communication, August 8, 2011), she allows her 12-year-old daughter to participate in kickboxing because she believes it not only allows her to â€Å"learn valuable self-defense techniques,† but also because she thinks it is wonderful exercise for a young, growing girl. Another parent felt that having his child play an aggressive sport was a rite of passage, and part of his cultural heritage. According to parent Mark Garcia (personal communication, August 8, 2011), he allows his 14-year-old son to participate in soccer because it is a team-oriented sport which has cultural ties to his native homeland of Mexico. It seems that parents are definitely models for how aggressively participants of certain sports can act. According to Dunlap (2005), â€Å"Parents, coaches, teammates, and sport heroes often model support for aggressive styles of play†¦Ideally, childrens participation in sports should be fun, contribute to physical development, teach skills, [and] help develop social skills†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 38). Social skills are important for younger children. Research seems to suggest that, the more aggressive a contact sport is, the weaker the moral fibers of the child participating in the sport. This also suggests that the parents of these children are also going to have scored lower on moral reasoning tests. According to Hughes (2009), â€Å"People who have the greatest interest in highly aggressive contact sports or have participated in them for the longest amounts of time tend to score lower on tests of moral reasoning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 49). Parents have actually been proven to be more prone to ‘sports rage,’ especially because of their children being involved in aggressive sports events. According to â€Å"New Law Upgrades ‘Sports Rage’ Penalty† (2002), â€Å"[L]awmakers cited

July's People by Nadine Gordimer Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

July's People by Nadine Gordimer - Term Paper Example The book addresses the civil war and its outcomes and how the apartheid caused a great lot of disturbance to the livelihood of the people. The characters of the story have been built in a practical and bleak way by the author Nadine Gordimer. There were a lot of criticisms on the book for its addressing the apartheid system and but still managed to stand out from the rest. This paper will deal with the characters and the parts they got to play in the novel. When the characters are looked into, it becomes clear that there is a multi dimensional approach carried on by the author. The characters in the story differ from one another in a huge way and it could be understood well only with a thorough reading. There is not a single character which was vague and the story is well known for showcasing the strong sides of characters. With the book, we can understand that the character of a person is the bundle of what a person is and it depends hugely over the environment in which the person i s brought up. The story revolves around the characters Bamford, Maureen, July and Martha. Bam and Maureen need to leave Johannesburg because of the civil war scenario that disoriented the entire area. The Smale family comprises of Bam, Maureen and children Victor, Gina and Royce. In the 1980s, the civil war broke out and there were scenarios like black killing the white and other way around. As a result of continuous suppression, the black retaliates and wants to take hold of the South Africa. The Smales who are the South African liberals were affected by the sudden turn of events and they had to leave the place to only found shelter with July. July is the loyal black servant and he assures to take them to their house to keep them safe. The characters of the books show some gradual and steady change with time and through the well connected events, the author establishes it to be a practical one. All the characters were etched out well and in a realistic manner. The novel perfectly d eals with the aspect, shift of power and what impact it could bring in. The Smales family had to depend on July for their survival and July makes them stay in their mother’s house. When there is a shift in control, things change on various fronts. Nadine Gordimer has focused on this aspect in the novel and has provided a detailed account on it. Gordimer’s characterization touches upon this radical shift of power from the master and the confusing state of behavior and talks that arise out of it. One of the central themes of the book is power and the consequences surrounding it. It deals with great ease how it will be for those who were used to have power or command over a person and how new it will be for the person who has the taste of power for the first time. Overall, the book touches upon different facets of life with greater ease. As far as the characterization of the Smales is concerned, the author made sure to highlight their state as masters who had the blacks a s their loyal servant. Gordimer, right from the beginning of the story, gives a wider picture over the happenings in the lives of the Smales how, with greater difficulty, they try to adjust with the current position. They sometimes do not seem to remember their present situation and still continues with the masterly tone with July. Especially, the book deals with conversations between Maureen and July and the confrontations that arise therein. Bam and Maureen still hold backs the masterly relation that they have

MacDonaldisaation Thesis (Education paper) analysis of journal article Essay

MacDonaldisaation Thesis (Education paper) analysis of journal article by Dale (1994) UK EDUCATION SYSTEM KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED - Essay Example The 'Mac' chain of restaurants is famous for standardising everything related to the production or selling of their goods. Dale (1994) also argues how Ritzer has started a crusade against the 'fast-food' giant 'Mac' and how they have ensured the disintegration of the family. He quotes Ritzer in saying that the habitual use of 'McDonaldized' systems is destructive to our physical and physiological well-being as well as to the society as a whole. We have to agree to the fact that we are in a world where brand names become common names. If we were to ask what is common between 'Zipper', 'Xerox', 'Kerosene', then the answer is they are all 'Trade names' that has become common names. In the same vein, the processes adopted by 'McDonaldization' have come to stay with us as 'McDonaldization'. In fact, 'McDonaldization' is much older than we thought (see McDonaldization 2008). In fact it is much older than the principles adopted by Ray Croc, founder of McDonalds (for more information see McDonaldization 2008). If that was the case, then why talk of only 'McDonaldization' It is possible that everybody could afford a 'Big Mac', but not a Ford automobile! The logic of operating 'Mac' although looks very simple and organised and certain things have to be borne in mind. First, 'Mac' makes a limited set of dishes that are similar in taste, packaging and quality; secondly people like it and hence its popularity and finally the volume of 'Mac' food eaten by people is a very small compared to their normal food. In this age of globalisation and free trade it is inevitable that all products cannot be handmade and delivered specially. Mass production is inevitable; also because the consumption, sometimes, far exceeds the production. The only way to ensure that any product lives up to the manufactures reputation is that they are trouble free. To make it trouble free, certain manufacturing norms have to be introduced that are uniform and streamlined. The flipside to this argument is that 'Mac' generates trash because of 'McDonaldization' procuring food that has ethical issues. So it is under these 'parameters' we are forced to live and act, whe ther we like it or not. Ritzer opines that there are four reasons behind 'McDonaldization' namely efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. For details on this please refer to 'McDonaldization, (2008). Here again the flipside of the argument is that we have to take into consideration the following: 1) irrationality; 2) deskilling and 3) consumer workers (for more information see McDonaldization 2008) Dale, 'McDonaldization' and education 'Commoditization' of education is the byword in today's academic circles (Dale 1998; Daniel 2002). Dale (1998) argues about 'McDonaldization' of higher education in today's scenario. In today's education system, other than the traditional way of teaching, a lot of institutions are offering franchising options. This is akin to 'McDonaldization', but in the educational system. Daniel (2002) calls it the 'commoditization' of education. The advantages in this method are large. It brings education to all by implementing a uniform curriculum for everybody and it is gaining popularity in most of the Open Universities of the world and is also gaining acceptance in most of the developing countries. In this

