Oracle Bone Essay

Religion in Shang Dynasty Religious practice has always been an essential part of Chinese Culture. Even in the period of the Three Augusts and Five Kings, religious practices occurred. However, it is not until the Shang Dynasty when actually records of spiritual communication were founded. Oracle Bones were recorded of communication between human and spirits. The ritual of cracking oracle bones told what ancient Chinese concerned the most – the relationship between spirits and nature. The intricate Oracle Bones not only reveal the religious aspect of the Shang Dynasty, but also relate the cultural and olitical system in ancient China. During the Shang Dynasty, Kings were granted the power to communicate with spirits. Mostly importantly, spirits informed kings about the unknowns. When Shang kings have questions regarding the future and their relationship with spirits, they assigned priests and shamans to become medium between human and spirits. When shamans were asked to foretell for the king, they drill hollows in shells and apply red- hot poker to these shells. They believed this ritual would attract spirits who were nearby to answer kings’ questions asked by shamans. Shamans’ main task was to nterpret spirits’ respond through the different cracks on shells. These kinds of predictions were said to be legitimate the kings were the ultimate representative of the spirit. Most of the time, kings requested to perform oracle bones divination to learn from spirits regarding the success of harvest, outcomes of battles, and schedule of sacrifices to spirits. For example, the King asked: â€Å"Will Di order rain sufficient for harvest? † (Eno 46). During earlier years of Shang Dynasty, the outcomes of harvests were more important to the people. Nevertheless, by the end of the Shang Dynasty, a large portion of divinations were performed to know the schedule and proper scarifications to spirits and ancestors. There were scarifications everyday for different ancestors and spirits according the results of divinations accumulated overtime. After oracle bone divinations were performed, kings would perform sacrifice to the assigned spirit at a specify time with appropriate goods. When an oracle divination indicated a negative answer from spirits, for instance defeat in battles, kings would then sacrifice to spirits hoping for spirits’ help to change the result. Shamans would slaughter animals and/or humans according to spirits’ preference. The result of appeasing spirits could lead spirits to provide extra helps for the people. On the other hand, if the king sacrifice the perfect quality and quantity of goods to a specify spirit but the king did not get his preference; kings could temporarily stop sacrificing to this spirit until the effect of previous scarifications were shown. Therefore, human scarification and spirits’ effectiveness created an economy between human and heaven. This economy applied more on the loyal level than the family level. During Shang Dynasty, family could only sacrifice to their own linage of ancestry. It was a crime to sacrifice to other linage of ancestries because only the king had this power. Family often sacrificed to hope ancestors would bless the family to have male children which can extend the family-tree. Thus, only the royal family had the Shang king can communicate and sacrifice to all linage of ancestries, which include Shen (natural deities), royal ancestors, and cultural heros. People in Shang Dynasty worship the greatest spirit – Di (Tian). Yet Di do not receive any sacrifice ompare to other spirits. Tian, which is said to be equivalent to Di, was so powerful that other spirits could never match their power with D’. Di was a significant factor of Shang people’s religious believe that was indicated in the oracle bones but Tian was not indicted in any evidences at all. On the other hand, Shang people viewed Shen as the power of nature, including power of earth, river, mountains, rain, thunder, and the power of directions, etc. in the early stage of Shang Dynasty, oracle bones divinations were directly performed to communicate with Shen to foretell harvest esults. Shen, unlike Di, did take sacrifice in order approve kings’ requests. For example, king asked, â€Å"Shall we call upon Que to sacrifice a hound by fire to Cloud? † (Eno 48). Thus, Shen was the second highly respected power after D’. Shang kings also sacrifice to spirits of their royal ancestors, including parents, grandparents, forebears of ruling king, relatives. These spirits were located inside the royal familys palace, and their tablets were put together with other ancestors of the same family. Kings worshiped his linage of ancestors to hope they would bring fortune to the royal amily and the countries. When the current king died, he became part of his linage. Oracle bones divinations were use to communicate with royal ancestor spirits: â€Å"Should we protect the kings eyes against Grandmother Ji? † (Eno 49). Current kings Other families only sacrifice to their own linage as well. This ancestor worship ritual was established during the Shang Dynasty and is still performing in modern Chinese culture. Finally, kings also sacrificed to ancient cultural heroes, yet they were the less prominent group of spirits. Thus, religion practices in Shang Dynasty were an essential part of Chinese ultural before and in todays society. The use of oracle bones to predict future allowed reader to date the first actual evidence of Chinese religion. The written records left by Shang Dynasty created a clear picture of the cultural and politic aspects of ancient China as well. The relationship between human and spirits remains to be a significant part of Chinese people’s religious belief. I grew up practicing ancestor worship. Work Cited Eno, Robert. â€Å"Deities and Ancestors in Early Oracle Inscriptions. † Religions Of China In Practice. Donald S. Lopez Jr. New Jersey: Princeton University press. 41-51

Reflection on Training

I have enjoyed the support I have received from the home manager and my colleagues, in improving my competence at work and my personal and professional development. Keeping on top of my personal development has been by taking responsibility for my own actions I keep track of my training needs and look out for opportunities to attend additional training. I am aware that a lot of things keep changing in health and social care therefore I make it my responsibility to access up to date information via the internet, media and also from colleagues I try as much as possible to make myself available for in-house training sessions. My personal and professional development is also updated while learning from good role models like senior workers or whenever I am free to work along with other workers from outside organisations i. e. nurses, social workers and doctors. Accessing all the support I can get from working at Saffron House has been a great help. I attend regular supervisions sessions and an annual appraisal; this has formed my professional development and allowed me to be where I am today. Accompanying material: KFC Training Program My manager and I myself both agree on the most suitable training to enhance my training. I can tell from my relationship with the individuals that I care for that they are satisfied with the level of care they receive from me I receive feedback from them when I have done something so little but to them it’s huge I do quite often receive positive comments from families which is a huge boost because it means I’m doing my duty right. I do receive supervision sessions every 3 months which is a time to get feedback from my manager of my work whether it’s satisfactory or not it gives me insight of areas of my job that may need improving and development. When I was employed by Saffron House I attended a 3 day induction programmes in which I was given a certificate of attendance shortly after this training I was given a development plan which my manager gave me a list of all the mandatory training that was essential to my role as care worker and which will be on-going throughout my time working as a carer. During the first 3 months I was on probationary period which gave my manager and co-workers time to see if i were competent to be a care worker and able to give the individuals what is essential. After my 3 months had lapsed I was given feedback on my competence, weaknesses strengths and expectations that were critical to my job role with constant supervisions it gave me the ability to eflect on situations that may have occurred where next time you could handle the situation slightly better or with no improvement to be made Now I am coming to the end of my level 3 I feel I have gained so much more knowledge not only from answering the questions but also the research that it does require I have thoroughly enjoyed doing my level 3 even if at times my head was completely baffled I will continue to move on and up and take all I have learnt with me and maybe in time if the opportunity arises add some more units to my 3.

Communication and motivation skills related to coaching Essay

Communication and motivation skills related to coaching - Essay Example In the ordinary and natural sense or aspect, visionary and pragmatic leaders play a vital role in the aspect and sphere of coaching. This is to since they ought to be alive to the fact that the direct outcome of the coaching process would be dependent on the ability of the leaders or the coach to relate properly with the other participants of the team. Thus in order to effectively develop and construct an effective coaching and motivation pattern, the coach ought to adhere to the coaching philosophy in the absolute context so as to best place him or her for the task at hand. To begin with, it would be incumbent and prudent on the part of the coach to delineate three basic philosophical perspectives and internalize them accordingly. They include, the coach ought to know his or her strengths, weaknesses and areas or regions which would require that the coach improves or changes. Secondly, is the circumstance or aspect which requires the coach to understand and contextualize the challenges that the coach may face in the course of discharging his or her mandate (Palmer & Whybrow, 2014). Lastly, it is critical to the coach to understand his or her subjects, athletes or players in terms of their goals, natural abilities, personalities, strengths or weaknesses. Intuitively, it demands that a person knows his or her weaknesses and then focusing on the positives or the strengths so as to allow the coach to perform effectively. In the rhetoric sense and sphere, it would be imprudent for a coach for instance to know whether he or she is a good orator? Motivator? Charismatic? Or possesses any positive skill which may influence the players and the general outcome of the team in the positive way. Similarly, by understanding the challenges or likely barriers which may face a coach during the discharge of responsibility equips

Multi-Self Model and the Dual-Self Model Approaches to Self-Control Essay

Multi-Self Model and the Dual-Self Model Approaches to Self-Control Problems - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the multi-self model is a complex topic in behavioral economics. Authors like Ambrus and Rozen have described it as a broader conception in the form of an array of self-control concepts or theories. As such, the concept of aggregator appears at the center of this approach. The aggregator can be understood as a behavioral and psychometric mechanism that organizes the available choices before the individual. The aggregator factors cumulate a suitable prioritized list of choices, and the individual’s sense of rational behavior ultimately leads him or her to select the most appropriate one for oneself. However, in the deep trenches of mind and thought processes, this one self is actually consisting of many selves. Hence, according to Ambrus and Rozen, one of the most important characteristics of a given set of aggregators is that the aggregation can be dependent on the consumer’s economic utilities and obje ctives. Therefore, if an individual is considered as a coherence of more than one economic self, then preferences of oneself may differ from that of another. Consequently, several contemporary models of â€Å"multi-self decision-making† utilize pieces of cardinal information that are embedded in the utility functions of an individual’s diverse economic selves. Aggregators being considered as the fundamentals of utility functions can also be defined as the intensity of preferences, which are capable of molding the dynamics of intra-personal economic decisions. However, this paradigm can be extended to inter-personal economic decisions too.

