Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Report - Case Study Example Note that the standard labor hours per unit = $ 5.75. Therefore, with respect to the application rate of the combined variable and fixed cost, the standard number of hours allowable = (5.75*4,100) = 23,575. Since we have the price of overhead per hour ($ 29.37), the standard combined variable and fixed overhead rate = (29.37*23,575) = $ 692,398. The predetermined total overhead cost per hour = $ 29.37. The variable cost per hour = $ 8.10. Therefore, the fixed cost per hour = (29.37 – 8.10) = $ 21.27. The variable portion of the overhead = (8.1*23,575) = $ 190,957.5 Consequently, the fixed portion of the predetermined overhead = (21.37*23,575) = $ 501,440.25. The variance with (-) sign denotes the unfavorable deviations in the above exhibit. Some of the potential risk identified is a possible case of surplus or deficit unit production. Another imminent risk is failure to completely cover the overhead costs. These variances occur due to less focus on the prediction of the future conditions. A possible way forward is to predict possible changes and include a certain margin to cover for any uncertain unfavorable variance. The organization can implement the use of linear programming or regression analysis to establish an inclusive variable prediction (Berger,

Black Nationalism Essay Example for Free

Black Nationalism Essay Black Nationalism is defined by Karenga, as the political belief and practice of African Americans as a distinct people with a distinct historical personality who politically should develop structures to define, defend, and develop the interests of Blacks as a people. Black Nationalism can be traced back to the 18th century, back to William Edward Burghardt DuBois, the most prominent black intellectual of all time. Black Nationalism is the response of African Americans to the continual racism and oppression they experience. It came about because of two reasons; the racism that they faced daily, and being exploited economically by white supremacy. Black Nationalism seeks a solution to the problems that African Americans face on a daily basis After the Civil War, the situation of the black people was not good; it was a semi-free, semi-slave situation. An example of this is tenancy, where the Blacks have control of the work process and work schedule but ultimately had to give up the fruits of their hard work because they were not the landowners. This kept the Blacks under White dominance, and living in poverty. Another factor in the economical status of the Black people was the introduction of mass production, new methods and machinery. This caused the loss of many of the jobs being held by the Black men, Negroes are now restricted more and more to common labor and domestic service of the lowest paid and worst kind. The already bad situation became worse when the Depression arrived. Although everyone was affected by the Depression, the Black people were hit the hardest, as DuBois states in the case of the Negro worker, everything has been worse? the loss has been greater and more permanent. ( DuBois, 564) In addition, Black people have always experienced racism. DuBois communicates this problem in the essay A Negro Nation within the Nation, Negro children are systematically denied education;? Once or twice a month Negroes convicted of no crime are openly and publicly lynched, and even burned?. When a man with every qualification is refused a position simply because his great-grandfather was black there is not a ripple of comment or protest( DuBois, 563) To survive these conditions, and defend themselves against racism, exploitation and oppression, Black people formed social relationships within their community, which centered mainly around the church. They fought back with Black unity, the belief that Blacks should come together to fight against their exploitation, oppression, and discrimination. DuBoiss nationalism circulates around three main ideas: First, the belief that all people of African descent shared common goals, and that they should work together in their struggle for equality. Second, he emphasized a cultural nationalism; being the editor of the crisis magazine he encouraged the development of black literature and art, publishing the work of many of the most talented black writers and poets, encouraging his readers to see the beauty in black. Finally, he believed that Blacks should develop a separate group economy of producers and consumers, and cooperate as a weapon for fighting economic discrimination and black poverty. DuBois created Talented Tenth, the idea of using the intellectual elite to fight against racism. He believed the only way to fight racism and oppression was to attack the economic power of the white people. The thinking colored people of the United States, he wrote, must stop being stampeded by the word segregation. . . . There should never be an opposition to segregation pure and simple unless that segregation does involve discrimination. (DuBois, 557. ) He believed that some forms of segregation were beneficial to the Black people. This statement from DuBois spurred a lot of controversy and resulted in his resignation form the NAACP, which was primarily made of integrationist, those who refused to see themselves as people of African descent and opposed any form of institutional segregation based on race. Nationalists, on the other hand such a DuBois, saw themselves as descendents of Africa, they emphasized that Black people should create their own economical, cultural and educational institutions. The Conclusion: Black Nationalism was created as a result of the struggles of the Black people in America, it was necessary for their cultural and economical survival. Some may say that being a nationalist is being a racist; this is true in some cases. Black Nationalism is similar to Kurdish Nationalism, or Armenian Nationalism, the nationalism of oppressed people, struggling for freedom and equality. On the other hand White Nationalism can be compared with Arab or Turkish Nationalism, which includes racism, race superiority, and oppression of minorities and different ethnic groups. I believe that Black Nationalism is pragmatic, Black people are now proud of their heritage and ancestors, aware of their rich cultural history, and not the image of a lower class, dark-skinned savage inferior to the white supremacy painted by White America. Works Citied DuBois, W. E. B. A Negro Nation within The Nation. W. E. B. DuBois A Reader. Ed. David Levering Lewis. New York, Ny: Henry Holt and Company 1995. 563-570. DuBois, W. E. B. Segregation. W. E. B. DuBois A Reader. Ed. David Levering Lewis. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company 1995. 557-558.

Parents Play a Critical Role in Their Childrens Education :: Persuasive Essays, Argumentative Essays

Discussions continue about improving the U.S. public education system. One question which is frequently overlooked is: What is the role of parents in education? There are a variety of thoughtful and interesting conversations about everything from resource allocation, to the impact of race on educational achievement, to the most effective uses of technology, to redefining education to meet the needs of the 21st century – topical and relevant discussions that never seem to include parents. Parents aren’t completely ignored, but more often than not, the role they play isn’t a substantive part of the discussion. Their involvement becomes a less than critical part of any proposed solution. I believe we can make the argument that a significant part of the solution to the educational challenges we face requires meaningful parent involvement, not just lip service. In all fairness, however, meaningful parent involvement can be tough. Schools are faced with federal regulations that require it (Title I, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act); there is solid evidence that when parents are involved there is a strong, lasting connection to academic achievement, and particularly for children at high risk. Many of these children have parents who themselves were unsuccessful in school; for these children, parent engagement is a real challenge. For parents, it is generally easier when children are younger; content is easier, and schools (and children) seem a bit more welcoming to parents being involved. As children grow, however, the content becomes more difficult, schools and children are much less welcoming to parent involvement, and parents are left with just asking questions: â€Å"How was school today?† and/or â€Å"Did you do your homework?† Of course, all this doesn’t even consider the issue of parents working multiple jobs who struggle with finding time for involvement in their child’s education. More regulations and legal structures are not necessarily the answer either. There is a subset of children, those with disabilities, who have federal protections mandating significant parental involvement. Unfortunately, those regulations often create a contentious, rather than cooperative, relationship between parents and teachers and school administrators. When it comes to parental involvement, most people agree with the â€Å"why†; it’s the â€Å"how† that poses the challenge. The vast majority of parents want to be involved, but face significant barriers in doing so. The vast majority of schools welcome parent involvement, but with short parent meetings (for which both sides struggle to find time), it’s hard to know exactly what to do.

The Protagonist’s Physical and Social Conditioning in Charlotte Perkins :: English Literature

The Protagonist’s Physical and Social Conditioning in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. The wife, protagonist, in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is trapped. Suffering from a â€Å"slight hysterical tendency† (p 676), an affliction no one really understands, her husband, a physician, prescribes a treatment, which offers her little support to be well again. Her condition is further aggravated by limitations of her social role as his wife. She is confined, controlled and devalued by her husband. She is powerless to renegotiate her situation. She is trapped by her treatment, her environment and her social role as a wife, with no hope of change. Given the hopelessness of her situation, she chooses to overpower what she can defeat, a figment of her imagination. The setting is a colonial mansion, which the husband, John, has rented as a place of respite for her recovery. It is run down and neglected, like his wife – run down from her illness and emotionally neglected, as her desires are overruled by his practicality. The mansion has housed children in the past. The nursery serves as the couple’s bedroom, where â€Å"the windows are barred† (p 677), to prevent the children from injuring themselves from a fall. Like the children, she is protected and imprisoned. This â€Å"atrocious nursery† (p 677) is covered with â€Å"a smouldering unclean yellow† (p 677) wallpaper, which becomes her obsession. Surrounding the mansion is plenty of fresh air, an aspect of her treatment. But the wife suspects an air about the house -- an air of an unwanted presence. Being isolated, the mansion is a perfect place for her confinement, another aspect of her treatment. Her husband has prescribed a version of the â€Å"rest cure†[1]. His â€Å"rest cure† amounts to being idle. The wife is a writer with artistic sensibility. She is deeply offended by the yellow wallpaper and its â€Å"sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin† (p 677). She needs an outlet to express herself, through writing, but is prevented from doing so, as part of her â€Å"rest†. However, she still writes, covertly. John is a physician, an expert on physical illness. Being practical, he is not predisposed to be an expert on the artistic temperament. She disagrees with her treatment, but remains silent on that issue, displaying appropriate wifely behaviours. To be appropriate, to exhibit â€Å"proper self-control† (p 676) is required as his wife in the nineteenth century. She is the property of her husband and must appear to submit to his will. John is, by modern standards, a control freak -- a well intentioned control freak. He controls her environment by choosing the mansion and the choice of