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay Example for Free

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay Abstract This paper will explain Maslow’s triangle and its application to interpersonal communications. An explanation will be given how the interpersonal communications, based off of Maslow’s triangle, can be used as an interview and interrogation tool. Examples will be provided of a personal experience that directly relates to the vertical progression through Maslow’s triangle. When Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Maslow’s triangle) is understood, it is easier to understand another person and have better more effective interpersonal communication. Maslow’s triangle is a set of needs that must be met and people are self-motivated to fulfil the needs. Maslow’s triangle can be used during interrogation and interview as a means to build trust a rapport. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be divided into two parts, basic needs and growth needs (McLeod, 2014). To elevate to a higher need, the needs at the current level must be satisfied. The basic needs are believed to be self-motivating and the longer they go unmet the greater the desire for them becomes. For instance the longer one goes without sleep then the more tired they become and soon the body will breakdown. The bottom of the triangle is physiological needs. These are the most basic needs for survival such as food, water, breathing, sex, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. The next level is safety needs which consists of protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, and freedom from fear. Love and belongingness needs is the third rung and is comprised of friendship, intimacy, affection and love, from work group, family, friends, and romantic relationships. The final basic need is esteem needs which includes achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, and respect from  others. The top of the triangle, and the growth need, is self-actualization needs, made up of realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, and seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Maslow believed that people have an inborn desire to be self-actualized (Cherry, n.d.). Self-actualization is when a person reaches their full potential. Understanding human needs can be a used persuade people as they are already self-motivated to fulfil their needs. This can be used by both preventing the obtainment of a current need or by providing a current need. In the later one can build rapport with the subject by providing the needs. This can further lead into security or love and belongingness where you as an interrogator or interviewer can be the stability or friendship need that is missing. By filling in the need you can passively be purvey to more information or even take a more aggressive quid pro quo stance. Furthermore you may even give an ultimatum that if the information you seek is not provided then the fulfilled need will be taken back leaving a deficiency. As this relates to my personal experiences and my progression through the hierarchy of needs, I am no different than anyone else and I must have fulfillment of one level before ascending to the next. I have been fortunate enough that air and water have always been present in my life. Sleep is sometimes lacking and can affect my health but on the whole a sufficient amount of sleep is met. Being that the lowest level needs have been generally fulfilled the next level is considered. Safety needs have generally been provided given that safety of employment was sufficient. While employed in the active duty military I had job security providing money that provided safety in resources. Safety in employment allowed the lower level item such as food to always be fulfilled as well as safety of property a need of the second tier. Employment allowed advancement into both the third and fourth levels as I was part of a family both in occupation and able to provide for one at home. I also had friendship within the employment and much respect both from self and others as well as a sense of achievement. This had much to do with the type of occupation being what it was (military). This all fed into a greater self-esteem and then into the top tier of the triangle, growth and self-actualization. The other side to  this is that when I was no longer in the active duty military and I lost the fulfilment of safety of employment I much of the fulfilment of other needs. I lost the steady monetary income and in direct correlation I lost safety of property as I was never sure if I would be able to make my house payment. Being able to provide for my family was always a question and this greatly reduced my self-respect and respect from family and relationship within the family dynamics. I was not sure if I would be able to always meet to need of food. My focus was fulfilling that unmet need, the need for safety of employment. At no time after I had a deficiency in level two of the triangle was I ever considering my self-actualization or full potential let alone even confidence or achievement from the level below that. When Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is understood, it is easier to understand another person and have better more effective interpersonal communication. The needs laid out in Maslow’s triangle can be used during interrogation and interview. They can be used as a means to build trust a rapport and or persuasion and coercion. References (n.d.). Retrieved from wikimedia,org: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs.svg Cherry, K. (n.d.). Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from About Education: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm McLeod, S. (2014). Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from Simply Psychology: http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Tay, L., Diener, E. (2011). Maslows Hierarchy. Retrieved from Changing Minds: http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/maslow.htm

African American Theatre 2 Essay Example for Free

African American Theatre 2 Essay African American Theater started out, hundreds of years ago, as a foundation of amusement for the black community. The theater was a place where African Americans, equally men and women, could work, study, and perfect their expertise. The beginning of African American theater set in motion back in the 1830’s, and it eventually became one of America’s most prevalent sources of entertainment Over the course of over one and a half decades, there has been an apparent transformation within the dominion of African American theater. For example, African Americans have prevailed over the intense burden of subjugation in forms such as political affairs, comfortable residency and most significantly, equal human rights. One of the most apparent leisure pursuits that were in remission from African-Americans came in the appearance of the performing arts, more particularly film. During this time, the society in general would not permit, for example, blacks to drink from the same water fountain, so to share the same onstage experiences or television effects was, without a doubt, not even simply prohibited but unheard of. However, as time went by, the potency of the hopeful African American actors and actresses weighed down the greater part of the general society, and society ceased being able to keep African Americans from appearing on stage and on television. For the longest time, the stage became and stayed the only way for African Americans to communicate the deep sorrow and oppression that the society, particularly the white population, had placed in front of them. Through acting, in addition to both singing and dancing, African Americans were able to, mentally and spiritually, go to a place that no tormenter could find them. With this new form of communication, African Americans found a new method of endurance, and acting was the fundamental technique. Even though the African American actors and actresses were forced to take the road of continued existence in the theater to gain self contentment, it was, as an understatement, not unproblematic. For the longest moments in time, African American actors and actresses were not permitted to step foot on stage. However, black actors were instead ridiculed by Caucasian actors in what they called black face. Black face was a performance where white actors and actresses would literally conceal their faces with black paint and makeup, so as to imitate an African American actor. From this falsification of the hopeful actors, derogatory names such as Tom, Mulatto, Mammy, Coon, and Buck resulted. Similar to Black Face, there was what is called Minstrel Shows. Minstrel shows, which consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, ridiculed and made fun of African Americans in the most disapproving ways. According to these shows, black people were looked upon as ignorant, lazy, and unreasonable, but also cheerful and melodious. Broadway, which is the heart of theater for Americans, had been closed to blacks for more than a decade. However, this was only until the African American musical â€Å"Shuffle Along† turned out to be a runaway success, which some historians believe was the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. The first African American play to be produced on Broadway was The Chip Womans Fortune in 1923, written by Willis Richardson. In the year of 1959, Lorraine Hansberry, a famous playwright, became the first African American woman to have her play produced and performed on Broadway. Hansberry’s play, titled A Raisin in the Sun, became an outlet for a continual assembly of plays by African American playwrights who often brought their own individual occurrences in the great effort in opposition to racial discrimination to the theater plays that they produced. . By the revolving of this period, the minstrel show enjoyed but a shadow of its former popularity, having been replaced for the most part by vaudeville. It survived as professional entertainment until about 1910; amateur performances continued until the 1960s in high schools, fraternities, and local theaters. As blacks began to score legal and social victories against racism and to successfully assert political power, minstrelsy lost popularity. The typical minstrel performance followed a three-act structure. The troupe first danced onto stage then exchanged wisecracks and sang songs. The second part featured a variety of entertainments, including the pun-filled stump speech. The final act consisted of a slapstick musical plantation skit or a send-up of a popular play. Minstrel songs and sketches featured several stock characters, most popularly the slave and the dandy. These were further divided into sub-archetypes such as the mammy, her counterpart the old darky, the provocative mulatto wench, and the black soldier. Minstrels claimed that their songs and dances were authentically black, although the extent of the black influence remains debated. Spirituals (known as jubilees) entered the repertoire in the 1870s, marking the first undeniably black music to be used in minstrelsy. Blackface minstrelsy was the first distinctly American theatrical form. In the 1830s and 1840s, it was at the core of the rise of an American music industry, and for several decades it provided the lens through which white America saw black America. On the one hand, it had strong racist aspects; on the other, it afforded white Americans a singular and broad awareness of significant aspects of African American culture.

