Monday, September 30, 2019

Costs and Benefits of Inflation Essay

High inflation has many costs: – Inflation erodes the value of money. When future prices are less predictable, sensible spending and saving plans are harder to make. People increasingly fear that their future purchasing power will decline and erode their standard of living. – Inflation encourages investments that are speculative and take advantage of inflation rather than productive investment. It can also create the illusion of temporary financial success while masking fundamental economic problems. – Businesses and households must spend more time, and money, protecting themselves from the effects of rising costs and prices. Businesses, workers, and investors respond to signs of inflation by pushing up prices, wages, and interest rates to protect themselves. This can lead to a â€Å"vicious circle† of rising inflation. – Inflation can mean particular hardship for those whose incomes don’t keep pace with the rising level of prices, especially people on fixed incomes such as senior citizens who are receiving pensions. Low inflation has many benefits: – Consumers and businesses are better able to make long-range plans because they know that their money is not losing its purchasing power year after year. – Interest rates, both in nominal and real terms, are lower, encouraging investment to improve productivity and allowing businesses to prosper without raising prices. – Sustained low inflation is self reinforcing. Businesses and individuals do not react so quickly to short-term price pressures by seeking to raise prices and wages if they are confident that inflation is under long-term control. This contributes to keeping inflation low.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

‘In what ways is “Pride and Prejudice” a Cinderella story?’ Essay

Cinderella stories, of one type or another, have remained enduringly popular for hundreds of years. There are Cinderella tales originating from every culture and every time period up to the present day. They reflect the ‘rags to riches’ fantasies of storytellers from all around the world. But what constitutes a Cinderella story? Even though they exist in a vast variety of forms, most have a very similar basic plot. Firstly, there is always a heroine, whose fortunes are to be the focal point of the tale. She is naturally innocent, kind, gentle and beautiful, and always has hardships to bear. For example, in the French version, upon which the Disney animated film is based, Cinderella lives with her weak-willed father and her ‘evil’ stepmother and stepsisters who treat her appallingly; she is forced to act as a servant to them and is dressed in rags. Very often in these stories, there are a number of magical animals that help Cinderella in some way, and along with Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, enable her to go to the ball, which invariably she has been prevented from attending by her cruel family. At the ball, Cinderella and Prince Charming meet and fall in love instantly, but Cinderella forgets her Godmother’s deadline, and has to rush off suddenly, unintentionally leaving behind only one clue as to her true identity for the love-struck hero. After one final setback, usually resulting from Cinderella’s interfering and vain stepsiblings, the Prince and his love are re-united and go back to the Palace to be married immediately. Cinderella forgives her family, and they join the happy couple at court and all live ‘happily ever after.’ This is the most well known of the â€Å"Cinderella† plots, but as I have said, other versions exist such as â€Å"Katie Woodencloak† and â€Å"Cindermaid†. â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, Jane Austen’s classic novel, was first published in January 1813. It was designed to appeal to the fashionable novel-reading public of the day, and it was an instant success for its author, and has remained consistently so. With the pretty and likable Elizabeth Bennet marrying the rich and handsome Mr Darcy at the end of the book, at first glance, â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† seems like a typical Cinderella tale. In this essay, I will be investigating the similarities and differences it has to the Cinderella story I have outlined above. For me, Elizabeth is the first obvious ‘Cinderella’ in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†. She is one of five Bennet sisters, intelligent, witty and impetuous with an independent streak in her, as we find out when she insists that she walk to Netherfield to visit her ill sister. Elizabeth, like Cinderella, has a family who can make life very difficult for her at times. Her father is loving, but like Cinderella’s father, is weak-willed; â€Å"Her father, contented with laughing at them, would never exert himself to restrain the wild giddiness of his youngest daughters.† (Chapter 37.) This trait in her father’s disposition allows Lydia to elope with Mr Wickham from Brighton. Elizabeth’s mother and sisters also inhibit her, not by being malicious or unkind, as with Cinderella, but by their rudeness and hysterical behaviour; â€Å"†¦and in the unhappy defects of her family a subject of yet heavier chagrin. They were hopeless to remedy.† (Chapter 37.) â€Å"Her mother would talk of her views in the same intelligible tone. Elizabeth blushed and blushed again with shame and vexation.† (Chapter 18.) These unattractive qualities in her relatives, as well as her family’s lower social status, prove to have an unfavourable effect on Mr Darcy’s feelings towards her, even though he admits he loves her. Mr Darcy believes Lizzy’s connections to be ‘inferior’; â€Å"He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed†¦His sense of her inferiority†¦of the family obstacles which judgement had always opposed to inclination were dwelt on with warmth.† (Chapter 34.) Although Elizabeth does not suffer the deprivation that Cinderella does (dresses are no problem for Lizzy as they are for Cinderella), and in fact lives comfortably, the Bennets live under the threat that when Mr Bennet dies, they will lose their home Longbourn, because there is no male heir to the estate. So Cinderella’s ‘poverty’ situation could, theoretically affect Elizabeth at some point in the future. Therefore, it is very important for the five Bennet daughters to marry well, to ensure the family’s future security and status. This fact differentiates Cinderella from Elizabeth, as she is fiercely discouraged from going to the ball by her by her jealous stepsisters, where as Elizabeth (and her sisters) are actively encouraged to look for husbands with good fortunes by going to dances. Cinderella spontaneously falls in love with Prince Charming – she had only desperately wanted to go to the ball, and nothing more. But Elizabeth must be convinced of the true goodness of Mr Darcy’s personality before she will overcome her prejudices and dislike of him. Elizabeth’s opinion of Mr Darcy is changed by her hearing his housekeeper at Pemberley speak of how good and kind he really is, and also when Mr Darcy sends a letter to her explaining the misunderstandings about Mr Wickham and the Jane-Bingley affair. It is only after realising her actual feelings for him, and being attracted by his large estate, that Lizzy is prepared to love and marry Mr Darcy. Cinderella is a servant in her household, and although Elizabeth is certainly not a servant, she does aid and support her difficult family, along with her sister Jane, through use of her intelligence and sensibility. Of course, the main reason Elizabeth can be compared to Cinderella is that she is the disadvantaged heroine who marries her Prince and is taken off to his palace in a fairy tale ending; â€Å"‘Good gracious! Lord bless me! Only think! Dear me! Mr Darcy! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! My sweetest Lizzy! How rich and how great you will be!'† (Chapter 59.) Elizabeth’s family, like Cinderella’s family, also benefit from this happy ending – the Bennets often visit Lizzy at her new home, and Mr Darcy’s wealth means that they never need worry about losing their home or status again. Mrs Bennet is especially thrilled by the match. Another Bennet sister can be successfully compared with Cinderella – Jane. She is the eldest daughter, and like Cinderella, is very kind, but also little naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve; â€Å"What a stroke this was for poor Jane! Who could willingly have gone through the world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole race of mankind†¦Most earnestly did she labour to prove the probability of error, and seek to clear one, without involving the other.† (Chapter 40.) She also marries a ‘Prince Charming’ with whom she is truly in love, Mr Bingley, who has a ‘palace’ and holds a ball there early in the novel. One thing that makes Jane even more similar to Cinderella in my opinion is that she falls in love with Mr Bingley straight away, even though his meddlesome sisters, Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, as well as Mr Darcy, try to stop affections developing between them. This reminds me of the way Cinderella was prevented from trying on the glass slipper by her stepsisters. Unlike Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley has no qualms about Jane’s lower standing in society, and immediately allows himself to fall in love with her, like Prince Charming does with Cinderella at the ball. Similarly, it is at the Netherfield ball, held by Mr Bingley, where Jane and he first display a fondness for each other. Although Jane is like Cinderella in all these ways, she cannot be directly linked with her, as she is not the leading character in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice,† like Elizabeth. Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley are the two men who are most comparable to the Prince in Cinderella. They are both rich men with large estates and good breeding who marry ‘below themselves.’ Mr Darcy is a proud and arrogant man, who we find out later in the book, actually has a compassionate and generous personality. At first, Mr Darcy does not feel it is appropriate for him to marry into a lower class, but he cannot contain his love for Elizabeth, and this love eventually conquers his pride as I have detailed above. This is unlike Prince Charming because in â€Å"Cinderella†, the Prince does not mind when he finds out that his unidentified ‘Princess’ is really a poor servant girl – Cinderella’s status doesn’t matter to him at all. Mr Bingley, on the other hand, is like Prince Charming in that he doesn’t care about Jane’s background, and loves her anyway. Mr Bingley’s character is summed up by this quote; â€Å"‘He is just what a young man ought to be,’ said she, ‘sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! – so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!’ ‘He is also handsome,’ replied Elizabeth, ‘which is what a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete.'† (Chapter 4.) For Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy, as with Prince Charming, it is love at first sight with Jane and Elizabeth at the Meryton ball, even if Mr Darcy dare not admit his feelings for some time. When Mr Darcy does propose to Elizabeth, she turns him down, but he remains persistent in trying to assure Lizzy of his good nature, and in the same way as the Prince tracks down Cinderella, Mr Darcy proposes for a second time and Lizzy accepts. It was the letter that Mr Darcy gave to Elizabeth at the Collins’ that revealed his true character to her and this enabled her to accept and love him. In the same way, Cinderella’s glass slipper allows the Prince to find her. It could be concluded that these objects provide the key to identifying the suitors in their true light and make it possible for the characters to eventually marry. I think that there are several people in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† who could be considered either ‘stepsisters’ or a ‘stepmother’ to Lizzy or Jane. Evidently their own mother and sisters have some qualities similar to those in â€Å"Cinderella.† Mrs Bennet, though inadvertently, hinders any marriage between her daughters and ‘respectable’ men through her inappropriate and embarrassing manner – she is chaotic and thoughtless and gives her family a bad reputation. Jane and Lizzy’s sisters, particularly Lydia and Kitty, are also shallow, selfish and silly young women, only interested in chasing after soldiers and visiting Meryton; â€Å"The two youngest of the family, Catherine and Lydia, were particularly frequent in these attentions; their minds were more vacant than their sisters†¦They could talk of nothing but officers.† (Chapter 7.) â€Å"Catherine, weak-spirited, irritable†¦and Lydia, self-willed and careless.† (Chapter 37.) Lydia’s disastrous elopement with Mr Wickham endangers the anticipated marriage between Jane and Mr Bingley because it disgraces the family. Through this, Lydia is unintentionally like Cinderella’s stepsisters, as she causes a last-minute hitch, which could ruin her sister’s hopes of happiness. In Cinderella, this hitch is the stepsisters preventing Cinderella from trying on the glass slipper by hiding her from the Prince ‘below stairs’. Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, Charles Bingley’s sisters, are also like the ‘evil stepsisters’, only more so, in my estimation, than Mrs Bennet and her younger daughters, because they deliberately try to stop the marriages between the Bennet sisters, their brother and his friend taking place. It is revealed that Miss Bingley would like Mr Darcy for herself, and that she is jealous of Lizzy. They also try to persuade Mr Bingley that Jane does not love him in the hope he will forget about her when he is in London. Miss Bingley sends a letter to Jane, which convinces her that Mr Bingley does not care at all for her, which is not true. This, along with Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst’s officious airs, make them ‘stepsisters’ not only to the Misses Bennet but also to their brother. Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the cold and obnoxious aunt of Darcy, is also a ‘stepmother’ to Elizabeth because she severely disapproves of the marriage between her and her nephew, Mr Darcy, and therefore tries her hardest to thwart their plans. She believes that Lizzy is of a lower social class and not ‘good enough’ for her nephew. Also, she wants to see Mr Darcy marry her daughter, the sickly Anne de Bourgh; â€Å"‘Let me be rightly understood. This match, to which you have the assumption to aspire, can never take place. No, never. Mr Darcy is engaged to my daughter’†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢True, you are a gentleman’s daughter. But who was your mother? Who are your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of their condition.'† (Chapter 56.) Even so, Lady Catherine does not successfully stop Elizabeth and Mr Darcy from marrying, and neither do Lizzy’s family or Miss Bingley, just as the stepsisters fail to stop Cinderella from marrying her Prince in the end. It is not explicitly apparent that there are any ‘Fairy Godmothers’ in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice,† but I think that Mrs Gardiner, Elizabeth’s aunt, can be regarded as aiding Lizzy throughout the novel. As well as the Gardiner’s help to the Bennets through their troubles with Lydia, Mr and Mrs Gardiner make it possible for Elizabeth to go to her ‘palace’ (Pemberley) for the first time, by taking her with them to Derbyshire. (The Fairy godmother in â€Å"Cinderella† also enables Cinderella to go to the palace.); â€Å"With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.† (Chapter 61.) Perhaps Jane in her continuing support of Lizzy and the Bennet family could also be seen as a ‘Fairy Godmother’ to them all. Another similarity between â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† and â€Å"Cinderella† is that the heroines in both stories go to at least one ball where they meet their future husbands. In â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, there are two balls – the Meryton Ball and the Netherfield Ball, but in contrast with â€Å"Cinderella†, the future spouses do not immediately get on as well as Cinderella and Prince Charming do! – At the Meryton Ball Lizzy overhears Mr Darcy snubbing her whilst talking to Mr Bingley; â€Å"‘Which do you mean?’ and turning around, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, ‘She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.'† Both stories highlight the importance of ‘the ball’ as a major social event; very often it was the only opportunity for people to meet and socialise. At her ball, Cinderella has a curfew to comply with – she must be home by midnight or else her magical clothes and coach will turn back into rags and a pumpkin. There is no literal deadline in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, but time is running out for the women in the novel, as they must marry well, while they are still potentially ‘desirable’ wives, if they want to be secure and assured of a future free from want. This fear is shown in the story by the plight of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the repellent Mr Collins because she knows it will probably be her last opportunity to gain a husband and therefore a house of her own; â€Å"Mr Collins was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome†¦But still he would be her husband†¦and at the age of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it.† (Chapter 22.) An important component of the â€Å"Cinderella† fairy tale is magic, and magical animals, and as I have found neither one of these in â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, it is almost certainly one of the biggest differences between the two stories. This shows us that Austen’s novel is not a fable but that the events in the book could have actually occurred in early 19th century society. From examining the text of â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† and several â€Å"Cinderella† tales, I have found many similarities, and some differences between the two narratives. I conclude that although Jane Austen did not intentionally design her novel to be like a fairy tale, there is a definite resemblance to â€Å"Cinderella†. The plot and subplots of the novel are clearly more complex than in â€Å"Cinderella†, but most of the individuals have counterparts in the other story. As I said at the beginning of this essay, the main heroine, whether you consider her to be Elizabeth or Jane, ‘gets her guy’. In both stories, the wedded couple and their families are more happy and secure than at the start of the tale – they all ‘live happily ever after’, with Lizzy moving to Pemberley, just as Cinderella moves to the palace. Some people may regard the ending of â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† as the most unrealistic and ‘fairy story’ part of the book. In reality life was very hard, even for the rich, at this time. For example, Elizabeth, like many young women at that time, may have died in childbirth a year later, or perhaps Mr Bingley may have been badly injured a month after the novel finishes in a hunting accident. In my view, â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† is simply a daydream; a world into which the reader can escape to avoid the unpleasantries which no doubt occurred in the Georgian period, but which Jane Austen chose to ignore. By doing this, Austen created one of the best-loved and most interesting â€Å"Cinderella† stories to date.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

