Humans and Bread

Food is a basic need for the creatures in the world to sustain their daily body methodology. Bread is a regarded as a symbol for life, symbol for prosperity and livelihood from ages. Bread, a food item was discovered primarily in the Middle East and the features of the bread were modified according to the regions it has been introduced. The bread was related to the divine source provided by the eternity. Since wheat is the cultivated in most part of the world and the bread is prepared with wheat. Bread therefore symbolizes food in various forms.Consumption of bread was known in the pre Christian era. In the initial times when bread was introduced to the English speaking countries the villages used to have to community kitchens where the women in every house used to bake their cakes at a common place. The women were regarded as the significant part in the family who nurture the family and their congregation was regarded as significant social involvement. The guests were welcomed in to the houses with a piece of bread and liquor to wish them a better life.The Russians regards bread and vodkha as a sacred combination. The bread which was prepared from wheat was considered basic food. Bread was used as a commodity in Egyptian ages. After the post harvest period people were provided with work and paid bread. Thus bread is considered as money. Bread or wheat was considered as basic ingredient for the livelihood and the rulers were at times conscious about the supply of the grains or bread to huge population in the kingdom.The bakers who tried to adulterate the bread making process were severely punished. The English used to introduce wheat cultivation and bread making in different parts of the world. Bread making even now is a daily routine affair for many families in different countries as it symbolizes a tradition, a habitual action. Now a days people in different parts prepare bread to suit their tastes to make it more nutritious and to include their and love and affection to share with family.

Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Essay

1) How have changes relating to management and organisational structural affected a global organisation of your choice, over the last 75 years. Relate your findings to growth, distribution, and various external influences and strategies. 2) Undertake a SWOT analysis and explain its relevance in relation to your company and/or its sector Word Count 1250. Harvard Style Referencing. Bibliography Required. Global organisation Laura Ashley Holdings Plc has suffered differing fortunes since Bernard and Laura Ashley founded it in the 1950s. It has been involved in the designing, manufacturing, distribution and selling of garments, accessories, perfume, gift items, fabric, wall coverings, bedding, lighting, and furniture. Famed for its floral prints, the chain was highly successful during the early and mid 1980s but things changed in the early 1990s when various management and structural problems as well as those relating to growth, distribution, and various external influences such as global recession surfaced Laura Ashley herself died in 1985. There is a notable difference in the organisation up to and after this year. Up to 1985, it was a simply structured, steadily expanding organisation operating in a non-complex environment (complexity arises when there are numerous complicated environmental influences [Johnson and Scholes, 1989]). In the months and years after, many changes took place. Laura Ashley went public in flotation, acquired other companies involved in areas such as knitwear and perfume, made heavier investments in manufacturing and information technology (IT), moved towards segmentation with Mother and Child shops, exclusively home furnishing shops and unit shops (franchise operations). The organisation moved gradually away from vertical integration (it had always manufactured and delivered all goods itself) – The Guardian reported that Laura Ashley was withdrawing from manufacturing by the end of the year in 1998. In order to facilitate growth, there was a shift from the simple functional organisational structure to a more complex divisional structure (which was  re-organised with every change of leadership). The most notable chief executives of Laura Ashley who were in place whilst and after problems developed were Jim Maxmin (1991-1994) and Ann Iverson (1995-1997). Each of these people were responsible for major overhauls within the organisation. Vora (1998) states, â€Å"Laura Ashley has undergone various restructuring strategies and umpteen management upheavals, all to no avail, and all of which have decimated shareholder value and abused the brand name†. As highlighted above, the major problems of Laura Ashley began to manifest in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first fall of profits were reported in the year to January 1989. It is important, then, to look at its success before this – from its beginnings in the 1950s to 1985. One area to naturally consider is the key success factors of the organisation for this period i.e. what specifically can its success is attributed to. Key success factors are what an organisation must do well in order to be successful, be an effective competitor and satisfy stakeholder requirements (Thompson, 1997). Bearing this in mind, the key success factors of Laura Ashley up to 1985 are identified as high quality production, innovative designs, good brand management (the ‘Laura Ashley’ name was and is strong), well placing of stores, creation of good atmospheres in stores, general design and creative competencies, staff training, creation of a vertically integrated structure and oper ation within a simplistic organisational structure in general. Also, the Group’s IT capabilities factored into the success as it was a source of competitive advantage e.g. they were an early adopter of electronic point of sale (Heath, 1996 as cited by Johnson and Scholes, 1999). These factors may also be interpreted as strategic excellence positions (SEP’s), which can be described as the capabilities, which allow an organisation to produce better than average results in comparison with competitors (PUmpin, 1987). Thompson (1997) presents a particularly useful model that can be helpful in explaining the success of Laura Ashley up to 1985. The EVR congruence model, by Thompson, considers if an organisation is being managed effectively with regards to strategy. It represents the matching of an organisation’s resources (for Laura Ashley these would include plants, vehicles, IT systems  and locations) to the key success factors dictated by the environment (external factors such as opportunities and threats, stakeholders, competition etc). A determinant in matching these is the values of the organisation (again, in the case of Laura Ashley, these would include the lifestyle they promote/project, shop designs and atmospheres, product designs, the brand, staff training policy and the ‘family’ culture). If the congruence (fit) between these three areas is great, then this indicates effective management of resources (Hamel and Prahalad [1993] comment that it is important for organ isations to manage resources well in order to achieve objectives), strategy formulation and all-round success. It can be argued that the success of Laura Ashley up to 1985 can be attributed to greater EVR congruence. That is such things as the number of shops and plants, distribution systems, stakeholders, threats (including competition), products, level of vertical integration and so on fit together well in relation to the size, structure, culture and speed of growth of the organisation then. The key success factors are also indicative of this congruence. So that they can be developed to help ensure both present and future success, it is important key success factors are recognised and understood. One particular way Laura Ashley could do this is through a SWOT analysis. This reviews an organisation’s internal strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats in the external environment (Cole, 1996). This may be done for a particular moment in time or as an overview encompassing the past and present. As made clear, Laura Ashley has faced much change during its existence. Opportunities and threats come about as a result of constant change and the SWOT analysis can help to identify these and internal strengths and weaknesses relevant when dealing with change (Johnson and Scholes, 1989). This SWOT analysis can be used in relation to analysing the problems faced by Laura Ashley in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. They can be greatly attributed to the weaknesses and threats identified. For example, fluctuations in the economy had a knock-on effect on the sale of property and hence on the sale of household furnishings. Also, high borrowing, wastage and forced discounting meant that, despite sales increases, shops were making a loss. The reorganisations in 1988, 1991 and twice in 1995 had their effect too – they were costly and highlighted inefficiency. Chandler (1977) states that structures are not adapted until pressure of inefficiency forces the change and that this change process is usually a painful one – often carried out by a different chief executive each time. Upon and after his appointment in 1991, Jim Maxmin found that the organisation lacked a core identity, clear strategies, empowered staff, thorough market research, efficient logistics , and many problems in the US such as limited growth, poor management and delivery problems. He responded with his ‘Simplify, Focus and Act’ programme. This included reorganisation, institution of a Global Operations Executive (GOE) and Global Collection Development (GCD) which aided globalisation and marketing, encouragement to empower staff, an alliance with Federal Express Business Logistics to improve delivery and distribution systems, sourcing half of the organisations manufacturing to  the Far East (rather than in-house in Britain) and management replacement in the US. Before leaving Laura Ashley in 1994, Jim Maxmin commented that â€Å"throughout the entire organisation, people has embraced the principles of the Simplify, Focus and Act programme and set about sorting out the operational problems which have plagued Laura Ashley† (Maxmin, 1993 as cited by Warnaby, 1994). Ann Iverson was appointed chief executive of Laura Ashley in 1995. She was to spearhead the rush into the US and revamp the product range (Teather, 1999). Her observations found various problems – all of which can again be attributed to identified weaknesses. It was found that the product range was too broad, there was no ‘unified’ look to match globalisation, the supply chain was inefficient and problems continued in the US. Ann Iverson’s response included strengthening the alliance with Federal Express Business Logistics, opening larger stores in the US and reviewing marketing and sales. These changes were considered to be good as Laura Ashley restored dividend payments in 1996 for the first time since 1989. Ann Iverson was dismissed in 1997, however, mainly due to continuing problems in the US and the organisation’s image (Keynotes, 1997). Each of the changes mentioned came about from the organisation’s particular strengths (as identified) at the time. For example, whilst such things as restructuring and shop closures were happening, the strong name of Laura Ashley and strong customer loyalty were greatly relied upon. Bowman and Asch (1987) comment that the strengths of an organisation are a if not the determinant in how it handles weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Opportunities open to the organisation in dealing with its various problems can be identified as the opportunities in the SWOT analysis. Opportunities change and differ over time. For example, the alliance with Federal Express Business Logistics resulted from available opportunities at the time. A possible opportunity in the early 1990s would have been a speedier move away from vertical integration for example. Laura Ashley became totally vertically integrated in the 1970s and continued  to be so though gradually moved away from this in the 1990s – completely in 1998. Vertical integration can be backwards e.g. manufacturer purchasing/owning supplier and forwards e.g. manufacturer purchasing/owning retailer – Laura Ashley was both backwardly and forwardly vertically integrated – everything from the supplying of materials and manufacturing to distribution and retail. The main benefits of this throughout the organisation’s development included greater control, greater ability to differentiate, the opportunity to achieve economies of scale (higher margins), assurance of supply and greater synergy. Despite this, there were numerous disadvantages particularly that it was costly and greatly increased operational leverage as well as the need to keep up with technological change. This tied up capital having long-term affects. It meant that there was not full concentration of key strengths (design and retail) on which key success factors are dependent (Thompson, 1997). Furthermore, vertical integration was inflexible (cheaper manufacturers could not be sourced) and sensitivity to decreases in sales increased. It was the cost aspect that had the greatest impact – particularly in the face of costly expansion (especially in the US). Warnaby (1994) comments that vertical integration was responsible for financial problems in the early 1990s. The costs of vertical integration had an impact on the organisation’s ability to successfully expand internationally. Perhaps with the exception of a distinctive product look and the adoption of a divisional structure, Laura Ashley did not expand internationally applying Treadgold’s keys/strategies – each was applied/introduced incrementally as problems arose to highlight the need e.g. it was not until 1995 when Ann Iverson felt the need for a unified product look. This is indicative that the organisation was not particularly capable of embarking on such ambitious international expansion as it did. This is highlighted by the numerous problems faced by the organisation e.g. poor marketing/marketing strategy, inefficient logistics and lack of direction and clear strategy. Additionally, the paternalistic management style was not suited to rapid expansion and this coupled with high finance demands from vertical integration, reorganisation and early acquisitions further indicate poor planning in terms of development Laura Ashley has faced so many problems throughout its existence. Problems owing to management, organisational structure, logistics and rapid international expansion continuously came and went. In 1998 bankruptcy looked imminent but an injection of ?44 million in equity capital by Malaysian businessman Dr Kay Peng Khoo (giving his MUI property company 47.5% share ownership whilst the Ashley family retained just 9% [Gibbs, 1999]). He installed Ng Kwan Cheong as chief executive who made changes including the disposal of the problematic North American franchise (retail operations were sold to a management buyout team for $1 at the end of July, 1999 [Gibbs, 1999]), targeting of younger markets and investment in e-commerce (Abdullah, 2000). However, all of these changes looked to have no major impact in the Group’s success with sales steadily decreasing from 1998. Whether or not Laura Ashley manages to achieve the sort of success it enjoyed in the early 1980s under its new management remains to be seen – as does its survival. Chief Executive Ng Kwan Cheong refrained from placing false hopes, commenting in March of 2000 – â€Å"We have a lot of things to do. All I can say is we are moving in the right direction and things are changing† (Cheong, 2000 as cited by Abdullah, 2000). REFERENCES Texts  · Bowman, C. and Asch, C. (1987). ‘Strategic Management’. Macmillan Education.  · Chandler, A.D. (1997). ‘The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business’. Harvard University Press.  · Cole, G.A. (1996). ‘Management Theory and Practice’ (5th Edition). Letts Educational.  · Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (1989). ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases’. Prentice Hall.  · Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (1999). ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases’ (5th Edition). Prentice Hall.  · PUmpin, C. (1987). ‘The Essence of Corporate Strategy’. Gower.  · Thompson, J.L. (1997). ‘Strategic Management: Awareness and Change’. International Thomson Business Press. Journals and Publications  · Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. (1993). â€Å"Strategy as stretch and leverage†. Harvard Business Review, 71, March-April, pp75-84.  · Keynotes (1997), ‘Keynote Market Report – Clothing Retailing’, 1997 Reports, p23.  · Treadgold, A. (1991) ‘Dixons and Laura Ashley: Different Routes to International Growth’. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. Vol. 19(4), pp13-19.  · Warnaby, G. (1994). â€Å"Laura Ashley – An International Retail Brand†. Management Decision, Volume 32 (3). Other  · Abdullah, S.A. â€Å"Turning around Laura Ashley†. http://adtimes.nstp.com.my/archive/mar3.htm (09 December 2000).  · Gibbs, G. (1999) â€Å"Laura Ashley bids farewell† The Guardian Unlimited Archive. http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3904775,00.html (18 December 2000).  · Teather, D. (1999) â€Å"Banks push Laura Ashley to quit US† The Guardian Unlimited Archive. http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3855892,00.html (18 December 2000).  · Vora, K. (1998) â€Å"Lessons from Laura Ashley†. The Motley Fool: The Daily Fool, Evening Fool – Tuesday, 03 March 1998, (online) (cited 04 January 2001). http://www.fool.co.uk/DailyFool/1998/DailyFool980303.htm . BIBLIOGRAPHY Texts  · Cole, G.A. (1997). ‘Strategic Management’ (2nd Edition). Continuum.  · De Wit, B. and Meyer, R. (1994) ‘Strategy Process, Content, Context: An International Perspective’. West Publishing.  · Hatch, M.J. (1997). ‘Organization Theory’. Oxford.  · Palmer, A. and Hartley, B. (1996). ‘The Business and Marketing Environment’ (2nd Edition). McGraw-Hill.  · Palmer, A. (2000). ‘Principles of Marketing’. Oxford.  · Porter, M.E. (1980) ‘Competitive Strategy – Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competition’. The Free Press.  · Porter, M.E. (1985) ‘Competitive Advantage – Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance’. The Free Press.  · Wild, R. (1994) ‘How to Manage’ (2nd Edition). BCA. Other  · Framed-Art Wholesale. â€Å"Laura Ashley – The History† http://www.framedartwholesale.com/aboutLA.htm (20 December 2000).  · Herzog, J. (1997) â€Å"Laura Ashley closure a strategic decision†. Daily Yale News Online – Friday, 12 September 1997, (online) (cited 20 December 2000). http://www.yale.edu/ydn/paper/9.12.97/I-1lauraashley.html .  · Hoover’s Online. â€Å"Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Company Capsule† Companies and Industries http://www.hoovers.co.uk/uk?capsule/5/0,3042,90245,00.html?referer= (20 December 2000).  · Wetfeet. â€Å"Laura Ashley Holdings Plc† Company Profiles. http://www.wetfeet.com/asp/companyprofiles.asp (18 December 2000).  · Wright Investor’s Service. â€Å"Research Report: Laura Ashley Holdings Plc† Corporate Information http://profiles.wisi.com/profiles/scripts/corpinfo2.asp?cusip=C826EG930 (18 December 2000).