Studying The STOF Business Model Domains Information Technology Essay

Studying The STOF Business Model Domains Information Technology Essay STOF Model: This framework for business model focuses on customer value creation, the arrangements required from the organisational, financial and technological point of view, for creating a new service. These four dimensions address how value is delivered to the customer and similarly how the service provider can gain value from the service offered. The four dimension of the framework are service domain, technology domain, organisational domain and finance domain. In the following sections, these dimensions will be explored in detail. STOF Business Model Domains Since it is essential that the service offered by the firm should meet the demands of the customer, the new service definition is used as the central reference for all other domains. In customers viewpoint the technology is an enabler of the service, from the firms perspective it is the driver. Organisational domain describes how the resources in the firm will made available and used. Financial domain, stress on the pricing model, investment and other cost based risks involved in providing the service. Service Domain: Critical Success Factor and Critical Design Issues for Customer Value Chapter 3: A successful business model should balance the value created for the customer to that for the service provider. To achieve this there should a balance between the different domains of the business model. A critical design issue is variable which is of importance for the feasibility and sustainability of the business model. Understanding of critical design issues (CDI) and its linkages is critical for designing balanced business model. Service domain requirements guide the choice of technology to be used for the service delivery. Furthermore, it affects the organisational and financial domain. Critical Design Issues in Designing Business Model For each business model domain, we identify the respective CDIs. The identification of different CDIs is based on the literature review. In case of service domain the CDIs are target customers, value creating elements and customer retention. Target customers: Service requirements and the customer need are different for each target group. The target group definition, whether it is B2C or B2B is necessary. And it is therefore fundamental to have a clear segmentation of the customers to address respective value proposition. Value creating elements: To provide a compelling value proposition to the targeted customers, factors like relevance, ease of accessibility, accuracy, quality and trust are critical. It is therefore, the core service offering as well as support service being offered to the customer. Branding (removed in the diagram) : To get a better recognition for the new service , brand image is essential. It can also increase the trust and awareness of the service being offered. Customer Retention: It defines the ways to keep the customer loyal and satisfied. It is also need to develop recurrent use of the service by the customer. Critical design issues for Technology domain: Factors like security, integration of the existing system and accessibility are key design criteria for the technology domain. Security: The way information is stored in the technical architecture and how the access is granted to the customer is essential to avoid security breaches. The trade off between ease of accessibility and data privacy should be addressed to reduce the risk of improper use of the services. Quality of Service: The ability to provide different priority to maintain a certain level of performance based on the users, context and importance. The incurred cost in the technological infrastructure should be balanced with that of the quality of service. It can also be argued that the technological architecture or infrastructure influences the technical functionality, which in turn affects the customers perceived value of the service. System Integration: The extent to which the new service offering can be integrated with that of the existing ones determines the adaptation of the service. Cost and flexibility of the new technology affects the system integration. In the case of ICT , firms with open standards bring down the level of integration required in the technical side. Accessibility: There two factors which affect the accessibility of a service by the customer, first preference of service platforms and second the architecture. If there is a closed or controlled environment, it can make way to a restricted access to a particular group of customers. This also increases the security at technology level. Critical Design Issue at Organisational Domain: Partner Selection: This design criterion is based on the strategic interest that the firm has, based on it suitable partners can be chosen. It is also vital, to get hold of the required resources and capabilities by the firm. Openness of Network: It is the extent to which new business can link to the value network. There can be two scenarios, first a closed network and second an open network. The closed network is mostly used to create higher quality of service and new partners are chosen by certain set of rules. Open network, gives an opportunity to deliver services to a wider audience than the closed network. Network Governance: Establishment of set rules by which the partner businesses should operate and can be monitored. This is usually done by the most dominant actor in the value network. Access to the end-users is the key determinant of an actors dominant role in the collaboration. Network Complexity : The number of relationships that has to be maintained with other businesses in providing the services act as the determinant of the network complexity. If the complexity is reduced , or in other words, less number relations increases the security and quality of service. Critical Design Issue in the Finance Domain: Pricing: Pricing of the service plays an critical role in the service adaptation and its use. The perceived value by the customer should be greater than or at least equal to the delivered value by the service provider. The pricing strategy should address whether the firm is aiming for maximising the market share or maximising the profitability from delivering the service. Risk and Investment: The uncertainty about return on investment is the fundamental risk involved in developing and delivering a new service to the market. A division of investment and risk among the actors can reduce the degree of impact to the actors involved. Cost and Revenue: The division of cost and revenue between the businesses is not the same in all cases, it differ from case to case. For instance, the service provider can share the revenue with the other actors in the service delivery or it can be based on the subscription fee. The revenue sharing is based on the underlying business logic either value based or on cost basis. The division of cost and revenue depends on the division of risk and investment also. The CDIs play a significant role in the process of creating value to the customer as well as to the service provider therefore it act as the starting point. The next step is the identification of Critical Success Factors (CSFs). A minimum group of areas in which satisfactory outcome is required to make certain that the business model generates value for both the service provider and to the customer is called the Critical Success Factor(Rockart and Bullen ,1981). Then the linkage between CDI and CSF , will aid for generating a feasible business model. Critical Success Factor and Critical Design Issues for Network Value Critical Success Factors (CSF) For creating value to the customer : Compelling value proposition: It is related to value creating element CDIs in the service domain and it is a critical criterion for creating value to the customer. Value proposition is the overall benefits that are delivered to the customer by the service provider. Bouwan et al (2008) argues that the value proposition should be based on the customer needs and requirements and not to be based on the technological possibilities. Customers perspective of value also depends on the pricing (CDI) of the service. Similarly, Kotler (2000) points out that brand (CDI) influences the customer perspective of value proposition. Defined target customer: The CDI targeting is related to this CSF. Defined target customer will help the firm to focus on the targeted customers, as the customer needs are different for different customer group. The assumed customer needs by the service provider can be nullified by segmenting the customer base (Kotler, 2000). Accessibility CDI of technology domain also affects this CSF. Customer Retention: Customised or personalised service delivery to the customers will help retain the customer, mainly influenced by customer loyalty and customer experience. The unconstructive occurrence in service can affect the experience and frustrate the customer(Strauss, Schmidt, Schoeler, 2005). Quality of Service: Grà ¶nroos, 1994 suggests that the quality of service output and service process are equally important. CDIs from technology domain are closely related to QoS. CDIs in the technology domain demands an adequate level of quality, since the service being delivered is technology based. Security and system integration To summarize a high score in these CSFs will grantee that the service being provided will meet the customer expectations and create value to the customer. CSF for creating value to the network: The actors in the value network will cooperate for generating value on mutual interest and also compete for value on individual interest (Brandenburg Nalebuff, 1996). Another framework, Porters five forces model stress on competition between the actors (Porter, 1980). For creating value in the network, balance between financial and organisational domain is critical, mover over it should be acceptable by the collaborating actors. Profitability: There should be a acceptable profit for the firms, according to the division of cost and revenue (CDI). Other domain issues like customer group and pricing will affect the profitability. Risk: An agreeable division of risk among the participating actors should result from the division of investment CDI. Since, there is a high uncertainty of service acceptance and due to the investment in IT infrastructure. Network Strategy: This CSF is required to effectively manage the different relation in the value network, from the organisation domain perspective. Division of roles and Network Governance CDIs is directly related to the network strategy. Partner selection and network complexity is also interlinked with this CSF. To summarise a high score on these CSFs will create benefit for the firms that are involved in the service. Organisational CDIs help in allocation resources and capabilities, similarly the CDIs in finance domain is instrumental in directing to a profitable service.