People , placed and Environment portolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

People , placed and Environment portolio - Essay Example The relationship of people with their environment is not same in all places. Some places & its environment are harsh for human sustainability whereas some places are most suitable for living. This Portfolio is an endeavor to portray the relationship of people of different places with their environment, with the shift in their location. The places vary from Asian countries like Tibet to countries in the American continent like USA. It depicts the way in which the environment determines the different aspects of their life like population growth, nourishment & economic development of the whole community etc. It describes how people are in different types of relationship with the environment & the way their dependency, wellbeing, etc. varies with the change in location. In the present age, human beings have started to affect the environment enormously through their actions. The environment is harmed considerably by the actions of people. But the harm the environment suffers, through the actions of people varies from place to place. Fig. 1 Nomads of Tibet Fig. 2 People of New York City Fig. 3 People in Sahara desert Fig. 4 Earthquake in Sumatra Fig. 5 â€Å"Java Rice Paddy Workers† Fig. 6 People in Sumatra In Fig. 1 the image of a Nomad of Tibet is given. The population of the area is low due to its rugged relief, creating obstacles in the construction of roads, railways & communication (Richabraj). The nomads come out in the warm weather & roam in mountain pastures with their herds of yaks and sheep. In the cold weather they go to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet for many reasons (Tibetan Nomads: A focus on the Tibetan culture). Thus, this people completely depend on nature for their survival. In Fig. 2 we can see an image of New York City, a highly industrialized city of a developed country. Environment is most suitable in all aspects due to its location. But unlike the developing countries the city causes pollution & thus harms the environment. In Fig. 3 we can see the inhabitants of Sahara Desert, which has a population of only 2.5 million despite its area of 3.5 million. It has one of the harshest environments. The majority of the population being Nomads move from place to place in search of better living conditions (The Living Africa: The People). In Fig. 4 we can see people in Sumatra trying to rescue survivors from a house destroyed by earthquake. These people are tormented by the environment through its natural disasters. Yet, the desire for survival impels these people to fight with the environment. In Fig. 5 we can see workers in Java Island of Indonesia. The Java islands of Indonesia have fertile soil, as such agriculture flourished, making the area densely populated (Richabraj). Thus the environment is perfectly suitable for human beings over here & less industrialization does not allow the environment to be harmed. We can call this a healthy relationship of people, place & environment. In Fig. 6 we can see migrating people of S umatra. Due to the environmental conditions they are forced to migrate in search for a better place. They don’t harm the nature by themselves but instead they are being ruled by the forces of nature. Works Cited Richabraj. â€Å" Elaborate relationship between man and environment?† Wikianswers.com. N.d. Web. 25th Feb 2011. â€Å"Tibetan Nomads: A

Measuring Employee Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Measuring Employee Performance - Assignment Example ht close-up with the company (3) form an inter-departmental team that does the corporate imaging task of the company together (4) be part of an revenue generation force that increases company revenue by 7.5% in the next 2 years, (5) train employees who will take over the role of corporate branding after the employee has left. From the above goals, it can be said that each of them is achievable and relevant to the overall success of the company. For example, the need to identify new target segments means that the manager will be seeking to enlarge the company’s market size since he will not be utilizing what already exists. The second goal will ensure that the goal is both timely and specific. This is because with the strategic plan, the management will know exactly what is expected to be done in order to achieve growth (Aguinis, 2013). The third goal will be a way of promoting efficiency because if the task of corporate branding is limited to the Brands Manager alone, it will be difficult to get the kind of mileage expected. What is more, the fourth goal comes with specificity and time-bound as it tells the exact overall performance outcome expected in quantitative terms. The last goal seeks to promote continuity, which is a major component of effective performance attainment (Cravens, Goad & Stew art,

Persuasive (AIRA) Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Persuasive (AIRA) Letter - Essay Example Inclusion of the Co-Curricular Records (CCR) would provide an official mode for student participation of co-curricular activities and nurturing talents in St. Mary University’s students. The management of the St. Mary University can only measure all roundedness in their learners through the Co-Curricular Record (CCR). It is also vital to consider that, additional skills besides education are important for learners. Though some people have counter arguments on the validity and reliability of these records, I still believe that educational transcripts have to be complemented and acquire additional skills that place them in an advantageous position in terms of accessing job opportunities. Through the AIRA strategy, the management of St. Mary’s University will need to shift an amount of funds to put the Co-Curricular Records (CCR) in place. The management will also need to dedicate a huge sum of money to mobilize students to join the group, as well as hire the services of motivational speakers to motivate students on the need to be all rounded learners. However, this move will be beneficial to the St. Mary’s just like has been to other

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and the Film Cast Away Assignment - 12

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and the Film Cast Away - Assignment Example Because of the storms, something happens when the plane is airborne and the plane crashes. He finds a life raft and drifts towards an island where he is later discovered and rescued. The events in this film affect Chuck’s hierarchy of needs (McDonough, 2012). In the film, Chuck’s physiological needs are deficient after he is stranded on the island. Physiological needs are the first level needs and are vital to an individual’s survival such as food, water, and shelter (Holzknecht et al., 2007). This need is portrayed when Chuck goes looking for water and finds coconuts that have water inside them (McDonough, 2012). Additionally, Chuck satisfies his need for shelter by improvising one by tying a raft to trees to shelter the rains and storms. Additionally, he also makes a spear to allow him to catch fish from the ocean (Zemeckis, 2000). The second need seen in the movie is that security. Maslow describes safety needs as those of safety and security (McGuire e, 2012). Throughout the film, Chuck is shown to possess and to lack security (Zemeckis, 2000). At the beginning of the movie, he creates a raft to protect himself but as the movie progresses, his raft is skewered and cannot seek shelter and protection from it. He then later seeks shelter and protection in a cave that he stumbles upon as he seeks for a shelter (McDonough, 2012). The third need that is seen in the film is the social needs. Social needs are the needs for affection, belonging, and love (Holzknecht et al., 2007). While at the island, Chuck lacks a companionship and feels lonely (Zemeckis, 2000).  

Factor Analysis And Confirmatory Factor Analysis Essay Example for Free

Factor Analysis And Confirmatory Factor Analysis Essay Factor analysis is an arithmetical technique used to describe variability regarding observed variables with regard to lower number of unobserved variables. Factor analysis looks for such joint variations in response to unobserved hidden variables. The observed variables are molded as linear combinations of potential factors including the error terms. Information attained regarding interdependence between observed factors can later be utilized to reduce the set of variables within a dataset. Factor analysis originated in psychometrics and is applied in behavioral sciences operations research and applied sciences which deal with large quantities of data. In psychology, factor analysis is in most cases associated with intelligence search. Factor analysis has been used to search for factors within a broad range of spheres such as character, beliefs and attitudes. Factor analysis isolates the underlying variables that make clear the data. There are two types of factor analysis; principal factor analysis and common factor analysis. The factors generated by principal factor analysis are theoretical as being as liner combinations of variables whereas those generated by common factor analysis are theoretical latent variables. Computationally, the main difference is that the diagonal relationship matrix is substituted with common variables in common factor analysis. Factor analysis is performed through examining the pattern of connection between the observed variables. Variables which are highly related have a likelihood of being influenced by factors such as those which are moderately unrelated and have a more likelihood of being influenced by different factors. Principal component analysis is the most widespread factor analysis. Principal factor analysis seeks for a linear combination of measures in such a way that the maximum difference is extracted form the measures. It then removes the difference and search for a second liner a combination that explains the maximum proportion of the remaining variance. Conducting a Confirmatory Factor Analysis The main purpose of a Confirmatory Factor Analysis is to establish the ability of a prearranged variable model to fit within an observed set of data. Among the normal uses of Confirmatory Factor Analysis include; establishing the weight of a single factor representation compares the ability of two differing models to account for the same set of data, test the significance of particular factor loading, test the connection between two or more factor loadings and also to evaluate the convergent and discriminate strength of a set of measures. Conducting a Confirmatory Factor Analysis The six stages involved include; Describing the factor model which is the first thing required to be done accurately to define the model one wants to test. This involves choosing the number of factors and defining the nature of loadings between measures and factors. The loading can be fixed at zero or any other constant number or allowed to vary within specified constraints. Collect the measurements through measurement of variables on same experimental units. Obtain a correlation matrix by getting the correlation between each of the variables. Fit the model into data by selecting a method to obtain the estimates of factor loadings which were free to vary. The normal model-fitting method is the Maximum likelihood estimation that needs to be used unless the measures serious lack multivariate normality. In such a case one can use Asymptotically distribution free estimation. Evaluation of model adequacy s done when the factor model is fit the data, the factor loading are selected to minimize the difference between the correlation matrix implied by the model and the actual observed matrix. The amount of difference after the best parameters have been selected can be used as a measure as to how reliable the reproduction is with the data. The commonly used assessment of model adequacy is the X2 goodness of fit test. Null hypothesis for this test holds that the model sufficiency for the data, while the other is that there a significant level f differences. Regrettably, this test is highly sensitive to sample size since, tests used in testing large samples generally lead to a rejection of null hypothesis, even when factor model is suitable. Other statistics like the Tucker-Lewis index, compare the fitness of planned model to a null representation.   These statistics show less sensitivity to sample size. By comparing these two models with other model one can is able observe the difference between their X 2 statistics which is almost equal to X2 distribution. About al individual factor loading tests can be compared to reduced and full factor models.   In situations where there is no comparison of full and reduced models, use of Root mean square error of approximation is recommended which is n estimation of discrepancy per degree of freedom within the model. References DeCoster, J. (1998). Overview of Factor Analysis. Retrieved on August, 16, 2010 from http://www.stat-help.co/notes.html