History - Essay Example On the other hand, the issue of religious conflicts is also on the rise. Historical Perspective of Terrorism and Religious Conflicts 1. Terrorism Terrorism refers to the acts of warfare staged by a group of enemy combatants who usually targets a clique of people or institution in a bid to make the victim to give in to certain demands (Cole 2011). Take a case of the September 11, 2001 attack; the al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded that the United States desists from attacking Iraq. In the past, terrorists’ actions were quite predictable and as such, it was easier to thwart, there acts. However, terrorists have taken a new twist; they have gone viral to say the least. Terrorist of the 21st centuary have the most sophisticated weapons, which makes it hard to fight them. The Middle East has been the traditional territory of the terrorist where all the plans of terrorists are executed. Lutz & Lutz (2011) say that lately, the terrorists exits everywhere even in the place you least expect them. It is no longer a surprise to find that Native Americans have been assimilated into terrorism. Moreover, they execute terror attacks against their own country. Take a case of the September 11 bombing; some of the culprits were the Americans. The terrorist have taken terrorism a notch higher. They have incorporated nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and chemical weapons. Several attempts through both diplomatic and military intervention have been put in place to thwart the growth of such dangerous weapons (Cole 2011). These weapons are very dangerous and possess threat to the entire humanity. The nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons can wipe out man out of the surface of the earth. 2. Religious Conflicts Religious conflicts are rife in the society today owing to the religious intolerance among the various religious groups. A perfect example of religious conflict is the one pitting Christians against Muslims. Arab-Israeli conflict has dragge d on for decades and there is no end in sight. The Arab nations are at war with the Israeli and as such, they use Islam as an avenue to mobilize the Arabs against non-Muslim nations such as Israel. The Islam religion commenced around the 7th centuary in Middle East (Lutz & Lutz 2011). Mohamed, who would later introduce the concept of Jihad, started the religious outfit. The idea of Jihad was to spread Islam religion by the use of force. To date almost all Arab nations in the Middle East and Northern Africa profess the Muslim faith. The Islam have always been associated with the issue of violence popularly known as Jihad which champions for aggression against other religious groups such as Christians. It is worth noting that Islam extremists have gone to an extent of staging war against Christians through terror related attacks. In fact, the September 11 attacks show the extent to which Muslim extremist have taken the conflict between Christian and Muslims. Effects of Terrorism and R eligious Conflicts It is worth noting that terrorism and religious conflicts has adverse social, economic and political effects to the society today. The aftermath of terror attacks or religious conflicts is always greeted with loss of lives, injuries, and loss of property. The September 11 attack was an epitome of the adverse negative impacts to the society. Several people lost their lives resulting to untold metal torture and agony to their friends and relatives. Losing a loved

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Delegates to the 1897 National Convention Assignment