The Raven Essay

The Romantic Story, the Raven Surprising enough, the famous story by Edgar Allan Poe, the Raven, is a Romantic poem. Poe was a poet during the Romantic period, making him a romantic writer/poet. Actually he was a dark romantic poet, which makes a little more sense. The Raven typifies Romanticism in many ways, especially when it comes to their connection with God. Also Poe reveals many emotions throughout this poem. Romantics loved and cherished the natural world. They would rather be in the woods than in the city, and they also escaped to nature to find a more emotional and intellectual awakening.When it comes to God and spiritual beliefs, they place faith in inner experience and the power of imagination, everything including humans is a reflection of the divine soul, physical facts of the natural world are a doorway to the spiritual world, intuition allows people to behold God’s spirit revealed in nature or in their own souls. Dark Romantics explored the conflict between good and evil, the effects of guilt and sin, and the destructive underside of appearances. They also explored the madness in the human psyche as well as the humor of evil. The Raven mainly demonstrates connections to God.The Romantics believe that their imagination is of great importance in your life and in the Raven the narrators imagination got the best of him and he put faith in his imagination in thinking that his dead wife came back to life. The narrator hears something very quietly tapping on his door. He finally decides to go and answer the door, â€Å"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,/Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;/But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,/And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore! /This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore! ‘/Merely this and nothing more† (Poe). In his imagination he saw Lenore, his wife who died and h e believed it which shows the importance of the imagination. Romantics also believe that everything is a reflection of the divine soul and in the Raven the raven is a demon or a reflection of the devil. The narrator says â€Å"And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,† which shows that he believes the raven is a demon and that the raven will take his soul to hell when he dies (Poe). The main emotions that Poe stressed are morning, grief and sadness.The narrator is morning the loss of his wife Lenore and he is depressed about it. The narrator was reading late at night to suppress the â€Å"sorrow for the lost Lenore† and he was sad and then he thought he saw her come back to life and come to the door (Poe). Poe also shows a few different emotions about how the narrator feels about the raven. He at first is cautious and even scared of the raven, especially since it could talk. He then became amused by the raven and develops a respect for the bird b ecause he came in like he owned the place and started talking, well at least saying one word.Then by the end of the poem Poe does not like the bird at all and describes him as an â€Å"ungainly fowl† (Poe). The Dark Romantic Poet does a wonderful job at typifying Romanticism and expressing many emotions through his poem, the Raven. He shows how much the Romantics valued the imagination by the narrator thinking his dead wife came back to life and also how everything is a reflection of the divine soul by the narrator thinking that the raven is a demon. Poe also mainly stresses how the narrator is morning the loss of his wife and how he is depressed. The Raven is a perfect example of a typical Romantic poem.

How Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Works

How Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Works In the quest for ever-improving fuel efficiency and emissions reduction, an old and very promising idea has found new life. HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) technology has been around for a long time but has recently received renewed attention and enthusiasm. While the early years saw many insurmountable (at the time) obstacles whose answers would only come as sophisticated computer controlled electronics were developed and matured into reliable technologies, progress stalled. Time has, as it always does, worked its magic and nearly every problem has been solved. HCCI is an idea whose time has come with nearly all of the parts and pieces of technology and know-how in place to make a real go of it. What is HCCI? An HCCI engine is a mix of both conventional spark-ignition and diesel compression ignition technology. The blending of these two designs offers diesel-like high efficiency without the difficult- and expensive- to deal with NOx and particulate matter emissions. In its most basic form, it simply means that fuel (gasoline or E85) is homogeneously (thoroughly and completely) mixed with air in the combustion chamber (very similar to a regular spark-ignited gasoline engine), but with a very high proportion of air to fuel (lean mixture). As the engines piston reaches its highest point (top dead center) on the compression stroke, the air/fuel mixture auto-ignites (spontaneously and completely combusts with no spark plug assist) from compression heat, much like a diesel engine. The result is the best of both worlds: low fuel usage and low emissions. How Does HCCI Work? In an HCCI engine (which is based on the four-stroke Otto cycle), fuel delivery control is of paramount importance in controlling the combustion process. On the intake stroke, fuel is injected into each cylinders combustion chamber via fuel injectors mounted directly in the cylinder head. This is achieved independently from air induction which takes place through the intake plenum. By the end of the intake stroke, fuel and air have been fully introduced and mixed in the cylinders combustion chamber. As the piston begins to move back up during the compression stroke, heat begins to build in the combustion chamber. When the piston reaches the end of this stroke, sufficient heat has accumulated to cause the fuel/air mixture to spontaneously combust (no spark is necessary) and force the piston down for the power stroke. Unlike conventional spark engines (and even diesels), the combustion process is a lean, low temperature and flameless release of energy across the entire combustion chamber. The entire fuel mixture is burned simultaneously producing equivalent power, but using much less fuel and releasing far fewer emissions in the process. At the end of the power stroke, the piston reverses direction again and initiates the exhaust stroke, but before all of the exhaust gases can be evacuated, the exhaust valves close early, trapping some of the latent combustion heat. This heat is preserved, and a small quantity of fuel is injected into the combustion chamber for a pre-charge (to help control combustion temperatures and emissions) before the next intake stroke begins. Challenges for HCCI An ongoing developmental problem with HCCI engines is controlling the combustion process. In traditional spark engines, combustion timing is easily adjusted by the engine management control module changing the spark event and perhaps fuel delivery. Its not nearly so easy with HCCIs flameless combustion. Combustion chamber temperature and mixture composition must be tightly controlled within quickly changing and very narrow thresholds that include parameters such as cylinder pressure, engine load and RPMs and throttle position, ambient air temperature extremes and atmospheric pressure changes. Most of these conditions are compensated for with sensors and automatic adjustments to otherwise normally fixed actions. Included are individual cylinder pressure sensors, variable hydraulic valve lift and electromechanical phasers for camshaft timing. The trick isnt so much as getting these systems to work as it is getting them to work together, very quickly, and over many thousands of miles an d years of wear and tear. Perhaps just as challenging though will be the problem of keeping these advanced control systems affordable. Advantages of HCCI Lean combustion returns 15 percent increase in fuel efficiency over a conventional spark ignition engine.Cleaner combustion and lower emissions (especially NOx) than a conventional spark ignition engine.Compatible with gasoline as well as E85 (ethanol) fuel.Fuel is burned quicker and at lower temperatures, reducing heat energy loss compared to a conventional spark engine.Throttleless induction system eliminates frictional pumping losses incurred in traditional (throttle body) spark engines. Disadvantages of HCCI High cylinder pressures require stronger (and more expensive) engine construction.More limited power range than a conventional spark engine.The many phases of combustion characteristics are difficult (and more expensive) to control. It is clear that HCCI technology offers superior fuel efficiency and emissions control compared to the conventional tried-and-true spark ignition gasoline engine. Whats not-so-certain yet is the ability of these engines to deliver these characteristics inexpensively, and, probably more importantly, reliably over the life of the vehicle. Continued advancements in electronic controls have brought HCCI to the precipice of workable reality, and further refinements will be necessary to push it over the edge into everyday production vehicles.

Free Essays on How To Encourage Creative Freedom And Discovery In A Class Of Five Year Old