The Octopus Man :: essays papers

The Octopus Man They change color, texture, and body shape... have three hearts... are jet powered... have members in every ocean of the world... have inspired legends and stories since recorded history... are the most intelligent of all invertibrates, yet are related to clams and oysters... have eyes and senses that rival our own... and can make their own smoke screen decoys out of ink. They are Cephalopods - octopi, cuttlefish, squids, etc. - and they are far more fascinating than one might think. Cephalopoda means, â€Å"head foot†, and they certaintly are of an ancient group... they first appeared several million years before the first primitive fish began to swim the oceans, in the late Cambrian era. They were once one of the dominant life forms in the sea, yet today there are only 650 or so living species left. (This may seem like quite a bit, but compare it to the 30,000 living species of bony fish on this planet and it loses its’ prominence.) Yet in terms of productivity, some scientists feel that cephalopods are still giving fish a run for their money.With so much information on cephalopods available, it becomes neccesarry to narrow down the catagories. Thus, I have determined to zoom in on the order Octopoda as the main focus of this paper, a group on animals which contains, in my opinion, some of the more interesting and intelligent creatues on this planet. Members of the order octopoda have eight arms. Over the corse of evolution, the trend has been a reduction of shell size. Octopi, having no shells at all, have carried this trend the furthest. The suborder ncerrata contains the familiar, unfinned octopuses that humans know the most about. Octopi have evolved mechanisms to protect themselves from predators. Some of the amazing abilities of octopi include their ability to change theircolor, texture, and apparent size; to expel ink; and to modify their environment to suit themselves. Octopi are able to jet water through their siphon by contracting their mantel to provide quick, explosive thrust. They have the intelligence and ability to get into and out of fishermen's crab and fish traps and to get under an undergravel filter plate in an aquarium. They can adapt to new situations and appear to be curious about their surroundings. Octopi can use their bodies as a nets to trap fish.

Chimpanzees Essay -- essays research papers

Chimpanzees are a genus of the great ape of Africa, with long black hair and log protruding ears. Humans know them for their intelligence and there very similarities. They have developed family ties similar to man. Over the generations they have even had developed tools out of natural materials. Food for chimpanzees is very important to them due to the excessive amount eating. Chimpanzees eat a variety of foods. They will get their food in many different ways. Bananas are one of the most favored foods of chimpanzees. They will eat it with the peal on or they will take the peal off. Researchers in Africa had video camera and had been taping the primates while eating. One day while video tapeing they caught a male chimpanzee stealing a bundle of bananas from the storage tent, and put the bundle of bananas over his shoulder and walked out. The researchers did not try to top the adult male, because they knew that the adult male are very strong and can get violent if they are bothered while eating. These primates also eat variety leaves, twigs and seeds that are found through out the jungle. Chimpanzees are nomadic they will travel up to six miles a day for food. Once food is found they will spend up to seven hours a day eating. Chimpanzee will also eat meat, but it has to be fresh meat. This means that the male’s hunt and kill there own meat in groups; some of the animals they look for are baby baboons, antelope and bush pigs. Chimpanzee’s intelligence is the one that is clos...

Language and Identity in Richard Wright’s Black Boy :: Richard Wright’s Black Boy

Language and Identity in Richard Wright’s Black Boy Richard Wright portrays the many aspects of social acceptance and the use of language as a key to identity throughout the novel. He brings the pages to life by using sufficient elements to enhance his writing. Through these displays of rhetorical techniques, the appeal to the reader is dramatically increased which results in a more personal and overall significant meaning to the book Black Boy. The claim of social acceptance is especially evident throughout chapter ten. For example, ?I had no association with them; the religious home in which I lived, my mush-lard gravy poverty had cut me off from the normal processes of the lives of black boys my own age?. (219) The strongest tool used in this passage is that of point of view. Delivering such depth in his own personal emotion, Wright is able to more effectively present evidence. This appeal demonstrates emotional ethos, a technique to capture and somewhat influence readers? opinions. In addition, ?My throat grew tight with anger. I wanted to rush into the room and demand an explanation, but I held still.?(219) His style of writing has an effect so captivating with emotion and with great detailed imagery; it adds dramatic effect to the storyline. Wright?s clever tactics of using personal experience as evidence gives him a unique credibility based on emotion instead of the typical factual driven emphasis. The influence of language as a key to identity is present in the passage on page 229. Wright?s abundant use of derogatory terms which describe him in dialogue supports his diction and tone. Wright uses such degrading profanity as a way to qualify and support his justifications of racial inequality. The white man?s cruel interpretations include that of: ?nigger, bastard, and sonofabitch.? Using such drastic and explicit words to describe black men convey Wright?s claim of fact. This develops a strong thesis and creates motivated assumptions. A strong use of repetition is present which also reinforces the attitudes of the white man.

Intelligence Led Policing Essay

Intelligence Led Policing is a strategy that reduces crime through a strategic management and effective enforcement of strategies that target prolific offenders. In order to reduce social harm, the police have to work wider partners for wider potential solutions. The police have to combine their knowledge on criminal intelligence with crime analysis knowledge so as to come up with a substantial decision. It aims in achieving crime reduction and prevention by disrupting the activities of offenders through employment of a top-down management approach. Another way of predicting a prolific offender is through strategic targeting and prioritization. Targeting should be strategic towards individuals, location or operations that will produce the best results and success, thus enabling police officers to work effectively (Peterson, 2005). In addition, the information should be from reliable sources so as to allow the best results without breaching innocent people’s rights. Another issue is the use of previous crimes records as indicators so as to foster preventive measures in order to mitigate the offender from committing crimes. This operation can happen to be the best given that the information at hand is reliable but it can be unethical if the target happens to be clean (Peterson, 2005). Furthermore, through proper data collection either through physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, confidential informants, and public records or under covers operators who have provided vital information which after being analyzed they guarantee success. In conclusion, Intelligence Led policing focuses on certain criminal activities and key criminals can be targeted for inquiry after there problems are assessed. Moreover, some character and upbringing traits are use to predict recidivist behavior which helps in predicting prolific offenders and it tries to capture both operational and ethical issues. The number of times an offender has appeared in court, drug users’ and having delinquent acquaintances foster a good prolific offender target.

