Skrzynecki Belonging Related Texts

Belonging is notorious for its complex nature. One person’s perception of belonging can vastly differ from another’s. This is displayed clearly in Peter Skrzynecki’s poetry, in this essay however Feliks Skrzynecki and 10 Mary Street will be discussed in detail. To support the points raised and provide further examples of belongings complexities the texts Dumb by Nirvana and the film Avatar directed by James Cameron. Firstly, in the poem Feliks Skrzynecki the persona describes the father figure as self sufficient in the lines â€Å"My gentle father/kept pace only with the Joneses of his own minds making†.This is backed up later in the poem when we learn that Feliks has made no attempt to even learn English. This is the kind of complacency that the persona aspires towards. The hyperbole used in the words â€Å"swept its paths ten times around the world† shows us as readers the sheer determination Feliks possesses in his path to maintain his roots in h is new country. This is juxtaposed in the lyrics to the song Dumb by Nirvana in which Kurt Cobain professes â€Å"I’m not like them but I can pretend†. These lyrics are talking about conforming to belong.The persona described in this song is different to those around him and feels that he needs to conform and be â€Å"like them† just to belong. This is the exact opposite to the father in Feliks Skrzynecki who refuses to be just like everyone else, he holds onto his culture whilst simultaneously absorbing the culture around him. Secondly, Belonging changes from person to person. For example in Avatar James Cameron uses biodiversity to convey his message about belonging. In the film, Jake Sully is a paraplegic and does not feel as though he belongs.This is why he travels to Pandora, a distant planet, to take over his deceased brother’s duties as a scientist. Jake belongs to the Na’vi people of Pandora because he has nothing to lose. James Cameron por trays Jake as, at first, incompetent. As the film progresses Jake’s relationship with his foreign counterparts falls apart. His love interest Neytiri screams at him â€Å"you will never be one of the people†. This line is perhaps the most powerful line in relation to belonging throughout the entire film.This line portrays that sometimes no matter how hard one tries to belong through changing to better suit their surroundings it doesn’t work. Of course, Jake ends up belonging but at this stage in the film he does not belong at all. The humans shun him and so do the Na’vi. This directly correlates to 10 Mary Street because both texts show the differing nature of belonging from person to person. In 10 Mary Street the parents have a garden which is symbolic of their roots in their new country.The garden in religiously maintained and gives the parents a sense of belonging in Australia. In stark contrast to this is the persona, he says â€Å"my parents’ watered plants – grew potatoes and rows of sweet corn: tended roses and camellias like adopted children. Home from school earlier I’d ravage the back garden like a hungry bird†. These lines tell the reader that the boy takes the garden for granted and does not particularly care about his parents roots, presumably through lack of understanding.Lastly, belonging has a complex and at times unidentifiable nature. This is shown in all of the chosen texts. Skrzynecki’s deep detail in 10 Mary Street in reference to his visitors and their habits in the lines â€Å"Visitors that ate Kielbasa, salt herrings and rye bread†¦ a dozen puffing Billies† tells us as readers that Skrzynecki scrupulously watched everything his visitors did. This portrays a sense of the caution of change and the fear Skrzynecki may have felt when these foreign visitors acted so strangely around him.Similarly, in Feliks Skrzynecki the persona has a deep admiration for his father b ut also a great deal of distance, he does not ever describe any physical contact or conversation with Feliks which displays to the reader that Skrzynecki preferred to simply watch Feliks go about life rather than question him. The poet conveys a visual image of watching from afar in the lines â€Å"My father sits out the evening With his dog, smoking, Watching stars and street lights come on, Happy as I have never been† in these lines an image of Skrzynecki admiring his father perhaps from a bedroom window is instantly implanted in the readers mind.In addition, Nirvana’s song Dumb portrays the complex nature of belonging in the lines â€Å"I think I’m dumb, maybe just happy†. These lines tell the listener that the persona described has conformed and although they know it is wrong and they feel â€Å"dumb† about it they still try to convince themselves that it is making them happy. This is belonging in its most complex form, belonging to one’ s self.Finally, in James Cameron’s film text Avatar the protagonist does not belong on his home planet yet sees potential to belong on another. He is drawn into another culture and finds that he belongs better in an alien race than he does in his own world. This is in stark contrast to 10 Mary Street, in the poem the persona saw the Polish visitors as alien and he did not belong whereas Jake Sully does.In conclusion, belonging is portrayed in many forms, be it through an individual’s sense of inner belonging (Dumb), belonging to culture (10 Mary Street), belonging to a new country (Feliks Skrzynecki) or even belonging top a new race entirely (James Cameron’s Avatar). An individual may shape their own sense of belonging or they may take another’s ideology of belonging and use it to mould their own. Belonging can apply to a group or, more importantly, an individual. All four of the above texts deal with the dynamics of an individual’s belonging.

Human Resources Management

Questions 1. What should be the format and final form of the store manager’s job description? There is no standard format as to what should be included in the job description of store manager but most job descriptions cover the following sections †¢ Job identification †¢ Job summary †¢ Responsibilities and Duties †¢ Authority of incumbent †¢ Standards of performance †¢ Working conditions †¢ Job specification 2. Is it practical to specify standards and procedures in the body of the job description, or should these be kept separate?Not all the standards and procedures are important to mention in the body of job description except the ones that are relevant and important for the applicants to know i. e. Performance and Competency standards. Note: It depends upon the type of job under discussion as to what sort of standards to include. 3. How should Jennifer go about collecting the information required for the standards, procedures and job descri ption?First of all Jennifer should conduct a complete job analysis for the job of store manager and she should also check out existing policies and procedures of the company in place, then she should use one or more of the following methods for collecting information about Standards, Procedures and Job description for the job of Store Manager. †¢ The Interview †¢ Questionnaire †¢ Observation †¢ Participant Diary/ Logs In addition to these basic methods Jennifer Carter can also use these Quantitative techniques as well for measuring job description of store manager Position analysis questionnaire †¢ Department of labor procedures †¢ Functional job analysis 4. What, in your opinion should the store manager’s job description look like and contain? The Sore manager’s job description should look like and contain the following things. Carter Cleaning Center Store Manager Job Description |Title |2025 Store Manager | |Department(s) |Cleaning | |Re ports to |President (Jennifer Carter) | Job summaryThe store manager is responsible for directing all store activities in such a way that quality work is produced, customer relations and sales are maximized and profitability is maintained through effective control of labor supply and energy costs Summary of essential job functions In accomplishing the general aim the store manager’s duties and responsibilities are †¢ Quality control †¢ Store appearance and cleanliness †¢ Customer relations †¢ Bookkeeping and cash management †¢ Cost control and productivity †¢ Damage control †¢ Pricing †¢ Inventory control †¢ Spotting and cleaning Machine maintenance †¢ Purchasing †¢ Employee safety †¢ Hazardous waste removal †¢ Humane resource administration †¢ Pest control Knowledge, skills and abilities (The knowledge, skills and attitudes required for satisfactory job performance) Knowledge The incumbent must have profic ient knowledge in the following areas: †¢ Cusomer service †¢ Accounts payable accounts receivables †¢ Store and motel management and administration Skills The incumbent must demonstrate the following skills: Personal Attributes The incumbent must also demonstrate the following personal attributes: be honest and trustworthy †¢ possess cultural awarenes and senstivity The Store Manager would normally attain the required knowledge, skills and attitudes through related in experience in a retail setting. Equivalencies will be considered. Disclaimer The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. Additional information |HR use only | |Job code | | |Generic title | | |Pay grade | | |Management? (Yes/No) | | |E/NE status | | |Last revised | | ———————– †¢ excellent customer service and interpersonal skills †¢ effective verbal and listening communications skills †¢ effective written communications skills †¢ decision making skills †¢ time management skills †¢ analytical and problem solving skills †¢