Ugly or Beautiful

Ugly or Beautiful? It is well known that beauty and ugliness are opposites. If that is so, how can art be ugly and beautiful at the same time? Some pieces of art are ugly to the eyes but beautiful mind. The Venus of Willendorf (Venus of Willendorf: 1-3) is an example of such. It is a small figure of a large woman. She has very large breast with skinny little arms rested on top of them. Her breast lay on her even larger stomach, which hangs down to just above her pubic area.Her pubic area and belly button are well defined but there is only small evidence of nipples. Starting at her wide hips her thighs touch and press together down to the knees, and then become much smaller than the rest of her. Her head is completely wrapped with what seem to be braids, with no face visible. This figure, at first glance, and second, isn’t one of beauty. After all, it is a rather plump nude woman with no face. But, looking closer and noticing where the emphasis lies gives it a different look.Th e woman’s breasts, stomach, and pubic area grab the most attention; all three of these being attributes of a woman’s fertility. It seems as though they are being used to show a celebration of her fertility and ability to have strong children like her. Looking deeper into this figure it can go from something ugly to something special. Another example would be Punitavati (Punitavati/Karaikkal Ammaiyar: Intro 8). Punitavati is a bronze sculpture of a rather grotesque woman. She is very lanky.She sits with her bony legs crossed and spread, her arms in front of her holding a small musical instrument. She has the face of a crone, with large high raised eyebrows, a long protruding nose, and a fang-toothed smile. Her entire body is bone skinny, except for a slight bulge in her stomach. This sculpture was made to symbolize her immense inner beauty. According to legend, this now hag-like woman was once stunning. Her husband had left her because she gave away one of his mangoes t o a beggar. She then turned her god, the Hindu Shiva, offering up her beauty.Shiva accepted, turning her into this figure. Her appalling appearance is used to show the beauty of her generosity and sacrifice. One other would be Rebellious Silence (Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence 20-33). This is a photograph of an Iranian woman, she is wearing a traditional Iranian women’s wardrobe, except her face is completely uncovered. Calligraphy is written across her entire face besides her eyes, and straight through the middle of her face she is holding up a gun barrel. This image wouldn’t strike most as an object of â€Å"beauty†.It does grab your attention though. It makes you stare at the woman who is staring so intensely back at you. She wants to make her presence known and speak out in a country that doesn’t see women as equal. She is a strong and defiant woman. The longer you hold her gaze the more you can see the beauty in her braveness. All art may not be p leasing to look at, but a lot of the time there something deeper and more appealing in the meaning. Sometimes you must search to find the beauty of something ugly.

Brora Scottish Cashmere Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Brora Scottish Cashmere - Article Example It is a privilege to be writing an article on this personally beloved, globally renowned Cashmere brand. Victoria Stapleton who is the founder, owner and creative director at Brora, was brought up in the North of England, which is home to the Scottish cashmere industry. Having lived so close to the hub of the cashmere industry Victoria often found herself in the mills, as she â€Å"spent many childhood hours browsing mill shops and feeling the delicious quality of their cashmere†. In 1990 when her family got involved with ‘Hunters of Brora’, a 100 year old tweed mill, Victoria jumped at the opportunity to get involved and was soon managing the mills retail venture. Having been brought up in an entrepreneurial family she knew that she wanted to have her own business one day. The experience of working in a mill and gaining knowledge of how a business is run â€Å"†¦sowed the seeds for the founding of Brora†. Victoria began her entrepreneurial career by o pening a retail outlet in London and now, Brora has expanded its outlets all over the UK, the most recent being opened in Cambridge, Covent Garden and Westbourne Grove in London. Brora is a retail company that strongly follows the philosophy of ‘Buy British’. ... e clothing manufactured by the company is produced in mills which are situated in the UK, using only the finest raw materials and carefully selected yarn from selected herds. Being a private and democratically run company not only builds a strong relationship with the customers that Brora caters to but also with the suppliers and employees that are associated with the company. Brora has a strong culture of workmanship & camaraderie within the company. People who work there don’t often leave, primarily because the company is socially responsible towards its workers. There is a true-to-the-word democratic process involved in all core decision making efforts and this practice of mutual consultation is not only confined to the insides of the organization, in fact every customer is treated as part of the family. Brora claims that every customer is a friend & thus, should be treated like one, â€Å"The Company is run personally and democratically and this ethos extends to our custo mer, who becomes a good friend with whom Brora has a relationship, built on honesty & trust.† The clothing collection at Brora offers a variety of beautiful and luxurious products for women, men, children and babies, all available in a various materials for everyone in the family. The company is dedicated to producing affordable clothing for every age group, where each collection is dynamic with a wide variety of colors and designs to choose from. No matter what piece of clothing or accessories you choose, it will give you a luxurious and stylish aura. It is vividly evident that each clothing collection is a result of Victoria’s love for the arts and the natural beauty of the Scottish landscape, which offers her a vivid palette to work with; â€Å"When I want a focused day of inspiration, I do love

RC and RI circuits Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RC and RI circuits - Lab Report Example The data and observation were recorded whilst simulating the above circuits. RC circuit contain both resistor connected in series and the capacitor. The system can be used to control timing. When DC voltage source is connected across an uncharged capacitor, the rate at which the capacitor charges up decrease as times passes and the frequency changes The objectives of the experiment was to investigate how the voltage across varies as it charges and to find its capacitive time constant. The circuit investigated the phase angle between each frequency at different voltage for both the input and output voltage. It aims at verifying the nature of the peak amplitude for every output and input wave front form The experiment was undertaken in accordance with the underlying laboratory procedure. Computation entail values of V(t).The circuits for charging and corresponding discharging the capacitor were sketched. They were wired in order to fully charged or discharge by switching the circuits. The apparatus was connected as shown in the diagram above and their frequencies were set in the time setting as shown above. Measurement was taken from the different frequency across, voltage noted across frequency, and a table was form to tabulate the phase angle for each frequency. The tabulated measurement was used for calculation and drawing of the graph. The graphs draw was used to tabulate the for the peak amplitude for both input and output. The circuit A and circuit B had peak amplitude for the output is 10v/Dv and corresponding input peak amplitude of 7.5v/Dv. In circuit C peak amplitude was 10V/Dv whilst the input peak amplitude was 8V/Dv As the frequency escalates from 100Hz to 10 kHz the corresponding output, voltage reduces from 9.9v to 0.718v. Thus, plotting the underlying output voltage against the input frequency, the output voltage becomes 70.7% of the input voltage gives as The output signal is attenuated to 70.7% of the underlying input

The God Delusion Debate Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The God Delusion Debate - Article Example Evaluation of the debate In the debate, Dawkins explains his theses regarding the rejection of God’s existence saying that science is based on evidence-based grounds whereas faith is blind and is based merely on satisfactory beliefs and thus it drags humans to believe what is told in religion without the need of understanding and exploring. He says that science does not support religion; rather, it supports rationalism or atheism. He further argues that the designer God, if there is one, must need another designer to resign him. He argues that Christianity poses dangers to the existence of humans as all wars and destructions come as a result of the religious beliefs and difference in faiths. In short, the debate is all about the six main claims that Dawkins has presented in his book. The matchless arguments placed by Lennox dragged Dawkins to give a second thought on his atheistic views and at the end of the debate, Dawkins comes to admit that God is not a delusion. Dawkinsâ⠂¬â„¢s Arguments Dawkins (2006) explains an argument from his book, that is, faith is blind whereas science is evidence-based (p.92). He argues that faith is another name for self-created superstitious beliefs. According to Dawkins, â€Å"science uses evidence to discover the truth about the universe† and scientific discoveries are based on research and investigation. Thus it is based on clear pieces of evidence and proofs and has â€Å"grown out of religious traditions†. Another argument that Dawkins explains from his book is the Ultimate Boeing 747 gambit, that is, the designer is dead; otherwise, one must explain who designed the designer (p.113). He explains this argument by saying that the creator of this universe and everything in it has to be as complicated as his creation, and if a complicated entity needs a designer to come into being, then the designer being complicated also needs a designer, and this process should go on to infinite times back. He argues tha t the existence of life on this earth has been designed by natural selection and evolution and, thus, the designer must have evolved through the same mechanism. Counter-Arguments Lennox presented his counter-arguments about faith being blind and science being evidence-based. He said that science is not able to answer the questions that come in a human being’s mind- Who am I? What is the purpose of my creation? Where am I going? Answers to these questions are taught by religion and faith in God. Science is not able to answer any of these questions. He further caught Dawkins off-guard by asking him if he had faith in his wife to which Dawkins responded affirmatively. And when Lennox asked what was the evidence of this faith, Dawkins gave contradictory statements. Lennox explained the evidence for some of the illustrations from the Bible to prove that â€Å"not all faith is blind faith†. About Dawkins’s assertion about the designer hypothesis, Lennox counter-argued that â€Å"Darwinism does not explain life† because he had just explained that the evolution began due to a mutant replicator but he failed to explain â€Å"how the replicator came to exist at the first place†. Lennox said that the designer of the universe has not been created by anyone and he is eternal.  

