Man vs Society Essay Example For Students

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Showcasing - Essay Example The corporate system assumes a noteworthy job at building an extension between the company’s inward strategies and the endeavors it has with the different partners, who could be from the outside advertising settings. (Korzeniowski, 2001) In the realm of today, outer advertising condition has increased a great deal of quintessence because of the way that it brings into picture the genuine job of the channel individuals, center line supervisors and wholesalers just as other faculty who do their bit towards finishing various exercises and undertakings, coming legitimately under the support of the organization’s hold. (Applbaum, 2004) What is accordingly vital in such a circumstance is to be available to all types of reactions which could be raised by the different partners and gatherings hailing from the outer promoting condition and the related systems. This will give the said association a large group of choices when it devises an arrangement to counter the issues which it is looking on account of the outside promoting condition and the various players present inside exactly the same ecological settings. Issues unearthed by the business at one district or at a nearby establishment would imply that the organization ought to be prepared to hold up under misfortunes of an unbelievable expense. More than that, the organization will lose its self-won regard and respect around which investors and proprietors, and so on are spinning near. The enormous organizations that are globally showcased can't rival everybody. They need to set their own rivals in the specific field and afterward approach contending with one another. Contrary discretion and showcasing ought to not the slightest bit make change and disturbance for the individuals to raise fingers upon. Or maybe the organization should discover and choose certain organizations, which will help it in its smooth running (of business). (Wells, 1998) There can be various components, which can achieve