How to Encourage Creative Freedom and Discovery in a Class of Five Year Old For five year old children there drawings are stages of pictures that I can agree upon because five year old children in a whole draws pictures on things they like and feelings they are having. In reading the positive and negative suggestions on creative teaching,† it says that to use are as an integral part of the days activity demonstrates an active and sincere interest in the things being done.† This is a positive suggestion which I feel is true because making art a daily activity in a child’s daily routine of the day the child gets to express there day or get t o create objects or things they feel good about. Another positive statement was made that â€Å"children are only interested in demonstrating the reality of the mind and emotions not the reality of outward appearances.† This is also a another true statement because children in a whole express there feelings through drawings compared to a four year old who draws stick figures but still shows or express his or her feelings of self-confidence. In the positive statement it says â€Å"children need a certain degree of privacy; give them a feeling of independence.† In that statement when I did the work with a child assignment I did it with my nephews and they both didn’t like me hovering over them. They wanted to express there favorite place in there drawings and when they where finished they felt confident to tell me about there place. How would I encourage creative freedom and discovery in a classroom of five year olds? What I would do is encourage my class to draw or paint whatever they wanted. Then after they draw or paint I would ask my class to explain one by one what they drew and why they drew it. For example the work with a child assignment I told my nephew draw there favorite place, but anything they wanted one drew a park and the other paint he want to go pumpkin picking. W... Free Essays on How To Encourage Creative Freedom And Discovery In A Class Of Five Year Old Free Essays on How To Encourage Creative Freedom And Discovery In A Class Of Five Year Old How to Encourage Creative Freedom and Discovery in a Class of Five Year Old For five year old children there drawings are stages of pictures that I can agree upon because five year old children in a whole draws pictures on things they like and feelings they are having. In reading the positive and negative suggestions on creative teaching,† it says that to use are as an integral part of the days activity demonstrates an active and sincere interest in the things being done.† This is a positive suggestion which I feel is true because making art a daily activity in a child’s daily routine of the day the child gets to express there day or get t o create objects or things they feel good about. Another positive statement was made that â€Å"children are only interested in demonstrating the reality of the mind and emotions not the reality of outward appearances.† This is also a another true statement because children in a whole express there feelings through drawings compared to a four year old who draws stick figures but still shows or express his or her feelings of self-confidence. In the positive statement it says â€Å"children need a certain degree of privacy; give them a feeling of independence.† In that statement when I did the work with a child assignment I did it with my nephews and they both didn’t like me hovering over them. They wanted to express there favorite place in there drawings and when they where finished they felt confident to tell me about there place. How would I encourage creative freedom and discovery in a classroom of five year olds? What I would do is encourage my class to draw or paint whatever they wanted. Then after they draw or paint I would ask my class to explain one by one what they drew and why they drew it. For example the work with a child assignment I told my nephew draw there favorite place, but anything they wanted one drew a park and the other paint he want to go pumpkin picking. W...

5 Questions to Consider When Writing for Children

5 Questions to Consider When Writing for Children 5 Questions to Consider When Writing for Children 5 Questions to Consider When Writing for Children By Mark Nichol â€Å"I want to write a book for children† gets you about as far as saying, â€Å"I want to write fiction† or â€Å"I want to write nonfiction.† It’s a start, but only that. There are many forms and genres and age groups to consider, and though you can certainly move fluidly among them, what you’re going to write right now needs more focus. As you develop your ideas for a children’s book, be sure to answer these questions: 1. What do you want to write about? Is your book going to be autobiographical or semiautobiographical? Is it about a natural phenomenon, or a historical event, or a social issue? It is about a cultural or artistic topic? Write a sentence no longer than any of the ones in this paragraph that summarizes what the book is about. Or step back even further and try a tagline like the snappy phrase on a movie poster or a book’s back cover that encapsulates the theme. (The tagline for one story I’ve been working on is simply â€Å"Believe.† Another theme is â€Å"Friends don’t hesitate.†) 2. What form will the story take? Is the book nonfiction, explaining a scientific concept or exploring an issue from the past or present? Or is it going to be a fictional account of a scientific discovery or a story that takes place during a significant historical event or cultural movement? Either form may serve the subject matter well, but you must decide which one this project will take before you develop the narrative. 3. What’s the target demographic? â€Å"Children’s books† is a huge category. Are you writing for beginning readers, elementary school students, preteens, or adolescents? Will children of one gender or another be more likely to read your book? Is it directed toward a certain ethnic group (but written in such a way that others don’t feel excluded)? Research reading levels and match your book’s vocabulary to the intended age range. Decide who the ideal reader is, and check your work frequently to make sure you’re focusing on that child. If you repeatedly veer off, don’t try to force yourself to get back on target when it’s obviously not the right fit. Change the target. 4. What’s my word count? For very young children, picture books (generally 28 pages in a 32-page book with up to a few sentences on each page) are the norm. You should be able to tell your story or account in as little as a few dozen words for preschoolers to up to several hundred for seven- or eight-year-olds. Chapter books novels for readers this age or slightly older, might have up to a thousand words or so. Preteens can handle up to 40,000 words or so, and young teenagers about twice that; books for older adolescents, like those for adults, are often 100,000 words or more. 5. How do I want readers to feel? Basically, comfort young readers, and challenge older ones. For preadolescents of any age, nonfiction should not frighten children with stark facts about environmental crisis, for example, and fiction should not expose them to unhappy or uncomfortable circumstances. The violence and turmoil of the kind found in fairy tales and myths is acceptable, but real-life mayhem is off limits. Teenagers, on the other hand, are coming to grips with reality and can more or less handle more adult-themed materials as long as it’s not explicit or bleak. Psychological issues, familial and societal friction, and other mature themes are appropriate when handled evenhandedly. Even books for adolescents, however, should have upbeat conclusions. (Comeuppance for villains or reprobates is fine, but sympathetic characters, while they should be given obstacles and ordeals to overcome and can experience physical and psychological pain, should emerge from the story intact.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph ExamplesAwoken or Awakened?Adverbs and Hyphens

Manage Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Manage Finance - Essay Example Woolworths has been one of the important consistent and successful retailer in Australia with the adoption of various strategies like the ‘fresh food people’ and the ‘everyday low prices.’ Net operating cash flows show an increasing trend and also the firm has been paying higher interim dividends to its shareholders each year. The firm has witnessed a 10.1% increase in net profits after tax and an 8.8% increase in earnings per share according to its financial reports. There has been an efficient management of balance sheet and profit and loss statements and approximately $8.2 billion has been paid to shareholders. Wesfarmers: Wesfarmers is one of the largest retailers and listed firm in Australia and has retail operations in supermarkets, general merchandise, fuel and liquor operations etc. Wesfarmers has reported an increase of 15.8% earnings growth in 2010, as compared to 2009, with Cole’s supermarket alone delivering a 21% growth. a) Budgetary processes that exist in two of the Australian Public Companies: Budgetary process is used for formulating budgets by referring to certain principles, procedures and practices. This process should involve people at different levels in the preparation of a budget. It requires careful planning and appropriate fixation of authority and responsibility. The budget targets should be realistic, and a good accounting system should be incorporated within the organization. An efficient reporting system should be incorporated so that performance appraisal can be undertaken. Budgeting process should be established in all segments of business, therefore, there arises a need for the active participation of all employees. The budgets should be flexible because there should always be room for each employee of the firm to participate. The budgetary process involves the set up of an organization for budgetary committee, a budget officer, a budget centre and a budget manual. The budget officer presides on the budget committee. The budget committee can be further div ided into various segments which consist of production manager, sales manager, finance manager, accounts manager, personnel manager and research and development manager. The production manager prepares the production and plant utilization budget. The sales manager prepares the sales and advertisement cost budget. The finance manager prepares the receipts and payments budget. The accounts manager prepares the cost budget while the personnel manager prepares the labor budget. The research and development manager prepares a research budget. A budget manual is a document in which the responsibility of several executives should be documented and the budgetary control systems are clearly defined. On the basis of time, budgets can be classified as long, short or current budgets. On the basis of functions, budget can be classified as operating, financial and master budgets. Similarly, budgets can also be classified as fixed or flexible. Both these firms follow an appropriate operating budge t and there is a very important role of the CEO as well as the top financial management. b) Who is responsible to prepare the budget? Budget is thought to be one of the most powerful financial tools used by the companies. Budget is the plan or proposal, which determines the activities of an organization. As mentioned earlier, budget may be long term and short term budget, where short term budgets cover a period of one year whereas long term plans cover a period of

Analyze Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyze - Essay Example The retro fad is brought too far, if it only represents a replication of the past, but this paper believes that modern retro is not about reusing old styles, but a revival of retro thinking that severely distrusts changing social, economic, and political conditions, and clamors for a need to redefine the relationship with the past, by modernizing its aspiration for authentic identities and depicting nostalgia for vibrant cultural norms and socioeconomic stability. The ongoing retro fad reflects the deep distrust of its users in changing social, economic, and political conditions, so the past helps them feel secure and hopeful. Retro, in this case, is not merely being â€Å"in† by being old. Retro stands for the values and goals of its original consumers. Guffey describes that retro signifies a skeptical perspective in life: â€Å"†¦retro attitude†¦carries a darker suspicion that recent social, cultural, and political developments are profoundly corrosive† (10) . In the post-2008-global-recession and post-9/11 times, some people are beginning to doubt basic social institutions. Marriage rates are inversely related to divorce rates. More people are divorcing and delaying marriage and having children. Many people complain of their depressed socioeconomic statuses, despite the efforts of Obama to revitalize the U.S. economy. Some people harbor fear for other minorities because of racial prejudice and their opinions regarding illegal immigration. All around and inside them, instability expands. The only way that people can feel secure again is to go back to the recent past, where values and conditions are more stable and reliable. On the contrary, Reynolds denigrates the pretensions of the retro fad and calls it an â€Å"emblem of the poverty of abundance† (115). This paper believes otherwise because the retro signifies not only material possessions, but the desire for social stability. Several people want to live in the past where they can expect what they expect, and not be troubled by uncertainties. In addition, the retro helps people feel positive. This is not the same as being idealistic, but looking forward to better times. Thus, retro style emphasizes retro attitudes that distrust the present and looks back at the past for hope and growth. By going retro, people do not only feel more confident about their present conditions, they also aspire to redefine their relationship with the past by appropriating retro values with modern demands for authentic identities. In the article â€Å"Dressed in History: Retro Styles and the Construction of Authenticity in Youth Culture,† Jen? argues that the youth uses retro styles to give authenticity to their sense of self. The youth, in particular, employs retro as part of the formation of their identities: â€Å"Authenticity is especially important to young people and is used as a tool in constructing identities through consumer behavior† (Jen? 388). Some of the youth think that the world is more artificial now than in the past because of its obsession with wealth and social prominence. By going retro, they seek to be more authentic and truer to their identities that are far from the superficial material norms of their society: â€Å"Appropriated as a tool of self-performance, the supposed authenticity of the object merges with the subject† (Jen? 396). They aspire to explore and to develop their identities by finding something that represents