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example Some scholars revealed that they were unable to find the difference between purchase and supply chain management. Additionally, some marketing analysts have viewed supply chain management as about creating the purchasers creating good relations with their entrusted suppliers. Others argue that supply chain management is not good enough since it does not accommodate all the marketing processes from the industries to the consumers of the goods. The researchers involved these different people to sample their view about the supply chain management as part of the agenda 3. The theory of supply chain management tends to rotate between prescriptions, trend, and description. A major trend identified is the anxiety with the outcome of supply chain management on a variety of marketing functions.The current trend in the market is that supply chain is hastening the corporate theme and there is a lot of proof for this. For instance, some established companies have hired supply chain managers and there has been contest between supply chains rather than between the companies. 3. Christopher, M., (1998), Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow. The above stated example gives a major problem in the discipline of supply network 4. Most businesspersons use an already established domain related with supplier-buyer behavioral mechanism although it has its own weaknesses. Most of these problems relate management issues, choosing the best supplier of goods among others and these can result from the failure of this field to try the broader concept of

Neurology Clerkship eBook - Introduction Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Neurology Clerkship eBook - Introduction - Thesis Example 2. The â€Å"best† instruction for the eBook should be efficient in a way that it demands less time from the learners to allow for achievement of the goals; effective in a way that it facilitates acquisition of identified skill and knowledge by a learner; and appealing in such a way that it interests and motivates the learner, thus promoting participation in the learning task(McGrane & Lofthouse, 2012). 4. The evaluation of the instructional eBook should include evaluation of its instructional effectiveness among the Neurology clerkships and evaluation of the performance of the learners.(McGrane & Lofthouse, 2012) Information concerning evaluation of the instruction is enough for guiding revision of the instruction with the view to making it appealing, efficient, and effective. The process of determining instructional materials’ effectiveness through randomized large-scale experiments is uncommon due to its high expenses and increased time requirements. Various smaller studies have been carried out in the view of examining how effective it is to introduce new packages of instructional approaches in comparison to the existing ill-defined instructional approaches. Most of these studies offer useful information concerning exploitation of alternative instructional methods such as the development of an instructional e-Book for Neurology Clerkship among Medicine students.However, there are various limitations. One of the limitations of this study is the failure of evaluating most of the instructional approaches, especially among studies that offer useful information to practitioners and policymakers (Andrews, 2013). This is a problem that worsens with the exploitation of web-based open-source instructional materials such as the instructional eBooks. Another important issue is the constant nature of the studies even as they remain outdated and unable to suit the constantly updated instructional approaches. As such,

New Visa Policy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Visa Policy - Article Example In recent news articles regarding the visit of President Barak Obama in China, as part of his official trip to Asia, talks on new visa policy allegedly elicited diverse reactions from members of the CSSFA, as well as other Chinese citizens living in the United States. According to the reported written by Leavenworth, the new visa policy focused on extending the time frame of visits to the U.S. of Chinese businessmen and students and likewise, of U.S. businessmen and students in China. As explicitly noted: â€Å"The new visa policy announced Monday was lauded by business and other groups. For U.S. citizens residing in China, the current one-year visa for business in China would be extended for as much as 10 years. The education visa would be extended as long as five years. Chinese business investors and students would also benefit, enjoying longer visa extensions to reside in the United States, according to a White House statement. A senior administration official said Monday that it could lead to hundreds of thousands of jobs being created in the United States, many of them in tourism. Some 100 million Chinese traveled worldwide last year, but only 1.8 million came to the United States† (Leavenworth 1). From an approximate number of students enrolled in the Miami University, where â€Å"based on Fall 2013 enrollment, 15,460 undergraduates and 2,260 graduate students study on the Oxford campus† (Miami University 1), the Chinese students represent about 1% of the student population. As such, membership to the CSSFA is about 150 to date. The reactions to the new visa policy were relayed diverse. Most of the members of the CSSFA expressed optimism that the new visa policy would create increased benefits in terms of access to greater potentials to learn more about American culture, including its language, way of life, and possibly pursuing higher

Performance Management at Lincoln Electric Company and Southwest Case Study

Performance Management at Lincoln Electric Company and Southwest - Case Study Example A common denominator that has been linked to their success is their concern for employees that trumps their concern for their shareholders (Schuler, 2012, p.572). These companies assert that if employees are well taken care of, they will do their jobs better, and doing so benefits customers and shareholders. Lincoln Electric is the top company that designs, develops, and makes arc-welding products, robotic arc-welding equipments, and plasma and oxyfuel cutting tools. It also leads in the brazing and soldering alloys industries. Lincoln owns 40% of the U.S. market share. Moreover, it provides its employees with a well-known Lincoln Incentive Management Plan, which results to above-industry-average productivity (Schuler, 2012, p.559). In 1995, the company attained $1 billion revenues, while at present, sales reached $2 billion (Schuler, 2012, p.559). Employee morale and productivity are good; while turnover is almost zero (Schuler, 2012, p.559). A similar company with strong employee f ocus is Southwest Airlines. It has led the low-cost airline industry by focusing on being the cheapest and most efficient operator in domestic regional markets (Jackson, Schuler, & Werner, 2012, p.578). Despite being a low-cost airliner, Southwest is known for on-time travels, excellent customer service, and safety (Jackson et al., 2012, p.578). In 2012, the company bought AirTran Airways for $1.4 billion. The acquisition is believed to increase revenue and capacity by almost 25%, although its direct impact on Southwest’s success remains to be seen (Schuler, 2012, p.580). Like Lincoln Electric, employee morale and productivity are high in Southwest through the joint efforts of its employee-based committees. This paper compares, contrasts, and evaluates the human resource management practices of Lincoln Electric and Southwest. Recruiting and Selection Recruitment and selection are attuned to the organizational needs and cultures of Southwest and Lincoln Electric. Recruitment i s restricted to internal recruitment for most jobs in Lincoln Electric. Only entry-level positions are open to external recruitment (Schuler, 2012, p.561). Selection is performed by HR, which also happens in Southwest. In Southwest, however, selection is more refined due to specific employee attitudes that it looks for. This can be explained by the fact that Southwest operates in a service industry, while Lincoln Electric works in the manufacturing industry. Southwest has a stringent selection policy, where it spends more time, energy, and money in recruiting people who can fit the fun and collaborative culture of the company (Jackson et al., 2012, p.584). It has a People Department that performs the decisive function of recruiting and selecting personnel (Jackson et al., 2012, p.584). Personality tests and interviews support the rigorous selection process (Jackson et al., 2012, p.584). Hence, though both companies ensure that their employees fit company goals and culture through th eir recruitment and selection practices, Southwest shows extra dedication and uses more resources in recruiting people with the right attitudes. Performance Management Management Styles Both Lincoln Electric and Southwest have charismatic founders, whom employees find be empathic of their employees’ welfare, although Southwest has a â€Å"wackier† attitude to managing employees. In an employee interview, Trahan remarked that James Lincoln â€Å"

Government Regulation of Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Government Regulation of Abortion - Essay Example When the question of rights is brought up, there are always points and counterpoints flung across the table. Rights have become the epitome of our existence on one hand and also the topic of many a coffee table conversation on the other. Besides, if one claims the right to exist, one wonders if the corollary is thought of - how would one exist Perhaps, another very compelling question would be the fact that a mother has to bring forth a life and ensure its sustainability. Therefore, the question of abortion has to be viewed not just from the point of the unborn infant, but also from the viewpoint of the mother and others associated with the newborn. A discussion on abortion and its relevance in American society would be incomplete without a reference to Roe v. Wade, the all-important case that gave all pro-choice supporters a boost. The United States Supreme Court upheld the view that a mother could abort her fetus up to a "point at which the fetus becomes 'viable'" (410 U.S. 113, 1973). Here the court described 'viability' at around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Apart from this, the court also mentioned that the mother could choose to abort a fetus, if she had reason to believe that her physical health was in jeopardy. This landmark decision has led to heated debates and not much of an end in sight. " the Issue Legalized abortion has become the most hashed-over political and theological debate in a nation devoted to debates." (Baird & Rosenbaum, 2001). Political & religious thoughts on abortion: It is difficult to isolate politics from religion. The two are so closely intertwined that very often what is a political statement, might sound like a deeply religious one. There is a very fine line that can be drawn between religion and politics and it is a commonly accepted fact that this has been the position from time immemorial. Though abortions have been legalized in most states in the US, there are constant dissensions on the issue that flare up into major verbal as well as physical clashes. It would be relevant to mention here that political parties have always had to face the questions raised by pro-life as well as pro-choice voters as part of their political campaigns. As an election issue, it is just as important as the amount of federal money that is being spent on the defence services and probably more so when an election is imminent, as the situation right now is. When the subject of discussion and debate is a contentious one like abortion, political parties try to project a very unified view; however, their credibility on their stance is always at stake. It is commonly believed that Republicans are pro-life and would like to see Roe v. Wade relegated to the back pages of legal history. John McCain, for instance, has been a consistent pro-lifer since 1984. (Head, 2008). The Democrat viewpoint is generally one of pro-choice. However, a recent report on the views of Barack Obama on the issue recounts his commitment to take constructive measures to reduce the number of abortions in the country (Chicago Tribune, 2008). This seemingly near-pro-life attitude has led to the formation of a Catholic group that believes that voting for a supposedly pro-choice