How to Perform an Efficient and Effective Market Research

How to Perform an Efficient and Effective Market Research HOW IMPORANT IS MARKET RESEARCH FOR ENTREPRENEURSIt depends. Market research, done correctly, can provide clear direction about the path your company needs to take. When market research is done inefficiently, however, it can lead to costly business mistakes and potential business disasters.Unfortunately, most small businesses are not in a position to spend thousands of dollars hiring market research firms, and either ignore the idea of performing any market analysis or perform a half-hearted approach that doesn’t result in any useful information. The trick is to find a balance of useful information that you can gather using the most reliable and inexpensive methods available â€" and then analyze that information for results. Sounds easy enough, right?Henry Ford, the mass-production expert who brought the Model-T to the far-reaches of the United States, is claimed to have once remarked, “If I asked the people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”There is no evid ence to support that Ford actually uttered that phrase, but the reality of the statement has merit. Then, as now, people are hesitant to leave the comfortable world of what they know and understand, for the uncomfortable and sometimes alarming world of the unknown. If Ford had done market research for the Model-T, he most likely would have received information that could have prevented his design from ever reaching completion.Understanding the right questions to ask â€" and how to correctly interpret the answers to the questions is the key to performing market research that is valid and useful.In the early 90’s, smart phones were in their infancy, and people were amazed at what could be done with a handheld device. Phones were becoming smaller and more powerful at every turn. Enter the Blackberry â€" a revolutionary idea that you could be productive in business â€" even away from the office â€" with your phone. Market research at the time would have indicated that customers wanted full-size keyboards on their phone â€" so they could efficiently type and conduct business no matter where they were. Apple, however, went a different direction. Understanding that the ultimate need of consumers was productivity, Apple decided that their vision of how to give people that productivity was better and more efficient than what the customer was asking for. They stuck to their proverbial guns, and a QWERTY keyboard, once a ‘must-have’ feature on a smart phone is now seen as old school. Market research was used to discover not only what a customer wanted, but what that customer needed.WHAT TO LOOK AT WHEN CONDUCTING MARKET RESEARCHIf you’re a small business owner, you need to become a market research expert if you want to truly capitalize on your market. What are the areas you should be concerned with in the market research you conduct?START WITH YOUR PRODUCT.For our purposes, your product is what you deliver to a customer. It may be an actual product that consumers purchase, or it may be a service that you offer to people. Whatever it is that your customers receive from you is your product. Understanding what your product entails is a key element of market research. Do your customers know what your product is? Is there a need for the product? Does it solve a need or a want? How does your product fit into the lives of the people who use it? What does life look like with your product, and how does it look without your product? Finding out the answers to these questions can help determine if your product has a place in the market you’re serving.UNDERSTAND THE MARKET.What is the market for your product? Should you be targeting consumers between the ages of 25-40? Or is your target market women over 50 years of age? Determining who the market for your product is can help you identify the best ways of reaching that market. Once you have identified your market, you can begin to use market analysis to not only grow your business within that market section, you can explore ways of expanding your market to include other demographics.KNOW THE COMPETITION.Is your product new and unknown or is it a variation on something that already exists? What other products are on the market that may be similar to yours? How does your product compare to what is already available? How accessible is your product compared to the competition? What is the determining factor in choosing between your product and someone else’s? Your customers know who the competition for your product is â€" make sure that you do as well.BUILD CONNECTIONS.Every product has collaborators â€" the ‘add-ons’ that make sense for a consumer to tie together with your product. Understanding the connections for your product can help you key in on the market for your product, and give you guidance in ways that your product is used. What are the tie-ins that your product has, and do your customers know what they are? There is a reason that sporting goods stores put coupons on the back of ticket stubs to athletic events â€" they know that people who attend athletic events are likely to purchase athletic equipment. Are there market connections that you’re missing?HOW YOU SHOULD CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCHOnce you have identified the areas of market research that you can address, there are a variety of methods of conducting your research. An exhaustive market analysis will include elements of all of the methods, but you can achieve good results with any of the methods.When conducting your research, think deep and wide. For true insight into the business, you need both quantitative results and qualitative results. Put the time and effort into doing efficient research, and your results will be more beneficial. Finding the method that is most effective can take some effort, and may be a bit of trial and error at first. Don’t dismay if your first efforts aren’t successful â€" keep tweaking until you get results that you can use.There are two means of coll ecting data for market analysis â€" primary research and secondary research. Both are viable and effective, but need careful consideration and use.PRIMARY MARKET RESEARCHPrimary research deals directly with the consumer. This direct, raw data from customers gives insight from the people who use your product. This can be essential when looking for actual usage information, i.e.: When do you conduct most of your shopping? Are the business hours of our office convenient to you?Getting information directly from the consumer can be done in a variety of ways, and can be both time consuming and overwhelming. It is important to determine the goal of your research and then design your method accordingly. Are you looking for demographic information about your customer base? A simple survey may be the easiest method. Are you looking for information about how your product is used? A focus group may be the most effective tool. Investigate the various methods of collecting primary research data a nd then select one (or more) of them to use.Personal interviewsSetting up interviews with customers can be time-consuming and intimidating. Be respectful of your customer’s time by narrowing your interview questions to the key issues you want to find out about, and keep the interview brief. Interviews can be formal or informal, depending on the information you’re hoping to gather. Informal interviews can be conducted as customers exit your business (“May I ask you a few questions about your experience today?”) or done by calling people off your customer database (“Would you mind telling me about your last interaction with our company?”). Formal interviews require advance set-up, and could be done with a target audience (men between the ages of 18 â€" 24) or with a random sampling (“Would you be willing to come in and answer a few questions? Please call to set up a time.”) Interviews can be done with current customers, or can be targeted to potential customers.Surveys Surveys are a way to easily collect information from a large number of people. You can conduct surveys during customer interactions, through web-based platforms and through personal interactions. The key to performing valid surveys is properly analyzing and using the data that you receive from the survey. There are multiple sources that will help you set up and analyze surveys (we’ll cover some of them shortly), so conducting a survey doesn’t have to be overwhelming.Focus groupsBring in a selection of customers and hold a focus group. Conducted periodically, these can be insightful ways to learn about your business market. Typically made up of 8-10 people, a focus group can be valuable in learning how your product is used, what is favorable about your product, and areas that customers want improved.SECONDARY MARKET RESEARCHAnother valuable way to gain market information is by using secondary research. Secondary research is using the data that other people have gathered, and can be useful in finding out general information about business. Business analytics, reports and data that are gathered by others can be inexpensive ways to collect market information. Generally useful when looking for large amounts of information (“How many accountants are there in a tri-county area?”) these can help give information about market viability.COMMON MISTAKES MADE DURING MARKET RESEARCHCONDUCTING ONLY SECONDARY RESEARCHPerforming market research is time consuming. You have to determine what you want to know, and then determine how to find out what you want to know, and then you have to actually find out what you want to know, and then find out what you found out. Especially for a small business, it is easy to dismiss the idea of market research altogether and hope for the best. Alternatively, businesses take the easy way out and fall into some common mistakes that will misdirect results. Avoid these market research pitfalls to get the most out of your analysis.Secondar y research is easy and inexpensive. You read the results of someone else’s data collection, and make decisions for your business. After all, they already did the hard part â€" why reinvent the wheel, right? Well, yes and no. For collecting information about a wide segment of population, secondary research can be effective. For detailed information about your specific product and target market, however, nothing can take the place of primary research. Using only secondary research can give you a partial view of your business, but misses out on the rest of your market â€" leaving you in the dark about what your actual users think. Don’t ignore your primary methods simply because it is too much work.CONDUCTING MARKET RESEARCH ONLY ON THE INTERNETThe internet is everywhere â€" and information is just sitting there, waiting to be used. It is tempting to do a few internet searches and consider your market research done. There is just as much truth floating on the internet as there is g arbage â€" and weeding out the two takes skill. (Keep in mind, however, that according to the internet, aliens have landed in Utah and are slowly making their way across the globe by taking control of automobiles.) The anonymity of the internet can be good â€" and it can be bad â€" for collecting information about market research. You need to use reliable sources, and remember that the global reach of the internet may not give you direct answers to the needs of your customers and business.ONLY TALKING TO PEOPLE YOU KNOWAnother pitfall of market research is to ask a few of your acquaintances what they think of your product and consider it research. Again â€" easy and inexpensive does not always equal adequate research. Talking only to people you know will give you skewed results, and often paint a far different picture from reality. In addition, talking only to people who use your product can give you a different perspective than if you survey people who currently don’t use (or lik e) your product. Finding out where there are weaknesses or other potential market areas can help you improve your product, and your share of the market.TOOLS YOU CAN USE WHILE CONDUCTING MARKET RESEARCH Market research has become a buzzword within the business world. The advent of the internet makes it possible to quickly and easily reach thousands of people within your target market â€" and you can quickly drown in the resulting information deluge. Consumers are fickle â€" should your business change to keep pace with every whim and demand of the customer’s desire? Is there a way to conduct valid, useful market analysis that you can use to make informed decisions regarding your business? How important is market research? Understanding how to efficiently and effectively perform market research can not only help you grow and expand your business, it can help you identify the areas within your company that are strengths and/or weaknesses. © Shutterstock.com | Rawpixel.comIn this article we will look at the 1) importance of market research and analysis, 2) things you should look at while conducting research, 3) methods of conducting market research, 3) common mistakes made during market research, and 5) some tools you can use to conduct efficient market research.HOW IMPORANT IS MARKET RESEARCH FOR ENTREPRENEURSIt depends. Market research, done correctly, can provide clear direction about the path your company needs to take. When market research is done inefficiently, however, it can lead to costly business mistakes and potential business disasters.Unfortunately, most small businesses are not in a position to spend thousands of dollars hiring market research firms, and either ignore the idea of performing any market analysis or perform a half-hearted approach that doesn’t result in any useful information. The trick is to find a balance of useful information that you can gather using the most reliable and inexpensive methods available â€" and then analyze that information for results. Sounds easy enough, right?Henry Ford, the mass-production expert who brought the Model-T to the far-reaches of the United States, is claimed to have once remarked, “If I asked the people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”There is no evidence to support that Ford actually uttered that phrase, but the reality of the statement has merit. Then, as now, people are hesitant to leave the comfortable world of what they know and understand, for the uncomfortable and sometimes alarming world of the unknown. If Ford had done market research for the Model-T, he most likely would have received information that could have prevented his design from ever reaching completion.Understanding the right questions to ask â€" and how to correctly interpret the answers to the questions is the key to performing market research that is valid and useful.In the early 90’s, smart phones were in their infancy, and peopl e were amazed at what could be done with a handheld device. Phones were becoming smaller and more powerful at every turn. Enter the Blackberry â€" a revolutionary idea that you could be productive in business â€" even away from the office â€" with your phone. Market research at the time would have indicated that customers wanted full-size keyboards on their phone â€" so they could efficiently type and conduct business no matter where they were. Apple, however, went a different direction. Understanding that the ultimate need of consumers was productivity, Apple decided that their vision of how to give people that productivity was better and more efficient than what the customer was asking for. They stuck to their proverbial guns, and a QWERTY keyboard, once a ‘must-have’ feature on a smart phone is now seen as old school. Market research was used to discover not only what a customer wanted, but what that customer needed.WHAT TO LOOK AT WHEN CONDUCTING MARKET RESEARCHIf you’re a small business owner, you need to become a market research expert if you want to truly capitalize on your market. What are the areas you should be concerned with in the market research you conduct?START WITH YOUR PRODUCT.For our purposes, your product is what you deliver to a customer. It may be an actual product that consumers purchase, or it may be a service that you offer to people. Whatever it is that your customers receive from you is your product. Understanding what your product entails is a key element of market research. Do your customers know what your product is? Is there a need for the product? Does it solve a need or a want? How does your product fit into the lives of the people who use it? What does life look like with your product, and how does it look without your product? Finding out the answers to these questions can help determine if your product has a place in the market you’re serving.UNDERSTAND THE MARKET.What is the market for your product? Should you be tar geting consumers between the ages of 25-40? Or is your target market women over 50 years of age? Determining who the market for your product is can help you identify the best ways of reaching that market. Once you have identified your market, you can begin to use market analysis to not only grow your business within that market section, you can explore ways of expanding your market to include other demographics.KNOW THE COMPETITION.Is your product new and unknown or is it a variation on something that already exists? What other products are on the market that may be similar to yours? How does your product compare to what is already available? How accessible is your product compared to the competition? What is the determining factor in choosing between your product and someone else’s? Your customers know who the competition for your product is â€" make sure that you do as well.BUILD CONNECTIONS.Every product has collaborators â€" the ‘add-ons’ that make sense for a consumer to tie together with your product. Understanding the connections for your product can help you key in on the market for your product, and give you guidance in ways that your product is used. What are the tie-ins that your product has, and do your customers know what they are? There is a reason that sporting goods stores put coupons on the back of ticket stubs to athletic events â€" they know that people who attend athletic events are likely to purchase athletic equipment. Are there market connections that you’re missing?HOW YOU SHOULD CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCHOnce you have identified the areas of market research that you can address, there are a variety of methods of conducting your research. An exhaustive market analysis will include elements of all of the methods, but you can achieve good results with any of the methods.When conducting your research, think deep and wide. For true insight into the business, you need both quantitative results and qualitative results. Put the time and e ffort into doing efficient research, and your results will be more beneficial. Finding the method that is most effective can take some effort, and may be a bit of trial and error at first. Don’t dismay if your first efforts aren’t successful â€" keep tweaking until you get results that you can use.There are two means of collecting data for market analysis â€" primary research and secondary research. Both are viable and effective, but need careful consideration and use.PRIMARY MARKET RESEARCHPrimary research deals directly with the consumer. This direct, raw data from customers gives insight from the people who use your product. This can be essential when looking for actual usage information, i.e.: When do you conduct most of your shopping? Are the business hours of our office convenient to you?Getting information directly from the consumer can be done in a variety of ways, and can be both time consuming and overwhelming. It is important to determine the goal of your research and then design your method accordingly. Are you looking for demographic information about your customer base? A simple survey may be the easiest method. Are you looking for information about how your product is used? A focus group may be the most effective tool. Investigate the various methods of collecting primary research data and then select one (or more) of them to use.Personal interviewsSetting up interviews with customers can be time-consuming and intimidating. Be respectful of your customer’s time by narrowing your interview questions to the key issues you want to find out about, and keep the interview brief. Interviews can be formal or informal, depending on the information you’re hoping to gather. Informal interviews can be conducted as customers exit your business (“May I ask you a few questions about your experience today?”) or done by calling people off your customer database (“Would you mind telling me about your last interaction with our company?”). Formal in terviews require advance set-up, and could be done with a target audience (men between the ages of 18 â€" 24) or with a random sampling (“Would you be willing to come in and answer a few questions? Please call to set up a time.”) Interviews can be done with current customers, or can be targeted to potential customers.SurveysSurveys are a way to easily collect information from a large number of people. You can conduct surveys during customer interactions, through web-based platforms and through personal interactions. The key to performing valid surveys is properly analyzing and using the data that you receive from the survey. There are multiple sources that will help you set up and analyze surveys (we’ll cover some of them shortly), so conducting a survey doesn’t have to be overwhelming.Focus groupsBring in a selection of customers and hold a focus group. Conducted periodically, these can be insightful ways to learn about your business market. Typically made up of 8-10 people , a focus group can be valuable in learning how your product is used, what is favorable about your product, and areas that customers want improved.SECONDARY MARKET RESEARCHAnother valuable way to gain market information is by using secondary research. Secondary research is using the data that other people have gathered, and can be useful in finding out general information about business. Business analytics, reports and data that are gathered by others can be inexpensive ways to collect market information. Generally useful when looking for large amounts of information (“How many accountants are there in a tri-county area?”) these can help give information about market viability.COMMON MISTAKES MADE DURING MARKET RESEARCHCONDUCTING ONLY SECONDARY RESEARCHPerforming market research is time consuming. You have to determine what you want to know, and then determine how to find out what you want to know, and then you have to actually find out what you want to know, and then find out w hat you found out. Especially for a small business, it is easy to dismiss the idea of market research altogether and hope for the best. Alternatively, businesses take the easy way out and fall into some common mistakes that will misdirect results. Avoid these market research pitfalls to get the most out of your analysis.Secondary research is easy and inexpensive. You read the results of someone else’s data collection, and make decisions for your business. After all, they already did the hard part â€" why reinvent the wheel, right? Well, yes and no. For collecting information about a wide segment of population, secondary research can be effective. For detailed information about your specific product and target market, however, nothing can take the place of primary research. Using only secondary research can give you a partial view of your business, but misses out on the rest of your market â€" leaving you in the dark about what your actual users think. Don’t ignore your primary m ethods simply because it is too much work.CONDUCTING MARKET RESEARCH ONLY ON THE INTERNETThe internet is everywhere â€" and information is just sitting there, waiting to be used. It is tempting to do a few internet searches and consider your market research done. There is just as much truth floating on the internet as there is garbage â€" and weeding out the two takes skill. (Keep in mind, however, that according to the internet, aliens have landed in Utah and are slowly making their way across the globe by taking control of automobiles.) The anonymity of the internet can be good â€" and it can be bad â€" for collecting information about market research. You need to use reliable sources, and remember that the global reach of the internet may not give you direct answers to the needs of your customers and business.ONLY TALKING TO PEOPLE YOU KNOWAnother pitfall of market research is to ask a few of your acquaintances what they think of your product and consider it research. Again â€" e asy and inexpensive does not always equal adequate research. Talking only to people you know will give you skewed results, and often paint a far different picture from reality. In addition, talking only to people who use your product can give you a different perspective than if you survey people who currently don’t use (or like) your product. Finding out where there are weaknesses or other potential market areas can help you improve your product, and your share of the market.TOOLS YOU CAN USE WHILE CONDUCTING MARKET RESEARCHA few tools to help you get started on your quest towards market analysis:Survey Monkey is a web-based platform that not only sets up surveys; it helps you reach your existing customer base, as well as potential clients. You create a custom survey, and Survey Monkey sends it out to your selected targets. They return results to you in as little as 3 days, and costs are based on completed surveys.Search.Twitter.com a google-like search engine allows you to search twitter posts â€" giving you real-time access to what conversations are taking place. Find out what current trends are, see who is talking about products and where the hot-spots are.Ask Your Target Market (AYTM) is a quick survey creation platform â€" letting you send short, quick surveys to either your existing customers or the more than 4.5 million people listed in AYTM database. You can create specific criteria that let you find out actual data from your target market. Pricing is determined based on your survey and demographic set-up.Market research needs to be approached from two angles: the idea that your product is the best thing available and customers need to understand that; and the idea that customers are the best judge of what’s available and your product needs to meet their needs. Finding the balance between the two can help you not only improve your product, but can help you innovate new ways to reach potential customers. Regardless of where you are in your business â€" starting out, seeking expansion, or simply want a gauge of how your business is doing, performing market research regularly can be a vital checkup for your business health.If you want to dig deeper into market research, then we recommend you read a little bit in the following ebook.[slideshare id=3241246doc=practical-guide-to-market-research-100221190917-phpapp02w=710h=400]