Management and Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management and Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example Change strategy: For any form of organisational change to be successful, it requires motivation for change, a clear vision, political support, a phased transition, and sustenance of momentum (Cummings & Worley, 1995). Peter Meyers did not involve existing management team either in the decision or in the process. He did not even take their suggestion on any of the decisions related to the new product development. Secondly, his decision to select ingredients from cheaper providers resulted in low-quality production as well as issues in operations such as increased wastage, re-work, and spoilage in equipment; this was completely against its high-quality products with attractive packaging sold at affordable prices made from reasonably good quality raw materials. The transition of introducing new products was not phased and not tuned with existing product-quality; moreover, the new products were made from low-quality material, which further affected brand image of J.J.Meyers Co. The metho dology adopted for cutting costs actually increased costs as well as caused huge losses in the form of wastage, rework and unusable machinery, equipment and materials. In addition, low-quality products lowered sales of other products of J.J. ... Political support, as coined by Cummings and Worley (2008) is about power, trust, and ownership. When people are empowered to make critical decisions, they develop ownership towards their responsibilities. In the case of J.J. Meyers, power was exercised by some at the top in the form of abuse, ranting, cursing, and showing authority. For change to be effective power must be shifted across management levels, which did not happen at J.J. Meyers; instead, all power and authority was concentrated at one or two points. When power was shifted, it was done to replace people with inappropriate experience. In total, power was not aligned in the right manner and credible managers were not empowered at all. Leadership: Peter Meyers taking over as the CEO itself was a huge change at J.J.Meyers Co because of his leadership style. Leadership plays more crucial role in the success of an organisation than any other aspect. During any change, the actual struggle of management comes in the form of rec overy, revitalization and recommitment (Bunker & Wakefield, 2005). This means leadership is equally important for the business as much as the change is. Only with effective leadership, change can be introduced in a manner that will sustain the business and improve employees’ enthusiasm and commitment. Peter’s actions and decisions were mostly against effective leadership because his actions did not encourage employee involvement; his actions lacked compassion but depicted greed; his actions failed to recognize employees’ commitment and credibility in multiple ways. Peter did not consult the key members of the business that possessed good experience and had high commitment towards the company. Both head

Definition of Efficient Market Hypothesis Literature review

Definition of Efficient Market Hypothesis - Literature review Example In the realm of financial markets, the value of information is indispensable. It is through the data that most analysts gain more information regarding the market. Market behavior is generally characterized by the flow of information. Therefore, comprehending the data that comes in and out of the market is vital. Through this information, analysts are able to predict prices and movements in the market. In addition, the data that is observed in the market generate perspectives that allow practitioners to forecast long-term movements in the components of financial markets. Although financial markets are hard to grasp, there are suggestions that such markets function with efficiency. Efficiency, when referred to the market, pertains to the changes in price and exchange between buyers and sellers. Apparently, financial markets are highly valued because investors are more inclined with fast-paced forms of revenue generation. Most important, the efficiency of the market makes decision making less risky and more rewarding. Eugene Fama (1970) was the main innovator of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). EMH implies that financial markets are efficient such that the price of assets, stocks, and other securities reflect all information available; thus, provide an unbiased view of investors regarding future prospects. One important aspect that EMH asserts is that it is seemingly impossible to outperform the market through the use of information known to the market. The information as defined by EMH refers to the data that are unpredictable in the present and appears sparingly in the future. EMH is considered as a fundamental component of modern financial economics (Feinstein, 2000). A compelling view of EHM was provided by Bodie et al. (1996) describing it as a result of rigorous underpinning and supported extensive empirical work. Bowman and Buchanan (1995) identified EMH as meticulously formulated. It is clear that the process in supportive concepts for a developed and competitive securities market. Several executives, however, pointed out some inconsistencies with EMH. These arguments are indeed supported by studies involving various subjects. The essence of EMH has embedded on the information associated stocks and the prevailing price associated with these securities. Malkiel (1987) stated that the varying point of views being presented by the buyers and sellers represent all the information and from the pool, relevant data are gathered. Indeed, the price of stocks will be affected by unexpected news, which of course is still unknown to the investors. There is a natural relationship between markets that efficiently provide available information to their role in efficient market distribution (Stiglitz, 1981). Further studies, on the other hand, pointed out that markets that provide efficient information are not required to provide productive efficiency in the economy. Such description supports tendencies when the market is incomplete and information that is considered as differentiated is costly but valuable. It is understandable that some data appear to be useless. But investors have been creative in creating a sense in this information.

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing - Assignment Example This would be followed by a few recommendations for the company, which would mark the end of the discussion Industry Environment Porter Five Forces Model presents a good framework to explore the environmental and industry forces, which are affecting the marketing of the company. First, the rivalry against the existing competitors within the industry is high (Armstrong, Harker, Kotler & Brennan, pp. 19-22, 2009). Despite the fact that more than 500 independent bookshops have closed as of 2009 due to their inability to compete with the big bookstores, the barriers of borders are coming down and thus exposing companies like Waterstones, with the help of internet and others, to competition on an international level. Furthermore, currently, there are three big players in the market namely Waterstone’s, Amazon, and WH Smith; however, the problem here is that none of them has a considerable lead and in the absence of huge differences in size, these competitors would fuel the rivalry to greatest limits. Rivalry decreases when competitors are aiming for different market segments or different niches in the industry; however, it appears that all of the major competitors are trying to appeal to all of digital and traditional segments of the market, thus, intensifying the rivalry (Armstrong, Harker, Kotler & Brennan, pp. 19-22, 2009). ... tailers here is that they cannot achieve a high degree of differentiation for the books they sell since the product remains the same (Kotler & Armstrong, pp. 41-48, 2008). Due to low degree of differentiation, the competition rests on the price alone thus forcing the customer to look for better bargains. As mentioned in the case that UK booksellers are having the lowest profit margins because of excessive discounting to appeal to the customer as compared to the book retailers in Ireland, USA, Finland, Holland, and Ireland. The supplier power in the industry remains moderate. Four major companies namely Hachette Livre, Bertelsmann, Pearson, and HarperCollins hold more than 50 percent of the market share in the publishing industry. Many authors cannot get their books published, sold, or promoted if they do not have any association with big publishers. Furthermore, they also pose a strong threat for forward integration in the market. However, there power is moderate because they depend highly on these high street retailers for promotions and shelf space for both new and old authors and books. Furthermore, with well-established players in the industry, they have lesser options to get good bargains (Peter & Donnelly, pp. 122-123, 2010). The threat of substitutes is high due to the illegal and pirated books that are easily accessible on the internet through various websites. Furthermore, these substitutes cost way less than the original books; in many cases, these are free, thus increasing their attractiveness to great limits. Lastly, the threat of new entrants also remains moderately high. This is true because not only setting up a bookshop is relatively easy but also because lately many supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury and others have jumped into the industry with

Definition of Efficient Market Hypothesis Literature review

Definition of Efficient Market Hypothesis - Literature review Example In the realm of financial markets, the value of information is indispensable. It is through the data that most analysts gain more information regarding the market. Market behavior is generally characterized by the flow of information. Therefore, comprehending the data that comes in and out of the market is vital. Through this information, analysts are able to predict prices and movements in the market. In addition, the data that is observed in the market generate perspectives that allow practitioners to forecast long-term movements in the components of financial markets. Although financial markets are hard to grasp, there are suggestions that such markets function with efficiency. Efficiency, when referred to the market, pertains to the changes in price and exchange between buyers and sellers. Apparently, financial markets are highly valued because investors are more inclined with fast-paced forms of revenue generation. Most important, the efficiency of the market makes decision making less risky and more rewarding. Eugene Fama (1970) was the main innovator of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). EMH implies that financial markets are efficient such that the price of assets, stocks, and other securities reflect all information available; thus, provide an unbiased view of investors regarding future prospects. One important aspect that EMH asserts is that it is seemingly impossible to outperform the market through the use of information known to the market. The information as defined by EMH refers to the data that are unpredictable in the present and appears sparingly in the future. EMH is considered as a fundamental component of modern financial economics (Feinstein, 2000). A compelling view of EHM was provided by Bodie et al. (1996) describing it as a result of rigorous underpinning and supported extensive empirical work. Bowman and Buchanan (1995) identified EMH as meticulously formulated. It is clear that the process in supportive concepts for a developed and competitive securities market. Several executives, however, pointed out some inconsistencies with EMH. These arguments are indeed supported by studies involving various subjects. The essence of EMH has embedded on the information associated stocks and the prevailing price associated with these securities. Malkiel (1987) stated that the varying point of views being presented by the buyers and sellers represent all the information and from the pool, relevant data are gathered. Indeed, the price of stocks will be affected by unexpected news, which of course is still unknown to the investors. There is a natural relationship between markets that efficiently provide available information to their role in efficient market distribution (Stiglitz, 1981). Further studies, on the other hand, pointed out that markets that provide efficient information are not required to provide productive efficiency in the economy. Such description supports tendencies when the market is incomplete and information that is considered as differentiated is costly but valuable. It is understandable that some data appear to be useless. But investors have been creative in creating a sense in this information.