Bmw’s Dream Factory and Culture Essay Example for Free

Bmw’s Dream Factory and Culture Essay The culture at BMW is an entrepreneurial culture which emphasizes creativity, risk taking and the bottom-up system of freewheeling ideas. The top-down management style is popular in Germany but not at the BMW. As soon as associates start working at the BMW, they will have the sense of the place, history and the mission of the company. BMW creates a working environment that promotes easier communications between leaders and employees. Every employee can contribute his or her ideas and creations via either formal or informal ways. For example, an employee sees his or her supervisor by chance on the way to lunch, he/she can tell this person of the idea which has just happened in his/her mind. More importantly, their voices and their ideas are heard, welcomed and brought into discussions and consideration. As a result, a car from BMW is often a production of thousands of impromptu brainstorming sessions. Furthermore, BMW cares for the benefits of its employees. It includes all employees in profit sharing. It has a plan that distributes as much as one and a half months’ extra pay at the end of the year to employees. The company also provides a high level of job security for its employees. Lastly, BMW also focuses on high-quality but practical products which meet the demand of consumers and are highly competitive with other auto producers. The company’s near-failure from producing impractical and expensive cars during the postwar time in 1959 was a big lesson for them. This near-failure is always retold and mentioned in all new orientations for the new associates. It helps to remind all employees at BMW of a lesson learned for the company in developing its plans in the future and ensuring that kind of mistake should never happen again. 2. Discuss the model of leadership illustrated at BMW. The model of leadership illustrated at BMW is the consideration model of leadership. The leaders at BMW have close relationships with subordinates that are based on mutual trust, two-way and open communications, and respect for employees’ ideas. The managers at BMW must stay humble and work closely with subordinates and their peers. The Leipzig factory, which looks like an art museum, is a very creative working environment that can make the communications between managers and employees easier. Managers at BMW are the ones who know to make the right questions to ask their subordinates, not the ones who have all the right answers. They also emphasize the satisfaction of their employees’ needs and provide as many benefits to their employees as possible. They are approachable and always willing to listen to their employees. They think if the employees are well motivated, better cars will be produced. . Discuss how the leadership model contributes to the culture. The leadership model at BMW shortens the distance between leaders and subordinates. The relationships between them are built on mutual trust. Employees can feel free to raise their innovative ideas to their managers anytime and anywhere. When the employees see that their voice is heard, they are more encouraged to talk. Moreover, the company cares for the employees’ benefits. In return, the employees are very flexible to contribute their best for the company. The employees do not mind working temporarily for months in another work location which requires them to be far away from their family. They are willing to work for extra hours without being concerned about overtime. In summary, the leadership model at BMW has made it such a culture that is quite distinct from other German companies. 4. Discuss why employees derive high job satisfaction at BMW. The employees of BMW derive high job satisfaction because their benefits are well cared of, their voice is heard and their hard work is highly appreciated. Also, their job security at BMW is high. Any employees, regardless of what grade they are, can contribute their ideas and their innovations to the company’s managers easily. There are no complicated, formal processes or procedures required to send their ideas to their management teams. Furthermore, when the company gets more profits, the employees will also be more benefited. Good working environment is developed and paid attention to. In conclusion, BMW’s employees are highly motivated so they are satisfied and willing to contribute more to the development of the company.