Love for Marriage and Love for Convenience - 3074 Words

â€Å"I can sacrifice myself for my daughter but probably not for my wife.† This was what my college professor said the other day jokingly. He was obviously highlighting the fact that he loves his daughter very much, though, to me, it was an instant shock. I always believed that marital love is eternal and perfect. Doesn’t a marriage start by promising eternal love? Isn’t it even considered as a sin if you break the vow? I have come to think recently that my view on marriage is just an idealised imagination. I always refused to face reality. Looking at our society very carefully, it seems that not all marriage partners share a strong passionate bonding of love, especially those who have grown old together. To be even precise, I cannot even see†¦show more content†¦this desire formed modern marriage of convenience. Wit or irony encompasses the inherent instability of romance, fine-tuned to its late modern peculiarities. Love and marriage clearly were alwa ys ironic. This is, marriage constructed for reasons other than the reasons of love. Such marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose. A couple may wed for reasons of citizenship or right of abode, for example, immigration. I started to think that it is not a bad idea to wed for convenience. Historically, marriages in Japan were often arranged between families, called omiai, in order to protect status wealth, title, inheritance, or similar issues of property. Such marriages went forward with little or no consideration of love between the people to be married and this is happening everywhere. A more moderate and flexible procedure known as a modern arranged marriage is gaining in popularity. Parents choose several possible candidates or employ matrimonial sites. The parents will then arrange a meeting with the family of the prospective mate, confining their role to responsible facilitators and well-wishers. Less pressure to agree to the match is exerted by the parents in comparison to a traditional arranged marriage. In some cases, a prospective partner may be selected by the son or daughter instead of by the parents or by a matchmaker. That way, the parents will either disapprove of the match and forbid the marriageShow MoreRelatedJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1533 Words   |  7 PagesIn today s society, marriage is a significant bond that must be on the basis of love and understanding. Marriage is a relationship described as more for love and emotion rather than convenience or money. Through the experience of Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins, and Elizabeth and Darcy, Austen criticizes marriages based on infatuation, convenience and money, and emphasizes that marriage can only be successful if they are founded on mutual love. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, AustenRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1304 Words   |  6 PagesPride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays themes of love, class, reputation, and marriage. From the beginning it is seen that the question of marriage is very important to the Bennet family. Upon not marrying, the girls cousin Mr. Collins will inherit Longbourn due to the absence of a male heir. This means that the family will become destitute since they won t have any support or a place to live. The only solution for them would be marriage. During this era, since women had to pay dowry, theyRead More Pride And Prejudice: Five Married Couples Essay1116 Words   |  5 Pagescouples. No two are alike. From the pure love which was experienced through Elizabeth and Darcy. To the love and attraction shared by Jane and Bingley. The convenience of marriage was portrayed through Charlotte and Mr Collins while Lydia and Wickham’s marriage was based on their desire, attractions and financial status. Mr and Mrs Bennet’s marriage was for their necessity. Austen reveals many messages through her characters on her major theme, being marriage. Elizabeth and Darcy share common interestsRead MoreMarriage, By Thomas Hardy1568 Words   |  7 PagesMarriage is a topic whose perceived importance is constantly changing with the passage of time, but marriage remains, and has remained, a heated topic of discussion for centuries. Thomas Hardy wrote Jude the Obscure in 1896, and used it to critique marriage, among many other things. The novel explores the implications of the state of marriage, the foolishness of the marriage of convenience, and the contractual nature of love in matrimony. Thomas Hardy s novel Jude the Obscure offers a critical portrayalRead MoreComparing Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice1528 Words   |  7 Pagesthat will be compared and contrasted include the relative beauty, age and the characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. The similarities and differences in their families, position in society and their wealth, their differing attitudes to marriage, and finally, who has th e better deal and why, will also be discussed. By the end of this essay, the reader will be able to discern the differences and similarities in both Elizabeth and Charlotte. The physical appearance of Elizabeth BennetRead MoreThe Theme Of Love And Marriage In Pride And Prejudice1000 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jane Austen’s â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, one of the major themes is love and marriage. Elizabeth is portrayed as a movement towards women’s rights and what is wrong with society and their views of women as material possessions or collateral. Jane Austen seems to do this in a satirical way by bringing light to these issues in a comical romance, hidden in the humor. On the very first page of the novel, you have Mrs. Bennet not only desperately wanting to marry off her five daughters, but also to aRead MoreEssay Pride and Prejudice - Different Attitudes towards Marriage1428 Words   |  6 Pagesmany different attitudes towards marriage that are found in Pride and Prejudice. One of the most obvious attitudes that is shown throughout the book is Mrs Bennets expectations. Her main aim is to get her daughters married to men with fortune. I think her reason for this is because as Mr and Mrs Bennet do not have any sons, their estate will not be entailed onto the daughters, and so Mrs Bennet wants to secure them a good future. She is arranging their marriages to pick someone suitable for themRead MorePride And Prejudice By Jane Austen1568 Words   |  7 Pagesfive different marriages in Pride and Prejudice, and each is very different in the way they come to be, and the reason for the marriage, but they all provide a showing of each character s viewpoint on what love really is. There are lots of aspects of marriage in Pride and Prejudice. We are shown, marriages of love, convenience, physical attraction and money. The marriage between Mr. Wickham and Lydia is due in part to their physical attraction to one another and Mr. Wickham’s love of money. On th eRead More No Love Lost Essay1218 Words   |  5 Pagesa play about marriage A Doll’s House does not have much love in it. All of the characters claim to love each other, but are really concealing other emotions. The expectations of society have forced them into love that they do not feel. This false love is what causes them to fall apart in the end. The play is riddled with marriages that are born out of convenience or expectation rather than love. Every character only loves in ways that they are expected to, and only continue to love for convenience’sRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin852 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin’s story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† reflects on gender roles and the love that has faded between married couples. The story introduces the main character Louise Mallard, who has heart disease, who receives dreadful news about Brently Mallard’s death. With her husband dead, she grieves, and shortly after locks herself away to meditate. While she isolates herself, something unexpected begins to rise from the back of her mind, and she finds herself believing that her husband’s death is a good

