Reputation and talent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reputation and talent - Essay Example The negative media coverage creates bad publicity and inadequate talent development. Reputation and talent management ensures solutions to these labor challenges. As a potential Human Resource manager for the company, I have developed strategies that ensure effective and efficient management of talent and reputation in the company. Implementation of the strategies will be discussed during the meeting with the CEO of Foxconn, Terry Guo. Talent management is significant in ensuring superior results, through employing, advancing and retaining effective talent. Corporate reputation means the general estimation of the organization by stakeholders, according to previous performance. Many companies view their reputation as the most significant asset. Reputation is very significant for knowledge-based corporations, handling information technology products, like Foxconn. The paper analyzes the recommendations of improving talent and reputation of the company. Superior talent management at Foxconn entails several issues. The staffs should understand the present and future strategic goals of the company. The understanding ensures proper realization of the goals. The company uses a highly effective recruitment and staff advancement processes. This ensures entry of competent individuals in the organization. Staff advancement opportunities include adequate promotion and training opportunities. The factors driving talent management at Foxconn are also very important. Better talent ensures superior performance of the company; hence increase in customer base and profitability. Talent enhances value creation at Foxconn. Value creation ensures production of superior technology products that exceeds customer expectations. Talent management is appropriate for companies in the increasingly complex and changing global market environment. The staffs should be trained on

Challenges in Managing Multinational Company Essay Example for Free

Challenges in Managing Multinational Company Essay Assalamualaikum, One of the common challenges faced by Malaysian multinational company is cultural diversity. Culture is the learned, shared way of doing things in a particular society. It is the way, for example in which its member eat, dress, greet and treat one another, teach their children, solve everyday problems, and so on ( Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn 2003). Cultural diversity in workplace refers to the range of differences between individuals in an organization. It affects the way in which people feel, think and act, and frequently, people either refuse to see it, or dont want to see it. People from different countries always have different tradition and attitudes towards business. Some company decides to expand their organization globally but unsuccessful because they fail to realize one important thing. They do not change their organization to adapt to the new country. Malaysian multinational company can be successful if they evolve into a diverse organization which employs people from diverse culture. An international company needs to understand the host market. In order to have better understanding of host market, an international market needs to employ locals. Hence, in employing local resident international organization opens its doors to cultural diversity. When cultural diversity is not properly managed, it caused problem, misunderstandings, and conflicts will arise. I believed that to make Malaysian multinational company successful, it is important that they embrace the fact that the world today has no boundaries. Cultural diversity in workplace and elsewhere should be respected. Employees skills, talents, ideas, and values must be developed and improved. An organization must be able to capture the energy and ideas of all mployees in order to meet the challenges of the competitive marketplace. I also believed that Malaysian multinational company can be successful when it comes to managing diversity if they managed to bring people together from different cultural backgrounds and form a collaborative group. As future manager, the key to manage the cross-culture challenges is through developing respect for every person, regardless of his or her cultural background. They should also learn to be more open-minded. Instead of Judging people, they must learn to accept that every individual is unique and everyone can contribute to the success of the organization. Advancement in science and technology and the liberalization of trade under the Asean Free Trade Area and World Trade Organization (WTO) create an economic opportunity as well as new challenges to Malaysian multinational company. Malaysian nowadays is emerging towards a technology-driven and high-tech production-based pattern of development in order to meet the challenges of the competitive global marketplace. Although Malaysias competitiveness rating has improvements. The availability of skilled human capital in Malaysia is not sufficient for technological development to progress. Malaysian school and universities do not turn out to be problem solver and do not produce skilled, innovative graduates as technology companies demanded. Compare to China and India which produce tens of thousands of graduates per year, while Malaysias talent pool is tiny in comparison. Companies that do not keep up with technological changes soon will find their business outdated. This will result on missing new products and market opportunities. Demographic is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, gender, race, occupation, and other statistics. The demographic environment is a major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up market. The worlds population is growing at a very high rate. The worlds large and diverse population uncovers great opportunity as well as challenges. Thus, for Malaysian multinational company to enter certain market, they must keep close tracks on demographic trends and development in their market, both home and abroad. In example, if Malaysia multinational were to enter Indian market, they need to understand the trends and dramatic changes in demographic data in determining arketing decisions, to identify opportunities and to anticipate declining demand. The continuously increasing urbanization, rapid growth and use of electronic media have brought changes to the lifestyle and consumption attitudes in urban areas in India, known as middle-class population which has made some essential socio- economic changes -rapidly increasing emphasis on higher professional education, family system from Joint families to nuclear families (BiJapurkar,2007) and exposure to western lifestyle and customs. These factors created increasing demands of ariety quality of products and services, in example, branded clothing, restaurant, home appliances, travel, and so on. In some countries, government interference affects the operation of the multinational companies. It is a challenge that Malaysia multinational company has to face in the direction of going global. Conflicts and misunderstanding between multinational company and host country government has occurred in recent years.. Government interference takes the form of tariffs, quotas, and other non-tariff restrictions. The threat of nationalization (forcing a company to sell its local assets to the government or to other local ationals) or changes in local business laws and regulations can limit a multinationals power. Examples can be taken from the case of China restriction towards multinational company. According to New York Times, companies that have operated exclusively in China for years are being targeted with discriminatory policies. Contracts involving state secrets or business secrets are reserved for Chinese companies and Chinese bureaucrats have been given broad latitude to exclude companies with foreign owners even if the company has been set up in China and have all of its operations in the country. Tenggiling Puitis a. m. n

Individual Behaviour And Influence On Society

Individual Behaviour And Influence On Society Sociology is defined as the study of social life of human beings. It helps social analysts to understand the working of human beings and society (Moore Kelly, 2008). Relationship between the individual and society has formed the major basis of sociological principles. George Ritzers Integration model: Ritzers model is a good example of sociological theory based on integrationist approach. It combines both macro and micro level theories in it. According to him, there are four highly interdependent elements in the society which are a macro objective component, a micro objective component, a macro subjective component, a micro subjective component. This theory is beneficial in understanding the society in both objective and subjective levels. It also aims at understanding the society norms and individual benefits from the society (Ritzer et al., 2003). Adapted from (Ritzer et al., 2003) According to this theory, all the four components are distinct and interdependent to influence the society. It emphasizes that individuals can change cultural norms and society according to their behaviour. Behaviour of the individual doesnt essentially influence the society. However certain habits may create positive or negative effect on the society. When a individual tries and modifies their bodies away from the knowledge of the society, it makes no difference. However, when individual tries to modify the society by habits and behaviour, it creates a social impact. According to Ann swindler, ideology is a determining factor for influencing empowerment in the society and body modification is one such ideology. Body modification increased rapidly in the western countries over the years and slowly spreading to other countries as a trend of fashion. Body modification refers to changes to the external appearance of the body by using devices or fashion to change the body rapidly or gradually. Some of the body modifications include tattooing, piercing, cutting, branding, inserting rings or studs to ears, navel, nose, eye brows (Featherstone, 1999). Body modification can also be extended to the practices such as gymnastics, dieting and physical exercising techniques to alter the existing body structure. These modifications are gradually occurring and take a period of time to get noticeable (Featherstone, 1999). Use of technology in body modifications is another additional practice, and this includes wearing spectacles for clear vision, using hearing aids and various body implants at heart, kidney and skin surfaces. Use of these modifications is necessary in normal functioning of a body in absence of regular controlled physiological process. When the body tends to become weak or unable to resist changes, these technological devices and nano technological products are used within or over the body to improve health condition and reduce pain in human beings (Featherstone, 1999). Science and fiction influence body modification procedures indirectly by fascination and intention to follow or copy. Films are the major sources of science fiction and some of them include Robocop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987), Blade runner (Michael Deeley and Ridley Scott, 1982). Some of the films also emphasized on cyberspace and its influences which markedly improved fashion sense of human beings (William Gibson, 1986). Media and magazines are alternatively cheaper resources to human beings which influence fashion. These resources create a cultural impact on human beings to adapt very commonly to makeovers and changeovers. Cultural aspects of the society have been gradually changing through media (Featherstone, 1982, 1991). Society tends to copy the fashion culture and adapts to it rapidly. Clothing is one such example, which changed over the years from extensive heavy clothing to lighter loose clothing exposing the skin (Bourdieu, 1978; Featherstone, 1987). However, these changes could create a wrong social and cultural impact on the society when wrongly used and interpreted in certain circumstances (Lloyd, 1996). One of the major body modifications noticed almost everywhere is body building in men and dieting practices in women to change their body pattern to an entirely different look. According to Lee Monaghan, Males tend to in habitat the culture of musculature increasingly and depend on gym and training centres to shape out the body. They tend to adapt these changes to gain the attention of women and society. Females, on the other hand are in a trend of zero-size and slim versions and depend drastically on gym and dieting centres to shred the extra fat away (Featherstone, 1999). These attempts by the society although improves the heath and physique of an individual, it also brings some deleterious changes in the human body. Some of the changes include unimaginable body shapes after rigorous work outs and change in the feminine body structure in females. According to Roberta, not every body reacts in the similar manner to technology and exercise. Some bodies tend to improve and some tend t o become abnormal in look and sense. In certain women, changeovers and makeovers could lead to deleterious effects such as change in feminine features (Doug Aaoki, 1996). She describes the use of lipsticks and feminine aids to restore the lost feminity. Regardless of all these attempts, it appears as gender crossing dressing to the society (St Matin and Gavey, 1996). Many of the body modifications are irreversible and hence care should be taken in order to adapt to them. Many of the body modifications are based on changing culture and fashion. Improving with fashion is different from complete transformation. Many of the body modifications cannot be reversed and irreversible body modifications are a risk to try (Paul sweetman). Sweetman describes that fashion trends vary from person to person and permanence of fashion depends on the type of body modifications he is willing to adapt. According to Polhemus and Procter (1978), body modifications are anti-fashion trend followed in modern days and is a means of escapism to avoid the traditional attire. Giddens (1991) supports the context by description of body project whereby tradition is dissolved in modern times with relevant excuse of fashion trends. Positive influence of body modifications on the society: Body modifications are seen as positive phenomenon by various sociologists. Many of them describe it as growing modern with the changing world. Shildrick describes that society tends to change rapidly and body modification is an enhancement procedure to individualise and identify ones own self separately and uniquely. The positive aspect of modifying body according to the latest trends to inculcate modernity in the system is appreciated by many modern sociologists. In addition, Society has gained a lot from using certain body modifications to ease their lifestyle (Featherstone, 1999). Use of spectacles and hearing aids has improved style of living with betterment. Adventures in surgical and clinical field by body implants of heart, kidney and artificial limbs have created a milestone. Use of these clinical modifications reduced mortality rate and improved longetivity of life (Featherstone, 1999). Use of artificial limbs has paved an ease of lifestyle for the physically challenged people. This improved their lifestyle and increased chances of competition and survival in complex modern life. Body project as described by Giddens (1991) is complex and scrutinising the body projects by individuals for their own benefit has become a common practice in modern times. Use of clinical, scientific body modifications for the individual benefit is encouraged by many socialists and has become a common practice in all the places of the world. According to Virilio, body modifications are part of third technological revolution (Armitage, 1999). Negative influence of body modifications on the society: Some sociologists have rightly said that great inventions or developments are always followed by potential risk to the society. The modern society has incorporated many body modifications as a part of their lifestyle. Many sociologists discuss that although human beings neglect the fast pace of time, time is always reflected in the body change (Featherstone, 1999). Society has imbibed the craze of fashion and body modifications to the maximum and these changes tend to be irreversible and deleterious in certain conditions. One of the most objectionable body modifications is cutting and piercing. Insertion of studs and rings to various parts of the body has become a common practice in modern days. Victoria Pitts argues that body modification is seen as factor of mutilation by the media and severely leads to certain mental disorders. Irvine Walsch (1993) describes the body modification as a craze and addiction to the society. Conclusion: In the modern era, body modification and fashion have become a common trend. Society has reacted to the new change increasing over the period of time. Although there is a positive impact of the new change in the society, the negative phenomenon is also associated along with it. Sociologists have mixed reactions to the change. The positive factor considered is reformation in medicine and improvement of human beings. The negative impact associated with it is craze, addiction and racism associated with the new fashion trend.