The Delegates to the 1897 National Convention - Assignment Example Mostly, it is suggested that the parliament is the supreme authority, while courts are considered as the institution that deal with the crimes and criminal (Patapan, 2006). In fact, it is wrong to consider only the courts as the institution to deal with the crimes and the criminals, Courts are the protector of state rights against any amendment in the constitution. Most of the part of the Australian constitution is taken influence with the American constitution. The delegates emphasized on the importance of the high courts, as the pillar in the nation building and protecting the rights of the people and the states. The statement is correct for modern scenario, as the problems regarding the state and government are rising and sometimes the parliament suggests amending the constitution. In this case, there is a need of any institution that prohibits the central government to violate the constitution. The most appropriate method is to assign this job to the high court. High court is the independent institution that has the right to evaluate, which type of the amendment in the constitution is necessary and which is not. Thus, it is important to have independent courts not under influence of any other institution. Depicting the condition of the parliament at that time, French (2011) quotes "†¦a vague feeling of distrust of the Constitution, as the work of a body somewhat conservative in composition, only indirectly representative of the people, and entrusted with no very definite or detailed mandate even by the parliaments which created it". As, the world’s politics is changing due to the influence of various aspects like the terrorism, trade, etc, the central government has the right to debate the bills, amend the constitution and work for the good of the people by passing the bills that are directly or indirectly related to the trade, economy and size of population. However, it is important that that the court verify any change in the constitution. Som etimes, the ruling party favors the certain amendments in the constitution that is mostly agreed and most of the members of the parliament cast votes in favor of the amendments to support the views of the party. French (2011) quotes the Lord Coleridge words as "one which it is for the public interest that individual should possess, and, indeed, that they should exercise without impediment, so long as no wrongful act is done". However, if there is a need of any amendment in the constitution, the parliament should have to debate the severity of the problem and submit reports to the high court for the consideration. The problem is severe in the modern world, as the elected parliament is unable to deliver the mandate. On the other hand, the parliament is sovereign to take steps to change or amend the constitution for the sake to profit a person, a group or a country (Craven, n.d.). Like, if the parliament passes a law that blacks are prohibited to marry a white girl and

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Constructive Trusts show the conscience of Equity at work Essay

Constructive Trusts show the conscience of Equity at work - Essay Example It is submitted at the outset that the wide applicability of constructive trust renders it necessary to undertake a contextual approach focusing on particular areas. As such, this paper will consider the statement in context of constructive trust applicability in equitable tracing and fiduciary duties and the financial consequences of relationship breakdown. From a historical perspective, equity developed as a result of inflexibility of common law and â€Å"wiped away the tears of the common law†3. In common law, the doctrine of tracing enables a claimant to trace the path of their misappropriated property, identify the proceeds of the property along with persons who have handled the property. Moreover, the common law remedy of tracing enables an applicant to make a claim against the property itself4 However, tracing money at common law is inherently fraught with difficulties, especially where monies have passed through bank or similar accounts and in practice claimants often rely on the equitable doctrine of tracing5. The fundamental problem in common law tracing is the identity requirement, perpetuated by the common reality of funds being mixed. For example, the case of Taylor v Plummer6 affirmed that in order to succeed in a claim for tracing at common law, the property had to be identifiable and distinguishable from other property. Conversely, the Court of Appeal in Agip Africa v Jackson 7 asserted that equity will however allow tracing through mixed bank accounts through the imposition of fiduciary duty and constructive trust, which lends itself to support the assertion that constructive trusts act as the conscience of equity. A prime example of the broader scope of equitable tracing in contrast to legal tracing is the Privy Council decision in AG for Hong Kong v Reid.8 The dispute in the case centred on whether the solicitor general’s subsequent

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The concept of normality in relation to homosexuality Essay

The concept of normality in relation to homosexuality - Essay Example The normality of homosexuality is a debatable issue. During my exploration on this topic, I relied on information from books, scholarly journals, and website sources. Ultimately, the conclusion will establish whether the world is better off without these rigid â€Å"normal† / â€Å"abnormal† labels and why. I base my analysis on an article â€Å"The normality of homosexuality† written by Alicia Mullins and published by The Maine Campus on April 06, 2006. I chose this source because it explains the meaning of heteronormativity in relation to homosexuality. I relied on the article â€Å"Homosexuality: Normality or Abnormality in U.S. Society† written by Nicole Higginbotham and published by Bellevue University on November 21, 2011. This article explains whether homosexuality is normality or an abnormality. I also base my analysis on the article â€Å"Homosexuality is normal so it should not be considered wrong† by Matt Slick and published by CARM. This article addresses the statistics, biology, and evolution of normality in the context of homosexuality. I relied on a 2009 article by Richard Balkin and others in the Journal of Counseling and Development journal. The journal article investigates the relationships between religious identity, sexism, homophobia, and multicultural competence. My analysis also relied on the book â€Å"The Battle for Normality† by G. J. M. van den Aardweg and published by Ignatius Press in 1997. This book offers advice to homosexuality afflicted.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Pay as Motivator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pay as Motivator - Essay Example Skinner's reinforcement theory (1953) is perhaps the foundation for every study on the matter. By stating that behaviour can be shaped, changed, or maintained through positive and negative reinforcement, he implied that people can be made to behave in certain ways using levers of motivation. Later studies merely attempted to find what those levers were. Maslow (1954) proposed five levers he called human needs, with the lowest being physiological, and self-actualisation the highest; in between are the safety, social, and esteem needs. He said meeting these needs is the motivational key, which leads others to ask: if pay helps meet each of these needs, why is it that even highly-paid CEOs continue to milk their corporate cow, sometimes fatally Pay does not seem to give the complete answer. Perhaps Herzberg (1959) had an answer in his hygiene and motivational factors. He argued that a worker would be satisfied if the motivation factors are met, but not if hygiene factors are unmet. However, hygiene factors do not necessarily lead to job satisfaction. And like these other content theories, MacGregor's (1960) simplistic categorisation of employees does not fully explain the behaviour of greedy managers who used to be honest. An interesting trilogy of process theories (Adams, 1963; Vroom, 1964; Porter and Lawler, 1968) goes beyond the tangible and crosses the line into the realm of the mystical. Balance (Adams's Equity Theory), values and beliefs (the expectancy and instrumentality of Vroom), and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation (Porter and Lawler) point out that money is important, but there are others of greater value that managers need to know about workers so they can trigger the right behaviour. Fifteen years (1953-1968) of research concluded that to motivate others, one has to find out why people do the things they do. And now, some four decades later, as researchers continue investigating the human psyche in search of answers, the list of motivational levers just keeps on getting longer. Pay has never been near the top of the list, superseded by more important ones like job security, the loftiness of goals, and the meaningfulness of work (Ambrose and Kulik, 1999; Gagne and Deci, 2005). Are these findings supported by empirical evidence in the real world of the workplace We find out by looking at two well-known U.K. companies: The Royal Mail Holdings plc, a government-owned firm, and J. Sainsbury plc, the publicly listed owner of the third largest supermarket chain in the U.K. Both companies, just getting out of a serious business crisis, offer us a good look at the "pay as motivator" issue by considering the behaviour of managers and workers. We may find some evidence of how our motivation beast really looks like, discover whether the theories are right and, if not, gain some practical lessons from this exercise. The Reality: Hard Facts The Royal Mail Experience The Royal Mail is a 370-year old organisation that began when King Charles I introduced the postal services in Britain (Steven-Jones, 2004, p. 8-9). It was a government monopoly until the passage of the Postal Services Act of 2000 that liberalised the U.K. postal services market. The law was the culmination of several factors, but what triggered it was an event that took place three decades earlier, when in 1971 postal workers staged a six-week strike that threatened to cripple the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary - Assignment Example It always last for a short period. On the other hand, chronic gastritis occurs in the form of stomach inflammations that last for a long time. If it not treated, chronic gastritis may last for a lifetime (National Institute of Health (NIH), 2010). The major cause of gastritis is Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection (Dai, Tang, & Zhang, 2011). H. pylori are forms of bacteria that infect the stomach walls. Their transmission mainly takes place from person to person. Contaminated water or food especially in places with poor sanitation also forms another mode of transmission (NIH, 2010). Gastritis can also be caused by the prolonged use of drugs that include ibuprofen and aspirin. When such anti-inflammatory drugs are used for some time, they trigger a gradual inflammation on the stomach lining. Some harmful chemical agents such as alcohol, radiation, and cocaine can also cause gastritis. If the gastric mucosa is exposed to harmful chemical agents, it accelerates the production of the gastric epithelium, potentially causing foveolar hyperplasia. Although most chemical-triggered gastropathies do not show any symptoms, multiple erosions and ulcers may develop, causing bleeding (NIH, 2010). Apart from H. pylori and anti-inflammatory drugs, gastritis can also be caused by autoimmune disorders, which attack healthy cells in the stomach lining. Such gastritis is usually restricted to the corpus. The autoimmune aggression targets parietal cells associated with anti-intrinsic factor antibodies and anti-parietal cell. Digestive disorders or diseases, viruses, fungi, parasites, and some bacteria other than H. pylori can also cause gastritis. For instance, duodenal reflux into the stomach may cause mucosal abrasions, which in turn trigger the inflammation of the gastric mucosa (Ruggea et al, 2011). The most prevalent symptom of gastritis is dyspepsia, which includes nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Was WWI caused by the operation or breakdown of the balance of power Essay