The Gulf War And Its Effects On Character Portrayal

The Gulf War and Its Effects on Character Portrayal in â€Å"Aladdin† Background Knowledge In the year 1992 Aladdin was released by Disney, making it one of the fastest growing films. The movie is based off of a young thief whom seeks a better life in Agrhaba, a city that very much resembles those of Arab countries. Aladdin ironically was being produced â€Å"during the 1991 Gulf War under the Bush administration. The war lasted six months. It was conflict between Iraq and 34 countries in the U.N., including the United States, trying to return order to Kuwait.† (Nelson, 2009, p.1) With the release of this movie coming just one year after the end of the war, it is safe to say that perhaps Disney considered some current issues in the making of their films. Disney films have been around for more than 60 years; children of all ages have watched these movies and have looked up to many of the characters being portrayed. Ever since I was a child I have watched the classic Disney films, such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Mulan etc. As I get older, and watch these movies again, I start to view things much differently. I start to notice the many similarities that many of these movies have. Disney films are filled with gender stereotypes, racial stereotypes, and even comments about sexual orientation. â€Å"Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films†, an article written within the Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, analyzed 26Show MoreRelatedDisneys affect on our Children and Culture1525 Words   |  7 Pagesentertainment. They are teaching children certain values and roles at least as much as any other traditional institution of learning such as ones family, school, or religion might. And the ideological messages presented in these films have a negative effect on children. 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First Day of School Free Essays

First day of school When I woke up that morning I thought my life was going to end. The summer was over and it was the first day of school. I didn’t go to sleep the night before because I had a lot on my mind, but I had to get my tired self up and get ready. We will write a custom essay sample on First Day of School or any similar topic only for you Order Now I laid my clothes out the night before and I had out a cross necklace some cross earrings a blue shirt and some khaki shorts. So after I got dressed and got in the car I begged and pleaded with my mama not to make me go. But I still came, when I first got to school I was terrified I didn’t know anybody and I was new. Not a good combination but I had to get out of the car so I did and I was lost for a while but I found my class shortly. I walked in to a room full of people and it was hot and dark the only light was from the colorful lamps and the computers,there were computers everywhere. I was the tallest one in the class like I always am I felt like people were talking about me I was scared and didn’t want to be there at all I wanted to call my mom and tell her that is was not going to work to come get me immediately. Before I got around to that the bell rung and it was time for class to start. So I sat down and in the comer where my seat was and just cried for almost the entire class. I didn’t want to be there I felt like no body else wanted me to be there either. I had just went through a lot and I broke my wrist the week before so my heart and my and my mind was just not there. I couldn’t stop crying I was depressed and lonely ,but class was about to end so I had to dry my tears up and keep it moving because I knew the day was almost over. I felt my day couldn’t get any worse and it didn’t. This time I ended up in a very bright room and all the people seemed really happy. It was bibles under the desks and posters talking about Jesus and encouragement all over the room. This lifted my sprit and I wasn’t so sad anymore and people started to talk to me and wanted to know about who I was and they wanted to become my friend. At first I was very reluctant to talk but I became comfortable and I made new friends. I was happy about this I had some good news to go home and tell my mom. But after getting to know my new friends I had to leave them and go to my last class of the day but I was happy that it was my last class. I walked in and it was math class. I hate math was never good at it but I was I’m there and I dreaded it but I found another new friend that became my best friend her name was sam and we clicked instantly we were both new and we didn’t know any body. That made me the happiest of all I wasn’t alone anymore there was someone just like me. So that made math not so bad. I got through it and it was time to go home. My day started out bad but it ended ok and I wanted to come back the next day because I knew it would only get better. How to cite First Day of School, Essay examples

