E Daily adult needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E Daily adult needs - Essay Example Charles Darwin explains that all living things compete for survival. In addition, individuals who appear strong have higher chances of survival in the modern world. However, strength is not defined by financial power or authority. Adults who develop the three needs in their lives gain strength that propels them to their social, economic, and political strength. Based on the concepts of survival of the fittest and struggle for existence, the three needs are important to every adult. Unlike children who depend on their parents, adults are independent. They rely upon themselves to ensure that the world is a better place for them and others. Independence, in this case, means that adults are autonomous. They are responsible for their destiny. In addition, adults should realize that every action has an opposite and equal reaction known as â€Å"consequences.† Adults ought to understand that good deeds bring forth good fruits, whereas bad deeds are detrimental to self-worth. It is prudent that adults strive to become the best at what they do; by understanding the concept of autonomy. According to the concept of survival for the fittest, adults should aim to reap the best from every activity they undertake. By doing so, they become competent in the highly competitive world. Based on the belief that no man or woman is an island, autonomy and competence develop the manner in which adults interact in the social, political, and economic spheres. Psychologists explain that extrinsic motivation is a significant component for individual success. Such motivation includes praise from the individuals who notice personal achievements. If motivation can be related to the adult needs, it would give rise to the third adult need of relatedness. Adults need to maintain healthy relationships with others by being able to relate to the achievements of the people around them. Adults achieve success by setting targets, implementing objectives, and employing the necessary

The characteristics of different world region cuisines Essay Example for Free

The characteristics of different world region cuisines Essay P1 1.1 Compare and contrast the characteristics of different world region cuisines. 1 1.2 Discuss influences in regional or world cuisine. 1 P2 2.1 Discuss how historical and geographic influences have defined the multicultural nature of food and drink 2 2.2 Evaluate developing trends in food and drink 2 Learner declaration I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. I have clearly referenced any sources used in the work. I understand that a false declaration is a form of malpractice. Student signature:[emailprotected]:10 October 2017 Introduction The cuisine is a style of cooking which is associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Food is just another way to know more about a country. Many countries have cooking traditions using various spices or combinations of flavors unique to that culture that evolves over time. There are many different cuisines as per regions like European, Caribbean, Spanish and many more. TASK 1; P1; 1.1 Compare and Contrast the characteristics of different world region cuisines. Chinese Cuisine History of Chinese food Chinese culture initially centered on the North-China Plain. The first domesticated crops seem to have been foxtail and broomcorn varieties of millet while the rice was cultivated in the south. By 2000 BC, wheat had arrived from Western Asia these grains were typically served as warm noodle-soups. Nobles hunted various wild animals. CITATION Wer16 \l 2057 (Wertz, 2016)Chinese Food:- A number of different styles contribute the Chinese cuisine but perhaps the best known influential are Cantonese cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine and Sichuan cuisine. These styles are unique from one another due to factors such as climate, geography, history, and lifestyle. Chinese Cuisine includes the following: Rice Rice is a major staple food in China. Chinese people eat rice almost every day for meals. Rice is also used to produce wine and beer. Noodles Chinese noodles are made from wheat flour, rice flour or mung bean starch. Noodles are often served in soup, with meat, eggs, and vegetables. Tofu It is the food of Chinese origin. It is made up of soy milk, water, and a curdling agent. It is served in soups, salads and stir-fries dishes. Meat and Poultry Chinese people basically eat all animal’s meat such as pork, beef, mutton, chicken, duck, pigeon as well as many others. Pork is the most commonly consumed meat. Eggs Chinese people consume eggs laid by many types of poultry such as chicken, ducks, geese, pigeons, and quails. Chinese Vegetables Chinese people are fond of vegetables especially leafy vegetables like Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, etc and also vegetables like Chinese eggplant, white radish, Chinese mushrooms, onions, etc†¦ Chinese ingredients used for seasoning It includes ginger, garlic, chilies, spring onions, and coriander. Anaphylactic Shock Milk Yeast Peanuts CITATION Chi \l 2057 (China Highlights)Indian Cuisine History of Indian Food Indian cuisine reflects an 8000-year history of various cultures. Earlier in India, the diet consists of legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products and honey. Staple foods eaten today include a variety of lentils, whole-wheat flour, rice and pearl millet. INDIAN FOOD Staple foods of Indian Cuisine include pearl millet, rice, whole-wheat flour, and a variety of lentils such as masoor, too, urad, and moong. Lentils are a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine. Lentils may be used whole, dehusked, for example- dhuli moong or dhuli urad or spilled. Spilled lentils or dal are used extensively. In northern regions, pulses such as channa or chelae and rajma are very famous. Many Indian dishes are cooked in vegetable oil, but peanut oil is popular in northern and western India, mustard oil in eastern India and coconut oil in western coast. The most important spices are whole or powdered chili pepper, black mustard seed, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, asafetida, ginger, coriander, and garlic. One of the popular spice mixes is garam masala. Each culinary region has a distinctive garam masala. Many types of meat are used for Indian cooking but chicken and mutton tend to be the most commonly consumed meats. Fish and beef are prevalent in some parts of India but they are not widely consumed except for coastal areas as well as the north-east. Anaphylactic shock Milk Eggs Soya bean Wheat Peanuts Corn Food Colours and preservatives CITATION Sub12 \l 2057 (Kapoor, 1-07-2002)Similarities between Indian and Chinese Cuisine Wheat and Rice is the staple ingredient in both regions. Both the regions eat very spicy food. Chinese cuisine Indian cuisine Peanut oil, Sunflower oil and animal fat like lard are used. Mustard oil, coconut oil and lots of ghee are used. Do not use curd. Uses curd a lot. It is common to eat beef, poultry, pork, etc†¦ India is restricted in some of the areas for consuming these things. 1.2 Discuss influences in regional or world cuisine. Food influences in Chinese CITATION pic \l 2057 (pic) The cuisine of China includes not only the cuisine originating from the diverse regions of China but also from the Chinese people in other parts of the world because of which Chinese cuisine is an important part of Chinese culture. Because of the  Chinese Diaspora  and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many other cuisines in  Asia, with modifications made to cater to local palates. Based on the raw materials and ingredients used, the method of preparation and cultural differences, a variety of foods with different flavors and textures are prepared in different regions of the country. Many traditional regional cuisines are done by basic methods like drying,  salting,  pickling, and  fermentation. CITATION Hsi04 \l 2057 (Hsieh., 2004)Food influences in Indian. CITATION www3 \l 2057 (Swad India)A huge number of religions exist in India because of which religious influence is more on Indian Food. This religious influence has  introduced the perception of vegetarianism and Nonvegetarianism. Hindus followed the cuisine as laid down by the Aryans, whereas with the coming of the Mughals the Muslims started to prepare food according to their techniques. The Muslim tradition is evident to initiate the cooking of Mughlai food, kababs, rich Kormas and nargisi koftas, rogan josh, and preparations from the clay over or tandoor like tandoori rotis and tandoori chicken. The Christians came as missionaries and they added a different flavor to the cooking style of the Indians. Jains are the sect of Hindus but their eating style varied from that of Hindus. Jainism is a religion that believes in non violence and thus refrained from eating any kind of meat or root vegetables. They consume food that grows on trees and are ripe. Influences on Indian Food au gmented the Indian Cuisine.  Thus a number of religions exist in India. The Hindu and the Muslim traditions are the two major religions which have contributed to Indian cooking. Each new religion settled in the country has brought their own culinary practices. CITATION www2 \l 2057 (India Net Zone)TASK 2; P2; 2.1Discuss how historical and geographic influences have defined the multicultural nature of food and drink Historical and geographical influences of Chinese Cuisine As early as 5000 years ago, China already had the grill, grilled fish, and other foods. In Zhou Dynasty, there was a famous cuisine called â€Å"Ba Zheng† (Eight Treasures), which was very influential for future generations. During Han, Wei, South and North Dynasties, Chinese cuisine developed rapidly and appeared many famous cuisines. The â€Å"Wu Hou Mackerel† created by Louhu of Han Dynasty was one of them. On the unearthed bamboo slips from the No. 1 Tomb of Mawangdu Ruins, there were recorded over hundreds of cuisines. In the â€Å"Qi Ming Yao Shu† written by Jia Sixie during North Wei Dynasty, there were over 200 kinds of cuisines recorded. Because of the introduction and influence of Buddhism, and the promotion of Liang Wu Di of South Dynasty, vegetarian dishes gradually had an impact on people’s daily life. During Sui, Tang and the Five Dynasties period, the designed and colorful cuisines and diet dishes also had a new development. Song Dynasty is one of the climaxes of the development of Chinese cuisine. In the restaurants of Bianjing and Linan, there were numerous cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and color dishes. The dishes were marked with South, North, Chuan flavors and vegetarian dishes, which represented that the schools of cuisines began to form. During Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty, Chinese cuisine has great development. Thousands of cuisines appeared. During this period, ethnic groups believing in Islamism moved to all the area of China, and Halal Food as a new kind of Chinese food occupied a position in China. The schools of Chinese cuisine had formed. From late Qing Dynasty, along with foreigners came to China, Some characters of western cuisines were also introduced by Chinese cuisines. CITATION Top \l 2057 (Top China Travel)Historical and geographical influences of Indian Cuisine Indian cuisine is ancient, diverse, and steeped in tradition, an amalgam of different ethnic influences, much like the country itself. The spicy food displayed at buffets in the US or the ubiquitous â€Å"curry† in Britain is only a small fraction of the variety and quality available to food lovers. Gourmet Indian food is typically associated with the food cooked in the courts of Indian royalty, particularly those of Mughal emperors in Delhi and Lucknow in North India and the Nizams of Hyderabad in the South. This food is characterized by elaborate cooking techniques and the use of expensive ingredients. However, there are thousands of hidden culinary gems to be found in kitchens, little-known restaurants, and places of worship around the country that require a discriminating palate and hence can be classified as ‘gourmet’. Religion and climate are two factors that have significantly impacted the development of cooking styles and food habits in India. Over 80% of Indians follow the Hindu religion and its offshoots such as Jainism. Hinduism prescribes respect for life forms and has contributed to the prevalence of vegetarianism in India, particularly in the North. One impact of this on cuisine is that lentils and beans are the main sources of protein as opposed to fish and meat. Although cows are sacred to Hindus, milk is considered auspicious and milk products such as curd, vegan cottage cheese (‘paneer’) and sweets made of milk solids are part of the cuisine. Spices are generously used to provide variety in the vegetarian diet. Certain sects of Hinduism forbid the use of onions and garlic in food, and so substitute flavorings such as cumin seeds, ginger, and cashew paste have been incorporated into the cuisine. CITATION htt3 \l 2057 (BriskWalkers)2.2 Evaluate developing trends in food and drinks. E-revolution from carts to clicks-  Online shopping, apps, and delivery services are transforming consumers’ access to deals, niche offerings and even full meals. While the Internet has not yet vastly changed the landscape of grocery shopping, innovations encourage consumers.Diet by DNA-  Interest in the natural and â€Å"getting back to basics† has boosted ancient grains and superfoods, fostering a principle that age-old staples are better than today’s manufactured options. Interest in historical ingredients suggests that people could make efforts to unlock the keys to their personal physiology and design diets, by connecting with their own ancestry.Good enough to Tweet-  The rise of food-centric media has sparked new interest in cooking, not only for the sake of nourishment but also for the purposes of sharing one’s creations via social media. This finds people taking divergent paths – some to become sufficiently well-rounded so as to compet e on popular television programmes, while others privately cultivate specialties.Table for one- Across age groups, more consumers are living in single-person households or occasionally eating meals alone. These meals for one require right-sized products and packaging, as well as promotions that further erode any stigma of dining solo.Fat sheds stigma- Consumers’ negative stereotype that all fat content is evil has begun to diminish. The awareness of the many sources of good and bad fats is ushering in a paradigm shift, in which fat content is not the first consideration and barrier in the search for healthy products.Eat with your eyes- Flavor has long been the core of innovation, but more visual and share-focused societies call for innovation that is boldly colored and artfully constructed. Finding inspiration in global foodservice offerings, brands can experiment with vibrant colors and novel shapes to make packaged products worthy of consumer praise and social media posts. CITATION Foo \l 2057 (Food Industry Asia)REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 2057 (n.d.). Retrieved from picstopin.com BriskWalkers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.briskwalkers.com China Highlights. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.chinahighlights.com Food Industry Asia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://foodindustry.asia Hsieh., J. L. (2004). Traditional Chinese Food Technology and Cuisine. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 147-155. India Net Zone. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.indianetzone.com Kapoor, S. (1-07-2002). The Indian Encyclopaedia. Cosmo Publications. Swad India. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.theswadindia.com Top China Travel. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.topchinatravel.com Wertz, R. R. (2016, may 2). The Cultural Heritage of China:: Food Drink:: Cuisine:: Introduction. Retrieved from www.ibiblio.org SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT RECORD SHEET Programme Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Hospitality Management. Learner Name Keerti Krishna Ratnala Assessor Name Mr. Shushant Shahade Unit No. Title Unit 28: World Food Target Learning Aims Assignment No. Title Compare and contrast the characteristics of different world region cuisines and discuss influences in regional or world cuisine. Understanding the multicultural nature of food drink in society Issue Date Interim Submission Date Final Submission Date Target criteria Criteria Achieved Final Assessment Comments P1;1.1 P1;1.2 P2;2.1 P2;2.2 Summative comments Resubmission authorization* Resubmission Date: * All resubmissions must be authorized. Only 1 resubmission is possible per assignment. Assessor Signature Date: Learner comments Learned a lot about various cuisines and their influences on other regions. Here I got to know more about Indian and Chinese cuisine like their cooking practices, important ingredients, and cultures. Learner Signature [emailprotected] Date: 45008800 QCF BTEC INTERNAL VERIFICATION – ASSESSMENT DECISIONS Programme title Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Hospitality Management Assessor Mr. Shushant Shahade Internal Verifier Unit(s) Unit 28: World Food Assignment title Compare and contrast the characteristics of different world region cuisines and discuss influences in regional or world cuisine. Understanding the multicultural nature of food drink in society Learner’s name Keerti Krishna Ratnala List which assessment and grading criteria the assessor has awarded. Pass Merit Distinction INTERNAL VERIFIER CHECKLIST Comments Do the assessment criteria awarded match those targeted by the assignment brief? Y/N Has the work been assessed accurately? Y/N Is the feedback to the learner: Constructive? Linked to relevant assessment and grading criteria? Identifying opportunities for improved performance? Agreeing actions? Y/N Does the assessment decision need amending? Y/N Assessor signature Date Internal Verifier signature Date Lead Internal Verifier signature (if required) Date Confirm action completed Remedial action is taken Assessor signature Date Internal Verifier signature Date Lead Internal Verifier signature (if required) Date

