The Oni throughout Pop Culture Literature and Art

The Oni throughout Pop Culture Literature and Art: The similarity throughout all folk tales involving the oni is that they are villains of the humans. An Oni is a yokai which is a strange and supernatural being from Japanese folklore. yo means attractive, bewitching, and calamity. Kai means mystery and wonder. It can also be translated to be demon, goblin, spirit, or monster. The folklore of japan is a collaboration of different traditions from the isolated tribes that lived on Japans isles who had different beliefs but could be alligned with the others. The traditions changed form with the arrival of Shinto and Buddhism which brought Chinese and Indian folklore into the mix. Today the yokai can be seen throughout most manga and anime even video games and on clothing. The japanese believe that the oni were created from peoples fear of natural phenomenon such as earthquakes and storms including thunder and lightning. Thunder and and lightning are usually associated with the oni. Oni have either one or several horns, they can have a third eye in the middle of their forehead, they can have a repulsive smile that can spread from ear to ear showing their gnarled teeth, they can have many different colored skin like red or black blue and even yellow. They are usually seen in a loin cloth, oni can are seen as men in most paintings and pop culture but there can be female oni. â€Å"The encyclopedia of shinto published by kokugakuin university distinguishes 3

Informational Interview Free Essays

Samuel Tiras is the Department Chairman in the E. J. Ourso College of Business Accounting Department at Louisiana State University. We will write a custom essay sample on Informational Interview or any similar topic only for you Order Now His job consists of full management of the accounting department, evaluation of performance, fundraising, handling student complaints, research, and evaluating tenure requests responsive to demands from the dean. Sam spends most of his time during the day in meetings, talking to people about various issues concerning the department, or its research. For a desk job, he does not stay in one place all the time, rather he is mostly up moving around from one place to another, working on whatever needs to be focused on at that time. Giving advice to students about their career decisions is one of Sam’s favorite things about his job, whereas his least favorite is handling the constraints of the budget and faculty evaluations. Before working here at LSU, Sam started off working as an international auditor at the age of 23, traveling to many different places, as well as living in the Northwest for some years. After that experience, he continued to find jobs within universities, until he came upon the opportunity at LSU, which he stated, â€Å"sort of just fell into my lap†. When the position was offered to him, his motive was because he wanted to see the accounting department to move in the direction he desired, in order for it to improve with its teaching research and service missions. He thinks his job is a fun one, sometimes a bit difficult, but much easier now working atmosphere, always learning something new and never has anything too repetitive to deal with. He enjoys his job very much, is comfortable where he is, and is not sure if he would take on any new options given to him right now. He advises anyone interested in this field to prepare to be flexible, and to find time to be able to concentrate on your own research. I personally am not sure if I would be interested in this sort of job; although it does seems fun, I would more likely be willing to consider this sort of job later in my life, when I have the experience and know what direction I would like to go with my career. He gets to work around his schedule well, being able to make it to his son’s baseball games while handling business over the phone. He did note that his phone is what helps make his life so much easier, being able to access his email and have anyone contact him wherever he may be so he is able to do his job well. I had a wonderful time talking to Mr. Tiras, for he is easy to talk to about anything you are interested in. He is a great listener, and helped me try to decide on what concentration in business that I would like to graduate with, which degrees would be best for what I want to do later in life, and where I should start looking for jobs that will help give me the experience needed to obtain my experience. I enjoyed having the interview with him and hope to see him again in the near future for further discussions. How to cite Informational Interview, Essay examples

Business Activities And Operations Of The Watties †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Business Activities And Operations Of The Watties. Answer: Introduction The report talks about the business activities and operations of the Watties which has been taken in the report. It explains the operation management of the company. It explains the mission and vision of the company. Along with this, it describes the production issues and services issues within the organization. It tells that how the company is overcoming on these issues. Further, the report explains the significance of the operation management. It describes the models of the operation management within the organization. Watties is an American owned food producer and manufacturer of frozen and packaged fruit, sauces, baby food, vegetables, cooking sauces, pet foods and dressings company in the New Zealand market. The company was founded in 1934 with its headquarterd is located in Hastings, New Zealand. Sir James Wattie is the co-founder of the company. There are approx 1900 employees are employed in the organization. There are around 1200 product lines produced by the company in New Zealand. The organization produces its products under various brands such as good taste company, oak, Eta, farex, Greenseas, and chef and champ. In todays era, the Wattles is exploring and expanding its business activities and operations globally. In this way, the company is increasing its profit and revenue around the world De (De Smidt Wever, 2012). Operation management and production management play an integral role in Watties to overcome on the competitors around the world. Importance of operation management at operational and organizational level Operation management refers to the methods that company follows to meet its goal and earn profits in the business. Every organization operates in its own form in the business. It has its own strategies, its own plans, its own methods of working. The term operation management can be understood as a type of art and science which follows the path of business through the different elements of business environment which involve sourcing, planning, financing, and distribution. These elements help the company to run the business activities and operations smoothly and easily. Operation management plays a very important role in the organization. The aim of these organizations depends on the profitability and sustainability of the business (Barratt, Choi, Li, 2011) Operation management may be defined as the administration of the business practices to generate the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness within the organization. It is concerned with converting materials and labor into products and services in order to increase and maximize the profit and revenue of the company (Jabbour, De Sousa Jabbour, Govindan, Teixeira, De Souza Freitas). Operation management plays a vital and integral role in order to gain the long-term goals and objectives of the firm. This management is responsible and liable for planning, controlling, coordinating the natural resources which are needed to produce and manufacture the products and services for a company. It plays a significant role at the organizational level as well as operational level. This management also helps to make effective and unique decisions within the organization. OM assists and guides to the senior and top-level management to make effective strategic decisions. They formulate rules, po licies, and strategies to gain long-term competitive advantages around the world (Peng Lai, 2012). OM helps to the management to utilize the available natural resources and to manage the employees under the legal rules and regulations in the organization. The operational management also helps to manage the job design in the global market. Along with this, operation management helps to ensure the logistics and production of all campaigns and programs to run the business activities and operations smoothly. Now it is assumed that operation management helps to achieve and attain the strategic vision and mission of the company. It also helps to make effective and efficient operational strategy to meet the long-term sustainability of the organization (Carter Liane Easton). In Watties Company of New Zealand, the management of operation flows at two levels, firstly, at the operational level as well as organizational level. In the operational level, it takes care of the techniques and methods that should be followed by the company in its operation. They also make sure about the requirements of its stakeholders. This sometimes also leads to conflicting situations between the stakeholders and the company. Operational management involves the tasks of business that an industry or company operates and manages. The company cannot survive its business without effective operation management (Sarkis, Zhu, Lai, 2011). In the organizational level, Watties makes sure about the requirements of the company and the guidance it needs to perform a selected task. At this level company takes care of the organizational activities and the main objective behind this is to increase the cost of production of the products and services within the organization (Brown, Bessant, Lamming, 2013). This helps in meeting the needs of the customers. It also builds and develops trust and loyalty among the consumers around the world. Under organizational level, the company follows two levels of decision, first is a strategic decision which involves the making of a decision in a proper and planned formation. There are certain strategies that are to be followed in the firm which comes under this decision. The second decision which comes under the level of organization is a tactical decision. These decisions are comparatively narrow and short-term in nature. These two decisions intervene in the organizational process. In an o rganization, it becomes necessary to serve the employees and fulfill their requirement to get effective results. Therefore the company looks at all these matters in order to make good profits and revenue for the business (Subramanian Ramanathan, 2012). On the other hand, operation management is responsible for all the other activities that generally relates to the products manufacturing process. The operational level of management has to take care of the manufacturing of goods and services effectively and efficiently. This type of management gathers various components as input process and generate the output. The elements those are included in operational management are planning, organizing, allocating resources etc. operation management can be treated as a profession or as the notice of employment for the people or as a way of solving problems (Peng Lai, 2012) Operational management models The models are the description of the activities that take place in the organization. it is another way of observing the operational activities thorough flowcharts or pictures or diagrams etc. Through these descriptions, it becomes easy for the members of the organization to understand the topic or motive of the organization (Fernie Sparks, 2014). Operational management although show concern on the inputs and outputs of the product that are supplied in the market. Through these models, the company is easily able to maintain its time as it becomes easy for others to understand the matter. The models become a medium for them to convey difficult matters into easy and simple matters. This operational model manages the environment of the business and also helps in avoiding the errors that are made by the employees while performing on any task assigned by the company (Farahani, Hekmatfar, Arabani, Nikbakhsh, 2013). The model above depicts how organization functions which help them in attaining profits. The company puts in the inputs which then after goes through the process of transformation in order to generate outputs in the business (Brandenburg, Govindan, Sarkis, Securing, 2014). Since Watties is a food manufacturing company thus, it transforms its raw material into outputs within the organization. The output has to serve the needs not only of the customers but also of the company. Therefore output in Watties before generating has to go with various phases in an organization (Dekker, Bloemhof, Mallidis, 2012). Now it assumed that operation management model plays a vital role to gain competitive advantages in the global market. Two operational failure of the model A company has to face many failures while forming operation related models. These models guide the members of the company to do particular tasks and works within the organization in order to meet the mission and objectives of the firm. These models serve the needs of the company and carry the profits that company might generate. There is not an easy gain in the market for any company. Hence there are proper parameters to be followed while performing the actions. The two operation failures were seen in the company which has been discussed below (Meredith Shafer, 2009). Organizational design Proper designing should be followed while making and designing the models. The design should be such that it can be easily understandable by the employees and generate good outputs. The model must include the use of flowcharts, lines, arrows and other easy methods to make the model presentable. Use of simple language should be encouraged while making the model (Dekker, Bloemhof, Mallidis, 2012). Hence developing irrelevant organizational design becomes a failure in the case of operational management. It is recommended to have a proper design of the model which represents the task at the operational level (Yinan, Tang, Zhang, 2014). This design becomes a very important tool in deciding what strategies can be planned and what decisions are to be made that can help in fulfilling the needs of the organization.Models made in Watties talks that how a particular product should be manufactured and what quality it must have to fulfill the expectations of the customers. The model provides a brief knowledge about achieving the target by focusing on major areas (Demil Lecocq, 2010). Inadequate knowledge The models are made by the professionals, so it is obvious that it carries a lot of information that relates to the idea very well. But sometimes it happens that the knowledge provided turns out to be inadequate and fails in serving the purpose of the business. The relevant information provided in the business makes the model more effective and it clears all the doubts of the employees working in the organization. Providing inadequate knowledge become the reason for failure in the organization. Hence this becomes a failure in operational management for the organization to achieve its goal and objectives (Hsu Hu, 2009). Watties Company generally provides adequate knowledge and experiences to its employees to understand and evaluate the organizational model hence it creates minimal chances of mistakes and errors. The model is created by the professionals within the organization. The lack of knowledge as sometimes faced in the operation management models. In order to avoid such type of failure, Watties appoints potential and capable employees to do work effectively and efficiently. It will also help to attain long-term goals and targets of the company (Ivanov, Sokolov, Kaeschel). The other professional failures seen at the time of operating the managerial aspects are production failures and service failures. Production failures refer to the manufacturing of products, cost of production of the products and its managing and other functions. The two failures are discussed more properly below (Jabbour, De Sousa Jabbour, Govindan, Teixeira, De Souza Freitas). Production failure Production failure means the errors made by the organizational employees while transforming the materials into its ultimate output. The failure leads to improper functioning of the business and dissatisfying customer which results in a loss for the company. The production failure is one of the biggest key issues for the employees. In such case leadership of the business stands on the top. Leaders of the organization are expected to build the culture of the firm in such a way that the chances of production failure are reduced. Leadership guides and manages subordinates for performing the task effectively. They can teach the employees to work in an appropriate and suitable manner. The lack of availability of the product or malfunctioning of the product can lead the company towards a great loss for the company and it can also harm its reputation and goodwill. So it becomes important for them to look after such things (Chalmers Glasziou, 2009).Watties Company cannot afford to fail in pr oduction as it has chances of being shut down in the market as the products supplied can harm the health of people. To avoid and reduce such failures, they have to be more attentive while preparing the food products. In this way, the company can overcome its key challenges and risks globally (Securing, 2013) . Service failure Service failure means when the company is unable to fulfill the demand of the customers. The services provided by the employees sometimes are not addressed to the society which creates conflict between both of them. Service failure can also result in lack of opportunities given to the employees which give rise to such failures. The food supplied by Watties Company to its customers sometimes gives a chance to the customers to raise questions about the company. In such situations dealing with customers becomes difficult and complex. Service failure for the company can be dangerous (Jabbour, De Sousa Jabbour, Govindan, Teixeira, De Souza Freitas). It can lead them towards the path of success and also can take away their path. Thus, in order to avoid such failure, they have to be answerable to the customer for whatever services they serve them. The management of service focuses on two different dimensions in the company. The dimension relating to production management which can be under stood with technical or dimension of outcome and the other is a service management related dimension which can be termed as functional or dimension related to processing (Osborne, Radnor, Nasi, 2013). The cause of service failure in Watties is seen through the customers. Customers play a very important role in service management. The service given to the customers in terms of food has to be good else there might be chances of loss in the company (Andronikidis, Georgiou, Gotzamani, Kamvysi, 2009) Recommendations to overcome on these failures To run the organization it becomes very necessary for the organization to avoid the failures. It also helps to carry the business operations and activities smoothly. Running a business on a large level is not easy; it is very complex and difficult task. The company faces many problems, difficulties within the organization. Thus, watties has to deal with various obstacles to achieve its target and goals. It becomes very important for them to overcome these failures. There are different ways discussed to overcome such failures. Watties Company of New Zealand is a large firm, therefore, it is clear that it faces various difficulties in doing its business. The failures of production and services related are seen in large number in the firm. Since the company runs on a large scale it consists of many such professional employees who are indulged in making good decisions for the companys welfare that it is able to manage such failures effectively and efficiently (Aguinis, Gottfredson, Wrig ht, 2011) To overcome such failures it is recommended to plan proper strategies in the business. Proper decision making helps the company to achieve its goal with comparatively lesser difficulties. Recovery from these failures is something that is very important and beneficial for the company. Also to overcome such failures it is recommended that company can appoint new employees in the organization who are able to perform in a professional manner. Another way of recovering from the failures is the amount of experience an employee carries that he is able to convince the customer to buy the product. The service failure becomes the reason for the dissatisfaction of the customers. Therefore it is important to have the power of convincing others. The more the convincing power the lesser will be the chances of losing opportunities. The risk of such failures can lead to a great loss for the firm. Therefore it becomes important for them to manage the work of the organization in an effective and effic ient way (Craighead, Ketchen, Dunn, Hult, 2011). In Watties, the same task is distributed to a number of employees. This is done to raise as many questions as possible in order to avoid any kind of discrepancy among customers. Although this gives a great result as the company gets a chance to resolve all those aspects that might lead to a loss for the company. Further, effective rules and policies must be implemented by the company to overcome these issues and challenges. Watties take the major step to avoid the failure in production or in the service sector. This keeps the employees interested and motivated in their work (Jabbour, De Sousa Jabbour, Govindan, Teixeira, De Souza Freitas). Along with this, the company must use effective and dynamic promotional and advertisements strategies to increase the demand of the food products around the world. Further, growth strategies and corporate level strategies should be used by the company. In this way, the company can maintain sustainability in the organization as well as environment. It will also help to reduce the negative impact of the market (Aguinis, Gottfredson, Wright, 2011). In addition, Watties should focus on the production department as well as operation department. It helps to know and evaluate the strategies, plans and policies of the competitors around the world (Andronikidis, Georgiou, Gotzamani, Kamvysi, 2009). Conclusion On the above discussion, it has been concluded that operation management plays a vital and integral role in Watties. Operation management is the part of the company to manage and control the activities and operations of the company. The model of the operation management is unique and effective to overcome on the competitors around the world. Along with this, service issues, production issues and operation issues should be controlled and managed by the company to gain long-term advantages in the market. The firm should make effective and dynamic strategies to attain long-term goals and objectives of the firm in the competitive environment across the world. None of the company can expand and explore its business without effective and unique operation and production management within the organization. Further, some effective and unique policies must be used and developed by the company to make a good image in food and beverage industry. Bibliography Aguinis, H., Gottfredson, R. K., Wright, T. A. (2011). Best practice recommendations for estimating interaction efffects using meta analysis. Journal of organizational behavior , 32(8), 1033-1043. Andronikidis, A., Georgiou, A. C., Gotzamani, K., Kamvysi, K. (2009). The application of quality function deployment in service quality management. TQM Journal , 21(4), 319-333. Barratt, M., Choi, T. Y., Li, M. (2011). Qualitative case studies in operations management:trends, resarch outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of operations management , 29(4), 329-342. Brandenburg, M., Govindan, K., Sarkis, J., Securing, S. (2014). Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions. European Journal of Operational Resarch , 233(2), 299-312. Brown, S., Bessant, J. R., Lamming, R. (2013). Strategic operations management. Routledge. Carter, C. R., Liane Easton, P. Sustainable supply chain management: evolution and future directions. Journal of pysical distribution logisics management , 41(1), 46-62. Chalmers, I., Glasziou, P. (2009). Avoidable waste in the production and reporting of research evidence. 114(6), 1341-1345. Craighead, C. W., Ketchen, D. J., Dunn, K. S., Hult, G. T. (2011). Addressing common method variance: guidelines for survey research on information technology, operations, and supply chain management. IEEE Transactions on engineering management , 58(3), 578-588. De Smidt, M., Wever, E. (2012). The corporate firm in a changing world economy: case studies in the geography of enterprise (Vol. (Vol. 36)). Routledge. Dekker, R., Bloemhof, L., Mallidis, I. (2012). Operations Research for green logisticsAn overview of aspects, issues, contributions and challenges. . European Journal of operational Research , 219(3), 671-679. Demil, B., Lecocq, X. (2010). Business model evolution: in search of dynamic consistency. Long range planning , 43(2), 227-246. Farahani, R. Z., Hekmatfar, M., Arabani, A. B., Nikbakhsh, E. (2013). Hub location problems: A review of models, classification, solution techniques, and applications. Computers industrial engineering , 64(4), 1096-1109. Fernie, J., Sparks, L. (2014). Logistics and retail management: emerging issues and new challenges in the retail supply chain. Kogan page publishers. Kogan page publishers . Hsu, C. W., Hu, A. H. (2009). Applying hazardous substance management to supplier selection using analytic network process. Journal of Cleaner Production , 17(2), 255-264. Ivanov, D., Sokolov, B., Kaeschel, J. A multi-structural framework for adaptive supply chain planning and operations control with structure dynamics considerations. . Europeon Journal of Operational Research , 200(2), 409-420. Jabbour, C. J., De Sousa Jabbour, A. B., Govindan, K., Teixeira, A. A., De Souza Freitas, W. R. Environmental management and operational performance in automotive companies in Brazil: the role of human resource management and lean manufacturing. Journal of cleaner production , 47, 129-140. Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M. (2009). Operations management for MBAs. John Wiley Sons. Osborne, S. P., Radnor, Z., Nasi, G. (2013). A new theory for public service management? Toward a (public) service-dominant approach. The American Reveiw of Public Administration , 43(2), 135-158. Peng, D. X., Lai, F. (2012). Using partial least squares in operations management research: A practical guideline and summary of past research. Journal of Operations Management , 30(6), 467-480. Sarkis, J., Zhu, Q., Lai, K. H. (2011). An organizational theoretic review of green supply chain management literature. International Journal of Production Economics , 130(1), 1-15. Securing, S. (2013). A review of modeling approaches for sustainable supply chain management. Decision support systems , 54(4), 1513-1520. Subramanian, N., Ramanathan, R. (2012). A review of applications of Analytic Hierarchy Process in operations management. International Journal of Production Economics , 138 ((2)), 215-241. Yinan, Q., Tang, M., Zhang, M. (2014). Mass customization in flat organization: The mediating role of supply chain planning and corporation coordination. Journal of Applied Resarch and Technology , 12(2), 171-181.

Outline and evaluate Darwins theory of Evolution Research Paper Example

Outline and evaluate Darwins theory of Evolution Paper This essay is first going to look briefly at the pre-Darwin theory of evolution which came from Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Secondly, outline Charles Darwins theory of evolution and look at some criticisms, lastly it will evaluate Darwins theory Lamarck (1744-1824), a zoologist, claimed that changes that occurred in animals had been passed on from their ancestors, who in their own life time had responded to its survival needs. Lamarcks example of this would be the giraffe that stretches its neck to reach the higher leaves will gain neck length, which in turn will be passed on to its offspring. This theory became known as inheritance of acquired traits. Lamarcks theories were not accepted, as they only offered an explanation, rather than proof as to why these changes occurred. Darwin (1809-1882) was born to a middle class family in Shrewsbury. Darwin quit medical school and went on to read theology, Euclid and the classics and later secured a position aboard the HMS Beagle, whose venture was to explore the unexplored waters of South America. On his travels Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands; it was here discovered and collected samples of bird fossils of geological interest to himself. On his return, Darwin studied his finding and asked John Gould (1804-1881) to classify the bird fossils. Gould identified these birds as being finches. Furthermore Darwin realised that each Galapagos island had its own species of finch that were all slightly different to each other, but all closely resembles those on the South America mainland. It was this evidence that led Darwin to believe that each of these finches had the same ancestors but each had evolved differently in order to survive in its environment. Darwin claimed that this survival was achieved through a process of natural selection. Natural selection is a process were the individuals of the species that are most suited for survival, are more likely survive and go on to reproduce therefore passing their traits onto their offspring making the pressure to evolve a continuous and gradual process, in Darwins words Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations; she can never take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, though slow steps . Gradualism is an important part in evolution that does not require any individual effort. We will write a custom essay sample on Outline and evaluate Darwins theory of Evolution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Outline and evaluate Darwins theory of Evolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Outline and evaluate Darwins theory of Evolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Darwin also thought that it was not only the environmental factors that affected evolution, and after reading Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) Essay on the Principles of Population where Malthus claimed that if the human population was not kept in check by means of limited food supply then it would double every 25 years, Darwin also realised that the fittest individuals are the least likely to die from starvation, therefore most likely to pass on their traits. Darwin wrote about his finding and his ideas but did not publish his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (later shortened to the origin of species) for almost 17 years due to Darwins own fear of what he had discovered. Also it had been argued that Darwin had contracted an illness on his travels and many feared that he had suffered a breakdown. Darwin finally published his book in 1859 due to claims being made that Alfred Wallace had too come up with a similar theory of evolution also based on Malthusian theory. In previous writing Darwin had not specifically attached his theory of evolution to mankind; however in 1971 in his book Descent of men he stated that man has evolved from the animal kingdom. Darwins theory was one that was acceptable to society, but that is not to say by everyone. Members of the Anglican Church were upset by Darwins theory, Darwin himself was Anglican and did not like his theory for two reasons, they were evangelical and they believed in the principle of extinction. One man, Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) supported Darwins theory and saw himself as Darwins bull dog. Huxley fought with Darwins theory; it was he who presented lectures for this theory. Huxley later realised that Darwin had many of the same ideas of evolution as Lamarck. Although Darwins theory of evolution had very little to state on man the suggestion that the theory gives for the origins of the human race is immense, and he stated the in the future we will collect enough fossils that will show the gradual evolution and if we dont find that, then my theory will fall. However the fossils that have been found do not show this gradual change, they show that there have been rapid changes during periods of stability which coincides with Goulds discontinuity hypothesis. Darwins theory that we descend from animals further confirms British empiricist Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) who claimed that human behaviour is no different to that of animals. What is more, after Darwin claimed this, psychologists now look at animal behaviour when trying to understand human behaviour. In conclusion no one has been as influential in our understanding of evolution as Darwin. His theory is the basis for many others theories; however, although a valid theory, the most significant flaw is the lack of any empirical evidence.

Business Strategy Essay Example

Business Strategy Essay Example Business Strategy Essay Business Strategy Essay He has an MBA in Marketing Management from the University of Western Sydney and he has an MA in Knowledge Management from the University of Technology, Sydney. His research focuses on Power, Control and Influence in inter-firm relationships, as well as strategy and organizational theory more generally. Catalogue entry This is an integrating module. The module discusses key concepts of strategy and provides a range of analytical models that enable students to make sense of the complexity of the environment in which organizations operate. It builds upon students prior knowledge of the functional areas of organizations and relates such knowledge to issues of strategic development. Aims This module aims to: Inform students of the key developments in, and thinking derived from, the study of strategy Explore models and theories of strategy and their application by practicing managers Critically appraise where and when such models are useful Provide interesting and engaging examples and exercises that illustrate these concepts with the intent of building students capability in strategic thinking and practice. Learning outcomes Knowledge On completion of this module the successful student will be able to demonstrate the ability to: 1. Critically analyses the concepts, theoretical ideas and empirical research endings which underpin the study and management practice of strategy; 2. Evaluate and apply these concepts, theoretical ideas and empirical findings to develop their own views on strategic decision making in organizations; 3. Explain the notion of sustainable competitive advantage and the implications of strategy-making within a dynamic environment; 4. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of international strategic management 5. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the complexity in implementing and managing change. Skills This module Will call for the successful student to demonstrate: 6. Strategic thinking through reflection on organizational practice and applied work on case studies; 7. The ability to apply concepts, frameworks and techniques pertaining to the strategic analysis process; 8. The ability to generate strategy options for an enterprise and evaluate strategic choice and organizational fit. Syllabus 1. What is Strategy? An appreciation of strategy 2. Making a Start. Purpose, goals and where to start in a messy process 3. External Analysis: PESTLE and Future Thinking Industry lifestyle, competitiveness and profitability 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. SIBS Strategy: From a market/customer perspective Internal Audit: Resources and capabilities Generic strategies and value chain analysis Organizational Culture: Influence on strategy formulation and implementation Managing strategic change Making Strategy Happen: Measuring performance International Strategy 10. Putting it all together Programmer Learning Outcomes Addressed in This Module Knowledge and understanding Cognitive skills Practical skills AY The core business of firms and its relationship to strategic management 82 Apply and critically evaluate the impact Of management models, concepts and theories in organizational environments CO Undertake research to address strategic and other management issues within organizations AS The theory and practice of business in international contexts 83 Evaluate options using appropriate decision-making criteria including the use of financial tools. CO Conduct strategic organizational analysis to identify key strategic problems and develop solutions AY The role of entrepreneurship, enterprise and consultancy in the business environment 86 Analyses and develop diverse investigative methodologies to apply to solve organizational management problems CO Undertake critical analyses to develop, plan and recommend implementation of strategic decisions. Teaching and learning strategies Learning on this module will involve a mix of the following activities: Reading from the set text Reading recommended additional readings and papers Case study analysis Applying your own experience and knowledge to theories and concepts Group activities Watching selected video clips and presentations Completing assignments The learning strategy will develop the capability of students to understand theoretical frameworks and apply them to the industry to develop a deeper understanding of its operation. Concepts will be developed in a generic intent and then applied to industry, in combination with knowledge gained in other modules. It is important to stress that the module will provide broad frameworks for understanding ; comprehensive coverage is neither intended nor appropriate at this level. Assessment of Module Learning Outcomes Outcome Coursework 1 Coursework 2 Online Participation x 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Assessment scheme coursework 1: case study (40%) RED sometimes referred to as (Product) RED, was created in 2006 as a form Of creative capitalism: an organization that collaborates with some of the worlds best known corporate brands but for a charitable purpose. RED) is global organization that administers and promotes an umbrella brand ((RED) that member corporations may use for their products and then pay back into the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Now read the case study about (product) RED, a global organization set up for a charitable purpose, found on page 152-154 of the core text Johnson G. , Schools K. Whetting, R. , 2011, Exploring Strategy, Text Cases, FT Prentice Hall, 9th edition (also available online in Unit 2). After this reflect on the following questions about the case, and write your answers in a short port (using the template below). You should feel free to discuss the questions in your syndicate, but the work you submit must be your own individual work! If the work resembles too much that of your colleagues it will be deemed to be plagiarisms). 1 . Drawing on the three perspectives in the Key Debate or the four stances in Table 4. 2 (4. 4 for the 8th edition) of the core reference text, what is the rationale of: a) The founders of (product) RED? B) The Director of Social Responsibility for GAP? C) The author Of the article in The Times? 2. What views might shareholders of GAP have on (product) RED? . In your view is (product) RED an appropriate corporate activity? 4. How can (product) RED contribute to the competitive advantage of a firm? You should submit your work online by Sunday 10th November 2013. Please ensure that the total word count is no more than 2500 words. You will not be penalized if the word count is less quality matters more than quantity. You will be penalized though if your work is substantially bigger than 2500 words. Coursework 2: Integrating Planning Approaches (50%) The deadline by which the assessment must be presented to the University is Sunday 8th December 2013. This task is about demonstrating your understanding of the models we have discussed over the last weeks and, exploring uncertainty further. We ask you to do the following: 1. Define your (chosen) industry (be sure to identify your specific industry segment within this broadly defined industry). 2. Conduct a PESTLE analysis of your (chosen) industry, using this to identify the key drivers for change over the next 5-10 years. 3. Use an impact-uncertainty matrix to identify two critical uncertainties, and use these in turn to identify four scenarios (as in the ex. diagram found in Illustration 2, p. 3 in Johnson, Schools Whetting (2011) or the ex. diagram found in Illustration 2, p. 58 in Johnson, Schools Whetting (2008)). . Answer the question: What strategic issues do these scenarios raise for your (chosen) company or organization? DO this by conducting a 5 forces analysis of your (chosen) industry today, and predicting how each of the five forces would be influenced in your 4 scenarios. Then comment on strategic issues for your (chosen) company. The assessment is asking you to bring the three types of analyses (PESTLE Scenarios, 5 forces) together such that you analyses the effects of your chosen scenarios on your (chosen) organization, using the five forces model. You will need to ask yourself questions like: Will any changes in regulations affect entry barriers (as deregulation has in the short haul airline business) for example? What impact might the economic environment have on buyer or supplier power? What strategic issues are raised for your (chosen) business? To ensure maximum marks it is important that you argue your choices, backing these up with clear data or other sources. We would like to see evidence of research on the subject going beyond what you simply know. The word limit is 2,500 words, and any word count more than 10% above this will result in lower marks. Appendices are allowed as extra words [for diagrams and illustrations]. Mark allocation [1 Choice of drivers for change (including quality of research behind this) 20% [2] Impact/uncertainty matrix and correct identification of 4 scenarios 20% [3] Five forces model today completed correctly [4] Five forces model changes under 4 scenarios [5] Consideration of issues for your chosen company and future strategy 20% Virtual Learning Environment Participation (10%) Participation in online discussions and activities is mandatory. Participation will be assessed at the end of the module. Plagiarism Plagiarism is not accepted in any coursework. If you are uncertain as to what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to the Middlesex University plagiarism policy (usually available on Minibus) as well as the guidelines on the Library Services web pages: http://nubbin. Mad. AC. UK/study/library/index. Asps Communication and Contact Information Announcements regarding this module will normally be made by email and online announcement on Minibus. Please ensure that you regularly read your university e-mail and are thus kept informed of any changes / placements. Staff Contact The module leader is Dry. Stephan Bijoux who is available to deal with any queries regarding the teaching and assessment of this module. However, most queries can be dealt with by the tutors in the syndicate area. If you wish to contact the module leader or your tutors please use one of the following methods: a) Send an email to your tutor or the module leader. B) Phone your module tutor or module leader. C) Post any questions you have on your syndicates discussion board, or in the general module discussion area. If you feel your question has not been deiced by the tutor, please follow up with an email.

A Study on the Framing Effect of People When Decisions Are Made Through Foreign Language and Native Language

A Study on the Framing Effect of People When Decisions Are Made Through Foreign Language and Native Language A study was carried out to test the framing effect of people after a foreign language and a native language are used to make decisions. A number of participants who spoke specific common native and secondary language were used in the study to determine the effect indicating that this was an experiment that sought to determine how native language and a second language affect decision making. Dependent variables in an experiment refer to the variables that can never be operational in the absence of the others while independent variables refer to the variables that are operational in the absence of the others. Independent variables in this experiment were the language used since one could have made a decision using any language while the dependent variables were the experimental outcomes since any outcome depended on the language used. Random samples of different groups of participants who spoke common native and common foreign languages were selected and their fluency in these languages evaluated. Those that never met the standards required were eliminated from the selected participants to encourage uniformity. Different groups were then presented with two cases in which they were supposed to make a decision favoring one of the cases using both the native and foreign language. And the results were collected basing on the extent to which a decision was made in native language and the extent to which it was made in a foreign language It was discovered that bias in decision making can be eliminated when using an alien dialect. The four experiments conducted indicated that the framing effect tends to disappear when a foreign language is used in making a decision after being presented with choices. It was also discovered that people tend to be risk aversive when advantages are considered and and tend to be risk seeking when there exists cases of losses and when there is a presentation of choices in the native language and the framing manipulation had no effect on them (Shiv, et al, 2005). Additional experiments indicated that evading losses undergoes reductionwhere alien dialect is in usewhen making decisions thus the chances of accepting both hypothetical and real bets are high Critique The experiment is not 100% reliable and valid to the extent that very few random samples were taken to represent the whole population in the globe. There are those people who have almost equal command of native and foreign language and using both languages, they can make similar decisions. Such people were never included in the experiment. The experiment was also conducted in a few parts of the globe thus ignoring most of the other parts when coming up with the conclusion. This means that the findings were never correctly interpreted. Further interpretation and research can be made when almost all parts of the globe are covered to minimize generalization. Ethical safeguards were never fully employed since the beliefs of the people were never fully considered especially when dealing with the cases of making choices regarding bets since there are a number of people who do not believe in such issues thus their decisions get jeopardized. A follow-up study can be used to study the exten t of emotions presented when using a native language and a foreign language. According to CaldwellAycicegi (2009),it can be noted that people are more emotionally attached to their native language thus displaying a higher degree of emotions than when alien dialect is used. However, the results presented were strong since the command and decision making as well as emotions are stronger when using the native language than a foreign language. Therefore, the distance in the attachment of the cognitive self with a foreign language results to the presented findings. Such issues tend to be additional implications of using foreign language over the native language. The problem with the research is that only a small group was used in the study to represent the whole globe where people from all walks of life were never involved in order to come up with the correct decision. The method is better in presenting decisions that are reached when making decisions using a foreign language and native language. It can be noted that a more desired decision that is free of bias can be reached at when alien dialect is used. Brief summary Bias when making decisons can be reduced when a foreign dialect is employed and â€Å"framing effect† tends to disappear in cases where decisions the presentation of decisions is made in an alien dialect (Benjamin, Brown, Shapiro, 2006.avding of losses tends to take place when alien dialect is employed due to the huge cognitive and emotional distance caused by a foreign language. This experiment could have been more desirable if a large part of the global population was used in the experiment instead of using a very small sample to make the decision pertaining to the whole globe. The experiment can be used in making decisions where more desirable decisions that are free of bias are made. Trauma-Informed School Social Work Everyone in a school setting is subject to various forms of pressure, scarce resources and demand. Young people and adults both attend school each with an independent history of trauma that is hard to identify. Therefore, a trauma-informed approach is critical when employed in dealing with students in a school setting. This is because if left unattended, it affects the students’ behavioural, social and academic performance. Various other technical means might not work in cases where trauma is involved leading to traumatization of the student. A study conducted within a period of the year yielded results indicating that 60% of children are subject to violence or abuse (Finkelhor et al, 2009). An assumption that at least every student in a school setting has ever experienced a traumatizing event can be made. Trauma originates from an event that threatens a person’s safety thus making him fear, experience horror or even feel hopeless). Trauma can be as a result of domestic violence, sexual or physical abuse, violence, emotional or physical neglect, betrayal, accidents, life-threatening illness among others (National Child, Traumatic Network, 2013). Traumatic incidences may affect the behaviour, social or even academic performance of a student (Steel and Malchiodi, 2012). Trauma-informed responses become a remedy of the misbehaviours and punishments that may affect the involved student (Blaustein and Kinniburgh, 2010) Adults may be faced with unruly behaviours that originate from the traumatized students. At such a time the efforts of the adults to bring to an end the funny behaviour may not bear fruits which leads to frustration and anger among the involved parties. The trauma-informed approach is critical in opening up new possibilities for change where disciplinary methods are employed in such a way that while teaching the child how to regulate his emotions, safety and empathy are employed. These can be done at the same time since firm discipline and empathy are not mutually exclusive. The administrators, workers as well as teachers areon how to identify and retort to trauma cases. Trauma-informed school is concerned about the recovery and resilience of traumatized students through the implementation of organizational practices, policies and culture that help in the reflection of trauma skills and awareness and thus ensuring student’s security comes first (Ryan, Testa and Zai 2008) The school social workers should, therefore, be involved in teaching the students, school staff and the society in general about what trauma is and how it tends to affect the individuals. They should also be involved in the process of creating a collaborative network that links the parents, school personnel, teachers and the community in general which helps in the creation and monitoring of school policies that ensure the safety of the students from traumatizing experiences. The school social workers are the catalysts for ensuring that a trauma-informed school culture is created to ensure the safety of everyone in the school. This can only be done by mediating the parents, the school staff and the teachers to come up with the best ways to deal with the student’s behaviour and fostering academic achievements in a trauma-informed manner. They should also educate the teachers on how to deal with the students without getting angry or using harsh language. School social workers and the staff should always focus on the child’s cognition as well as the sensory processes that require sensory intervention. Social workers should also be involved in sharing with the students a curriculum that helps in teaching the students how to identify their bodily sensations and emotions helping the students to identify the difference between the past and the present occurrences which allows them to handle each situation differently. Social workers should also b e involved in engaging parents and teachers who might as well be traumatized and helping them deal with such situations and educating them on how to handle students as well as their children. Employing a trauma-informed approach in a school is the best thing that one can do since it takes care of the traumatized students and adults in general. It is necessary for school social workers to intervene and ensure that the approach has been employed and that the students, teachers and the parents have been educated on how to handle traumatizing events which foster behavioural academic and social improvements. Marginalization of School’s Social Workers When the practice of social working began, the social workers acted as the mediators for the students who seemed to be at risk thus acting as a linkage between the homes and the schools (Allen, Washington and Welsh, 1996). Various reforms were seen in the education sector due to the widespread changes that took place in the globe due to industrialization include the compulsory law of school attendance(Phillippo and Blosser, 2013). Therefore, the social workers have for a long time been considered the best means through which student’s problems can be solved. The responsibility of the social workers in schools has been assumed where they have not been involved in making the major decisions in schools. Perpetuated by the consequential practices and shift in the philosophical framework that shapes the responsibilities of the workers, it is evident that marginalization of the of the school’s social workers has taken place for a long time. With the shift in the responsibilities of the social workers, their work has currently been seen as handling mental illnesses in schools rather than addressing the attendance of the students in schools and their changes in behaviors as well as informing their families on the educational requirements and as well as the available community resources (Phillippo and Blosser, 2013). Phillippo and Blosser, (2013) states that the reforms made in the education system in the 1970s which promoted learning among the students with cognitive learning issues as well as physical challenges and advocated for the n ecessity of social workers to schools saw them being the reasonable people who can be charged with the responsibility of taking care of this kind of students. However as they provided the necessary services to the mentally and physically challenged students, their contribution and incidence in the general education system gradually faded D’ Agostino, (2013) concurs with Philippo and Blosser by stating that marginalization has also been exacerbated by the financial constraints for special education where the available capital determines and describes the job done by the social workers and their day to day activities within the school thus limiting their involvement and responsibilities in school affairs. As a result, social workers contribution in the general education has been dismissed since they are only known to deal with the disabled students in the society which is known to be their traditional role thus underestimating their value in the school and the society in general. The occupational profile of social workers is created by â€Å"National Association of Social Workers† (NASW, 2010). It defines the responsibility of the social workers within a school such as conducting home visits, developing plans for treatment, student’s advocacy as well as completion of family and students assessment among other similar roles. There lacks the role of curriculum development and development of leadership activities in the school thus the profession seems to devalue the workers in some way. It is, therefore, necessary for the school administrators and the social workers to come together and redefine the roles and responsibility and contribution to schools and students success (Bye et al, 2009). This would help in eliminating the rift that exists between the social workers and the school guidance and counselling workers in all departments especially in leadership (Altshuler and Webb, 2009) which creates a necessity for their collaboration with the sc hool’s leadership. The social workers must also be versed with self-advocacy which allows to speak to the world and explain the essence of their practices in schools. Social workers have largely contributed to the achievement of the scholars in a school. However unrecognized, their work is unimaginably explicit. There should be a change in the system that defines the roles of the social workers in a school in order to endorse them with the responsibilities that they are supposed to carry out in a school. Apart from their contribution in helping the mentally and psychologically challenged students, they should be allowed to interact with the other students and be involved in school matters to transform the lives of the students and the operations of the school for the better.

Havoc Mouldings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Havoc Mouldings - Essay Example There will be some human resource and ethical issues but they can be dealt competently by taking necessary steps for mitigating their risks. Introduction of Havoc Mouldings Ltd. Havoc Mouldings Ltd. has been present in the market since 1977 and it has been mainly offering its services to the UK aerospace, marine, motor and chemical process industries. The product range of the company comprises of kayaks, hulls and decks for yachts, data buoys, mooring buoys, process cylinders, kit car bodies, after market body kits and radar domes; all of these products are manufactured by hand so that the customers are provided the best quality. Recently, the company has been approached by Boeing from USA for setting up and manufacturing of various precision parts required for smart bombs along with an innovative and latest cruise missile. There are certain challenges which the organisation has to deal with such as strict rules and regulations regarding usage of hazardous materials, installation of equipment for ventilation and investment in vacuum moulding process for fulfilling the requirements of Boeing. ... The main aim of these developments in IT is to provide the companies ample opportunities for enhancing their production levels and respond quickly to the customer’s demands (Agrawal, Subramania & Kapoor, 2010, p.201; Caldas & David, 2005, p.4). Considering the scenario of Havoc Mouldings, it will have to implement the new methods of operations management. According to Wamba and Bendavid (2008), the manufacturing processes have evolved from lean processes to agile ones that have the ability of anticipating the changes in customer’s requirements (p.3) and they are so flexible that they can quickly incorporate the modifications in the final output (Inman et al., 2011, p.346). An organisation has to utilise various technology theories that have been developed by the researchers in the field of IT so that it can ensure that it has the latest production process and IT system installed within the firm (Smith, McKeen & Singh, 2007, p.52). The best technology theory that is comp atible with the current business environment is Technology Adaptation Theory. According to Bardhan, Whitaker and Mithas (2006), this theory states that the technology is the main driver for altering the working environment of the organisation so that it creates innovative conditions and routines along with some problems; the issues associated with new technology have to be realized and technology has to be modified for resolving them (p.23). Hence, technological changes are part of a continuous cycle of adjustment to the new working conditions. As we all know that everything in this world has both positive aspects as well as negative aspects. The positive aspect needs to be considered

Does IT lead to job elimination, or job enhancement Essay

Does IT lead to job elimination, or job enhancement - Essay Example s are assembled or foods processed, through the use of robotic arms and conveyer belts, a job that may have been retrospectively been done by a hundred unskilled workers can be done by just a handful of machine operators. Inevitably, given the sensitive nature of labor issue, machines were not very well received by the workers they stood to replace; even today the interrogation of technology is often condemned by those who view it as a negative force rendering people jobless especially in labor intensive economies. While this is a logically sound argument, it is nevertheless one sided in view of the fact that the relationship between labor and technology is not as simple as that. In as much as technology may result in unemployment in some sectors, it has spawned millions of jobs in in numerous sectors and one can even argue that in the end it creates more jobs than it destroys. In the late 19th century at the height of the industrial revolution, a group of artisans working in the textile industry started a revolution of sorts in Britain against the use of machines in the production of textiles. They were afraid that automation of the process of production would cause them to lose their jobs since less skilled and therefore cheaper employees rendering them redundant could operate the machines. The Luddites as they were known became a significant social and political movement and they engaged in numerous acts of destruction in protest of adaption of machines in their industry (Baggaley, 2010). So much so that it is estimated that British soldiers were at some point involved in fighting the luddites than engaging napoleon. Ultimately, the movement was crashed through a series of trials in which the Luddites were convicted for machine breaking, which had been made a capital crime, and many were executed (Edgerton, 2011).  Today, the term Luddite is used to d escribe someone who is seen as being opposed to or slow to incorporate technology (Baggaley, 2010). Proponents

The Last of the Mohicans Essay Example for Free

The Last of the Mohicans Essay Nicole Kidman and Daniel Day Lewis both render excellent performances as Satin and Hawkeye in the movies, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, respectively. However, with the genres being quite different for each of these movies, both performers had to face specific demands in terms of their acting and preparation for their roles in each of these films. Acting is something that not most people can do and do well. On film acting takes on a brand new life when compared to acting on stage. While many people claim that acting on stage is much more difficult than acting on film, what most people don’t know is that in film, there is no room for falsity because the performers are expected to be the exact copy or portrayal of the character that they perform. In stage acting, on the other hand, actors usually own the role and in many cases the character is forgotten in favor of the actor. For instance, in Miss Saigon, it was not the main protagonist ‘Kim’ that people wanted to watch for but Lea Salonga. The case is different in film; for instance, in the movie, ‘The Queen’ Helen Mirren had to perform as an actress to be as truthful and accurate as she can be to the real Elizabeth, Queen of England. The demands in film and stage acting are different and albeit dissenting opinions, film actors go through more rigorous preparations before they are seen in their films so that the truth becomes more apparent and vivid to the audience. This means that acting on film is a craft of truth and that it should be something that actors and actresses assimilate and internalize to be able to perform well. In ‘Moulin Rouge’ Nicole Kidman played the role of Satine, a turberculous, love struck, performer/courtesan to whom a struggling poet falls in love with. Satine is then torn between two men, one a wealthy Duke and her true love, Christian, the poet. This film can be considered a hybrid because it is both a musical and a romantic comedy and it is surprising that Nicole Kidman had to use her real voice in performing as Satine in the many instances in the film where the character had to sing. The actress admits to having had gone through voice lessons to prepare for the film, which initially gives one the idea of what the film demanded of this particular actress. Other than getting voice lessons, Nicole also had to take dance lessons for the numerous dance numbers that she had to do in the film. Save it to say that the film was created in the Bohemian tradition which involved ostentatious set designs as well as loud colors and surreal scenery. These took their toll on the actress as well; being set in a bohemian environment required that the actress also exude a bohemia air. So, Nicole as Satine brought life to the character (pun intended) as she portrayed the calloused personality and soft, longing girl that Satine was. In effect, Nicole had to convey two characters that belonged to entirely different spectrums, one, an insensitive and gold-digging whore, and two, a lonely girl in love who would want to break away from the demands of her job. Satine’s conviction, however, lies in her dream of having a show of her own and finding her one true love, so Nicole had to balance the calloused personality that Satine was known for and the gentle, thoughtful, and loving girl that had dreams of her own. Another acting demand that Nicole had to meet for this film was the need to remain indifferent yet hopeful throughout the film. The challenge here is to be indifferent and allow small slivers of hope to shine through in her almost subdued acting. The reason for this is that Kidman had to maintain the mood of the film and while at the same time excluding herself from the fanfare that characterized most of the actors. The mood was quite surreal, a mood to which the wealthy Duke belonged to but the film offered another dimension, that of Christian, a more realistic and truthful dimension, so Satine had to be adequate for both worlds to successfully exist. Hence, Kidman, while being portrayed as a colorful and surreal character had to retain a certain degree of anchorage on reality in her performance to also make her fit for her true love, Christian. All in all, Kidman’s performance as Satine was out of the box because she had many demands on her beyond just the initial demands of learning to sing and dance for the film. Her performance successfully brought her character to life and effectively conveyed the kinds of messages and emotions that were required of the character at certain points in the film. In this particular film, Kidman had to act more accordingly to emotional acting than on physical acting. Physical acting, while all acting is in fact considered physical, is the kind of acting that requires the performer to use more physical language instead of emotional language as opposed to emotional acting. This means that a character has to make full use of physical faculties to illicit a physical response instead of using these faculties to illicit a subtle emotional response from the audience. Physical acting is more evident in action and adventure films of which ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ is one. In this film, Daniel Day Lewis who plays Hawkeye, a white man who is part of the dying Mohican tribe refuse to join the English Militia and come across two Indian women with whom love stories blossom amid the war. Immediately, it becomes evident that there were demands of conviction for the actor as he was expected to again, be torn between defending the Mohicans and the woman that he loved. While this film may be considered an adventure in all its aspects, it has elements of a love story and may be considered a hybrid. Perhaps most contemporary films now are considered hybrids because conflicts are created on the basis of various relationships and situations that pass for different theme genres. Going back to Lewis, another demand that this actor had to meet was the physical demand for the film – Lewis had, according to some sources, undergo agonizing weight training to get into character. He also had to assimilate to the rugged environment of the forests in which his character lived; this meant that he had to learn how to hunt and fish and survive only on the resources found in the forest. In addition to this, crew members involved in the film reveal that Lewis also had to learn to skin animals and carry a long rifle at all times to remain in character. This is a film where the environment is an important element of the acting, and may even be considered a character because included in the demands of the actor was that he had to learn to interact with the environment and approach it like it was part of the story, as in fact, it was. Comparing this to the earlier film, â€Å"Moulin Rouge† Lewis had to do more physical acting than emotional acting because while there was a love angle in the film, Lewis also had to convey the savageness and fierceness of the Mohicans, the tribe which he represented and had to embody. So, despite gentle and passionate scenes in the film, these were only added to give a deeper dimension to the conviction of the character, but more importantly, Lewis had to act like he was part of the environment and like he was the meat and bone of the conflict to portray his character more accurately and more realistically. In both of these films, the acting demands are quite clear and in any film in particular, any actor will have to meet these acting demands not as an obligation or a duty to the director or the producer but as a responsibility to the audience that has faith on the way actors and actresses should perform in character. Films are often driven by the way characters act and how the actors and actresses meet the acting demands thrown at them. Any effective and successful film will have actors and actresses fully meeting the demands of both the technical film and the creative aspect which is the story; and only then when the actors and actresses do meet these demands will they be able to give back to the audience a film that will grace movie history and hopefully transform into a timeless classic.

Florida’s Literacy Problem Essay -- Teaching Education Essays

Florida’s Literacy Problem Despite numerous literacy-promoting programs all over the state of Florida, literacy still remains a problem for this state. People just don’t seem to want to waste their precious free time staring at words on a piece of paper, but would rather stare at moving pictures on a screen. Obviously this is a problem, as Florida’s FCAT scores are less then perfect when compared to the scores of the rest of the nation. Something needs to be done to get Florida reading. It may be unfair to attribute all of Florida’s reading problems to television. Not everyone in Florida has cable or even owns a TV. Many poor children have no permanent home and therefore do not have the necessary conditions to learn to read as well as their middle-class counterparts. There are also...

Argument Against Video Games

English 102 12 March, 2013 Argue in support of or against the statement that video games have â€Å"a redeeming social value. † Do violent video games have â€Å"a redeeming social value? † You could get many different answers to this question depending on who you ask. Is there any good that can come from video games? What harm can come to people and society from video games? Is modern culture being affected either negatively or positively by today’s video games and those that play them?Are young, impressionable, people affected by playing video games for hours and hours during their impressionable, developmental years? These are a few of the questions I will attempt to answer as I argue that video games are playing a big role in the downfall of modern society. It is now the law of the United States that video games are art. †It is now the law of the United States that video games are a creative, intellectual, emotional form of expression and engagement, as fundamentally human as any other† (Schiesel, NY Times, 2011, p. 1). Like the protected books, plays and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas – and even social messages – through many familiar literary devices (such as characters, dialogue, plot, and music) and through features distinctive to the medium (such as the player’s interaction with the virtual world),† Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the Supreme Court, in a case that arose from a California effort to ban the sale of violent video games to minors. â€Å"That suffices to confer First Amendment protection† (Schiesel, NY Times, 2011, p. 2). And now video games – as vulgar, crude, disgusting and thoroughly unredeeming as they often may be – have finally been fully recognized as a worthy element of our culture† (Schiesel, NY Times, 2011, p. 1). â€Å"There is statistically significant evidence from the studies within the fields of psychology and so ciology to indicate that violent video games have a negative impact on a child’s behavioral development as he or she matures into adulthood. These studies approach the issue from a variety of perspectives, some analyzing the effects of video game usage on academic achievement and others that focus on usage’s effects on violent tendencies.Regardless of how these effects are measured, evidence is accumulating in favor of the position that they are not good for childhood development. Short of recommending alternatives or ways of preventing the kind of excessive video game use targeted in these studies as adverse, what is conclusively known is the prevalence and results of violent video games. Nevertheless, there are valid objections and concerns about these conclusions that shall be addressed in turn; none of these counterarguments or critiques of the research literature hold much weight.The arguments from scientific findings can be supplemented with academic philosophy, specifically in the area of ethical philosophy where some argue a non-distinction in moral terms between killing an imaginary character and killing an actual person. From this broad base of studies and research into the effects of violent video games on maturing children, it is conclusive that the negative effects of violent video game usage far outweigh any alleged positive effects† (Meyer, Yahoo! Voices, 2011, p. 1).Modern culture is being affected negatively by today’s violent video games and those that play them. The people that have played these games and then gone out to commit violent acts have affected society in a very negative way. The impressionable, mentally disturbed, people that cannot distinguish between killing an imaginary character and killing an actual person have committed terrible acts of violence more often in recent years. When these young people are in their maturing years their minds are conditioned in a very negative way by playing violent vide o games.One cannot help but think that these people may not have done these violent things if they had never played the violent video games. â€Å"Whether you play video games on a portable unit, a television or the internet, excessive gaming can affect your personal and profession life. Video game addiction can be as problematic as gambling and affects players as young as eight years old, notes Kevin Baker, director of Smith and Jones Addiction Consultants, in an article for Brigham Young University’s NewsNet. Be aware of the effects of a video game compulsion to keep the hobby in check† (Drea, Livestrong. com, 2013. p. 1).If you spend all of your free time playing video games and skip meals or lose sleep because of your excessive game play, a video game addiction can negatively impact your health. â€Å"The Mayo Clinic notes that children who spend more than two hours a day in front of a television or video games in lieu of participating in physical activity may suf fer from childhood obesity. In addition, the University of Texas at Dallas notes that the addiction can lead to such medical issues as backaches, headaches, eyestrain and carpal tunnel syndrome – pain and numbness that you may feel in your wrist, hands, shoulders and elbows† (Drea, Livestrong. om, 2013. p. 1). Relationships with friends and family members may suffer if you’re spending more time gaming than you are talking to or going out with loved ones. â€Å"The On-Line Gamers Anonymous website notes that gaming may be negatively affecting your life if you only want to talk about video games, lie to cover up the amount of time you spend playing, forgo intimacy with your spouse in lieu of gaming or argue with loved ones over your excessive gaming† (Drea, Livestrong. com, 2013. p. 1).Video games that feature violent actions and scenarios may lead addicted players to be desensitized to the violence. â€Å"Richard Gallagher, director of the NYU Child Study Center’s Parenting Institute, states that players who become engrossed in first-person shooter-style video games, for example, may adopt a detached view of society or develop aggressive thoughts and tendencies† (Drea, Livestrong. com, 2013. p. 1). There are a few positive video games. Educational video games and video games that help to keep the mind or memory sharp are certainly excellent tools.Using video games as flight simulators for our pilots and soldiers are also very helpful and educational. The people that use educational video games are not the people that are going out and shooting up schools full of little children. There is no way that a young person, whose brain is still developing, can become a better member of society by playing violent video games for hours and hours every day. The negatives far outweigh the positives when these violent video games are played. The impressionable young people are fooled into thinking that these video games are, in some w ay, real life.The weak minded, young, impressionable, people that play these games can be very easily conditioned to become more violent members of society. No one ever played an educational video game and then went out and shot up a school. There have been people that played violent video games in excess and went out and did just that afterward. Nothing good can come from playing violent video games for hours and hours every day. Violent video games are a big part of the downfall of modern society. Violent video games have no redeeming social value.

Compare and Contrast the Philisophical Contributions of Nietzsche and Mill Essay

Compare and contrast the philosophical contributions Nietzsche and Mill make to our understanding of political and social tyranny. Both philosophers, Nietzsche and Mill make contrasting and similar contributions to our understanding of the two terms. I intend explore how each philosopher does this and the differences and similarities between their two philosophies. Before comparing and contrasting the contributions of both Nietzsche and Mill to our understanding of political and social tyranny, it is important to define exactly what these terms mean, and to distinguish between the two. Political tyranny on the one hand is the imposition of positive liberty by a tyrant to an individual or a collective group of individuals. That is, a situation where a certain way of life is dictated to citizens through the presence of obstacles, barriers or constraints. If we lived in a politically tyrannical society, we would be living under the control of a dictator, ruled by a single governing body. Furthermore, the pressure for an individual to conform to these â€Å"rules† can be seen as a result of ones fear of public disapproval – a recognised form of social tyranny. Philosopher John Stewart Mill, rigorously educated by his philosopher father James Mill, began making contributions to politics and philosophy from the early 1830s, when he wrote profusely on such political and philosophical matters. He was greatly influenced by the works of Jeremy Bentham and his interested in Utilitarianism. Mill’s book, â€Å"On Liberty† published in 1859 and written with his wife, saw Mill move away from the Utilitarian notion that individual liberty was necessary for economic and government efficiency and advanced the classical defence of individual freedom as a value in itself. It advocated moral and economic freedom of individuals from the state. His basic argument is simple: liberty from political and social tyranny is good because it allows for new and improved ideas to evolve and good because liberty forever puts old ideas to the test. – His ideas were and still are enormously influential and the ideas presented remain the basis of much political thought. In â€Å"On Liberty† Mill refers to tyrannical societies of the past where liberty meant protection from the tyranny of political rulers. They consisted of a governing One or a governing tribe, who derived their authority from inheritance or conquest. (NZ) To prevent the weaker members of society from being preyed upon by â€Å"innumerable vultures† it was thought that there should be an â€Å"animal of prey† stronger than the rest. – The aim being to set limits to the power of the tyrant. With this came a time where, as human affairs progressed, what was wanted was that rulers should be identified with the people, and that their interests should be the interests of the whole nation. This, Mill refers to as â€Å"the tyranny of the majority† which was held in â€Å"dread† (and commonly still is.) At this point, Mill is suggesting that majority rule itself could become a tyranny and that the suppression of minorities by the majority should be taken as a serious threat to a fair and just society. Mill claims that â€Å"society as a whole can issue wrong mandates and practice a tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression.† He argues therefore that protection against political tyranny is not enough: there also needs to be protection from social tyranny or â€Å"the tyranny of prevailing opinion† the latter being harder to achieve protection from. Mill saw that this kind of political tyranny could prevent the development of individualistic behavior. Such tyrannies could work in two ways: through the adoption of laws which operate against idiosyncratic, non conforming or dissenting individuals. Or, through the power or pressure of public opinion, (which is notoriously prone to error, superstition or tradition.) Hence Mill argued that public opinion should not be a law that everyone should conform to, and that the individual should have protection of the law against the prevailing sentiments of society. – Essentially, we each need freedom to develop our individuality. So for Mill, the central problem is therefore to establish the legitimate extent to which the state can interfere in the affairs of individuals whilst maintaining acceptable levels of individuality. Mill’s answer is clear and is demonstrated through his â€Å"Harm Principle† which states that â€Å"the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant.† -So Mill is referring to not just any harm, but specifically physical harm. If a person is harmed then his or her sovereignty over self no longer exists because sovereignty is after all the foundational position of power; this is Mill’s justification of the harm principle. Children and those who cannot take care of themselves are allowed to be interfered with beyond the harm principle as they may well harm themselves unintentionally; such children and those who cannot take care of themselves do not, and cannot, have sovereignty over self. Applying Mill’s Harm Principle strictly to current law would therefore remove â€Å"paternalistic† laws. For example there would be no reason to prohibit the laws prohibiting suicide, or drug taking or the wearing of seatbelts or crash helmets. From this perspective, laws that attempt to control such self regarding actions are wrong. They stunt the possibilities for individual development; the state should not be like an over protective parent, as for Mill, this does nothing but prevent the development of fully mature adults. Mill’s argument primarily questions what is the rightful limit to the sovereignty of the individual over himself? And how much of human life should be assigned to individuality, and how much to society? Mill says, to individuality should belong the part of life in which the individual is interested: to society, the part which chiefly interests society. Essentially, what are the limits of the law and what are the abilities of the individual? Evidently for Mill, the idea that the state should be involved in â€Å"self regarding† actions is entirely wrong. The individual must be allowed maximum freedom of choice in matters that are to do with personal choice His assertion reflects his own strong commitment to the idea of individual liberty and the belief that â€Å"free individuals† develop into more fully formed human beings. His arguments essentially reflect a strong belief in human reasoning and the ability for all of us to develop into mature autonomous individuals. Mill’s approach is therefore libertarian in that he saw the confining controlling state as a danger: whereas a society populated with free thinking individuals is a mature and successful society. Specifically referring to social tyranny, Mill states that â€Å"though society is not founded on a contract, everyone who receives the protection of society owes a return for the benefit† – meaning, if you conform to society, or public opinion, you will receive protection, i.e. you will not be condemned by society. – Mill furthermore claims that it would be a great misunderstanding to suppose that this doctrine is one of selfish indifference about the well being of others. – There is indeed a need for an increase in the exertion of promoting the good of others, but Mill feels this can be done without physically or mentally punishing those who behave in a way that people don’t agree with. – â€Å"Benevolence can find other instrument than whips and scourges, either of the literal or metaphorical sort† So, if a person shows â€Å"rashness, obstinacy or self conceit† or pursues â€Å"animal pleasures† at the expense of those of feeling and intellect, it is expected that they will be lowered in the opinion of others. But, Mill makes it clear that we are not bound to seek the society of such an individual. – We have a right to avoid it, and a right to caution others against the individual. â€Å"If he displeases us, we my express our distaste: but we shall not feel called upon to make his life uncomfortable† – So if an individual has made a bad choice, we shouldn’t condemn them further. – â€Å"If he has spoiled his life by mismanagement, we shall not for that reason desire to spoil it further† At this point, Mill makes a clear distinction between the part of a person’s life which concerns only himself and that which concerns others. He questions how the conduct of a member of society can be a matter of indifference to the rest of society, â€Å"no person is entirely isolated.† If he damages his property, he does harm to those who derived support from it, or if he deteriorates his bodily faculties, he becomes a burden on others. So even if his actions do no direct harm to others, he is never the less detrimental by example. As a liberalist, Mill stresses the importance of the individual and freedom. In a liberal sense, freedom means individual freedom. You are at â€Å"liberty† to do as you wish, there are no constraints upon how you choose to live your life, you are able, unhindered by tradition or inherited position to achieve your full potential. This idea opposes the characteristic of political tyranny – i.e. the imposition of positive freedom; restriction and barriers. As Isaiah Berlin explained, negative and positive liberty are not merely two distinct kinds of liberty; they can be seen as rival, incompatible interpretations of a single political ideal. There are different ways to define liberty within a society. Isaiah Berlin talks about the two different types. Berlin agrees with the idea of negative liberty and thinks the purpose of government is not to show any visions of life; rather, it is to give them freedom to find out for themselves what the good life is. Berlin supposes that there should be a small government that will protect everyone’s individual rights. In a society where negative liberty is prevalent problems begin to arise when you begin to worry about government and not your private life. Negative liberty also allows everyone to have a sphere of rights. You are also able to become what you want and you have more self-control, because there is no pressure to conform to the â€Å"norm† of the community in order to keep the society running smoothly. Rousseau, an advocate for positive liberty thinks that self-mastery is necessary for us as individuals and says that we should want to be the masters of our own life. Positive liberty is, † Wishing to be a subject, not an object; to be moved by reasons, by conscious purposes, which are my own, not by causes which affect me, as it were, from outside.† By participating in your government and thinking for yourself you can achieve self mastery. By having political self-mastery you are free to form a society which forms your values, which leads to democracy. Mill, as a liberalist, believes there ought to be a minimum area of personal freedom which on no account can be violated. Mill says, â€Å"If this boundary is overstepped, the individual will find himself in an area too narrow for even that minimum development of his natural faculties which alone makes it possible to pursue, and even conceive, the various ends which men hold good or right or sacred.† Mill says there must a certain amount of personal freedom so that you grow as an individual, so therefore, there needs to be a distinction between private life and public authority. ‘Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows’; the liberty of some must depend on the restraint of others. In this type of society some people are held back for the betterment of others. The idea that for every person on top there must be someone below them must be accepted. The other philosopher in question, Frederic Nietzsche, German philosopher of the late 19th century challenged the foundations of traditional morality and Christianity. He believed in life, creativity, health, and the realities of the world we live in, rather than those situated in a world beyond. Like Mill, Nietzsche wanted to replace old values with new ones. He wanted to move towards a new type of human being. – â€Å"The Uberman† In Nietzsche’s writing, â€Å"Beyond Good and Evil† he speaks of the â€Å"new philosophers† – individuals of ‘socio – intellectual status’ who must pave the way forward for a new world. – Who must rise above the confinements of political and social tyranny. Essentially, through asserting their â€Å"will to power.† Nietzsche refers to these individuals as the aristocrats, the elites. These â€Å"noble† men will assert their will to power. – An ability that will have been passed down from generations. The new philosophers or â€Å"noble breed† will possess the â€Å"master morality† the morality of the aristocratic, that which makes values for others and sees itself as noble. At this point, Nietzsche introduces the ‘notion of superiority’ – the idea that these â€Å"free spirits† or new philosophers will assume a place of superiority in the social and intellectual hierarchy over those who are confined by political and social tyranny. In several aphorisms, he emphasizes a higher type of man, one who believes and demands an order of rank and disdains democracy and equality. Those inferior individuals, he refers to as â€Å"the herd.† The herd succumb to social and political tyranny, and so are â€Å"slaves† to it – and they can not change. – It is not in their genes. It is ok for the herd to be confined by political and social tyranny, but not for the elites. – The elites must be the dominant force, not controlled by a force. Nietzsche’s fundamental principle is â€Å"the will to power.† Nietzsche refers to it as â€Å"an essence of life.† For Nietzsche, the underlying driving force of change is will. All drives come from a will to power, which is; the drive for freedom and domination over other things. We see it in our daily lives; in every argument there is a striving force for mastery and victory; even in the hierarchical nature of organisations e.g. manager vs. worker, teacher vs. pupil, politicians, preachers and even in the sex act itself. But, for Nietzsche, political and social tyranny seeks to tame this primeval drive and to suppress it. It is the weak and the herd who let their desires and will be suppressed. It is the role and duty of the ‘new philosopher’ to cultivate it. Nietzsche strongly attacks religion. Especially Christianity. For Nietzsche, religion is a modern manifestation of political and social tyranny. Religion seeks to suppress the will to power. He refers to religion as â€Å"an ongoing suicide of reason† and has similarities with Freud in that he thinks religion is a ‘neurosis’ or mental illness. â€Å"Wherever the religious neurosis has appeared on earth we find it tied to three dangerous dietary prescriptions: solitude, fasting and sexual abstinence.† So for Nietzsche, being a Christian, means denying ones desires, it means self sacrifice for the sake of God (whom he believes is dead) and showing pity and charity for others allegedly leads to the elevation of the weak-minded. Nietzsche believes we shouldn’t show such charitable acts, or make unnatural sacrifices. Christians are the herd, because they follow such beliefs and live their lives by them. The herd are not in control of their lives, for they live by a set of principles that are not their own. Christianity as a form of tyranny takes over the individual. We self mutilate when we feel guilty. Nietzsche says we shouldn’t feel guilty, as its better to do something and experience it, taking from it what we will, rather than be told not to do it at all. Political and social tyranny does not give an individual the chance to do this and places restrictions upon the individual. Like Mill, Nietzsche valued individualism above all else, but he saw that as a result of the acquiescence to social and political tyranny (e.g. religion) followed a â€Å"herd mentality† where everybody follows one another for fear of disapproval by public opinion, or in the case of religion, disapproval by God. The herd has ‘given up’ their will to political and social tyranny. And so are weak to their superiors, as reflected in their values. But Nietzsche suggests that people want this. He refers to slaves wanting and accepting political and social tyranny, and relating to the modern manifestation of this through religion, it provides truth and certainty. The slave is led by a superior guide, and wants to be, because it is comforting. So hence, Nietzsche sees the Enlightenment or ‘age of reason’ as ‘enraging to the slave’ because it removes an ‘Absolute Truth’ I.e. God. So forth, the slaves have to find their own truths. Both philosophers contribute from different stand points. Mill on one hand speaks from a liberalist perspective. Liberals see humans as essentially rational thinking creatures capable of making informed decisions and despises the kind of paternalistic controls of a political tyranny that characterised the previous feudal period. Where Nietzsche on the other hand comes from an elitist standpoint. So, for Nietzsche, the most â€Å"human† or natural of societies are those based on aristocratic principles. Thus, societies with clear and very wide social class divides are the most appropriate of humanity. Clearly defined class distinctions that Nietzsche would have liked are the times of the Ancient Greeks, Romans, Feudalism and even aspects of Nazism. – Orders in which richness, excess, cruelty and sensuality were encouraged. This is where a major difference between Nietzsche’s philosophy and Mill’s becomes apparent. Mill criticises the political control of a tyrant on an individual’s freedom, yet Nietzsche claims that these aristocrats are â€Å"living for themselves† The aristocrats have asserted their will to power over the people. He justifies this by saying that these societies are natural, because the will to power was exercised properly, by the powerful over the weak. Both have similar views on the topic of religion, arguing that no longer should one set of religious truths be imposed on a population. To move forward, to progress, is to explore the world through the exercise of human reason and critical enquiry. For Nietzsche, we must continually question everything, for there is no absolute truth. We have to find our own truth. We do this by being individual, and not following a herd. For Mill, we are rational thinkers, and bases his theory on this view – that we will come to sensible conclusions. Hence, both philosophers advocate maximising negative liberty as a necessary condition for human flourishing. With the freedom to be individual without the barriers or constraints of tyranny, we as a society and as individuals’ progress and new ideas are formed. New values are made, replacing old ones. The Elitist vs. the Liberalist approach is where the two philosophers differ in attitudes. Taking into consideration a rejection of negative liberty, this could be used to pave the way for an alternative account.