Political, Social And Moral Me Essay -- essays research papers

Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known to generations of readers all over the world as "Dr. Seuss," is the American author of many popular children’s books. Dr. Seuss’ "deft combination of easy words, swift rhymes and batty nonsense" (Horn 69) has convinced many children that reading does not have to be a boring chore, but instead can be fun and entertaining. Amidst these wacky drawings of zany characters spouting off crazy rhetoric, there is much hidden symbolism. Many of Dr. Seuss’ works contain political, social, and moral messages. Political messages in Dr. Seuss’ works include war, economic and environmental themes. Two of Dr. Seuss’ later works, The Butter Battle Book and The Lorax, "take strong stands on the dangers of indifference to world affairs." (Horn 70) In The Butter Battle Book, Seuss takes nuclear war as his theme. Two groups of animals live on either side of a stone wall. One side eats their bread butter side up, while the other side eats their bread butter side down. Because of each group’s odd ways, neither side trusts the other. Each side sets up a border patrol with mild protection. Over the course of the book, the weapons get more complicated and powerful until each side invents "the bitsy big-boy boomeroo," a very powerful bomb. Each side is ready to destroy the other when the books ends. These groups could represent the nuclear opponents of the time, mainly the United States and Russia. "In this book Dr. Seuss turns didactic and cal ls up many moral arguments adults make against nuclear proliferation." (Lystad 1) This book "ends without resolution of the issues" (Lystad 2) and leaves it up to the reader to decide his or her own beliefs on nuclear war. Political issues arise again in Green Eggs and Ham. In this book "Sam-I-Am’s persistence convinces a friend to try an unusual - but tasty - dish." (Horn 67) This confrontation between Sam-I-Am and his friend is "so obviously a parable about the struggle between capitalist and socialist ideologies." (Atkinson 132) It can be said that Sam-I-Am represents the capitalist United States trying to convince communist countries to try the new, strange and unusual dish of green eggs and ham, which represents capitalism. ... ... the kind-hearted elephant agrees to help a lazy bird by sitting on her egg while she flies off for a vacation. The mother bird decides to never come back. Horton suffers through many problems such as bad weather and being ridiculed by the other animals. In the end, Horton is rewarded when the egg hatches into an elephant-bird. All of these works "suggest to the reader that individual can and should be responsible for the welfare of others." (Horn 70) Within the playful artwork and imaginative language, Dr. Seuss’ children’s books convey ideas about nuclear proliferation, environmental hazards, economics, fascism, and morality. Despite the fact that some of these works are more than fifty years old, the important messages within them still hold true today. Whether or not the parents who buy the books of Dr. Seuss realize the value placed in them, their value as teaching tools for children cannot be disputed. In all, the messages given by Dr. Seuss through his works could be the very essence of this writers popularity. The messages are basic and widely applicable, ensuring that his work can be useful to and enjoyed by all. Political, Social And Moral Me Essay -- essays research papers Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known to generations of readers all over the world as "Dr. Seuss," is the American author of many popular children’s books. Dr. Seuss’ "deft combination of easy words, swift rhymes and batty nonsense" (Horn 69) has convinced many children that reading does not have to be a boring chore, but instead can be fun and entertaining. Amidst these wacky drawings of zany characters spouting off crazy rhetoric, there is much hidden symbolism. Many of Dr. Seuss’ works contain political, social, and moral messages. Political messages in Dr. Seuss’ works include war, economic and environmental themes. Two of Dr. Seuss’ later works, The Butter Battle Book and The Lorax, "take strong stands on the dangers of indifference to world affairs." (Horn 70) In The Butter Battle Book, Seuss takes nuclear war as his theme. Two groups of animals live on either side of a stone wall. One side eats their bread butter side up, while the other side eats their bread butter side down. Because of each group’s odd ways, neither side trusts the other. Each side sets up a border patrol with mild protection. Over the course of the book, the weapons get more complicated and powerful until each side invents "the bitsy big-boy boomeroo," a very powerful bomb. Each side is ready to destroy the other when the books ends. These groups could represent the nuclear opponents of the time, mainly the United States and Russia. "In this book Dr. Seuss turns didactic and cal ls up many moral arguments adults make against nuclear proliferation." (Lystad 1) This book "ends without resolution of the issues" (Lystad 2) and leaves it up to the reader to decide his or her own beliefs on nuclear war. Political issues arise again in Green Eggs and Ham. In this book "Sam-I-Am’s persistence convinces a friend to try an unusual - but tasty - dish." (Horn 67) This confrontation between Sam-I-Am and his friend is "so obviously a parable about the struggle between capitalist and socialist ideologies." (Atkinson 132) It can be said that Sam-I-Am represents the capitalist United States trying to convince communist countries to try the new, strange and unusual dish of green eggs and ham, which represents capitalism. ... ... the kind-hearted elephant agrees to help a lazy bird by sitting on her egg while she flies off for a vacation. The mother bird decides to never come back. Horton suffers through many problems such as bad weather and being ridiculed by the other animals. In the end, Horton is rewarded when the egg hatches into an elephant-bird. All of these works "suggest to the reader that individual can and should be responsible for the welfare of others." (Horn 70) Within the playful artwork and imaginative language, Dr. Seuss’ children’s books convey ideas about nuclear proliferation, environmental hazards, economics, fascism, and morality. Despite the fact that some of these works are more than fifty years old, the important messages within them still hold true today. Whether or not the parents who buy the books of Dr. Seuss realize the value placed in them, their value as teaching tools for children cannot be disputed. In all, the messages given by Dr. Seuss through his works could be the very essence of this writers popularity. The messages are basic and widely applicable, ensuring that his work can be useful to and enjoyed by all.

Negative Effect of Devolution

Negative effects: The implementation of the local government in 1992 provided the impetus for local government units to assume greater roles and responsibilities in bringing about socio-economic development for their respective constituents. This is in view of the devolution in the provision of basic services such as health, social welfare, socialized housing, agricultural extension, tourism development, among others, from the national to local governments. The devolution of health services of the Department of Health (DOH) to the local government units was consonance with the national goals. The national vision signals the initial step for local communities as well as an opportunity for local government units to manage their respective health services in the most effective and efficient manner. Considering these meritorious objectives to attain the national vision, the devolution process also posed problems for the DOH and the local government units, particularly on the inadequate financial resources to undertake vigorous health service delivery programs. In Cotabato City, the constraint of insufficient budgetary resources was only one of the problems faced by the local government in the provision of effective and efficient ranged from the geographic location of its barangays, economic status of its population, inadequate health manpower and facilities, and pre-LGC (Local Government Code) situation. The location of the barangays and economic status of the population. People of various ethnic origins (T’boili, B’laan, Tagabili, Ubo and Tasaday) coming from as far as Aparri to Tawi-tawi populate the city of Cotabato. Majority of its population is composed of the Maguindanaoan tribe and people from the Visayan regions. Cotabato, as a participant in the Integrated Community Health Services Project (ICHSP) was included in the Local Health Accounts pilot phase as one of six provinces where local financial data was collected. About 60 percent of the population is composed of marginal farmers and fisherfolks, seasonal job workers, unskilled labourer and jobless individuals. Those belonging to this group live within the poverty threshold level as they earn an average gross family income of php6,000 and below per month. The remaining 40 percent accounts for the middle and high-income groups. This implies that majority of the people living in Cotabato are poor and disadvantaged and, therefore, most wanting of health and other basic services from the government. Accessibility and Transportation Constraints. The city’s geographical feature makes delivery of health services a major challenge to the local government. Brooks. Rivulets and creeks of various sizes criss-cross and traverse the city in all directions. Eight barangays can only be reached by water transportation. Three other barangays are not easily accessible by public transportation. Before it’s special project on health and sanitation, the city has been providing health care at the Main Health Center and eleven satellite stations. However, people in remote areas cannot avail of these services because of transportation difficulties. Inadequate Financial and Budgetary Resources. The Office of Health Services (OHS) had very limited financial resources. Its regular budget was just ssufficient to cover personal services and maintenance and operating expenses. Inadequate Health Manpower and Facilities. Due to financial constraint the OHS could not put up additional health facilities and employ much needed additional health personnel. Prior to its special project on health and sanitation, the city has only 11 health stations regularly manned by midwives. In terms of manpower, the OHS had only 39 regular personnel. These consisted of 4 doctors, 6 nurses, 11 midwives, 1 dentist, 1 medical technologist, 8 sanitary inspectors and 8 non-technical and administrative personnel. Such health facilities and manpower have been inadequate to cover the entire household in the city Adverse Pre-implementation Health Station. Until 1993, major health statistics and conditions indicate the need to give more focus in the delivery of basic preventivehealth servies to the constituent of Cotabato City, particularly to the disadvantaged groups living in the remote barangays. Based on the National Statistics Coordination Boards (NSCB) data for 1990, the city’s infant mortality rate was 44. 0 per 1,000 live births while maternal mortality rate was 182. 8 per 100,000 livebirths.

Eng Essay 1

Eng Essay 1 Eng Essay 1 Donald Cornell Mrs. Laura Ahmed English 3A-04 Arguing a Position Due: 2/3/15 In this world we live in there many mysterious forces that as humans we cannot understand. One of the things in this world we have yet to understand is fate or destiny. Some people believe in it some people don’t. Some people don’t even know what fate is. Fate is defined by the dictionary as â€Å"the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events.† Destiny is defined by the dictionary as â€Å"the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible course of events.† Even though the definitions are clear and are in the English dictionary, these two principles are not believed by everyone. Strange though, because this not what most people will argue over when discussing fate and/or destiny. People usually will argue whether or not they control their own destiny or fate, or if it is already been decided for you by god. Personally, I think free will determines our fate by ou r actions and decisions that humans make throughout their life and god would play a role in the decision making and the actions humans take. Another thing a lot of people will argue about when it comes to the subject of fate and destiny is fatalism. Fatalism according to the dictionary is â€Å"the belief that events fixed by fate/destiny are unchangeable by any type of human agency.† Meaning, humans can have no effects upon their own fates or upon the fate of others. One of the most common places you will find examples of fatalism is the bible. Fate or Destiny does not exist in the bible they only referred to it as â€Å"god’s plan for you† or â€Å"god’s will.† Not only did the civilizations of the bible era believed this but a lot of other ancient peoples believed that decisions and actions ultimately went according to a divine plan devised by god, even free will. Followers of Christianity consider God to be the only force with control over oneà ¢â‚¬â„¢s fate, meaning that he is responsible for good as well as evil and misfortune. On the other hand, there are many people in the world that believe that we as people control our own fate or destiny and not god. God would play an equal role in their decision making and actions that will determine they’re fate. They also believe that if you want to, and have the will to, you can change your fate. For example: there have been many poor homeless people on the street, but every now and again someone decides to change that fate, and the next time you see that person, they could have a whole different life, because that person used free will to overcome his or hers fate. There are other people in this world that are born into their fates. What I mean by this is that when someone is born into an old family with a family business, most likely that person is going to work in that family business. Or for example a Senator’s son is born and it is his first and only son, most likely the father would want the son to be more like him and would probably

The Ruby Ridge Catastrophe essays

The Ruby Ridge Catastrophe essays Federal agents in body armor and black ninja uniforms, armored cars crashing up hillsides, even the fabled helicopters of militia nightmares Ruby Ridge had all the elements of a paranoid fantasy, with the difference that it was stamped in real flesh and blood. In the 11- day standoff, Weavers wife was shot dead as she held their 10-month-old daughter in her arms. A day earlier his 14-year-old son and a U.S. Marshal had been killed (Lacayo, 1995). But who was Randy Weaver? What kind of horrible criminal was he to deserve armed federal agents rushing on his house and family? And why isnt there a happy ending to this story? Randy Weaver was a 44-year old ex-Green Beret. He lived in a cabin in the woods of Ruby Ridge with his wife, Vikki, son, Sammy, and daughters, Sara, Rachael, and Elisheba. Randy also had his young friend, Kevin Harris, staying with him and his family. Randy and his family were subsistence hunters and farmers. They had a generator to produce electricity, but they had no televisions or radios. The Weaver family liked to keep things simple and keep to themselves. In October of 1989, Randy Weaver sold two sawed-off shotguns that were under the legal length to a friend. This friend turned out to be an undercover BATF agent (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). Several months after Randy had sold these illegal shotguns, two BATF agents with an offer approached him. The offer was to be an informant for the BATF agency or be charged and go to jail. Randy refused the offer and about seven months later he was indicted on illegal weapons sale. He was then arraigned and told to reappear in court in February of 1991. Randy did not return to court; he returned to his mountain. A warrant was then issued for the arrest of Randy Weaver for failure to appear in court and for the sale of illegal firearms. These were the vicious crimes of the horrible crimi...