Emily Dickinson Poem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emily Dickinson Poem - Assignment Example As she grew up, she became indifferent to members of her family. As the film’s act begins, Emily introduces herself to her audiences by acknowledging that her middle name was Elizabeth. However, she reiterated that she no longer uses her middle name because first, the name belonged to her father’s sister, and secondly because she was a poet. In this context, the emotional trauma experienced by Emily during her childhood heightened her disinterest towards her immediate family. Primarily, The Belle of Amherst revolves around the element of anecdotally narrated trauma, coupled with observable arrested emotional development. In an effort to explain her peculiarity and the necessity for her social seclusion, the audiences could inevitably perceive the element of crippled emotional growth, especially in the childlike manner in which Emily narrates her heartbreaks and setbacks. In fact, the entire play, illuminates the life of Emily Dickinson as one characterized by a disproportional blend of childish humor and grief. Apparently, Emily’s queer behavior and her love for seclusion can be attributed to her moody childhood. Technically, the lack of emotional support from her parents caused a severe impact on the poet. The dramatic portrayal of a depressed Emily indicates that emotional trauma in childhood can significantly cripple the social and psychological well-being of victims in their adulthood (Dickinson and Smith 23). At this juncture, the sense of de pression, childish humor and emotional turmoil narrated by Emily in The Belle of Amherst will be related to central themes of other poems written by Emily. One iconic poem by Emily is Hope is the Thing with Feathers. In her poem, Emily narrates about her struggles with her times in solitude. The main theme in the poem ‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’ is confusion with self identity. Emily questions God on numerous

Luxury Brand Marketing Essay Example for Free

Luxury Brand Marketing Essay While the word ‘luxury’ is used in daily lives to refer to certain lifestyle, the underlying construct’s definition is consumer and situation specific. If you earn less than 15000 a month, a pair of reebok shoes would be a really big luxury item for you. On the other hand, if you are going to a party with some big-wigs a $100,000 car may not be a luxury. The word luxury originates from the Latin term â€Å"luxus† signifying, â€Å"soft or extravagant living, indulgence, sumptuousness or opulence† The meaning of luxury is extremely subjective and multidimensional in nature. It depends on dimension such as high price, high quality, uniqueness, exclusivity etc. What is a luxury product? In economic terms, luxury products are those who can consistently command and justify a higher price than products with comparable functions and similar quality. In marketing term, luxury products are those who can deliver emotional benefits which is hard to match by comparable products. The luxury sector targets its products and services at consumers on the top-end of the wealth spectrum. These self-selected elite are more or less price insensitive and choose to spend their time and money on objects that are plainly opulence rather than necessities. For these reasons, luxury and prestige brands have for centuries commanded an unwavering and often illogical customer loyalty. Luxury and prestige brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Cartier represent the highest form of craftsmanship and command a staunch consumer loyalty that is not affected by trends. These brands create and set the seasonal trends and are also capable to pulling all of their consumers with them wherever they go. Premium brands are those brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger that aspire to be luxury and prestige brands but their marketing mix strategies are more attuned to a mass market, albeit a luxury mass market. They are also termed as mass-premium brands or mass-luxury brands. Fashion brands on the other hand are those that address the masses. Strategies for Luxury Marketing There are conventional foundations for ensuring success of a brand and they are listed below in brief : 1. The brand must be â€Å"expansive†. Which means it should be full of innovation opportunities for the marketer and in terms of satisfying the divergent needs of the luxury consumer 2. The brand must tell a story It is this story, of either heritage or performance or other aspects that goes on to build the aura of a brand over time. The story always accentuates the identity of the brand. 3. The brand must be relevant to the consumers’ needs Depending upon the mindset of the luxury class, it is imperative for a brand to satisfy those needs, whether they be for recognition or functional use etc. 4. The brand must align with consumers’ values A brand that does not concur with the basic values of a consumer’s society has a small chance of succeeding because luxury items are forms of expression or identification for a luxury consumer. This makes it difficult for the consumer to adopt the brand in such cases. 5. The brand must perform Irrespective of which category the brand belongs to, a performance assurance is a must for the brand if it wishes to be in the evoked set of luxury consumers, considering the price being paid for luxury. LUXURY brand marketing CONCEPTS: Socialite as a Conductor In 2006, when Christian Dior chose Chawla as its spokesperson, everyone was shocked some secretly jealous. Chawlas association: to be the face of the brand, be seen in Dior in the right circles, host events attended by the right people and generally hobnob with the circle that she already moves in. The money details are not clear people in the circuit and in the luxury industry say its part financial, part goodies. But it might be working. Chawla says, Dior has done incredibly well with a consistent rise in sales. It is the most visible brand in India with the highest recall value in terms of marketing strategies implemented. Socialites being signed up for a fashion brand is not new, at least not in the West, says former fashion editor and luxury specialist Sujata Assomull-Sippy. She mentions Armanis 19-year-old association with British semi-royal and socialite Lady Helen Taylor that started when he designed her wedding gown in 1992. The association ended in 2009. Taylor, who was also the face for Bulgari, gave a sigh of relief and was glad to give up her uniform. Six years hence, Chawla is nowhere close to hanging up her Dior couture. The Mohan for Gucci buzz has engendered new aspirations in the circuit that goes beyond the hostess or the grander-sounding luxury consultant tags. The socialite is becoming more important in a luxury brands marketing strategy as she pulls in the right kind of crowd, says Priya Sachdev, creative director for TSG International Marketing that has brought brands like YSL, Diane von Furstenberg to India. Nichevertising Brand consultant and strategist Harish Bijoor of Harish Bijoor Consults loftily terms it nichevertise vs massvertise. According to him the luxury brands are not for mass consumption and shouldnt be mass advertised. The social circuit gives them a fresh channel to reach out to their target audience without any noise. The socialite model of marketing targets the guest lists minus the hard sell, he says. Personal voice- distinct style Every luxury brand needs to develop a marketing strategy that not only helps them achieve their marketing goals, but is also in line with their brand. For example, while it makes sense for Christopher Bailey from Burberry to update the Burberry Facebook page with short videos he makes or music he supports, the same type of strategy might not work for someone like Bentley or Rolex. Bijoor says that for luxury brands, sell is a four-letter word and not just literally and thats why they aim at buy. Luxury brands like to be bought, not sold, he says. Sell is a top-down strategy which involves an element of shout you asking consumers to consider you. Buy, instead, is a pull-oriented strategy. Luxury brands love pull not push, he explains. This is ideal for the socialite marketing where the conversation with the brand is more visual and not aural.