saving private ryan :: essays research papers

Saving Private Ryan June 6, 1944. Military forces converge on the beaches of Normandy for one of the most decisive battles of World War Two. America would call this a victory. History would call it D-Day. But for Captain Miller and his squad of young soldiers, the day after the landing on Omaha Beach would change all of there lives. They would get a special order from Washington ordering them to go on a personnel mission to save one life. One soldier lost three of his brothers in combat. One on Omaha Beach, one on Utah Beach, and the other in New Guinea. They realize this is not a simple mission to save a life but a test of their honor and duty. Their sole obsession-and their last hope for redemption. Upon arriving at Omaha Beach Captain Miller was faced with many problems. The Germans were awaiting the arrival of the American forces and attacked the ships landing on the beach before the troops were even able to exit the boats. Many of Millers men were lost on the beach along with many men from many other companies. Miller lead his mean along a wall on the beach and over took German forces to escape with most of this troop in tact. What he didn’t realize was that on of the men lost on the beach was a Private Ryan. Captain Miller continued to lead his men into enemy territory despite the loss of some of his men. He then reached a friendly base set up. Upon arriving at the base he received orders that his mission would be changing. He was told of the Private Ryan that died at the Omaha beach invasion. He was also told of the other two Ryan boys from Iowa that had already died in the war. He wasn’t really sure why he was being told this. Then the worst part came. He was ordered to try to find the one remaining Ryan brother. No one was sure where he was or if he was even alive. He was told of an earlier incident where three brothers from Iowa had all been killed in the war and the mother was left alone. The United States army was now ready to risk the lived of Captain Miller and seven of his men to try and save this one man just so his mother wouldn’t have to lose her only remaining son. To Captain Miller this seemed a little extreme. Think of our mothers thought Miller and his men.

The Burden of Deceit in Public Life

The Burden of Deceit in Public Life: Sissela Bok Writing to Discover Nancy, a middle-aged politician, is more than eager to be elected as her town’s mayor in the next election. With the mind-set that she will, in reality, be limited as far as what she can do to help her town as a whole, Nancy decides to â€Å"sugar-coat† her public speech. In doing this, Nancy is confident that the citizens of her town will feel both reassured and hopeful that she will make many positive changes as mayor; even if she doesn’t have the power to do so.In contrast; Tyler, a sixteen-year-old boy, has just been confronted by his girlfriend about cheating on her with her best friend. Instinctively, he denies the situation as a whole, hoping his girlfriend will believe him. Although being dishonest, Tyler feels as though it is the best decision to save their relationship and prevent his girlfriend from getting hurt. While these are both hypothetical situations, they also happen in realit y, and on a daily basis. Nancy and Tyler differ from one another in age, gender, and case-but they are very much alike in the sense that they both chose to lie.The word lie is such a harmless, three-lettered-word, right? Wrong. Lying is something that is both overlooked morally and figuratively. Regardless of what extent one chooses to lie, they are still in the wrong. I feel as though there is no â€Å"grey area† in terms of telling a lie; there is truth, and then there is untruth. With this being said, I consider all of deception, self-deception, deceit, and mendacity to be forms of lying. Deception withholds dishonesty in itself; it undoubtedly correlates to any type of trickery and or fraud.Likewise, deceit involves being dishonest as well. Whether one does this through actions or words would just depend upon the situation. Mendacity includes both lies and also self-deception, making it a more severe form of lying. I do believe that there are different degrees of lying. T here are â€Å"white-lies,† which are used in minor situations, and often used carelessly by individuals. These particular lies correlate to what was said earlier when I stated that lies are overlooked both morally and figuratively.Why do individuals feel the need to tell a so-called â€Å"white-lie† in order to impress another person, cover-up a skeptical situation, or simply for their own enjoyment? This I cannot begin to fathom. In addition, a â€Å"white-lie† is accepted by many in our world today. Humans feel as though it is rational in certain situations and can obviously prevent matters from blowing out of proportion. This is fine, until of course the first â€Å"white-lie† adds up to five, and then ten, etc. Before that person can blink, he or she has converted into a compulsive liar.After a â€Å"white-lie† comes that of a normal lie. By this I mean one that is used intentionally, and with the purpose of covering up wrong. Those who lie ab out things such as committing adultery, stealing, or even taking the life of another, are all sinners in my eyes. To prevent from making this a religious response, I will just bluntly state that if a person is being immoral in any way, shape, or form, they are in the wrong. Lying correlates to this on many levels and is simply unjust.

Fifth Business Relationship Essay

Fifth Business Seminar: Relationship between Dunstan Ramsay, Paul Dempster, and Boy Staunton In the novel â€Å"Fifth Business† by Robertson Davies, the three characters Dunstan Ramsay, Paul Dempster, and Boy Staunton all have a very complex relationship with one another. We can easily recognize Dustan’s role as fifth business, in which he affects many other character’s lives, but his role within the relationship between Paul and Boy is more important; Just as Boy and Paul are equally important in this relationship among the three of them. We can analyse the relationship, and each individual character, and a cause and effect scenario is often found. This proves that their relationship changes or at least alters each other’s lives. For instance, Dunstan Ramsay’s relationship with Boy Staunton has been an interesting one. They always come off as friend and enemy to one another, yet the relationship lasts all of their lives. From the beginning, Boy tried to make Dunstan feel lesser than him. If it wasn’t his expensive mittens bought from the city, it was the women Boy was â€Å"conquering’. Dunstan is relatively unaffected by Boy’s attempts to make him jealous, and even learns to profit from Boy’s success. Boy helps Dustan with his financial investments that pay off very well for Dunstan. If Dunstan did not have the extra money, it would have restricted him from doing some of the things he does in the novel. Like take care of Mrs. Dempster, or travel to far off places, where he runs into Paul Dempster on two occasions. Boy also confides in Dunstan on several occasions, when his knowledge of business, and financial areas are useless. He needs help with Leola on occasion, and Dunstan helps even though he has reason to take offence to Boy for â€Å"rubbing it in his face’. Leola is an example of Boy’s conquest over Dunstan; he steals away Dunstan’s love, and marries her. Paul Dempster is also woven into the relationship between Boy and Dunstan. Paul is the result of Boy’s snowball, meant for Dunstan. When they were around ten years old, an argument between Boy and Dunstan leads to Boy following Dunstan home, throwing snowballs at him the whole way. When Dustan avoids one of his snowballs, it finds its way to hit Mary Dempster. Mary falls to the ground, and Dustan witnesses a â€Å"scene’ between the Dempsters. The snowball incident sparks the early birth of Paul Dempster, so early in  fact that it almost kills him. He does however survive, but his life is miserable. When Mrs. Dempster, in her â€Å"simple’ state, commits adultery with a tramp, Paul’s life is made even more miserable. Kids at school tease him for this, and he begins to hate his life, and resent his birth, and even his mother. We know that Paul’s premature birth, and his mother’s simple state is all a result of the snowball thrown carelessl y at Dustan, by Boy Staunton. Dustan also knows, which strengthens his role as fifth business. Dunstan’s relationship with Paul would probably have never have taken place, if he hadn’t felt partially responsible for what happened on the day of his birth. Dunstan would have never led Paul to the interest in magic, which eventually shapes his life. When Dunstan performs magic tricks for Paul, he realizes how quick and adept Paul is at performing them himself. Dunstan nurtures the talent, teaching him tricks that he himself cannot perform, even at his much older age. Dunstan feels no jealously, and is probably proud of Paul’s every accomplishment. The same incident with the snowball would have also led to the relationship with Dunstan, and Paul’s mother, Mary Dempster. A very serious relationship for Dunstan, he is unsure of what his feelings mean towards the woman. He enjoys taking care of her, he enjoys talking with her, and he does this even though it brings teasing upon him at school. Later in life, Dunstan is again looking after Mrs. Dempster when her caretaker passes away. He is using funds that he gained from Boy Staunton’s financial advice, to care for Mary Dempster. While doing this, he leaves for one of his trips to study the Saints, and he runs into Paul Dempster. He chooses not to tell Mary about Paul, but eventually gets Paul to help partially pay for his mothers care. When the facts come about that Paul has been sending money, it sends Mary into a fit, and she is changed forever. She later dies, and it is difficult to say if Paul feels remorse for the woman he resents for bringing him to life. Towards the ending of the book, the three characters are all in the same room together. Dustan Ramsay, Boy Staunton, and Paul Dempster are all in a room together, and the truth comes out. Dunstan confronts Boy about the  snowball, and displays the rock that was hidden within it. The rock that brought on Paul’s birth, and made his mother â€Å"simple’ for the rest of her life. Paul now has somebody to blame for the torment that his life has been. Dunstan played his role as fifth business, and it allowed Paul to know the truth, and Boy had to confront his past. When Boy denies it all, it is clear that he has tried to forget about the past, and he has done this so well that he actually believes he didn’t do it. Paul knows better, or at least feels that he does, and Boy is found murdered the next day, with the stone in his mouth. The relationship of the three is what spurs many plots of the novel, but it really comes into play at the end of the book, when the three confront one another. Many areas of the story are a direct result, or an indirect result of the three characters having interacted with one another somehow. In the end, Dunstan tells the truth, and Paul and Boy are instantly enemies. The relationship never seems so completely dependent on each of the three characters as it does at this point, and it finishes with the mystery of which one of them actually ended up killing Boy Staunton. (provided it was not suicide)