Was WWI caused by the operation or breakdown of the balance of power - Essay Example Introduction: The original traces of world war one can be stretched back to the events of 17th and 18th century. Major players in this account were the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany and numerous others. Each had its own significance on account of the strategic importance enjoyed or the military and other strengths. The Ottoman Empire had its own account of strengths and it served as the center figure in the entire proceedings of the European affairs. Brief Background: France had become a potent force ever since the era of Napoleon. The Napoleon wars had created unrest of its own kind in form of the geographical disturbances of the maps of Europe. Germany had its own account of tale and history. Great Britain had enjoyed supremacy and history of excellence in recent centuries in its own manner and as a result, this situation resulted in a situation and environment of rivalry and animosity against one another. Allies and Central Powers: Based on the interests, rivalries, soft corners and direct and hidden motives against one another the Europe ended up getting divided into two distinct blocs. The Allies that made up for one strong army and team of nations, in contrast to them was the Central powers that were driven by the ambitions of ending the status quo. The Allies contained the likes of Great Britain, France and Russia, while the Central powers included the Germans, the Austrians, and Ottoman Empire as the three big players. As a result of this broad and visible division, the European continent was split up into two distinct blocs with the continent itself on the verge of a military offensive and launching against the other camp through the mere excuse of military and personal damages. The case of Ottoman Empire: Ottoman Empire reached its zenith in the middle of 15th century when it captured Constantinople in 1453 (Turnbull, 2012, 37). It saw the first halt in its proceedings in 1682-1683 when it was stopped in its offensives against the Europeans notably Hungry, Austria and Poland. Since that time on Ottoman Empire and the Porte kept getting inflicted with all kinds of issues and problems. The Porte was faced with problems from the governors designated in different parts of the entire kingdom that was spread across multiple continents, on others it was on account of the issues with Russia. The case of Holy Places: Holy places were point of interest for various subjects. The holy places came about in form of the Palestine and Jerusalem. The Porte had the custody of these places and he would from time to time assign the custody and guardianship from one set of subjects to other interchangeable shifting between the Protestants and the Catholics. The shift over took place between the Latin Catholics guardians and the Greek monks who demanded the custody. France and Russia were split apart over the rivalry and interest in this matter. Both had political motives against it which they presented, expressed and aimed a t protecting through the cry, slogan and garb of religious interests. The French were siding with the Latin followers who demanded the custody, while the Russians sided with the Protestant Greek Monks. In recent times on account of negligence the Porte had decided to handover the guardianship and custody on the account of negligence by one of the party. This gave rise to political debate and political point scoring form a religious matter and

Saturday, September 21, 2019

‘Entrepreneurs’ as Franchisees Essay Example for Free

‘Entrepreneurs’ as Franchisees Essay Franchisors are increasingly having to be more and more selective in the adoption of franchisees with factors such as economic climate and the potential difficulty with growth playing key factors in the decision making process. It is not simply an ability to grow which creates a successful Franchise and nor is it the desire of any franchisor to adopt every potential franchisee. Franchisors are becoming more and more scrutinising as the global economy declines. There is a general understanding within any franchised business, which is that one of the most desired traits of any franchisee is the ability to follow a set design People who buy franchises are not entrepreneurs, and they better know that going in, (Libava, 2012). Throughout, the difficulty of working with entrepreneurial franchisees will be analysed alongside what a Franchisor looks for in an ideal Franchisee in the context of someone seeking to enterprise a franchise; how these differ, how they are similar and what potential benefits or disadvantages this stance may create. The entrepreneurial process requires a great number of identification and opportunist methods in order to obtain the resources for their business and be deemed â€Å"entrepreneurial† (Shane, 2003). The use of these skills will be evaluated in the context of a franchise in order to understand why franchisors prefer not to take on entrepreneurs. Firstly, it is important to understand why franchisors must have certain barriers of entry to their franchise before we can fully question their likeliness to take on entrepreneurs. Franchisees seek to join a Franchise due to the ease of starting a business; Suppliers are already established, store layout is already set, uniforms already designed customers already familiar with the brand and so on. The sole reason this is set out already is because it has been tried and tested (in most cases) over time, and most likely by a number of other Franchisees. Since all the Franchisees have built this brand image up since the off, it is integral to protect this brand image as any impairment to one franchisee could cause the public to â€Å"tar† the whole franchise â€Å"with the same brush†. However, the extent to their high expectations of potential franchisees has a tendency to vary with each scale of franchise. A well-established franchise has a lot to protect and therefore is likely to resist the urge to take on an enterprising franchisee, seeing them as â€Å"high risk†. Alternatively, the opposite can also be said as it is likely to promote the business more with greater levels of feedback, new prospects and innovative ideas (Diebold 1990). From one perspective, there are many reasons why certain franchisors would avoid accepting entrepreneurial Franchisees into their Franchise. Entrepreneurial businessmen and women are often stereotyped as the innovators; someone who pushes the boundaries of the known worlda change agent who is relentless in making things happen and bringing ideas to execution (Entrepreneur.com). This means that their skills best lie in the development of new ideas, improvement of old ways and generally the identification of modern concepts and techniques. In the eyes of a potential franchisor this has many foreboding difficulties should they decide to accept the franchising agreement. Firstly, a franchise is a tried and tested model which has proven to be a mostly profitable and successful enterprise of its own with a large quantity of time, effort and money used to perfect the foundations of the franchise. Therefore should a franchisee wish to try and change these perfected techniques, not only does it risk the chance of failure and therefore damaging the brand as a whole, but also the arrogant â€Å"I know better† attitude contradicts the very concept of a franchise. Libava defines this concept as using a â€Å"franchise company’s trademarks, systems, signage, software, and other proprietary tools and systems in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the franchise contract† to an â€Å"Identified System† (Libava 2012). Taking on board the enterprising ideas the franchisee puts across would essentially be the franchisor wasting effort and money in the perfecting of their pre-set method. This is especially the case with larger, more established franchises such as Subway and McDonalds, whereby every task is responded to in a set way and is quantified to the smallest factor. An example of this is when changing the uniform at McDonalds in 2012, it cost over  £1.52 million in the UK alone due to the vast number of employees (Weiss 2012). From cleaning the floors to dealing with food complaints, even the smallest change in the franchisors technique requires a great amount of communication and control, but is also a timely and therefore costly exercise. This then reflects the reluctant attitude to established Franchises when considering the great cost and risk involved in the context of someone entrepreneurial. The franchise already has the fine details of the business set into its own convention; entrepreneurial individuals only cause a constant battle with the franchisor due to the desire for change and sometimes, change for change’s sake. However, although in the established franchise context this statement may be true, it is not always the case. Start-up, less established and more innovative franchises are much more likely to be open for suggestion and more interested in taking on entrepreneurs into their franchise. The same can be said for franchises in need of innovation to survive. With everyday names such as HMV and Woolworths going into administration, amplification of a USP and innovation has become a necessary act for survival. Even the slightest differentiation could mean the difference between consumers buying with you or a competitor; Domino’s Pizza is a good example of this. Since the almost-global economic recession of 2008, survival has been integral to any business model, franchise or otherwise. As a result of this, Domino’s has allowed one of its more entrepreneurial franchisee’s to trial and as a result implemented â€Å"Bread Bowl† and â€Å"Pasta† dishes onto their menu with great success (Wilson 2012). The same can be said of WSI, an internet marketing franchise, whereby 90% of the products and services have come from the franchisee’s themselves to â€Å"ensure that [they] are offering the latest and best internet marketing processes to end clients that deliver results† (McArthur 2012). This shows how, it is not only the economic factors that play to a franchisors’ decision making, but also the type of franchise that they are operating. The online marketplace is a raw marketplace where each business is instantly comparable to their competitors and just as easily undercut; therefore, an innovative franchisee is more desirable than the traditional replicable franchisee as they are able to create differentiation potentially more valuable than price. In addition to this, it is also useful to look at the financial success of large and small franchises to gain a better understanding as to why some seek entrepreneurs and others don’t. An â€Å"Innovation vs. Replication† report compared the financial performance of 500 firms varying in size and found that small businesses with business models centred on low levels of replication and high innovation, showed more growth than models with high levels of replication. Additionally, they also found that large businesses with only high levels of innovation and low levels of replication had a lower average financial position (Aspara 2009). This reflects how statistically it would work against the favour of a large franchise to adopt innovative entrepreneurs, whilst also presenting a counter-point portraying enterprising individuals as promoters for growth and financial stability for smaller franchises. This isn’t always the case though, presented in the franchise Krispy Kreme with its â€Å"boom† stage in the early 2000’s. Being a rapidly growing donut franchise it had entrepreneurs from around the world wanting to become part of this international business. However, due to the lack of care when choosing franchisees and with growth as their only concern, issues with proximity caused cannibalising sales as a result of capitalising their own popularity (Morebusiness.com 2010). Pulling these points together, there are many clear reasons why a franchisor would be hesitant to take on an entrepreneur. Taking on a â€Å"If it’s not broke don’t fix it† attitude emphasises the safety in the tried and tested method of replication. Franchises with a set convention are likely to take a â€Å"sure-bet† rather than a â€Å"risk†, due to knowledge that the model works fine the way it is, proven by their own and other franchisees. That is not to say that what works for one franchising model is the same for all (Francis 2010). Both economic and business models play key factors into how enterprising a franchise may or may not choose to be. Some franchises such as WSI rely on entrepreneurial franchisees for the very success of their business and remain an integral part of their franchise model. Within the report of innovation and replication it found that the most financially successful businesses were large scale firms with high levels of innovation and replication (Aspara 2009) showing how there is room for improvement in any business. â€Å"Staying consistent on the core components of your business doesnt mean the products you sell, or even the way you deliver them, have to stay the same† (FranchiseDirect.com) However, replication in a franchise builds the foundations of what has already been industry certified and therefore proven to work. Entrepreneurs are most useful in a franchise when the need for innovation is high, such as start-up franchises and times of economic instability where differentiation is needed to survive. As a franchise grows, the structure becomes more and more rigid and therefore more difficult and less susceptible to change as the cost of doing so outweighs the potential benefits. Perhaps it is the case that most franchisors are less likely to take on an entrepreneur as a franchisee, using their own sources of research and development. However, not every franchise has the capital to operate their own entrepreneurial department and therefore is much more likely to opt for enterprising franchisees to enable their franchise to grow. Reference List Aspara et al, J A, 2009. Innovation vs. Replication. Business model innovation vs. replication: Financial performance implications of strategic emphases. 1, 6,7 Diebold, J. D, 1990. The Innovators: The Discoveries, Inventions, and Breakthroughs of Our Time. 1st ed. New York: Plume. Entrepreneur.com 2013. Innovators | Entrepreneur.com. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/innovators/index.html. [Accessed 24 January 2013]. Francis K.A. Demand Media. 2010. Innovation Vs. Replication in Franchises. [ONLINE] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/innovation-vs-replication-franchises-198.html. [Accessed 23 January 13]. Libava 2012, The Top Traits of Successful Franchise Owners | Entrepreneur.com. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224016. [Accessed 23 January 2013]. Also see Definition Of A Franchise. 2013 [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thefranchiseking.com/definition-of-a-franchise. [Accessed 24 January 2013] McArthur, R M, 2012. President of WSI Internet Marketing Franchise. Can Franchising and Innovation Go Hand in Hand? (See Wilson 2012) MoreBusiness.com. 2013 . Learning from the Franchising Mistakes of Failed Krispy Kreme | MoreBusiness.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.morebusiness.com/franchise-risks. [Accessed 23 January 2013]. Shane, S.A , 2003. A General Theory Of Entrepreneurship: The