Type A Personality Implications with Stress Related Illness

Type A Personality Implications with Stress Related Illness VULNERABILITY OF TYPE A PERSONALITY  TO STRESS-RELATED ILLNESSES  DUE TO THEIR ERRATIC PERSONA Angelica Marie C. Jarabe Outline Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work. Introduction â€Å"It’s not the stress that kills us; it our reaction to it.† – Hans Selye. Stress is inevitable part of our existence. The self-imposing reaction of our body and mental capacity to different situations, events, and even in our environment is also cause by our different dominant behaviour or so called â€Å"persona.† It is the one that affects our way of coping and perceiving stress. Stress sometimes consumes our inner ability to grasp the essence of living. We feel stress when we get bogged down by problems, deadlines, realistic desires, and uncontrollable events on our lives. They say that it is our choice on how we response to those circumstances. Sometimes we either take it as a negative or positive but the truth is it is natural mechanism of our body. According to a book entitled Introduction to Psychology (Aguire, 2008), â€Å"stress may be the difficult word to define†. It is because we have different way of responding in such circumstances when people experience stress. This response is based on person’s perception and evaluation of oneself to the nature of events. The differences of the way we respond to a situation are cause by our personality. Higher risk of illnesses can be linked with one of the type of personality which so called Type A personality. Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work. Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work. Discussion One of the factors that contribute to the development of chronic diseases and illness is being linked by our repetitive pattern of behaviour and our unique personality. Our personality defined as our pure and total makeup of ourselves which includes thoughts, habits, attitudes, weaknesses, strengths, and deepest fears. (Nevid, Rathus Greene, 2000, p.158) Sometimes we feel and considered that stress is brought by some changes in our environment. In fact, even we are the major contributor of stress. Based on what I found, psychologist stated that people carries a lot of destructive thoughts and unreasonable beliefs which afflicted our normal living. (Morris Maisto, 2006, p. 359) Some features of our unique makeup can have positive and negative effects to our health. A person being optimistic and appreciative can impose a positive effect to one’s health. They tend to see the good things even in worse situation. As a result, they are capable to strive and have a positive outlook in life. Others manifest challenging situation as a negative part of their success. Those personalities being engage to certain erratic persona are so called Type A personality increases the effects of major stress-related health problems. (Morris Maisto, 2006, p. 359) I found out that there are some findings that relate stress to certain illnesses like coronary heart disease, headaches, hypertension and even cancer. (Aguirre, 2008, p. ) Based on observation in 1950 carried out by the two cardiologists Friedman and Rosenman, who are trying to found out the relation of personality to heart disease, those patients who are short-tempered and easily irritated has a higher risk of developing heart disease. This brought to a theory which accompany as a certain type of behaviour – Type A behaviour pattern (TABP). (Saul McLeod, 2011). According to my gathered data, these are the following facet of Type A personality: Ambitious – Type A individual are driven to compete and has a critical evaluation of oneself in terms of achievement and success. They tend to complicate certain situations and being doubt by their irrational beliefs. Time-consciousness – They always set their priorities and task with a timeframe and deadlines. Most frequently, they easily irritated if they encountered certain delays and tight schedule situations. Because of that, they tend to be in a hurry and simultaneously do their work. Aggressive – This is the most dominant behaviour characterized by Type A personality. Due to certain negative perception of any situation they often feel frustrated and angry. This shows direct relation to the development of heart disease. (Adapted from Saul McLeod, 2011) These are the following criteria to test if a person possesses a trait of Type A personality: Usually feel guilty if they used their spare time to relax and do nothing for few days. Competitive in different ways and not being content within themselves. Do their work more than at a time. Move, eat and walk quickly Prefer to read concise concepts rather than the whole content of the book. Lose patience and irritated if they encountered delays, traffic, and unfortunate events. Tend to evaluate their achievement and success by quantities. Make different gestures like fingers drumming, teeth grinding and fist pounding. Things must be done in certain set of time. Over think of their problems even when they doing something or talking to someone. (As cited in Coon, 2006, p. 443) According to Rathus (2007), â€Å"Many health problems are affected by psychological factors, such as attitudes, emotions, and behaviour.† These are the following serious health problems that also being linked to Type A behaviour Pattern: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) – As cited in Rathus (2007), â€Å"It is the leading cause of death in United States.† It is characterized as by the decreasing of supply of oxygen in the heart and result to hardening of arteries (arthrosclerosis). I found that the incidence of having this disease is also cause by our attitudes and emotions to certain situation in life. Severe stress and negative emotional response has a huge impact to our immune system. Based on a research conducted in people with Type A personality, found out that the dominant behaviour which is hostility contribute to the increase of blood pressure in the body, high cholesterol level and clogging of arteries which may be a serious threat to their health. (Rathus, 2007, p. 388) Headaches – According to one study I found, about 53% people are susceptible to migraine headaches showed a Type A behaviour pattern. This throbbing pain of head can be triggered by some psychological factors like anxiety, depression and exposed to extreme stressful conditions. (Rathus, 2007, p. 386) Cancer – Based on my researches, there is no direct evidence that stress can cause cancer. However, stress weakens our immune system and can cause various changes in the functioning of other system in the body. One study conducted to show the effects of emotional stress to the development of cancer cells. The condition of producing and spreading of cancer cells happen in the stage called â€Å"metastasis†. Based on the laboratory results conducted to mice and human which are subjected with cancer. When they are under influence of stress their system produce a hormone called norepinephrine. Thus, that hormone will boost the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body. (â€Å"Psychological†, 2002) Type A personality is prone to stress-related illness because of their 3 major negative characteristics and attitudes towards work.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay -- essays research papers

It is true that in all great literature. Clues which later seem obvious are often undetected until the story’s plot is resolved. The reader is unaware of the foreshadowing until the plot comes together. Ambrose Bierces " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and " A Horseman In The Sky" identify literary elements supporting this thought. In Ambrose Bierces " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" two private soldiers of the Federal army were appointed by a sergeant to lynch Peyton Farquhar from a elderly suspended bridge because of his attempt to aid the Confederate forces. He was to be executed for aiding the confederate forces. He knew his death was at his fingertips and couldn’t help ponder its arrival. He looks at the river below observing the depth of the river. Early on in the story Ambrose portrays Peyton, from his perspective, seeing a shallow river. The fact that the river is shallow and will defiantly kill Peyton distracts the reader from the truth behind the mans observation. Peytonseeing the river shallow is foreshadowing the actual depth of the river. In fact the river is so deep that when the rope snaps it seems he falls endlessly in the water. The reader is eagerly awaiting the soon death of Peyton, then suddenly surprised while the river cushions his fall. Several other soldiers were relentlessly targeting the man at ... An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay -- essays research papers It is true that in all great literature. Clues which later seem obvious are often undetected until the story’s plot is resolved. The reader is unaware of the foreshadowing until the plot comes together. Ambrose Bierces " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and " A Horseman In The Sky" identify literary elements supporting this thought. In Ambrose Bierces " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" two private soldiers of the Federal army were appointed by a sergeant to lynch Peyton Farquhar from a elderly suspended bridge because of his attempt to aid the Confederate forces. He was to be executed for aiding the confederate forces. He knew his death was at his fingertips and couldn’t help ponder its arrival. He looks at the river below observing the depth of the river. Early on in the story Ambrose portrays Peyton, from his perspective, seeing a shallow river. The fact that the river is shallow and will defiantly kill Peyton distracts the reader from the truth behind the mans observation. Peytonseeing the river shallow is foreshadowing the actual depth of the river. In fact the river is so deep that when the rope snaps it seems he falls endlessly in the water. The reader is eagerly awaiting the soon death of Peyton, then suddenly surprised while the river cushions his fall. Several other soldiers were relentlessly targeting the man at ...