Education in the Philippines Essay Example for Free

Education in the Philippines Essay Education, a continuous process of growth from womb to tomb that is most essential to man for development and progress. In technical sense, it is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, values and skills from one generation to another through institutions. This technical process is sometimes called schooling, when referring to the compulsory education of the youth. The continuous growth of the population in the Philippines has been a great factor that affects the quality of education one can experience. There are greater and greater number of students in a class that a learning institution can accommodate. Other than that, some other problems occurred such as: lack of qualified teachers, inadequate classrooms and ineffective programs. These are more evident to public schools here in the country. Recognizant of this reality, small communities in the urban part of the country have been sensitively responding to this situation. Little by little, the number of private learning institutes have been massively growing in some areas in the city. The sustenance of these private schools is, in a very large extent, depend upon enrolment. School administrators have been continuously seeking ways and means to upgrade the standards and quality of their respective school in terms of its delivery system and other related components of quality education. This have been noticeable to Barangay Bagong Silangan because of the numerous learning centers that was established here for the past ten years. Parents, regardless of the schools’ standards, enroll their children to these private learning centers believing that they would experience a better quality education than that of in the public schools. It is, most of the people, if not everybody’s interest, to be equipped with knowledge and skills for productive endeavor in the future. The vital reason for a researcher to conduct a study is to make the parents aware if their children are getting the quality of education that they want for them in these private learning centers.