Organizational Management Essay Example

Organizational Management Essay 1. Core premises of classical and neoclassical theories of organizational management There are several core premises each for both the classical and neoclassical perspectives of organizational management – with similarities and differences between the two schools of thought. The classical perspective is characterized by its key assumptions that a) Organizations’ purpose is to achieve output-related and financial goals, b) The scientific method is the means to discovering the best organizational structure for the aforementioned goals, c) Job specialization and division of labor maximize production, and d) Rational economic principles dictate how people and organizations act (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:28). The quintessential classical theorists include Max Weber, Henri Fayol, Fredrick Taylor, and Luther Gulick. Weber described bureaucracy as the ideal organizational structure for rationality and efficiency with the characteristics of clearly defined rules, impersonality, hierarchy/levels of authority, and training of employees (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:73-74). Fayol articulated general principles of management – characteristics under which the ideal organization operates which include division of labor, authority and responsibility, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to general interest, and remuneration of personnel (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:48-52). We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Taylor (1915) championed what he called â€Å"scientific management†, a philosophy in which the scientific method applies to the management of an organization and the workers therein to increase productivity. So meticulous was Taylor in his concept of applying scientific evidence to factory jobs, that he conducted â€Å"time studies† in which a stopwatch was used to time a worker’s motions – the idea being there is one best method for performing any physical task. NetMBA 2002-2010) Perhaps less radically, Taylor also advocated for careful selection and training of workers by management, as well as the familiar classical principle of dividing work according to specialization. Gulick (1937) considered the merits of building an organization from the top-down and the bottom-up; and contributed his idea of organizing the executive according to his acronym â€Å"POSDCORB†: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting ( Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:86). Gulick described the functions of this acronym as ideally being subdividing among the executive – wherein the executive is not just the chief executive, but other offices and departments including the chief executive’s private secretary (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:86). The neoclassical theory of organizational management accepts the basic tenets of classical theory but adds several points to challenge and expand upon it. These points are a) The human factor in organizations: How people in the organization will cooperate with each other in an organization and how much they will be committed to organizational values and goals – particularly in the mechanistic, bureaucratic organizational model Weber constructed, b) The importance of internal-external organizational relations, and c) Decision-making processes (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:88). The human factor in organizations was explored by Barnard (1938), who emphasized the importance of motivating workers properly to work within a cooperative organizational system. Barnard articulated a method of incentives that gave more consideration to motivating factors such as opportunity for power, position, and prestige, beneficial social relationships at work, greater participation in decision-making, than to monetary compensation. Underlying assumptions about human nature of classical and neoclassical theory The classical school assumes that organizations are primarily concerned with tangible, economic rewards (profits), and that organizations should be constructed according to the general and/or scientific management principles outlined earlier in order to maximize organizational productivity and efficiency. People are motivated primarily by money; other motivating factors such as sense of accomplishment and relationships with coworkers are relatively unimportant. Classical theory assumes that each part of an organization (leadership/management and workers) must have clearly defined roles that must be adhered to, and cooperation between each of these segments is important in making sure the organizational goals are being reached. Neoclassical theory agrees with classical theory insofar that conomic/financial rewards are indeed a big motivator for organizations, their leaders, and their production workers – but exposes the classical theorists’ explanation (or lack thereof) of the importance of human relations and group dynamics in the organizational setting. Neoclassical theory considers to a degree the effects of organization on individuals – particularly worker cooperation and motivation, as well as coordination among leaders and administrative units. One such neoclassical theorist, Robert Merton (1957, 1985), argued that bureaucracies inhibit individual freedom and creativity and cites Thorstein Veblen’s idea of â€Å"trained incapacity†, John Dewey’s idea of â€Å"occupational psychosis†, and Daniel Warnotte’s theory of â€Å"professional deformation† to illustrate his point (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:104). Another point of disagreement between classical and neoclassical theorists comes from the concept of rules and procedures in organizations. This perceived ultimate supremacy of formal rules and procedures was challenged by Merton, who argued that formal rules and procedures lead to overconformity: Formalism, even ritualism, ensues with an unchallenged insistence upon punctilious adherence to formalized procedures. This may be exaggerated to the point where primary concern with conformity to the rules interferes with the achievement of the purposes of the organization An extreme product of this process of displacement of goals is the bureaucratic virtuoso, who never forgets a single rule binding his action and hence is unable to assist many of his clients. Merton via Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:106) Thus, neoclassical theory gives credence to human adaptability according to situation, warning that rules and procedures often disallow people in organizational settings from exercising their best judgment. To reinforce this point, this is in stark contrast to the classical view that rules, procedures, and roles in an organizatio n according to work specialization dictate, or at least constantly guide, the behaviors and interactions of people in the organization. In essence, neoclassical theory puts more faith in individual judgment and discretion than does classical theory, while placing less emphasis on the importance of rational goals like money to organizations and valuing more value-oriented organizational goals and actions. The same holds true for people: Classical theory implies that people are really only in it for the money while neoclassical theory says money is just one motivating factor – there are also incentives such as pride, social relationships at work, and augmented responsibility and decision-making power that are powerful motivators for working people. Accuracy of assumptions and adequacy in explaining contemporary organizational dynamics and effective management Both the classical theory and neoclassical theory are adequate in some respects while inadequate in others, and some of each is both shared and exclusive between the two respective viewpoints. The classical principles of division of work and specialization of labor as means to maximize productivity and efficiency were innovative at the time and still largely hold true today. Many companies today divide their workforce by skill/qualification into different roles/departments within the company. For example, nearly every vehicle manufacturing company today uses the assembly line manufacturing system, in which assembly workers each have a task or a specific set of tasks, and they are (both the workers and their tasks) are sequentially ordered. In the case of the typical automobile assembly line, the chassis is made first, then the body is added to the chassis, and then the interior is defined with seating, electronics, etc. Obviously, these are broad steps that contain smaller tasks within, and factory machinery helps efficiency a great deal (especially given how much technology has advanced over the past century), but separation of labor is still alive and well today. Taylor’s theory of scientific management was highly influential in its own time and still is today. In Taylor’s time, Henry Ford adopted scientific management as described by Taylor in his factories (the assembly line being the most notable manifestation of Taylor’s principles in action), and even families started to carry out their household chores based on the results of time and motion studies (NetMBA. com 2002-2010). Taylor’s principles can be seen in action today, particularly in the fast food service industry where achieving efficiency is vital to meet customer expectations. A glaring inadequacy of classical theory, in this case Taylor’s scientific management, is that it treats workers as tools instead of human beings. As stated before, there is a noticeable lack of consideration of employee morale and motivation beyond salary, and organizational culture as well as organizational goals and values beyond maximize efficiency and profits are neglected by much of classical organization theory. Another flaw of classical theory is one that neoclassical theorist Herbert Simon (1946) raised, which relates go the general principles of management as described by both Fayol and Gulick. Simon exposed flaws in the logic of several of the principles, arguing that they are confusing, conflicting, and unrealistic: The principle of unity of command is perhaps more defensible if narrowed down to the following: In case two authoritative commands conflict, there should be a single determinate person whom the subordinate is expected to obey; and the sanctions of authority should be applied against the subordinate only to enforce his obedience to that one person†¦ it [unity of command principle] also solves fewer problems†¦ it no longer requires, except for settling conflicts of authority, a single hierarchy of authority. Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:114) Neoclassical theory is more adequate than classical theory when applied to current organizations and effective ones because it takes more factors into account – namely the factors of individual motivation and Phillip Selznick’s (1949) notion of â€Å"cooptation†, which asserts that organizations introduce and absorb new elements from the outside into the organization in order to prevent those elements from â€Å"coming b ack to bite them†, so to speak (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:90). At the same time, the overarching classical view that rational goals such as productivity, quality, and efficiency are the most vital of all goals has never been wholly rejected by any other theory – neoclassical included – and many organizations today maintain a structure and culture in which these goals are valued most. Since neoclassical theory does not reject these values, but instead tweaks and adds some values of its own to them, it is more relevant to contemporary organizational dynamics and effective management. . The question of whether organizations should be hierarchical or whether they should offer employees broad autonomy/discretion is based largely on misunderstanding between the two supposed â€Å"sides†. I will dispel any notion that these principles are separate and exclusive from each other, and argue instead that both organizational hierarchy and employee discretion and the balance of the two principles offer a path for organizational success. First, what do the terms hierarchy, autonomy, and discretion mean? Hierarchy is a structure/system in which there is at least one dominant-subordinate relationship. Autonomy and discretion are synonymous, meaning the power to act according to one’s own judgment, or freedom of choice. Considering these definitions, they are seemingly complete opposites – and exclusive ones at that. After all, how can there be a dominate-subordinate relationship and employee power to work and act as he/she pleases? But upon further review of the terms and the literature, these principles actually are meant to be together and cooperate. Hierarchy and discretion can and should act as checks and balances towards each other. The hierarchical organization structure serves to control discretion but not eliminate it – just as discretion prevents the hierarchical structure from becoming overbearing and thus not giving the employee(s) the necessary flexibility and freedom to do the job the way it should be done. It is order and liberty: Ordered liberty if you will (though granted, the familiar concept of ordered liberty as applied to constitutional law has a very different meaning). Why is hierarchy desirable? Because it holds people accountable, by means of authority. In other words, employees are held accountable for the work they do and how they do it by their manager(s)/supervisor(s). If there were no managers to hold employees accountable, there would undoubtedly be a decrease in productivity and increases in delinquency and absenteeism in many organizations. In his article â€Å"In Praise of Hierarchy†, Elliot Jacques (1990) acknowledged the merits of the hierarchical structure: â€Å"The reason we have a hierarchical organization of work is not only that tasks occur in ower and higher degrees of complexity – which is obvious – but also that there are sharp discontinuities in complexity that separate tasks†¦ The same discontinuities occur with respect to mental work and to the breadth and duration of accountability. † (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:231). The organizational structure most often associated with hierarchy is and has been bureaucracy, but in r eality, hierarchy exists in almost every organizational model and in virtually every organization today. Businesses have chairmen, CEOs, and other top executives; governments include the President at the federal level (governors at the state level) and even charity organizations have their chief organizers and administrators. These are the top officials in these respective organizations; everybody else in the given organization is subordinate in terms of function and/or rank. Therefore, hierarchy exists in each of these examples. Perhaps more obviously, autonomy for employees is also desirable in organizations. There is evidence to suggest autonomy at work increases employee job satisfaction and commitment. According to the National Educational Longitudinal Study (1988-2000), job autonomy is a highly significant factor in five distinct areas of job satisfaction: Salary, fringe benefits, promotion prospects, job security, and relevance of work (Bradley, Nguyen, Taylor 2003). It is also a much more flexible and efficient policy of problem solving than would exist in a bureaucratic structure, where there would be stricter supervision as well as SOP’s. In the bureaucratic model, an employee tasked with solving a customer’s problem, the solution to which is not defined in any SOP or is not part of company norms, would require the employee to scale the chain of command for the appropriate superior who could solve the problem. This is because employees have narrow span of controls and are bound by defined rules and procedures in a bureaucratic structured organization. The bureaucracy is considered a mechanistic model of organization by Tom Burns and G. M. Stalker (1961) of the Tavistock Institute in London. Burns and Stalker divided organizations into two broad types: Mechanistic systems, and organic systems. They describe mechanistic systems as having layered hierarchy or a chain of command and formal rules of procedures, and organic systems as offering more participation, horizontal communication, and more autonomy and discretion to employees (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:194). As they explained it, the mechanistic system is more hierarchy-oriented, whereas the organic system is more autonomy-oriented, and they suggested that the mechanistic system is more suitable for a static, stable environment while an organic system is better for a dynamic, changing environment (Jang, Ott, Shafritz2005: 194). But where does the authority come from in the non-hierarchical, organic system? â€Å"The location of authority is settled by consensus†, explained Burns and Stalker (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:199). The idea of group consensus having authority in organizations seems beneficial, until it becomes denigrated into groupthink. Groupthink is, as Irving L. Janis defined it, â€Å"†¦ the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action† (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:186). Hierarchy, as inflexible as it can be, still protects against groupthink to a large degree. This supports the general idea that no system is perfect as well as Burns and Stalker’s assertion that the effectiveness of hierarchy and autonomy, respectively, depends on the organizational environment and situation. My opinion is that in many organizations, a balance or equilibrium between the two values (hierarchy and autonomy) is the most desirable, and Burns/Stalker acknowledge that this is possible: â€Å"Finally, the two forms of systems represent a polarity, not a dichotomy; there are, as we have tried to show, intermediate stages between the extremities empirically known to us. † (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:199) So how can an employee have a manager who is dominant, – that is, higher up on the organizational ladder – yet also have the autonomy/discretion to do his/her job as he/she sees fit? How can this tension be resolved? The answer is guided discretion. I propose two forms of guided discretion that keeps both principles of hierarchy and autonomy. The first form of guided discretion I propose is what I call â€Å"complete guided discretion†. This form of guided discretion allows the subordinate employee complete freedom about how to do the job/assignment/task/etc. , on the one mitigating condition that the employee accomplishes it. The supervisor/manager of that employee’s job is simply to check on the employee to make sure the work is getting done, and to collect and/or verify it once the work is done. The manager may apply time-specific deadlines for the assignment to be completed if the nature of the position consists of time-oriented tasks, but if the job is more fluid and not based on specific projects/assignments, then the good manager would check on the underling employee periodically – not only to monitor job effectiveness but to address any questions, requests, or concerns that employee might have. Furthermore, if the subordinate employee has multiple options as far as task selection goes, he/she would have the discretion to choose which task(s) to do if only a certain number were required to be completed, and/or the order in which he/she wishes to do the assignments required ones notwithstanding. I akin this type of discretion to the relationships between students and professors at college; the student often has a wide range of options as far as how to do an assignment (although this is truer in the social sciences than in more technical fields of study), the only stipulations being that the assignment is completed and turned in on-time and no cheating/plagiarizing was involved. This is the type of conditional working relationship that would characterize guided discretion as I see it. The second type of guided discretion I offer limits employee discretion on the basis of fairness and ethics. This type I call â€Å"limited guided discretion†. To elaborate, an employee may do his/her job according to his/her own best judgment as long as he/she does not act in opposition to accepted company values and norms. Company values and norms are typically customer related, usually emphasizing putting the customer above all else and exemplified by the familiar business cliche â€Å"the customer is always right†. Nevertheless, if such action considered outside of company ideals and ethics were to occur, it would be the responsibility of his/her manager to discipline him/her, which may call for a punishment up to and including termination of employment. Depending on the severity and extent of the infraction(s) however, the more appropriate sanction could be to return the employee to the less desirable strict hierarchical relationship in which the employee is more closely supervised and standard operating procedures may apply. Certainly the manager of that offending employee would ensure that said employee would exercise company-sponsored values and ethics henceforth. Of course, the employee would be given fair counsel beforehand of the wisdom to essentially ask him/herself â€Å"Am I acting in agreement with company values? † Because the employee is a representative of the company, he/she should represent company values. I have argued that it is necessary and desirable for organizations to maintain a balance between organizational hierarchy and employee autonomy/discretion. I will add that organizations need not have an equal balance of hierarchy and autonomy; an organization can effectively be either more hierarchy-oriented or more autonomy-oriented (and many organizations fall into one of these two camps). But to have both principles in action in an organization is desirable because it minimizes the negative effects of either principle, while maximizing the positive ones. They check and balance each other; hierarchy provides better accountability and prevents groupthink, while autonomy gives the organization flexibility to handle a wide range of problems and contributes to employee motivation and job satisfaction. By considering my ideas of complete guided discretion or limited guided discretion, organizations have at least an interesting idea about a healthy balance between organizational hierarchy and employee autonomy could be achieved. References Bradley, Steve, Jim Taylor and Anh Ngoc Nguyen, 2003. Job autonomy and job satisfaction: new evidence, Working Papers 000192, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department. Accessed 14 November 2010. http://ideas. repec. org/p/lan/wpaper/000192. html Jang, Yong Suk, Steven J. Ott, and Jay M. Shafritz. 2005. Classics of Organization Theory: Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. NetMBA Business Knowledge Center. 2002-2010. â€Å"Frederick Taylor Scientific Management†. NetMBA . com, Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc. Accessed 12 November 2010. http://www. netmba. com/mgmt/scientific/

Disney vs. Pocahontas essays

Disney vs. Pocahontas essays There are many different versions of the famous story of John Smith and his relationship with Pocahontas. John Smith was a very famous explorer. He traveled to America in the Name of England to settle new lands for England. One of these lands that he went to settle was Jamestown. Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan. It is rumored that she saved John Smith s life. She was an adventurous young woman who was not scared of much. She liked to take risk and did not blink twice. It seemed that she was a very compassionate person. During one of his many explorations, it is rumored that John Smith encountered a beautiful woman named Pocahontas. Although we do not really know much about when, how, and exactly where was there initial meeting, there are many different stories about their relationship. John Smith was always known as a tall tale writer, so his version of the relationship with Pocahontas has to be analyzed carefully. In The General History of Virginia John Smith wrote of his first landing on Jamestown and of his relationship with Pocahontas. He described that Jamestown was laid out on swampy, unhealthy ground. His company came to Jamestown for the fruit fullest soil and to establish homes there. He made them out to be people who were nice to the savages and he made the savages to be people who were mean to the settlers. John Smith said that the savages captured him. It seemed that he did nothing to them. He then continues to when the Chief Powatan summoned two savages to grab stones and put his head on a rock to stone him. Then this is when he first speaks of Pocahontas. How she put her head on top of his to save his life. This is the relationship that he had with Pocahontas. This is the only part that he speaks of a woman named Pocahontas, there isnt much written about her. ...

Sinclair Lewis Biography

Sinclair Lewis Biography Harry Sinclair Lewis was born on February 7, 1885, in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, the youngest of three boys. Sauk Centre, a bucolic prairie town of 2,800, was home to mainly Scandinavian families, and Lewis said he â€Å"attended the ordinary public school, along with many Madsens, Olesons, Nelsons, Hedins, Larsons,† many of whom would become the models for characters in his novels. Fast Facts: Sinclair Lewis Full Name: Harry Sinclair LewisOccupation: NovelistBorn: February 7, 1885 in Sauk Centre, MinnesotaDied: January 10, 1951 in Rome, ItalyEducation: Yale UniversityKey Accomplishments: Noble Prize in Literature (1930). Lewis was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize (1926), but he declined it.Spouses: Grace Hegger (m. 1914-1925) and Dorothy Thompson (m. 1928-1942)Children: Wells (with Hegger) and Michael (with Thompson)Notable Quote: â€Å"It has not yet been recorded that any human being has gained a very large or permanent contentment from meditation upon the fact that he is better off than others.† Early Career Lewis enrolled at Yale Univesity in 1903 and soon became involved in literary life on campus, writing for the literary review and the university newspaper, as well as working as a part-time reporter the Associated Press and the local newspaper. He didn’t graduate until 1908, having taken some time off to live in Upton Sinclair’s collaborative Helicon Home Colony in New Jersey and traveled to Panama. For some years after Yale, he drifted from coast to coast and from job to job, working as a reporter and editor while also working on short stories. By 1914, he was consistently seeing his short fiction in popular magazines like the Saturday Evening Post, and began working on novels. Between 1914 and 1919, he published five novels: Our Mr. Wrenn, The Trail of the Hawk, The Job, The Innocents, and Free Air. â€Å"All of them dead before the ink was dry,† he later said. Main Street With his sixth novel, Main Street (1920), Lewis finally found commercial and critical success. Recreating the Sauk Centre of his youth as Gopher Prairie, his searing satire of the narrow-minded insularity of small-town life was a hit with readers, selling 180,000 copies in its first year alone. Lewis reveled in the controversy surrounding the book. â€Å"One of the most treasured American myths had been that all American villages were peculiarly noble and happy, and here an American attacked that myth,† he wrote in 1930. â€Å"Scandalous.† Main Street was initially chosen for the 1921 Pulitzer Prize in fiction, but the Board of Trustees overruled the judges because the novel didn’t â€Å"present the wholesome atmosphere of American life† dictated by the rules. Lewis didn’t forgive the slight, and when he was awarded the Pulitzer in 1926 for Arrowsmith, he declined it. Nobel Prize Lewis followed up Main Street with novels like Babbitt (1922), Arrowsmith (1925), Mantrap (1926), Elmer Gantry (1927), The Man Who Knew Coolidge (1928), and Dodsworth (1929). In 1930, he became the first American awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters.† In his autobiographical statement to the Nobel committee, Lewis noted he had traveled the world, but â€Å"my real travelling [sic] has been sitting in Pullman smoking cars, in a Minnesota village, on a Vermont farm, in a hotel in Kansas City or Savannah, listening to the normal daily drone of what are to me the most fascinating and exotic people in the world- the Average Citizens of the United States, with their friendliness to strangers and their rough teasing, their passion for material advancement and their shy idealism, their interest in all the world and their boastful provincialism- the intricate complexities which an American novelist is privileged to portray.† Personal Life Lewis married twice, first to Vogue editor Grace Hegger (from 1914-1925) and then to journalist Dorothy Thompson (from 1928 to 1942). Each marriage resulted in one son, Wells (born 1917) and Michael (born 1930). Wells Lewis was killed in combat in October 1944, at the height of World War II. Final Years As an author, Lewis was extremely prolific, penning 23 novels between 1914 and his death in 1951. He also authored over 70 short stories, a handful of plays, and at least one screenplay. Twenty of his novels were adapted into movies. By the late 1930s, years of alcoholism and depression were eroding both the quality of his work and his personal relationships. His marriage to Dorothy Thompson failed in part because he felt her professional success made him look small by comparison, and he was increasingly jealous that other writers were becoming literary legends while his body of work was falling into relative obscurity. His heart weakened by heavy drinking, Lewis died in Rome on January 10, 1951. His cremated remains were returned to Sauk Centre, where he was buried in the family plot. In the days after his death, Dorothy Thompson wrote a nationally-syndicated eulogy for her former husband. â€Å"He hurt a great many people very much,† she observed. â€Å"For there were great hurts in himself, which he sometimes took out on others. Yet, in the 24 hours since his death, I have seen some of those he hurt most dissolved in tears. Something has gone- something prodigal, ribald, great, and high. The landscape is duller.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Sources Hutchisson, J. M. (1997).  The rise of Sinclair Lewis, 1920-1930. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press.Lingeman, R. R. (2005).  Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street. St. Paul, Minn: Borealis BooksSchorer, M. (1961).  Sinclair Lewis: An American life. New York: McGraw-Hill.

A business proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A business proposal - Essay Example Consequently, several homes provide an opportunity to sale televisions. Besides, most of the residents in the rural areas lack the expertise in terms of installation and operation of the televisions, providing these services will be quite profitable. The residents will not only be informed from the television news but they will also be entertained by the various programs cast on the television. The target market will be the workers in various institutions such as schools, hospitals and manufacturing industries. Advertisements in radios and newspapers will be a major marketing strategy. In order to achieve the goals, road shows and organizing talks in the various institutions will also be essential because planning is essential to any new business, (Mc Keever 2). Question Two The business venture is to be implemented though partnership. Partnership refers to the legal entity in which two or more people own a business (Walston, 463). Apart from partnership, other legal entities that ex ist are corporations and associations. Partnership is characterized by sharing of wealth as well as losses. This means that in the event of profit, the partners will enjoy and share it together. In the event that a business makes a loss, all the partners will miss on the agreed income that is to be received. The business fits a small by involving only two partners or agents in the partnership. The two agents will still undertake managerial tasks. Another characteristic of partnership is that the agents or the partners usually pay tax individually. Even though, the assets of the agents are not usually protected, there exist laws that protect the partnership (Walston, 464). For instance, the law of contracts and agency will oversee the operations, and provide guidelines in the event of partnership termination. Question Three For any business organization to be successful, it requires that managers seek assistance and guidance from various sources. Some of the common sources that exist are board of director or advisors, personal lender, business consultants and legal representations. In this proposal, business counselors will be consulted. By definition, business consultants refer to experienced and specialized individuals in matters concerning business operations or activities. Managers or owners of various businesses usually get advice from them at a fee. Business consultants are preferred in this case because two agents run the business. However, varied situations useful in the growth of the business might be overlooked. In addition, by involving consultants, much time will be spent in the actual operations of the business because the consultants will communicate to the business about the effectiveness of the business strategies. It is also known that business consultants usually upgrade the workers’ or managers’ experience (Davey, 07). Since the stock, will be obtainable from various suppliers, they can offer consultation at no fee. For example, information about the durability and quality of the television sets bought is available to them. Question Four A business usually obtains finance from various sources that could be internal or external (Sofat & Hiro, 330). The business venture will obtain finances from bank loans. It is known that bank loans are effective sources of finance for any business. Besides, bank loans are usually flexible because the contract is terminated immediately when a loan is paid early. In order to obtain a bank loan, a number of guarantors are required. Given the fact that the business is a partnership, the partners can act as guarantors or the suppliers can also be guarantors. Apart from the bank loan, friends and family members will be the source of finance because

The Influence of Words During Times of War Essay

The Influence of Words During Times of War - Essay Example The Power of Words in Wartime by Robin Lakoff (2005) is an article describing just how powerful words can be a weapon. The article centers around the history of words used in wartime, focusing on the descriptive words that are typically used to describe 'the enemy'; barbarians, infidels, Japs, Yankees, Frogs. The article suggests that these words help to bring one side closer together by grouping the enemy as something negative, something outside of themselves. It gives a sense of supremacy to one side, often focusing on physical or cultural differences between the enemy and the home side. Killing another person is murder, but killing a 'target' or a 'Hun' in the event of war is something different, and just shows how powerful words can be in changing the normal morals of an individual. Churchill's Powerful Words. As previously mentioned, Churchill and his powerful speeches have been considered one of the most important elements in the Allied win of the Second World War (Brekle, 1989 ). "Give us the tools and we will finish the job† (Churchill, 2003) are the famous words of Churchill to Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowing the nation to see the confidence of Churchill, bringing faith, courage and hope to the nation. It suggests that Churchill himself had a great amount of faith in the Allied forces, and it is sometimes this type of faith that is needed to give confidence to an army, confidence being something that is perhaps more important than technology in winning a war (Oliver, 1987).... Churchill's Powerful Words As previously mentioned, Churchill and his powerful speeches have been considered one of the most important elements in the Allied win of the Second World War (Brekle, 1989). "Give us the tools and we will finish the job† (Churchill, 2003) are the famous words of Churchill to Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowing the nation to see the confidence of Churchill, bringing faith, courage and hope to the nation. It suggests that Churchill himself had a great amount of faith in the Allied forces, and it is sometimes this type of faith that is needed to give confidence to an army, confidence being something that is perhaps more important than technology in winning a war (Oliver, 1987). Churcill is also famous for saying "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning† (Churchill, 2003). This again was a powerful quote at the time, stirring the forces and the nation into believing that there is so me hope that the tragedies of war would begin to end. In this quote, Churchill acknowledges the past, present and future struggles of the war, but does so in such a confident manner. There are numerous more quotes that can be used to show Churchill's rhetoric and how instrumental it was in instilling hope, but these serve to give evidence of his skill and its power during wartime. The Rhetoric of Roosevelt Roosevelt was also known for his skill in rhetoric. Whilst Churchill seemed more focused on giving the forces confidence on the battlefield, Roosevelt is possibly more associated with letting the nation know that the cause they were fighting for was the right cause. This is an important tool in persuading soldiers to sign up to fight; no-one wants to fight for