Lord of the Flies Essay

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies follows the tale of a group of boys stranded on an isolated desert island, after their plane crashed. It takes place during an unspecified nuclear war; which was a major threat post WWII. Throughout the book Golding explores how a difficult situation can transform middle class English boys into having a much more savage nature, as well as splitting the ‘good’, from the ‘bad’. By the end of chapter 1, Ralph and Piggy have already formed some sort of order, and by the time Jack and his choir are introduced, Ralph is already being looked up to by the other boys; especially the younger ones, or â€Å"littluns†. Jack appears, and instantly attempts to take over Ralph’s role and enforce his power by ordering his choir about as though he should be chief. The choir at first appears orderly and immaculately dressed, soon after this they are addressed as ‘hunters’, and due to the heat strip down their uniform, which causes them to look much less civilised. This also happens with the other boys in their school uniforms. The transformation of the choir marks a significant loss of order from the boys former lives. This could also symbolise the first step in a slow change towards savagery on the island and influence the behaviour of others. Soon after the arrival on the island a clear hierarchy is visible with leaders such as Ralph and Jack on top closely followed by Simon and the other â€Å"bigguns† with â€Å"littluns† and Piggy being at the bottom; having to accept insults and jeers from the other children, especially Jack, who seems to house a special hatred for piggy from chapter one. Near the beginning of the book Ralph and Piggy find a Conch horn near the platform where they have their meetings. The â€Å"conch† as it is then refered to, is a major aspect in the rest of the book as it brings all the kids together, (â€Å"we can use it to call the others! ). The conch could also be seen as a symbol of power and a link back to authority and their families; it is very unlikely that the other kids would look up to ralph without the conch, â€Å"and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. † Shortly after finding the conch horn and prenouncing Ralph as chief, Jack, Simon and Ralph, decide to go on an expedition up the mountain, which will play a major part later in the book, as it is where they have several meetings, maintain the fire and cook. In chapter 2, the idea of ‘the beastie’ is introduced, by an unknown ‘littlun’. Not only does this idea scare him, but also all of the other smaller kids, and to a point , the ‘biguns’ as well. This symbolises, not only to us, but the kids as well, that the island might not be all good, and they might not only be having fun as they thought they would. Other subtle words and phrases used, such as â€Å"harsh cry† may also be a sign of events to come. The fact that the unknown boy who died in the forest fire would have been a massive shock to all of them. Not only is it the shock of someone actually dieing, but it is also the antipode of what they are used to, being safe at home. It might also slam the realization that they are in fact stranded. In the beginning of chapter 3, Jack’s â€Å"obsession† with hunting is clearly apparent, right from the start. It describes him like an animal, â€Å"Jack was bent double†¦ His nose only a few inches from the humid earth†¦ bolting and nearly mad† However, like in the first chapter with the pig, he is still unable to kill. This is probably on of the most frustrating aspects for Jack, whereas Ralph and Simon think from an entirely different angle, with the fact that they should build shelters and find fresh water, rather than eat meat. In chapter 4, Jack manages to don a mask which allows him to behave in a much more animalistic way, finally allowing him to kill; however it is also a massive step towards total savagery. Towards this point in the book, all of the kids are starting to behave in a much more savage manner. Jack’s change in behaviour comes from the first killing of the pig which engulfs the entire group and encourages them into savage behaviour. By painting their faces, they are able to kill and perform awful acts which they would have never considered doing at home due to feeling like different people. With the masks, and the change of personality that it brings, they also behave much more aggressively, â€Å"Kill the Pig! Bash her in! Slit her throat! † Even to the reader, this seems totally crazy and disrespecting of life. Jack especially changes his behaviour out of all of them. After the first kill, it’s obvious that all of his frustration is let go and the taboo of killing is lifted; he also acts a lot more aggressively, even without the addition of the mask. As in the beginning of the book, when they were planning to build shelters and houses, they now plan to kill a pig every day, even they were lucky to find one, and it took seven of them to catch it. Jack’s evolving hatred towards Piggy is probably due to the fact that Jack is such a different character to Piggy so he might not be used to Piggy’s personality and this could unsettle him. Jack could also possibly be jealous of Piggy’s intellect. They also have very different methods of problem solving and survival. Jack is more brute force whereas Piggy is more strategic. Jack is also very used to being in charge as it was what he was taught in the choir. As in chapter 1, when he thought that he should be chief and Piggy saw through Jack and saw the possible evil which lurked within. Overall, Jack’s statement may have had some credential towards the beginning of the book, but towards the later chapters, both reader and character see that it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain order and a basic civilization due to the way that all of the kids behave. This reinforces Golding’s idea that there is a savage element in all of us.

Back Injuries In Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Back Injuries In Workplace - Essay Example if literature related back belts, on evaluating the adequacy of data in support of the use of back belts in preventing work-related injuries was insufficient to draw any conclusion either in support or against the advantages of using a back belt in a work-related environment. The memorandum also concluded that â€Å"the effectiveness of using back belts to lessen the risk of back injuries among uninjured workers (NIOSH, 1996)† and does not consider back belts to be personal protective equipment as there is no supporting data to indicate the significant reduction of biomechanical loading on the trunk during manual lifting. Also, the popular claims of industrial back belt manufacturers that back belts reduce significantly back injury risk due to changes in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and trunk muscle electromyography (EMG). The claims of popular manufacturers in the market – OK-1 or Valeo or OccuNomix, seem to be focussing on the fact that the back belts work and help prevent workplace injuries by significantly reducing the intra-abdominal pressure or stiffening the spine. Now compare this with the authentic documentation from NIOSH or OSHA or the Surgeon General’s advisory that the efficacy of using back belts in preventing workplace back injuries seems to be almost contradictory. While the manufacturer’s claim efficacy in the usage of their products, there is no scientific evidence to back that claim. Probably this argument could go on and on both from the official front on lack of evidence to prove efficacy and manufacturers claiming efficacy. Taking a side in this argument leaves our organization nowhere near the solution near that is being sought to prevent workplace back injuries. The primary concern with respect to this paper is to prevent injuries and ensure well being of th e employees while ensuring the highest level of productivity for the organization.

Outsourcing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Outsourcing - Term Paper Example e would be the hotel industry where they would include managing of the premise, catering, asset management, landscaping, and supplying the kitchen with the items required. Therefore, both of these industries have available options that an outsourced team may find relevance in as a way of promoting concerted efforts on the core activities for a business entity. Subsequently, outsourcing as a business process becomes the analyzing of the enterprise processes in a business firm to ascertain whether business process should be in house or obtained from the outside. This is because many business entities involved in either service or the manufacturing sectors of the economy have disengaged from activities that attract dismal profits for their firms. With this, many businesses involved in service delivery have opted to outsource most of their activities that range from payment collection, customer service and call answering, and billing services among a list of others. On the other hand, th e outsourcing aspect has been visible in the information technology departments within business firms as the number of IT professionals in the market has risen over time. In essence, the rapid transformation aspects that the information technology tends to experience makes it expensive for a business company to keep up. This is because of the regular trainings that the business would have to undertake to ensure that their IT department staff stays in line with the advancements. Therefore, this has resulted in many companies adopting outsourcing aspects that is relatively cheaper and essential in the continued running of a business. Certain areas within a company’s IT department have influenced companies to engage the services of professionals from the outside such computer software and... Outsourcing in business management refers to an arrangement in which an outsider company undertakes service provision that the company would have provided in house. In recent times, the outsourcing trend has become common practice in business management. The aspect of outsourcing helps in the improvement of business relations with suppliers. On the contrary, outsourcing serves as a contributor to enhanced company performance as it allows a company to focus on its competencies. The establishment of the outsourcing theory brought about significant changes to the management concept as it sought to enrich product provision and development. With these ideas in mind, this essay will delve on principles of outsourcing in management and activities that this aspect of business management oversees within a business environment. The increased cost of operations experienced by manufactures has made them adopt drastic measures that would ensure that their profit generations remain high despite th e high costs of production. Therefore, processing exports refer to the products manufactured through the process of international outsourcing by use of imported inputs. International outsourcing has generated interest for many researchers because of the relation between the choice of organizational structure and trading activities at the local and the international levels. Their subject of interest may also be on the factors that may influence a business entity to engage international outsourcing both on the theoretical and practical basis.

Evaluating the impact of international environmental laws on oil and Essay - 1

Evaluating the impact of international environmental laws on oil and gas - Essay Example GEP-Oil is under attack from environment conservation agencies on its oil exploratory methods.This has led to the firm abandoning oil exploratory activities by GEP-Oil which has been operating in the Russian northern hemisphere. Oil exploration in the northern hemisphere is exceedingly complicated and an extremely expensive investment and GEP-Oil had entered into partnerships with investors from out of state in order to be able to explore for oil reserves in the arctic region. The effects of the attack by the environmental groups will mean that the firm cannot and will not be able to meet its obligations to its partners. On the other hand, GEP-Oil cannot ignore the issues that have been raised against it because it wants to be conformable to environmental protection practices and also wants good partnership and trust with the local community. This means that GEP-Oil must carefully and quickly address the situation to resume its oil exploration as soon as possible. Recommendation(s) G EP-Oil should be able to address the issue while involving the relevant stake holders in the process. This will mean that GEP-Oil will have to closely work with environmental groups in order to ensure that their issues and concerns are well addressed. This will also mean that GEP-Oil will need to involve the local communities in order to also ensure that their concerns are also taken care of. By doing this, GEP-Oil will be able to overcome the challengers posed by the situation as well as mintage any risk of the situation happening again. 1. Background of the issue The issue of environmental degradation caused by the oil exploration is one that every oil exploration firm should be able to look at carefully. GEP-Oil has found itself in the midst of the issue and this threatens to interfere with the operations and the success of the firm. GEP-Oil has being accused by environmental agencies of being careless in the way it carries out its exploratory activities. Because of this, GEP-Oil has been affected in the way it operates because it has stopped some of its operations in order to deal with the situation first. This scenario is threatening to kill the numerous employment opportunities that the firm affords the residents. GEP-Oil is also likely to lose its reputation because this has affected its ability to continue with its obligations which it owes its partners in business. On the other hand, GEP-Oil does not want to create the wrong impression within the community it operates and this has meant that the firm has to tread extremely carefully around the matter. In this paper, these issues are addressed in detail and alternatives to dealing with the situation are taken. 2. Impact of Oil/Gas Production on the Environment According to Mushkat (87) businesses are seen to promote environmental degradation by the very fact that they promote economic activity. The exploration and production of oil leads to a damage of the environment and this means that producers of o il will have to take necessary measures to mitigate the damage done to the environment. GEP-Oil will have to understand this in solving its current situation. There are a number of ways in which GEP-Oil can remedy the situation and convince environmental groups to accept that it needs to go on with oil production in the arctic region. One of this is sustainable development. As Beyerlin (2011, p. 84) says, sustainable development refers to the fact that natural resources should be exploited in a way that leaves no or little damage to the environment. This law is recognizant of the fact that exploitation of natural resources will have to be done in order for survival of human beings on the planet. This will be GEP-Oil’s biggest defence against the accusation. Oil is an immensely useful to the community and it is