Analysing Case Studies Of Mercedes Benz Tesco Marketing Essay

Analysing Case Studies Of Mercedes Benz Tesco Marketing Essay INTRODUCTION Extremely fierce and highly competitive globalised work environment has intensified the apprehensions of business organisations pertaining to the development and implementation of prudently designed business strategies that can ensure their long-term survival and enduring success in the market. It has been observed, that despite of designing smart strategic plans, many business organisations fail to maintain their survival in the market and this is only because of their inability to operationally devise and enact these strategic decisions (Mills, Platts, Bourne and Richards 2002, p. 112). Operation management is strategically important for the business organisations as myriad day-to-day operational activities are responsible for determining the extent to which the key strategic objectives are executed and thereby, constituting long-term organisational success. It has been studied that operation management is all about defining, organising and directing organisational aims and objecti ves through strategically employed operational procedures concerning the organisation (Slack et al 2004, p.67). Several constituting factors including price, quality, service, flexibility and tradeoffs are meant to develop the operational strategy (Slack and Lewis 2002, p. 221) and in order to improve quality, enhanced organisational receptiveness and cost-effectiveness, a wide-ranging operational paradigms have been emerged in recent times (Anderson 2006, p. 56). Supply chain strategy is the crucial element of operation management through which the core operational processes including transportation, logistics and procurement activities are integrated by pulling materials in response to demand patterns and hence, demand uncertainty is avoided and supply chains, inventories and service levels are significantly improved (Slack and Lewis 2002, p. 226). Business organisations also utilise optimum resources and systemic managerial approaches to support quality and innovation in their products and services for which they integrate key operational, procedural and functional systems. Organisations can achieve total quality within their business operations when positive cultural shift is established by knitting strong relational bonds between human capitals and maintaining long-term partnerships with suppliers (Hayes, Pisano, Upton and Wheelwright 2005, p. 119). Operation management paradigm also encompasses the concept of capacity planning through wh ich the organisational management exhibits its competency to foresee the unprecedented events and strategise in advance to circumvent the chances of protracted fiscal damages (Ferguson 2000, p. 65) whereas, the evaluating the extent of orders and thereby, monitoring and determining the required inventory levels and stock replenishment is covered by inventory management model (Anderson 2006, p. 59). The study is designed to illustrate these concepts in a report format by evaluating the comprehensive operation management paradigm. 1.1 Aims Objectives Organisations can achieve enhanced fiscal benefits and customer satisfaction by triggering the process of transforming inputs into outputs with intent to add value to the organisational goals in terms of producing improved products and services (Giannakis and Croom 2004, p. 28). This not only enables in gaining control over systemic planning and management activities but also results in attaining sustainable competitive advantage by maximising organisational productivity. The main objective of this study is to investigate the key concepts and theories of operation management which is considered as the core contributor to the long-term organisational success. The study aims to analyse the corporate and marketing strategies of one service-based and one manufacturing organisation i.e. Tesco and Mercedes by critically discussing the theoretical principles and frameworks covered in operation management paradigm. Moreover, the study also intends to evaluate the blend of theoretical concept s based on the case studies of each organisation in order to assess the relative impacts on their long-term competitiveness, innovation and sustainability. 1.2 Rationale of the Study Operation management is a multidisciplinary approach encompassing the decision making process pertaining to the design, planning and management of all the factors influencing the operational capacity of an organisation (Ferguson 2000, p. 68). Globalisation has shrunk the geographical boundaries and the consumer world has now been exposed to generous information and alternatives to the products and services which have made it extremely intricate for the business organisations to stand-out (Giannakis and Croom 2004, p. 30). The role of operation management becomes crucial in terms of creating, transforming and controlling the productive resources to generate saleable products or services. The scope of this study is to contribute some value to the existing literature pertaining to operation management as the theoretical underpinnings of the subject and the evaluation of case studies are designed to facilitate in developing advance understanding of managing the deployment of operational resources within the incessantly changing globalised business environment to gain competitive advantage. The significance of studying operation management paradigm is equally beneficial to the academia, operations practitioners and contemporary business organisations. Structure of the Report This segment is designed to explicate the structure of the report that is primarily based on comparing and contrasting the theoretical approaches of operation management by prudently evaluating the corporate and marketing strategies based on case studies of two selected organisations. The report is creatively structured and divided into five distinct segments. Initial segment of the report is the introductory part that is meant to develop the foundational grounds of the study by explaining the key objectives and scope of conducting the research. Second segment of the report begins with presentation of company profiles of two selected organisations i.e. Tesco and Mercedes by critically evaluating core operational and transformational processes to assess the adequacy of their strategically devised corporate and marketing initiatives for gaining competitive advantage in the market. Theoretical concepts and frameworks of operation management including supply chain management, capacity pl anning, inventory management and total quality management are appraised in the third segment of the report which intends to justify the arguments by linking the theoretical underpinning with the information extracted from case studies. Fourth segment assesses the application of theoretical concepts on the case studies of selected organisations, in order to investigate relative impacts on the organisational competitiveness, innovation and sustainability in a longer run. The report is terminated in the fifth segment which is designed to logically conclude the overall arguments in a consistent manner. OPERATIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL PRACTICES Contemporary organisations ought to adapt with the consistently changing trends of the trade world and globalised economies as consumers buying behaviours are gravely affected by the modern operational and transformational procedures. Today, the entrenchment of innovativeness, technology and advance quality of products and services have become crucially significant to the operation management process for gaining competitive advantage in the market (Anderson 2006, p. 57). 2.1 Case Study I: Mercedes Benz The strategic alliance of Daimler-Benz with Chrysler in 1998 lead to establish DaimlerChrysler AG, which is now recognised as one of the leading and most promising automobile companies across the globe. The luxury German car manufacturing company enjoys its humungous presence by operating in 104 countries whilst selling its products in approximately 200 countries through more than 13,000 sales outlets within the globalised economic arena (Mercedes 2011). Mercedes is primarily engaged in the manufacturing, distribution and sales activities related to its wide range of uniquely designed and technologically advanced automotive products including passenger cars and commercial vehicles and on the other hand, the company also offers financing solutions (Mercedes 2011). In accordance with the key statistics as illustrated in its Annual Report (2002), the company has generated revenues of  £130.80 billion and employs more than 365,600 employees worldwide (Mercedes 2011). The world renowned BMW, Lexus, Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors are amongst its core competitors. 2.1.2 Analysing the Corporate Marketing Strategies The corporate strategy of Mercedes Benz is focussed on enhanced quality and reliability of its products and services by stressing on The best or nothing strategy (Mercedes 2011). Presently, the company has been observed to raise its profile in fleet car sales by 17% in 2010 and further 11% by 2011 with intent to prevail over every operational segment unlike its premium rivals that are focussed on tax-cutting low CO2 models within market that is tightly up just under 2% (Mercedes Annual Report 2008). Studies suggest that the operations tasks can be articulated by identifying five operations performance objectives as for instance, lowering the pricing strategy necessitates substantial reduction in operational costs or speedy customer services require swift operational procedures and; as improving product quality demands for advancement in the areas concerning innovation, design and technology (Slack et al 2004, p. 119). Mercedes have been experiencing quality control problems due to it s batteries, alternators and brakes integrated in its several models made since 2001, that were quiet obvious especially after the biggest product recalls in 2005, indicating that the company is exceedingly losing its loyal consumer base (BBC 2006). The company has introduced technologically sophisticated gadgetry in its S-class cars range in parallel to its pledge for being the market leader in terms of quality and reliability however; several business analysts have identified the electronic gremlins might further impair companys image by alienating its existing consumer base (Mercedes Annual Report 2007). With respect to its marketing strategy, Mercedes is focussed on Ambition to lead by particularly emphasising on 6Ps of marketing i.e. product, price, promotion, place, people and process. Massive improvements have been observed in its product designs and technologies especially in E and S class ranges by introducing higher-rate springs, stabiliser audio, navigation, trip computer and telephone consoled steering wheels (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 9). Pricing has also been revised to attract people from middle class and the strategy is complimented by moving its manufacturing and operational units in Asian countries to reduce the production and distribution costs. Aggressive promotional strategy has been embraced by the company whilst targeting wide-ranging consumer base through effective marketing campaigns that are focussed on product features including CLS or Blue-Efficiency campaigns and on the other hand, marketing campaigns are exceedingly supported by comprehensive print, TV, online and media communications (Holweg, Disney, Hines, Naim 2005, p. 514). 2.2 Case Study II: Tesco Plc. Deeply penetrated within the competitive retailing sector in UK, Tesco celebrates its substantial existence by covering approximately 90% of UK market alone with an annual turnover of more than $1 billion which makes it the largest online grocer across the globe (Palmer 2005, p. 25). In accordance with the Nielsen/Netrating audience panel for September (2007), that investigated 25,000 demographically representative households in the UK for the top supermarkets, Tesco leads the online market share by holding 27.1% followed by Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose holding 10.1%, 6.9% and 4.2% shares respectively (Nielsen/Netrating 2007). On the other hand, Tesco was again spotted at the top position with 30.9% offline market share followed by Asda and Sainsbury having 16.9% and 16.4% shares respectively (Nielsen/Netrating 2007). The company principally deals with food and grocery items and has also diversified into non-food ranges including clothing, books, electronics, dieting clubs, flights a nd holidays, music downloads, gas and electricity (Palmer 2005, p. 27). Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose are the core competitors of the company. 2.1 Analysing the Corporate Marketing Strategies Unlike others in UK, Tesco is the only retailer that has successfully managed to survive and expand in the contemporary globalised economies by maintaining its corporate strategy closely knitted by a six dimensional approach for enhanced growth in worldwide market (Data monitor 2003). Tesco embraces the strategy of designing its products by carefully analysing the local market needs and remain increasingly adaptive to the environment of indigenous markets. Tesco believes in highly focussed and long-term strategies with multi-format approach and shared knowledge structure. The most crucial aspect of its corporate strategy is the deployment of time and patience to build the brand image without being distracted by its growth pattern in its primary market. Followed by its corporate strategy of aggressively expanding in the international market, Tesco became the first UK retailer to break through the  £2 billion profit barrier (Data monitor 2004). The marketing strategy of Tesco is high ly innovative in terms of introducing reward points to the customers during shopping which can be later exchanged by valued products. In addition to this, the company has significantly acknowledged the need for integrating e-technologies within its marketing campaigns and thereby, launched Tesco applications that has made its products instantly accessible to the targeted consumer base through mobile phones and also keep them updated with new deals and discounted offers (Data monitor 2004). Tesco diet is another interactive web page which is meant to educate the consumers about healthy eating and thereby, unconsciously persuading them to buy the food items offered by the company. Tesco also improved its out-bound logistics by hiring cheerful and highly cooperative staff for online delivery orders, which serve as the face of the company and are also trained to market their products and new offers in a cataleptic manner (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders and Wong 2001, p. 169). The company a lso employs print and electronic media for the marketing of its products and also utilises social networking websites and blogging as integral tools of promotions in the contemporary business world. The most significant aspect of Tescos marketing mix strategy is its personalisation strategy as the company has maintained a separate online marketing department that is meant to send personalised messages via emails and sms to ensure that their customers never miss their latest offers and new products (Palmer 2005, p. 33). THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATIONS BASED ON CASE STUDIES Operation management is all about interlinking a wide-range of processes and procedures including manufacturing, distribution, marketing and all other significant methods to maximise sales and achieve core organisational objectives. Size and nature of business operations are extremely significant in terms of determining the operational, functional and transformational capacity (Handfield and Bechtel 2002, p. 371). This segment of the report is aimed to critically analyse the theories and concepts pertaining to operation management paradigm whilst analysing the capacity planning, supply chains, inventory control and total quality management in each of the selected organisations. 3.1 Evaluating Supply Chains of Mercedes Tesco Closely knitted web of manufacturing, distribution and other production activities forms the supply chain of an organisation with intent to obtain the manufactured materials, modify them into finished products and distribute them in the targeted market in order to meet the consumers demand (Holweg, Disney, Hines and Naim 2005, p. 512). Literature suggests that business organisations can significantly benefit by creating four dimensional values in their supply chains including customers, planning and performances, processes and intangible resources (Kaplan and Norton 2004, p. 102). Whilst catering condense market segment, Mercedes has been focussed on creating value in its supply chain, primarily by embracing three main supply chain strategies including just-in-time, lean manufacturing and built-to-order strategy for a larger consumer base that is unwilling to wait for two to 3 weeks delivery time thereby, enhancing customer satisfaction (Holweg et al 2005, p. 512). On the other hand, the company has also adopted a plan for catering lower-income customers by producing affordable car ranges and espousing cost-effective manufacturing process. Tesco has also been vigilantly focussing on creating value in their supply chains by low-cost leadership, synchronisation and lean thinking, employee-empowerment initiatives and customer-centric approach (Griffith 2002). Capacity Planning by Mercedes Tesco The continuously evolving business trends of contemporary globalised economies have made it extremely significant for the business organisations to improve their aptitudes for capacity planning. Through capacity planning, organisations gather, maintain and analyse the optimum information regarding the utilisation of its tangible and intangible resources to meet and exceed their core organisational objectives (Anderson 2006, p. 93). However, it is crucially important to determine the investment required for capacity planning (Gox 2002, p. 62), as it has been studied that underinvestment in capacity can substantially reduce revenues whereas, an overinvestment might result in excess capacity which may produce serious consequential effects on the fixed costs (Henderson and Cool 2003, p. 397). Mercedes has successfully employed capacity planning initiatives by investigating North American region for the feasibility of producing luxury sports utility vehicle which significantly minimised c ombined labor, shipping, and components cost and further reduced the penalties associated with currency fluctuations (Holweg, Disney, Hines, Naim, 2005, p. 518). On the other hand, Tesco expanded its order-processing capacity by foreseeing its rapidly growing online sales and integrated BizTalk system that process 5,000 orders per hour which remarkably increased performance efficiency without the need to expand hardware configuration and also reduced system maintenance costs (Norris 2007). Mercedes Tescos TQM Strategies Quality has been recognised as the most critical element of the operation management and is considered to be a macro function of organisations that has to be entrenched within the decision making process, allocation of resources, definition of priorities and most importantly within service delivery (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 5). It has also been studied, that survival of the organisations in the contemporary business world necessitates total quality management established at all levels (Djerdjour and Patel 2000, p. 26). Mercedes core organisational values heavily rely upon quality, safety and reliability however; the companys image was seriously threatened when its position dropped to 26th spot in quality segment of auto manufacturing (Business Week 2003). It has been observed that the Mercedes significantly deviated from its core strategies and was more inclined towards innovation and technology which has tremendously shaken its loyal consumer base indicating the unfavourable implica tions of undervaluing quality management approaches. The TQM strategy of Tesco is primarily focussed on two main areas including: (i) process improvement by systemic approach and; (ii) development and standardisation of management systems for functional activities throughout the organisation (Delaney-Klinger, Boyer and Frohlich 2003, p. 187). By analysing the TQM strategy of both the organisations it can be instituted that the benefits of TQM can be maximised by entrenching it within the internal and external organisational processes, resources and facilities (Djerdjour and Patel 2000, p. 34). Mercedes Tescos Approach towards Inventory Control The role of inventory management is extremely significant as lower inventory levels can increase the transportation outlays followed by smaller and irregular loads. Business organisations can effectively reduce the costs to logistics through supply chain optimisation by planning to meet the demands of consumer base. It has been studied that ineffective routing and scheduling of orders can adversely influence transport costs (Cooke 2000). In accordance with its inventory management approach, Mercedes identified approximately 100 sites in 35 state of US which is closer to its primary market and since major part of its products were intended to export therefore, the company chose the sites near seaports, rail lines, and major highways to control the costs for transportation (Holweg, Disney, Hines, Naim 2005, p. 523). Studies suggest that transportation is the single most prominent cost category in logistics which can dramatically facilitate in cost saving (Giblin 2001). On the other han d, Tesco being market leader of retail business in UK, necessitates embracing technological advancements in terms of maintaining its position within the extremely concentrate market. Therefore, Tesco has embraced smart shelf technology by adopting RFID system which enables the staff to locate the items in real-time and also improve the on-shelf availability by timely replenishments thereby, saving time and costs for additional staff (Thomas 2003). APPLICATION EVALUATION OF OM THEORIES ON STRATEGIC MIX This part of the report is aimed to highlight the strategic mix pertaining to the concepts and theoretical frameworks of operation management as applied on the competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of selected organisations. The effectiveness of operation management strategies is usually determined by evaluating the key factors like cost, quality, delivery and flexibility (Mills, Platts, Bourne and Richards 2002, p. 130) however, it is important to note that the contemporary business world that has now liberated from the limitations of geographical boundaries needs the integration of advanced technological solutions to stand-out in the global markets (Khamalah and Lingaraj 2007, p. 976). 4.1 Competitiveness Mercedes manufactures high-valued and technically advanced cars by particularly focussing on the development of car engines and producing wide-ranging transport facilities from cars to jeeps and other commercial vehicles which enables the company to cater almost every segment of the market. Merger of European and American companies makes Mercedes well acquainted by the consumer markets belonging to two different tastes and culture (Elvin, Hendricks and Singhal 2001, p. 274). The company continues its competitiveness by its remarkable supply change management as it maintains close ties with its key suppliers for instance, during the worldwide fiscal turmoil in early nineties when organisations were obligated to negotiate pricing strategy, it was quiet obvious that both the company and its suppliers shared equivalent dependability on each other (Hayes, Pisano, Upton and Wheelwright 2005, p. 133). Despite of operating in a highly concentrated market, Tesco has achieved a leading positio n as the company has radically improved its operation management strategies by adopting lower pricing and absolute quality control through compensating full costs of the product, if found damaged (Tesco 2010). The company also maintains its competitiveness by proffering secure transaction opportunities in case of online shopping, timely delivery of products at the door-step and efficient staff that is adequately trained to offer excellent customer services. 4.1 Innovation Mercedes allocates a humungous investment of more than $47billion on its research and development which substantiates its organisational objectives to meet and exceed the consumers expectations pertaining to advanced technology and innovative solutions. The company is also exhibiting keen interest in developing contemporary designs within competitive price whilst maintaining its assertive and risk-taking behaviour which indicates its thirst for improved quality in its products and services (Kaynak 2003, p. 426). The innovativeness of products characterised by radio frequency identification system of tagging its products or advanced data processing system; Tesco exhibits its commitment to enhance the consumer buying experience through innovation (Norris 2007). By introducing highly interactive and advantageous innovations like Tesco club cards, Tesco applications, talking Tesco and Tesco diet; the company has notably penetrated within diversified consumers market segments. 4.3 Sustainability The strong market presence characterised by more than 25-30 dealerships in each of its operational territories, Mercedes ensures that its within the consumers reach (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 7). In addition to this, a luxurious brand image of Mercedes along with its quality standards, enhanced security and tremendous reliability for many years has established a loyal consumer base. The company principally operates in economies of scale and as the level of sales rises the unit cost decreases which substantially circumvent the threats of new entrants in the market thereby, accentuating its long-term sustainability (Bilich and Neto 2000, p. 13). On the other hand, Tesco has not refrained from diversifying into non-food categories and has expanded its operations into other market segments including clothing, electronics, financing and others which determines that the company has the aptitude to take risk and maintain its survival on long-term basis. Tesco maintains a strong brand value w hich has been indicated by its tremendous rise in profitability by 78% through successful operations in Europe, Asia and Ireland (Usunier 2000, p. 177). CONCLUDING REMARKS The report has critically appraised on the theoretical frameworks pertaining to operation management by explicating its key components including inventory control, supply chains, capacity planning and total quality management. Case studies of one manufacturing company i.e. Mercedes and one service-based company i.e. Tesco; have been profoundly investigated to evaluate the impacts of operation management theories and application; on the innovation, competitiveness and sustainability of these organisations. To conclude, it can be stated that both Mercedes and Tesco are market leaders within their territories and the analytical report suggests that their success lies within their strategic deployment of operational and functional processes.