Aggression-Discuss the Three Psychological Approaches Essay

What is aggression? During my research, I have noted various definitions of aggression and have often found it to be coupled with violence. This human trait is so complex that it is difficult to pinpoint any one description, but I believe that for the purpose of this essay, this extremely loose term will have to suffice, as aggression is viewed differently according to the different approaches. â€Å"Aggression – a wide variety of acts that involve attack† (The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology-Third Edition 2001) In this essay, I will explain and evaluate three psychological approaches of aggression from Sigmund Freud, Burrhus F Skinner and Carl R Rogers. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) developed the psychoanalytical theory of the personality, whereby he divided it into layers; the unconscious, preconscious and the conscious. These represented different levels of awareness in our minds. He also described the personality as the id, which is essentially what we are born with and is where the basic sexual and aggressive drives reside, the ego, which starts to develop as soon as interaction with the environment begins, and the superego, which represents the moral aspect of humans according to society’s standards and values. He believed that we are born with these inner feelings of aggression, which we use as a tool to obtain the things we want, but unfortunately, society restricts the use of this horrible behaviour for obvious reasons. The display of aggressive behaviour would cause us to lose love and respect ending in lowered self-esteem. In order to get through life without imposing this unacceptable behaviour upon society, we have in our superego, incorporated something called ‘guilt’, which in turn makes us feel ashamed of this pushy, demanding insistence of gratification side of ourselves. However, this causes within us an eternal conflict that rages on through our everyday lives, in the unconscious level of our minds, where we only dimly recognise it. He was however, concerned that these energies could not be permanently ‘bottled up’ and suggested that redirection of these energies (catharsis)  into other channels ie.sport, work would be more socially acceptable. He called this sublimation and suggested that a good society would make this possible. Nevertheless, he remained pessimistic about this also as it only redirected the energy of aggression and did not really deal with the source of the ‘problem’. Freud (1920) called the destructive force that forms aggression, Thanatos -the death instinct (Beyond the Pleasure Principle 1920) and believed that this is a natural human condition that is also aimed at ourselves. However, our natural life instincts prevent anything happening, but Freud thoroughly believed that the destruction of ourselves is inevitable, as aggression will always be at war with society and therefore the greatest obstacle to peace. Burrhus F Skinner (1904-1990) who favoured the behaviourist approach to psychology, criticised the psychoanalytical theory by suggesting that psychology should be the study of behaviour and not just the mind. However, Skinner’s approach was radical, in that he did consider our inner thoughts and feelings, but denied that they had anything to do with behaviour (Skinner 1974). His study of behaviour involved close contact with the experimental laboratory, where he experimented with small animals such as rats and pigeons. As the experimenter, he was able to study the use of stimuli and reinforcement (cause and reward) of behaviour. Skinner pointed out that aggression, like any other form of behaviour, is a result of social and physical issues in our environments. With this in mind, he believed that human behaviour is therefore controllable. In Skinner’s view, if aggression is apparent in a person, then it is determined by past and present relevant events, together with genetic endowment, hereditary factors that are passed through our genes in the process of evolution. He argued that full knowledge of these two sets of factors, genetic endowment and personal history, hold the key to controlling behaviour such as aggression. The behaviourist approach fails to acknowledge individual free will and choice however, and the frustrations involved in the inability to express  these. It is often these unobservable issues that cause behaviours, such as aggression. When looking at positive reinforcement, Skinner often refused to consider the mental causes of aggression ie if a drunk tries to start a fight with you in a pub, Skinner’s theory would indicate that the best form of action from previous experience would be to walk away. This however, ignores the events leading up to this point, and you may decide to stay and fight or maybe stay and make friends. The mind selects a response according to the desired consequence, which is a natural part of every function we perform but is not a straightforward case of positive reinforcement. Carl R Rogers (1902-1987) was the founder of the humanistic approach to behaviour and like Maslow, he believed that there was nothing ‘bad’ about human behaviour and that we are capable of healthy growth towards Self Actualisation. This means that we have the potential to reach fulfilment and achieve warm relationships with others through acceptance and understanding of what we as humans are. In order to understand the actualising tendency, Rogers claims that we should firstly be congruent, meaning that we should be aware of our inner feelings and accept them as a part of our nature. In this respect, what we express from those feelings is pure and true. Secondly, we should be able to empathise with our fellow man, in that we can understand what everything means to them from their point of view, as if we were in their ‘world’. Thirdly, we should be able to convey unconditional positive regard, meaning that we should be able to accept things as they are and who our fellow man is, without judgement or prejudice and without placing conditions upon their worth. These are three essential ingredients for healthy growth towards being a fully functioning person. Obviously, with an approach such as this, there is little room for negative feelings such as aggression. Because of this positive force for healthy growth, Rogers believed that aggression could possibly be a result of a state of incongruence, where we may feel conflict between our sense of self and our ideal self (like Freud’s ego and superego) ie. When we become aware of our own set of values but are told by our parents to respect their set of values, taught to us previously, and the use of conditional regard is applied to enforce those values. This could  possibly cause aggression by way of retaliation. However, he would not see aggression as inevitable or even an appropriate response, only as a possible response. Rogers’ theory opposes Freud’s in that aggression is inevitable. However, these two approaches are similar in that they both believe that aggression is a result of conflict in the mind – Rogers’ sense of self and the ideal self are similar to Freud’s ego and superego. However, Rogers argues that we are not doomed as Freud views it. Rogers, who was optimistic about human nature, believed that rather than trying to repress the desires and needs that aggression demands, a self-actualised person would see that aggression is a part of our nature and that acceptance of it, along with all other feelings, serve to help us grow healthily in the way of a fully functioning person. As a humanist, Rogers believed that to try to hide from what is inherently a part of us is futile and the only approach to make is that of acceptance in order to believe in ourselves. He also recognised that aggression could be a healthy behaviour, as in competition. Freud’s view that aggression is a common human characteristic does not constitute proof that it is innate. His views on catharsis as being a way of controlling the drives also lack support, and indeed support from one of his earlier disciples, Alfred Alder. With regard to aggression being innate and inherent, is aggression the result of genetics, or is it simply an excuse we use for violent behaviour? Could the answer lie in our environment and what we learn from it? Experiments performed by behaviourists such as Skinner have proved this, but do they offer all the answers? Is man born a completely blank slate? If that is the case, why do we keep messing up? Is this what Skinner meant when he maintained that man takes immediate gratification rather than looking at the long-term consequences? The different approaches of Freud and Skinner offer interesting theories about the sources of aggression. Take violence on the television for instance. Freud may have considered this as a cathartic experience thus reducing the drive of aggression by way of siphoning off the built up pressure as discussed earlier. On the other hand however, Skinner would  consider that violence on the television would serve to condition us to be more violent and therefore increase aggression. In conclusion, it seems that each approach holds some validity whilst there is still room for further research. Freud discussed aggression and its source at great length but did not really offer any sound evidence about how to reduce it. Neither did he encourage further research into collecting more information about it. Skinner, on the other hand, had rather strong opinions about how to deal with aggression but offered little information as to its source. Rogers had little to say about what aggression actually is but whilst his opinions on how to deal with it seemed realistic and acceptable, his theory, like Freud’s, offers no real proof. However, early as these theories were, they did offer some valuable contributions to the theory of aggression. Theories which have developed over the years and are continuing to do so, even though the reasons for aggression, and indeed all other human emotions, still elude us, remaining continually beyond scientific explanation. BIBLIOGRAPHY Glassman, William E (2000) Approaches to Psychology (3rd Edition) Buckingham and Philadelphia USA Open University Press Reber, Arthur A and Emily (2001) The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (Third Edition) London, Penguin Books Ltd Nye, Robert D (1975) Three Psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner and Rogers (Fourth Edition) California, Brooks/Cole (Wadsworth Inc) http://www.goldenessays.com/free_essays/3/psychology/human_aggression.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.term-papers.u/ts/gb/pnl141.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/intro/skinner.html (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.free_termpapers.com/tp/37/pko72.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.free_termpapers.com/tp/37/pnl135.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002)