Capitalism, Marketing, and the Insidious and Covert Co-optation of the

Capitalism, Marketing, and the Insidious and Covert Co-optation of the Self Subtitle: A Manifesto for Avatars 1. Introducing Avatars AVATARA-Sanskrit.; ava-'down', tarati-'he goes, passes beyond' literally, 'a descent', a conception described in the Bhagavad gita, 4th Teaching, 1-8 where Krishna confides: "when goodness grows weak, when evil increases, I make myself a body." (OED) Originally referring to the incarnation of Hindu deities, avatars in the computing realms have come to mean any of the various "strap-on" visual agents that represent the user in increasing numbers of 2 and 3D worlds. (Lonehead, ONLINE SOURCE, NO PAGE NUM) This essay studies the covert, market driven forces at work in our choices of images for the avatars inhabiting cyberspace, in order to understand the dangers of the exchange of self-images for advertisements. To forge a set of alternative resistant and forceful conditions for imaging what Sherry Turkle has termed "the second self," tactics based in imaging, language, and psychology can be opposed to the insidious and covert co-optation of the self by commodities. This essay is an attempt to examine the construction of alternative figures as models of resistance. The Manifesto for Avatars offers a formal set of oppositional strategies for constructing unconsumable self-images. The apparent freedom of identity and gender enjoyed by the participants in multi-user domains and the Internet in general (Langley, Stone) is a dangerous illusion, masking the corporate agendas dominating the nature and spirit of the construction of cyberspace and avatars. Imagine an internet chat room where we are all represented by the commodity of our choice. Much like the large, recognizable logos th... ...hler, L. Cartwright, and C. Penley. New York: New York University Press, 1998, 312-314 Stephenson, Neal. SnowCrash, New York, Bantam Books, 1992. Stone, Allucquere Rosanne."Will the Real Body Please Stand Up?: Boundary Stories About Virtual Cultures." In Cyberspace: First Steps, ed. Benedikt, 82-85. Talking Heads. "Once in a Lifetime." Perf. David Byrne, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth. Remain in Light. Sire Records, 1980. Thacker, Eugene. ".../visible_human.html/digital anatomy and the hyper-texted body", CTHEORY, 2 June, 1998. Online, n pag. Oct. 1998. http://www.ctheory.com/a60.html Turkle, Sherry. The Second Self-Computers and the Human Spirit. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984. Ziff-Davis TV, Inc. "If You Build It, They Will Come." thesite: The Avatars 97 Conference. Aug. 1997 Online, n pag. ZdNet Sept. 1998 .

Compare and Contrast Parliamentary Essay

Parliamentary and Presidential democracies are forms of government that similar in some respects and differ in others. The Parliamentary system like the Presidential is divided into three separate arms of Government, the Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary. Both democracies have a bicameral legislature, often referred to as the House of Representative and the Senate. The House of Representative is elected and the Senate is appointed by the Head of State on the advice of the Prime Minister in a Parliamentary type while both houses are elected by the people in the Presidential system. In the Parliamentary System, the Head of Government, referred to as the Prime Minister, is appointed by a vote of confidence from the House of Representative firstly along with the Attorney General and subsequently followed by the members of Cabinet. In a Parliamentary Democracy there is also a figurative head of state, normally the Queen or an appointed Governor General. In the Presidential System, the President who is separately elected by the people is both the Head of State and Head of Government. Presidents serve a fixed term and may not be removed except for cases where he does something illegal; while in Parliament, a Prime Minister may be removed by a vote of no confidence by his executive members or he may call an early election at any time and dissolve the house. Although the three branches exist in both types of government, it is evident that power is fused between the Executive and Legislature in the Parliamentary type. The Presidential System is otherwise well known for the separation of the Executive and the Legislative Agencies, with the President nominating and appointing his executive team of which no members of the elected legislature can be a member thereof. A Parliamentary Legislature makes and passes laws easily by virtue of always having a majority in the House. In the Presidential System, the Legislature and the Executives are able to create laws but must have a two thirds vote of the Legislature. The President also had the right to veto laws. Overall, the Caribbean should adapt to the Presidential Democratic System. Although it may seem very expensive to fund such type of government, it may cost less in the long term. The check and balance that a presidential system offers allows for less corruption and Executives to be held acc ountable of their actions. Policies and laws would be more accurate and  better evaluated having two separate Agencies in review of such nature. The Presidential system allows for more transparency which is one of the ultimate objectives of a democracy. References Read Also:   Compare and Contrast Essay Examples for College Parliamentary democracy is the type of government where the public vote government into power and parliamentarians are representative of the people. While a Presidential Democracy is when there is a system of government that has a president acting as the nation’s head of state and active chief executive authority. The similarities between the Presidential and Parliamentary model are: both are representative democracies, both have a head of state, both have a bicameral form of government and both are rule by constitution. There are also differences between the Presidential and Parliamentary model. In the Presidential Model, the president is the Executive body and is separated from the Legislature. President is voted by the people and also the Legislative Branch that is composed by theHouse of Representative and the senate. This means they have two elections. A president can only serve two four years term and is answerable to the people. In the Parliamentary Democracy there is an Executive power but is interdependent on the Legislation. The Prime Minister is appointed by the majority ruling party. Therefore there is only one election. The Prime Mister does not have a term limit as long as he has the support of it members. The Prime Minister will answer to Parliament. The Presidential Model has a head of state which is the President; for example in the United State it would be Obama. While the Parliamentary Model has a Head of State and Head of Government; for example in Belize the Head of State is the Governor General which represent the queen Sr. Colville Young and Head of government is the Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow. In Presidential Model dual political parties can exist in congress and on Parliamentary Model one political Party hold the majority party power. I believe that due to our history a nd the fact most countries in the Caribbean were once a colony of England the Parliamentary Model is best suited. Reference: What is a parliamentary democracy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-a-parliamentary-democracy What is the definition of presidential democracy?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ask.com/question/presidential-legislative-democracy? ad=SEO&an=SEO&ap=google.com.bz&o=102140 What is the difference between a parliamentary and presidential system of government?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is- the-difference-between-a-parliamentary-and-presidential-system-of- government.htm

Analysis of Descartes Argument - 788 Words

Write a three to four (3-4) paragraph essay (250 words) which analyzes the surprise ending of the reading selection.? Reading selection from Descartes Discourse on the Method (Part IV). Descartes begins with the problem of being able to prove his own existence but ends up with an argument proving the existence of God. Read more about the Discourse on the Method located at HYPERLINK http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdf/descdisc.pdf http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdf/descdisc.pdf. In his Discourse on the Method, Descartes essentially asked his famous question: how can we know that we are not deluded by a demon to think that we exist and he answered with his famous riposte Cogito ergo sum I think because I am I.e. the very fact that I am aware of my doubts informs me that I exist. He knows this from his intellect; therefore the mind is superior and more immediate to him than is the body. Descartes knowledge of his existence comes to him through a mediate perception, and he wonders what else can come to him through this immediacy. May God be deceiving him? The idea of God (as per entity) is one of perfection. The mind is fallible and corrupt. An idea of such perfection entering a corrupt mind can, therefore, be only be put there by God. So God exists. And, because God is perfect, He would not deceive anyone. Ipso facto, error only arises due to our limited intellect that is blocked by materialism from seeing true Knowledge. Descartess argument, actually, for God sShow MoreRelatedDescartes Argument And Doubt Argument Analysis1943 Words   |  8 PagesDescartes was a rationalist, he believed that knowledge is not coming from sense, but through arguments and persuasive arguments. In the â€Å"Of the Things Which We May Doubt† by Rene Descartes, Descartes argues how knowledge is gaining by rationalism rather than empiricism. 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