The Timeline of Art :: Arts Artistic Painting Painter Essays

Timeline of Art The Thread: The thread which joins all the isms in the twentieth century are its slow evolution from one period to another. As artists from one concepts were exploring a certain idea that led to another either just for the sake of the curiosity or by sheer boredom. Therefore my paper deals with the evolution of different isms in this century. Fauvism: From 1904-7, for a very brief period, a few Paris painters evolved a style of painting that earned the name Les Fauves (wild beasts). Henri Matisse, Andre Derain and Maurice Vlaminck were the major contributors to this style of painting which gained popularity due to its apparent freedom of expression with the use of pure colors and exaggeration of drawing. Among all of the twentieth century art movements, this was the most transient and least definable. The three major painters' work was highly individual and shared only for brief periods. The momentary excitement that held these painters aloft and allowed them the maximum of freedom, deserted them as their work developed and matured. The hangover from this movement led to new means of expression. It was never a movement with aims that could be realized such as successive movements as Cubism was, but was a erratic process of experiments with possibilities suggested by the post- impressionist painters. Cubism: Cubism, which began very shortly after Fauvism, is exemplified by Pablo Picasso. In this movement the flattened space including background and foreground are related in a new and more abrupt manner. The first effect is of a camera in motion, a kaleidoscopic impression of the solid portions of the figure. This certain feature can be contrasted to the impressionist movements' works. Added to this kaleidoscopic quality is another new element. Picasso and his Cubist colleagues disintegrated the form into a series of simultaneously viewed but different aspects of the same subject. A cubist painter, to achieve a greater understanding, walked about the subject, observing it from significant various angles and recording them as his impressions of form. But this procedure led to actual destruction of form and its reduction to a series of decorative elements. Negro art and sculpture had a profound effect and it was quite extensively used by Picasso. Negro sculpture approved his subject in a more conceptual way than a naturalistic depiction, mostly by a western view. This resulted in forms that were more abstract and stylized and in a sense The Timeline of Art :: Arts Artistic Painting Painter Essays Timeline of Art The Thread: The thread which joins all the isms in the twentieth century are its slow evolution from one period to another. As artists from one concepts were exploring a certain idea that led to another either just for the sake of the curiosity or by sheer boredom. Therefore my paper deals with the evolution of different isms in this century. Fauvism: From 1904-7, for a very brief period, a few Paris painters evolved a style of painting that earned the name Les Fauves (wild beasts). Henri Matisse, Andre Derain and Maurice Vlaminck were the major contributors to this style of painting which gained popularity due to its apparent freedom of expression with the use of pure colors and exaggeration of drawing. Among all of the twentieth century art movements, this was the most transient and least definable. The three major painters' work was highly individual and shared only for brief periods. The momentary excitement that held these painters aloft and allowed them the maximum of freedom, deserted them as their work developed and matured. The hangover from this movement led to new means of expression. It was never a movement with aims that could be realized such as successive movements as Cubism was, but was a erratic process of experiments with possibilities suggested by the post- impressionist painters. Cubism: Cubism, which began very shortly after Fauvism, is exemplified by Pablo Picasso. In this movement the flattened space including background and foreground are related in a new and more abrupt manner. The first effect is of a camera in motion, a kaleidoscopic impression of the solid portions of the figure. This certain feature can be contrasted to the impressionist movements' works. Added to this kaleidoscopic quality is another new element. Picasso and his Cubist colleagues disintegrated the form into a series of simultaneously viewed but different aspects of the same subject. A cubist painter, to achieve a greater understanding, walked about the subject, observing it from significant various angles and recording them as his impressions of form. But this procedure led to actual destruction of form and its reduction to a series of decorative elements. Negro art and sculpture had a profound effect and it was quite extensively used by Picasso. Negro sculpture approved his subject in a more conceptual way than a naturalistic depiction, mostly by a western view. This resulted in forms that were more abstract and stylized and in a sense

History of Web Based Learning :: Internet Computers Technology Essays

History of Web Based Learning Most students canÏ€t wait to graduate high school and move on to college. They canÏ€t wait to get away from home to experience new things. What happens if a student canÏ€t afford college or they just arenÏ€t ready to leave home? How do you complete a Masters or Doctorate program at the age of 51 with three children? This is where web-based learning comes into play. When people think of web-based learning, they tend to picture a man talking you through the computer. That is what I believed until my sister decided to get her master degree online. She worked like a dog; writing papers, attending mandatory chats online, watching videos, and implementing lessons into her classroom. It was not the easy ride that I believed. The emergence of powerful computers has rekindled the hope that machines might act as teachers and make learning easier. Each person learns in his or her own way. No matter what, people need to actively participate to absorb knowledge. Web based learning has a history that isnÏ€t just sitting back watching the computer monitor. Computers can only make knowledge acquisition more interesting or less expensive or both. This is why the student who canÏ€t afford to go to college can take some courses from home. Also, many people simply canÏ€t learn in a classroom environment. Using the web gives the learner a change of pace that makes learning fun. Many forty to fifty years olds may feel very uncomfortable walking around on a college campus. They may be seeking career changes and the Internet allows for the anonymity that is not available anywhere else. Web based learning does not have to take place solely on a college campus. Many elementary and secondary school teachers may assign web projects because à ¤since its ease of use makes the Internet trivially accessible to pupils with no prior knowledge of computers, programming or even networking, making it more tempting for teachers to take advantage of it. My teachers did not utilize the web that often, but when they did, I enjoyed it be cause it was a change of pace.