Literary Analysis Miss Brill

In â€Å"Miss Brill† the author Katherine Mansfield creates the metaphor of the world being a stage and the character of Miss Brill being an actress. This illusion can determine her to be a round character because she is afraid of being the person that she isn’t. Miss Brill hides her real emotions by hiding behind a teacher role instead of being true to herself. The character Miss Brill arrives at a theme of isolationism and abandonment; by acting Miss Brill can be recognized as a round character by having a hidden emotion by acting a certain manner.To be able to understand why Ms. Brill uses loneliness as a protective wall around her actual personality is because she is afraid of rejection and the reality of denial. â€Å"They were all on the stage. They weren’t only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting. – How strange she’d never thought of it like that before! And yet it explained why she made such a point of starting from home at just the same time each week – so as not to be late for the performance. † (Manfield Page 185).This demonstrates the value of Miss Brill having to put on a â€Å"performance†, she felt as if she has to act to allow people to accept her as an individual. Miss Brill’s character through-out the story shows a side of loneliness, she does not accept herself for who she is, but for who she isn’t. The emotions she feels are not real and dear to her, but performs them as if they are. The orchestra and the music they play in the story are insightful of the way she feels at the park. â€Å"The band sounded louder and gayer. That was because the season had begun.†(Mansfield, 185) Because of the season Miss Brill was in she feels enlightened by the music she was hearing suggesting the way she felt at that time. The fur at the beginning of the story is an article of clothing near and dear to her heart that she carries around with her at the park but is ra ther ironic because she describes it as a â€Å"little rogue†; rogue meaning that she seeks out things, which she isn’t. Miss Brill spends most of her time in her house serving as her protective barrier from the outside world. She envisions at the park people standing up in unison and dancing and she begins to cry at the thought of it.Consequently, she could be feeling a sense of rejection at that time because she knows that it would be unlikely for people to just casually stand up and dance with her. The type of people she perceives at the park are young and not ones to agree Misses Brills personality, which dampens the temper of her. Therefore she converts to her remoteness to hide herself†¦ â€Å"Suddenly he knew he was having the read to him by an actress! ‘An actress! ’ – ‘An actress – are ye? ’ – ‘Yes I have been an actress for a long time’. †(Mansfield Page 185) From this, it could mean she has been hiding a type of personality from people.Evaluating this inference about Miss Brill can be recognized as a type of character that is having difficult time finding herself by having a diverse personality. In order to feel like she is wanted she steps out of her comfort zone by strolling in the park, she does this to include herself with other people by listening in on other conversations many young people have. Miss Brill assumes that all the older people at the park were just strange and quiet, â€Å"looked as though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even – even cupboards. †(Mansfield, 184).We can assume that she is relating the people to her, while she imagines the young characters to in a scene of a play. When she begins to observe the young couple she relates them to a story of a hero and a mistress. In actuality the young couples speak about Miss Brill as an unwanted person but in Miss Brill’s mind she still is imagining the un-real performance that she wants to believe. â€Å"Why does she come here at all-who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly mug at home? † the boy says, â€Å" It’s her fu-fur which is so funny,† (Mansfield, 186) snickered the girl.Miss Brill doesn’t realize the reality of what they say, but she turns the situation into a main act of a play. However, Miss Brill does not show her emotions in her dialog, we can assume that she is lonesome with herself. The way she plays with the fur as if it were part of her shows the reader that she has no other spouse to show her true emotions for, except for the piece of garment. Miss Brill conceives many of her thoughts as a story so she can someway relate to her, â€Å"In reality, Miss Brill is a part of nothing. She sits alone on a bench with her ratty old fur and watches the world pass before her.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Rather than see herself as one of them, she creates a fantasy world to escape facing the truth. Even in this seemingly perfect production, within Miss Brills mind, Mansfield shows us that there is the possibility of evil. † (Miss Brill, Character Analysis). When the young couple is sitting at the bench snickering at little Miss Brill, she has no actuality of what they said, but when she comes to comprehend she walks home sadly, when she gets home she sits in her room, silently and pulls out the fur, she inspects it but it seems to of lost its color and grown faint.Readers can infer that it symbolizes the lonesomeness of Miss Brill and how she is slowly degrading. The fur then is to be put away, when she hears a cry of the fur. The reality behind the story hurts Miss Brill to a point where she has to a find a way to cope with her harms with the people around her; she does this by imagining things that are unreal. â€Å"The theme of estrangement has run its course. Miss Brill has made an ever so passionate attempt to express love, to be a part of the whole of society that means so much to her. Her imagination, though sensitive, has failed from lack of experience.She is left, as she began, in her pathetic solitude. †(Hull, Web. ). In conclusion to this story, the Author Katherine Mansfield accomplishes the theme of loneliness, the scared thought many people have of rejection, and the conception of many people may have and can relate to. The coping mechanism people use to escape the reality of many situations can hurt them if they don’t come to sense with it. The theme of isolation, and the round character the author Katherine Mansfield shows is brought upon by Miss Brill; The thought of getting rejected by society in the story â€Å"Miss Brill†.

College Is Not for Everyone Essay

Going away to college is not for everyone. There are good reasons why a student might choose to live at home and attend a local school. Money, finding stability while changes are occurring, and accepting responsibility are three to consider. Money is likely to be most important. Not only is tuition more expensive, but extra money is needed for room and board. Whether room and board is a dorm or an apartment, the expense is great. Most students never stop to consider that the money that could be saved from room and board may be better spent in future years on graduate school, which is likely to be more important in their careers. Going to school is a time of many changes anyway, without adding the pressure of a new city or even a new state. Finding stability will be hard enough, without going from home to a dorm. Starting college could be an emotional time for some, and the security of their home and family might make everything easier. When students decide to go away to school, sometimes because their friends are going away, or maybe because the school is their parents’ alma mater, something that all need to decide is whether or not they can accept the responsibility of a completely new way of life. Everyone feels as if they are ready for total independence when they decide to go away to college, but is breaking away when they are just beginning to set their futures a good idea? Going away to school may be the right road for some, but those who feel that they are not ready might start looking to a future that is just around the corner.

Team Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Team Values - Essay Example te his own philosophy, collect information from the subordinates, changes the situation and communicate the same with the members within the organization (Zwikael & Smyrk, 2011). Personal values are important for understanding the overall organizational behavior because the way in which person behaves have a radical influence on the overall working environment of the organization. I firmly reckon that trust, respect and ethical practice are the major component of any individual. In addition, strong adherence to these values make an individual responsible person, whether in professional life or in personal life. I firmly believe that there lays significant alignment between my personal values and the organizational value (RÃ ¸nnow-Rasmussen, 2011). Credibility is the process of clarifying the roles of different individuals within an organization. Credibility allows improving the performance of the staff and also assists in building effective relationships with subordinates. To build a strong credibility, a leader should be honest, detractor, competence, action oriented, focused, loyal, and trustful and most importantly, he should respect the principles and values of other (Ulrich et al., 2013). The overall organizational values along with the effective leadership are vital for attaining the ultimate credibility in the organization. My organizational leadership model is based on the two underlying approaches. Firstly, my organization continually clarifies what is important to it and secondly, it focuses on creating a learning environment wherein every individual is provided with an opportunity to present their views and ideas freely. Moreover, it can be recommended that the leader within the organization should motivate subordinates to express their thoughts and ideas to promote innovation as well as the leader should be honest and unbiased towards his

Why does King consider horror movies conservative and reactionary What Essay - 1

Why does King consider horror movies conservative and reactionary What do you believe the role of horror movies to be in our society - Essay Example People try to display this belief by reacting with horror at whatever gory happens in the horror movies. Hence, King says that horror movies are conservative as they help people to confirm to themselves and to the world that they are ‘normal’ people as they fear and loath things that horror movies show. According to him, horror movies limit their goriness and ugliness by showing only those things which can be digested by human mind. In doing so, horror movies conform to the social expectations and hence, they remain conservative. King also says that horror movies are reactionary as they help people to avoid social change. By that he means that people avoid the social change by refusing to accept their attraction towards the antisocial and gory aspects of their mind. The fact remains that despite of knowing that horror movies are about gory violence, evil spirits, sinister vengeance etc., people still choose to watch the movie. If they had really felt repulsive towards the ugly, gory, violent and disgusting things in life, they would have chosen not to watch the horror movies, which are full of these things. However, horror movies provide only that which can be accepted by the society. Hence, they avoid change. The very fact that people choose to see the horror movie shows that there is something in their psychological make up which makes horror appealing to them. However, people refuse to accept it and rather than dealing this face to face, they suppress it. It is stored in their subconscious mind and they try to fight it by presenting themselves as a people who hate violence. Watching the horror movies is nothing but an attempt to display to the world that they are ‘normal’ beings and are just like other human beings who hate the gory things in life. Hence, King says that horror movies are reactionary as they oppose social change and reinforces the attitude of ‘normality’ in people. People find an outlet to their suppressed