Psychology 285 Week 9 Final Essay

Everyone has asked at point in their lives; who am I? Everyone will go through great lengths to figure out exactly that answer. Because of that no topic in psychology today is more heavily researched than self (Myers, D.G., 2012). These feelings come about for a number of reasons. We develop a number of feelings for reasons that are related to group dynamics, genetics perhaps, and social influence. There are so many influences on the relationships that we develop. Self-concepts There are so many awesome qualities about me I’m honest, very giving, independent and opinionated; however being opinionated can be a blessing and a curse. Growing up I remember being in trouble so much because of my mouth. I was the type of child that needed to get my point across and I was going to get out whatever it was that I needed to say! My mother told me several times lately that she admires my courage when it comes to saying what’s on my mind; she hated it when I was growing up but she respects it now because she holds back a lot afraid to speak up. Knowing that I am extremely opinionated I have to be careful sometimes about the way that I say things to other people. This is because what I say may be without malicious intent however it could come off that way if it’s not carefully expressed! I am so opinionated that I will solicit my opinion to anyone with being asked to solicit it. Especially when it comes to my little sister; she thinks that I’ m being hard on her but I tell her all the time; the day I have nothing to say be worried, I talk because I care! This brings me to being such a giving individual I would give my heart if I was able to continue to live. I have given my last to so many and I expect absolutely nothing in return. I have learned that there is no greater lesson in life than the one of being able to give. I am the type of person who will go through my son, daughter, finance and my own closets just to see what they are no longer wearing to give it away to someone else who can actually use it. I want to set great examples to my children I want them to pay if forward too; but I want them to also know the difference between being a giving person and being an idiot! This brings me to my independence in life. I am such a strong minded person, very level headed so I know what I want and I know exactly what I  need to do to get to where I need to be, by myself! My mother loves the independence in me but she hat es the reasoning behind why I’m so independent. That reason would be because I don’t want to end up like her she’s so dependent on my stepfather that she has absolutely nothing on her own! Her first car came from him; the first time she moved into her own place was because of him, the new house the clothes on her back, the shoes on her feet, down to the food she eats. I don’t want that for myself in any way. My fear is that if I allow someone to do anything in any form for me that they will throw it in my face later. While my mother admires this quality about me my fiancà © hates it so much. He’s constantly fighting me not because he has nothing else to do but because he wants to do more. However along with the fear of having what was done thrown in my face another fear is to allow myself to comply with someone else doing something for me and they aren’t able to later than I feel like I set myself up for failure. This aspect of my life is r evolved around issues of trust in my opinion. I know that I have trust issues I am always afraid of being hurt in some way whether it be because I was let down or because my heart was broken. My world is great and everything is exactly the way it should be until someone else tries to help. This is what one would call self-serving bias. Self-serving bias plays an extremely major part of mine and anyone else’s life we would all love to believe we’re a super hero all of the time, but when something goes wrong have you ever you ever seen the super hero take the blame? Never that is the sidekick’s job! The concept of self-serving bias has opened my eyes up to taking more responsibility for my own actions and stop using the actions of others to feel better about a situation that has gone wrong. This is why now I feel that I have an internal locus of control I believe that I am what influence the ripple effect of the events of my life. My actions have reaction weather I like the reactions or not they are still because of me and no one else! Attitudes and feelings Confirmation bias influences the perception of yourself and the people around me because we all want what we believe to be true! Take this for example my mother doesn’t very much care for my fiancà © she doesn’t really have a reason, because he does everything that he is supposed to do and more sure we have an argument here and there but to her it’s abusive. So she says  thing like this; â€Å"See I told you he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, look at how he speaks to you he doesn’t care.† I explain to her that it’s unfair to say that about him especially when things were said in the heat of the moment. Confirmation bias can destroy you because you are always looking for the next thing to support your beliefs. My sister thought that her husband was cheating with my cousin, (this was not true) so everything that my brother in law and cousin did together it was inappropriate and because they were sleeping together. I tried so ma ny times to tell her that they weren’t sleeping with one another but she had it in her head that they were so much that she actually pushed them together (self-fulfilling prophecy). She pushed and pushed so much that the untrue theory became true. I was hurt for her when this happened because these beliefs ended up generating their own confirmation. Behaviors influence attitude in so many ways, each day of my life behaviors influence my attitude. My step brother for example to me his behavior is very perverted is says things about my little sisters that he should not referencing the rear ends and other parts of their bodies as well as mine extremely inappropriate this behavior influences my attitude towards him because I don’t trust him as a result, I don’t want him around any of our sisters, or my infant daughter, I don’t even trust him around my son! My attitude toward him is extremely negative and I hate when he’s around. Another way that behavior affect attitude is through imitating your parents because the attitudes and beliefs of your parents have a strong impact on your life later. The topic of exhibiting the behavior of my parents brings me to gender roles. Our gender roles are defined by our own conceptions of being a male or female. Social influence: In certain situations I am willing to conform to a degree, but I am not willing to conform completely for an entire group to make it easier on the group. I enjoy being an individual I never want to blend in with the crowd I always want to stand out. I know this because at work there are so many groups of people who only want to hang out with that group of people they are all so caught up with who’s doing what and why that they completely lose focus of why we are even at work in the first place. I on the other hand  don’t feel that I have the time for that it’s childish so I am all about my work and nothing else! When our Post Master comes around they will all scrabble to go back to work or act as if they are working so that they won’t get into trouble! A person of authority influences obedience because the authority figure has the power to discipline. The foot in the door technique is one that is used in my profession a lot when the new comers come on to the job a co-worker will began to ask for small favors and those small favors turn into large favors. I have used this technique in new relationships to see just how far I can get him to go for me. I will change in the presence of others depending on who the person is if it’s an elder I won’t swear, if it’s a younger group of my peers I will relax more but it really depends on the group. When working with groups there are always slackers in the group they do the least expecting the same amounts of credit. This is something that I have struggled with in school and in work because it’s completely unfair to the group. This is called being lazy and being lazy is completely unattractive. Factors that attract me to someone are whether or not they are intellectually stimulating to me, smart, fun loving, easy going, handsome, tall, and has a great sense of humor. That’s not to say that what’s attractive to me is attractive to the next person. Just because they are attractive doesn’t mean that everything is going to be great there may be some conflict and in resolving conflict you must talk it out, speaking on your concerns and try using the I exercise saying how you feel as oppose to the blame game because no one will be receptive to that!

Marketing Analysis of Watsons

Watsons in Singapore spans health & beauty chains, perfumeries & cosmetics, grocery, pharmacy, wine and duty-free. Watson's target customers are located in the spending power (two thousand and five more in monthly income) to accept new things but also the middle class (age 18-40 years). Watson in the research found that Asian women will use more time to go shopping, and they are willing to invest a lot of time to find cheaper or better products. Watson's view that female consumer of this age is the most challenging spirit. They like to use the best products and seek new experiences, fashion, willing to show themselves in front of friends. They are more willing to use the money to bring big changes for their willingness to carry out various new attempts. The reason that they are more concerned about consumers under the age of 40 is longer because of their age most women already have their own brand and lifestyle of the fixed. In this comfortable shopping environment, Watsons provide customers with a variety of products. According to the different benefits the consumers seek from the products. Watson has a strong team of health advisers, including full-time pharmacists and â€Å"health and vitality Ambassador†: professional teams are subject to professional training, provided free of charge for customers to maintain a healthy living advice and recommendations. Watson is not only concerned the sale of goods, more thoughtful and meticulous attention to customer care, and full of his â€Å"personal care† service shop features. It positions its products to offer at affordable prices which are comparable with that of the other major shop. In an affluent society, men and women of all ages are interested in a comfortable shopping environment. They hope in a good social image of shop to buy their want. Watsons, the largest health and beauty retailer in the world can satisfy the consumers’ need. 4 Ps of Marketing Product/Services – The products offered the personal health care products, beauty, skin care products and the pharmacy. UK Savers chain, the Netherlands Kruidvat Group, Latvia DROGAS retail chains, the British Merchant Retail perfume chain, Malaysia Apex Pharmacy Sinbad pharmacies and a series of mergers and acquisitions, so Watson in its own branding and product development, channels accumulate there have been large enough leeway. In 2005, Watson spent 5. 5 billion Hong Kong dollars acquisition of France's largest, has a long history of perfume retailer Marionnaud, followed in turn is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Russia's health and beauty chain Spektr Group in the bag. In Watsons, customers have a lot of choices, because they can use less money to buy the most suitable products. In order to facilitate customers to target women's Watson will be the height of the shelf down to 1. 65 meters from 1. 0 meters, and the kingpin of the display of products on the shelf height is generally 3-1 m 1 m 5, while human enough shelf design. Watsons Your Personal Store each are clearly divided into different sales areas, different categories of goods, placed neatly for easy customer selection. In the display of goods, the Watsons focus on its inherent connection and logic, according to cosmetics – skin care products – beauty products – hair care products – fashion articles – pharmacyâ₠¬â€ accessories —- make-up tool for the classification of the order of placing women in daily. Watson sold the products, pharmacies accounted for 15%, cosmetic and skin care products accounted for 35%, 30% of personal care products, and the remaining 20% is food, beauty products and clothing accessories, etc. Pricing Strategy – Watsons belong to the chain business model. This model not only reduces the difficulty and improves the operating quality and efficiency of operations. Chain of centralized purchasing and centralized distribution only save operating costs, but also can create its own brand of competitively priced. Chains of individual scattered into one operating large-scale network management structure, the headquarters for the store through centralized purchasing, purchasing large quantities, can enjoy a higher price discounts and reduce the purchase cost. Brought through the acquisition of channel, product and technology development and other core elements, combined with a very international brand appeal, with its own brand of competitive and strictly control the production of quality outsourcing guise of promotion model, Watson to increasing ability of consumers to the viscosity, aggregation target consumers. The one hand, quality assurance, on the one hand is the price demands, this strategy has considerable destruction. â€Å"I'm sure I'm cheap,† â€Å"overpaid, half refund† signs in this category end in Watsons’ stores everywhere. First a low propensity to attract the consumers come in, in sufficient source of the premise, by tying promotions to stimulate their purchase frequency and quantity, the Watson thus avoiding the common retail price of war. Promotion – The classification of the different regions will introduce various new products and promotional merchandise, from time to time in the shop so that customers have a new found interest in order to stimulate customer. Watsons also can through flyers, newspapers, advertisement and word of mouth. Place and distribution – A class of the most prosperous shopping district is Watson's first choice, such as a large number of big shopping malls or the streets of passenger traffic, airports, railway stations or the central office and other local white-collar workers also consider the object, similar to the other shop. Product Life Cycle People enjoy shopping in Watsons, because of the health & beauty chain. The health & beauty products market segment of the business may still be in the growth phase of the product life cycle. In the future, Watsons can offer more bonds of cosmetics. They can also offer the consumer electronics or accessories. Can set up a column to those white-collar, in order to provide them with stationary. Major Competitors The major competitors in the health & beauty business in Singapore include CK, Guardian, SaSa, Pharmacy and other health & beauty business.

Great Expectations: A Character-Driven Novel

The novel, Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens is heavily a character-driven novel due to the fact that the sequence of events in the novel are causes and effects of the actions of the characters as well as the interactions between them. The novel mainly depicts the growth and development of an orphan named Pip, who is greatly influenced by the other characters and became a gentleman and a bachelor in the end of the novel through his encounters with the other characters.Pip, as the main character, definitely has a lasting impact on the drive of the novel since his decisions are very instrumental and effective towards the other characters as well as to himself. This phenomenon applies to not only Pip, but to the other characters, especially Estella, Miss Havisham, Joe, and Abel Magwitch. Everything a character does and every encounter between the characters in Great Expectation has an effect on the flow of the plot and situation of the novel. Before the very beginning of the novel, the conflict of the novel is already set in motion.Pip is an orphan at the start of the novel as his parents were long gone and he lives with his sister, Mrs. Joe, and her husband, Joe, the blacksmith. As a result of the two siblings and the older sibling’s husband living together without any parents, the family was relatively poor. Thus, in addition to Mrs. Joe’s strict attitude and the fact that his status is in the lower class, Pip had a rough childhood. The fact that Pip had a childhood full of hardship and is poor sets up for his later decision to become a gentleman through a secret benefactor.When Pip do decides to leave for a new life in London, he upsets Biddy and especially Joe as he recently became an apprentice of his; their life-long friendship falls apart. This is one of the major decisions Pip has to make and it changed the entire course of the plot as the setting of the story shifts from Pip’s first known home in Kent to London since the novel fo llows where Pip goes and the direction of the story changes from Pip’s apprenticeship with Joe in blacksmithing to Pip’s new fortune of a career in a new place.If Pip had not been an orphan or lived with a poor family, the major plot would not have existed as Pip’s transformation to a gentleman is the key. Pip would never have met half the characters of the novel such as his best friend, Herbert, Jaggers, and Wemmick. The novel would be driven into a different direction. Dickens was able to produce a novel that makes sense and that reflects his view of what a â€Å"coming of age† novel would be like by making the main character a poor orphan from the start only to turn him into a wealthy gentleman later and then into a hardworking bachelor.Another beforehand affected character, who has a deep impact towards the novel’s state of conflict, is Miss Havisham as she is the mastermind behind Estella’s cold behavior and wants to get revenge on men just because one man, Compeyson, who is supposed to be her husband, left her on their wedding day before the start of the novel. This one particular major event of Miss Havisham’s life changed her life forever as she was heartbroken and turned into a crazy and vengeful woman.She has ever since lived in the moment when she got the note that her wedding with Compeyson was off as all her clocks stayed at the same time of that moment and she still wears her bridal clothing from back then. The fact that she got rejected by her future husband induced her to hate men in general, to never love them again, and to adopt a child for herself, which happens to be Estella, the long-lost child of Abel Magwitch and Molly. All of this leads to the intimidating duo of Estella and Miss Havisham at Satis House, whom Pip fears and terrorizes him for much of the better first part of the novel.Miss Havisham’s background story sets up for her influence on changing and manipulating the beautif ul Estella’s life as well as Pip’s. Miss Havisham reveals that she has been giving orders to Estella to accomplish her goals for her as Estella is very attractive by acting dispassionate towards her suitors. During Pip’s meetings with Miss Havisham, Pip first thought of the idea of becoming a gentleman and leaving his poor life. When he is informed of a fortune that will due to be his, he thought his secret benefactor was Miss Havisham, so he became confident of her kindness and Estella’s hand in marriage.Miss Havisham drives the plot by giving Pip the idea to leave his first known home away from Joe, Mrs. Joe, and Biddy. In addition, she was thoroughly thought to be the secret benefactor of Pip throughout the novel until Magwitch revealed it was him. Later, Miss Havisham changes her personality and became a totally different person as she regrets the pain she had given Pip and it was assumed she attempted suicide by catching herself on fire, leading Pip to rescue her. This event also influenced Pip to realize that his great expectations are not very significant towards him, but human feelings.Thus, he thanks and prays for Miss Havisham’s well being and made up with Joe and Biddy for leaving them in the first place to be a gentleman. Also, Miss Havisham let Estella go free to do whatever she wants, so she married Drummle. However, she realizes that Drummle is not the man for her and after his death, she meets Pip and finally admits that she now sees that Pip has feelings of love for her. Dickens was once again clever to come up with such a disheartening background story for Miss Havisham that can explain her wild behavior and set up her personality change, which to a great extent affected the lives of Estella and Pip greatly.Another major instance of the plot being greatly influenced include Estella’s background story along with her secret connection to Magwitch and Molly. Estella is also an â€Å"orphan,† but n ot as the same extent to Pip because she was adopted by Miss Havisham and both of her parents were still alive at the start of the novel. Estella’s life changed when there was trouble between her two parents in the past as her mother, Molly, was accused of killing a woman over her real husband, Abel Magwitch, or Estella’s father.Molly was also accused of murdering her daughter, Estella, but she is clearly alive, so that clears up the accusation. Also, Jaggers defended Molly in court by saying she was too weak to strangle another person. Then, the family separated afterwards, which lead the three members of the family to different directions in their lives: Molly became Jagger’s housekeeper, Magwitch became an infamous convict, and Estella was adopted by Miss Havisham. All of these events wouldn’t have happened if Molly was a mentally unstable woman, who thought of murdering someone and had destroyed her own child unbeknownst to her husband.The family†™s past leads them to their new personalities in the novel and were important characters that lead the buildup of the climax of Great Expectations. In conclusion, the novel, Great Expectations, has an outstanding â€Å"Literary Quality† as the course of the novel is greatly affected by the effects of character movement and their involvements with each other. There were many pieces in the novel that has led to an impactful shift towards the novel’s plot and conflict story with each and every character in the novel having some contributions towards it.

Reinventing the Wheel at Ryan Door Company Essay

Reinventing the Wheel at Ryan Door Company - Essay Example on between the time rate of employees before the training and the time rate of the same employees after the training: with all other factors remaining the same. Should there be an improvement in the work rate; Ryan can be assured that there has been an improvement resulting from the training. The next type of outcome to use is the adherence to instructions. Employees often show since of refusal to stick to instructions if they are not conversant with the technicalities of the work assigned to them (The Guardian, 2012). Training has however been identified to solve such a problem. In this regard, the employees should gain more command over the technicalities of the designing work they do after the training program by adhering more to instructions. Once this is done, it will be a proof that employees now understand the instructions given out to them. Then again, the cost of production should be reduced drastically. If employees gain any improvement in their training process, they will come to understand the importance of value for money. For this reason, they will be mindful of the cost of production as the cost of production goes a long way to determine the output of gain that will be made at the end of each production (Koduah, 2001). There exist a number of evaluation designs that can be implemented by Ryan in assessing the impact of the training program instituted. But for a type of design that meets the current needs of the company, the outcome or impact evaluation design is the most preferred. This is because the aim of using an impact evaluation design is to assess the level of impact that any given program has had on its members (Koduah, 2001). Considering the present urgent need for change in place at the company, such an impact evaluation design will come with a lot of advantage for the company especially as the company is a profit making one and must have value for all its programs and initiatives such as the present training program. With the said impact

Business operation & system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business operation & system - Essay Example Contrary to few decades ago, nowadays, operations managers are enjoying a noteworthy status and importance in the companies; however, at the same time, they are confronting the pressure of ensuring efficiency and efficacy in different processes of the business. In particular, this report is an attempt to identify and examine different aspects of operations management while utilizing case study of an organization that will enable a comprehensive understanding of different strategies and techniques of operations management that will be beneficial for huge number of organizations globally. Business of Choice As mentioned earlier, the report includes a case study that will make it easier to understand the importance of operations management in an organization. For this reason, the researcher has selected ‘Tesco’ (Humby, Hunt & Phillips, pp. ... Contrary to other organizations, Tesco has not only been able to tolerate the adverse impact of global recessions and economic booms but one can observe significant expansion and development in its outlets and centres that is one of the major reasons of its success in the British, as well as global market. For this reason, the Tesco has been the choice of this report that will include its different processes, infrastructure, and activities to carry out the process of scrutiny in the context of operations management. (System Diagram of Tesco’s Retail Store) From this introduction of Tesco, the company does not stand less than a legend in its field as it has been successful in surviving with success for so many years since its establishment in the year 1919. Due to such long success story, Tesco has remained in focus of critics and business experts (Humby, Hunt & Phillips, pp. 15-46, 2007) since a long time, and everyone is always looking for the magic formula of Tesco that has enabled the company to survive, as well as achieve success during recessions as well. Once again, contrary to usual organizations, Tesco has put no efforts in hiding its magic approach, and has been discussing it everywhere, calling it ‘Tesco’s way’ (Humby, Hunt & Phillips, pp. 41-77, 2007). While analyzing Tesco’s way, it is an observation that it is nothing but an efficient application and implementation of operations management’s strategies and methodologies that have facilitated the organization to achieve success in the field. In particular, integration of technology with trained staff, and amalgamation of infrastructure with efficient planning in different