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Success Factors Of The Nintendo Company Marketing Essay

The Success Factors Of The Nintendo Company Marketing Essay Nintendo Co., Ltd is a multinational public listed company but privately held that develops, manufactures ,and auction home entertainment products (Reuters).The company is currently the one dominating the handheld console market with its Nintendo DS as well as its preceding incarnations of its best-selling Game Boy handheld (Nintendo). Nintendo Company was Founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi ,a Japanese man in the year 1889 (Ben, 2011) .The current president of Nintendo however is Satoru Iwata. The company is based in Kyoto, Japan (Marketwatch, 2012) and has a large number of employees both hardware and software based people, this includes programmers ,business people and thinkers . The name of the company is derived from a Japanese proverb, when translated in English language means Leave luck to heaven (Dominic, p. 1). Nintendo company is widely acknowledged for making video games (Ben, 2011) and is considered as one of the most successful gaming industry worldwide (Dominic, p. 1) . The co mpany has branches in America and Europe with Japan being the leading market (Nicole, Jann, Kelsey, 2005). and operates in more than 26 sub branches and five associated companies. The companys branches consist of the Nintendo of America Inc., Nintendo of Canada Ltd., Nintendo of Europe GmbH, Nintendo France S.A.R and along with others. Products Nintendo offers include but are not limited to :- leisure machine such as portable and console game like the Wii , Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DSi as well as the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Entertainment System(NES), Nintendo 64 till the latest product the Wii U (Nintendo, 2012). 1.2. Reason For Choosing Nintendo : The company is considered as a technology-based venture as it produces high technology games, uses 3D gaming technology as in the case of the Nintendo 3DS systems , graphics, digital images and so forth. The company has revolutionize the gaming world by changing the way video games is perceived today (Sebastian, 2008). The reason for which the company has been chosen was not limited to the creativity and innovation they emphasize on their products which grabs attention nor for their console being user-friendly , portable making it easy to use , but also due to the fact that the company offers a brilliant example of one that has been able to stand on difficult moments, face failure at some point and succeeded in a market dominated by larger competitors (Sony and Microsoft) by continuously innovating and improving their products. 2. Nintendo Company (An Overview) : 2.1.History of Nintendo: The Company started as a manufacturer of Hanafuda  [1]  playing card in the town of Kyoto , due to its popularity at the time the company expanded all over Japan (Dominic, p. 2). During World War II, meanwhile the Japan economy was distraught , the demand for playing cards however decreased slightly and thrived in the years that followed the war. In the year 1949, Nintendo welcomed its new president Hiroshi Yamauchi who tried to modernize the company by developing plastic playing cards earning its place as the largest playing card company in Japan at the time (Fukuine). In 1959, Nintendo and Disney signed an agreements that allows Nintendo to print their card with Disney cartoon on it and by the year 1962, Nintendo went out public. Due to the success of their cards, and huge sales , the company extended its branches all over the world (Minami-ku) . The company later made an attempt for other business like clothing ,taxi service ,TV network, food company and toy-making company but only the toy-making company turned out to be the successful while the rest of the buisness experiment led to major failures. The toy-making company experienced success in the late 190s when Gunpei Yokoi a developer at Nintendo designed an extending arm toy The Ultra-hand. The creativity nature of Gunpei led to future release such as the baseball throwing machine and other related products (Manali) . Nintendo later turned into the video market which in later years proved to be their most profitable decision (Wikia). Nintendos first global large scale success came in the year 1981 with the release of the arcade game Donkey Kong. This game provided colorful graphics, Disney cartoon figures and had multiple levels where by players had to jump over barrels, ride elevators and many others. The goal of the game was to save a princess from obstinate gorilla, the game was alluring and the story attracted people. Alongside the release of the arcade Donkey Kong, was Mario Bros which allowed p layers to kick enemies using the game display established Nintendos place firmly in the video game industry. In 1985, Nintendo began to advertize their console in America and other parts of the world beneath the name of Nintendo Entertainment System(NES). In 1989, Nintendo introduced the first portable by hand game system , the Game Boy and its successive iterations mainly the Game Boy Color, Pocket, Light and other. The years that followed introduced the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System(SNES) in America alongside with Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past and more for use with the SNES (Eric, 1999) which was a huge success . Moreover Nintendo began losing it grounds to their competitors mainly Sony and Microsoft when Sony released its play station console in 1991 (Dominic, p. 2). This however let them to the launch the Nintendo N64 ,with a 64-bit home video game system by the year 1996 which led to huge sales and its come-back featuring the adaptat ion of the previous arcade game and enhancing the game features (Eric, 1999). In the years that followed, Nintendo products gained popularity while others were failures or criticized. In 2001, Nintendo introduced the WII, a home video game console which target people of all age group and gender as it is easy to use and attractive. It was a year later that Satoru Iwata succeeded Hiroshi as President (Manali). Nintendo further launched the Nintendo DS devices in 2004 followed by the Nintendo DS I the most recent the Nintendo 3DS version enabling players to play virtually on 3D platforms without the need of any glasses, the release of the 3DS was on 2011 and drifted a huge success (Yahoo). With the release of the latter products, Nintendo earned worldwide reputation (Manali). The latest Nintendo product is an incarnation of the Wii namely the Wii U which launch date is settled on the 17 November 2012 . The picture below summarizes the key historical dates of the Nintendo company . 2.2. Success Factors Nintendo : The key to Nintendo success is the incorporation of the hardware and software needed to develop their products .Meanwhile different factors exists that makes the Company successful, three out of all are discussed as follows : 2.2.1. Good Working Environment : A Good working environment is one in which the employees and the entrepreneur/president of the company entertain a good and stable relationships .The employees are happy about their work and are encouraged to work harder. The entrepreneur/leader encourages employees to speak freely and express their ideas without restrictions. This motivates employees to be open-minded ,express their creativity and work harder towards the achievements of the same goal. Nintendo, provide a good working environment , the employees feels like they all belong to the same family as most of them have been working under Nintendo name for many years (Ben, 2011). Employees are encouraged to take decisions, and speak-up their ideas, share their knowledge, by doing so, Nintendo keeps the most talented employees as was the case with Gunpei Yokoi, the maintenance engineer working at Nintendo who had the idea to design the Ultra Hand product and was given full support by the company president to design the product which later proved to be successful in the late 1970s (Manali). The creative nature of Gunpei in the years that follows beneficiated Nintendo company as the product designated under his whelm let to huge sales. Other than Gunpei, Nintendo has talented employees like who worked together all as a whole. 2.2.2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) : CRM describes the way an enterprise interacts with its customers. It is a strategic issue that the company undertakes to make sure they handle customers interactions and provide better way to respond to customers requests or through their strategy , target what the customers need (Wendy). Nintendo uses Disney cartoons figures as stated earlier. This grabs children attention and encourage them to afford a Nintendo product. They target their customers at an earlier age and their games are kid-friendly and educative gaining them popularity parents. For Nintendo , Expanding the gaming industrys customer was their vision. They wanted to attract more people , people that are not usually used to play video games. The company were the first to target players from all age groups and gender not just the normal age 5-22 but rather 3-120 . Unlike Sony and Microsoft , Nintendo did not try to impress their customers by adding more technical features on their products, rather than doing that, they continuously search for a way to adapt to their customers needs and make radical innovation. They fit their products to best benefit their customers and this is one of the most important success factor the company has. Nintendo provide a discussion forum for their product in their website . The forum is open and is accessed by all Nintendo fans as well as potential consumers . People can interact with each other discussing their experience with the Nintendo product they own or think of purchasing , the product they liked the most , dislike, what they think could be done to improve on any of the Nintendo product, or just stipulate their expectation. Nintendo later uses this information as a step forward to adapt the need of their customers to their product. This maintains a firm relationship between Nintendo and their customers and shows how much they care about their needs . Nintendo also provides reasonable prices for their products as compared to their competitors. they make sure the common people will gain or benefit from their products thereby increasing their own profit (Nicole, Jann, Kelsey, 2005, p. 14). They have incorporated a free game with each Wii unit with a price of $250 that surely was not comparable as the playstation3 of Sony with a price of $350 by the time (Brian, 2012). With the venture of the Nintendo WII product, came the WII sport feature. Nintendo decided to launch WII sport trying to find a healthy way for people not to become obese by spending their whole time playing game, those who wants to loose weight or just normal people wanting to stay fit by doing sports without going out of their homes. They realized the adult population needed it, and requested it, so they launch the WII sport feature, which was easy to learn and to use, adapting itself to normal life. The product brought in a new sort of social and physical interactive entertainment in a new form that can be played with friends or family , The console did not only revolutionize the gaming industry by giving the market a product that suits their needs and desires but also helped Nintendo strengthen its place as a leader in the video industry. 2.2.3. Innovation and Technology : It is important for an enterprise to identify the technology required for its buisness to keep growing as technology is changing in order to widen their audience and keep their target customers beneath (Marian, 2000). When coming to technology and innovation issues, Nintendo moves as fast as technology changes occur. Since players often purchase the game they want based on the features that the console offers. Nintendo succeeded by adapting its consoles with the features and needs its target audience desires . From history Nintendo has been the leader of hardware design, they were the first to feature shoulder buttons on the controller for the Super Nintendo, they implement joystick first, enabling gamers to have a hold on their games and this rendered the games more interesting even to casual gamers (Joshoua, Randolf, Bradley). Nintendo has always been innovative continuously adding up new features on their existing product as well as creating a total new sort of product to target new audience. At each steps forward, Nintendo continuously figured out a way to improve on their product by applying new technology as was the case for the Nintendo 3DS which opened up a new generation of gaming systems. Nintendo 3DS was the first game represented in 3D that was played without any glasses. Players would not need to bother themselves and could actually live the experience. This pretty much attracted interest, adding-up to the beautiful amazing graphics processing it offers. Nintendo keenness to revisit old-fashioned technologies that many gamers thought outdated was one of the reason they are successful today. They did concentrate themselves on selecting the correct technologies that its target audience will apply, find it easy to use while having fun. With the release of the wii, Nintendo showed to the world a new way to control a device through the use of the wii remote control. A new air for the gaming industry began. Their way of integrating technology is just amazing, just like their latest product WII U Gamepad which has added a touch screen , a technology never used before in the video game world to control games. This relates that the games played on the Wii U will offer a player any way he wants to control the game . The gamer can choose to control the game using either buttons, knobs, Wii remote control or lately through the touch screen. 3. Conclusion : Nintendo would likely be the first game child-play ever . Throughout the years, it has faced huge failures and extremely strong competitors as Sony and Microsoft, though the Nintendo products cannot be comparable to those two due to the complicated hardware they use, and their technology advancement, Nintendo still stands as the number one in the Video game Industry for hand-held console. The Company brilliant working team, managerial process , relationship with their customers and continuous innovation has earned them along lasting position in the gaming industry. One cannot go without saying that Nintendo products has changed the way we look at video games today. They may not be tough in front of Sony and Microsoft but they are most inevitably the most creative. The value they offer with the technology that matches up the needs is what makes Nintendo an outstanding and successful company .