Winslow Homers Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) essays

Winslow Homers Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) essays Winslow Homers Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) Winslow Homers Breezing Up, located on the West Main Floor in Gallery 68 of the National Gallery of Arts, perfectly captures the beauty and splendor of nature and innocence. The painting, which was completed after three years of work in 1876, is displayed among the works of other oil painters including additional works by American and naturalist painter Winslow Homer. In this painting, Winslow Homer depicts a man with three boys in a small wooden sail boat that is riding along the choppy waters. At the center of this painting is the stern or rear of the boat. The oldest of the boys is sitting on the far end of the stern with his knees up and his bare feet planted firmly on the deck. Although the subject is directly in front of the viewer, Homer uses a slightly diagonal linear perspective that goes from the rear of the boat to the right and distant horizon. It is this boy, not the man, who is steering the boat almost effortlessly with one hand on the line. His face is turned slightly away from the viewer, yet Homer adds so much detail using line and color to accentuate the boys chin, left cheek and eye. Throughout the artwork, Homers use of lines is only hinted at by the detailed contours of the figures and boats themselves. These detailed features stand out greatly against the thick layers of puffy clouds, painted with thick and loose brush strokes, which linger over the water. The use of expressive lines is also hinted at in Homers ability to recreate curves just as they would appear in nature, such as the shape and form of the rolling waves in the sea and the clouds hovering overhead in the sky. Winslow Homer also uses the technique of line of sight, in which lines are created from the two boys on the left and their father looking to the sail while the boy steering the boat is looking towards the shoreline, their destination. Implied lines may also be app...

Stephen Foster essays

Stephen Foster essays Stephen Foster was one of the most influential composers of the pre-Civil war era. He composed some of the most famous American songs ever. Among these are Oh! Susanna, De Camp Town Races, and I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair. Unfortunately, he sold the rights to some of his best songs. Stephen Collins Foster, the ninth of William B. and Eliza T. Foster's ten children (plus a son fathered by William before the marriage and later raised as their oldest child), was born July 4, 1826, in a small cottage on the hillside above the Allegheny River in Lawrenceville, east of Pittsburgh. The tenth child died as an infant, leaving Stephen as the "baby" of the family to be indulged by older brothers and sisters. Fosters music was a unique blend of minstrel and plantation melodies. The form in most of Fosters songs is Strophic. This is the most common form of music. Strophic form occurs when two or more verses of text are set to the same melody. This is evident in his songs Oh! Susanna and I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair. This is the standard form for most songs. The repetition of the melody is necessary to keep the rhyme scheme alive. Most of Fosters songs also include the accompaniment of anther instrument. Usually a simple piano or guitar was used to compliment the tone. The meter in Fosters songs is commonly Duple, as in Oh! Susana. In this song, the meter is set so that lines 1 and 3 are the same. Also, lines 2 and 4 and the second line of the chorus are practically the same. Foster also sometimes uses the Quadruple meter form. The Quadruple form has four beats per measure. The music of Stephen Foster has a lot of historical significance. His songs were written in the mid 1800s, prior to the civil war. Fosters songs set the style for the patriotic songs of the civil war. It has even been said th...

Old School Hack

Old School Hack Old School Hack Old School Hack By Maeve Maddox Before computing added new meanings to the word hack, the meaning I associated most commonly with it was â€Å"a writer who churns out unimaginative writing for hire.† This use of the word hack derives from the horse rental industry. Hack is the shortened form of hackney, a word that entered English from French haquenà ©e, â€Å"a small horse suitable for ordinary riding.† In The Canterbury Tales (c.1368), Chaucer describes the Canon’s Yeoman as riding â€Å"a dapple-gray hackney.† From meaning a type of horse, hackney came to mean a rented horse. Because hired horses were overworked, hackney and hack came to mean any person employed in servile, tedious, and tiring work. As an adjective, hackney meant â€Å"worn out by indiscriminate or vulgar use.† One could speak of â€Å"a hackney proverb† or â€Å"a hackney plot.† In modern English, the adjective with this meaning is hackneyed: His [Dreiser’s] hackneyed and clichà ©d diction occurs frequently when he is not engaged in a form of indirect discourse, as in his description of the New York theatre district. By the 18th century, the noun hackney had been shortened to hack and could mean either â€Å"a hired horse† or â€Å"a hired carriage.† In the United States, hack is still used as a word for taxicab. By the 1770s, hack had taken on the meaning of â€Å"a literary drudge, who hires himself out to do any and every kind of literary work; hence, a poor writer, a mere scribbler.† It is still used with this sense by speakers who grew up before the word became associated with computing: There is hack fiction all over the best seller list so nothing new there. [James] Patterson belongs in his own category, reserved for the hacks committed to hacking every day. [Peter] Brown is a lesser hacker. Journalists have long been referred to as hacks because they must produce daily content on a variety of subjects. The application of the word hack to prolific, high-earning novelists scorned by literary critics has produced a backlash against the pejorative use of the word hack. Writing in The Guardian, David Barnett demands â€Å"Whats wrong with being a hack?† He reminds readers that literary giant Samuel Johnson declared â€Å"No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.† Barnett sees nothing wrong with being â€Å"prolific, inventive, writing for a populist mass-market readership† and making money for it. Attempts to redefine hack as it applies to writers of fiction can only be wasted effort. The word has become too closely associated with computer use and new terminology is growing up to describe a new kind of writing: â€Å"Hacker journalists† are computer programmers who assume roles as journalists in order to affect social change. Unlike the traditional hack writer who writes only for monetary gain, â€Å"hacker journalists† pursue non-monetary rewards and seek personal fulfillment through moral interventionism. - â€Å"Muckraking in the Digital Age: Hacker Journalism and Cyber Activism in Legacy Media,† by Bret Schulte, and Stephanie Schulte, Mediac, The Journal of New Media and Culture, Volume 9, Issue 1) I guess we’ll just have to come up with a new term for â€Å"an unimaginative writer who will write any kind of drivel for money.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About HandsLoan, Lend, Loaned, LentKn- Words in English

Planning and Controlling Direct Labor Costs Essay

Planning and Controlling Direct Labor Costs - Essay Example In the current competitive business environment, companies that cannot afford to charge low prices on their products are likely to be excluded from markets. In this regard, cost cutting allows firms to employ low pricing strategy and still make profits (Burns, Quinn, Warren & Oliveira, 2013). Business costs come in many forms. As noted by Burn et al. (2013), manufacturing companies incur expenses in acquisition of raw material and labour among other things. Sometimes it is not easy to assess the value contributed to the company’s product or service by the expenses incurred. According to Burn et al. (2013), many firms find it hard to assess actual contribution of their employees to their products. In this regard, planning and control of direct labour costs is one of the most challenging tasks for businesses. This paper discusses direct labour costs in relation to a soda ash mining company called Tata Chemicals Magadi. Importance of the study Tata Chemicals Magadi has been exper iencing financial difficulties in the recent years. As a result, the company hired an expatriate in May this year to help streamline its operations. After analysing the company’s operations, Paul Patterson (the expatriate) asserted that the Magadi’s financial problems were mainly caused by poor planning and control of labour costs. He therefore proposed a plan to improve labour efficiency. He took office in July 2013 but his progress has never been assessed until today. This study aims at determining the extent to which Patterson has been successful in streamlining the company’s direct labour costs. The specific objectives include: (1) determining actual contribution of individual employees to product output in the months of September, October and November. (2) Reconciling variances and providing information that will help the company to properly plan and control its direct labour costs. (3) Enhancing maximum output from employees. Analysis Direct labour cost co mprises of human resource expenses that goes directly to processing of products or provision of services (Horngren, Datar & Foster, 2003). In a manufacturing set up, direct labour cost would be the expenses incurred in form payment of wages and other benefits to employees who are directly involved in product manufacturing (Horngren, Datar & Foster, 2003). In this regard, as pointed out by Horngren et al. (2003), benefits may range from house allowance, transport allowance, medical cover, social security contribution and workmen’s compensation insurance among other things. This excludes labour expenses related to administrative functions such as accounting, human resources and purchases departments. Some functions in manufacturing department such as supervision and other overhead costs are not part of direct labour costs (Horngren et al., 2003). Tata Chemicals Magadi mines and dries soda ash from Lake Magadi before packaging and transporting to the market. In this case, direct labour costs comprise of wages and other benefits enjoyed by employees who are directly involved in mining and drying of soda ash. There are seven plant operators in charge of mining machines and 22 in charge of driers. In addition, there are 6 drivers who operate tracks that transport wet ash from the lake to the drying plants 4 in charge of front-end loaders at mining

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Art History - Essay Example The Ramones was a rock and roll band formed in Forest Hills, Queens New York that started in 1974. In their song ‘Do You Remember Rock n Roll on Radio’, Joey sings ‘It’s the end, the end of the seventies/it’s the end of the century.’ In this context, the end of the 20th century can be termed to have come early with regard to art form expression. This can was seen in the new and bold approaches that artists sought to express their ideas and themes in art. What was regarded as contemporary in the 20th century world of art; was being replaced by romanticism and idealism that was before seen or witnessed in the art world. Art forms from the finals of the 20th and the first of the 21st centuries can be perceived to have been seemingly different from that of the 70s and late 80s. Despite these differences, the new art forms and their new ways of expression, there are similarities because they share the same themes of death, beauty, consumerism, ident ity and memorial. Of special interest and focus for this paper is the Chinese experimental art towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, which revolutionized the way that Chinese art got expressed both domestically and internationally. Towards the end of the 20th century, Chinese art was regarded as thoughtful and tightly focused on the exploration of certain themes including ruins, transience and demystification (Chilvers and Glaves-Smith 303).