How Could Volkswagen Use Motivation Theories Commerce Essay

How Could Volkswagen Use Motivation Theories Commerce Essay This study was initiated as a result of identifying factors affecting motivation in Volkswagen after the franchise by Nissan Motors. It identified those factors perceived by Volkswagen employees as most important for their motivation to work. A survey containing five questions related to their perception of the factors that motivate them to work. This study will analyze on how to either sustain or enhance the current level of motivation in Volkswagen. Ethics, essentially consist of a set of moral guidelines towards conductance of an appropriate behavior. Such behavior conforms to professional standards of conduct. The corporate code of ethics consists of a set or moral principles and values that govern the behavior of the organization with respect to what are right. A single code of ethics will result in the preservation of consistency and harmony within an organization. A code of ethics will be devised while conducting this study. The code of ethics will compromise of anonymity of respondents. The name, age, and profession of the respondent will not be asked. The respondents opinion about Volkswagen will be respected and will in any case be used against them. Secondly, utilization of research findings will be used as code of ethics. This means that the result of this research will be used to analyze the impact of the takeover on employee motivation and to find a solution to the problem. Justification of the chosen methodology in terms of research question The research design for this study employs a survey method. This is a method whereby the researcher gathers information about a certain phenomenon and the factors influencing it. When conducting a survey, a researcher samples respondents who answer the same questions. Research using primary and secondary research relating to the proposal Primary research is defined as original data gathering from people within target market. They are called fist hand data as they are being collected for the first time for its own needs. Secondary research is the use and analysis of data that already exist. These data were originally collected by another organization, often for a different purpose, and are often referred to as second hand data. For the purpose of this study both primary and secondary data will be collected. Given that previously no study was carried out on the factors affecting motivation in Volkswagen, there was a need to collect primary data. Hence in this case questionnaires will be distributed to the employees of Volkswagen to collect data. The formulation of the research objectives is largely materialized by the availability of secondary data such as leaflets, conditions of service of Volkswagen and among others. Secondary sources of information such as management and psychology journals will be used. Research project The action plan was approved and was qualified as being a good one by the supervisor. Questionnaires were hand delivered and emailed to participants. Questionnaires were filled out by participants and collected by the author. Some participants preferred to use email to return the questionnaires. The objective of this research project is to analyze the impact of the takeover on employee motivation in Volkswagen, and analyze how to either sustain or enhance their level of motivation by using motivation theories. So now we are going to go through some motivation theories such as Maslow hierarchy of needs, Herzberg and the two factor theory, Elton Mayo and so on so as we able to make a conclusion on employees in Volkswagen. Definition of Motivation It is easy to understand why machines, buildings, brand names and financial assets are resources of a business. What is less easily understood or realized is that perhaps the most significant resource of any business is the people it employs. As the world adopts technology at a faster rate with more sophisticated applications and as products tend towards greater similarity there is a growing awareness that a business differentiate itself and its brands by creating a quality, focused and well motivated workforce. For instance, a business organization bequeathed by modern capital, equipment, and highly qualified managers may not necessarily witness success when the labor force is less motivated. Managers should thus be concerned with the what and how workers are motivated. Hence this research project will be dealing with the use of motivation theories so as to sustain employee motivation in Volkswagen. Maslow (1908-1970) and the hierarchy of human needs Abraham Maslows research was not based solely on people in the work environment and his findings have significance for students of psychology and sociology too. He was concerned with trying to identify and classify the main needs that humans have. He also said: our needs determine our actions- we will always try to satisfy them and we will be motivated to do so. If work can be organized so that we can satisfy some or all of our needs at work then we will become more productive and satisfied. Maslow summarized the human need as follow: Physical needs: income from employment- high enough to meet essential needs. Safety needs: offering a contract of employment with some job security. A structured organization that gives clear lines of authority to reduce uncertainty. Ensuring health and safety conditions are met. Social needs: working in teams or groups and ensuring good communication to make workers feel involved. Esteem needs: offer recognition for work done well. Status, advancement and responsibility will gain the respect of others. Self actualization: offer challenging work that stretched the individual- this will give a sense of achievement. The first need is physiological needs. Once this need is fully satisfied, then the employees would be motivated by safety needs. Volkswagen staff will be motivated by safety need only after having satisfied the precedent need. With the takeover by Nissan motors, employees of Volkswagen are looking for job safety, as they fear they may lose their jobs, so the managers should see to it that the employees have job security. After having satisfied the safety needs, then the employees will be motivated by social needs, those needs are acceptance and communication. Managers should communicate with their staff often to give them a sense of belonging to the organization and show them that the situation will be the same after the takeover. Then there is the need which is associated with status and esteem. Here people are motivated to work because they are seeking recognition and self respect. They want other to respect and acknowledge their capabilities. Such needs exist at the top of the pyr amid to show that this is the ultimate aim of an employee. Herzberg the two factor theory Despite basing his research on just 200 professionally qualified workers, Herzbergs conclusions and famous two factor theory have had the greatest impact on motivational practices. His research was based around questionnaires and interviews with employees with the intention of discovering those factors that led to them having very good feeling about their jobs and those factors that led to them having very negative feeling about their jobs. His conclusions were that, job satisfaction resulted from five main factors: achievement, recognition for achievement, the work itself, responsibility and advancement. He called these factors the motivators. Motivators conversely are much more important for motivating workers. Their presence is a must in order to generate positive satisfaction, for example a good management style encouraging consultation and participation can really ignite the will to work. Elton mayo (1880-1949) and the human relations theories Elton mayo is best known for his Hawthorne Effect conclusion. These were based on a series of experiments he and his team conducted over a five year period at the Hawthorne factory of Western Electric Co in Chicago. His work was initially based on the assumption that working conditions, lightings, heating, rest periods and so on, and had a significant effect on workers productivity. The conclusion on Elton Mayos work: changes in the working conditions financial rewards have little or no effect in productivity. When management consult with workers and take an interest in their work then motivation improved. Groups can establish their own targets or norms and these can be greatly influences by the informal leaders of the group. Factors affecting motivation Researchers found different factors of motivation in their research. For some people, pay is not ranked as being the most important factor of motivation while for others it is. According to the hierarchy of needs, pay is an important reward as it provides employees with the means to purchase items which satisfy their physiological needs and esteem needs. Good communication and the role played by the supervisor Communication refers to the passing of information from one person to another, id there is effective communication between the manager of Volkswagen and the staff, then the latter will be motivated. Furthermore, the supervisor should provide feedback regarding performance to be able to set realistic goals and to give them a sense of belonging to the organization. Some workers are frustrated by the lack of supervision and employee involvement in decision making. Different styles of leadership should be adapted to different types or workers, depending upon their level on motivation. Workers of Volkswagen hear that with the takeover of Nissan motors the span of control may become wider thus increasing the time taken to communicate. Fringe benefits Some employees are motivated by benefit for instance medical subsidies, vacations, home loan etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as these may ensure financial well being. It is believed by Gerhart and Milkovich (1992) that by linking benefits to seniority, workers will be reluctant to change jobs. However with the takeover, the staff of Volkswagen fears that their benefits obtained previously may changed. Training Training is another factor that can impact on motivation, according to some employees. They believe that with the takeover, they should be better trained so as to meet the challenges. People with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and compatible values will not be frustrated in their work. Equity The workers are motivated by several factors. The managers of Volkswagen should motivate their workers by taking these factors into consideration, as they are feeling apprehensive with the takeover of Nissan motors. Findings The data collection method which has been considered the most appropriate in the research is the written questionnaires as it proceeds in an orderly and specific manner. The factors affecting motivation as well as the level of frustration of the staff with regards to the takeover by Nissan motors, has been discussed. All these findings will be represented below in a bar chart which shows the level of frustration of the employees with regards to their pay level, good communication, the benefits they are receiving, the level of training and the level of equity by the takeover of Nissan motors. Justifications: The number of workers who are frustrated that their level of pay may change is 20. The number of workers who fear that the span of control and the time taken to communicate with their supervisors may increase is 12. The number of workers who fear that their benefits may be affected is 5. The number of workers, who demand training as they want to be better equipped to meet the challenges, is 10. The number of workers who fear that inequity may occur is 3. The total number of workers interviewed is 50. Evaluation on the methodology used and analysis of findings: A bar chart was used to illustrate all the information so that information can be understood clearly. The table below shows the different values in terms of percentages. Factors Frequency Valid % Pay 20 40 Communication 12 24 Benefits 5 10 Training 10 20 Equity 3 6 40%, out of which 15 % are female, are frustrated with regards to their level of pay. 24%, out of which 13% are female, feel that the span of control and the time taken to communicate with their supervisors may increase. 10%, out of which 7.5% are female, fear that the benefits they are receiving may change. 20%, out of which 14% are female, feel that they must get more training so as to better face new challenges. 6%, out of which 2 % are female, feel that inequity may occur with the re-branding process Impact on the performance on the organization A lack of motivation amongst the workforce may lead to a fall in productivity and efficiency: workers are more frustrated and are less willing to give the best of themselves. Hence productivity as well as efficiency may fall, thereby preventing the organisation which is Volkswagen to attain its pre-determined objectives. Motivation induces workers to work harder and also to compete among themselves. However, with a lack of adequate motivation, there will be no competition. As a consequence, Volkswagen may become less competitive both internally and externally. Motivation also promotes more comprehensiveness. Motivated workforces has a favorable attitude and are willing to adapt to changes. However, if workers are less motivated, they will be less willing to accept changes, thus making Volkswagen more inflexible. Recommendations The bright picture is that the majority of people still believe that the future is bright enough and many challenges would be overcome with appropriate training and development. Volkswagen could come up with various incentive packages to motivate its staff and face the fierce competition intelligently and wisely.

Travis Barker is an Admirable Person :: essays research papers

Why Travis Barker is an Admirable Person   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the people that I admire is Travis Barker. Travis Barker is a drummer in the band blink-182. Although he may be famous, he acts like a normal guy you see every day. Most people think of someone who is famous as being egotistical, stuck up and think they are better than everyone else in the world. Travis basically proves all of those opinions wrong and makes you realize that although some famous people may be that way, not everyone is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Travis is a very talented drummer and takes his work seriously. Travis wasn’t the original drummer for blink-182. The original drummer wasn’t able to make it to a concert because of family reasons and the other two members asked their best friend, Travis, to fill in even though he didn’t know how to play any of their songs. Even though it was only an hour before the show when they asked him to fill in, Travis didn’t want to let them down so he said he would learn every song and perform with them. They didn’t want the audience to hear Travis learning how to play the songs so they found two sticks and that was what he used to practice with. An hour later, Travis went on stage and performed with the other two guys in blink-182 and amazed the crowd as well as his two best friends. When the original drummer said he wanted to go to school and was leaving the band, they asked Travis to take over since he had amazed the crowd with his awesome ability to play the drums.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Travis doesn’t only play the drums, he also teaches drum lessons. Travis visits his home in San Diego, CA often and while he is there he gives young children who don’t have much money, if any, drum lessons. He says he loves working with young kids especially since he knows they don’t have a lot of money. He says this is his way of giving something back to his hometown. Travis also likes to think that even though these kids families may not ever have much money, they may be able to become a drummer one day and earn some money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though Travis is well-known, he hasn’t let this affect his life. When people stop him to say â€Å"You’re Travis Barker from blink-182†, he acts like you see someone from blink-182

The Yellow Wallpaper -- Literary Analysis, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

With a sarcastic, monstrous, and angry tone combined with high emotion and sentimentalism, Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote the short story The Yellow Wallpaper in order to help the oppressed females recover their voice, their rights, and their freedom. She skillfully leaded the reader’s interest from a little horrible opening; then, a curious feeling about Jane’s life immediately became anger because of the unexpected climax of the narrator’s own recognition in the yellow wallpaper. The author tried to show that female would stand up and do whatever they can, even if they lose something to escape the control of male dominance as the narrator did in the story. This story is successful at portraying its authorial purpose because of its setting, types of conflict, character development, and the language effects. A story will become unreliable and lose the reader’s interest unless its author knows how to draw an exquisite circumstance and arrange the information. The story has demonstrated the descriptive scenes, even it’s a small detail. The powerful descriptive information and the symbols in the story helped to make the success of the story. That process is called setting which is the idea of the broad, form picture of the story. In the beginning of the story, we can see the house where the narrator and her husband rent for their summer vacation. It is the main and only place that story takes place. It was a colonial mansion and it was filled up with romantic love and happiness. By taking a first a look at its beautiful outside form and appearance but then the narrator described, â€Å"It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. It makes me think of English places that you read about, for ther... ... outline of the story events is necessary for a short story. A short story is good, interesting, make sense or not depends on its setting, way to use language to express, the characters’ conflicts, images and emotion. This story is successful because it sends a significant message to the readers that it is necessary to respect female’s injustice. If the male dominance is out of female’s control, they will stand up for themselves and struggle back against male as what the narrator in the story did. The Yellow Wallpaper of Charlotte Perkins Gilman leaves me a profound impression about the lesson of female rights. As a female who is grown up in Asia where can see male dominant toward female clearly, I know that I cannot lose my self-position nor blur my personality to the man’s control. Female have their own rights because they are the same human being as male.

A Christmas Memory Vs. The Grass Harp :: essays research papers

The two stories, â€Å"A Christmas Memory† and The Grass Harp are strikingly similar due to the fact that Truman Capote wrote both stories. The settings of both stories are very similar. In The Grass Harp the setting is very sullen: the season is fall, the days are always cloudy, and it is very slow moving in a small southern town. Similarly, â€Å"A Christmas Memory† has dismal and sluggish qualities of a southern, rural community in the dead of winter. The first lines of â€Å"A Christmas Memory immediately establish the sad scene: â€Å"Imagine a morning late in November. A coming of winter more than twenty years ago.† Several elements of the story are parallel: the settings, the nature of the friendships, the rejection by peers, and the characters’ love of nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationships between Colin and Dolly in The Grass Harp, and Buddy and Cousin in â€Å"A Christmas Memory† are close regardless of the differences in age. In â€Å"A Christmas Memory,† Buddy and Cousin have a large age split: Buddy is seven and Cousin is in her sixties. In The Grass Harp, Colin and Dolly have a similar age difference. But they are close friends, because they do many things together. They lived in the tree together, as well as dancing with each other. Likewise, Buddy and Cousin have a close relationship and do many things do together. Buddy and Cousin make fruitcakes, find a Christmas tree, and make presents for each other. Buddy describes his relationship with Cousin by stating, â€Å"We are each other’s best friends.† Not only are the friendships in â€Å"A Christmas Memory† and The Grass Harp parallel, but the main characters lives are quite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  each story is a young boy. In â€Å"A Christmas Memory,† Buddy is the main character. In The Grass Harp, the main character is Colin. He is close to fifteen years old. He has no parents and no friends of his own age. He experiences great separation and sadness in his life. In the same way, Buddy has no parents, and his only friend is Cousin, a woman in her mid-sixties. They are best friends, and Buddy frequently refers to her as â€Å"my friend.† â€Å"My friend has a better haul,† says Buddy, describing his Christmas presents in comparison to Cousin’s. When Cousin as Buddy if he is awake, he responds, â€Å"It is my friend, calling from her room.

Service Cycle of Medical Tourism in India

One of the major practices in healthcare is the process of ‘patient outsourcing’, in the form of medical tourism or ‘Medical travel’.This form of business protocol is becoming hugely popular in the developed countries of the world, as it has tremendous benefits.   Medical tourism is a deliberate effort to combine health issues along with travel for tourism and leisure (Health Base, 2006, Recover Discover, 2007). Several organizations may be involved in the process of medical tourism including:-The governments – They are responsible for framing a policy that would ensure regulated flow of tourists from one part of the globe to another to enable effective healthcare provision.   Besides, it would also ensure that the tourists can obtain valid travel documents easily.Hospital Associations – Associations founded between the hospitals of the tourist and the destination country are required to communicate with each other so as to help in the flow of medical tourists.   This is to ensure that all ethical and legal issues are addressed, and an effective marketing communication system can exist.It would be ideal for the patient to first speak to his/her usual healthcare provider before seeking medical facilities in another nation.   Hospitals in the west can also consider recognizing and providing accreditation for hospitals in developing nations, so that the quality standards pre vailing is well-understood.Travel authorities – They are the authorities who are providing valid travel documents and permission required to enable medical treatment in another nation.   The authorities should understand the need and urgency for medical treatment and hence would have to permit such travel.Travel agencies – They would have to communicate with other parties in the destination to ensure that the health and travel needs of the tourist is meet, keeping in mind quality, cost-effectiveness and hassle-free processes.The travel agency would have to provide the travelers with customized packages that are cost-effective and seem attractive.   They would also have to market the health packages in the West, to demonstrate clear advantages to the ones existing at home. Ministry of Commerce and trade (Hutchinson, 2005, Heatlhbase, 2006 & American University, 2003).Through the process of globalization, many countries are beginning to closely review their economic strengths and risks.   If something is costly in one nation, immediately the resources present in other nations would be approached and utilized.In medical tourism, the individual would be using cost-effective options in order to fulfill their healthcare needs in areas where the limitations may be less.   These limitations can be several and can be utilized to the advantage of the individual.   Some of the limitations which can be met through medical tourism include:-Going from one nation where certain types of treatment are not available, to another where treatment is available.  Ã‚   Going from one country to another, where the quality of treatment is better, improved technology and where expertise in health is available, and innovative options are presentGoing from one country to another where treatment is provided in a more cost-effective manner Going from one nation to another where medical treatment including surgery is provided in a more timely manner (to reduce the w aiting periods for elective surgeries)Including the family members and seeking treatment away from home where the usual stressful factors would not be felt (Hutchinson, 2005, Heatlhbase, 2006 & American University, 2003)Medical tourisms can take place from one nation to another and from one region of a nation to another region within the same nation. The trend today is that many people from the western or developing nations (which have a very restrictive health setup) are moving to the east, where the practices and policies do favor provision of several benefits in healthcare. There are many unique features of the prospects of medical tourism:-The nations which serve as a market for medical tourisms are providing several attractive policies and practicesThey are using vary attractive marketing strategies to encourage business – An example of this would be to combine medical health visits with holidays to exotic tourist destinations.   Many people from the developed nations are finding such packages very attractive and are considering them as they are not only cheaper but also meet their customized needs, conveniently.The developing nations such as Thailand, India, Latin America and China, are offering more holistic kind of treatment and are providing several complementary and alternative treatments that deviate away from allopathic medicine.   Many of these treatments have proven to be effective.   Besides, the treatment facilities are provided in more natural kinds of environment, thus encouraging better healing and recovery (Hutchinson, 2005, Heatlhbase, 2006 & American University, 2003).Medical tourism can be held for various reasons including health and wellness tourism, reproductive purposes, alternative treatment strategies, preventive medical care, spa tourism, surgical tourism, dental tourism, diet and nutrition tourism, transplant tourism, cosmetic tourism, spiritual tourism or even for end-of-life purposes.Often the individual requiring health treatment would also like to include their family members in the process.   They would also like to take their family members along.   People also want to visit resorts and spas to get away from the usual humdrum.   Several theoretical frameworks have been proposed for Medical Tourism:-Consumer Motivation – Consumers may find the health packages offered at the destination nations cost-effective, of better quality and would also combining their travel needs Medical tourist motivation – Some people prefer traveling and getting treatment done in a foreign nation, away from home Push-pull motivation – This has been one of the most explanation to justify medical tourism.The pull factors are usually contributed to the attractiveness of the market and the various marketing strategies that have been employed.   The pull factors are tangible and are attributed by the destination.   The push factors are intangible and may need a lot of explanation.   So me of the push factors include:-  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fulfilling travel needs ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Preferences for certain destinations ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Travelers often have the intention of traveling for whatever need, even if a such a need can be fulfilled at home (Hongnaphadol, 2008)India has been one of the success stories of medical tourism in the world.   Thousands of tourists from various parts of the World including the US, UK, Australia, Middle East, European Union, etc, visit India every year for medical and surgical treatment.   India is also one of the sought out destinations for alternative forms of treatment including Yoga, Ayurveda, herbal medicine, massage therapy, etc.Effective collaborations between the tourism industry and the healthcare industry have existed in India to enable medical tourism to be a success.   This has been an initiative from both, private and public parties.   India has several other cha racteristics that have permitted medical tourism to prevail:-Rich culture and tradition – favoring tourism Natural characteristics of the country Traditional systems of medicine – which seem to be very attractive for the West Cultural competence of the professionals existing in IndiaLow waiting time Cost-effective treatment Good quality of medical care Pre-existing tourist destination Effective collaboration with organizations in the US/UK which would enable movement of touristsEasy currency conversion processes Good quality of education prevailing in India – Academic organizations are able to meet with the requirements of the healthcare industry Connectivity with international airports Good technology utilized in healthcare (Recover Discover, 2007).The service cycle of the medical tourism process and is an experience for the customer.   It starts even before the consumer meets the service provider to obtain an effective medical tourism package that would meet his/her travel and health needs.The process starts when the consumer understands that there is an unfulfilled health need which has to be met.   The process would go on and the several steps present including (as fulfilling health need is not a single transaction and involves several processes):-Meeting with the service provider Discussing an effective package that would meet their needs (the package would include several aspects including air and travel costs, hotel stay, food, consultation charges, investigation costs, treatment and surgical charges, medications costs, holiday packages, etc).The customer should be provided with a number of options and choice of destinations.   Negotiations should also be permitted. Purchasing the health/travel package Preparing to enter in the package Starting with the travelEntering and experiencing the destination country Getting used to the destination country Meeting the healthcare provider and ensuring that the electronic health records are received – the healthcare professionals should take an adequate history of the patient and should also conduct adequate diagnostic tests.Identifying the health problems and developing a plan to solve these problems Presenting the plan to the patient and taking the consent Initiating the treatment plan – May include several visits; The pre-treatment period may include several precautions, restrictions in diet, lifestyle, medications, travel, etcPost-treatment period – Taking adequate precautions regarding diet, lifestyle, exercise, rest, medications, etc.   The patient should be adequately informed of these so that they may be comfortable. Follow-up visits – Any additional treatment Advise or consultations before the patient goes back to the home nationFulfilling any other travel needs Returning back home Contact with the healthcare providers through telephone, e-mail, chat services, etc (Health Base, 2006, Wachovia, 2008, Monash University, 2004).Th e process may not be complete once the patient returns home.   This is because fulfilling health needs is a continuous process and the requirements are never ending.   At each of the steps, the customer would be having certain expectations.   The quality standards of the service are usually determined by the ability to fulfill the customer’s expectations and to meet as to what was promised in the initial package (contract).   Some of the expectations of the consumers include:-Having a high quality travel package which is cost-effective Finding the destination country comfortable and relaxing Getting used to the destination quickly Developing rapport with the new healthcare professionals and the healthcare system – Ability to clear all doubts and queries.The patient should be assured about the quality standards of the organization and the qualifications of the healthcare professionals.Preferable a standard prevailing at the home nation should be sought.   It i s also important that the processes existing in the hospital should be similar to that of the home nation.   The healthcare system prevailing should be culturally competent to that of the tourists.Able to meet with the precautions and advise from the healthcare professionals easily Undergoing the treatment processes without much complications, side-effects and negative events Resolving any problem the patient has during the treatment processes Enjoying the benefits of treatment Ability to contact the healthcare provider and fulfilling any problem (Health Base, 2006, Wachovia, 2008,)References:American University (2003). Globalization and Medical Tourism, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from American University of Delaware Website: http://www.american.edu/ted/medical-tourism.htmHealth base (2006). Medical Tourism FAQs, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Health Base Website: https://www.healthbase.com/hb/pages/medical-tourism-faq.jsp#1Hongnaphadol, W. N. (2008). Medical Tourism, Retri eved on August 15, 2008, from Leeds University Website: www.leedsmet.ac.uk/research/W_Hognaphado-pm_1.ppHutchinson, B. (2005). Medical tourism growing worldwide, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from University of Delaware Website: http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/tourism072505.htmlMonash University (2004). The Cycle of Service, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Monash University Website: http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/support-services/cycle-service.htmlRecover Discover (2007). Medical Tourism – Medical Tourism India – Healthcare Tourism, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Recover Discover Website: http://www.recoverdiscover.com/Wachovia Corporation (2008). The Cycle Of Service – How To See Things from the Customer's Point of View, Retrieved on August 15, 2008, from Wachovia Corporation Website: http://www.wachovia.com/small_biz/page/0,,447_972_1697_1994_2016,00.html