Positive Impact In Women On Economic Labor Growth

Economic growth of any country depends on the labor input of men, women and children (where the laws of such countries permit children to work) concerted efforts by all are needed to ensure economic growth, having said that, it is prudent to note without prejudice to women, that men play a big role in economic growth of states that women in most countries in the world. This is evidenced by among others the statistics of the International Labor Organization (I. L. O. ) which ranks men highly. Secondly, it can be seen from the informal sector, small businesses and number of factory workers that men are above women in terms of input towards economic growth. Much that the foregoing is true, it does not mean that our women don’t play a role in economic growth. They on the contrary play a very big role in economic growth of any country/state. They do take time off to raise children, go to work and make life easy for their husbands to go on their work with ease. (They provide a good environment for men to make the economy grow). Finally this paper is all about the role women play in economic growth. It also recognizes the challenges women have to put with while so contributing to economic growth. It also recognizes the challenges women have to put with while so contributing to economic growth. These include, family obligations, negative perceptions against them and Discrimination The survey is to analyze whether women labor ha impact on economic growth. Much has been said about women role in the society and in the economic growth both in short term and long term. This can be said that women have both negative and positive impacts in the economic growth. The results show a negative association between intermittent attachment tot he labor market for fairly related reasons and women occupations prestige in casual terms the results provide evidence that women expecting to lift the labor force tend to choose lower prestige occupation in anticipation of future career interruption. In general, analysis the micro economic implication of cynical and circular movement in the women of the labor force and changes in the intensity of female household labor. This assumes that arise in the women of the labor force stimulates the investments while arise in the intensity of female household labor raised savings. The interaction of these two effects in the context of Keynesian growth cycle model and assess the likelihood of structurally adjusting economy experiencing a recovery through women labor. This analysis shows that for a gender based recovery to succeed the impact of women labor force on investments must be stronger than the impact of raising intensity of female household labor as on saving. In general, high and high middle income countries benefit from women labor for their economic growth. Introduction That women do not contribute to the growth of the economy is a misconception that should not be allowed to stand. The input of women towards economic growth cannot be compared to that of men; women must be given their due as regards matters economic growth. This is because their contribution is hindered by many factors, including maternity leaves where they have to take time off from active employment to give birth, and raise the children, during this time; there are a lot of man hours that literally go to waste. This has to be factored in when evaluating their contribution to economic growth. Family obligations are also a hindrance to their maximum participation and contribution to the economy. Another factor is the discrimination that women face in terms of promotions at the work place, loan advancement from banks and so on. On the flip side of the coin, women play a positive impact in economic growth in terms of being home makers thus giving their men ample time to go about promoting economic growth. This paper seeks out to show the positive impact of women labor in the growth of the economy, and further to elaborate the challenges they face when going about contributing to economic growth. Much has been said about the role women play tot he economy. Whether their role has nay impact on the economy of any country and this has led to the discrimination in the labor market based on gender and distribution of workers among jobs that generates discrimination on labor market outcomes. According to Naomi Wolf 1991, (Every worker brings some physical attractiveness tot he labor market along with other attributes and most are concerned perhaps in inordinately so with this aspect of labor market characteristics. This has led tot he US coming up with anti-discrimination legislation to prevent denying employment on the basis of gender, height, weight and personal appearances. In fact, in recent past many nations and states have been attempting to improve the status of women in their society. An important element in national policies is the improvement of women’s access wider range of jobs, including those at a managerial level so that their impact can be seen in the economic growth. Countries like, Britain have introduced legislation to prevent unfair discrimination against women in their workplace. Although such legislation cannot itself bring changes sought by the government but it can serve to influence male attitudes towards the role of women into e economic growth. Attitudes towards role of women as home maker vary from one country to the other. Some countries emphasize the women’s role as wife/mother and homemaker. Their attitude are biased against women taking on anything other than relatively low-level part time work even education for women tend to be moved towards this assumption about women roles. By comparison, the expectation of men as bread winners are high and thus social action is geared to the education, training and support of men in employment and in economic growth. In such a situation the chances of women labor in economic growth are minimized since they are given jobs such as infant teaching, nursing and social works which has very low impact on economic growth. Much effort has been made recently to remove the obstacles on the roles of women in career development and equal pay. This is aimed at encouraging greater fairness towards women at work. Other efforts to improve the lot of women employee include such developments as women into science and engineering. Arguments It is true that women have positive impact on economic labor growth like Taiwan has used women to develop their economy. Increased employment is a requirement for the survival of capitalism. It is not to be confused with division in gender equality. Economic and powerful domestic interest groups, political stability and access to market provided the conditions for Taiwan to develop a viable economic policy based on experts who led to his growth of their economy. Pursuit of labor intensive export oriented development required a particular labor force one that was relatively large in number, flexible in flow and in expensive. It was only women who were to fit in this job as per the requirements since female labor were cheap, were in large number and were flexible for any job. The ready supply of female labor has reduced labor cost and increased competitiveness in the world market in addition the use of female labor has helped to ease the impact of inflation in core countries like USA, Britain for their economy to grow. The elasticity of female labor relative to male labor is indicated by the greater fluctuations in the women participation rates over time. Most developed countries have used women for their economic growth, since women operates small businesses which are known as small micro-economic enterprises as entrepreneurs. This usually makes a country to grow for example Pakistan has grown due to small micro-economic enterprises which are mostly operated by women. They assist the economy of the country by payment of taxes to the government and job creation. More so, women play a very vital role in economic growth by giving their spouses good support that is by taking care of the young ones and doing household works, which could have been done by their husband hence making their husbands more productive. Counter Arguments In fact women have negative impaction on the economic growth. This can be seen from various perspectives women employment really affects the economy of the country due to their life cycle. Women tend to withdraw from their workplace between the age 25 – 34 years that is after their marriage and the birth of the first child hence, bringing very strong negative impact tot the economy since they will be taking most of the time attending household work and taking after their children. According tot he survey women return tot work after 35 years as their family responsibilities lighten. Also the survey say the majority leave the labor market after 55 years of age perhaps to care for their elderly members of their family, while the male stay in the job market that is, contributing tot he economic growth until they reach the age for retirement and then after they look for part time jobs to work until they are unable to work, that is they contribute tot he economy to their later years. The differential impact of marital status is more obvious when one compares female and male rates while gender makes a difference in labor force participation. The difference is the smallest for a single increased employment is a requirement for the survival of capitalism; it is not to be confused with a victory in gender equality. Most women due to women little level of education affect economic growth of the economy due to most of them work they will be doing will be unskilled, and lower paying hence no impact to the economy of any state. In addition growth is indirectly affected through the impact of gender in equality on investments and the population growth since women population is high in most sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia. This has affected the economy of those countries. According to the review of economic study, July 1989 the relationship between women share of labor force of the process of congestion economic development, and macroeconomic changes associated with structural adjustment it found out that the relationship between long term development and women’s share of the labor force is U-shaped. Women contributes very little to the economy since most of their work are part time or temporary work they take these jobs in order to juggle work with their domestic responsibility that is for children when the are young and for elderly relatives when they are older. Most women who work part time or temporary employment, make counterparts make assumptions that they are not interested in promotion where they will work as senior and contribute more to the economy. Most works are traditionally structured based to suit men who can work full time, hence closing out women who usually need part-time jobs. The implication that if women are to make greater progress in obtaining managerial posts so that they can contribute to the economy as their male counterparts work must then be structures to allow for greater flexibility of working including part time work for mangers so hat women can work and contribute to the economy and it should have a great agreed career breaks, improved arrangements for introduction of women into managers, work Structuring is not only problem for the women to contribute tot he economy. Men prejudice is another. According Flanders whilst pas t experience helps us to decide how to act in the present, it is nevertheless important to see if that experience is still valid. Male in particular needs to examine their current attitude towards employment of women into managerial posts since these attitudes may not always be based on sound evidence of a women performance. There is little evidence to justify why women cannot be given good jobs so that they can contribute to the economic growth. Minor excuses cannot be used unfairly to discriminate women in good jobs. In general women needs and wants and capability arise from assumption that men make about women in the workplace. Some studies have shown that he difference in leadership style and attitude towards work is the general principle behind me towards women taking a wide range of study into account, most of the research indicates that there are few important differences between the performance of a woman and men at work, especially in the situation where they are able to compete in equal terms so woman can bring a very positive impact in economic growth ,if given chances especially if they can be given jobs which men equally do and to be recognized as employee and not as woman . Although in physical strength men are superior to woman being generally taller, large and more muscular . this doesn’t mean they can bring more impact to the economy . Nowadays when purely physical strength is called fro are very rare in the working environment and thus the physical difference between the performance of men and woman are scarcely referent . When it comes to mental, there’s no difference between the two. According to colwills (1995) in her own studies , she comments in relation to verbal skills that :among adults men have an edge in the solving of analogies , but women outperform men in most other verbal tests, including vocabulary and verbal fluency . She notes that visual spatial ability which is important for engineers, architects and air crew ,is higher among men than woman . o too is advanced mathematical ability although at lower levels of performance there is little difference between sexes col wills research suggest that even though woman are verbally superior to men ,the styles of communication they adopt are taken as assign of weakness ,especially by men who she found typically listen less than woman interrupting more and use more aggressive language. Colwill comments that the verbal style associated with woman speech are not only devalued, there is evidence that they are devalued more for woman than for men . The research shows that woman who use disclaimers are seen as less intelligent and less knowledgeable than woman who do not use these feminine style and less intelligent and less knowledgeable than men who do use them† This evidence helps to medicate the deeply in grained made dominance of work environment . it is not a question . it is not a question of men prejudice against woman in management rules but their sheet lack of experience of woman in responsible roles in the workplace . This is a reflection of organizational culture where leadership culture of work has been established by men for men. According to marshall on the topic of woman and organization culture (1993)she says that ,† I see male and female values as qualities to which both sexes have access woman and men are both the same and different Marshall argues that western society has given predominance to make values which have shaped its organization its cultural worms. They are perceived as different to men, women are considered to be inferior. On the issue of woman and leadership, early and Johnson (1990) conducted literature reviews involving 370 comparison of styles between men and woman managers . The conclusions they drew from all the studies they investigated can be summarized as follows: woman generally adopted a more democratic or participate style compared with men who tend to prefer an autocratic or directive style ,in confined settings men tended to be more task oriented than woman ,but in ordinary work situations there were no noticeable differences in task oriented style between the sexes. The difficulties face by women in attempting to break into what has been and still is mainly a mans world has been refereed to as the (glass ceiling) analogy which attempts to describe the subtly transparent barrier that prevents women from gaining access tot he more senior roles in the organizations which eventually leads tot he economic growth. Given the nature of the male dominate over the workplace, what organization can do to achieve greater fairness for women and better balance of sexes in managerial roles in only by involving more women in decision making in setting the company policies. There are several possible actions that can be taken at an organizational level to improve a fairer framework for working conditions. These are more likely to succeed if they are open to both men and women, thus avoiding possible charges either of favoring men for patronizing women. These steps include; going beyond merely supporting the often minimal requirements of legislation; increasing part time opportunities for permanent staff. Making job sharing available, where this may be practicable, given the demands of the job and the skills it require. CONCLUSION In my view it is important to mix both parties that is men and women in economic labor market by so doing no party will be seen as superior or inferior but the total growth of the economic labor growth will be achieved. From above discussion we have seen the role played by women and men, and if they will combine their skills the economy of a country will grow. In simple terms no one party can claim that they contribute more than other party?