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Growing World of Sony Essay -- essays research papers

It’s not news that Sony is a global company or that (25%) of all Play Station profits’ for the past seven years came from Sony to Japan. After all that’s what international marketing and the global economy are all about, companies like Sega, Nintendo, Microsoft, X-Box doing business around the world. The global economy now reaches every corner of the United States. Current interest in international marketing can be explained by changing competitive structures coupled with shifts in demand characteristics in markets throughout the world. With the increasing globalization of markets, companies find they are unavoidably enmeshed with foreign customers, competitors and suppliers. A significant portion of all products made in the United States is foreign made. Japan’s economy is based on a strong work ethic and being a leader of technology, in which has helped Japan advance to the second most powerful economy in the world. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. The keiretsu, which means â€Å"order† or â€Å"system,† is a unique form of business that links companies together in industrial groups that provide Japanese business with a substantial competitive edge over non-keiretsu organizations. Keiretsus are collections of dozens of major companies spanning several industries and held together by cross-shareholding, old-boy networks, interlocking directorates, long-term business relationships, and social and historical links. There are six major Japanese industrial keiretsu groups and eleven lesser ones. Together, the sales in these groups are responsible for about 25 percent of the activities of all Japan, a nd keiretsus account for 78 percent of the value of all shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Japan’s industry, which is the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. For three decades overall real economic growth had been one of the highest, 10% in the 1960s, 5% in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of over investment during the late 1980s. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking system ... ...the magic and popularity behind playstaion 2, besides the Sony name, was is it’s ability to play back DVD videodiscs, and support for all types of sound hardware, including Dolby Digital and DTS, which is, used for home theater systems. These added options plus it’s ability to play back the original playstation games made it appealing to every one regardless of age. For the Kids you had the hottest new system that could also play the original play station games even faster, for the parents you had a new DVD Player. Sony’s ability to market and tailor the playstation to a wide range of consumer young and old is what but it on top of the charts. Even with the introduction of Microsoft’s XBOX and Nintendo’s game Cube this October Sony is still topping the charts this Christmas season. Sony’s has proved it’s self in the gaming world and has its consumers behind them. The strategies that Sony uses is marketing it’s playstation is not complex, Sony just uses it’s assets to find out what the consumer wants and need and then gives it them. Sony produces high quality products tailored to the need of its consumers. A simple concept that has left Sony and Playstation on top of the charts.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The World Needs More Nuclear Power Essay -- Argumentative Essays, Pers

Opponents of the nuclear industry conjure up frightful images of nuclear accidents to spread terror to those who could benefit from its awesome bounty. A misguided desire to protect the environment blinds people to the reality that nuclear power is a "green" energy source. Nuclear power is superior to traditional power generation in almost every way whether it is looked at from an environmental, economic or technical point of view. Currently, most consumer power generation is achieved through the burning of fossil fuels. Skeptics of nuclear energy’s potential have long contended that fossil fuels are safer to process, are better for the environment and pose less of a long term hazard than nuclear power. Concerns over safety also dominate the issue since the often lamented invention of nuclear weapons has demonstrated that the awesome force of nuclear power can be dangerous indeed. Nuclear power is also tagged as being expensive, not only for power generation but for the environmental detriments that must be mitigated after processing. None of these arguments against nuclear power has any real factual basis as research has shown that nuclear power has less of a negative impact on the environment, has the potential to be safer and ultimately cheaper than traditional power generating methods. The mainstays of traditional power generation involve the burning of fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal. Environmentalists use scare tactics to try to convince people that nuclear power is a dirty energy. The truth however, is that as far as damage to the environment goes, nuclear power is a much greener source of energy than either coal or natural gas. The first advantage of nuclear power over coal or natural gas is ob... ...ands in the way of nuclear power becoming the energy of the future is fear and rhetoric. As the famous philosopher Heraclitus said â€Å"Dogs bark at a person whom they do not know† (Heraclitus, para 97), which means that people will always attack that which they do not understand. This makes education the greatest step towards making one of man’s greatest technological triumphs into a blessing for this generation. Works Cited Heraclitus. â€Å"The Complete Philosophical Fragments.† Middlebury College Website. Middlebury College. 07/14/10 http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Philosophy/Heraclitus.html Hill, Patrice. â€Å"Nuclear Power Is the Energy of the Future.† Insight April 2001 McGregor, Douglas S. â€Å"The Use of Nuclear Power Should be Increased.† The New American April 2001: 12-19 Robinson, Mark, A. 100 Grams of Uranium Equal 200 Tons of Coal. Kelso, WA, 1987

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Analysis “On Being Human” Essay

C.S. Lewis gets straight to the point in his first lines, particularly with the first two words ‘angelic minds.’ Readers will discern immediately that Lewis is going to discuss the concept of experience from the viewpoint of supernatural non-human beings such as angels. Readers may also guess, by comparing this idea to the poems title ‘On Being Human,’ that he intends to go on to compare this idea with our experience of the world from the implied lowliness of mankind’s perspective. Students may wonder where the latter implication comes from, and in this, at the beginning of the poem at least, C.S. Lewis is no help at all in referring to a mysterious ‘they’ who apparently hold that angels use intelligence alone to comprehend the forms of nature, not needing the added senses enjoyed by more sensate humankind. Some readers may be reminded here of the fierce battles between the angels and demons of Milton or the ‘arrows of desire’ of Blake. Indeed the nature of love and its forms was thoroughly explored and analysed elsewhere in the Four Loves by C.S. Lewis himself. As he outlines his argument in the next few lines, readers are left wondering which way Lewis is going to go with this. They may wonder which dimension of experience the poet will say is best – intelligence or sensory experience? Here, the idea of an enigma or puzzle gives the poem drive and suspense as students read on to find out what happens next. Initially C.S. Lewis presents, and continues to develop, the theory that those with purely spiritual, non sensual minds can unerringly discern crucial timeless truths, ‘the verities’, through intelligence alone, without recourse to the five senses. Humans either lack knowledge of these truths or have come to learn them indirectly through the implied less satisfactory means of sensual experience. Truths of nature seem to be given particular weight by Lewis here as he tells readers of ‘earthness’ and ‘stoneness’ that can be perceived by angels from their clear uncluttered viewpoint – uncluttered by the supposed inferior extraneous baggage of mortal sensate feelings and experiences. Both in Lewis’s use of the word ‘unvarying’ and in his use of the word ‘unerringly’ in the opening lines, some readers may pick up echoes of the Roman Catholic belief in the infallibility of the Pope and the unwavering adherence to doctrine of the Roman Catholic church – even in the face of calls for relaxation and modernisation by common popular dissent. This serves to reinforce the notion of the fundamental nature of ancient truths. Being human, Lewis seems to ponder, may result in a clouding of the vision of fundamental principles by a veil or a muddled fog of distracting sensual experiences. It is at this point that the reader may perceive a divergence in Lewis’s view with that of the poets, theologians and philosophers of the ‘they’ in his initial lines. In his list of the understanding of the notion of ‘being,’ of existence, ‘being human’ is left out! The angels appear to understand the scientific principles of the beauty of nature, the properties of a tree for example, or the evaporatory properties of the sea, but their achievements in the field of understanding human existence are not mentioned. C.S. Lewis then sketches, with exquisite delicacy, the human experience of the blissful coolness of shade as relief from the blistering unrelenting glare of the sun and, next, the severance of sun from shadow where the trees begin. This use of the word ‘severance’ also serves to mark the point where Lewis breaks faith temporarily with the ‘they’ of the first lines as he introduces humor, remarking that an angel has no skin and therefore (presumably) no conduit for the sense of touch. Then follows a series of ravishing images, deftly painted by Lewis, of the ‘drinking-in’ of experiences of nature’s loveliness – such as the sweetness of a peach basking in the warmth of a sunlit wall or the delightfully natural fragrances of the countryside. Here Lewis picks up again the comical atmosphere that underlies the conversational narrative style of the poem, adding that angels are unable to appreciate the delights of the fragrance of the field, new mown hay, the sea smells and the therapeutic incense of wood smoke. With humor he bluntly posits that an angel has no nose! The poet then appears to struggle between two possibilities – firstly that angels get the best deal as they are not burdened with the five confusing senses. Conversely, he wonders whether humans are the better off of the two beings. After all, they are guarded from the shock of perceiving the whole of existence ‘the heavens’ at once, because mankind’s distracting senses obscure the truth of it. Crucially, in terms of understanding Lewis’s own opinion on the subject, the poet draws attention to the way in which God himself may want us to have one small area of our personalities devoted to appreciating the environment through our senses. Perhaps in so doing we are the better able to comprehend the sheer scale of the wonders of nature and sense that He has provided for our happiness. The angels with their cold intelligence may be unable to profoundly appreciate, thank and love God to the full. Indeed, some lines from the Roman Catholic church service, ‘The Mass’, may spring to mind when reflecting upon the benefits this ‘being human’ has in our relationship with God – the lines refer to a Christ ‘who humbled himself to share in our humanity.’ As Lewis puts it, we ‘share a privacy that is forever ours, not theirs.’