Foreshadowing in Fiction Tricks to Keep Your Readers Guessing - Freewrite Store

Foreshadowing in Fiction Tricks to Keep Your Readers Guessing - Freewrite Store Types of Foreshadowing As literary devices go, foreshadowing is a technique that every writer needs to have in their toolbox. Everyone from literary greats like William Shakespeare and J.K. Rowling to screenplay masters like Alfred Hitchcock has used foreshadowing to create gripping plot twists that leave insightful readers (and viewers) experiencing that satisfying ‘ah-ha’ moment.If you’re not quite sure exactly what foreshadowing is, then here’s a definition: Foreshadowing creates tension or adds suspense to your story, by laying a kind of trail of breadcrumbs that your readers may (or may not) pick up on. If you’ve read a good novel recently, it’s likely that the author threw in some elements of foreshadowing. When you’re reading, foreshadowing is found in seemingly random or innocent scenes that only make sense when the plot begins to be resolved.When you’re writing, however, there’s nothing random or innocent about foreshadowing. You have to plan elements of foreshadowing so that they don’t appear too obvious - but nor do you want them to be so subtle that none of your readers pick up on the juicy breadcrumbs that you’re leaving for them. So, how does foreshadowing work when you’re writing? Types of Foreshadowing Every author has their own style of writing - so the exact way that you approach foreshadowing will depend on your style. However, there are two main types of foreshadowing that you can use in your stories - direct foreshadowing and indirect foreshadowing. Direct Foreshadowing If you want to keep your readers hooked, then direct foreshadowing is a great way to go about it. As its name implies, the kinds of hints (or breadcrumbs) you drop into your story are like little nuggets of information that prompt your readers to ponder about how those nuggets fit into the story and where they might ultimately lead. Clever and intuitive readers may even be able to guess how the plot will be resolved because of direct foreshadowing.Within direct foreshadowing, there are different subtypes that you can use, such as: Pre-scene This is a really popular type of foreshadowing. These scenes are often short and relatively downplayed, but reveal something that will turn out to be essential for a plot twist or resolution later in the story. Readers often become really adept at spotting the pre-scenes, so if you want to use these successfully you need to be careful not to give too much away. Effective pre-scenes convey necessary information but compel your readers to keep reading to either find out why the details are important or to see whether their suspicions are correct.For example, in your novel, you could have a scene that opens in a crowded bar. Your hero sits at the bar, enjoying his drink and the company of a beautiful young woman. Finishing his drink, your hero gets up to visit the restroom. Immediately, another man approaches the young woman and slips her a piece of paper before leaving the bar. Your hero returns, the couple leaves the bar. Your readers instinctively know that the young woman is either involved in something suspicious or not as innocent as she seems - they just don’t know what is going to come of it. Name Dropping If a character is later going to play a really important role in your story, or a particular place is going to be significant, name dropping can foreshadow the future events and signal to the reader that this character or place is important. They won’t know why it’s important, but it’s another breadcrumb that you’re leaving for them.For example, if you have your hero remark to another character that he’s going to visit a friend the next day, but doesn’t name the friend or the place, your readers wouldn’t really think much about it. If, on the other hand, your hero says, instead, that he’s meeting Charlie McGuiness at Holy Rood Chapel, then your readers are more likely to recognize these details as being in some way significant. Prophecy This is an old type of foreshadowing that has been used by the likes of Orson Welles and William Shakespeare. Essentially, it’s a way of directly telling your readers that there’s going to be a specific kind of dramatic event occurring at some point. Some writers see this is an outdated and counterintuitive practice, so it isn’t as common as it used to be - but it can still be powerful. You’re telling your readers that something specific is going to happen - but they don’t know when, or how, or what other surprises you have in store, so you keep them locked in a sense of anticipation.Here’s an example, from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 3): "All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter![†¦]Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.Not so happy, yet much happier.Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!" Indirect Foreshadowing If you’re more interested in subtlety than feeding your readers clues, then indirect foreshadowing is the way to go. You’re in control over the level of subtlety, and with this type of foreshadowing, although your readers may recognize the breadcrumbs as significant, they’re not likely to be able to figure out exactly what you’re hinting at. Personally, as both a reader and a writer, I find indirect foreshadowing more rewarding. In the modern age of social media, some direct foreshadowing looks more like clickbait and I prefer to be more subtle when I’m writing. Let’s look at some types of indirect (subtle) foreshadowing: Innocuous Statements These are the type of foreshadowing that may stick in your readers’ minds but only make sense when all is revealed later in the story. It’s less likely to cause your readers to be gripped, but when you have established yourself as a writer and have a following of fans, your fans will pride themselves on being able to spot the innocuous statements that you drop into your writing and try to guess what the outcome will be.Here’s an example of innocuous statements at work. In Star Wars: Episode II, Obi-Wan Kenobi remarks to Anakin Skywalker: â€Å"Why do I get the feeling, you will be the death of me?†. It’s only later in the series that the hidden foreshadowing makes sense. Pathetic Fallacy When I first came across this term I honestly had no idea what it could mean. Once I figured it out, however, it became one of my favorite subtle foreshadowing techniques. Pathetic fallacy refers to the way that you can give human emotions to things that are not human - like the weather, for example.There are tons of ways that you can use this technique to foreshadow future events. An icy gust of wind may be used to evoke a sense of foreboding or convey that something chilling is going to happen, for example. Likewise, a rainbow appearing during a ferocious storm may suggest that there is a change coming, or something more positive will emerge out of trouble.Charles Dickens uses the weather in Great Expectations to convey something of what the hero, Pip, is feeling. Can you figure out what Dickens is trying to foreshadow?:"So furious had been the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs; and in the country, trees had been torn up, and sails of wind mills carried away; and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death." Object Placement Famously, Anton Chekhov once declared that â€Å"If in Act One you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act†. While he was undoubtedly referring to playwriting, the same applies to any kind of story - and, ultimately, this is a tool that can be used to foreshadow really effectively.What this means is that if you have something pretty huge happening late on in the story, you can foreshadow it really subtly by making some kind of allusion to it early on. In Chekhov’s example, you would put some kind of emphasis on a pistol that would later be pivotal to the plot. This is a hugely popular technique - you surely must have read a book (or ten) where there’s a mention of an object that doesn’t really seem to make total sense in the current scene, but then, later, you get that ah-ha moment of realizing, â€Å"oh, that’s why it was there!†There are different ways you can use this technique, too. Let’s look at a coup le of examples:ââ€"  Your hero is driving to the airport to pick up his fiance who is returning from an overseas business trip. He’s talking to his business partner on the phone and glances at the fuel gauge, which reads close to empty and then continues with his conversation. In this scene, it’s more the absence of something (i.e. a full fuel tank) that you’re foreshadowing. You could use this with medication bottles, or show your character forgetting an object, too.ââ€"  Your heroine is sitting at her desk in her university office, grading term papers. Her pen runs out, and she opens a drawer to get a new one. In the drawer, there’s an unopened envelope, yellow with age, with a name written on it. She closes the drawer quickly. Your readers will remember the letter - but they don't know why it’s important. Effective Use of Foreshadowing The type of foreshadowing that you use and the way that you use it will depend on what you want to achieve with it. Looking to build suspense? Then you should use more direct foreshadowing (so your reader’s don’t miss the clues). If you want to foreshadow a future event, however, it’s best to take a more subtle approach with indirect foreshadowing.One mistake that many writers make is using too much foreshadowing. A little bit of foreshadowing is better than a lot of it if you use it well. That means you need to get more selective about what you use foreshadowing for, and where in your story you use it.Major turning points in your story should be your foreshadowing priority. There are usually around 3 turning points in a story arc: the point at which your character’s life is affected by something in a significant way; the midpoint in the story arc where your character starts to question themselves in some existential kind of way; and the climax of the stor y.Generally, there will be more foreshadowing in the first half of your story, with the ‘ah-ha’ moments coming in the second half. One good means of getting a good balance (and making sure you’re not going overboard on the foreshadowing) is to use a plot diagram to pinpoint the best moments for foreshadowing for the major turning points in your story. Practice Your Technique for Gripping Foreshadowing Don’t expect to master foreshadowing instantly. Masters of suspense like Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock perfected their craft over many years - so you should expect to spend time practicing your foreshadowing skills. It’s a good idea to try to identify foreshadowing when you’re reading your favorite authors’ novels, too, as that way you’re able to learn from the masters themselves. As you’re reading, ask yourself why their foreshadowing techniques are so effective and practice replicating the techniques yourself.Whether you prefer to use direct or indirect foreshadowing, you can keep your readers guessing and build your confidence until you are a master at foreshadowing, too.

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

Economics - Essay Example 80% CR means the four largest firms produce 80% of the total output while the small firms produce only 20%of the output. Hence, the first and second cases can be described as monopolistic competition and oligopoly respectively (Auerbach, 1998). 2. A high CR for an industry shows that a high concentration of the industry is held by the four largest firms. In other words, the industry is concentrated. At the same time, low CR shows that there are many rivals in the industry while none of them have significant market share. This means that there is high competition in the industry. The reasons for the differences in concentration ratio are identified as economies of scale, entry barriers, compliance with an acceptable code of conduct, mergers, government policy, technological change, vertical integration and market growth (Hay and Morris, 1991).Based on these factors, the market for one industry has low CR and other has high CR. In the high CR industries , the entry barriers will be high, there will be established brands and high product differentiation as well as high profits .In the low CR industries, the entry barriers will be low and under favorable price conditions, newcomers will be encouraged here. 3. In the case of industry with 30% CR, when the demand for the product rises and pushes up the price of the good, new firms will enter the market in the long run. This is because the industry is monopolistically competitive. The production will increase and there will be cost stabilization at the initial levels. Consequently, there will be convergence of the profit rate of firms to same competitive return on capital with differences in risk aside in the long run. Thus, in the long run, there is a tendency to move towards perfect competition in this case with CR being very low (Oster, 1994). 4. In the case of industry with 80% CR, when the demand for product increases and pushes up the price, there will be an

Implementing Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Implementing Change - Assignment Example In 1999 with major changes taking place at the national level of government in the form of devolution, local councils were scrambling to 'keep their heads above water'. During this time period, it was evident that each department was focused crisis after crisis within their own department and there was no vision for propelling the city into a cohesively run organisation (Leeds City, 2006, screen 1). Seeing the need for organisational change the leadership of Leeds City Council set about creating a culture of unified strategic direction and bring together all employees to focus on meeting the strategic needs of the city. In order to achieve this, the Chief Executive and his staff focused on development of the Council's Core Values as a first step in the process of organisational change. Once the core values had been identified council's next step was to begin to create the atmosphere conducive to change. In the following paragraphs we will examine how Leeds City Council was able to successful launch a sweeping organisational change and a shift to continuous process improvement. Upon arriving at the council core values the Chief Executive understood that without the support of employees the core values established would be nothing more that words on paper. The next step the executive undertook was to educate and gain acceptance for this move towards organisational change. ... l the "Vision for Leeds" into the culture of the council and ensure management understood 'the council's objectives and the cultural change needed to bring them about' (Leeds City, 2006, screen 1). The Road to Change Before an organisation can effectively make a change they have to understand what change is and what it is not. "The creation of healthy change is about living comfortably with conditions of constant change, and finding ways to create, within those conditions, pathways for accomplishing desired objectives through continuous adaptation." (Discussion, 2005) Understanding and redefining the complexity of this requires a three-fold approach. First, change does not mean we throw away the old, rather we build upon where we are; secondly, change is not finite, we can not view change as something we are finally doing or somewhere we will be - Change is constant; and thirdly, with change there is no return to normalcy. The continual process of evolving, of change, if you will, becomes the constant with the organisation. How we once did things as an organisation is in the past. Kotter and Cohen point out the biggest hurdle an organisation faces when initiating change is not dealing with proces ses or systems, but rather, changing the behaviour of the members of the organisation itself. Once that is accomplished the rest falls neatly into place. (2002) This requires a new way of thinking within the organization, a shifting from old preconceived ideas and notions and a movement towards envisioning and creating the means for this change to occur. The organization transforms itself based on the shifting thought processes brought on by the change. An organization is not the outward faade of the building and internally the hierarchy of management. An