Importance of Cash Management in Small to Medium Sized Businesses Essay

Importance of Cash Management in Small to Medium Sized Businesses - Essay Example Cash management is important to SME as it regulates cash flow and prevents prolonged cash shortages that result from too much difference between cash inflows and cash outflows.3 Cash inflows come from customers, lenders and investors, while cash outflows include payments made to suppliers, creditors and as employee salaries. Negative cash flow occurs when cash outflow is more than cash inflow (due to several reasons such as weak debtor collections, outdated inventory, etc.); in such a situation, the SME is forced to borrow money from lenders, otherwise it will be in bad trouble – the main source of which is non-payment of dues to creditors, suppliers and employees. SME do their best to avoid this scenario and instead strive to attain a positive cash flow, which takes place when the cash inflow is more than the cash outflow. The overall aim of the SME is to generate profit. But the amount of profit earned is meaningless if the SME does not experience a positive cash flow, simpl y because it is possible to spend cash, not Cash management techniques of SME and consumers are similar in several ways, while they also differ in many ways. SME cannot therefore practice all techniques as consumers and vice versa. There are 5 cash techniques of consumers that SME can practice, as these are sound methods conducive towards generating a positive cash flow as well as profit for the enterprise. Firstly, it is important and practical to prepare a cash flow projection for a certain period (usually 6 months), forecasting the income and expenditure over that period.5 Secondly, it is a good practice to set aside a certain amount as emergency fund to be used in case of unexpected developments.6 Thirdly, leasing of equipment presents a better alternative as compared to purchase, as the former does not result in cash blockage that is caused by the latter.7 Fourthly, the overall aim is to create profit (savings in case of

Network Load Balancing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Network Load Balancing - Essay Example The high availability is achieved by early detection of host failures and re-distributing their workload to other cluster hosts. Thus, failure of one host does not affect the services. Users would still feel as if they are being served by the same server despite of the fault. The downtime is thus, eliminated. This is the default mode in which all the cluster servers are given the same MAC address (Cisco, 2009). Thus, each packet (addressed to this MAC address) reaches all the cluster servers. Even if one server is unavailable or cannot process the request due to workload, another server will reply to the data packet. One problem with unicast mode is that if all servers are assigned the same MAC address and are connected to the same switch, the switch will be unable to identify the destination (due to same address of all servers). It is not possible to have two ports on same switch with same MAC address. The unicast mode addresses this problem with MAC address masking. The MAC address of each server is masked with a bogus MAC. So when the switch relays a packet, the NLB array decodes the masked address and then transfers the packet to destination (Cisco, 2009).

Mal Entertainment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mal Entertainment - Essay Example From this study it is clear that the business will provide all services right from planning, arranging, and carrying out events and parties. These will also include food services as per the requirements of clients. Although, the company will not start with kitchen, but it will provide such services by contracting with the third party that specializes in delivery high quality food. The key events that the company will focus on include birthday events, business conferences and meetings, youth parties, and weddings.This paper highlights that at the inception, the proposed business will offer its services in Manchester, UK. Upon successful achievement of established benchmarks in this market the company will expand its services to other major cities including London, Birmingham, New Castle, Nottingham, and Glagow etc. The markets have common characteristics in terms of their social and cultural setup.  Three different food menus are provided below on the basis of the pricing offered by their vendor.   The business will undertake different marketing and promotional activities. The marketing activities will include listing of business on various business print and online directories. In addition, the company will use banners for marketing on different websites, social media platforms, and even cable TV. In addition, various promotional activities will be carried to offer discounts according to the clients’ requirements and events taking place during yearly holidays.

How to make pottery Essay Example for Free

How to make pottery Essay Not all clays are suitable for molding and firing. The clay must not have the kind of impurities that would cause the body to wrap or crack under heat. It must be moldable, and must retain the shape when it is dry. An area where suitable clay is found often becomes the site of a pottery. By the traditional method, after the clay is dug up it is left exposed to the weather for at least a year, to permit it to disintegrate. Then it is turned over and left another year. In modern commercial practice clay is disintegrate by machine, without aging. It is then sifted and dried. This essay scrutinizes on how to make pottery. Forming the Object. There are six method of forming dishes and containers from clay of the right consistency to be modeled. They are known commercially as soft-mud processes. These are the pinching, slab construction, coiling, throwing, pressing, and jiggering. Figurines or sculptures made in the round must be hollow, because a very thick piece of clay is apt to blow up in the kiln. Pinching, slab construction, and coiling methods may be used for forming all or part of a sculpture. If the piece is modeled by building it up out of solid clay, it must be hollowed out. If the cavity is then closed with a clay wall, one or more tiny air holes are needed to accommodate air expansion on the inside of the piece when it is fired. When a clay piece has dried until the body is stiff but still most (a state called â€Å"leather hard† or â€Å"cheese hard†), some final shaping may be done by turning, another mechanical process such as of turning. Firing. During firing the clay body changes in its physical properties. Each body mixture reacts differently to heat, so temperatures may vary widely from those given here. During the early part of firing, water, carbon, and organic matter burn out of the body, leaves pores in the structure of the clay. At about 1, 7500 F vitrification begins; that is, the flux in the clay starts melting and gradually mixing with the silicates, filling the pores with glass. Glazing. The degree of heat required to melt the glaze and fuse it to the body depends on the relationship of the components. The biscuit firing of fine wares is generally at low heat, and the glost (glaze) firing is at a temperature required for final vitrification of the ware as well as fusion of the glaze. It is possible, however, to fire the biscuit ware to its highest required temperature and to apply a glaze that will fuse at a much lower heat. Decorating. A clay piece may be decorated by adding molded clay to the surface in a relief treatment; by pressing or cutting incised designs into it; or by painting the design with enamel (opaque glaze0, slip, or special pigments. Moreover, decoration is sometimes applied before the piece is glazed. Such underglaze color, however, is confined to pigments that can withstand the relatively high heat of the glost firing. As a conclusion, pottery is an object made of clay and hardened by heat. The object may range from building brick and drainage tile to fine dinnerware, vases, and figurines. In the broadest sense, pottery may mean all these clay products.

KFC and McDonalds: Western Country And China

KFC and McDonalds: Western Country And China This chapter describes the background of the two typical western fast food companies in china, which are KFC and McDonald. It also provides research questions along with the purpose of the thesis and corresponding primary and secondary research methodologies. In addition, there is a brief introduction of the theoretical Frameworks used thoroughly within the thesis. Background The KFC and McDonalds are the two major entities operating in Chinese market in western fast food industry. McDonalds is one of the famous brands of restaurant in the world, owning more than 30000 outlets in 120 counties, generating US$ 24.075 billion revenue in 2010 while KFC has more than 10000 stores in 80 countries with the US$ 520.3 million revenue in 2007 (en.wikipedia.org).Howbeit, McDonalds trails behind its competitor KFC in china, although in other countries, such as USA, UK, the business of McDonalds is more successful than that of KFC. McDonald was founded by Ray Kroc in 1955 in the United States. On October 8, 1990, the first McDonalds restaurant in China opened in Shenzhen. On April 1992, Wangfujing outlet in Beijing was opened, which was the worlds largest area of McDonalds restaurants. At the same day, the total income was over a million RMB. At present, McDonalds only has approximate 200 outlets. In addition, the numbers of McDonalds delivery service outlets are more than 480. There are more than 1,000 dessert stations, more than 280 wheat coffee shops, and more than 1,000 24 hour restaurants. In 2012, McDonalds in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, will open online order services to expand its business scale in E-business market. For KFC, since 1987, when its first outlet opened in Beijing, china, 24 years passed. During these years, KFC china always dedicates to create new fast-food concept for China Market and has been trying to explore the most attentive service to Chinese consumers (Bell and Shelman, 2011.P3). Till 2012, KFC China has opened 3200 outlets in more than 650 cities and town. It is the largest and fastest growing fast chain company. In China, KFC plays a much more dominate role than that of McDonalds. In July 1987 the first KFC outlet opened in Beijing which is regarded as the first step into Chinese fast food industry. Since then, KFC has achieved the leading position in fast food industry in china, which has alr eady formed its unique cooking style, especially tailoring to the tastes of specific regions within China. Research questions and aim The specific objectives that are researched in this thesis are: Comparing difference market strategy KFC and McDonald used to improve their market position in Chinese fast food market. The analysis of cross-cultural management strategy adopted in KFC and McDonald The challenges that KFC and McDonald will encounter in China in the future. Our aim is to research and analyze about the key factors for foreign fast food companies running successful business in China. We want to find out what changes western fast food companies should make in order to achieve the sustainable growth. . Contribution: From the result of this case-study the organization will be able to identify the root cause of their successful business and also reveal their potential weak point. By using our result, they can improve their further overall business strategy. Research methodologies To achieve the target of doing deep analysis between KFC and McDonalds s business strategy, the primary methodology chosen is a mixed-method approach (Bryman, 2004). The qualitative research method will be introduced into this case study. By doing so, a series of random selected questions will form a questionnaire. The answer of each of the questions will determine each consumers attitude toward each well designed topic relating to their reaction to various business strategy adopted by KFC and McDonald. The secondary research methodology is applied to gather the evidence from other aspects and sources (Bryman and Bell, 2007, P28). One part of these materials include KFC and McDonalds annual report, revenue report that will reflect and reveal their finical positions in the Chinese market so as to determine whether their current business strategy generate a positive impact based on the reaction from the consumers. Whats more, the press and journals published in China, for example, Chin a Daily, 21 century, will also be considered for the reference. For those collect data, a statistics analytic method will be carried to conclude what aspects KFC and McDonald should improve to increase their marketing margin in Chinese Market from consumers perspective. Disposition Chapter 2: Introduce the Theoretical Frameworks, which are composed of cross-culture and 4P marketing strategy. The discussion is divided into two parts. At first, the components of culture which could form the key elements of cross culture strategy such as the different values, languages and customer behaviors will be chosen and they are combined with the analysis of 4P marketing strategy to illustrate how cross-culture strategy interacts with 4P marketing strategy and vice-versus. Secondly, illustrate 4P marketing strategy individually. In addition, we present different views of the relationship between society structure and consumer behavior such as service quality, customer expectations, perceived service quality and the relationship between customer expectations, perceptions and satisfaction in different countries. Finally we describe 4P marketing strategy that is used for analyzing the result and its relationship with cross-culture strategy. Chapter 3: This chapter describes the methods that were used for making the survey. The questionnaire structure as well as the method for choosing the sample of sources to support the evidence is also described Chapter 4: The empirical material is presented. The analysis is based on the 4P Marketing strategy. Product Strategy, Price Strategy, Place Strategy and Promotion Strategy are discussed together with the example of KFC and McDonald. In addition, cross culture analysis is combined with 4P analysis in order to support the results that KFC and McDonald as western fast food company are performing well in Chinese market. Chapter 5: In this chapter we present conclusions for KFC and McDonald respectively. Then we compare the disadvantage and advantage of western fast food companies with traditional Chinese food restaurant and then provide recommendations for western fast food companies to improve. In addition, we outline what aspects could be enhanced in the further research and the limitation of our studies. Literature review (Theoretical framework): The theoretical framework of this study is based on a number of relevant theories that are discussed in this part. The model which authors constructed in this study integrates cross-culture and 4P marketing strategy. Cross-Culture Management The process of cross-cultural management, in general, is divided into two steps. Cultural analysis and evaluation are considered as the first step. For the second step, culture then is regarded as a resource that could be controlled through the effective integration in management level. In the study of cross-cultural management, how to analyze the culture is the key that could directly and effectively reflects the current achievement of cultural management within the enterprise. Hofstedes model is generally accepted as the most comprehensive framework of national cultures values which comprise the difference in performance of the managers and employees on the four dimensions of national culture: power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoid index, masculine vs. feminine as the reference model to analyze the cultural differences. In addition, Kluckhohn and Strodbecks values orientations theory proposes that cultures differ in terms of how they approach the six basi c dimension which are relationship to nature, time orientation, views of human nature, activity orientation, Relationships among People and Views of Personal Space. Furthermore, there are some other cultural measurement theories, such as the Denisons model, which is a relatively newer and more detailed model, is used in order to understand the organizational culture of the Karun Oil Gas Production company. According to this model, organizational culture has four dimensions: involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission. Moreover, Kim S. Cameron and Robert E. Quinns competing values theory develops a series organizational culture assessment scale (Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument, OCAI) aiming to assess organizations current views and expectations through a questionnaire usually take 5-10 to complete. Culture Difference between western country and China: The purpose of the cross-cultural management is to create a not only accepted by the host country employees, but also conducive to the development of corporate culture in multinational company. Cross-cultural management is the core measure to resolve cross-cultural conflicts due to globalization. The culture is a double-edged sword. On one hand, cultural confliction will evitable happen within the corporation and the original corporate culture will face the challenge. On other hand, it will bring opportunities which can take full advantage of the international market and competition, therefore enhancing corporations competitive advantage. With regard to the cultural comparison between Chinese and western business management, hofstedes four-dimensional framework model is adopted. The four dimensions are power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoid index and masculine vs. feminine. Based on Hofstedes analysis of the surveys from 53 countries or regions, the following table illustrates the major difference: Table 2-1 Comparison result of hofstedes four-dimensional framework Country Power distance Individualism Masculine Uncertainty avoid USA Low High High Low China High Low Low High Power distance: Power distance is the most typical feature of the national and cultural differences. The meaning of empowerment in each country is not exactly the same, thus there are also significant differences. Cross-cultural management consulting firm ITLM latest research results show that power distance indicators, China and the United States score is 80 and 40 (the world average is 55) at rank 5 and 40 among the 56 countries respectively. Such significant difference indicates that the staffs relatively paying more attention to pursuit power within Chinese company. In Chinese business management, the higher position the more power and the more positive the employees performance have. Comparing to the United States, individuals abilities, and actual performance is considered in the first place. Individualism / collectivism. In Hofstedes study, individualism index is used to measure societys tendency with regard to individualism and collectivism. Individuals in countries with a high level of the index value personal freedom and status, such as the United States, while individuals in countries with a low level of the index value harmony and conformity, such as China and Japan. According to Hofstedes study of 53 countries or regions, with regard to the individualism, the United States ranked first, while Hong Kong ranked 36, Taiwan was ranked 43 with score 91,25,17 respectively. From the score, it is obvious that there is a large discrepancy between individuals attitude to individualism and collectivism in different countries. As a matter of fact, the culture of the United States and China is highly different in various areas including values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹orientation, the habits and thoughts. In China, people consider more about and pay more attention to the spirit of solidarity and collective strength while in the United States, the Americans emphasis the importance of freedom meaning that everyone needs control their own destiny, desire and ability of individuals should not be subject to the government, church or other organizations and individuals restrictions and interference, which is a core concept in American culture. Bread is everything is regarded as the most comprehensive conclusion of Chinese diet culture while the other countries may not follow the same rule. Different regions have different eating habits, even in the same country. Therefore, it is understandable that different countries have their own eating habits which are caused by regional, national and ethnic, cultural differences between countries. Western food has a rational diet concept, regardless of the colour of the food, flavour and shape balanced diet, nutrition must be ensured. The food is always viewed from the aspect of nutrition therefore does not have excessive pursuit of the taste. However, Chinese has an emotional diet concept always believing diet as a significant part of life, which cannot be ignored. First, Chinese tries all the way to pursuit the taste of the food by combing the flavour during the cooking, the flavour after heating and the flavour of the ingredients, as well as the flavour of spices altogether. Secondly, the way of dining is the most obvious difference between the Chinese and Western food culture meanwhile it demonstrates how Chinese culture effluences the diet. In dinner party, Chinese people usually shares dishes on the table. Hosts greet and encourage everyone to work together to eliminate all dishes and also every guest will strongly desire to become the first one who pays the final bill. All of above acts emphasize cooperation. Westerners believe the eating habits are varied by person thus each guest orders their own meals and there is no need for the host to consider the tastes and preferences of others and when party finishes, each guests pay what have been ordered from menu by themselves. In summary, the major differences between Chinese and Western cult ures cannot be ignored and should be seriously taken into consideration in international enterprises when implementing the business strategy in global market. 1. Cultural innovation strategies Cultural innovation strategy provides effective ways and various channels for the parent company to integrate the local culture of the foreign subsidiary branch into its main stream corporate culture in order to promote mutual understanding, adaptation as the basis for the management of the foreign branch. During the process of cultural integration, localization strategy is a guide for cultural innovation, which does not only retain the parent companys original corporate culture characteristics and also is able to adapt to the local cultural environment. Western Fast Food Company, for instance, the integration process for Chinese culture in KFC experiences three stages, which are product culture, brand culture, and corporate culture. Product culture: KFC China has always been following the high quality standard required by its parent company, such as quantization process, the cooking process including the tools that are used for combining the raw materials as well as the cooking temperature and cooking time through quantified production process to ensure product quality. Furthermore, Because of the correct understanding of the Chinese culture, KFC is able to reasonably develop localized products suitable for Chinese tastes, accepted by Chinese people to a large extent. KFC China devotes to the product development, including the taste expansion in existing product and also new product innovation. In order to change the impression, which are limited products and monotonous taste, Chinese people towards to western food; it specially develops spicy flavour suitable for north China market and also introduces new products for whole china market, such as soup and Chinese-style breakfast. Brand Culture Brand culture refers to a specific brand name or mark, or a combination of these two elements. It represents the emotional cognitive, cultural traditions and image of the personality that are conducive to consumers to identify and distinguish the particular sellers of products or services. 1. Create a standardized Brand image KFC launches the CHAMPS champion plan that is standardized services in the global market, successful initiatives to create a brand strategy. Its specific contents include: C-cleanliness (to keep clean and beautiful restaurant); H-Hospitality (sincere and friendly reception); A-Accuracy (to ensure the accuracy of supply); M-Maintenance (maintain excellent equipment); P-product Quality (adhere to the high quality and stable products); S-SPEED (pay attention to the fast and quick service). Such plan has been conscientiously implemented in every restaurant in the world, and all KFC All employees must strictly enforce the uniform standard. 2. Build brand affinity. KFCs slogan of In China, as China becomes and KFC integrates family , love emotional world into product advertisement as its unique characteristics to create a new image of the brand to adapt to the emotional culture in the Chinese diet culture, thus to some extent, it improves Chinese impression on the fast meal, then gradually, KFC restaurants are also be considered as the place where family or friends party usually takes place. 3. High degree of social responsibility KFC is enthusiastic in public welfare and actively assist the vulnerable groups, in particular, devotes to Chinese children and young peoples education. According to the statistics, it shows that in nearly 10 years, KFCs direct and indirect contribution to the public welfare has reached more than 6500 million. Kendall China Youth Development Foundation in September 2002 set up a total of 38 million Chinese Yuan program China KFC dawn Fund aiming to provide long-term funding for poor college students with good academic performance in school. Currently, the fund has been implemented in 42 colleges and universities across the country, nearly 860 students have received assistance. The China KFC dawn Fund is one of the largest foundation program since the implementation of the Hope Project to aid the poor college student by China Youth Development Foundation. KFCs social activities does not only establish a good brand image, but also exerts a subtle influence on their own potential consum ers and employees. What KFC does match an old Chinese saying goes: Never forget a generous act and grasp every opportunity to return the hospitality that youve received. Corporate culture: KFC China realizes that Human Resource is the most significant strategic resources and the importance of the establishment of people-oriented corporate culture. 1. The human resource localization: KFC China make efforts to train promote local staff because they are familiar with national policies and have a depth understanding of the local competitive environment and market characteristics. Of all 16 market segments in KFC China, 8 local leadership teams with extensive industry experience are formed in order to make the correct judgments within the shortest time. At the same time, it can also reduce the communication barriers between cultural differences. 2. Staff training Annually, KFC china makes investment covering various areas in order to strengthen employees expertise and support employees personality development from the restaurant waiter, restaurant manager to top corporate management personnel. Furthermore, Management staff conducts a series of management training while for the junior staff, the training will last three hours on every 2 weeks include on-the-job training and examination. When there is new product to be launched, all junior staffs are required to participate a relative short period training in order to raise the profession quality of staff to adapt to the change of existing products. In addition, the aim of training restaurant managers is to make sure them be familiar with all the operational processes in the local restaurant, from the introduction of products, inventory management, personnel management, crisis management, and quality control and labour costs, although the training process could potentially increase their variab le cost. Marketing Strategy Jerome McCarthy, professor at the University of Michigan, for the first time, introduces the 4P theory in his book basic marketing, including product (Product), price (Price), distribution (Place) and promotion (Promotion) four elements. Within the theory, product factors is the combination of performance, quality, colours, varieties, specifications, models, trademarks, packaging, services and other small factors. Price factors are composed of cost, price, price discounts, payment terms, and credit terms. Distribution factors includes the choice of marketing channel structure, mode of transport, storage location, wholesalers and brokers, as well as the retailers selection and control. Promotional factors contains advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations. Thus, 4P marketing mix theory instructs how companies should do, as what Philip Kotler has mentioned is if the company is to produce the appropriate product, set the appropriate price, the use of appropriate d istribution channels, and paved the appropriate promotional activities, the company will be successful. The marketing mix can be adjusted on a frequent basis, to meet the changing needs of the target group, and the other dynamics of the marketing environment. They are as follows: product, price, place, and promotion. Product is a tangible object, or an intangible service, that is mass-produced or manufactured on a large scale, with a specific volume of units. Intangible products are often service-based. Price is the amount a customer pays for the product. The business may increase or decrease the price of a product if other stores have the same product. Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. It can include any physical store as well as virtual stores on the Internet. Promotion represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the marketplace. Promotion has four distinct elements advertising, public relations, word of mouth and point of sale. Advertising covers any communication that is paid for, from cinema commercials, radio and Internet adverts through print media and billboards. Public relations are the communications that are not directly paid for and include press releases, sponsorship deals, exhibitions, conferences, seminars or trade fairs and events. Word-of-mouth is any apparently informal communication about the product by ordinary individuals, satisfied customers or people specifically engaged to create word-of-mouth momentum. Sales staff often plays an important role in word-of-mouth and Public Relations. Cross-culture and Choice of 4Ps When a firm enters into a new market, especially a foreign market, which strategies should be chosen is very important to managers. Focusing on this, Doole and Lowe discussed about the standardization and adaptation in their study. They mentioned that firms adopt a combination of standardization and adaptation of the various elements of the marketing management programs and processes by globalizing some elements and localizing others, and they thought the cultural factors are the balance between standardization and adaptation. Culture differences can be seen as the usage factors and legal factors. In their opinion, marketing objectives and strategies are more readily standardized than operational marketing decisions. Therefore, when firms enter into a new market which has a different cultural context, the market managers must think over the alternative strategies, such as the global strategy, multi-domestic strategies and so on. In this study authors suggest to choose the 4P marketin g strategy model help to analyze the effect of cross-culture. Mooij considered that the managers of transnational corporations should provide appropriate products according to the local consumer values and buying behaviors of a certain market. The product strategy owing to cultural factors, usage factors and legal factors. Hall described some countriesculture is high-context culture. He meant that in this kind of country, most of the information is shared by members of a society. In this kind of country, people often do the same things as others did, especially as those around them. For instance, to most families in China, members share the similar values with each other. In other words, China is a society with relatively high collectivism , and where people have a high sense of identity to the traditional culture and food. Moreover, according to Doole and Lowe, pricing decisions in international markets can be very complex. Many factors can influence the pricing strategy in different markets, including internal and external factors. From the l evel of company and product, factors such as corporate and marketing objectives, firm and product positioning, product range, life cycle, substitute, product differentiation and unique selling propositions, cost structure, manufacturing, experience effect and economics of scales will influence the pricing decision of a company. Market factors like consumersperceptions, expectations and ability to pay, need for product adaptation and market servicing, market structure, distribution channels, discounting pressures, market growth, competition objectives, strategies and strength can also affect the pricing strategy of a company. According to the Hofstedes culture dimension model, China ranked in a relatively high position in power distance. From the perspective of cross-culture, therefore, many people in China consider the relationship between the prices of consumer places and the personal appearance seriously. Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. It can include any physical store as well as virtual stores on the Internet. Similarly, place strategy can be influenced by both internal factors and external factors. For instance, internal ones like company size and product positioning are main factors influencing the place strategy. In addition, social-cultural factors such as local law and government policy, religion, language, customer buying behavior also affect this strategy obviously in different ways. When it comes to the promotion strategy, decisions in international markets are even more complicated than the pricing decisions, because promotion represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the marketplace. It often includes several distinct elements, such as advertising, public relations, word of mouth and point of sale. Promotion activities play a role of introducing the product and service, motivating and leading the demand of the customers and also facilitating the products and services easily sold. When implementing the promotion strategy, the marketing managers of a transnational corporation should take many factors into consideration. Language, adaptation ability of customers, values, life style and attitudes, different kinds of customs and other culture factors of a certain nation are all very important which will influence different promotion activities. Methodology: This chapter consists of an introduction to the research approaches and strategies we chose and how to collect valuable data and analysis data to find the answer to research questions. The reliability and validity of our collected data also discussed below. Research Approach We have chosen to use both quantitative and qualitative research method. Bryman and Bell (2005) describes that a quantitative method means that data is collected with the aim to try theories. The difference between making a qualitative or quantitative study is that the qualitative study goes to the heart of the problem and has an inductive approach. The quantitative research design reaches a broader part of the problem and has a more deductive approach. Quantitative research focuses on measurement, causality, generalization and replication. Quantitative research is rather a lot of interpretation. With regard to qualitative approach, it is able to get a deeper understanding of how different cultures influence the marketing strategy in multinational companies. Using a qualitative methodology will let the researcher have the opportunity to be flexible in the research, and to get a clear and broad view about the cultural aspect (Jacobsen, 2002). The methodology will also develop the rese arch, test the theories and explain the researched phenomenon in a new way (Bryman, 2006). Data collection: When collecting the data, the researchers often used primary and secondary data to gather the empirical finding. Primary data is information that especially has been collected for a specific purpose from a primary source. According to the research purpose, data about marketing strategies in Chinese market need to be collected. Thus, the primary data in this paper has been gathered through the phone interviews and the employees for the questionnaire survey which was carried out in Beijing KFC branch. The following requirements were made clear to the subjects: Participators would be expected to read each statement carefully before ticking the choices Participators would be expected to tick the choices as realistically as possible according to what they would actually do in their real daily lives Secondary data is the data or information that has already been recorded and collected by others for other purposes (Cooper et al., 2005, p.315). Secondary data is often of good quality, and it can therefore be useful for another purpose than the primary reason. We can collect secondary data from the course books, article, newspaper papers, Internet Website and other publications. Interviews and Questionnaires: It is widely recommended to use interviews to collect information for evidence as a source (Cooper et al., 2005, p.378). We utilize two types of methods to collect the primary data. The first is survey research in which we use a questionnaire with an emphasis on fixed response categories and systematic sampling and loading procedures combined with statistical methods and quantitative measures (Ghauri, 2002, p.100). The second type is unstructured interviews in which the informant is given almost full liberty to discuss reactions, opinions and behavior on a particular issue. After some answers we decided to give the question about how and why to continue the dialogue. The questions and answers are often unstructured and are not systematically design beforehand (Ghauri, 2002, p.100-101). We decided to do the interviews by telephone with the Beijing KFCs Training manager and Finance manager. We also e-mailed the questionnaires to the managers for them to deliver them to the employees to answer. The telephone interview was tape recorded because audiotapes can provide a more accurate rendition of the interview. The managers questionnaire includes 31 questions that were made with information and theories from the marketing and cross-culture area. The questionnaire of employees includes 22 questionnaires according the theoretical framework provided by Hofstedes cultural dimensions theory and marketing mix 4P theory introduced by McCarthy. To find out the appropriate interviewees, we sent E-mail to KFC Beijing Br