Study abroad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Study abroad - Essay Example in a new country with new people means that you would have to leave your culture, food, language, attire, and way of living to adopt the host country’s way of living (DuFon & Churchill, pp. 74-85, 2006). People who have strong associations which their culture, family, friends and surroundings may find it the most difficult part of their live to adjust in a new environment. Moreover, studying abroad requires huge amount of investment and is quite expensive. Many students live alone in the new country thus increasing their cost of living to a further limit. However, this paper aims at proving that the benefits of studying abroad outweigh the costs associated with it. The rest of this paper would attempt the same by presenting a few supporting points. The biggest advantage associated with studying abroad is that it provides an excellent opportunity to the students to learn English in an entirely different way. Important here to note is that the majority of the students who decide to study abroad take the tickets for countries like United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Sweden or other western countries (Byram & Feng, pp. 14-19, 2006). Clearly, the dominant language in all these countries is English and this gives the foreign students to learn this language from the native speakers of English language. Research has shown that even the poorest speakers of English language, when live for quite some time in a western environment, showed considerable improvement at their skills of speaking and understanding the language. Experts say that there is no better way to learn anything but through constant practice and repetition. Living with new people and surrounded by them makes you learn that new language on the same mentioned principle. Important here to note is that education is not just for the sake of it. The most important goal of education remains to prepare and equip students with tools, approaches and knowledge, skills and abilities that can help them

Discrimination in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discrimination in the Workplace - Essay Example These needs should make all employees feel as if they are their own managers or bosses. In addition, an efficient job design in criminal justice agencies should provide employees with a prospect to learn different things in the job setting. It should also attract help and respect from colleagues, increase meaning in an employee’s work, and promote a future that is desirable (Allen, 1993). Job design in criminal justice agencies should take into consideration the Americans with Disabilities Act provisions in creating accommodations that are reasonable to employees who are disabled. The Americans with Disabilities Act is established to safeguard the disabled people’s civil rights. The protection is the same to that which protects individuals of different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and races. Criminal justice agencies should have a job design that incorporates the Americans with Disabilities Act so that all employees with disabilities can wholesomely access and partici pate fully in every societal event. Job design in criminal justice agencies should be made in a way that eliminates any barrier that may refuse disabled persons equivalent chance and job access, telecommunications, organization’s services, and transportation (Allen, 1993). The Americans with Disabilities Act constitutes five distinct parts. The first part is related to employment. The job design in criminal justice agencies should incorporate the employment part of the Americans with Disabilities Act when making their employments. This part forbids any form of employment discrimination against people who are disabled and qualified. Part two is concerned with public services. Criminal justice agencies should design their activities, services, or programs in a nondiscriminatory manner. For example, transportation services in any justice agency should take into consideration all employees including those who are disabled. The agencies should eliminate communications and architec tural obstacles in a new construction or any ongoing one (Colker & Milani, 2005). For instance, their offices and buildings should be manageable to disabled people and those who use wheelchairs. Part three comprises commercial facilities and public accommodations. A criminal agency should permit their disabled employees to get involved in the services and products provision. Their office buildings and public accommodation places should be easily accessible to people who are disabled. Part four constitutes telecommunications. The agencies should corporate with phone companies to provide relay services for people with speech and hearing impairments. The fifth part of the Americans with Disabilities Act comprises miscellaneous, technical and legal specifications. This should direct the criminal justice agencies the guidelines to provide equal or sufficient rights protection to all disabled persons (Colker & Milani, 2005). Nonetheless, accommodations that are reasonable should be adopte d unless they are expensive or of significant difficulty. Question 2 George Lane and other disabled individuals sued Tennessee for not accessing the top floors of Tennessee state courthouses. They argued that they were not allowed to enter the building because of their disabilities. Tennessee violated the second part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This part is concerned with public services. In addition, this part of the Americans with Disabilities Act permits people who are victimized to sue for damages. On the other hand,

Health Care Industry Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Health Care Industry - Coursework Example This has led to a reputation that is based on the specific types of health care plans and the options available to assist with those who are in need of health care (Humana, 2011). Humana began in the 1960s by providing assistance to those who were living in nursing homes. The beginning in 1961 included two owners, Wendell Cherry and David Jones, deciding to build a nursing home to assist those in need of extra care. Within seven years, the nursing homes had grown to over 40 facilities available for seniors in need of various levels of assistance. By the late 1960s, the need for nursing homes changed, specifically because of the introduction to Medicare and the extra assistance from hospitals. By the 1970s, the focus was to provide extra assistance for living as well as to provide needed resources for those who were in hospitals. This expanded with the acquisition of America Medicorp that was based on adding special care. It wasn’t until 1984 that health plans and insurance wer e offered to assist a diverse population of individuals. By the 1990s, the company was known for its strong reputation among doctors and patients, as well as the several packages available for diverse needs in health care (Humana, 2011). Today, there are several products and services offered by Humana. The strongest plan is the Medicare option, which began in the 1970s following the ventures in nursing homes. The main health insurance follows this, known as Humana One. This particular brand is known for offering several comprehensive plans for individuals, families, businesses and those who have special needs. This is also divided into alternatives for dental and vision as well as for life and supplemental insurance. Human also offers home delivery for assistance, known as Right Source RX. This is combined with the Humana Pharmacy Solutions, which incorporates the best clinically proven medicines that patients need at all levels. There are also special programs for veterans and mili tary officials, specifically which provides different types of pharmaceuticals and assistance in insurance (Humana, 2011). The growth of Humana in the health care industry has also led to branches in the business for various ventures. A Humana Foundation has been established, specifically which is based on providing health solutions for those that are in need of assistance. The focus is to offer education, training and assistance to build healthy communities. This is a part of the social responsibility that Humana has introduced to various communities. Within this are healthy concepts that are applied, such as the B-Cycle, a community initiative to get more individuals biking to work for better health in the environment and of the individual. This is followed by the Humana Games for Health, used as a way to increase activity in communities while building responses among those that are interested in health. These specific concepts are currently used as the main components of services that Humana is using to give back to the community for building and sustaining health (Humana, 2011). The background of Humana is compliant with the current trends that are associated with the industry sector. Today has several areas that are beginning to grow and offer more to those in health care. New and emerging technologies are providing more health options to individuals in need of assistance. Higher amounts of quality and payment reforms are also being noted. Currently, consumers

Business - Final Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business - Final Simulation - Essay Example Business Environmental Factors and Business Theory The political factors comprise of the regulations made by the government as well as that of the legal issues. It also states both the formal as well as informal rules and regulations under which the firms need to work. It is the economic factors that have an impact upon the purchasing power of the customers along with the cost of capital of the firm. Social factors tend to impact the needs and the wants of the customers and the size of the potential markets as well. It is the technological factors that minimize barriers to entry and helps to improve the quality of the product. Environmental factors comprise of the weather as well as climate change. Legal factors are associated to the legal environment in which a firm functions (Oxford University Press, 2007). Political turbulence in Libya and Egypt along with unstable environment in the Middle East, have an impact on the price of the oil. Along with this, the President of the USA has developed National Commission on the areas of oil spill in Gulf of Mexico which depicts the intervention of politicians in the business. Tax rates also have an impact on the successful operations of the firm. ... Due to the environmental damages done by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the brand image of BP has been cracked which may lead to consumers’ reluctance to purchase the product of BP. The consuming patterns of the people in the energy sector are completely changing which is a matter of concern for the long-term sustainability of the company. BP makes use of advanced technologies in order to sustain innovation and to maintain the competitive position in the marketplace. The company is striving to invest and to ensure in low carbon emission from their activities and in the manufacturing of efficient energies. The legal factors also have an impact on BP. When oil spills took place in the Gulf of Mexico, it was noted that new legislations were introduced forcing the company to be more responsible for health along with safety rules. One of the environmental factors impacting the successful operations of BP has been the oil spill disaster that led to negative environmental conse quences such as high carbon emissions. The company is targeting use of low-carbon energy as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities (Pour, 2011). Dependence and Limitation of One Environment on the Other From the above analysis, it is evident that the impact of one business environmental factor tends to have an impact on the other. For instance, in order to avoid any legal and political barriers taking place due to adverse effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the company conducted clean-up activities of the oil that came ashore. By doing so, it could prevent the sea from getting polluted (BP Plc, 2011). One environment tends to hinder the other and tends to affect the company’s