GBST300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

GBST300 - Essay Example World Bank is mainly an institution concerned with development whereas the IMF focuses on maintaining orderly payment systems between countries. IMF has no subsidiaries while World Bank has subsidiaries across the world. The structure of World Bank is also more complex than that of IMF. It means different things to diverse people but the most vital aspect is the economic dimension of globalization, which has led to opening up of economies to global competition, giving room to ideas, goods, capital and people to interact and move freely between countries. Free market, justice to all people, and personal freedom are the main elements of neoliberalism. It relates to Washington consensus in the sense that it encourages economic policies that aimed at reforming and repairing the damaged economies of third world countries. Both neoliberalism and Washington consensus focus on making the world a better place to live in for all people around the world. He thinks so because via education and government accountability, poverty can be eliminated. However, the movie End of Poverty disagrees because corruption and poor policies to eradicate poverty does not exists. Poverty eradication demands sound policies and zero tolerance to corruption, which is deficient in many governments. In sum, government is not committed to eliminating poverty. The four gaps include human trafficking, lack of education, over population and corruption. These gaps make leaders in developing countries fail to take responsibility of their actions. The four traps drain most governments of the energy required to make progress in development because governments of developing nations tend to have their attention diverted to other things that just affect development negatively. As such, the countries remain contained within the poverty cycle. Globalization has destabilized the economies of poor states and uncovered people to

ACCOUNTANT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ACCOUNTANT - Essay Example One overstated expenses aggressively while the second was the true record. It was hoped that the excess amounts, once approved by the IRS, would result in an excess of reimbursement that could be fed into the revenue stream and form a source of revenue for the business. This falsification of accounts is tantamount to fraud. It is known as a ‘qui tam’ or false claims case (Eichenwald, 1998, 3.1). When the amounts involved are quite large, the danger that Alderson faced, even after termination of employment could range from permanent injury to death threats to himself and his family. After his dismissal from service, Alderson and his family were forced to move from his house in Whitefish to a cramped cottage in rural Montana where they lived frugally. It took 13 years for a decision to be made and Alderson to be awarded with damages that were sufficient enough to cover his expenses and let him live a comfortable retirement. The principle that Mr. Alderson committed himself to after watching a partner sign an Audit Report at Arthur Anderson was that the signing had better mean that whatever was being committed to was correct and true to the best of the accountant’s knowledge and the opinion that they gave was without prejudice and vouched for the integrity of the records that they had checked and

Social Welfare Policy in the US Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Welfare Policy in the US - Assignment Example There was also an indication of the growth of private employment in a period of 54 months after the enactment of the Recovery Act by Obama and the Congress in February 2008. The second part looked into the effect of the recession on the economy, and it was notable that the GDP was far below what the economy was potentially able to produce. Job losses were never known before. With the recession ending in June 2009, the unemployment rate in August was still at 6.1% confirming high rates of unemployment. The distribution of jobs in the population fell to levels that had not been witnessed since the 1980s. The recession also caused a long-term unemployment rate rise to levels never witnessed in six decades with levels of 1.9% in August 2009. The labor market was considerably affected by the unemployment rate reaching 12.0 percent in August 2014. Job seekers exceeded job opportunities at times with seven people seeking employment for a single job opening. The last part considers evaluating the extent of damage of the recession if the financial stabilization and the fiscal policies adopted were not used. It has been recorded that the GDP would have decreased with the absence of the recovery act and at the same time, the rate of unemployment would have increased considerably an estimation of 0.1 to 0.4% higher in 2010 if the recovery plan was not adopted. The Strength of this policy is that it offers the employed with financial protection thereby making sure that they are not financially exploited. The policy helps maintain financial levels that can effectively better the lives of citizens through better incomes. The policy sets a minimum amount wage for other state governments and thereby universally protecting the citizens from poor pays. The Weaknesses of this policy is that employees may be compelled to raise their prices to customers in order to cover the high wages  making the policy less effective.  

ACCOUNTANT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ACCOUNTANT - Essay Example One overstated expenses aggressively while the second was the true record. It was hoped that the excess amounts, once approved by the IRS, would result in an excess of reimbursement that could be fed into the revenue stream and form a source of revenue for the business. This falsification of accounts is tantamount to fraud. It is known as a ‘qui tam’ or false claims case (Eichenwald, 1998, 3.1). When the amounts involved are quite large, the danger that Alderson faced, even after termination of employment could range from permanent injury to death threats to himself and his family. After his dismissal from service, Alderson and his family were forced to move from his house in Whitefish to a cramped cottage in rural Montana where they lived frugally. It took 13 years for a decision to be made and Alderson to be awarded with damages that were sufficient enough to cover his expenses and let him live a comfortable retirement. The principle that Mr. Alderson committed himself to after watching a partner sign an Audit Report at Arthur Anderson was that the signing had better mean that whatever was being committed to was correct and true to the best of the accountant’s knowledge and the opinion that they gave was without prejudice and vouched for the integrity of the records that they had checked and

Manage budgets and financial plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Manage budgets and financial plans - Essay Example At present it is not unusual to have the budget function report to levels of management on top of the controller. Even though it is still accommodating for the budget director to report to the corporate controller, the approach toward reporting to a higher level is acknowledgment of the necessity to have the budget function commonly based in all operating areas of the business. Budget committee of Swann Communication is composed of representatives from most operating areas. This composition promotes synchronization. If correctly administered, the budget committee can achieve the exceptionally useful role of encompassing and reconciling the numerous diverse interests that make up a modern business. An effective budgeting system assists control. The budgeting system must fit the Swann Communication's operational control needs. The budget is considered as management's quantitative expression of plans for a forthcoming period. Budgets are prepared at different levels of the business. The Master budget is defined as the general financial plan for the period, which suggests the company's goals and objectives (Kemp, and Dunbar, 2003). Master budget of Swann Communication composes operating and financial budgets. The Operating budgets demonstrate the business' planned sales and operating expenses. The Financial budgets mirror financing plans such as borrowing, leasing, and cash management. Budgeting, when done correctly, can serve as a planning and controlling system. Swann Communication's goals and performance objectives are documented in financial terms. Once formulated, these plans are used all through the year. The monthly performance reports compare budgeted results with actual results. Management can inspect the performance reports and take required corrective actions to control operations. The role that successful budgeting plays in the management of Swann Communication is best understood when it is associated to the essentials of management. Numerous existing d efinitions of Swann Communication management can be expressed in terms of five key functions: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Planning and budgeting present a basis for assigning financial resources established on operational plans and objectives. For the reason of the intensifying complexity of business for the reason that of the movement in the direction of decentralization in big endeavors, augmented attention is being given to superior planning and control procedures. The management of Swann Communication must first plan. Plan is carried out by organizing, staffing, and directing operations. To control operations, management must institute proper techniques of observation and reporting to establish how actual results compare to plans. The budgeting is concerned mainly with the planning and controlling functions of management. Looking at how a budget is fabricated in the company will provide several insights into the fundamental aspects of budgeting. Primarily, the controller receives the operating plans of the line managers and other department heads and explains these plans into a comprehensive projection of financial condition and operating results. Final judgment should not be made until the outcome of the plans can be estimated by the CEO in terms of the impact on company resources and profits. Planning is considered to be future-oriented. The plan identifies

Prejudice, Stereotype, and Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Prejudice, Stereotype, and Discrimination Essay Have you ever gone a day without judging someone? Probably not. It is so easy to judge others without even meaning to do it. In the textbook Education Psychology, Anita Woolfolk describes prejudice as â€Å"prejudgment or irrational generalization about an entire category of people† (Woolfolk, 2008). Prejudice is a major problem in everyday lives. It is happening all around us. Prejudice can be a positive or negative thing. It is usually negative, brings people down, and not all the way true. Discrimination is â€Å"treating or acting unfairly toward particular categories of people†. (Woolfolk, 2008) Conflict Research Consortium says â€Å"Prejudice and discrimination are negative manifestations of integrative power. Instead of bringing or holding people together, prejudice and discrimination push them apart†. (Prejudice and Discrimination, 1998) Prejudices can be judged by race, appearance, gender, values, location, and religion. By about the age of four, children are aware of differences among people, like appearance, language and names. Later they become aware of religious and cultural distinctions. â€Å"Young children will not develop biases unless their parents teach them to be prejudiced. Even without direct coaching from their parents, many young children develop racial prejudice†. (Woolfolk, 2008) It is sad that children are learning about racial prejudice at such a young age. Young children may or may not be aware of the special treatment boys tend to receive from their teachers over girls. They are very much aware that their feelings, opinions and beliefs receive less consideration because of their youth. When children approach adolescence, they become more alert of the subtle prejudices about the differences in social class and religion. Stereotyping is a â€Å"schema that organizes knowledge or perceptions about a category†. (Woolfolk, 2008) It is so hard not to stereotype others. Stereotyping organizes what you know or believe about people into groups. People use stereotypes to make sense of the world. Stereotypes distort information to fit your thinking better. â€Å"Prejudice creates social and emotional tension, can lead to fear and anxiety and occasionally hostility and violence, and can ruin the self-esteem and self-confidence of those being ridiculed and make them feel terrible, unaccepted, and unworthy. Children’s school performance suffers, they may become depressed and socially withdrawn. † (Prejudice, 2007) Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination have been going on for a long time. African Americans were considered worthless a long time ago. They were used as slaves. There were segregated schools, buses, and stores. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his speech about whites and blacks should be treated equally. The laws started to change after that point in time. I do not think prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination has gone down. I think it is still a big factor in society. This parenting website I looked at said this â€Å"children are also being exposed to different cultures through the media. They are learning and forming opinions about people and events all over the country and the world. As a result, there is more of a need and opportunity to help children learn to understand and value diversity. † (Prejudice, 2007) Children need to know why people are different and do things differently. Media is still a big part of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Children see what actors and actresses wear and how they act in movies. They see the commercials about food (if I eat this, I will look like that). I think as teachers and parents we need be good examples for children today. They should not say bad things about people in front of children. Teachers and parents need to tell children that it is okay to be friends with a person who is different. I found an article on this website that parents have asked some questions about prejudice. Some of the questions are â€Å"Is there prejudice in public schools? Yes. Do educators hold different expectations for minority children? Yes. Are children denied access to advanced or gifted placement classed based on racial biases? Yes. Can the battle against prejudice in public education be successfully fought and won? Yes†. (Prejudice and Discrimination In Public Schools, 2001) I really like the last question, prejudice can be fought and won. It all starts at home, parents are their child’s first teacher. Children see what their parents say and how they act. One example of stereotyping that I thought of was that I did an internship my senior year of high school. I helped a second grade teacher. After a couple of times going into the class, the teacher would always whisper to me about this little girl. She says she never gets anything right, she always has messy hair, she is always talking, and the list went on and on. One Sunday I was at church and I saw that girl. I told my mom what the teacher had told me about that girl. My mom said that she has had a hard couple of months. She told me that the little girl’s mom had left her and her family. I felt really bad for the girl. After that day, I started to recognize the girl. I would say hi to her when I would see her. I did not care what she looked liked. To this day, the girl always comes up to me in church and gives me a hug. â€Å"Stereotyping often results from and leads to prejudice. Prejudice leads to discrimination. Prejudice can be spread by the use of propaganda. Language, particularly slang, is often used to dehumanize members of certain groups of people†. (Grobman, 1990) All three of these judgments go together. It is hard to do one without doing the other two. It is really bad that people rather make judgments about people than getting to know them. People really need to take the time to know the person or group of people before they start making judgments. It is sad that young children are making judgments about people. Parents and teachers need to turn prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination around. It can be fought and won. Works Cited Grobman, G. M. (1990). The HolocaustA Guide for Teachers. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from A Guide for Teachers Web site: http://remember. org/guide/History. root. stereotypes. html Prejudice. (2007, June). Retrieved November 29, 2009, from American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www. aap. org/publiced/BK5_Prejudice. htm Prejudice and Discrimination. (1998). Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Conflict Research Consortium: http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/problem/prejdisc. htm Prejudice and Discrimination In Public Schools. (2001). Retrieved November 29, 2009, from The Public School Parents Network: http://www. psparents. net/Prejudice%20%20Discrimination. htm Woolfolk, A. (2008). Education Psychology: Active Learning Edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