Knowledge in Name of the Rose Essay -- English Literature Essays

Knowledge in Name of the Rose Knowledge was one of the most powerful tools of the middle ages. It was highly valued by many kings and members of nobility, but the greatest procurer of knowledge through the middle ages was undoubtedly the church. Their motive for the capturing of wisdom was not for their own enrichment, but predominantly self-preservation. If the general public were to get hold of such a wealth of philosophical and scientific works that were withheld in the monastic libraries then they would almost certainly begin to formulate their own religious ideas, therefore releasing the societal stranglehold the church held so tightly at that time. To survive the church had to keep the knowledge from the masses, and this is something that Umberto Eco has incorporated with finesse into his novel The Name of the Rose. Intertextuality, postmodernism, allusions and an array of interesting characters help to explain the state of education and the availability of knowledge in the middle ages. The labyrinth is one of the most important aspects to the portrayal of knowledge in The Name of the Rose. Its design and purpose are a brilliant metaphor to the churches desire to keep knowledge from the poor and powerless. The story of the labyrinth goes right back to a Greek myth, which tells of a beast with the head of a bovine and the body of a man, who was conceived of a woman and a snow white bull. It was confined to a labyrinth from which there was no escape without assistance. The concept that Eco uses in The Name of the Rose is very similar, except instead of guarding the Minotaur, Eco’s labyrinth guard’s books, the knowledge that could be the destruction of the church’s vice-like grip upon society. The minotaur wanted seven young maidens and seven youths per year to quench it’s appetite, and one year the Greek hero Theseus became sick of the killing and offered himself as a sacrifice to the bull, with the intention of killing it. He went in with a ball of string and a sword, the ball of string he used to trace his path back to the start when he had killed the Minotaur. There are distinct parallels between William, and the hero Theseus. William entered the library with the intention of getting at the contents that it was protecting from society, which of course were the books, just as Theseus entered the Minotaur’s labyrinth to rescue the young men and w... ...uld lead one to believe that Jorge is simply following the attitude of the church. This being that works which use methods to make their concepts especially easy to understand are very dangerous, and therefore they above all others should be prevented from circulation into society. Umberto Eco has made the theme of knowledge a central subject within The Name of the Rose, and the literary techniques he uses as well as his highly complex characters are highly successful in conveying the way knowledge was treated in the era of great power that the catholic church held. The use of Sherlock Holmes in an intertextual sense and the consequent post-modern aspects of his amalgamation within the story are especially clever methods which serve to provide a very interesting tangent to the novel. The Name Of The Rose can be taken both on surface value as a typical crime story and from underneath as a wonderful political piece that embodies the attitudes of the time whilst still maintaining it’s ironic edge as a Sherlock Holmes murder thriller set in the early 1300’s, 500 years before Doyle’s work, and written in the 1980’s, some 100 years later than the Holmes mysteries were first published.

Observe a Sixth Grade English Class at Bain Middle School Essay

Observe a Sixth Grade English Class at Bain Middle School I observe at Roosevelt Middle School, which is in River Forest, in Mrs. Braun’s sixth grade English class on Tuesdays in the morning. As I have observed, I have noticed that the classroom is student-centered. During computer time, Mrs. Braun focused more on helping the students get into the computer program to start the assignment than on having enough time to get the assignment done. Several times, Mrs. Braun gave helpful comments on how to do things on the computer or in the program, such as how to install automatic spell check. Mrs. Braun was also very patient as she was being asked questions while she was trying to explain the assignment. From what I saw, some students were getting bored, though, while the assignment was being explained and started whispering to each other. However, the whispering did stop when the students had to get started on the assignment. I have also observed that there seems to be a strong set of rules in place in Mrs. Braun’s classroom. This is evident through some of Mrs. Braun’s subtle, and not-so-subtle, reminders. For example, she gently made an example of a student by pointing out that his decorated pen (with a silly topper on it) was not allowed in class if it was going to be played and not used. She made a general statement that all pens similar to it are not welcomed is they are going to be played with. Overall, the students follow the rules very well, and there have not been any severe disruptions. There has only been whispering occasionally, but it stopped when Mrs. Braun asked. Disciplinary strategies seem to be in place as well, although I have not seen any discipline used while I have been observing the... ...yout. I have observed many things in my first two observations in Mrs. Braun’s class. The students do a lot of in-seat assignments, such as handouts. There seems to be a few good projects being done but they are done mostly outside of class. I feel that some time should be spent in class working on the projects, even if it is 10-15 minutes. The layout seems like both a good idea and a bad idea. It seems like a good idea because if one student gets stuck on something, there are others around to help. It seems to be a bad idea, though, because of what I stated before, there is still the temptation for the students to talk when they are not suppose to and distract each other. The only implication I have is that it seems that some old methods are hard to leave behind, such as busy work (hand outs), for more interactive methods (interaction with each other).

Reasons to Make Capital Punishment Illegal Essay example -- Papers Arg

Capital punishment is one of the most debated topics in the nation today. Since colonial times, more than 13,000 people have been legally executed and a large percentage of these executions occurred during the early 1900's. In the 1930's, approximately 150 people were being legally executed each year. However, the number of executions started to decrease, as public outrage became apparent. Currently, over 3,500 people are on death row. The death penalty violates the Eight Amendment because the act is cruel and unusual, and because the punishment discriminates against the poor and the minorities, the punishment also violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Surprisingly, many victims on death row are mentally retarded or disabled. Unfortunately, the death penalty has many supporters, and their main claim to why the death penalty should be constitutional is that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime, but research has proved their claim to be false. The most disturbing factor of al l is that a significant number of the inmates are innocent. For many reasons, capital punishment should be illegal throughout the nation. Capital punishment is not acceptable because it is unconstitutional. Capital punishment has been proven to violate the Eighth Amendment, which is the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. It is also a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection of the laws and due process. The death penalty, which was legal with no objections through the 1900's, became a controversial issue in 1972. In 1972, the Furman vs. Georgia trial caused the Supreme Court to cancel hundreds of scheduled executions and t... ...lty is a cruel and unusual punishment, and secondly, the Fourteenth Amendment, since it displays unequal protection of the laws and due process. Racial discrimination, sex discrimination, and socio-economic class discrimination are factors that unfairly decide the death penalty. The last two reasons that support the claim that the death penalty should be illegal are the risks of executing an innocent person and the obvious fact that the death penalty does not deter crime. For these reasons, capital punishment should be illegal throughout the nation. Bibliography: Bedau, Peter. Death is Different. Massachusetts: Northeastern University Press, 1987. Kaminer, Wendy. It’s All the Rage: Crime and Culture. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1995. Vilbig, Peter. â€Å"Innocent on Death Row.† New York Times Upfront 18 Sept 2000: 1-11.

Sociological Perspectives of Violence

The focus of this paper is an overview of different research articles on racism and structural violence against the aboriginal. Violence will be looked at from three schools of thoughts namely the structural, conflict and process theories. The views of these different approaches to violence will be critically analyzed, but no value judgments will be placed on any of their perceptions of violence. Racism According to Headley (2000), racism is â€Å"the infliction of unequal consideration, motivated by the desire to dominate, based on race alone (p. 23). Headley further explains that this definition accommodates the distinction between â€Å"true racism† which is the desire to harm or dominate others solely on the basis of race, and â€Å"ordinary racism† which he sees as universal features of human biology (p. 224). Headley further maintained that a racist is not merely someone who wishes to put down another’s    race, but also suppress and assert his/her own s uperiority through a violent act (p. 224).Naiman (2006) defines racism as hostility, aggression, and antagonism toward non-members of a particular group based on their physical characteristics, notably skin colour (p. 265). Similarly, Spencer (1998) sees racism as â€Å"the transformation of race prejudice and / or ethnocentrism through the exercise of power against a racial group defined as inferior, by individual and institution† (p. 1). To infer from the foregoing definitions, a common attribute of racism is the belief that one’s own race is superior to another.This belief is based on the erroneous assumption that physical attributes of members of a racial group determine their social behaviour as well as their psychological and intellectual characteristics (Spencer, 1998, p. 5). Historical Roots of Racism. The term racism became popularized in the late 1960’s during the civil rights movement (Headley, 2000, p. 235). Prior to this time according to Headley, t he term ethnic prejudice was used (p. 236). Naiman (2006) posits that racism is a relatively recent phenomenon, and its emergence as a systematic world-view developed concurrently with the rise of capitalist and its global expansion (p. 66) Naiman further explains    that some scholars define forms of    social intolerance prior to this capitalist era as racism, but he however argues that such social intolerance is more precisely seen as ethnocentrism (preference for one’s own cultural traditions) or ethnic chauvinism (antagonism towards a particular group) (p. 267).Racism in Canada According to Naiman (2006), some Canadians like to believe that racism is a relatively recent phenomenon linked to modern immigration patterns or compared to United States, Canada has little history of overt racism (p. 69). Naiman, however, argues that racism in Canada has a long and sordid past, which in reality as described by him â€Å" is an unsightly history swept under the threadbare ru g of its national myths† (p. 269). Naiman further maintained that the history of racism in Canada begins with the subjugation of Canada’s aboriginal people. Violence Anglin (1998), states that an uncontroversial, exhaustive and precise definition of violence is difficult to find. â€Å"Violence is understood as an incident in which an acting individual intentionally injures another† (p. 146).Anglin further explains that the action of the perpetrator can be physical, or psychological. In same vein, Steinmetz (1989) defines violent as â€Å"an act carried out with the intension of, or perceived as having the intension of physically hurting another person†. Strasburg (1978) defines violence as â€Å"illegal use or threat of force against a person†. From the foregoing, it can be infer that violent behavior means physical force exerted for the purpose of violating or abusing. There are three key terms which are likely to be present for any action to be c lassified as a violent act.The action must be intentional, force may be applied and the action must result in harm (physical, psychological and emotional). Human behaviour does not occur in isolation or in vacuum but it is influenced by the interplay of many other factors. Consequently, different schools of thoughts about violence, view any violent act as a precursor of other factors. For example, the Conflict, Structural, and Process theories. Conflict theory Conflict theory is better understood as the Marxist theory. According to the theory, â€Å"Crime is perceived as a function of competition for limited resources†.That is, a social status in which an individual is perceived evaluated and treated accordingly by legal authorities. The Marxist view is that conflict between these class-based social hierarchies, the haves (bourgeoisie), and has not (proletariat) that produces violent behavior. According to Holmes (1988), the difference between these two classes is a matter of relative power . Holmes further explains that the ruling class have sufficient power hence, they are able to label some proletariat’s behavior as criminal Structural theoryThe structural theory on the other hand, sees violence from the perception of cultural forces or neighborhood conditions. That is, our behavior is a product of our environment. The world we live in, shapes our lives. Since our environment is not static, our behavior revolves around this dynamism. The structural approach holds the view that the way certain things are structured by the society creates violent acts. For example, consider the film Elephant; the structural theory will argue that it is because of the way society is structured, that people are able to acquire weapons to perpetuate violence.Similarly, heterogeneity of society inherently creates violence. This is because according to the theory, there is bound to be such issues as cultural or religious conflicts due to these differences. Process th eory According to the proponent of this theory, crime is a function of socialization and upbringing. Delinquent behaviour is learned like every other behavior through association with significant others and reference groups, especially parents and peers. It is through observation and interaction with these significant others; we learn techniques for engaging in delinquent acts.According to Process theory, all forms of violent acts are learned through imitation and observation. For example in the movie Elephant, the Process theory argues that the two serial killers learned such violent acts through the use of violent computer games and imitation of the Nazi’s leader, Hitler. The argument advanced by these different schools of thought appears convincing, because violence in society can be explained through each of these approaches. When these schools of thought are viewed critically, there appears to be a probing question that needs to be answered.Among each of these theories w hich contributes more to violence in society? Considering the importance of each of these schools of thought, it will be difficult if not impossible to adequately explain violence from the perception of one of these approaches. This is true because each of these approaches interplay to influence one’s behaviour depending on the situation. For example, using the movie Elephant, the Process Theory will argue that the serial killers learned their dastardly act through watching    violent video games (observation) their attempt to imitate Nazi’s leader Hitler was the precursor of their actions.On the other hand, the Structural Theory will argue that it is because of the way society is structured that the serial killers were able acquired guns to perpetuate their acts. Similarly, if society is structured in such a way that getting violent computer games are almost impossible to get, perhaps the killers might not be able to procure such weaponry or learn violent behaviour. In same vein, the Conflict Approach says the power struggle between the ruling class and the working class creates imbalance family structure, which they claim resulted in poor parental upbringing.This results in violent acts because the children are not properly catered for. The Role and Effect of the mass media on Violence Research on media influence in violence has been concerned with possible negative effects of exposure to violent films. What messages, for example do children take away from their exposure to various violent movies? According to the Observational Learning Theory Bandura, et al, in their Bobo doll study cited in Holmes (1988), explains that the media encourages children to solve their problems by violent means; they further maintain that constant exposure to violence normalizes violence (p. 100).Critics of the Bobo doll experiment have pointed out that the doll was the type of toy that invited aggression, and also since the filmstrip used in the experiment lacke d a plot, it contained no justification for the violence of children. .Other scholars like Alfred Hitchcock’s as cited in Holmes (1988) argues that tracing the direct effects of the media is a very difficult task. The reason for this according to him is that when the media operates in the natural environment, their influence is only one factor among many other factors; this is because what they see and hear is most likely monitored by their parents (p. 8). Hitchcock further explains that even when children are exposed to violent movies through the media, this violent act is further reinforced if the parent’s, themselves also engages in any forms of violence. The media reflects nearly every aspect of a society; these reflections are not necessarily accurate. This is because violence is not accurately represented by the media. The news media in particular, provides an important forum in which violent acts are selectively gathered up, invested with a broader meaning, and made available to public consumption (Ksenych, 2003, p. 35).The media has the power to shape the issue and to shape the consciousness of viewers by sensationalizing and trivializing cases of abuse. A good example of this is the misleading representation of    the percentage of violence as reported by the media and the one reported by statistics Canada (Ksenych, 2003 p. 35). Structural Violence Structural Violence according to Anglin (1998) â€Å"is violence produced by structures of domination, form of expropriation of vital economic and non-material resources and operations of systems of social stratification or categorization that subvert people’s chances of survival† (p. 46). Through structural forms of violence, persons are socially and culturally marginalized in ways that deny them the opportunity for emotional and physical wellbeing.Walker (2003) sees Structural Violence as â€Å"the constraints on human potential caused by economic and political structuresâ⠂¬  (p. 1). Similarly, Fiske (2006) contrasts â€Å"Structural Violence† and â€Å"Direct Violence†. Fiske argues that structural violence is manifested in social inequalities, and almost always invisible, embedded in social structures. Direct violent on the other hand, is overt and has a perpetrator of the harmful actions (p. 47). Thus, structural violence occurs whenever people are at disadvantaged by political, economic and cultural traditions. Structural Violence on the Aboriginal People The â€Å"stolen generation† is the name generally given to the Aboriginal families adopted into non Aboriginal families as a result of government policies on assimilation (Mellor, 2006, p. 82). According to Holmes (1998) the first British and French colonist made contact with the Aborigines primarily to exploit their labour power in the fur trade (p. 270). Holmes further explains that the Aborigines were under paid in exchange of their labour.Furthermore, as the fur trade declined and agriculture expanded the colonists forcefully took over the valuable lands inhabited by the Aboriginal people. Fiske (2006) sees structural violence against the Aboriginal from the perception of cultural marginalization. Fiske explains after confederation, the Canadian government used assimilation to gain control over the Aborigines. The tool used to promote this end was the Indian act of 1876 (p. 248). This act not only controls every aspect of the lives of the native people, but it also laid out who would be bound or not bound by the act.For example, the â€Å"Status Indians† were those bound by the act, and were prohibited by the act from owning lands, from voting, and from purchasing or consuming alcohol. By same token, the groups not included in the act are â€Å"Non-Status Indian†. Fiske further explains that prior to 1985, the Aborigines women were excluded from Indian register when they married non-Indians. Similarly, these women were not only forc ed out of their community, but were also stripped of their rights to property inheritance. The children born in this marriage were also denied Indian status.By same token, Walker, (2003) explains that there was also forms of structural violence against indigenous knowledge production (p. 37). This is evidence in Eurocentric research paradigms which distort indigenous experience as expressed in the following quote    â€Å"To assume that phenomena from another world view can be adequately explained from a totally foreign world view is the essence of psychological and philosophical imperialism†. Consequently, forcing indigenous researchers to fit their approach within western paradigms ignores the premise that all research paradigms have a pecific cultural foundation. Walker further explains that this cultural bias of the dominant western society is based on the assumptions that the western methodology was universal (p. 38). From the foregoing, it can be seen that the indigen ous people of Canada were not only subjected to forms of inhuman condition, they saw the theft of their resources and       culture,    marginalization, and discrimination (Naiman, 2006, p. 272).