“Birthday Party” By Harold Pinter Essay

My group and I ar lap uping on a diddle c totallyed the Birthday companionship By Harold Pinter. The locomote is set in 1960s. The scene we doing is nearly a cosmos, names Petey returning home office from some sort of morning to course to a boarding house where his wife, whos called gazillion and is the owner, fusses around him. We start to disclose that this r come out of the closetine is in truth basic and a sense of this what they do e precise day. As the scene goes on Stanley comes in and come acrosss rather a grumpy teenager. I play the part of Petey.At the time of this plays circumstance, custody had to a greater extent than of a dominant situation in society and the women didnt run for much and did much of the housework. This could mean that the male person characters in plays around this time were more than than overtop and women did more housework and mediocre uniform zillion, fussed around their husband as he was the plainly source of income, this could warp zillion as being special and concerning over Petey. The war would have been slight than two decades ago so that may influence the characters in plays. Meg perchance fussing around he husband because he was a war-hero influencing her to very proud and fondness of husband, or maybe Petey only has a morning job because he is around injured, this could influence his physical expression.This is antithetic from the schoolbookbook that we have studied called Abigails party because was set in the 1970s where women had a more dominant single-valued function than in the 1950s. The women were more out-spoken and more free to work have more social activities. In Abigails Party there was a lot more conflict and more fiery action between characters unconnected in the Birthday Party it was Meg said a comment, which Petey may of legal opinion was monstrous, Petey just answered simply in a slow step and showed no motif to want to speak.In Abigails Party when a comment wa s do that adeptness(a) of the partners didnt like to hear they either fought about it or gave a corrosive comment to show their annoyance whereas in the Birthday Party I, Petey, just gave poor simple unmotivated answers to a headstrong and fussing Meg.The two plays showed different ways of cope with situations as throughout the scene we performed Petey showed tedium and Meg carried on being quirky, officious and alleged(prenominal), in comparison to that in Abigails Party they handled situations in a more sarcastic, and argumentative.The two plays atomic number 18 humorous on different levels. The Birthday Party is rummy because of we can see Peteys clear ennui of having this conversation and routine, which we can tell is a daily thing he goes through. Megs stupid comments just to speak and engage with Petey and in cases, to know out side life, is jocund to us because the questions are stupid like when hes just got the maize flakes and she asks if they are nice and he hasnt even tasted them.However, the two plays have similarities. Pinter and Leigh are both known for naturalism. The scene on Birthday Party I performed was very natural and realistic nothing out of the ordinary happened it was very simple and sphere but it was easy to relate to which made it effective and the birthday party as too naturalistic and perhaps more modern and in the effect of parallel arguing and women playing more dominate roles. However, the Birthday Party as it goes on turns out to be more farcical and super-natural. Both plays also have especial(a) and inquisitive women. Meg is very questionable to Petey and wanting to know things, Bev. Tries to keep the conclave shes got alive and wanting peck to pay attention to her likewise to Meg wanting Peteys attention.The historical and social setting is fairly similar as the man in Birthday Party does await to have the dominant role as Meg does everything for him cooking, washing etc. contrastingly to when Angie s ays something against Tony, like he is argumentative or wont do something, he takes action by shouting or grabbing her hand. Angie stops and doesnt protest showing men hush up had some dominant role in the 70s.We are presenting our play as the audience in a semi-circle in one end of the studio and us performing in the other half(prenominal) of the circle. This allows the audience to be the third wall, which is very in the style of Pinter and Leigh. This can reserve the audience more of a role and part, its very soap like, which is naturalistic, just as the plays studied, are intended to be.We are exploitation different techniques and styles of performing such as giving each character more or less just one characteristic and not changing the cubic yard much. For suit when I play Petey I kept the equivalent tone and trite motivation to tell the audience that Ive been doing this for a very long time. For Meg she kept her fussing and questionable ways and when Stanley comes lev el he was more mellow and got the stance of Ive got my wrapped round my modest finger.We used symbolism in our play, for example my paper. When I played Petey, the paper was my only bit of something new for that day, everything else was the same inevitable self but my paper, which Im though out the scene schooling or holding, gives me salivation from Meg and the predictable ways.We are keeping the style very naturalistic.This is different from the other play as the characters pace changed very much through the play. At one time they would be talking and the next minute there would be an argument to change the pace and the idea in which all the characters tangle. You never felt the characters would stay for long at one place whereas Petey stayed in the chair all the time and kept his pace the same except it did change sometimes.The other text (Abigails party) influenced our performance by qualification Meg a little more dominate and persistent for Peteys attention.

Child developmend from birth to 19 year old Essay

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