Strategic Planning for Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Strategic Planning for Advertising - Essay Example On the other hand, as Wanadoo's chiefs believe, re-branding will enable the UK ISP to compete more effectively in the field of providing a host of services under one brand name (Armitt 2005). In addition, hence Wanadoo intends extending the services it has been providing, new brand will better reflect the range of new offerings. Some of the new services include combined mobile and Internet access, a broadband telephone that tells when a customer receives emails and remote surveillance of a customer's home through a mobile or a computer. New possibilities will enable a customer to transfer photos stored on a phone through the ISP's wireless Livebox hub to photoblog and an interactive mobile guide providing location-specific information when on the move (Woffenden 2005). FT Group intends that Orange will become the group's worldwide brand for mobile, broadband and multiplay services, and re-branding Wanadoo is one of the steps on this way. The expectations of the company are clearly ex pressed by the Wanadoo's spokesman: "A single, integrated brand strategy will enable the company to compete more effectively against our competitors. It will help to accelerate the momentum of the FT Group's ambition to become the leader in convergence. We will have a single brand with global clout" (The Register 2005). Despite of the company leaders' optimism and good expectations, there are some problems to overcome in the situation with the re-branded ISP though. Considering the fact that Wanadoo brand itself replaced Freeserve ISP only 14 month ago, the new re-branding may confuse the customers: "For customers in the UK, it's yet more confusion as the ISP takes on yet another identity" (The Register 2005). In addition, previous Freeserve's metamorphosis into Wanadoo was supported by pounds 20m TV, press and billboard campaign (Hirst 2004). In future advertising campaign the company chiefs should be ready to invest again to save old customers and attract new ones. Summarising all written above, we can outline the general situation. One of the leading UK ISPs Wanadoo becomes the acquisition of a well-known brand Orange. Parent corporate - Communications Group France Telecom - intends becoming the leader in providing the host of services under one brand name and the UK ISP is the step on a way for this strategy realisation. The FT Group's targets on the UK ISP market are to save Wanadoo's customers

Braided River System in South-Eastern Spain Essay

Braided River System in South-Eastern Spain - Essay Example Landcover is mostly low bush and grasses with or without trees (Prakash, 2005). Land usage includes agriculture (barley and others under irrigated conditions), grazing, mining (gypsum, gravel and sand) and tourism (movie-making and others) (Prakash, 2005). The gypsum karst of the Tabernas-Sorbas basin of SE Spain is a Neogene intramontane one in the Betic mountain range and is composed of significant deposits of evaporates from the Messinian period (Calaforra and Pulido-Bosch, 2003). The semi-arid environment in the region has assisted in conserving the large numbers of surface and underground gypsum karstic forms and the speleogenetic processes characteristic of such a region (Calaforra and Pulido-Bosch, 2003). In essence, this implies that, at least for this field study at the Western edge of this karstic formation, a semi-confined status existed upon the gypsum strata (Calaforra and Pulido-Bosch, 2003) through which the old braided river section flowed and it is possible that only those speleogenetic processes characteristic of a karst region such as this have been influential in the accretion process of sediment evident today. In study of fluvial systems such as rivers the term 'braided' implies a low proportion of flood-plain mudstones and a high one of sedimentary sand elements like sandstone (Adams and Bhattacharya, 2005). There is characteristic distinction which states that 'meandering' channels have high mudstone-to-sandstone ratios and tend to have high sinuosity combined with single channel flows (Adams and Bhattacharya, 2005). In contrast, 'braided' channels have a high sandstone-to-mudstone ratio and tend to have multiple channel flows (Adams and Bhattacharya, 2005). This distinction is blurred at times by continuity of variables (Adams and Bhattacharya, 2005) but, for the purpose of this field study, it is accepted that the study area comprised of a 'braided' channel portion. Of eminent interest to this study are the depositional and erosional patterns of the river at the meandering stage and the braided one. It has single-layered laterally accreting patterns with similar eroding ones in the me andering stage while accretional patterns in the braided stage are multi-layered and vertical (Adams and Bhattacharya, 2005). Field Work Rationale: To test whether 'braided' stream sections have lateral and/or vertical sorting/fining tendencies. Methodology: Six different randomly selected channels of the known old braided river system in the Urra Field Centre were chosen. From each channel, three samples from the left and right banks and the centre of the stream were taken. Sample bags were used to collect the pebbles from the sample-taking areas. A tape measure was also used to measure the channel sections. A pebble template and a grain size chart were used to size up the collected pebbles. Additionally, a camera was used to collect photos of the sample-taking areas to provide rough assessment of the pebble characteristics at each site. The pebble sizes were measured and the data tabulated as per each site characteristic. In this part of the study the data shall be analysed through multiple statistical descriptive tests such as mean

Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Essay Example for Free

Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Essay Quantitative research – is a formal, objective, systematic research which bases on precise figures. While conducting such kind of research, an investigator collects and analyzes data and statistics. The main purposes of applying quantitative method of research are: description of variables; examination of relationship among variables; determination of cause-and-effect interactions between variables (Burns Grove,2005). Qualitative research – in contrast to quantitative, is a kind of research which mainly concentrates on observations, questionnaires, reports and other ways of subjective investigations. The key features of qualitative research are: focus on meanings, perspectives and understandings; emphasis on process; inductive analysis, and grounded theory (Woods, 2006). The basic differences between quantitative and qualitative research lie in methods and instruments they apply, types of data they collect and generate, in their main perspectives. The instruments used in quantitative research are strict about extracting information and dividing it into categories. Quantitative methods are highly structured and include various surveys, questionnaires, and structured observations. In qualitative research, more flexible and frequentative instruments are applied. Qualitative methods, unlike quantitative ones, are semi-structured. To these methods belong interview, focus group, questionnaire, and participant observation. Quantitative research, in contrast to qualitative, operates with numerical data. Qualitative research, as a rule, uses textual data (Mack, Woodsong, et al., 2005). The most important feature which differentiates one research from another is flexibility. Usually, the procedure of quantitative research is prescribed in advance. Therefore, it excludes any unforeseen changes during the process of research. For instance, the questions in quantitative research are well thought-out, concrete, and closed. Moreover, the order of questions is also fixed. In such a way, quantitative research, due to its inflexibility, makes meaningful contribution to common investigation. The stages of qualitative research may be changed during the research procedure. The questions in qualitative research are mostly open. It enables the participants to give more reasonable answers and sometimes, even to go into detail. Therefore, spontaneity became a distinctive feature of qualitative research, which made the process of research less formal (Mack, Woodsong, et al., 2005). References Burns, N., Grove, S.K. (2005). The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization (5th Ed.). St. Louis, Elsevier Saunders. Retrieved from http://www.researchproposalsforhealthprofessionals.com/definition_of_quantitative_resea.htm Mack, N., Woodsong, C., MacQueen, M. K., Guest, G., Namey, E. (2005). Qualitative research methods: A data collector’s field guide. Retrieved from http://www.fhi360.org/nr/rdonlyres/emgox4xpcoyrysqspsgy5ww6mq7v4e44etd6toiejyxalhbmk5sdnef7fqlr3q6hlwa2ttj5524xbn/datacollectorguideenrh.pdf Woods, P. (2006). Qualitative research. Retrieved from http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/qualitative%20methods%202/qualrshm.htm