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 16

Summary - Essay Example The ruling families realized that there should be policy change in economic programs to ensure that the countries developed long-term and sustainable economic plans. The international community was involved in promotion of economic status of the GCC states where they advised that a knowledge-based economic policy would be effective in steering the economies rather than relying on oil that was dwindling. Introduction of the knowledge-based economy would ensure expansion and investment in education to build wealth from the human labour and resources instead of relying on the natural resources. President Obama and Angela Merkel delivered speeches on the benefits of the knowledge-based economy over reliance on natural resources. Obama stated that the Islamic countries should begin to increase their investment in education since even the countries that had more natural resources like America had invested in other policies to steer their economies. Angela Merkel on the other hand emphasized on the importance of promoting freedom and innovation from the power of science and human intelligence. Innovation, technological development and invention were es sential for development challenges in 21st century. These speeches revealed the interest which the western countries had on the development of the GCC countries. The Arab countries have adopted the policy and culture of promoting the education in the region by increasing the number of institutions of higher learning at high rate. Since the end of World War II, the number of universities have increased from 10 to 140 in 2000 and later increased up to 260 in 2010. This reveals the interest of leaders to propel their countries in knowledge-based economies. Obama and Merkel stated that the countries in the region should pay tribute to the developments taking place in education especially the universities that have embraced the visions of the Gulf monarchies. Modernization of education

Innovation in organizational structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Innovation in organizational structure - Essay Example It also reflects similarities with other aspects of Lewin's general model of change. For example, the planning stage can be described as a period of unfreezing, or problem awareness, the action stage as a period of changing or trying out new forms of behavior in an attempt to understand and cope with the system's problems and the results stage as a period of refreezing, in which newer forms of behaviors are tried out on the job and, if successful and reinforcing, become a part of the system's problem-solving behavior. Action research is generally problem centered, client centered, and action oriented. In this process data are not simply used to compile a written report but they are actually fed back in open joint sessions, and the client and the change agent work jointly for identifying and ranking specific problems, for devising methods of finding their real causes, and to develop plans for coping with them practically. Scientific method that includes data gathering, forming hypothe ses, testing hypotheses, and measuring results is an integral part of this process. Action research also sets in motion a long-range, cyclical, self-correcting mechanism for maintaining and enhancing the effectiveness of the client's system by leaving the system with practical and useful tools for introducinbg changes. (Lewin, 1946) It can be described as an problem-solving process involving four statges. It is generally used in quality control.

Management and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management and Leadership - Essay Example The leadership activities and that of management are quite different in Wal-Mart. The management of Wal-Mart is generally focused on excellent planning and organizing so that there is attainment of desired success in business. The management has a good responsibility to motivate the employees. The store manager arranges regular meetings with an intention to keep the employees updated (Cheng, 2006). Wal-Mart follows transformational leadership so that the employees of the company can be improved and can approach towards attaining success. This type of leadership can make the company more successful by providing value to its associates. The founder of Wal-Mart regularly visits the associates in order to appreciate them for their support towards the company. The four factors of transformational leadership that has an influence on the employees of Wal-Mart include ‘idealize influence’, ‘inspirational motivation’, ‘intellectual stimulation’ and †˜individual consideration’. ... The management of the company is essentially related to the planning and motivation, whereas leadership strategy is completely based on the transformational leadership for success of the company as it involves transformation of the employees and improves their performance. The company also follows cost leadership style for gaining competitive benefit. 2.0 Roles and Responsibilities of Organizational Managers and Leaders in Creating and Maintaining a Healthy Organizational Culture There is great role for leaders and managers of the company for attaining the performance objectives and maintaining the culture of the organization. The eight competency levels of the company enable it to gain huge success. The leadership competencies are communicated to all the leaders throughout the company. The roles in which managers and leaders have provided prime focus are communication, developing others, motivating, focusing on customers, regular improvement, listening, and team development and orga nizing or planning (Bergdahl, 2004). The managers provide assistance to the associates by helping, informing and motivating them to operate the business effortlessly. The employees are motivated frequently and provided regular updates regarding the new issues of the store. The managers have the responsibility to communicate the vision to the employees to maintain the culture. The associates are trained for the present task and also are prepared for upcoming prospects. Cross training is conducted throughout the company from various functional areas and it is considered as an excellent method. Motivating the employees is a vital part of the managers. With an endeavor to increase motivation level, to reduce the boredom from

Project Management Capstone - Schedule, Budget, and Controls Assignment

Project Management Capstone - Schedule, Budget, and Controls - Assignment Example A budget calendar is a form of plan that is used to enhance timely and comprehensive implementation of the numerous actions of the budget. Formulation of a schedule for the procedures and steps that will be followed in each phase of the process of developing the budget is planned for in the budget calendar (Spofford & Savov, 1999). In addition, the participants of budget development, as well as, their duties are defined in the budget calendar. The budget calendar also keeps the actions that are required by law on track (Spofford & Savov, 1999). It is in the budget calendar that decisions of goals based on the organization’s long term vision and company needs are made. Also, decision on the long term goals, based on revenue allocation and evaluation will be made using the budget calendar. Analysis and review of the budget, adoption of the budget, as well as execution of the budget are carried out through the budget calendar (Spofford & Savov, 1999). Secondly, a revenue forecasting model can be used as a tool for schedule and budget development. This will involve cost and investment estimations, applicable discount rate to account for risk and revenue forecasts, which should be made so as to determine the potential value of new products (McIntyre, 2013). Using the revenue forecasting model, the current market share can be obtained by ensuring that company’s customer base is multiplied by total penetration, multiplied by the share of penetration of the product, multiplied by the unit price of the product, multiplied by the number of units that will is sold per the year (McIntyre, 2013). Given that performance budgeting is the most ideal type budgeting and scheduling for this project, which focuses on actual or projected results, budget decisions will be shifted from inputs to outcomes. Analytic tools can also be used to develop both the schedule and the budget because such tools empower those

Innovation in organizational structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Innovation in organizational structure - Essay Example It also reflects similarities with other aspects of Lewin's general model of change. For example, the planning stage can be described as a period of unfreezing, or problem awareness, the action stage as a period of changing or trying out new forms of behavior in an attempt to understand and cope with the system's problems and the results stage as a period of refreezing, in which newer forms of behaviors are tried out on the job and, if successful and reinforcing, become a part of the system's problem-solving behavior. Action research is generally problem centered, client centered, and action oriented. In this process data are not simply used to compile a written report but they are actually fed back in open joint sessions, and the client and the change agent work jointly for identifying and ranking specific problems, for devising methods of finding their real causes, and to develop plans for coping with them practically. Scientific method that includes data gathering, forming hypothe ses, testing hypotheses, and measuring results is an integral part of this process. Action research also sets in motion a long-range, cyclical, self-correcting mechanism for maintaining and enhancing the effectiveness of the client's system by leaving the system with practical and useful tools for introducinbg changes. (Lewin, 1946) It can be described as an problem-solving process involving four statges. It is generally used in quality control.

Project Management Capstone - Schedule, Budget, and Controls Assignment

Project Management Capstone - Schedule, Budget, and Controls - Assignment Example A budget calendar is a form of plan that is used to enhance timely and comprehensive implementation of the numerous actions of the budget. Formulation of a schedule for the procedures and steps that will be followed in each phase of the process of developing the budget is planned for in the budget calendar (Spofford & Savov, 1999). In addition, the participants of budget development, as well as, their duties are defined in the budget calendar. The budget calendar also keeps the actions that are required by law on track (Spofford & Savov, 1999). It is in the budget calendar that decisions of goals based on the organization’s long term vision and company needs are made. Also, decision on the long term goals, based on revenue allocation and evaluation will be made using the budget calendar. Analysis and review of the budget, adoption of the budget, as well as execution of the budget are carried out through the budget calendar (Spofford & Savov, 1999). Secondly, a revenue forecasting model can be used as a tool for schedule and budget development. This will involve cost and investment estimations, applicable discount rate to account for risk and revenue forecasts, which should be made so as to determine the potential value of new products (McIntyre, 2013). Using the revenue forecasting model, the current market share can be obtained by ensuring that company’s customer base is multiplied by total penetration, multiplied by the share of penetration of the product, multiplied by the unit price of the product, multiplied by the number of units that will is sold per the year (McIntyre, 2013). Given that performance budgeting is the most ideal type budgeting and scheduling for this project, which focuses on actual or projected results, budget decisions will be shifted from inputs to outcomes. Analytic tools can also be used to develop both the schedule and the budget because such tools empower those

Reassuring aspects in the three stories Essay Example for Free

Reassuring aspects in the three stories Essay The aim of this essay is to explore the three texts (The Stolen Bacillus, Hop Frog, and The Adventure of the Speckled Band) and to consider which aspects of the three stories affect us, how they influence us, and why they cause concern or console, either disturbing or reassuring us. It is concluded that there are many disturbing and reassuring aspects in the stories dependant on the perspective one may adopt. The word disturbing means to agitate the mind, causing distress, worry, or anxiety. The word reassuring means to restore confidence and relieve anxiety. These two definitions will help me with my investigation by giving me a guideline to work with. To get an understanding as to why different writers may have written the way that they did, I will consider the background information of the period the author was writing in and any aspects which would affect his subject material and style of writing. H. G. Wells was writing at the end of the nineteenth century at a time where there was a rapid social and industrial change, and he had a personal interest in social justice, science and politics. This is reflected in his writing as there is the bacteriologist (relating to science) and the anarchist (pertaining to social justice and politics). These issues in his work would disturb a reader of Wells time because subjects such as the social and industrial changes would be on the readers minds, and therefore cause anxiety if he were to write about them in a negative way. Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from university for drunkenness and debt, and later court martialled from the army for drunkenness again. Poes association with alcohol in real life is reflected in his story which has many references to alcohol within it. These references would disturb readers because Poe would be able to write a distressing truth about the affects of alcohol, because he himself had experienced it, and he wrote at a time when the truth was censored from the public. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote at a time when the British had an empire in India, this is referred to in his story as Dr. Roylott went out to do a medical degree in Calcutta, and also served a prison sentence there. This would provide a factor in the story with which readers may be able to associate with, and would either disturb or reassure them depending on the way theyd previously felt about the empire in India, and how it is depicted in Doyles writing. The settings and surroundings of a story can be used to great consequence when enhancing the effect of a disturbing or reassuring aspect of a tale. Arthur Conan Doyle uses his description of Stoke Moran intelligently in order to increase the disturbing nature of the whole plot of the story. The author uses very gothic features in the Speckled Band. For example, there is reference to the middle ages as Dr. Roylott comes from one of the oldest Saxon families in England which is an illustration of one gothic feature. Another gothic trait is Stoke Morans gloomy setting, the writer depicts: from amid the branches there jutted out the gray gables and high roof tree of a very old mansion. A further gothic characteristic expressed in Doyles writing is the ventilator in Helens room. Secret passages and hidden doors are another common attribute of a gothic story, and the additional detail that the ventilator is mysteriously placed in an impractical position (what a fool a builder must be to open a ventilator into another room, when, for the same trouble, he might have communicated with the outside air! ) gives it another gothic edge as mysteries were a very frequent mark of a gothic tale. In addition to Stoke Morans gothic nature, the fact that the whole place is isolated and has a gloomy history further emphasizes any disturbing aspects introduced by the author. Arthur Conan Doyles descriptions of Stoke Moran are a great example of a dramatic structure used to augment the effectiveness of the disturbing aspects of the storyline when they emerge. This is because Doyle firstly communicates with us subliminally about the disturbing aspects of his tale via his setting descriptions, therefore giving himself some foundations on which to build up a more effective impact on his reader when he wants to disturb them.

Budgeting as a Performance Management Technique

Budgeting as a Performance Management Technique â€Å"Financial measures are inadequate for guiding and evaluating organisations’ trajectories through competitive environments.† Kaplan and Norton (1996: 24) In the introductory quotation, Kaplan and Norton, in their call for a balanced performance management scorecard employing financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth perspectives, cite one reason why finances, including budgeting, are increasingly ineffective when used to the exclusion of other factors. The Beyond Budgeting Round Table (â€Å"BBRT – Beyond Budgeting Round Table† 2007: n.p.), self-described as â€Å"an independent, international research collaborative†, and others have identified additional drawbacks associated with focusing on budgeting as a performance management tool. This essay begins by identifying and discussing those drawbacks then continues with a discussion and evaluation of a proposed solution proposed by the BBRT. Over the past two decades the pace of competitive change has been occurring at an ever-increasing rate, but the budgetary processes of many organisations have not changed (Coombs 2005: 34). Coombs suggests that traditional budgetary processes add little value because they limit an organisation’s ability to react to environmental changes. Increasing numbers of organisations recognise this problem as indicated by expressions of dissatisfaction with existing budgeting processes (Fraser 2001: n.p.). Fraser claims that, as organisations realise the diminished value of budgeting in performance management, they are acknowledging the increasing costs of, and time required by, the current budgeting process. Parmenter (2003: n.p.) claims that increasing numbers of organisations in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and the United States believe that the budget is a hindrance to management. Fraser (2000: n.p.) contends that the budgeting process, as part of the conventional performance improveme nt model, is too rigid to respond to rapid changes in today’s economy. In â€Å"About Beyond Budgeting – The Budgeting Problem†, the BBRT (2007: n.p.) identifies and describes problems with the traditional budgeting process. These problems are associated with budget management time and cost, user value, shareholder value, flexibility, business costs, product and strategy innovation, focus, relationship to strategy, culture, and ethics: Budgeting Time and Cost. The budgeting process is time consuming. Estimates of time consumed are as high as five months for each cycle, occupying 20 to 30 percent of financial managers’ and senior managers’ time. As an example of the cost of the traditional budgeting process, Ford Motor Company calculated the annual cost of its budgeting at US $1.2 billion. User Value. Although the budgeting process provides an element of control to some managers, the people who actually use budget information realise little value. For instance, almost 80 percent of finance staff time is spent on lower value activities with the small remainder devoted to higher-order activities such as financial analysis. Shareholder Value. Budgets concentrate on internal targets, which are heavily influenced by prior period budget results, rather than focusing on maximising value to customers and shareholders. Flexibility. Budgets are often too inflexible to support quick responses to changing environmental factors. Only one-fifth of all organisations change their budgets within the related fiscal period. Business Costs. Not fully spending budgeted amounts is discouraged in many organisations leading to a failure to adequately question budgetary requests. In this way, unnecessary business costs are protected rather than reduced. Product and Strategy Innovation. Traditional budgetary practices discourage risk taking because emerging opportunities are too often not reflected in current period budgets. Focus. The focus of budgets is frequently on sales goals instead of customer satisfaction. Although most organisations recognise the importance of customer satisfaction, individuals are often not rewarded on this factor; rather, they are rewarded on achieving sales targets. Relationship to Strategy. Budgets are often â€Å"divorced† from strategic decisions due to the poor support that budgets provide to organisational strategy. Culture. Traditional budgeting creates and maintains dependency cultures in organisations because people are deemed successful when they strictly adhere to budget figures. Ethics. The high importance of meeting budgetary goals may cause people to behave unethically, even fraudulently. Fortunately, there is an alternative to the traditional budget model. Coombs (2005: 34) suggests that this alternative should create and support a â€Å"performance climate†. The alternative should empower managers and encourage entrepreneurship throughout the organisation; should be externally-, rather than internally-, focused; and should provide an environment that promotes individual motivation. Claiming that it is â€Å"at the heart of a new movement searching for ways to build lean, adaptive and ethical enterprises that can sustain superior competitive performance†, the BBRT has developed a solution to increase the effectiveness of performance management in the twenty-first century (Fraser 2001: n.p.). Two concepts underlie the BBRT solution (â€Å"About Beyond Budgeting – Concepts† 2007: n.p.): adaptive processes and devolved networks. The BBRT recommends replacing fixed budgets with adaptive processes incorporating ambitious, regularly reviewed targets based on benchmarks, peer goals, and previous fiscal period results. The BBRT also recommends replacing centralised decision-making and performance accountability with devolved networks, which are achieved through decentralisation, to increase productivity, motivation, and customer service. The BBRT’s concepts of adaptive processes and devolved networks each embody six principles (â€Å"About Beyond Budgeting – The Principles† 2007: n.p.). Adaptive process principles include: (1) formulating goals based on maximising performance potential, (2) evaluating and rewarding based on contracts for relative improvement, (3) conducting action planning in a continuous and inclusive manner, (4) ensuring resource availability, (5) coordinating actions across the organisation based on customer demand, and (6) basing management controls on effective governance and ranges of performance indicators. Devolved network principles include: (1) instituting a governance framework with clear principles and boundaries, (2) establishing a high-performance climate, (3) delegating decision-making authority, (4) assigning decision-making responsibility commensurate with authority, (5) expecting accountability for customer results, and (6) creating information systems that supp ort ethical behaviour. The inadequacy of traditional budgeting as a performance management tool, considering the ever-increasing pace of environmental change faced by most organisations, is well supported by research conducted by the BBRT and others. The concepts and principles offered by the BBRT seem solid if somewhat limited in scope in that the BBRT, in heavily focusing on budgeting, does not furnish a comprehensive solution for the array of performance management issues faced by today’s managers despite its implicit call for such a holistic approach in its purpose of â€Å"searching for ways to build lean, adaptive and ethical enterprises that can sustain superior competitive performance†. Perhaps incorporating the BBRT’s recommendations into Kaplan and Norton’s broader balanced performance management scorecard approach, (1996: 44)—financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth perspectives—would yield a significantly stronger and more comprehensive approach for modern organisations. References Beyond Budgeting Round Table (2007) â€Å"About Beyond Budgeting – Concepts†, available from http://www.beyondbudgeting.plus.com/BBRTweb4/bbconcept.htm [Accessed: 7 March 2007]. Beyond Budgeting Round Table (2007) â€Å"About Beyond Budgeting – The Budgeting Problem†, available from http://www.beyondbudgeting.plus.com/BBRTweb4/bbprob.htm [Accessed: 7 March 2007]. Beyond Budgeting Round Table (2007) â€Å"About Beyond Budgeting – The Principles†, available from http://www.beyondbudgeting.plus.com/BBRTweb4/bbprinc.htm [Accessed: 7 March 2007]. Beyond Budgeting Round Table (2007) â€Å"BBRT Beyond Budgeting Round Table†, available from http://www.beyondbudgeting.plus.com/BBRTweb4/index.htm [Accessed: 7 March 2007]. Coombs, Hugh (2005) â€Å"Budgets Should Be Geared for Rapid Response†, Western Mail, June 18, 2005. Fraser, Robin (2000) â€Å"Beyond Budgeting: Organizational Devolution and Performance Management†, Strategic Finance, October 1, 2000. Fraser, Robin (2001) â€Å"Figures of Hate: Beyond Budgeting†, Financial Management (UK), February 1, 2001. Kaplan, Robert S., and Norton, David P. (1996) The Balanced Scorecard, Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Parmenter, David (2003) â€Å"Abandon Budgets and Set Your Enterprise Free†, New Zealand Management, October 1, 2003.

Teaching the Client to Take a Radial Pulse Essay -- Teaching-Learning

I chose to write my teaching-learning paper on how to take a radial pulse. I knew â€Å"Nurses are involved in client education to promote wellness, prevent or diagnose illness early, restore optimal health & function if illness has occurred, and assist clients and families to cope with alterations in health status.† (Craven & Hirnle, 2008, p. 347) However, I had to come up with a reason for choosing how to take a radial pulse. I know in the field the client would already have the needs to learn, so I asked my client. I approached the client and asked him to give me a reason why he wanted to learn to take a radial pulse. His first reaction was â€Å"Can I use it to find out if someone is dead?† He said this smiling with a smirk of pure mischievous motives. Shaking my head, I told the client â€Å"Yes, but really, give me a reason.† He followed up with â€Å"Well, I can get information together to see how I can build an exercise regimen. Don’t I need t o know how to do that for exercising?† After explaining to him that yes, you need to reach a target heart rate where you know you are burning calories at best we both decided we discovered our goal for this project. â€Å"The teaching-learning process empowers client to achieve increased wellness or to manage specific healthcare needs.† (C raven & Hirnle, 2008, p.345) Knowing this, I had discovered my goal for the client as well. Before beginning the teaching progress I need to learn about my client’s learning needs. â€Å"Determine what the client needs to know or do to function more independently† (Craven & Hirnle, 2008, p. 348). The best ways to gather information about your client is to ask your client. Therefore, I had asked my client what he knew about taking a radial pulse. His reply was â€Å"I only k... ...necting to your client and understanding their needs before pressing your teaching upon them. No client is willing to learn from someone who is in a hurry and just passing information like it is a voting pamphlet. Every client must be reached on their level to meet their concerns and their needs. Works Cited Carpenito-Moyet, L.J. (2010). Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis 13th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Craven, R.F., & Hirnle, C.J. (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing: Human Health and Function 6th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. D’Amico, Med, RN, D, & Barbarito, EdD, RN, C. (2007). Health & Physical Assessment in Nursing. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.. Smith, L. (2003). Help! My patient's illiterate. Nursing, 33(11 Part 1), 32hn6. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.

The Big Sleep - The Movie and The Book :: Movie Film comparison compare contrast

The Big Sleep - The Movie and The Book One would think that it would be quite easy to adapt a novel to a screenplay; after all, what is there to do but turn the dialogue into lines and description into set design? However, common sense, aided by the horrifying number of absolutely awful adaptations, dictates that it simply is not that easy. When moviegoers have problems with a film adaptation of a book, their complaints tend to lie in the tendency of the creators of the film to change elements of the story: plot, character, and the like. It would seem, then, that the best way to make a successful adaptation of a novel would be to just stay as true as possible to every detail mentioned in the book. However, staying as true as possible to plot points, character type, and the like may be the best way to a horrendous adaptation. In moving from the printed page to the silver screen, moviemakers must be aware that they are not simply reproducing a narrative&emdash;they are changing the medium by which the narrative is presented. Oddly enough, cinema lends itself easily to some of the tenets of writing well: namely, the command of, "show, don't tell." In cinema, there is no option, really, of telling, "the details are not asserted as such by a narrator but simply presented." (Chatman 406). The use of a voiceover, of course, is an option, but even the voice of an omniscient narrator cannot stop the viewer from seeing the images and interpreting what he sees. In movies, the viewer does his own telling. The very nature of The Big Sleep, then, makes adaptation difficult. The entire narrative is described by a character within the story space: Marlowe tells us the entire story. Our view of the plot, then, is clouded by Marlowe's sight. Being a character within the story space, he has his own feelings and his own reactions to what happens to and around him, and he passes those reactions&emdash;albeit unconsciously&emdash;to the reader, who, also unconsciously, picks up on them. Marlowe does not act the role of mediator, though, in the film version of The Big Sleep. The Big Sleep - The Movie and The Book :: Movie Film comparison compare contrast The Big Sleep - The Movie and The Book One would think that it would be quite easy to adapt a novel to a screenplay; after all, what is there to do but turn the dialogue into lines and description into set design? However, common sense, aided by the horrifying number of absolutely awful adaptations, dictates that it simply is not that easy. When moviegoers have problems with a film adaptation of a book, their complaints tend to lie in the tendency of the creators of the film to change elements of the story: plot, character, and the like. It would seem, then, that the best way to make a successful adaptation of a novel would be to just stay as true as possible to every detail mentioned in the book. However, staying as true as possible to plot points, character type, and the like may be the best way to a horrendous adaptation. In moving from the printed page to the silver screen, moviemakers must be aware that they are not simply reproducing a narrative&emdash;they are changing the medium by which the narrative is presented. Oddly enough, cinema lends itself easily to some of the tenets of writing well: namely, the command of, "show, don't tell." In cinema, there is no option, really, of telling, "the details are not asserted as such by a narrator but simply presented." (Chatman 406). The use of a voiceover, of course, is an option, but even the voice of an omniscient narrator cannot stop the viewer from seeing the images and interpreting what he sees. In movies, the viewer does his own telling. The very nature of The Big Sleep, then, makes adaptation difficult. The entire narrative is described by a character within the story space: Marlowe tells us the entire story. Our view of the plot, then, is clouded by Marlowe's sight. Being a character within the story space, he has his own feelings and his own reactions to what happens to and around him, and he passes those reactions&emdash;albeit unconsciously&emdash;to the reader, who, also unconsciously, picks up on them. Marlowe does not act the role of mediator, though, in the film version of The Big Sleep.

Costco Wholesale Corporation

Costco Wholesale Corporation, which was established in 1983 as a single store in Seattle, became the biggest membership warehouse club chain the world, employing the so-called â€Å"less-is-more† concept. With such concept, Costco Wholesale Corporation also looks upon themselves as the membership warehouse club that has the capability to sell top-quality food, hardlines, softlines, and other goods usually in a large number or bulk quantity at the lowest possible price. Costco now has over 457 stores which are situated in most parts of the United States and is still growing.Their success was mainly attributed to their sales volume, good consumer acceptance, generally good services and customer care, and the lowest possible price offered. Furthermore, Costco sells, provides or displays items or products from limited suppliers or from a small number of suppliers. Variety of items is also reduced and this is done to reduce the risk of purchase decision and encourages a consumer to buy such product or service. Another benefit of this is that loyalty on a certain product or service is created or improved.The corporation’s goal is to provide more discounts and cheaper prices to the customers, focusing more on the customers, rather than to the competition. It is able to provide lower cost and greater discounts because the corporation’s marketing style is to reduce overhead cost by reducing fancy outlet designs, taking almost everything to simplicity. Costco also pays to its workers and employees, giving them good salaries and benefits, resulting to the tremendous low rates of theft and turnovers by its employees.Since Costco is known for its cheap prices and sales in large or bulk quantities, it had created policies, just like other competing membership warehouse clubs, regarding merchandise returns and exchanges. Costco had been formulating and had been modifying its product guarantees in order for their goal and or concept to be followed. These g uarantees, in order to improve a business’ quality or to be used as stepping stones for a corporation’s growth, such as the Costco, must be effective.Costco Wholesale Corporation provides information regarding the guarantees that they offer on products and memberships, but it seems that their guarantees vary from one Costco branch to the other. In Costco found or established Japan, â€Å"What is Costco? † their guarantee states that: â€Å"COSTCO'S UNCONDITIONAL DOUBLE GUARANTEE on merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. On membership: We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissatisfied. † With regards to the corporation’s guarantee, a policy regarding computer returns was created.This is in relation to Costco (Japan) unconditional double guarantee. Costco’s return policy, â€Å"What is Costco? †, states: â€Å"COSTCO'S COMPUTER RETURN POLICY Costco Wholesale 's return policy for all desktop and notebook computers is six months from the date of purchase. After six-months from the date of purchase, all services and technical support will be subject to the applicable remaining manufacturer's warranty. While on the other hand, the guarantee of Costco Wholesale Corporation in their online store, â€Å"Costco Returns†, states that: â€Å"Costco.com Costco guarantees your satisfaction with the merchandise you purchase from us. Costco. com products may be returned to any of our hundreds of Costco warehouses worldwide. Or, if you wish to return or exchange merchandise directly to costco. com, contact us at customer service. Effective November 4th, 2002, Costco Wholesale’s desktop and notebook computer return policy is six-months from the date of purchase. After six-months from the date of purchase, all service and technical support will be subject to the applicable remaining manufacturers' warranty. † According to Christophe r W. L.Hart, â€Å"effective guarantees must be unconditional, meaningful, easy to understand, easy to invoke, and easy to collect† (72). A guarantee is said to be easy to understand and communicate if the guarantee that is created is written in a simple manner, using concise language and directly state what the guarantee is about or what it offers. This is done in order for customers and employees to know or learn what to expect and what is expected of them, respectively. Evaluating the guarantee stated by Costco in Japan, it can be observed that it is indeed easy to understand, and is easily communicated.It clearly states in its guarantee on the merchandise, that they can provide satisfaction to the customers for every product that they sell and directly states a promise to give a full refund, in cases that the former statement is not fulfilled. Also, with regards to their membership, it was also directly stated that if a customer was disappointed or frustrated, they (Costc o), would give a full refund. Furthermore, with regards to some items or products they sell under the exemption of a full refund, the policy regarding these products is also clearly stated.Evaluating the guarantee given by Costco in their online store, though understandable, it is not easily understood as compared to the previous guarantee. It does not state the company’s promise, or what the company would do or give in return if a customer becomes dissatisfied with their goods and services. â€Å"Subject to the applicable remaining manufacturers’ warranty† seems vague and that customer’s would already think twice when it comes to invoking refunds. The guarantee stated at Costco’s online store (costco.com) should be stated in fewer words, pinpointing more on the necessary information, terms, and policies. With regards to a meaningful guarantee, two considerations or concerns are raised by Hart. A guarantee is said to be meaningful, first, if the gu arantee provided by the company or corporation addresses the service that is of most importance to the customers. Second, a guarantee is said to be meaningful or of good quality, if it is meaningful financially or that a guarantee should focus on what a customer would enjoy more.The guarantee stated by Costco in Japan, is indeed meaningful, as it noticeably indicates that it would provide full refund for both products and membership fees. In this guarantee, price, which is considered by Hart as the most important element for a meaningful guarantee, is evident. Costco’s guarantee is meaningful relative to the price of the product or service. Costco would return the price which the customer paid, in full, if the customers are not satisfied with their products or services.On the other hand, the online store of Costco only states or offers a return or exchange of a product bought by an unsatisfied consumer. One meaningful thing is that in the statement of their guarantee, the cus tomers are informed that they have several outlets or that stores where the customer could return or exchange the merchandise. This helps the customers by immediately identifying where customers could go or convey their problems. Again, better promise or customer return should be created, or if such promise or payback exists, it should be clearly declared in their guarantee or policy.In the further evaluation of a good guarantee, a guarantee is said to be easily invoked by customers if the process that a customer has to take is simple, trouble-free and undemanding. The process of invoking a full return of a good or service should be straightforward and uncomplicated or understandable. This will help customers who are already displeased, to favor or buy again such goods or services by the business establishment. In addition to an easily-invoked guarantee, Hart states that â€Å"customers should not be made to feel guilty about invoking the guarantee — no questioning, no raise d eyebrows, or â€Å"Why me.Lord? † looks. A company should encourage unhappy customers to invoke its guarantee, not put up roadblocks to keep them from speaking up† (5). Looking on Costco’s guarantee on this aspect, complains, letters and calls conveyed to the customer service of Costco can be used. How Costco responds to these complaints and the measures they take to help the customers and the process of invoking a refund can also looked into. The process of invoking a refund is easy. There are no forms to be filled or series of questions to be answered.A customer just needs to bring the product to the Costco warehouse. From the statement of the guarantee in Costco’s online store, it was stated that there are a lot of Costco warehouses where the customer can return or exchange the product, though a list of these warehouses were not given. Some reported complaints were about growing membership bills even if a customer had already left the list of Costcoâ €™s members. Also, there were some complains regarding Costco’s customer service or how Costco deals with complains or requests from customers.With regards to these complaints, Costco creates ways of helping these customers in other ways or that, in most cases, the managers send letters of apologies to unsatisfied customers. There was an incident that a customer was asking for the tires he bought to be installed in the front of his minivan (â€Å"Consumer complaints about Costco – tires†). Costco did not respond to this request and kept a firm stand that these new set of tires should be installed in the rears. Costco states that it is best for the tires to be installed in the rears, even if the vehicle was a front wheel drive.They offered a video and articles stating or defending their claim regarding the installation of tires on the rears. Major sales representative Chris Biggers, sent a letter in response to the complaint regarding the installation of tire s on the rears and stated that Costco aims or looks on the safety of both its employees and members (the consumers). With regards to the treatment of Costco employees and managers to the discontented customers, I think that Costco tries their best in addressing the complaints and that they still maintain a good relationship with the consumers.Other wholesale corporations such as the Wal-Mart experience the same complaints, worst, they have more. Wal-Mart had been continuously complained because of their â€Å"unfriendly† treatment with customers. Their customer service and care was insufficient and sometimes, there are incidents of discrimination. Costco on the other hand have strong principles that they apply for the benefit of consumers and that they humble themselves to maintain the good relationship that they have with the customers.It is just that customer’s are already irritated that they fail to see the efforts of Costco in helping them. Further personnel traini ng and teambuilding should also be exercised by the company in order to nicely and properly address disgruntled customers, most especially those with tempers. There were complains filed against Costco, stating that their refunds or certain products were not being received by the customers or that Costco is unable to give the necessary benefit or compensation for a poor service or low-quality product.If a refund was promised, the problem was that no certain dates of such reimbursement were given by the customer service, oftentimes resulting to unclaimed refunds. In terms of the refunds, Costco is at the losing end. Costco provides the cheapest price as much as possible, by keeping a mark up that is not higher than 14 percent for unbranded products or items and mark up not higher than 15 percent for non-private-labeled items, unlike its competitors who has mark ups up to 25 percent, or even 50 percent.Suppliers also exert pressure on Costco regarding product returns. I recommend impro ved customer service hotlines or more customer service centers that are accessible to the consumers for easier management of complaints and quick response to customer needs. Also, the policy regarding the guarantee they provide should be further developed, but taking importance not to render the guarantee impractical for both the company and its consumers. Works Citedâ€Å"Consumer Complaints About Costco – Tires†. 2004. ConsumerAffairs. Com Inc. August 31, 2007. . â€Å"What Is Costco? † Japan, 2005. Costco Wholesale Japan, Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corporation. August 31, 2007. . Greenhouse, Steven. â€Å"How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart. † The New York Times, 2005. Hart, Christopher W. L. â€Å"The Power of Unconditional Service Guarantees. † The McKinsey Quarterly, 1989.

Ap Us History Essay

There are many stereotypes that pertain to black people. One that really stands out is â€Å"If you want to hide something from a black person hide it in a book† which the white man is trying to call us African Americans illiterate. Which is ignorant is so many type of ways. But yet we do nothing more to make that statement false by not being educated, well organized and full of wisdom. Years ago, when slavery was in its actions African Americans where always thought of as less. White people came up with the assumption that black people where only good for three things; sex which they’d rape most of the women, singing, because they made them perform as entertainment, and sports because African Americans were always â€Å"active†. Which shows you that African Americans were nothing more than than serfs (which is another word for someone working labor on it’s owners estate). African American had no real opportunity of living. Reading was against the law for African Americans. They weren’t able to read or to even learn how to read, because the white men didn’t want the slaves to go against or better yet become stronger than them. Fredrick Douglas said â€Å"Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave. â€Å", and the white men knew that. So they stayed uneducated. Which gave the white men even a better reason to think they could take over our brains. From this point on was the way for the whites to start lowering expectations of black people. As of today, African Americans are still looked down on and still are given some of the stereotypes from slavery now. Are generation and before make it no better. With the lack of education, attitude and everything else that’s makes up our community in a negative way. The black on black crimes and violence doesn’t make it even better. It’s basically giving the white men exactly what he set out to happen. The gang violence and fighting just puts the icing on the cake for everything. We are basically confirming what the white me. Is saying because we are not taking any time to read into and make a change. Make it better for no one but ourselves. These assumptions are untrue and the only way we can show that we are the opposite of these stereotype are by making a change starting small and ending big. Ignorance has existed for decades. It not that we can’t do anything about it. But it’s something that’s never going to go away. But one thing we can’t do us loss out sense and pride for our race and culture. William Wilberforce once said â€Å"You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know. † Which basically means, yes you may feel what information you may have been given is something you don’t want to hear, but in reality it’s the truth and you’ll need it in the long run. It will define who you are a person if you take the information you get and go and expand it and take it a long way. To finish up, you have to realize education is the key to a better tomorrow. Now matter how many out down and downfalls you come across just know that’s there will always be brighter days. As an African American young lady i know I have to work ten times as harder knowing the roots of how females where looked at. As long as we have life and breath, we have an opportunity to change.