Changing places

Change of places can be for a good or bad reason, but in my case was for the best for our family. Most couples, when thinking about divorcing are worried about their children, because everyone knows that divorce have some effects in children's. In my opinion divorce is about loss and change. When my parents divorced it was hard for my younger brother and l. But was a change for the best of everyone. We moved to Hidalgo. Around this change of place, as result of my parents' divorce, everything has changed, a new place to live, a new school and we had to grow up emotionally faster.My life as many peoples had good and difficult times, but I have learned about life struggles. I was sixteen years old when my parents divorced. One night, my brother was in his room, and I was in the kitchen. Our parents told us to come and sit down in the living room. They had to told us something. We all were sit in the room, my Mom said † your Dad and I â€Å", my Dad interrupted her, † are g etting divorce†. We were in shock. The next day my Mom told me that we had to move. She decided to come here, because we can get a better education here.We came like three times in a onto for shopping, and, to visit my aunts. But it was not the same. We had lived all of our lives in Mexico, so it was a huge change for us. At the time, when we came from Mexico, we were a little family: my Mom, my little Brother and l. It was hard because we did not have a stable place to live, we stayed with our aunt while my Mom found a place to live. Every day my Mom was out looking for an apartment or house to rent. This experience was completely new for us, we had our own house In Mexico, but my parents decided to sale the house, when they divorced.After a peoples of months; finally, my Mom found an apartment of two rooms. The first couple of months were the most difficult for us. We got in a new school, without knowing English. My brother and l, took SSL classes to help us to master the la nguage. Every day when I came back from school to our new apartment which had no furniture. At that time It was only my Mom working to pay the bills without any help from my Dad, so we did not had too much In our little apartment , only the basics. As many teenagers we wanted everything. My brother was fourteen years old, so he cannot work at the time.I was sixteen years, so I decided to look for a Job to be able to buy my personal stuffs; I got a Job in an import and export agency as secretary. After six months, my little family was more stable in all terms, but my Mom got some eye problems, so she was obligated stop working. As the oldest in my little family I had to change my part time Job for a full time Job to support them, at this point, when I changed the house obligations with my Mom, I stopped to see my family that little. My Mom said â€Å"sorry for give you this responsibility at this age† I felt myself onto a tornado, this experience was totally new.I learned to n ever give up at any change. I had to grow up more quickly, be mature to distinguish the good from the bad. Sometimes, I felt sad, because I want to party with my friends from school, but I had to work a full time Job on weekends, pay bills, drive my Mom to her appointments not give up in his studies. After all, in my Junior year I noticed that if I had finish with my credits I will have the chance to leave early instead of pm in my senior year, it was like a little motivation for me to get better in school and never give up, as my mom said † hard work always pays off'.Finally, I went to my senior year, I did all my credits, so I change my schedule to have more time. I get experience in import/export and brokers in my first Job, so I applied in a new agency as broker consultant, I get the Job and a raise too. Through, this years was a lot of stress for me have two Jobs, school and the responsibility of support my little family, at the time I was too busy thinking about my new r esponsibilities that I did not remember about my parents' divorce and the change of place. I accepted the changes.And now I had done with my high school, and still in college with new opportunities to face. Around this change I had to work for my family and my goals, everything was new, no body say, it was easy changing places, but my family did it. We changed of place for a better life, not for the reason we wanted but no matter if are good or bad the reason, the importance is to pick the good from the bad. Instead, I am an independent women, and I am making my Mom proud of me. From this change I realized that no matter how bad something seems you will always like the results at the end.

How Innovative or Original Can a Successful Artist Be? Essay

Art – How innovative or original can a successful artist be? Art is considered to vary across culture and also through time. Art considered as a masterpiece by this group of people might not even be appreciated by another group of people. Art changes through time and the value of a certain artistic piece might increase or decrease through time. Art is what defines a culture, thus it is regarded by many as the main (not sure we could say this, I think you wanted to say something else)aspect in a culture’s construction. Art function as an emotional gratification for an individual. It also contributes to social integration and it serves as a social control tool. It also preserves or challenges the status quo. Artist will usually have their image or idea embedded into paintings, dances, songs or even poems. These artists are trying to make a symbolic statement through their artwork and sometimes their arts document and convey a vast array of their own experience of life. Very good point However, art changes through time and the symbolic statement made by artists back in their days might not be understood by the modern generation and these arts will start to lose value. Music is the perfect example. The music trend changes through time. Bee Gees used to be a very popular musical group and everyone in the 60’s and 70’s knew them. As time passes, the group faces stiff competition from new and younger artists. It cannot be denied that Bee Gees is one of the most successful groups of all time, but no one can stay popular forever as art changes through time. To the older generation of 60’s and 70’s, the playing of Bee Gees music on radio recalls good old memories but the younger generation would seem to think that Bee Gees can no longer be the voice of their generation and prefer other genre of music. Being innovative or original at a certain era would bring an artist success, but these successes do not last long. good obeservation Music transfers feelings and ideas of the artists. Everyone is able to relate to a certain type of music. One of Michael Jackson’s songs, ‘Heal the World’ was a big hit when it was first released. Jackson said this is the song he was most proud to have created. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest, especially in Burundi. This song was used by Jackson as a communication tool to tell the world of the actual reality going on in countries that were still suffering from unrest. ‘Heal the World’ was used as a satire, to ridicule nations who were still in war so that they will change or stop what they are doing. Through this song, Jackson was able to produce an emotional impact and transmitted the knowledge to the public that humans should be the one healing the world and make it a better place for everyone to live in, instead of destroying it. Michael Jackson, being able to adapt to different themes and various genres, this allow him to be original and innovative and has led to him being successful. Even though Jackson has passed away, his music is still being appreciated worldwide. Anthropologists generally agreed that value of an art is based on the role and status of the artists in the community and this is further proven when Jackson’s death did raised the value of his music as he was regarded as the ‘King of Pop’ and his contribution to music, dance and fashion proved to something that will never be forgotten. Today, Van Gogh’s work sells for unprecedented prices and is some of the most treasured and highly sought after in the world. His  Portrait of Dr. Gachet  sold for $82. 5 million in 1990, making it one of the most expensive paintings ever sold. In his time, however, Van Gogh was an unsuccessful, starving artist. He produced more than 2,000 works of art, but sold only two during his lifetime. Van Gogh, suffering from mental illness and further depressed by his lack of success, committed suicide at the age of 37. His post-Impressionist style, filled with emotion, movement and vibrancy, was not popular during his life but would go on to influence decades of artists that followed, and his works remain some of the most highly regarded paintings in modern art. Van Gogh’s art was not appreciated by the people of his time because his artwork wasn’t able to communicate to the public in a way they can related to or learn to relate to. They thought he was just another want-to-be artist who wasn’t going anywhere with his artwork. This also proved that the value of someone’s art is related to the role and status of the artists in the community. Van Gogh didn’t belong to an artist organization or famous art school and his family was neither rich nor famous so he was constantly looked down and no one took him seriously. Jason Mecier creates portraits of famous celebraties using junk, sweets and pills. The San Francisco artist builds collages from unusual materials that he feels suit the personality or life of the subject. The above is a portrait of Amy Winehouse constructed from 5,000 multicolored tablets. Mecier created this portrait to honor the singer’s short life. He captured the tragic star in a poignant pose depicted by colorful medications as part of a series of mosaics inspired by celebrities who battled drug abuse. Jason Mecier used his arts to make a symbolic statement and his symbolic meanings were encoded in the materials and techniques used. He is indirectly transmitting the knowledge that drugs and alcohol abuse are deadly as Amy Winehouse died from alcohol abuse. Mecier, being an innovative and original artist, his portraits were able to gain international attention and have featured for many years in national consumer magazines and prestigious galleries. To say art provides enrichment to humankind is not exaggerating. People have been inspired by thought provoking creations, from Van Gogh’s to Mecier’s art, from Bee Gees to Michael Jackson’s music. However, being innovative and original doesn’t mean you will enjoy instant success. In fact, I think it’s that confluence of commercial success and artistic greatness that makes recent artists so successful. In previous periods, great artists were rejected in their time, but nowadays some great artists are revered in their day, rewarded with wealth and fame, without sacrificing their art.