His Girl Friday: An Analysis Essay

The 1940 film His Girl Friday is often described as one of the best screwball comedies ever made. Howard Hawks has succeeded in making this film a classic; the movie always being referenced as one of the best in its genre. Though this success, of course, was made possible by the teamwork of all the people who participated in the film, mostly, it was Hawks’ auteur vision that guaranteed the film’s triumph. His Girl Friday is actually a remake of Lewis Milestone’s The Front Page (1931). Hawks treated the original film differently by making a gender swap of one of the main characters in the film. The character Hildegard Johnson (played by Rosalind Russell) is actually a male lead reporter in the first movie; Hawks revamped the entire story by making the character in the second film a woman, adding a love angle to the film’s plot. Hawks’ auteur vision made it possible to twist the entire film, adding flavor to its narrative form. Hawks’ decision to make a gender swap in the film was one of the formulas that led to its critical success. After seeing His Girl Friday, it is almost hard to imagine Hildy as a guy as he was one in the original movie, especially that the cast had done a good job in making their characters as realistic as possible. Not only that it added an entire new sub-plot to the film, the gender swap also added spice in the sense that it ensured the advancement of actions in each scene. But perhaps the one thing most noticeable about the film is its speed – the witty, overlapping and almost spontaneous exchange of dialogues between characters (Bordwell and Thompson 385). The fast-paced plot that makes its audience gasping for air in each of its scenes, everything gearing up to meet its deadline, is perhaps the greatest thing in the movie. Technically, the plot is simple, and yet Hawks managed to bring life out of its simplicity by bringing much energy into the film.

Alcoholism results in health problems

Alcoholism can be described as a psychiatric disorder and nearly fourteen percent of the people suffer from this disorder. Generally this disorder is accompanied by various other psychological disorders such as anxiety, unstable mental condition and a deviant personality.Alcoholism results in health problems that could result in death and it is usually not identified in the traditional clinics (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).At present, the availability of screening instruments is of great help in recognizing that problem of drinking, which is known as the pre – alcoholism condition.The mortality rate due to alcohol is estimated at a hundred thousand deaths per annum. Moreover, alcohol abuse accounts for morbidity and mortality. Some of the other disadvantages associated with alcohol abuse are social and legal problems, violence and accidents (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).Dependence on alcohol is on the increase and it leads to the abuse of alcohol. The pro blem of alcohol abuse is not restricted only to men but is also present in women. Therefore it can be concluded that the incidence of alcoholism is increasing in society irrespective of the sex of the person concerned. Alcoholism starts as a habit in adolescence and forty percent of alcoholics develop it between the ages of fifteen years and nineteen years (Helzer JE, 1991).Alcoholism has been recognized to be more prevalent in males since the number of male alcoholics is more than that of females. However, the research conducted by Oregon Health & Science University and Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center reveals that female alcoholics are more susceptible to undergo damage of the cells in the brain due to alcohol abuse than male alcoholics (Alcohol Abuse More Likely To Cause Brain Damage In Females, 2007 ).Alcohol controls the central nervous system and acts as a depressant, consequently, the consumption of large amounts of alcohol would result in the inhibition of excitatory centers in the brain. Some of the indications of alcohol abuse are impairment of rational thinking, deprivation of motor coordination in the body, cirrhosis of the liver, presence of peptic ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis and carcinoma. A few examples of the cardiovascular effects of the abuse of alcohol are hypertension and cardiomyopathy (Amy Cohagan, 2005 ).Alcohol inhibits neurological activities and results in peripheral neuropathy which could lead to ataxia, wernicke encephalopathy, Korsakoff psychosis and brain damage and dementia. Male alcoholics generally suffer from impotency caused by the deficit of the testosterone hormone, which is inhibited by alcohol.This hormonal deficiency results in testicular atrophy and gynecomastia. In females, fetal alcohol syndrome could occur, which damages the fetus and thus the new born would be at risk of suffering from mental retardation, facial deformity and other neurologic problems (Amy Cohagan, 2005 ).Society can prevent alcoholism t o a major extent by prohibiting advertisements pertaining to alcoholic beverages and by severely restricting their availability. In addition, physicians can appraise their patients about the pitfalls of consuming alcohol (Goodwin).The modern day world is beset with the scourge of alcohol abuse, especially in the developed world. The worst fallout of alcoholism is the increasing addiction in adolescents and young adults, because it engenders an increase in the loss of life. Moreover, traffic accidents increase exponentially due to drunken driving.Doctors, employers, society and a person’s family constitute a number of important social groups that can contribute to a major extent in preventing a person from becoming an alcoholic. This is due to the fact that family members have a greater influence and are therefore eminently suited to highlight the dangers inherent in becoming an alcoholic. Moreover, it is possible for employers to employ economic and compassionate strategies t o discourage this malaise.ReferencesAlcohol Abuse More Likely To Cause Brain Damage In Females. ( 2007 , July 30 ). Retrieved August 14, 2007, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/77987.phpAmerican Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.Amy Cohagan, D. ( 2005 , March 16). Alcohol and Substance Abuse Evaluation. Retrieved August 14, 2007, from http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic20.htmGoodwin, D. W. (n.d.). Attacking the problem. Retrieved August 14, 2007, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hxh&AN=7553701&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-liveHelzer JE, B. A. (1991). Alcohol abuse and dependence. Psychiatric disorders in America: the epidemiological catchment area study , New York: Maxwell Macmillan International,81-115.

Essay plan Debussy

Brief outline of the methodology you intend to employ and an overview of the works oh intend to centre on: close with a ‘hooking sentence' which links to the opening paragraph of the mall body of your essay; these linking sentences should be provided throughout to give cohesion to your essay Section 2: (Debussy) Introduction to Debussy. Briefly discuss details IEEE; when, where born. Brief overview of other notable works prior to Prelude Other composers of similar style perhaps whom inspired Debussy His Freshness in context and relation to musicSection 3: (Prelude) What was Debussy inspiration for Prelude Mallard (poet music based on) Symbolism The thought process behind Prelude Section 4: (What made Debussy prelude such an important piece of work for the time) The flute motif itself, tonality and development or lack off Orchestration and how this was unique for the time (Instruments, doubling of flute part etc†¦ ) Tonality Direct association with the text reflected in mus ic The Golden sectionSection 5: How Debussy was at the forefront of Modernist music What elements of his musical Ideas were so unique and ‘Advanced' for the time How were other composers of the time Influenced by Debussy and In particular by the prelude Itself How did Debussy use of tonality, structure and orchestration develop after prelude In other composers works How did they develop In Debussy other works Section.

Organizational Tax Research and Planning - Transfers to a Corporation Paper

Organizational Tax and Planning - Transfers to a Corporation - Research Paper Example For an individual or group to have entire control of the business after the exchange, they must own a minimum of 80% of all shares of every class of shares that is allowed to vote. The transferor must also own 80 percent of the existing shares of every category of company’s nonvoting stock. The number of shares determines the voting power, and this implies that the transferor or group of transferors must have the majority control. Having less than 80 percent control thus triggers taxation. Client, jean and john purchase property for $ 1million. They both arrange for a corporation with $20 million fair market value. Client and jean reassign the assets to the company for its entire authorized stock that has a book value of $20m. No transaction party; that is Client, jean, john or the corporation recognizes gain. Client, jean and john transfer property worth $8M to a company in substitution for stock whose fair market value is $24M. This represents a 60% of every stock class in the corporation. Supposing the other 40% of the company’s stock was sold off to someone else, then the taxable gain that Client, jean and john recognize is $16M from the exchange as they do not have the majority control. With regards to substitution of assets for stock, service is not considered as property. Therefore, the value of stock to be received as a result of rendering a service will be considered as income to the stock recipient. Therefore, rendering service in exchange for stock will trigger a taxable event as illustrated below. Client, jean and john transfer property worth $0.9M and offer services worth $0.1M to a company in exchange for stock worth $1M. Supposing that Client, jean and john have the majority ownership in that corporation, no gain on earnings will be included in the property exchange. Nevertheless, the Client, jean and john recognize 0.1M income from the services they provided to the company and this will be taxable income. Property

Concept of Personal Selling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Concept of Personal Selling - Assignment Example This aspect of selling scenario is perceived to be the most difficult, but very important in healthcare marketing. This aspect becomes more important with international sales representatives developing new businesses for their clinics as well as competing for well paying patients. Therefore, new business selling is much important as it enables clinics to receive more income from more paying clienteles. Trade selling is concerned with gaining support of the intermediaries about the products of the company. Mostly, the sales force normally makes calls to the retailers or the wholesalers about the company products. This is normally to attract more business through requesting for referral physicians. This is to ensure that high quality health care services are offered by highly qualified physicians. The missionary task on this setup is to sustain the business from the existing customers. It is normally rated the least risky method to attain high return levels on investments, hence preferably by many companies. Many companies use missionary selling and regard it as their primary activity in the company (Neil, 2012). Healthcare marketing is taking a new focus through e-detailing for instance; there is the use of e-detailing in pharmaceutical products. Pharmaceutical products can be done by doctors to medical representatives and this action is believed to fetch the largest return on marketing investments by many pharmaceutical companies all over the world. However, the pharmaceutical players across the world are experiencing that the cost to product detailing by the medical representatives are do not actually payback to favorable returns in terms of the financial results involved.