The Strategic Planning Of British Airways

The Strategic Planning Of British Airways The purpose of making this report is to provide British Airways (BA) with a strategic plan for future improvement. In the airline sector British Airways known to be the UK market leader, but for the last decade British Airways has been challenged by other competitors, resulting in wearing down in their market share. The report in detail analyzes the overall environment of British Airways. This report also describes the organizational structure and other important aspects of the organization. In this report through strategic assessment, recommendation has been given to British Airways to concentrate on their primary qualities like service delivery in order to re-establish their competitive advantage. There are two strategies which British Airways will have to implement, one is related with the HR development strategy and the other is to concentrate on technological improvement. In the UK British Airways Plc (BA) is the biggest international scheduled airline. It flies to more than three hundreds destinations and carries more than thirty three million passengers. According to British Airways annual report 2008 approx  £8.7 billion of revenue was earned and according to (Data monitor, 2008) total numbers of employees as of march 2008 stays at 42,377. Along with the passenger flights British Airways engaged in the operation of domestic and international carriage of mail and shipment. Regardless of the global economic downturn, British Airways future seems promising. According to latest yearly report (British Airways, 2008) which stated that British Airways objective is to become worlds most dependable airline. Strategic Corporate Development History: British Airways came into picture after the merger of the British European Airways and British Overseas Airways Corporation. After the merger, British Airways had faced numerous problems and issues such as the cultural difference. British Airways was facing noticeable problems in cross national operations and acquisitions. According to Lubatkin Calori it was the different organizational culture and organizational culture entrenched in different national culture which was coming together (Very, Lubatkin Calori, 1996). Problem arose when employees from different organization, different background and culture had to interact with each other and when one culture had to adopt the practices of the other culture (Schneider and DeMeyer, 1991). The main reason of the problem was the mind-set of employees, different employees would think in different ways. So, coming on the same page was little difficult for the employees. Another difficulty or problem faced by British Airways is in terms of its obligatory management system. British airways have compliance with its strict policies and regulation like status difference in an organization due to various dress codes. Too much rule oriented in the management is creating problem among staff. Along with those problem another problem was arose by the new management, they were unable to identify the proper need and want of the customer. Because company has given importance on its internal management approach and focus on holding its diverse routes which resulted on unsatisfied customers. Effects of Conflicts: These problems and conflicts between management had a bad and harmful effect on the new company. British Airways has been considered as the most disreputable company because of its poor service. In addition, the organizations operation has been pretentious and in 1980 the company had been regard to have the worst timekeeping record all over European carriers flying from UK and named as the airline to circumvent. This resulted in the extensive loss for the company. Management Change at the British Airways: After being named as the airline to avoid, British Airways had to look for some changes within the organization. As a result they considered vital management changes, called change management. Some big changes were made by John King who was appointed as the chairman of British Airways by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1981. The new appointed chairman had made some changes like closing many routes, selling off the freight system and aircraft, along with these actions he also lay off approximate twenty thousand employees. According to Carlopio change may be called as the implementation of an innovation, it can be done through an adaptation of practices in which improvement will be seen in the output (Carlopio, 1998). British Airways has recognized the need for change in order to gain competitive advantage. Colin Marshall took charge as the Chief Executive Officer of British Airways in 1982. In this period British Airways was making its first surplus, but this was happening in the effect of the changes made by John King in which he tried to cut the cost. Colin Marshall wants to know about the staff and what they deliver to the customers, so he hired consultant. Later Marshall found out that there is a huge gap between what the employees are delivering and what the customer actually need. For this reason, Marshall took initiative in changing the system from staff oriented to customer oriented company through the formation of customer is king policy culture within the British Airways. This approach of satisfying customer continued until the late 1990s and to keep the employee motivated, Marshall introduced Award for Excellence in 1987. The main objective of this strategy is to appraise high performers and motivate employees to efficiently do well in satisfying customers and fulfil customers needs. Another good change made by Marshall for employees was to work with Lancaster University to provide MBA course for British Airways employees. Additionally, the organizational structure of British Airways also changed to a much flatter and smartest structure. Five sectors of the company are directly reporting to the CEO and eleven profit hubs were formed. These structural changes aimed to boost the staff assimilation and communication within British Airways. Extra pay scheme and appraisal system was also introduced by the management on the basis of satisfying customers and being consistent at work. It included key investments in planes, ground facilities and Information Technology in order to stick to the needs of its customers. All the major changes were happened after privatization of BA in 1987 and took over British Caledonian Airways in 1988. Changes Helped the Organization: The main goal of all the changes which are imposed by British Airways is to make the industry sustain its position in the marketplace and become competitive in the airline sector. The result of the changes were positive, the company had become more customer oriented by giving excellent services. All the hard work and dedication of the management paid off when British Airways was nominated to receive the worlds best Airline award in 1989. It was a prestigious award for British Airways and it helped the organization to be efficient and productive. Without HR effective strategies, it is difficult to be strong and competitive in the market, so in this case Human Resource Management strategies were the key elements to help the company achieved competitive advantage and the prestigious award. Problems Due to Management Change: Like in any other organization whenever there is a change in the management; problems and issues arises, same case with British Airways during and after the management change, it faced different problems. At one side these changes were able to give British Airways the position it deserved in the market and on the other hands this management change was causing some problem. The problem wasnt related with the employee performance or its achievement, this problem tends to be associated with the employee. The problems were recognized was the behaviour of a number of employees which causes internal problems to the operation of the company. Response of the British Airways to Problems: British Airways was outstanding in 1999; in that year it faced so many problems and conflicts and used effective approaches to solve such issues. British Airways introduces e-commerce strategy to increase online sales. (BA) was also offering flat beds, laptop, and for business class passenger they offered email, phone and fax facility to provide full satisfaction to its on board customers. British Airways focuses on having good employee relationship and customer relationship, so it brought back its policy of putting People First. By doing this they had satisfied millions of customers and employees as well. This strategy of putting People First had made a great impact on the mind of their customers in a positive way. Current Strategic Situation: Corporate Level Structure: At a corporate level, BA has a good quality structure. There is a fresh Acting Customer Director on a provisional basis, Silla Maizey (British Airways, 2008). She has initiated a fresh customer service squad working with Heathrow Customer Services, intended to put client first. Utilizing the present structure in order to apply recommended strategy, it is suggested that an enduring director must be hired. In reference to technological strategy, no adjustments in the present structure are needed because current system of BA is accordance with the technological aspects. Business Level Structure: At a business level all division are bound to make such policies which will implement strategy effectively and efficiently, all the staff should be bound to follow strategic rule accordingly. Every division should also adapt the corporate level goals specifically to its own aims. This will assist to make value for brand, perk up its client relationship and help to accomplish the settled goals. Functional Level Structure: Each function should be harmonized with each other to achieve organizational objective effectively in a synchronized manner. All the strategies and functional objective should be aligned as well it will help each function to determine whether these functional departments are in lined with the corporate department. Adequate instruction on the fresh involved technology will be needed on continue basis to make certain that workers are completely know to that service. Organisation and Stakeholder Power It is significant to assess the expectations of diverse stakeholders and the degree to which they are likely to influence over BAs strategies. Followings have interest power on company; Charity Organizations Government/Regulators Customers Creditors Workers Rivals Suppliers Financial Associations Shareholders Stakeholder Map: INTEREST LOW HIGH POWER HIGH LOW Charity Organizations BA give cash to some of listed aid organizations in UK (British Airways, 2008) smallest impact on the strategies. Government/Regulators Fresh legislation (if initiated) will have a large impact on the company. Customers Customers give the entire sale but show less curiosity in how the corporation is administered. But they have a large impact therefore; the basic objective is to create more customer satisfaction. Creditors Should be kept knowledgeable due to cash yet to be paid though this will not impact on the options implemented at BA as they have an excellent credit ranking (Financial Analysis). Workers Are the important parts of BA, likeness workers having the power to satisfy customers. Workers have a vested awareness as BA gives their financial safety. The personnels at BA are deeply unionised, this add to the power of the workers. Rivals BAs key competitors within their strategic group have a large interest and power in manipulating BAs strategy. The oligopolistic character of the marketplace will have an effect on the choices BA takes. Suppliers Two airline suppliers, Boeing and Airbus. Both have a high interest and power upon BA, as BA is a giant source of earnings for both suppliers and BA also rely upon them for supply. In short suppliers are more focused toward BA strategies. Financial Associations Monetary support perhaps will be required from Financial associations to finance these strategies and yet despite the fact that BA has lesser its gearing ratio and enlarged its liquidity. In the present circumstances the associations have large power over BA and can reject monetary assistance. Shareholders Shareholders have a large interest as to gain financial profits. They have large input in choosing board members and approving fresh strategies. The shareholders have to be well educated about the threat of new strategy and expected profitability about the firm. PESTEL Analysis Internal Analysis: It is now necessary to examine the internal environment in order to devise appropriate strategies. Value Chain Analysis (VCA): SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE Structured hierarchy let BA to utilize multitude of expert knowledge in order to achieve competitive advantage over downsized companies. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Spend in the advancement of customer service training in 2007 drawing attention of the most excellent workers. Speak Up view surveys give confidence workers to give opinions (British Airways, 2008). TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT BA has supplemented value in this category over minor corporations, due to relaxed resources that can improve the presentation of service (e.g. LCD screens). PROCUREMENT Due to the volume and past business dealings and coalitions, BA was capable to influence suppliers and by economies of scale create efficiencies where rivals might loss. PRIMARY ACTIVITIES INBOUND LOGISTICS Stock handling Far above the ground quality training credited by City Guilds (British Airways, 2008). On-going association with suppliers (e.g. Gate Gourmet.) OPERATIONS Baggage security has been increased. Rapid check-in services and safe online bookings with capability to pre-book added services. OUTBOUND LOGISTICS Customer Service Huge database of airport slots allow travellers to access the bulk of destinations from favoured airport. MARKETING SALES Marketing conversation to all stakeholders. Brand permitting for large budget to be used up in this field. POST SALE SERVICE Allegiance club card. Update conversation on other services BA has tried to organize the system additionally by forward and backward alleviation. Through handling numerous component supplies in-house, BA boosted their reach in the value system to the supplier and channel value chains. Resource Based View (RBV): It is considered that corporation competitive advantage and greater performance is resulted from its distinguishing capabilities (Johnson et al., 2008 p95). The resource based view highlight BAs resources and competencies as below: RESOURCES COMPETENCIES THRESHOLD CAPABILITIES Threshold Resources Tangible 245 aircraft flying over 550 different places (British Airways, 2008). Supplementary services (e.g. BA Holidays The London Eye Company (Datamonitor, 2008)). Intangible Worldwide Customer Database. Joint ventures coalition with one world (incl. American Airlines), code share/franchise partners, and subsidiaries. Threshold Competencies Training of ground school, flight simulators, and cabin security training (BAFT, 2009). Economies of Scale from suppliers. Capability to fly passengers securely to various routes and handle passengers (Davies, 2000). CAPABILITIES FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Exclusive Resources Tangible Sole access to London Heathrow Terminal five (BBC News, 2008). Intangible Highly regarded brand image. BA is familiar worldwide as a good reputation brand, toughened by its long-standing survival within the business. Core Competencies Open Skies subsidiarys aircraft never have above than 64 travellers per flight, with 1 assistant per 12 customers (British Airways, 2008). Initial UK airline known as a training centre by the City Guilds, qualifying all cabin crew with NVQ Level 2 (British Airways, 2008). SWOT Analysis: It is significant that strategic formulation is reflective of BAs strengths and weaknesses comparative to competitors and the opportunities and threats presented by its outside environment (Pitts Lei, 2003). Internal Strengths: Brand likeness Joint ventures coalitions Financial volume and steadiness Internal Weaknesses: Bad worker relations history Dependability and trust Modernization modification External Opportunities: SkyTrax Quality structure Rivals forced exit Rivals deteriorating on delivering dependability Appearance of new markets External Threats: Open Skies accord Environmental consciousness Worldwide economic crisis Lesser cost competition Different Aspects of Proposed Strategies: PESTEL Worldwide economic crisis. High regulatory requirements. Growing environmental consciousness. Turn down in consumer expenditures. Greater than before utilization of the internet by consumers. Centre their attention on technological and environmental matters. Customer Analysis Consumer tendency in far above the ground expediency and elevated expectations of service. Make certain changing customer needs should be tackled and fulfilled Strategic Group Analysis Strong rivalry within strategic group and tendency for consolidation. The major other intimidation comes from low cost airlines. Though low cost airlines are the major threat to BA, stirring into low cost market is not believed suitable based on earlier unsuccessful attempts. Airline Quality Review BA = bad baggage managing poor on flight amusement and low customer contentment. Service excellence requires to be enhanced to achieve a competitive advantage The Value Chain BA adds value; financial volume and steadiness, brand likeness, business expertise, and joint ventures and coalitions. BA loses value to rivalry; worker relations and performance, marketing delivery, dependability, and slow modernization. BA requires addressing the areas where worth is being missing to avoid offensive rivals strategies. Resource Based View Tough resources including sole access to hub inside largest UK Airport. Tough training competencies. Make use of BA core competences to get competitive advantage. Financial Analysis Greater than before profits and lower operational costs. Lesser gearing ratios and elevated liquidity. Option of a loss in 2009 as a result of the economic recession. Investment resources on hand greater than before inspection on strategic projects for risk evaluation. Strategic Direction for the Future TOWs Matrix A range of strategic options will now be formulated using the TOWs matrix to resolve the strategic issues highlighted from the analysis. External Opportunities Threats Skytrax- star structure of excellence Rivals forced exit Rivals deteriorating on delivering dependability Appearance of new markets Open skies accord Environmental consciousness (Climate change bill) worldwide Economic Crisis lesser cost rivalry Internal Strengths Brand likeness Joint ventures and coalition Financial volume steadiness Terminal 5 Strategies for strengths to meet opportunities: Division focus. Supply chain migration. Introduction of admiring services. Present Broader service Strategies for Strengths to defend threats: Reformation of brand likeness. Expand into other transport markets. Weaknesses Deprived worker relations history Current negative attention on dependability conviction Rapid modernization and modification Strategies for opportunities to overcome weaknesses: Enhanced people processes. Technological improvement Strategies for Weaknesses not to expose threats: Enhanced environmental position Ansoffs Matrix: Strategy Linked to Ansoff Strategic Options Explanation 1. Market Infiltration 1. Enhancement to people processes Decrease present tension from harmful worker and customer relations. 2. Enhanced environmental position. Go over and beyond the present environmental needs. 3. Reformation of brand likeness. Reformation and modernization of brand likeness in an effort to gain market share. 4. Division focus Giving centre of attention on business class consumers as the most Lucrative segment of the business. 2. Product Growth 5. Technological improvement. Opening of internet access on flights to perk up the overall excellence of service. 6. Introduction of admiring services. Presenting of admiring services such as car rental or hotels. 3. Market Expansion 7. Present broader service Add to number of places BA fly to, put centre of attention on places of growth Such as India and China. 4. Diversification 8. Expand into other transport markets. Broaden your horizons into substitute services such as rail, in an effort to preserve competitive advantage. 9. Supply Chain integration. Vertical integration in the supply chain. I.e. Gate Gourmet or Boeing. Strategy No.1: People Processes Aim: Enhanced stakeholder brand likeness productivity Objectives: Make use of databases. Perk up service delivery effectiveness. Develop internal communication. Put into practice efficient review monitoring. Performance Measures: Income margin add up to of 2 3%. Amplified repeat purchasing by 25%. Enlarged consumer recommendation from 58% (2007/08) to 69%. Improve worker survey rate from 34% (2007/08) to 79% Strategy No.2: Technological Advancement: Aim: Customer Loyalty Market Share Objectives: Following progression with test internet execution, roll out internet and on-board internet facility. A suitable pricing strategy involving admiring service for first class whilst targeting business class as the main lucrative market. Constant market research to make certain that this is an appreciated service and seek chances for further growth Performance Measures: Put in equipment on 244 aircraft which were left. Amplify business class market share by 11%. 79% of business class consumers buying internet usage. Pursuing RD put into practice 1 new technological service. Future of British Airways: The corporation is still in front of great problems in spite of its plans and modification imposed. In this case, the Gate Gourmet increases up in the cause of the troubles in terms of the BAs brand likeness. Such argument has shaped up a concept that the business practices imposed by British Airways is not pertinent to what it demonstrate in its company images. With this, the administration is now trying to look for some strategies and methods to resolve these troubles with different strategy and along with these marketing communications will be utilized as well. In addition, the present administration also understands that the lack of leadership and entrepreneurial capability have been the root cause of all the troubles faced by the corporation. Recommendations: It appears that the main reason of the troubles faced by British Airways is due to the unplanned management transformation imposed. Additionally, the troubles also occurred because of the insufficient awareness about the strategic management system and along with the other administrative system. Strategic management is the course of identifying an organisations intentions, creating policies and plans to attain these intentions, and assigning resources, so as to execute the plans. It gives overall track to pursue to the whole enterprise (Abell, 1999). It can be sighted as a set of theories, frameworks intended to give details of the issues underlying the performance of corporation and to help managers in viewing, planning and acting tactically (Campbell, Evans Stonehouse, 2002). Conclusion: As the main objective of this assignment was to study Longitudinal Strategic Development of company for that reason one of the best airline of UK has been selected, as per requirement different analysis has been made with reference of the British Airways which includes Strategic Corporate Development History, Current Strategic Situation and Proposed Strategic Direction for the Future. Different methods were used to analyse and review British Airways current strategic situation for instance SWOT Analysis, Resource Based View (RBV), Value Chain Analysis (VCA), PESTEL Analysis, and Stakeholder Map. For Proposing Strategic Direction for the future, TOWs matrix to resolve the strategic issues highlighted from the analysis. As an outcome of the external and internal examining a number of strategic options were given. It was stated that a collective strategy method to perk up service quality was considered most appropriate. Due to the present business climate the most appropriate strategy is to consolidate BAs status as market leader. Due to lack of primary research and limited access to corporation information there might be some lacking in findings and proposed strategies, if the general direction of recommended strategic intent will lead BA to victory.

Organizational Structures Essay -- Organizational Development, McShane

Introduction McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy† (409). To identify the best organizational structure for Protegà © Engineering, I will first determine what ‘Organizational Structure’ means. In a second step I will analyze its elements and carve out the important components for the considered organization. Finally I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Organizational Structures In general, organizational structure is related to the way that an organization organizes employees and jobs, so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met. McShane and Von Glinow define ‘Organizational Structure’ in more detail; they state that organizational structure â€Å"refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities† (386). To understand what this means we will have a look at each component. The division of labor is related to the â€Å"subdivision of work into separate jobs assigned to different people† (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The patterns of coordination refer to the coordinating of work activities between the employees where they divide work among themselves. This process requires coordinating mechanism to ensure the workflow, which means that everyone works in concert (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The primary means of coordination are informal communication which involves â€Å"sharing information on mutual tasks and forming common mental models to synchronize work activities†, Formal hierarchy which refers to the â€Å"assigning legitimate power to individuals, who then use this power to direct work pro... ...ble when the merging organizations operate in different industries or countries because cultures differ between industries and countries (McShane and Von Glinow 428). Conclusion and recommendation The integration process of merging companies is a combination of the existing cultures into a new culture that maintains the best features of the previous cultures, and it is most likely to succeed when existing cultures already need improvement so that employees are motivated to accept change. This strategy is particularly challenging when the members of the organization are satisfied with their previous culture because they will be resistant to change. Another very important factor for the success of mergers is the level of commitments made by the employees. Therefore, employees should be brought into the process as early as possible (Badrtalei and Bates 314).

Explore the ways in which Collins presents the relationships between men and women in The Moonstone Essay

Explore the ways in which Collins presents the relationships between men and women in The Moonstone. Do male or female characters have more influence in the novel? In this essay I will explore the relationships between male and female characters in the novel ‘The Moonstone’. This essay will evaluate all of the key characters, from the annoyingly religious Miss Clack to the caring and loving Gabriel Betteredge. I will explore the characters personality and decipher whether male or female characters have more influence in the novel. The book is split into eight narratives written by different characters to show what each character is thinking and to give different perspectives as the events unfold. This technique also adds tension as certain secrets are hidden from individuals so not everyone knows the whole truth. Out of the eight narratives only one is written by a woman (Drusilla Clack) whilst all the others are written by male characters. The female characters in the novel are all very atypical, as they stand up for themselves and do not just give way. This was uncommon in the Victorian era as women had few rights and were not expected to be hot tempered. Miss Rachel, a young lady born into a rich family, acts in an unlady-like manner at certain points in the story, especially when she refuses to give information on what she knows about the diamond. Betteredge, one of the characters who knows Rachel Verinder best, said that he could â€Å"Call to mind, in her childhood, more than one occasion when the good little soul took the blame, and suffered the punishment, for some fault committed by a playfellow whom she loved†. This aspect of Rachel’s character and personality is shown many times in the novel, for instance, when she refuses to talk about the diamond for Franklin Blake’s reputation would be shattered if she spoke. This gives the reader the impression that Rachel values her friends and family and she is a women of her word. This adds suspense to the novel and greatly effects the plot as if she had revealed what she knew then Franklin Blake would have been arrested and would not have had a chance of defending himself, resulting in the Moonstone never being found and Godfrey Ablewhite getting away, with no consequences. In the book the majority of the discoveries are made by men, although this is because the female characters already knew the truth; they just hadn’t revealed it. One of the cases of this happening is when Franklin Blake deciphers the code to find Rosanna Spearmen’s chest. This held many secrets which Rosanna had kept silent about for a long time. This effects the outcome of the novel, as since Rosanna kept quite over her love of Franklin Blake, the truth of the moonstone being revealed is delayed, giving time for the events at London to unfold. The reader really gets the impression of Rosannas love of Mr Franklin Blake from this act, of saving his reputation, even though holding these secrets could be argued to be a massive factor of her eventual suicide. Despite this, Franklin never really notices Rosanna Spearman; this is probably due to the fact that in his eyes she is just a housemaid with a lumpy shoulder. Social class is outlined here, with the rich Franklin Blake and the poor Rosanna Spearman. The different social classes were more prominent in Victorian times and Collins also uses class in his other novels such as the woman in white, where Walter Hartright and Laura Fairlie fall in love, but due to Walter’s low social class, they separate. When Rosanna dies, it could be suggested that Ezra Jennings is introduced to replace her, as these two characters are very similar in personality and are both rejected by most members of society. They are also both attracted to Mr Franklin Blake in different ways; Rosanna has an undying love for him, and Ezra asks himself â€Å"What is the secret of the attraction that there is for me in this man?†. Both characters also had rough upbringings, as Rosanna was a thief as a child and Ezra was beaten and was mistreated mercilessly by his family. Ezra Jennings is also addicted to Opium, as â€Å"for ten years past I have suffered from an incurable internal complaint†. His addiction to the drug led to his painful and horrific nights, and Opium also destroyed his nervous system. Wilkie Collins probably introduced Ezra Jennings as a character which he could relate to, as Collins himself was addicted to Opium, which is probably why the drug plays such a significant part in the book. Collins believed he had an imaginary friend named ‘Ghost Wilkie’ and often hallucinated in his sleep. His other novels have opium in them, so his way of relating to his addiction was to put it into his books. Opium plays a significant part in the book, as Ezra uses it in his experiment to discover who took the diamond. The reader feels uncertainty when the book dapples in the secret world of Opium as most readers would not have tried it and therefore do not know how powerful it is and what it can do. Gabriel Betteredge often talks about which side of Mr Franklin Blake’s character is shining through, and believes it to be due to all of Franklin’s foreign training (Betteredge usually relates his strict character to Franklin’s German side, his poeticness to his French side, and his bravery to his English side). This gives Mr Franklin Blake no distinct character. This gives you the impression that Gabriel Betteredge is very stereotypically British, supporting his country and almost believing that the English are superior to others. Godfrey Ablewhite however, has a very different character which is hidden from the public view. He tries to get across the image of a hardworking gentleman who dedicates his life to the many women’s charities he patronizes, when he is actually a man swallowed in debt and trying to rob people of their riches to pay it off. His debt was one of the key reasons why he asked to marry Rachel Verinder, as he thought that he would inherit enough money to pay off the debt; however that did not turn out to be the case. When Rachel asked for the marriage to be cancelled, Godfrey did not try to put up any resistance, as he knew that he would not receive the inheritance he had hoped for. Godfrey also gets engaged to another woman, but the marriage is broken off for similar reasons. At the end of the book, Godfrey is in disguise as a sailor with a dark complexion when he tries to get the Moonstone from the bank. This is symbolism as it outlines the fact that he is leading a double life, and he has a dark complexion as Betteredge and Franklin immediately suspected the Indians of stealing the diamond. Their immediate suspicion of the Indians affects the plot greatly as it means that Godfrey Ablewhite has time to hide the diamond without being suspected, as all eyes were on the Indians. The view the public have of him is different to what he is actually like, and if it had not been for Mr Matthew Bruff, the marriage might not have been called off. Miss Clack often swoons at the sight of Mr Godfrey Ablewhite; this is because she believes he is a hardworking Christian, and refers to him as â€Å"gifted† and â€Å"wonderful†. It is therefore no surprise that she is shocked when she, by chance, hears Godfrey’s proposal to Rachel. It is here that he admits that his, â€Å"Charitable business is an unendurable nuisance† and that if â€Å"I see a Ladies’ committee now, I wish myself at the uttermost ends of the earth†. Miss Clack is highly offended by this, as she is a member of ‘The Mothers Small Clothes Conversion Society’, but she dismisses this out of hand as being a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. Miss Clack’s personality is very different to the other female characters in the book, as she is a character of a certain type of hypocrite. She never leaves without her Christian pamphlets and she often tries to spread her faith through these tracts. She may be doing this to turn more people Christian, or she may just be doing this as it is in her sphere of power and it makes her feel as though she has more influence on society. A perfect example of Miss Clack’s character is when she visits Lady Verinder and Rachel, but upon realising that Lady Verinder’s doctor is trying to use medication to treat Lady Verinder instead of praying to god and waiting for him to perform a miracle, she spreads religious books of her choice around the Verinder’s house. She believes that this act did not make her a nuisance, but instead, a â€Å"True Christian†. Miss Clack has a very different opinion of herself compared to what other people think of her. Even the kind and loving Gabriel Betteredge, who has a good word to say about almost everyone, does not take well to Miss Clack. Before handing over the job of narrating to her, he asks the reader to â€Å"Just do me the favour of not believing a word she says, if she speaks of your humble servant†. This shows that she is believed to not be a teller of truths, and Betteredge is pre-warning the reader of what to prepare for. We believe what Betteredge says and not Miss Clack as he has shown himself to be an honourable character, worthy of the readers trust. Our decision to believe him and not Miss Clack is also influenced by other characters, as Franklin Blake often refers to him as â€Å"a dear old friend†, so others characters have respect for him as well. In the story, female characters do not reveal what they know straight away. This adds suspense to the story, as you have to wait a long time for the secret which will put together a new piece of the puzzle. A good example of this is Rosanna’s letter to Mr Franklin Blake, explaining where the chest is hidden, and inside the chest is Rosanna’s narrative which explains events before and after Rachel Verinder’s 18th birthday party leading up to Rosanna’s suicide told through her point of view. The letter’s opening is delayed however, as Limping Lucy refuses to give it to anyone other than Franklin Blake himself. This lets the events at London unfold, and the case of the Moonstone is put on hold for a short period. Limping Lucy is Rosanna Spearman’s only friend, and was understandably angry at Franklin as she believed that he forced Rosanna into suicide. Limping Lucy has a severe limp in her left foot, and this may be one of the reasons why she and Rosanna are so good friends, as they both have physical deformities and are rejected by most members of society. I believe that female characters have more influence on the plot of the novel due to their actions which are gradually revealed to the reader. Superficially, male characters seem to have a larger role in the discovery of the secrets behind the moonstone but this is because they are only just digging in to what the female characters already know. The fact that male characters have almost all of the narrations add to the secrecy of the novel and also reinforces the point of male character seemingly having more influence and control of the plot, when all they are doing is discovering what is beneath the surface of an apparently settled world in the novel.

Performance Management And Learning And Development Essay

Introduction In the 19th   century university was meant to be a theoretical theatre, while the factory was the place for formal training and learning. Education is broader in scope than training and it has a less specific application than training, as it is delivered in educational institutions. As a result, there has always been a tension between the needs of industry and the educational requirements of the individual, as society needs people who can contribute in a comprehensive way (Wilson, 2005). A century later, West moved beyond the factory and manufacturing as the basis for economic wealth have been achieved. Compared to earlier centuries now this century is able to demolish the   trading, political and economic   barriers, which hampered the progress in the old days. The arrival of mass media and technology is re-shaping our lives at a breathtaking speed; the concept of learning is now not a stagnant process, but in a flux and evolving every day (Beckett, 2000). The nature of work is changing with the knowledge economy in boom, giving rise to unparalleled demands for learning in work settings through consistent training. Enterprises need integrated approach to possess knowledge workers, which is the right prescription for businesses today. It is hard to create effective employment and training based policies which give high priority to education and training-both at a time. Countries like Korea and Singapore are seriously investing in their human resources, while the poor countries do not have sufficient funds to meet their growing needs. The overall goal of the global economy is provide opportunities to people and obtain productive work with dignity, which requires a framework to address worker and producer needs. To meet such requirements, the new millennium needs a shift from traditional approach and demands new human resources development and training policies. Learning and Training Learning can take place either in formal settings, such as school/university or in less formal organizational settings. Possessing knowledge is different from learning, as learning has limited value and is not a guarantee of being skillful, until   put to practice in real world. Wilson (2005) has defined learning as â€Å"a permanent change of knowledge, attitude or behaviour occurring as a result of formal education or training, or as a result of informal experiences. Learning, education and development are often muddled together, however   they carry specific meanings as explained below: Training = learning related to present job; Education = learning to prepare the individual but not related to a specific present or future job; Development = learning for growth of the individual but not related to a specific present or future job. It has been recognised by the enterprises that passive learning cannot not ensure an accurate developmental process necessary in the business world. The managers find it hard to believe, that, seminars and workshops can teach management. It is argued, that case methodology, lectures, discussions and theories are useful, but they never find its way into the corridors of business world. As a result, managers and educational theorists suggest experiential learning, which trains workers in work place more effectively. According to the Glossary of Training Terms (2005), training is â€Å"a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose, in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the individual and to satisfy the current and future needs of the organisation†. Rothwell (2003) mentioned that, training equips individuals and groups in an organisation to improve their work performance. However, training alone cannot alleviate a poor work, which may be due to the lack of rewards and incentives. Training is put into practice for a variety of reasons, such as orientation training for new workers or sending employees for special assignments and preparing employees to support critical activities (Wilkinson, 2005). The HRD equips people with necessary skills in three ways (McGoldrickand, 2001). .Individual Development   addresses broad areas and addresses, such as skill development, interpersonal skills, career development, etc.   Occupational /Group Development occurs among the groups through a team building programs. It also applies to specific occupational groups, such as implementation of new legislation. Organizational Development covers the whole organization. It can be defined as a â€Å"collection of planned change interventions, built on humanistic-democratic values, that seek to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being†(Wilson and John, 2005). The well-known examples are; the introduction of a customer care programs across the organization; and the introduction of total quality management, which requires all individuals and groups to become involved. Mumfords (1995) mentions that, an organization where people continually expand their capacity to create the results- truly invent patterns of thinking for collective learning. This process can be defined as following:   Personal mastery, ensuring individual motivation to learn; mental models, creating an openness to misconceptions;   shared vision, building long-term commitment in people; team learning, developing group skills like cooperation, communication and so forth;   systems thinking, which constitutes   integration with other disciplines the other four. All these disciplines are to be practiced together to create an impact and must be practiced by all the members of organization to work together. Each problem and dilemma is crisis and workers learn from crisis and difficulties together and try to development process, where all workers profit from each other’s experiences. Shift of Training in Knowledge Economy Drucker (1993) has mentioned that, â€Å"Every few hundred years in western history there occurs a sharp transformation. Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself – its world view; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions.† The shift   from industrial-based economies to enterprises   started 20 years ago, moving to market share and hierarchical management focusing on a knowledge   based economy. If the industrial economy was driven by cheap energy; today’s knowledge economy is driven by inexpensive microchips and knowledge management enabling businesses to take benefit of the new knowledge (Trask, 1996). The modern corporation is over and the postmodern corporation is different. Today companies may look the same from outside—but behind the faà §ade, everything is different. They are no longer connected to the boiler or routine machines, but now in the business of knowledge creation. The activity of knowledge-based organization is not producing machine or power toys, but producing and managing knowledge. The knowledge economy differs from the old one, as the new economy is ever-increasing in information intensity and packed with more knowledge, data, and ideas. Now knowledge resides in the magnetic strip, not the plastic. The knowledge-based economy has new rules and standards, which require new ways of living and working, business, which do not acquire knowledge workers, are destined to die.   Wolfensohn (1999) has mentioned that, the knowledge-based economy relies on ideas and applications of technology rather than physical strength, which was done on the exploitation of cheap labor. In this new economy knowledge is created, acquired, transmitted, and sold by individuals, enterprises, organizations, and communities for the promotion of economic development. In the industrial world, knowledge-based industries are growing fast, while labour market demands are also changing. The new technologies insist on highly skilled workers, diminishing demand for the low skilled workers.   One of the key factors that distinguish intelligent business enterprise of the 21st century is emphasis on knowledge and information. Knowledge management is an important means by which organizations can better manage information and knowledge. Knowledge management encompasses a range of concepts, ranging from management tasks to technological practices, all come under the umbrella of the management of knowledge (Gupta, 2003). The successful organizations are aggressive, fast paced and have the ability to create  Ã‚   knowledge to maximize organizational strategic success. In today’s world, knowledge is a resource, which is critical to an organization’s survival and success in the global economy.   As the nature of work is changing, knowledge is regarded as a primary resource-giving rise to the unprecedented demand for learning in the working environment. Enterprises need to offer this new learning at work and create knowledge workers, which have become inevitable part of the corporate world. The workplace has become a site of learning associated with development of the enterprise through contributing to production and innovation. Thus the development of the individuals by providing training to create new knowledge is the most wanted asset of the enterprises today. The knowledge economy has four basic features as described below (Trask, 1996). Knowledge developed and applied in new ways, especially through information revolution, which has provided not only new opportunities to access information, but it is also creating new opportunities for swift transfer of the knowledge speeding up the process of worldwide change. Today product cycles have become shorter due to growing demand for innovation. In 1990s, it would take six years from concept to production in the automobile industry; now it takes only two years. Worldwide trade is increasing with increased competitive demands on producers. The countries, which are able to assimilate into the world economy, will achieve higher economic growth. Small and medium-size enterprises in the service sector have become significant players, in terms of both economic growth and employment. In the industrialized countries the employment has risen, but the patterns of employment are changing. The employers have re-organized workers into fixed and variable categories, while the fixed workers are career-oriented, the variable have little career progression and low access to education and training. These trends show that labour markets are becoming ruthless in their treatment of un-skilled workers and these low skilled workers stand at an edge. As a result working poor have grown in number and those working are underpaid and forced to work in miserable working conditions. The speed of change in the knowledge economy depreciates much more quickly compared to the past. In order to compete effectively in this changing environment, organisation need to   upgrade their workers skills continuously. This rapid change in the knowledge economy is so swift that firms can no longer rely longer rely on fresh graduates. In order to meet such need, lifelong learning and training is crucial to enable workers to compete in the global economy. Formal education and training includes programs which are recognized by the    Universities and institutes and lead to approved certificates and degrees.   Non-formal education and training includes programs, which are not formally recognized by the national system, such as apprenticeship training programs and structured on-the-job training.   Informal education and training includes unstructured learning, which can take place almost anywhere, home, community   or workplace.   It includes unstructured on-the-job training, the most common form of workplace learning. This improvement in people’s ability will allow them to be not only useful for their organisation, but it will also enable them to function as a useful members of their communities.   In a modern economy, the production of goods and services still relies on workers despite machine revolution. The need is to develop learning and training strategies, which allow these workers to learn new skills for new working conditions. It is crucial for the organisation to prepare workers for this new environment, which requires a new mode of education and training ­. This lifelong learning framework encompasses learning throughout the life cycle, from early childhood to retirement. It includes formal, non-formal, and informal education and training. In traditional industries most jobs require employees to learn how to perform routine functions, which, for the most part, remain constant over time and most learning used to take place when a worker started a new job. In the knowledge economy, change is so rapid that workers constantly need to acquire new skills. Firms need workers who are willing and able to update their skills throughout their lifetimes. Enterprises and organisation need to respond to these needs by creating education and training systems that equip people with the appropriate skills. The new millennium main challenge is to be employable and contribute to the economic growth in the global economy. This novel approach has set new rules for education, training and strategies in the organisations. The reason is that training not only advances interests of the individuals and enterprises, but it also augments the economic development of the nations. These new skills formation leads to equity in employment and society at large and allow the enterprise to reap the fruit of this human resources development. Performance Management According to Bacal (2004) â€Å"performance management is about creating relationships and ensuring effective communication and focusing on what organizations, managers, and employees need to succeed.† It is a   strategic approach to manage the business and improve organisational effectiveness with existing capabilities. Performance management provides development specialists with an opportunity to be   innovative in influencing corporate strategy and contribute to the results. The goal of performance management is to ensure that the organization departments, teams, and employees are working in an optimum fashion to achieve the organization objective. At the end of twentieth century new performance management systems were born and cannibalizing the old systems, due to the presence of the technological expansions. Management in the twenty-first century faces the challenge of creating and re-creating effective performance systems and requires a unique understanding of this process. Performance management process is about professionalism and continuous learning and development. The overall goal of performance management is to ensure that the organization and all its subsystems departments, teams, employees are working together in an optimum fashion to achieve the results desired by the organization. According to Bacal (2004), performance management is based on the following beliefs. Optimism: Performance management is based on the belief that improvement is possible, and that the human and organizational conditions can be improved. Performance management is the view of the possibility that performance improvement is always there and change is possible as long as people are willing. A Pragmatic View: Performance management is keeping the optimistic view, but it does have realistic view of improvement, understanding the possibilities for improvement and recognizing the  Ã‚   barriers to success. Performance management addresses various threats in the system and try to solve it, rather than kill it A Balanced Approach: It is natural to resist change in any organisation as change means changing habits. Performance management design strategies, which are part of organizational decision-making processes to build greater support for the change. It capitalizes on the opportunity for further improvement and success. Leadership. Performance management is built on the ethical knowledge. The true leaders determine promote best practices in their organisation to further the success. Such practices require courage to bring change, yet adhering to professional ethics ensuring that the change is consistent with legal requirements. Performance management is meant to establish a shared understanding about what is to be achieved and how it is to be achieved for an organization. To improve performance, individuals need to have a common understanding about what performance (and success) in their jobs looks like. It can be a list of tasks, objectives, or results or it can also be a set of behaviors or both. These goals need to be defined clearly with the jobholder so that people know what they are working toward? And what is expected from them to increase the probability of success (Lance, 1999).   A continuous management process delivers clarity, support, feedback, and recognition to all staff. Performance Management Process Performance management process is a communication process between an employee and his or her immediate supervisor with established expectation and understanding. This process is not meant to threaten or intimidate employees into neither being more productive nor does it mean to attack the personality of the employees, but it is a broad set of tools used to optimize the success of each employee for the larger interest of the organisation. The smooth functioning of performance management depends on the developmental activity and management control. A developmental push is essential to motivate workers and let them concentrate on work and commitment towards their respective organisation. Performance Management process is meant to measure the employee performance. It involves the following steps (Handbook for the Core Performance Management, 2005). Performance planning The workers performance is recognized through employee performance plans. They are clearly told, what are the expectations? And what are the set standards. Thus it is essential to develop such standards, which are realistic and attainable. Individual at the level of induction stage clearly need understand their role in the organisation. Employee/Team Performance In many organizations, employees work together to achieve the organizational objectives. The difference between group performance and an individual’s contribution is that, the group performance is measured aggregately, while an employee’s performance is measured individually. Monitoring performance After the assignment of job the progress of the workers are monitored by the manager/supervisor, to check how much they are really working. Employee development Mentoring is essential process of employee development, the example can be set either by showing a high performer or by leader/manager, which helps the employee to overcome the difficulties. A frank discussion is essential to focus on employee areas of excellence, identifying the barriers to performance. Multiple Source of Feed back It is a process, which provides employees with performance information to enhance managerial feedback. It includes comments from various sources, such as collogues, supervisor report and direct reports as well. Figure: 1.1 Performance Management Process Source: Handbook for the core performance management, 2005 Evaluating Evaluation is a two-way discussion in the form of written documentation to concentrate on employee areas of excellence, and identify the areas for improvement and further development needs. Stupak and Leitner (2001) warns that performance management measurement should not be punitive, but should be positive and should help the organisation, what the work do and what they should not and continue for organisation improvement. It should not be as a tool to punish the guilty, but emphasis should be on finding the right direction for the organisation. Linkage of Learning and Development and Performance Management The learning and development and performance management have been discussed separately earlier. Recent studies have shown, these processes are interrelated and are linked (Harrison, 2005). For example, in small firms, resources are stretched and workers have to switch roles, it becomes crucial to train and develop these workers, as they often have switch tasks. Following are the essential points in case of training in the small firm scenario: A well-focused induction program. Basic training in firm unique systems. A probation period to evaluate the performance. Post confirmation development for further development. Badger (2001) has mentioned that in a situation where products and processes can be easily imitated, the only source of competitive advantage is to stimulate employee to learn.   Organizations always seek to reduce cost increase efficiency and productivity. Today’s enterprises have started to evaluate learning and training programs to achieve higher performance from their workers, as they understand that learning and performance management are interrelated and inevitable to achieve competitive advantage. This competitive advantage can be achieved through the development of human resources by deploying a strategy to support its workers and enhance the organizational performance. The performance management process can positively develop the workforce self-esteem and keep them motivated, thereby giving them job satisfaction, to let them focus on the job. However its not mere training which can bring result, employee participation in decision making is essential as noticed by Peon and Ordas (2005), that organizations need to provide individuals with enough incentives and allow them to participate in the decision-making process to achieve higher performance. The ability of nations and organizations to enhance the standard of living of the growing population depends on sustained increase in the productivity of the systems. In the inter-dependent global economy, productivity is essential to maintain economic advantage for individuals and societies. People and institutions are inter-connected, and today countries have mutual interests in the game of higher productivity of other nations. A nation may gain short-term advantage from a lesser productive contributor, but in the long term lower productivity is a bad omen for all the nations. Conclusion According to Business Intelligence Board (2005), enterprises need to formally link learning and performance management process to measure the employee performance, as this can explain, weather learning has really resulted in higher performance. This link between learning and performance management is clear and the ultimate objective of learning management is to have an educated workforce, which can sustain the competitive advantage in the cutthroat corporate world. Learning and development are essentially related to performance management process, same as performance management process is not complete unless it embrace learning and development  Ã‚   to fill the skill gaps identified in the workers. Various amounts of efforts have been done to linkage learning with performance, Thomson and Mabey  (2001) mentions, many organisations failed to have higher performance from their workers, despite enormous amount of training. It has not yet yielded enough clear evidence of a direct link between learning and performance management. However, learning and development activity does consistently emerge as a crucial intervening factor. L&D alone is not enough-it has to be an integral part of a cluster of appropriate HR strategies. 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