Monday, September 16, 2019

Hitler Became Chancellor in 1933 Because He Was Leader of the Most Popular Party in Germany Essay

Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 because he was leader of the most popular party in Germany. How far you agree with this opinion? Hitler’s appointment in 1933 cannot be put down to just one factor. There were many influential occurrences leading up to his appointment but overall the Great Depression seems to be the biggest factor as it started a ‘chain reaction’ that overall led to Hitler being Chancellor of Germany. Therefore, despite being the leader of the most popular party in Germany playing a part in Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor it was not solely responsible and was also not the most important factor. An argument that could be used to show that Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 because he was leader of the most popular party in Germany is the idea that the Nazis used effective tactics which not only allowed them to gain extreme popularity but also their leader, Adolf Hitler. Essentially, the Nazis clever strategies allowed Hitler to gain recognition. For example, the Nazis were incredibly good at changing their policies to suit their audiences at rallies. The Great Depression was also used to their favour; promoting Hitler as the saviour in their propaganda to incredible effect. Goebbels’ propaganda campaign was very effective and it won support for the Nazis and Hitler. Also, Hitler moved away from violence and realised that the only way he could receive true power was through the Reichstag. The Nazis were able to win over the working and middle classes by using their anti-Jewish propaganda for the working classes and for the middle classes and farmers they focussed on their policies on powerless and honourless Germany, making it great again. No other party focussed more on propaganda than the Nazis; they were masters of propaganda. Their propaganda skills had the ability to change the public’s opinions and views. It encompassed every aspect of Weimar Germany to entice millions of people into following them, their policies ranged from unemployment to the stab in the back myth of Versailles. This increased the appeal of the Nazis and as a result they increased their vote in the Reichstag in the next election of July 1932, increasing their number of seats to 230 and becoming the largest party in the Reichstag. The Nazis used the problems with the economy and the Weimar republic to boost their support; this is evident in the fact that as unemployment got worse, Nazi support increased. Therefore clearly, being the leader of the most popular party did have extreme benefits for Hitler in terms of helping him become Chancellor due to gaining popularity through the party. Having said that, the idea that Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 because he was leader of the most popular party in Germany to an extent can be argued to be untrue; as briefly discussed the weaknesses of the Weimar government also played a clear role. More specifically, events happening outside of Germany such as Wall Street Crash; The Great Depression. Germany suffered the consequences due to the collapse of share prices on the New York Stock Exchange more than any other country. US loans and investment ceased and demands quickly followed for the repayment of previous short-term loans. Also, the crisis caused a further decline in the price of food and raw materials as the industrialised nations reduced their imports. As demands for exports collapsed world trade slumped and German industry could no longer pay its way. The argument could therefore be made that without this event the Nazis may not have become the most popular party. After all, the party’s popularity came from anger and bitterness of Weimar. Therefore, people turned towards the extremist political parties. Yet many workers turned to communism but this frightened wealthy businessmen, so they financed Hitler’s campaigns. Many middle-class people, alarmed by the obvious failure of democracy, decided that the country needed a strong government. The depression of 1929 created poverty and unemployment, making people angry with the Weimar government. Overall, this argument clearly signifies that Hitler’s appointment to become Chancellor was not just down to him being leader of the most popular party in Germany; events outside Germany lead to Weimar failing miserably which also played a clear role. Nazis electoral success in 1932 did to an extent have an impact and therefore, can be used to argue that Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 because he was leader of the most popular party in Germany. After all, the elections to the Reichstag in July saw the Nazi percentage of the vote increase to 37. 3 per cent, making it the largest party in the Reichstag. This was a sensational breakthrough. As the largest political group in the Reichstag, they had a mandate from the German people to be involved in the government. Clearly, this indicates that whilst the Nazi party looked increasingly powerful, their leader Hitler did so too; making him more well known throughout the country. This argument is also strengthened by the thought that it is after all, down to being the leader of the Nazis because the moderate parties would not work together despite the fact that together they would be stronger than the Nazis and therefore, weaknesses of other parties contribute to Hitler and the Nazis looking stronger. This strength made Hitler more established as a political figure giving him a clear advantage. However, in comparison to the previous argument another reason for Hitler’s Chancellorship was Von Papen; indicating that Hitler did not become Chancellor just due to being the leader of the most popular party in Germany. After all, the Nazis gained electoral success in 1932 but Hindenburg still refused to make Hitler Chancellor; indicating despite being the leader this did not put Hitler in an advantageous position. Yet, Von Papen had been Chancellor before Hitler and had become close friends with President Hindenburg. This played much to Hitler’s advantage as Papen offered to convince Hindenburg that Hitler was the right choice for the new Chancellor provided Papen could be Vice Chancellor. Von Papen managed to convince Hindenburg, along with various other politicians that Hitler was the best choice. Without Von Papen, Hitler may not have managed to initially become Chancellor or at least not until later than January 1933. This combined with the idea that previous governments were weak and lacked support made a clear sign for that Germany needed change. Hitler was something new and had clearly opposed the idea of a democracy from the start. As the German public started to go against the Republic their support turned to the opposing and completely differing view of Hitler. He was different to the past chancellors such as Von Papen who represented failed governments. He portrayed himself through propaganda and in speeches as a strong and powerful leader who could lead Germany out of this depression and unrest and that’s what the German public needed at the time. After all, Hindenburg had no other alternative but to place Hitler as Chancellor due to the failures of previous governments and Hitler’s growing support from people close to Hindenburg. Also, other conservative elites believed that Hitler was a man that could easily be tamed and kept under control. This gave him an advantage over the Communists, as Hindenburg believed he wouldn’t be able to control the communists if he supported them. This is therefore important in the eventual appointment of Hitler as Chancellor as without the support of the conservative elites, it is debatable as to whether or not Hitler would actually have gained power. Even, when in the July 1932 the NSDAP won 230 seats, becoming the largest party in Germany, Hindenburg did not appoint Hitler Chancellor. Hence, it is hard to imagine why anything would have changed without considerable pressure being mounted on Hindenburg from business. In particular, without the support of von Papen and his supposed ability to â€Å"control Hitler†, Hindenburg would certainly not have been persuaded. Clearly then, these conservative elites had at least some impact in bringing about Hitler’s time as Chancellor. Also, the misjudgement of von Papen and Hindenburg in believing that they could control Hitler is crucial in explaining the overall Nazi seizure of power.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Direct Mail Homework

1. Who will your target audience(s) be for this coming year? When using direct mail as a medium for fund raising, firms measure their performance by comparing the dollars earned with the dollars spent (Bhagat and Donovan). Hence, for the coming year we should concentrate on those who can give us the maximum amount of money while we keep our costs at the lowest possible. Also, most of our donors are in the retired age bracket. For these reasons we should concentrate on targeting middle age people; those who have are concerned about others and also have the means to help them.2. What proportion of your budget will you allocate for new requests versus ongoing communication? At least half of the budget should be allocated for new requests as the company is in dire need of altering its current donor list age bracket. 3. What other communication tactics might you use to try and reach potential donors? The firm can use many other tactics such as online mailing, setting up a website, making online forums where people can come and discuss new ideas and giving an advertisement in the newspaper.However, newspaper advertisement will cost a lot and thus, the chosen newspaper must be the one which is widely read by the target audience. 4. How might you distinguish yourself from other charities making requests for funds? A lot of fundraisers show their donors the monetary benefits of raising funds through them. We do not think this is a healthy practice as those giving away something should not be interested in getting more back.Hence, we will distinguish ourselves from others by highlighting the benefits that society will get out of our the donors’ gesture to help others. 5. Is there any certain determinant you can think of that might help you identify good potential donors? While identifying potential donors, we will need to know if they have been giving donations in the past and how they feel about that. That can be identified through inviting people to online discu ssions and then contacting those whom we think have the potential via direct mail to give donations.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Cause and effect Essay

I am going to be talking about the cause and effects of peer pressure on today’s teens. Most of the time peer pressure is caused when teens develop the strong desire to fit in and be accepted by others. In high school most teens think that to fit in they have to be noticed and do whatever the â€Å"popular crowd† is doing, even if that means they will get in trouble. What some parents don’t realize these days is that they have a strong influence on their children’s lives and how they handle day to day issues. When you’re tuff and set good guide lines for your child and teach them wrong from right they will be less tempted to do wrong because they will have guidance. Some off the effects that peer pressure can cause can be harmful or lead to being kicked out of school. When teens are persuaded into doing the wrong thing there is going to be consequences for their actions. It could result in the child being kicked off of their team, out of school or even worse, they could end up in jail. The causes of peer pressure are very real in today’s society and if your teen or child isn’t careful who they hang around, they might be pressured into doing the wrong thing. Make sure to talk with your child and let them know that you are there for them and they can come to you whenever they need to talk about something.

How to manage your time Essay

Carl Sandberg said â€Å"time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.† Therefore, how to control your use of time? First and foremost, look cautious at your priorities and Identify your goals . According to Oxford Brookes University (2012), you have to identify what is important to you and to be realistic and definite about them. People in all walks of life will have different thoughts, each of them will have their own priorities, identify what you need. For instance, friends, family, getting a good degree, or your health. The great way to determine is by giving a rank to them in order from 1-10 that could help you to prioritise the time you give to the things that beneficial to you and things which will help you to achieve your goals. Then you can allocate a realistic amount of time to each. Being more realistic enables you to build in time to relax and can work more effectively. Furthermore, make a timetable, plan for your future. This is the most common way, yet is the most useful way. According to NUS (n.d.), if you have come to university from high school, it can be a shock to find that you are responsible for organising your study time by your own to complete all the assignments given by the lecturers. Making a timetable helps you to identify periods of potential study time. Ensure that this time is quality time where you can really concentrate, away from all the disturbances. According to TimeMan.com (2013), make a daily To-Do List can be make everyday. At the end of each day, you can organize and schedule your next day. In addition, follow your plan. According to TimeMan.com (2013), do not let peer pressure or the quest for short-term gratification dictate what you consider important. You just have to focus on the goals you have set for yourself and follow up on your true top priorities. Align your priorities with your long-term values and goals. Moreover, overcome procrastination. According to TimeMan.com (2013), without a deadline, you will surely procrastinate. For instance, whenever you get an assignment, set a time to start it off to avoid doing last minute works. Once you are given a due date on an assignment, count backwards from the due date to build up a start date. Take into consideration that you will be spending on other items like social events, sports and so on. Bear in mind that every tasks given is always better to start early to avoid from a panic finish. Last but not least, according to NUS (n.d.), take breaks to  relax. No matter how much you have to do, studying continuously without a break will not help you in the long run. You will simply lose your concentration and remember less. Sometimes, you just have to take a break, really chill out and have a deep breath, this will help you feel better. Remember not to stress up yourself !

Friday, September 13, 2019

History of Modern France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History of Modern France - Essay Example The National Guardsmen who had mutinied and helped in the proper reorganization of the city in a manner that appreciates the interests of the workers. The origins of the Paris Commune started on March 18, 1871, after France had been defeated by Prussia in a war and the French government deployed troops into the city of Paris to take back the Parisian National Guard (PNG) before the revolting workers got hold of it. However, the citizens had hold of it and were not willing to surrender it up after which the soldiers refused to use the cannon to fire on its own citizens but instead turned it against their officers. Popkin (2013) states that after the occurrence of this act, the PNG conducted free elections whereby Parisians elected a council whose composition was the Jacobins and Republicans as well as a few socialists and anarchists which declared Paris an independent commune. The commune consisted of members who could be recalled by the voters at any time, paid average wages and was equal in terms of status to other members who were within the same commune. The Paris Commune of 1871 introduced such reforms such as turning places of work into co-operatives, which was mainly making the anarchist theory practical, which culminated, into forty-three workplaces becoming co-operatives by May of 1871. For instance, the Louvre Museum became a factory run and managed by a large worker’s council and the belief by the Mechanics Union and the Association of Metal Workers that they could only be emancipated if they formed a worker’s association (Popkin, 2013). The reform envisaged also believed that the need to abolish the exploitation of men by fellow men was through the organization of labor in associations and capital that could not be separated from the organizations. Through this, the Paris Commune would achieve equality for all the individuals concerned in the nation.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Analysis of Walmart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Walmart - Research Paper Example More than 90% of respondents said that Walmart’s leadership style is result centred and people focused (Foroohar, 2012). The managers interviewed confirmed that the people elected into leadership positions are servant leaders with sharp business minds, global outlook and a clear vision for the company. The company’s elevation was guided by leaders who constantly inspired their subordinates to work hard and steer the business to the next level of success (Roberts & Berg, 2012). The observation exercise revealed that leaders were understanding, inspiring, thoughtful, kind, and considerate and involved their subordinates in decision making. The subordinates were very happy with their leaders and perceived them as very helpful and pleasant to work with (Creswell & Clark, 2007). More than 90% of respondents said that transformational leadership was effective because it encourages and motivates employees to form common organizational goals, which has seen the firm transform from a small business to a multinational retail corporation. 87% of respondents said that leaders’ behavior increases performance by motivating, training and pushing employees to give their best. More than 90% of employees (respondents) were happy to work for the firm. The dissatisfied group gave reasons such as poor working conditions and low pay as major dissatisfiers The research also revealed that Walmart has good leadership that is guided by strong business ethics. Most respondents were satisfied with the company’s leadership and adherence to business ethics. However, there were several instances of unethical behaviour that were reported by respondents. For example, Wal-Mart was accused of unethical behaviour when it continued to buy clothes from Bangladesh which were banned for export. It was also involved in major financial scandals such as the Mexico scandal that involved bribery, fraud, and concealing evidence

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

3 works of art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 works of art - Essay Example d people are casually having conversations with each other while partying though in a moderate manner not as most young people’s style of current clubbing. The artist to bring out then impressionistic taste, he utilized intensively harmony and balance aspects coupled with rich colors in defining the exact appearance of the entire landscape’s components. This is evident in the way he manages to give clear and well-defined images like people’s skin color, their clothes and varied delicacies including wine on the table. The location depicted in this picture is along Seine River where the impressionist together with his wife and fellow colleague Gustave Caillebotte held a party for their friends. The most striking aspect in this encompasses the setting of the entire party and varied delicacies found on the table besides people’s clothing having a taste of French. Hence, this signifies the changing of French social interaction during late 19Th period due to inf luence from the then Industrial Revolution. Through this artwork, the viewer is capable seeing a barmaid standing behind a serving table and other reflected images of quests in a partying joint seated. This artwork depicts the then French social class especially in partying joints including bars where after liberation of the female gender one was capable of partying freely and without any intimidation with men. However, based on Manet’s mode of painting, besides the woman in this image selling varied types of wines and fruits, she is also selling herself as a prostitute. The depiction of this notion is by the presence of oranges, which Manet through his works associated with prostitution. This particular Manet’s image whose location is a bar, since its painting and introduction to the public for scrutiny has attracted numerous criticisms by scholars. The most intriguing aspect that catches the eye of the viewer encompasses the two images of a man and woman whereby the latter stares in front of her

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Discussion Questions( corporate governance& ethics) Essay

Discussion Questions( corporate governance& ethics) - Essay Example Such a leadership style inevitably has a positive impact on the people. The Affiliative Leader- An Affiliative leader is intrinsically a networking expert and enhances the overall harmony within an organization by consolidating the interpersonal relations within that organization (Changing Minds, 2009). Such a leader turns out to be a real source of strength under stressful situations. Such leaders do provide the much needed sense of direction in the times of chaos. The Democratic Leader- A democratic leader is not only an astute listener but evokes a considerable influence on and trust in other people through one's positive inputs and a solid sense of commitment. Such a leader encourages all the human constituents within an organization to participate in the overall process of decision making. It is the natural ability of such a leader to solicit support and consensus. The Pacesetting Leader- Though such a leader has a strong drive to achieve and high personal standards, yet he/she often exhibits a blatant impatience towards the frailties of other people. Such leaders are predominantly number driven and often get ruthless in their success for personal success and achievement. The pacesetting leaders do turn out to be poor guides and mostly harbor unrealistic expectations of other people. The Commanding Leader- A commanding leader is mostly authoritarian in one's approach and expects others to willingly or unwillingly tow the strategy chalked out by him/her. Such leaders often exhibit a negligible sensitivity to emotions and do prefer to centralize the activities within an organization. Realistically speaking, commanding leaders create unnecessary frictions, insecurity and dissonance within the organizations. The leadership style of Al Dunlap in the case study under consideration is definitely pacesetting in its approach. He not only had a great drive for achievement and success, but assessed the levels of achievement within the organization he managed, solely through numerical parameters. He was highly opinionated and rigid in his approach and never made the efforts to extract inputs from other employees working within the organization. His tenure was marked by high levels of employee insecurity, rapid centralization, sweeping changes and unethical financial practices. The leadership style of Al Dunlap was characterized by low emotional sensitivity and a ruthless approach towards challenges. He did not hesitate to go for large scale lay offs and resorting to self customized accounting practices to create a faade of success. Answer 2: Al Dunlap as an Ethical LeaderAl Dunlap was an utterly poor ethical leader in the sense that he exhibited a lousy personal character. He was not guided by any ethical scruples and was a hard core opportunist who did not