Community Organization Reflective Paper Essay

Every little change counts, and this is what I have learned after watching this video. A few people that are committed are better than having thousands of people that do not care about anything. This is like having few people that are willing to accept change than people who embraces the old system for fear of losing what they already have. The capitalists out there though don’t seem to mind groups made of small numbers of people because of their number as they fight for social change in their area. Social change when defined is a change that is happening in the environment, in our society, in the way we deal with other people, changes in the society or within the community. There are certainly good and bad sides of social change, including having social movements and social community organization that tries to work with it. One example of social change and the movement that is associated with it is the equal right movement for blacks in the United States. There was also the movement that was established for the right of women to vote or the suffrage right for women. It only means that social change can happen globally or within the locality and it can be caused by certain aspects like religion or economic or social forces that we encounter from time to time. We also have what we call progressive organizing which is about defending the weak and providing for the needy in an attempt to have a balance world (Rubin & Rubin 2008, p.4). With progressive organizing, everyone is equal hence there is no racial discrimination and they have everyone and accepts everyone regardless of their culture and gender preference or skin color. These people are bonded with one goal and they have one belief in attaining their goal. With progressive organizing, the inequality among people and progression is being eliminated hence allowing for a more balance society both financially and economically. But there are things that even this type of movement needs in  order to succeed like infrastructure, financial assistance or fund, good leaders, trusted members and supporters that are willing to help at all costs, one vision and goal and shared value (Hardisty & Perea, 2005). Just like progressive organizing, we also have community organizing where in members of the community forms a group together to protect themselves and their love ones from possible social issues within the community. Community organizations are established with the goals that everyone is aware of like policies and rules within the community. The role of community organization is to involve everyone in the community and make them create actions for their own good. Most of the community organizations that we have are established by non-profit organizations to make people in the area work together. The key for a community organization to work is to make sure everyone is involved, empowered and aware of the importance of their presence. Here are the ten concepts that we need to have when organizing a community group: -the power to make something happen -the capability to make everyone work for the group and not for themselves alone hence makes them participate -having leadership trainings to develop members that shows potential leadership capability -to make them aware of the current political condition hence political education should be provided -give strategies on how to achieve goals -to make people do something, mobilization or making thing happen -to make them do the action, let the members participate and do their job themselves -to be a winner meaning they are achieving their goals as they wanted -to do evaluation and assessment because through assessment can they figure out which action works and which one not. From then, they can move on and improve on the current action they have and do better the next time they have a project to work on with (Getsos & Minieri, 2007). Social community groups can start by doing something that they believe is right for their community like having curfews for their children. Once the goal is established, the members can share responsibilities like who will guard the community exits and entrances to ensure that everyone is home at the said hour. Individual member can now play their role, select the part they want to play and do it for the common goodness of their community. I knew a  community where in everyone is encouraged to participate in buying the products of their fellow members before choosing other products from the market especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables which is actually good because they can now buy fresh fruits and vegetables while at the same time helping their co-members earn something. Social change is needed because there is a social problem hence in order for a social change to take effect, we must understand first the social problem we have. Identify the problem that you are havin g in the society and community and make sure that it is in fact a problem and not just a part of your cultural heritage like maybe part of your prejudistic personality. If you have a clear problem in the community, then it will be easier to device a resolution for it and this time, make sure that everyone on the organization is ready to participate and are willing to be empowered. References Hardisty, J. & Perea, A. (2005). Mapping the Progressive Movement. Retrieved from:http://www.jeanhardisty.com/essay_mappingtheprogressivemovement.html Rubin, Herbert J., and Rubin, Irene S: (2008)Community Organizing and Development; Pearson Education, Inc. New York, NY. Getsos, P. & Minieri, J. (2007). Community Organizing- what do we mean?., Chardon Press., Retrieved from: http://archive.changemakers.com/media/docs/0133_Community_Organizing.pdf 21st Century Enlightenment (2011). Retrieved from: http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/

A Worn Path Essays - Eudora Welty, Term Papers

A Worn Path In the story "A Worn Path" the main character's name is Phoenix which alludes to "the mythical bird that consumed itself in fire after five hundred years and rose renewed from its ashes. This death-birth motif gives a meaningful context for details which seem merely descriptive"(Seidl, p. 53). "Welty's main subject is the intricacies of human relationships, particularly as revealed through her characters' interactions in intimate social encounters. Welty's outlook is hopeful, and love is viewed as a redeeming presence in the midst of isolation and indifference" (One Writers Beginnings). Ms. Welty takes an old woman, Phoenix Jackson, on a seemingly impossible journey using general symbolism and Christian symbolism. She begins the journey with general symbols of everyday life. The journey itself is like life, it has its ups and downs. "The woods were deep and still" (Welty, p. 159) and "Down in the hollow was the mourning dove" (Welty, p. 159) makes the reader think of death. Other symbols that make us think of life or youth and death or age are: "Seem like there is chains about my feet" (Welty, p. 159) make it clear that Phoenix is thinking about death or slavery; "Up through the pines" (Welty, p. 159) makes the reader think of youth; "Now down through the oaks" (Welty, p. 159) is another symbol of death; "She had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps" (Welty, p. 160)is another sign of youth; Phoenix's hair and eyes also make us think of youth and death since the reader knows S. Carney 2 Phoenix is old because of the repeated use of "old," and "Granny," and "Grandma" but her hair is not gray but "still black" (Welty, p. 159); Phoenix also saw a buzzard in the field, making Phoenix think of death; "I walking in their sleep" (Welty, p. 160) is a phrase used by Phoenix as she walked "past cabins silver from weather, with the doors and windows boarded shut"(Welty, p. 160) that makes the reader think Phoenix has outlived just about everyone she has known in her life. Other symbols of death are where "the live-oaks met" ... "it was dark as a cave"(Welty, p. 161); The "black dog" (Welty, p. 161) who knocked Phoenix in the ditch; the scarecrow is a reference to death in the story because Phoenix performs a little dance of death with it; and finally how Phoenix slowly bends forward, her chin almost even with her knees as she picked the nickel up off the ground. Some of the Christmas symbols certainly portray Christian symbolism. As Phoenix crosses a log that "was laid across the creek" the reader thinks of crossing the river Jordan; Phoenix "carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella" (Welty, p. 158) makes the reader think of a candy cane; "a tree in a pearly cloud of mistletoe" (Welty, p. 159) is also another sign of Christmas; the "red and green electric lights" (Welty, p. 162); the bells ringing also remind Phoenix that it is Christmas time in the city; the lady that "came along in the crowd, carrying an armful of red-, green-, and silver-wrapped presents" (Welty, p. 163) who tied Phoenix's shoe and the attendant who gives her a nickel make the reader think of Christmas as a time for giving; as the reader S. Carney 3 thinks of Phoenix's grandson we also think of Jesus; and finally as Phoenix is going to the store to buy her "child a little windmill" makes us think of the star. "A Worn Path" suggests that "the end of the road is death and renewal of life" (Seidl, p. 54). By looking through the eyes of Phoenix the reader learns that life is a path filled with mental deaths and rebirths. Everyone is frequently close to giving up against everyday struggles; yet through equivalently frequent aids, you persist on spiritually revived. If you have a good enough cause you do not give up. S. Carney 4 Welty, Eudora, One Writers Beginnings, Internet, 1994 Seidl, Frances. Eudora Welty's Phoenix. Vol. 6 of Notes on Mississippi Writers, University of Southern Mississippi, 1974. Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet,