Dubliners †Joyces depiction and portrayal of Dublin Essay

‘He felt how useless it was to struggle against fortune†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘A Little Cloud’ ‘There was no doubt about it: if you wanted to succeed you had to go away you could do nothing in Dublin.’ ‘A Little Cloud’ From your reading of ‘Eveline’, ‘Araby’ and ‘A Little Cloud’, write about Joyce’s depiction and portrayal of Dublin in relation to the quotations above. Dubliners are a group of short stories by James Joyce. The whole series of the Dubliners is based on the city of Dublin and the people who inhabit it. We are studying three of the story’s ‘Araby’, ‘A Little Cloud’ and ‘Eveline’. The tone of the stories are depressing and full of misery. In a ‘Little Cloud’ Joyce shows that you can do nothing in Dublin. Joyce presents the character of little chandler as a weak and pathetic character this is shown by the use of the phrase ‘his hands were white and small, his frame was fragile, his voice was quiet.’ Little chandler is visiting his friend Ignatious Gallaher who grew up in Dublin and is a successful journalist this is shown through ‘had become a brilliant figure on the London press.’ Additionally we can see that Gallaher has done well for himself by the place that he wants to meet little chandler. This is highlighted by the phrase ‘he had never been in Corless but he knew the value of the name’, ‘people went there after the theatre to eat oysters and drink liquers’. Little Chandler’s character shows how Dublin disappoints people constantly. Little Chandler would like to write poetry but he knows that he can’t because he lives in Dublin. He has too many responsibilities like his family and his job. We can see also that Gallaher is having a really exciting time visiting lots of places like Paris and London. He is also making a good name for himself being a journalist in London. We can see that Little Chandler is jealous this is shown by the phrase ‘that was Ignatious Gallaher all out ; and, damn it, you couldn’t but admire him for it’. Additionally we can see that Little Chandler doesn’t have a good relationship with his wife. This is highlighted through the phrase ‘At first she wanted to take it back’ and ‘she threw the blouse on the table and said it was a regular swindle to charge ten and elevenpence for that dress’. We can see that little Chandler would like to make it as a poet and what we learn is that he always did better in school than Gallaher and yet Gallaher was the one who was better off. This shows his disappointment and how Dublin disappoints and this is why he cannot make it as a poet because of Dublin. In ‘Eveline’ James Joyce portrays Dublin as a city in which is decaying, poor and hopes and dreams are constantly being ruined. Eveline is a young women who is kept in the city by a bond between her and her mum. This promise was made on her mother’s deathbed. Eveline promised that she would keep the family together no matter what happened. She lives with her father and she has brothers and sisters but they don’t stay with her. She provides the money for the family this is shown through the phrase ‘she always gave her entire wages seven shillings’. She is fed up of this horrible life full of poverty and decay. The only good thing in her life at the moment is a sailor called Frank and sails round the world with the navy. They have been seeing each other and she wants to go with him and live in Buenos Ayres. But we can that it is hard for her to do. We see that Joyce has a lot of resemblance to the character of Eveline she promised her mother on h er deathbed and Joyce’s mum wanted him to confess his sins at church on her deathbed. In ‘Eveline’ we know that she had quite a tough and rough childhood but she loved it this is shown by the use of the phrase ‘the children of the Avenue used to play together in that field’. This shows that her childhood was a good apart from one thing her father was very violent towards her and her brothers this is illustrated in the passage by ‘Keogh the cripple used to keep nix and call out when her father was coming’. But that was when Dublin wasn’t a slum. I know fro my own knowledge that at that time Dublin boasted the best slums in Europe. We can see how Dublin is a decaying city in the story through the phrase ‘in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne’, ‘inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne’. This shows that it’s all around not just in one spot. Towards the end of the story we realise that she can’t go with Frank to Buenos Ayres because of her promise with her mother she realises this just as she is about to board. She sees how her dad is old and can not look after himself with out her help. â€Å"Araby† is a short story by Joyce that I believe is a reflection of his own life as a boy growing up in Dublin. Joyce portrays the young boy as a narrator; however the narrator seems much more mature then the boy in the story. The story focuses on the boy’s feelings for the girl on North Richmond Street we can see how the story is about disappointment and love and I believe it is a reflection of Joyce’s life and the constant struggle. The boy is obsessed with his friend’s sister he hides in the shadows, peering secluded from a distance trying to spy her â€Å"brown figure† this is obviously his first love this is highlighted through the phrase ‘we hid in the shadow until we had seen him safely housed or if Mangan’s sister came out onto the doorstep’. One day he finally builds up the courage to ask her what she is doing at the weekend we learn that there is a bazaar going on in the city but ‘she could not go, she said, because there would be a retreat in her convent’. The narrator decides that he wants to bring her something back from the bazaar. The boy sees the bazaar at Araby as an opportunity to win her over, as a way to show her that he wants more than a friendship. However, the boy is lost for words to speak. He fantasizes about her, how bringing her a gift from the bazaar will capture her heart. He had promised her a gift and he is annoyed by his uncles late return home and his forgetfulness. This is shown through ‘at nine o clock I heard my uncles latchkey in the halldoor’, ‘I asked him to give me the money to go to the bazaar. He had forgotten’. Nevertheless, he is undeterred and catches an empty train to the bazaar. He finds it much like North Richmond Street, empty and dark with few people. The young lady at the stall ignores him while she talks with the men. This is shown through the phrase ‘a young lady was talking and laughing with two young gentlemen’. When she finally approaches, he is not certain what he wants. As the woman turns and walks away, he realizes the opportunity of winning his friends sister through gift has slipped. In the end, regret burns in his eyes as the cold grip of reality takes hold of him. In all of Joyce’s story’s Dublin is always portrayed as place of misery and depression. We see how this is shown through all of Joyce’s story’s. In Eveline we see how she is disappointed by the responsibilities at home and that is the reason she can’t go to Buenos Ayres. In Araby his uncle coming home drunk and not letting him go to the bazaar disappoints the boy. In a little cloud we see how the charcter of little Chandler is constantly being disappointed this is shown by Gallahers success instead of him. Gallaher has made it as a successful journalist and has visited all of these fancy places even though Chandler always used to do better then him at school. Chandler also doesn’t have a very good relationship with his wife and this depresses him. Dublin doesn’t sound like a great place to live or grow up as Joyce depicts it. In conclusion Joyce portrays Dublin as a prison of misery and depression people are trapped and it is a graveya rd of ambition.

Knights in Medieval Europe Essay

Knights were the most advanced fighting unit of the Middle Ages. Developed mainly by Charles Martel, they were horsemen, armored and carrying swords. By definition, a Knight was a mounted warrior in the service of his liege-lord (Snell, â€Å"Defining the Knight†, Knight Life, Internet). He they would generally receive a fief in exchange for their services. But Knights also became important as a symbol of honor, nobility (in the moral sense of the word), and loyalty towards the sovereign. Who could become a Knight? They were often sons of nobles, but could also be mercenaries. The traditional Knights, those who fought for their Lord and for pride and King and Country etc. often despised the mercenary knights (MacDonald, 7), who would easily switch allegiances to whoever would pay the most. These noble sons would be sent to another Knight’s court for a long period of time, usually when they were 6 or 7 years old. Before that, they would have been playing war games with other boys, which was important to induce a fighting spirit (MacDonald, 11). They would then become a page there until they reached puberty. A page’s duties included all of the most menial tasksrunning messages around the castle, helping the servants wash the dishes and clean clothes, and other such things. Once the boy reached puberty, he would become a squire. As a squire, his duties would include maintaining his master Knight’s armor, and accompanying him on horseback (one of the first skills the young squire would learn) everywhere he went. He would carry the baggage, and maintain the armor and weapons when on campaign, or at tournaments. During this time he would also be taught the arts of swordsmanship, archery, horseback riding, and other knightly skills (Encarta, â€Å"Chevalerie†). He would also learn how to put on and wear armor, and to be comfortable with it. Most knights even had to learn to do handstands in their armor, because they needed to learn to be agile (MacDonald, 10). They would also practice jousting and using lances at the quintain, which was a tall pole with a pivot on top. The pivot had another piece of wood on it, on one side of which was a dummy wooden shield, and on the other side a heavy counterweight. The charging knight (or squire) would have to hit the dummy shield hard enough with his lance that the counterweight went all the way around, yet fast enough that it couldn’t come around and hit them in the head. This and all sorts of other training would continue until the squire was 21 years old. For the squire to graduate to the status of Knight, he must be accepted by another knight (usually the one to whom he has been first page then squire). This ceremony, contrary to common belief, is nothing more than either a hard punch to the squire’s face from the Knight, or a good smack with the flat of the Knight’s sword. The squire has then become a Knight as well, and may Knight other squires or become vassal to a liege-lord, or accept vassalage from another lord. He also gained the title of â€Å"Sir† before his name, and could generally be called â€Å"Sir Knight† by those who didn’t know his name. Knights didn’t always become nobles or hold land, but they generally did because it enabled them to pay for the expensive costs of obtaining and maintaining armor, horses, weapons, and servants as well as the training of squires and pages. With the status of Knight came the morals and responsibilities that went with it. Knights were supposed to be honorable, chivalrous, and courageous. There were also supposed to be gentlemen, well-behaved, educated and intelligent. However this was more of an ideal than fact, and most knights did not live up to these high standards. However, many did try to have good ethics and keep good morals, and took as their example of the most chivalrous knight Sir Lancelot, from the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The weapons that a Knight would use differed, but they generally consisted of a sword and a lance. The sword was for close range fighting, either for hacking at other Knights and foot-soldiers from horseback, or, if the knight was knocked off of his horse, to swordfight. Indeed, good swordsmanship was  generally what would save a knight’s life (Salariya, 16), and was almost as important as good horsemanship. And a knight’s horse was indeed a weapon. The horses were bred especially to carry heavy loads and run not necessarily extremely quickly, nor be extremely agile, but to be powerful and to put a lot of force behind the knight. The horses were also intelligent, and were trained to kick at enemy foot-soldiers, and to consciously trample them. They were very effective weapons, and good horses were prized as much as the knights themselves (Encarta, â€Å"Chevalerie†). Armor was the next most costly piece of equipment after a horse, and was also very necessary to a knight. Armor varied widely in style and type, but around 1400 it was generally all plate armor. This was because plate armor defended better against not only swords, but the heavy blows of lances and maces. Chain mail armor (which had been common in the 1300s) could not be cut through, but was not rigid enough to prevent the breakage of bones, and arrows could also pierce through it. Armor was generally custom-made, and was very expensive. A full suit of plate armor could weigh over 30 kg, yet a knight (as stated before), would have to learn to be fully mobile in it. Aside from warfare, tournaments and jousting were an essential part of a knight’s life. They were the way to fame and fortune, as well as finding a liege-lord from whom to obtain land. Those who were successful were often picked out by wealthy knights to become their vassals. The jousting tournaments were also a way to the ladies, who often came and watched. Knights were a significant part of the feudal system, and constituted the main body of most armies. They were also an important moral aspect of the middle ages. Knights are a part of our past that has been glorified, and they will always be remembered as great figures on great warhorses in shining armor. Works Cited The Salariya Book Company LTD. So you want to be a Medieval Knight? Hove, England: MacDonald Young Books, 1999 â€Å"Chevalerie†. Microsoft  ® Encarta De Luxe CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation, 1998 Snell, Melissa. â€Å"Knight’s Life: Issues #1-7†, Knight’s Life. 2002. http://historymedren.about.com/library/blknighttoc.htm, February 3, 2002

Organisations and Behaviour Essay

The Purpose of management is to set collective goals for the organisation and communicate to members of the organisation. They make sure these goals are met organisational structures and systems are designed to make members ‘pull’ together and so that resources are utilised efficiently and effectively. They also create and sustain a corporate identity and culture; they look after the interests of the organisation’s stakeholders too. Managers need to control what goes on in their department, they also need to make sure that everything is co-ordinated otherwise things wont happen properly and problems will start to occur. They are very commanding in order to get jobs done properly and on time and also to show that they are the ones with the authority, i.e. the one who is in charge, what I say goes. Management are given many different types of authority so that they can then implement what they have to do in their role as a manager. They have power, which is the ability to do something or get others to do it. Their authority gives them the right to do something or get others to do it. Along with these comes responsibility, which is where the liability of a person is called into account for the way authority has been exercised. Finally there are also able to delegate, this means that they give a subordinate authority over a defined area of which is within their own scope of authority, they hand over work to someone else but and not rid of the responsibility and work fully. Read more:  Explain the Nature of Groups and Group Behaviour Within Organisations Managers have a number of roles; they consist of interpersonal, informational and decisional. A man called Henry Mintzberg in 1973 identified these roles. An interpersonal role is one that shows leadership, and consists of figurehead, leader and liaison. The interpersonal role has a very important factor known as ‘coaching’. According to Needham et al (1999 p214) â€Å"Coaching is an ongoing process in which one person works closely with another to develop skills and abilities†. An interpersonal manager would need to be a good coach I order to be effective. They build one-to-one relationships with the people they work with in order to build up loyalty and support and at the same time they unleash their full potential. The informational role is an administrating role and consists of monitoring, disseminator and spokesman. Managers in this role are supposed to be able to process information with confidence. They are also supported by information technology in this role, they need to be able to adapt to the changes that happen to rapidly in this environment. The decisional role is a kind of fixing role and involves entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator. The managers in this type of role have to make decisions; this means they need to choose courses of action from a set of different alternatives available. There are two main type of decisions, programmed and non-programmed. Herbert Simon (1957, cited in Needham et al 1999 p214) says that Programmed decisions â€Å"are straight forward, repetitive and routine, so that they can be dealt with by a formal pattern† and that Non-programmed decisions â€Å"are novel, unstructured and consequential. There is no cut-and-dried method for handling situations that have not arisen before†. Over the years the way people thought about management and the way they implemented different strategies has changed vastly. To start with back in the early 1900’s there was a scientific approach to management brought about by a man called F W Taylor. Each work process was to be analysed and then by a scientific method it was possible to find the best way for people to do their task or job. Taylor’s thought was that in the same way that there is one special machine that was best for doing one certain job, there is one specific way by which people should undertake their jobs. They would get what was described as a fair days pay for a fair days pay. If workers were to take up Taylor’s methods of working their wages would increase due to it being a more efficient and productive way of working and thus they would become more motivated. However, when actually implemented there became strong criticisms and reactions to his scientific management methods as workers actually found the work boring and weren’t interested, as it required very little skill from them. The workers saw this as disempowerment of them and didn’t like it. So although this was one of the very first approaches to management Drucker (1976, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p52) says â€Å"Taylor’s greatest impact may still be ahead †¦. The need to study Taylor anew and apply him may be the greatest in the developed countries† suggesting that we may still need to use this theory in present day organisations. Moving on into the 1920’s brought Webber and Fayol with their classical administration/bureaucracy approach to management. This type of management brought sets of official positions, with rules for experts and rules for officials. It showed clear hierarchical authority structure. Impersonal actions by managers in dealing with clients and other workers were seen in order to get rational judgements and a good performance of duties. There are four main features of the bureaucracy theory, they consist of: 1. Specialisation – of the job, so that should the current jobholder leave the job can still continue to function. 2. Hierarchy of authority – a very clear and sharp distinction is made between the workers and the management. And then within the management there are clear ranks between levels of authority, just like what can be seen in current day armed forces. 3. System of rules – this is where the ‘impersonal’ bit comes in as they were set to provide efficient, impersonal operation. These rules are set to provide a stable environment, even though some of the rules are open to change. 4. Impersonality – The rules set down above in number 3 are used to allocate privileges and exercise authority. The characteristics of impersonality are a feature of bureaucracy. Stewart, R (1986, cited in, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p55) says â€Å"A bureaucracy should not only be impersonal but be seen to be impersonal.† This impersonal-ness in relationships leads to a lack or responsiveness with some incidents and problems. There was also an over emphasis on the rules and procedures in bureaucracy method. Caulkin (1988, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p56) criticises this over emphasis by saying â€Å"The overemphasis on process rather than purpose, fragmented responsibilities and hierarchical control means that it’s all too easy for individuals to neglect the larger purposes to which their small effort is being put† People then began to recognise about this impersonal-ness and came upon the fact that the workers needs had to be recognised somewhat. This was known as the human relations approach and brought about by Blake, Mouton and Hertzberg in the 1920-1930s. The human relations theory was a major turning point as it started to take into account the needs, values and relationships of the workers. The workforce became more motivated and satisfied job wise, as the human relations approach recognised the importance of informal organisations. They emphasised the needs of wider social needs of individuals and gave recognition to social organisations. The importance of groups and values was emphasised which influenced their individual behaviour at work. All of this led to continued attention being paid to matters such as job satisfaction, group dynamics, participation, leadership and motivation. However, certain criticisms of the human relations approach were that it was not scientific enough and it ignored the role of the organisation itself in how society operates and so another theory was introduced, called The System’s theory. Katz and Kahn introduced the System’s theory in the 1960’s. The systems approach tries to reconcile the theories of Webber and Fayol with that of Hertzberg. It focuses on the interrelationships of structure and behaviour within the organisation. There are two types of systems, an ‘open’ and a ‘closed’ system. A closed system is one that is shut off from its environment. Whilst an open system is usually business related organisationally and it involves continual interaction with its broader external environment. They take in influences from ‘outside’ as INPUTS and produces/influences the environment using OUTPUTS. Every system can have many sub-systems, some including marketing, sales accounts departments etc. INPUTS PROCESS OUTPUTS Materials, Labour, Machinery, Land. Products, Services, Profit. As we moved on into the 1970’s along came the contingency approach, mainly Burns and Stalker brought this to us. The contingency approach shows the importance of structure as a significant influence on the organisational performance. It is also seen as an extension to the systems theory. There is no on optimum state in this approach. The structure and success of an organisation is dependant on the total picture of internal factors and external environment. This type of approach shows that not one style of organisational structure is suitable for all types of businesses, it all depends on the circumstances and structure at that particular moment in time. This theory suggests that an organisation should not seek just one best type of structure to use but that they should look at the present situation and relevant background factors that influence management decisions. The final and most current management theory came about in the 1980’s. This is known as the chaos theory and was brought to us by Tom Peters. The chaos theory tries to make organisations emphasise on the fact that they need to prepare themselves for turbulence, rather than having a rigid, inflexible structure with fixed conditions. It incorporates the contingency approach as it suggests that you should prepare for the unexpected with contingency plans. You can see that the chaos theory is working in current day situations as shown by Peters. Peters, T.J and Waterman, R.H (1982, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p58) â€Å"found that excellent American companies achieved quick action just because their organisations were fluid, and had intensive networks of informal and open communications†. Part A – (2) Two organisations that I am going to compare are Irwin Mitchell Solicitors and Signfab. Irwin Mitchell Solicitors is a formal, geographical organisation as it has branches across the UK and is run through a partnership. Whilst Signfab is a small local, informal organisation which is run by a sole trader. There are many different approaches to management that could be taken by an organisation, one would be the Theory X and Theory Y approach brought about by McGregor. The main principle of Theory X is based on direction and control through a centralised system of the organisation and the exercise of authority. Whilst Theory Y bases itself on the integration of individual and organisational goals. These Theories influence a range of managerial behaviours and strategies. Managers of Theory X take an authoritative approach and those of Theory Y use a more democratic one. Signfab seems to take a Theory Y approach to its management. In Theory Y management they would check peoples attitudes and skills rather than their references, they would also have frequent informal contacts with their employees rather than consulting them through trade unions. Also the pay scheme for Theory Y is mainly based on a salary and profit related pay, whilst Theory X uses piece rate pay and a personal performance related pay. If you look at the theories that Fayol and Mintzberg took to management we can compare them to what managers currently take in modern day organisations. In the organisation Signfab I would say that they seem to use Mintzberg’s managerial roles. Mintzberg says that there are 10 different roles of managers. Interpersonal, which consists of a figurehead, leader and liaison. Informational, which consists of monitor, disseminator and a spokesperson. And lastly decisional roles these involve entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and a negotiator. On an average day Signfab the owner of Signfab would take on almost all of these managerial roles. He would become a figurehead, leader, monitor, spokesperson, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator. He uses all of these roles because he takes on the jobs of selling products to consumers, sorting out the finance for daily, weekly, monthly running of the business, he briefs his employees on new tasks they have to do and daily jobs that need finishing. He also has to ensure the equipment is safe and working properly for them to use, he takes care of the advertising and takes orders for items to be made and places orders for new stock that they need and then he also gets involved in the making of the products himself on a daily basis. There is also the Chaos theory; this is where the organisations need to be able to move with the turbulent world that we live in today. When the unexpected happens they need to have a plan of what to do so that things are not to badly disrupt and their organisation may still function properly. A key concept of the Chaos theory is that tiny small changes in the input of the organisation and environment result in overwhelming differences in the output. According to Needham et al (1999 p201) â€Å"clearly the emphasis for the modern organisation should be on thriving on chaos. This requires forward-thinking and adaptive structures†. In the organisation Irwin Mitchell Solicitors the managers had a more empowering approach to their management. If you take the theories of Henri Fayol you can see that his theories have a more hierarchical structure to management. Managers have 5 main functions in Fayol’s theory; they consist of – planning, co-ordinating, organising, control and command. The planning function means that they had to decide what needs doing and then make a plan of action. The co-ordinating meant that they were harmonising all the activities and effort of the organisation in order to make possible its working and success. The organising meant that they provided material/human resources and building the structure in order to carry out the activities of the organisation. The controlling was checking that everything was occurring in accordance with their plans, instructions and established principles. Finally the commanding meant that they were maintaining the activity among personnel, getting the best return from all employees in the interest of the whole organisation. Irwin Mitchell’s had a very strict set of procedures and plans for what needed to be done in time for the end of the financial year. Their managers were all very co-ordinated in that each department was in some way connected to the one next to it and they quite often had meetings to see how they could get their teams to work more efficiently between them. There was a very big sense of control over the workers in that your manager checked everything you did. The managers were also very commanding as they hardly ever did the work you did they were more into dictating what needed to be done and then expecting it to get done without their assistance. There was a very long chain of command style structure, as you reported to and any problems to your team leader, who then reported it to her/the department manager, who in turn reported it to the site manager who then reported to the directors of the Sheffield branch. The managers had a lot of authority and unity of command in this organisation. Their approach was very structured and hierarchical, in that the higher up the scalar chain you were the more authority, power and command you had. Part B – (1) Organisational culture is known as the way we do things around here. A more detailed version according to Miner (1971, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p803) would be that organisational culture is â€Å"†¦the collection of traditions, values, policies, beliefs and attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in an organisation†. Organisations reinforce culture through their rites and rituals, patterns or communication, the expected patterns of behaviour and the informal organisation. Schein (1985, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p803) suggests â€Å"a view of organisational culture based on distinguishing three levels of culture: artefacts and creations, values and basic assumptions†. Level 1 – The Artefacts: These are the most visible aspects, the physical and social environment. They include things like physical space and layout, management style, technological output, written and spoken language and the behaviour of group members. Level 2 – The Values: These are solutions for how to deal with a new task, issue or problem, which are based on convictions of reality. If the solution works it is often then transformed into beliefs. These values and beliefs then become part of a process whereby group members justify actions and behaviour. Level 3 – The Basic Underlying Assumption: When the solutions to problems mentioned in level 2 work repeatedly it gets taken for granted. These assumptions actually guide behaviour and determine how the group member perceive, think and feel about things. There are four main types of culture, these consist of Power, Role, Task and Person. * Power culture is also sometimes known as club culture. A key feature of this type of culture is centralisation of power. Power culture is often found in small organisations where control lies with one single person or a small group of individuals. The power culture structure can often be seen to be drawn as a spider’s web style diagram. This is because there is a central power source and rays of influence spread out from there. In power culture decisions are made by high-status individuals, rather than a group of people, because of this the decisions can be made extremely quickly. A bad point about power culture is that other workers in the organisation may feel demoted by a lack of challenge and suppressed by those with the power. The web may crack if they support to many activities . a good example of this would have been the Ford Motor Company , up until the early 1980’s its approach to management was functional specialisation, with hierarchy and tight control. * Role Culture, a typical example of a role culture organisation would be a bureaucratic one, where they are divided into layers of offices and officials, with sets of functions that get determined by sets of rules and procedures. Organisations like this operate by using logic and reason. They would also be arranged according to different functions, such as marketing, human relations and finance. In role culture, power is hierarchical and determined by the employees’ position, like in the armed forces with generals, colonels and majors. A job description and set of communication procedures determine the relationship between each role. Position is ‘the’ source of power and the main source of influence are the rules and procedures. There is little scope for individual initiative and recognition making jobholders feel cramped and no room for development, this being a major disadvantage to the role culture organisations. * Task culture is team oriented. Needham et al (1999 p251) describe this type of culture as â€Å"A task culture is job- or project-oriented and emphasis is placed on completing a specific task†. The ‘task’ states the way in which the work is organised as oppose to the individuals or rules like in power and role cultures respectively. Task culture is often illustrated in the form of a net, with some strands being thicker then others and most of the power and influence laying at the interstices of the net. Task cultures are rewarding environments to work in because the employees have a large amount of freedom and flexibility. All this lack of authority can make management and control of this type of culture difficult though. In today’s work force we can increasingly see more and more emphasis placed on team working style cultures. * Person culture is rarely found in a profit-related organisation as they exist only to serve those within their own organisation. You are most likely to see examples of person culture in co-operatives, barristers’ chambers and architects’ partnerships. This is because you usually see a cluster of individuals all operating at the same level in person culture. Hierarchies are not possible in person culture, unless by mutual consent, given a choice though most people would opt for this type of culture. Each organisation will use their own choice of culture , some larger businesses will use a mix of cultures. There are many things that influence the development of corporate culture. Some of these influences are: * History – the age, values of owners and way in which the organisation was originally formed all effect the culture. A merger or reorganisation of management also change the type of culture used. * Primary functions and technology – The businesses’ primary function affects the culture. Primary function of an organisation is the nature of methods of undertaking work, this effects the culture but also the structure too. * Goals and objectives – An organisation will want to be profitable but they will also have to give their objectives and goals attention, the resultant strategies of their objectives will effect and be effected by the change in culture. * Size – Rapid growth or decline in size and the rate or growth and all the results that come from these, like staffing procedures influence the structure and culture. * Location – The geographical and physical characters of an organisation have a major influence on the culture of the organisation. * Management and staffing – Top managers, directors and executives all have a considerable effect on the nature of the corporate culture. * The Environment – An organisation must be responsive to external environmental factors in order to be an effective business. So from all this we can see that the culture of an organisation is an important thing for them to have stated. It helps to account for all sorts of variations among organisations and managers, on a national and international scale. As Oliver, J (1977, cited in Management and Organisational Behaviour, 1999 p807) mentions â€Å"it helps to explain why different groups of people perceive things in their own way and perform things differently from other groups†. Part B – (2) Irwin Mitchell Solicitors Structure: There are four different areas of the UK where this organisation exists. I have focused on the Sheffield one, as that is where I was. However, they all the other sites were run in the same way that the Sheffield branch was. To look at the structure, there was a group of four to six directors for each location. Then there at Sheffield there was two sites each having their own overall/building manager. The building had about 4-5 floors where each floor had about 4 teams of workers, each floor had a supervisor who was in charge of all the departments/teams on that floor and then each department/team had a department/team leader who had typically 8 people in their team. The personnel department was located in one of the Sheffield branches and each location had their own IT technicians. So we can see from the diagram of their structure that they are a geographical organisation operating on a combined line and staff organisation structure. There is a presence of task culture at the bottom where it is in teams and yet power culture at the top where the directors of the company make all the decisions and are seen to be very high-status and powerful. The employees of this organisation are grouped by function, this means that they are divided into sectors according to what they do, for example a sales, an accounts and a quality control department. This is good because specialists are able to work in an area with like-minded people and each part of the organisation is then pursuing their own primary function, making contributions to the overall well being of the organisation. However, it can be bad to organise things like this because it means individuals can not move easily between departments, the organisation gets bigger and the communication channels become distorted between levels of people and also the different departments may pull in opposite directions, causing the company to focus too much on one specific area. They are also grouped by the type of customer in some areas/cases, as they offer a service which is designed differently for depending on the customers circumstances and each different product like accidental injury area, a divorce section are in their own little divisions. This type of grouping shows clearly that each department can concentrate on its own needs, also the customer will fell more inclined to go to your company as you deal with different problems in different areas and more specifically and its easier to check on the performance of their individual product/service. Although having them grouped in this way may mean that each division will compete with each other for the companies resources, this type of structure is costly to set up and more accounting and administrative services are needed. The structure above is a very formal structure; this means that the structure is based on the employees’ official roles. It also has a fairly narrow span of control. A span of control according to Needham et al (1999 p236) is â€Å"The span of control of an individual is the number of people he or she manages of supervises directly†. If an organisation has a narrow span of control this can be good because it enables close supervision and fast communications. However, it also means that the organisation might be too ‘tall’ meaning there is too many levels of management, this usually makes it very costly to run and also means that supervisors get too involved in their subordinates work. A wider span of control would show a much greater amount of trust in the subordinates and also mean having fewer managers; this still allows a hierarchy yet it gives fewer levels. Signfab’s Structure: Signfab is a local sign makers which consists of the owner and two employees, they all partake in the general making of the signs but the owner/manager takes on all the accounts, advertising, purchasing, payroll and general running of the company. From the structure above you can see that this is a much less complicated structure, with a lot fewer employees. There is hardly any span of control as it only consists of the owner and two employees. This is however a good thing because it means they have direct contact and communications with their boss/manager. It is a very flat structure with only two levels. A matrix structure/organisation consists of a combination of functional departments that are specialised and in a permanent location with ones that integrate activities of different functional departments such as a project team, product, programme and system basis. So you can see that the matrix organisation is shown through a grid with a two-way flow of responsibility and authority. Organisations that chose the matrix structure are opting for this because it means that they don’t have to choose one type of grouping over another. I would say that the above structure is a matrix organisation, as it is not grouped in any specific way. There are signs of power culture as all the authority lies with the owner and he makes all the decisions very quickly. So in this structure the owner has a lot of power and authority over his/her employees/subordinates as he/she is the owner and there is no one else higher than him to constrict his reign of power. Whilst in the solicitors structure there is a great deal of restriction in the amount of power they are allowed to have over their subordinates as there is always someone higher up the structure than them that has power over them and what they can and cannot do. The Signfab organisation is centralised as you can see that it is easy to implement policies for the organisation, the organisation on a whole is very co-ordinated, the subordinates are independent but not to a great extent, the decision making is very efficient as there is not compromise of authority when making them and they have a greater use of specialisation in what they do as an organisation. Whilst Irwin Mitchell Solicitors is more decentralised as their administrative services are close to the services they provide so that they can be more effective, opportunities for training in management arise very frequently, the staff are very encouraged by this and therefore morale is very high. Also the decisions can be made closer to the operational level of work. Part B – (3) Irwin Mitchell’s structure and culture are related to the organisations performance as their structure is a very tall structure and this means that they are less customer responsive as the communications between the managers and the employees are more complicated and not as good as they would be in a flatter structure. If their structure were more flat the managers would be nearer to the consumers and be in a better position to see and adapt to what their needs are. This is what Hertzberg suggests in the Human Relations approach. That the employees should not be treated as another part of the machinery their values and relationships should be seen and heard, this improves the morale of the workforce as they are at last being acknowledged. This acknowledgement of the workers and their values brought about an increase in their motivation and so the performance of the organisation would increase too. Irwin Mitchell solicitors take in to account the human relations approach to some extent as the workers values, relationships and suggestions are taken into account. This is seen by the fact that they hold functions at Christmas time for the employees to attend where they are rewarded for their hard work throughout the year. There is also more delegation in a flat structure as there is usually less managers and they would not necessarily be able to carry out all the work that double their amount of managers would have and therefore delegate some of this work to their subordinates, this improves the employees morale and is a good way of motivating them in to working harder so that the businesses performance will also increase. As Irwin Mitchell Solicitors has a tall structure their employees are less motivated and the morale is not always very good within the teams, meaning that the organisations performance is not as good as it could be. They do operate a Kaizen culture though, this is where the employees can suggest things that they think would help or improve the organisation. These are usually small things and are implemented gradually so that the performance of the firm will to improve gradually. This type of culture improves the employees moral, motivation to the company as they are rewarded for the ir efforts/suggestions if they succeed. Bibliography The books I used for reference in this assignment are: Business for Higher Awards 2nd edition by Needham et al published in 1999 by Heinemann. Management and Organisational Behaviour 5th edition by L J Mullins published in 1999 by FT Prentice Hall. HNC HND Business Core Unit: 3 Organisations and Behaviour 1st edition by BPP Publishing in September 2000.

Improving Documentation of Pressure Ulcers on Admission Thesis

Improving Documentation of Pressure Ulcers on Admission - Thesis Example This research will begin with the statement that every year it is estimated that about 1.3 million adults develop pressure ulcers. The figures vary across the different areas of clinical care. Incidence in hospitals is estimated to make up about .4% to .38% of all pressure ulcer incidences, while 2.2% - 23.9%   of pressure ulcers occur in patients in long-term care facilities while 0 to 17% occur in patients in home health care settings. The monetary equivalent spent for treatment is approximated to be $21,675 for every patient. This costly problem can be potentially reduced according to authorities on pressure ulcer management. If these figures are to be reduced, specific preventive measures must be utilized by health care agencies.   The incidence of pressure ulcers has increased by approximately 80% from 1993 to 2006 according to figures from the agency for Health Care Research and Quality. This figure includes the number of pressure ulcers that were acquired by the patient be fore admission and those that formed during the client’s stay in the hospital. This rise in pressure ulcer incidence rates is a cause for concern because pressure ulcers are considered a preventable condition. Patients who are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers are those who are bedridden or have restricted or limited mobility for long periods of time. Increase in the incidence of pressure ulcers among patients in the hospital not only result in increased cost for the client but for the hospital as well.

Shipping Operations Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Shipping Operations Strategy - Essay Example The growth in the LNG trade is expected to continue for some time. This, as a number of new sources is being exploited, or is in the process of being exploited. This has resulted in an increase in the demand for LNG carriers and an increase in activities in various ship yards around the world. While research suggests an increase in business for firms in the supply chain, there are a number of ships that were idle throughout 2008 to 2010. This has been so, even with the substantial increase in importation in Japan, Korea and Spain. However, while their imports are increasing, those of North America and Europe have not shown any significant changes. LNG is required for heating and cooking purposes. In some countries it is used to generate electricity. It is also said to emit less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuel such as coal and oil. This makes it a popular commodity in most countries. According to Jensen (2004, p5) prior to the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) technolog y, its use was limited to areas that could be served by pipelines. However, the development of LNG along with improvements in technology and cost has changed all of that and so gas is rapidly becoming an internationally traded commodity. LNG is condensed natural gas. The volume of which has been reduced by a factor of 600 for storage and transportation (Audun Brands?ter 2010). It is transported by LNG carriers that are capable of safely transporting LNG from liquefaction plants to LNG terminals for storage and re-gasification. Some carriers are specially equipped to allow for the capability of re-gasification on board the vessel. Introduction A number of factors have to be considered in making the decision of whether to buy 6 LNG Tankers. These are technical as well as commercial considerations, which demand an understanding of the product and the market. LNG Carriers form the link between the liquefaction plan and the LNG terminal and so it forms an important part of the supply cha in (GIIGNL Technical Study Group n.d.). Supplies of LNG are imported primarily from countries such as Algeria, Trinidad, Venezuela, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Oman and Australia. These represent areas where large discoveries have been made. Some LNG is also produced in Alaska. LNG is a viable export commodity for these countries because they cannot use all the natural gas that they produce. (DOM n.d.) Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas which has been converted to liquid to facilitate its storage and transportation. According to MAGALOG (2008) LNG is a space efficient way to store and transport natural gas when pipelines are not a feasible solution. This conversion is, however, of a temporary nature and involves a number of processes. After the gas is extracted, it is taken to a plant for processing, where it is purified by removing water, oil, mud and gases including CO2 and H2S, thereby allowing for its condensation. The gas is condensed into a liquid at close to atmospheric p ressure by cooling it to approximately -162oC (-260oF). The LNG is then stored into tanks, after which, it is loaded onto ships. LNG consists mainly of

International Relations Theory Book Review on The Bottom Billion by Essay

International Relations Theory Book Review on The Bottom Billion by paul collier and the united states of europe by T.R. Reid - Essay Example The goal is not to pay for our sins but to give confidence financial enlargement. As Collier notes, the word expansion is now regularly encumbered by means of other Western agendas, as in the environmental actions persistence on "sustainable enlargement." The phrase sustainable increase has for decades been endorsed by groups such as the World Council of Churches and lots of NGOs. Too frequently it has meant that the worlds really poor ought to be given partial access to the circle of efficiency and exchange lest they add to the ecological burden that humankind has placed on our delicate planet. Devoid of that, the "bottom billion" will carry on to sink. Collier writes: "The difficulty of the bottom billion has not been that they have had the wrong type of enlargement; it is that they have not had any increase. The suspicion of growth has unintentionally undermined authentically strategic thinking." (Richard John Neuhaus, 2007) This research asked the question addressed with cautious argument and massive supporting confirmation by Paul Collier in The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest nation Are Failing and What Can Be Done concerning It. Facing up to the realities of globe poverty as well as what can be done regarding it requires concern, cleverness, and long-term pledge. Just how long-term our thinking has to be is underscored by Michael Clemens, who appraisal The Bottom Billion in Foreign Affairs: Collier writes: "Change in the societies at the very bottom must come predominantly from within; we cannot impose it on them. In all these societies there do struggles between brave people want change and entrenched interests opposing it. To date, we have largely been bystanders in this struggle. We can do much more to strengthen the hand of reformers. But to do so we will need to draw upon tools--such as military interventions, international standard-setting, and trade policy--that to date have been used for other purposes. The agencies that control these instruments have neither knowledge of nor interest in the problems of the bottom billion. " The United States Of Europe By T.R. Reid It is simple to scoff at the accessories of the European Union. Its flag of 12 gold stars on blue is insipid. Its nationwide festival Europe Day, honor the Schuman assertion of May 9, 1950--is unobserved. Its nationwide anthem is astounded because Euro attach could never concur on a language in which to sing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." Its rapid-reaction force, ought to it ever form, will be no competition for the U.S. Army (Andrew Moravcsik, 2005). However, the EU is the nearly all ambitious and successful work out in international collaboration in globe history--and now even Americans are noticing. Over the past half-century it has emerged as the leading medium for monetary policy making in Europe. Tariffs, quotas, as well as mainly civilization barriers have been eradicated. The euro has relocated national currencies. Environmental,

Counter Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Counter Argument - Essay Example possible response is not to present favorable arguments, but a negative case—namely, to present arguments against the case that has been brought forth. The following is a reply to several objections to a previously stated position: that it is the moral responsibility of a government to effectively ban same-sex marriage. This responsibility was defended by a conception of the natural law, which is fundamentally incompatible with the practice of homosexual marriage rites. It shall be shown that these objections are baseless and cannot be shown to have any philosophical merit, especially since their philosophical histories are contradictory—meaning that these criticisms are mutually exclusive and are mutually incorrect. The first point taken to support the thesis that the government has no moral responsibility to ban same-sex marriage is that there is a history of normality when it comes to the practice of gay marriage. The objector cites the time of Plato as proof that homosexuality has been, for ages, been a widespread practice, and in a variety of different cultural contexts. However, even a cursory knowledge of Plato’s thoughts on love, contained in the dialogue Symposium, would reveal that Plato, like Aristotle, thought that homosexuality was an affront to nature, and hence, natural law. In the eighth book of the Symposium, a speaker considers â€Å"how to have legislation banning homosexual acts, masturbation, and illegitimate procreative sex widely accepted. He then states that this law is according to nature† (Pickett). Plato and Aristotle, arguably the two wisest men in the history of Ancient Greece, both expressed a sharp distaste for the unnatural practice of homosexualityà ¢â‚¬â€the former of whom expressed his belief in a ban on the practice in the Ideal State. In addition to the incidental philosophical objection to the practice, there is also a logical objection to be made to this argument as well. The writer here seems to suggest that because

More than one topic look at the instructions Essay

More than one topic look at the instructions - Essay Example Treatments for such a syndrome are limited; however, it has been proven that avoiding or abstaining from alcohol and caffeine entirely can have a profound effect on the level to which an individual will experience the syndrome (CDC 2012). Furthermore, in severe cases, drugs such as dopamine can be applied to seek to help to regulate the neurological responses within the human body. Lastly, a healthy diet combined with exercise and proper stretching prior to bed has been proven to ameliorate many of the symptoms (RLS Factsheet 2012). According to the Sleep Foundation of the United States, Restless Legs Syndrome affects approximately 10% of all adults within the nation (CDC 2012). As such, one can of course infer that this is exhibited in varying degrees of severity; however, nevertheless the fact of the matter is that RLS has been proven to only worsen with age (WHO 2011). In this way, the propagation and progression of the syndrome with age means that it becomes less and less of an annoyance and more and more of a life-altering syndrome that must necessitate treatment. Accordingly, due to the high level of occurrence within the general population, health care providers must be increasingly conscious of such a malady as well as being ever open-minded with regards to the varying ways in which RLS can afflict their patients and the varying models by which it can be ameliorated. CDC - Key Sleep Disorders - Sleep and Sleep Disorders. (2012, April 7). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved  November  22, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/key_disorders.htm Restless Legs Syndrome Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). (2012, February 15). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Retrieved  November  22, 2012, from

Dealing with Death and Dying Personal Statement - 1

Dealing with Death and Dying - Personal Statement Example I felt satisfied with the condition of the patient and the family before the incident occurred. This was because both the patient and the family had accepted the imminent death of Betty. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1969) in her book On Death and Dying has pointed that openly acknowledging the imminence of death and assisting the patient and family in addressing their issues of immediate concern would significantly improve the quality of the dying process. I had made efforts to ensure that rather than denying the situation the family could come together and support each other. I saw them expressing important emotional feelings for each other. I knew that this interaction was going a long way in helping Betty to resolve unresolved issues. I felt that she was being freed of emotional bondages so that the physical process could take its course peacefully. What was bad about the experience was the sight of a patient for whom I had worked hard in tears. I was reassured when I found that the reason for Betty's sadness was a dream rather than negligence on my part. I know that the emotional turmoil that goes on in a person who is dying is very intense. So I had taken every effort to address as many of these issues as possible and to be ready for all physical as well as emotional contingencies. When Betty shared with me about her dream I was a little unprepared. Especially as my personal belief is that dreams are a reflection of reality and was not inclined to accept that loved ones who have passed away could appear in dreams. However, as a nurse giving palliative care, I was aware that I needed to be sensitive to the beliefs of the patient.  

Nebraska Conflict between Native Americans and the Whites Research Paper

Nebraska Conflict between Native Americans and the Whites - Research Paper Example Present-day Nebraskans may be surprised at though of Confederate troops defending their state from Indians in the Platte Valley. Nevertheless, former Confederates helped much to defend Nebraska frontier during two crucial years of Indian War. By 1864 it became clear that Nebraska needed some kind of help on its frontier because the available manpower grew increasingly less and less adequate. In summer of that year the Arapaho, Sioux and Cheyenne tribes broke telegraph communications, closed the Overland Route, and drove the whites in horror to the Plains. Col. John M. Chivington’s desperate attack on peaceful Natives at Sand Creek, Colorado, infuriated more hostile Indian tribes. 1865 promised to bring an exodus of the whites from already colonized territories. This notwithstanding frontier defenses was enforced by the regiments of the so-called Galvanized Yankees. Officially named â€Å"United States Volunteers†, these were the regiments composed of the former Confederate soldiers. These former Confederates were willing to fight Indians on the assurance that they would not be ordered to fight their country-fellow-men in the south. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the frontier of Nebraska gained its full development. With the release of the volunteers, the regular units resumed the task of the defending the frontier and the regular soldier became Nebraska’s frontier society’s integral part. Dozens of new military posts were built; to the few outposts previously established in Nebraska were added such up-to-date installations as Fort Sidney and Camp Sargent at North Platte. Army campaigns against the Natives intensified increasingly until the power of Indians on the Plains was utterly destroyed. The third phase of Nebraska’s frontier’s history had begun. The significance of these activities is clear by the rapid social and economic growth of Nebraska as of that territory reached its statehood. There were really plenty of the reasons to worry. To be sure after the Civil War was over Nebraska did really escaped violence in scales usual for the times of trouble like that.

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

Mind - Essay Example I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. The main content of the study which has been presented contains work that has not previously been reported anywhere. This written report is for an assignment about software for collaborative work and phenomenological analysis. The assignment is divided into two activities. Activity 1 deals with the evaluation of the software Timbuktu, which is a remote control and secure encrypted connection software that is used for network management on large and distributed networks. Activity 2 of the assignment presents a brief discussion about phenomenological analysis under the Activity 2 for this part. The software Timbuktu is desktop-to-desktop remote control software for use with computers that have the Windows or the Macintosh operating systems. This software is useful for large distributed networks in which hundreds of computers are linked together over a network that has a substantial spatial spread. Because of the spatial spread, it is likely to be difficult for network maintenance or administrative staff to traverse substantial distances to troubleshoot computers or to load files onto the machines. Timbuktu makes it possible for remote computers to be manipulated through network interconnection with a local computer. This is a great help when very many computers have to be looked after, but it must be noted that at the time of writing, Timbuktu is not available specifically for the Vista operating system, although it is likely that the capability of Vista to run legacy software systems will permit Timbuktu to be used on machines with this operating system. Complimentary media can be considered as being a communications media which is capable of replacing the established or the traditional or which is capable of providing support for

Marketing Research Essay Example for Free

Marketing Research Essay Conclusion The purpose of this research is to identify whether Dilmah should continue the current campaign or modify the campaign. The result from the secondary research and primary qantative research show the total black tea sales has great increased about 13% from 2008 – 2009 which is a fantastic result in the world economic recession period of time. Dilmah has market share of 29% which is the highest share of one brand. Dilmah target customer is traditional family and age is from middle to mature group. The Larry report says their customers are satisiftied with the freshest and finest tea quality and consumers agreed Dilmah has achieved the goal of tea quality. The main tea market are in Auckland 51% in 2009, Wellington and Canterburry. From primary research findings, female has higher purchasing tea percentage than male and the age group is 36 and more. People who are employeed as income earner less than 20 hours is recall seeing the TV advertising. Dilmah doesn’t have the top of mind brand awareness for the age group 36-45 but it is mostly recognized by the age group 26-35. Dilmah issues Bell is a very strong competitetor of Dilmah in black tea market as they have a very close market share percentages over years from 2005 to 2009. Bell is more reconigized at the age group of 35 – 46 by 94% (193) but the age group of 18 – 25 and 46 and over still have 67% and 61% top of mind brand awareness for Bell. The 58% of age group 26 – 35 has top of mind brand awareness for Dilmah and the 33% of age group 18 – 25 has top of mind brand awareness for Dilmah. 59% of male and 64% female all reconigized Bell but 39% male and 13% female know Dilmah as top of mind brandawareness. 6% of less 20 hrs knows Bell but 15% knows Dilmah. 61% of non employeed knows Dilmah†¦but which they might not be the main group who purchase tea normally in the household. 32% of 35 – 46 who purchased tea Be to cafe last 4 weeks: Female purchased tea more $704,000 and is about 4 times than male $188,000 at sales. Top main 3 group purchase tea 40 – 44, 45  œ 49 and 70 and over RM: Who bought tea last 4 months: * 2 main group:64% of traditional family (middle to mature age with stable income and family oriented and traditional value) and 41% visible achievers and they have very similar family values Who purchased tea last 3 months * 36 – 45 and 46 and over for bell (29% of interviewers purchased Bell Tea) * 26 – 35 and 36 – 45 for Dilmah (30% of interviewer purchased Dilmah) * 25% purchased Twinings The market trend to drink black has started from 2007 because the black tea sale. The total black sale of 2005 to 2009 has increased steadily which presented the successful of the media and publicity from the secondary data findings. The result shows that those three major brands Dilmah, Bell and Twinings are invested into the most effective forms of media at the past three to four years. Dilmah media expenditure has always been the highest in TV advertising from 2005 – 2008 ( 67% to 91% of Dilmah total expenditure of media) apart from 2009 comparing to the major three tea brands. Bell, the second tea brand spent the most amount of money in TV advertisement at 2009 which showed the result of the total tea sale was the only one brand has had increases sales from 2008 to 2009 about few percentages. Dilmah reduced the spending for TV advertisement about 23% which has slightly reduced the tea sales about little percentage but Dilmah is still No. 1 of black tea market. As a result, Dilmah has been always focusing on the right media form for advertising their product and has been successful on the result of sales and market share. Nevertheless, Dilmah still lacks the brand awareness as it shows in the primary / qanatative research findings that Dilmah did not come to â€Å"Top of mind brand awareness† and Bell was the first tea brand comes to their mind. 62% of interviewers chose Bell and only 22% of interviewers chose Dilmah which makes Dilmah comes second. This clearly shows Dilmah has significant issue about the brand awareness which has always been an issue of them trying to achieve it. From the research findings, the main group which has been purchased tea for last four months are The total black tea market sales from 2008 – 2009 has huge growth about 13%. The total The purpose of this research is to identify whether Dilmah should continue the current campaign or modify the campaign. The result from the secondary research and primary qantative research are showing the most effective forms of media and publicity is TV advertising which the campaign is focusing on. The past few years that Dilmah has been focus on TV advertising and the result shows the sales of Dilmah black tea has been increased steadily. It proved TV advertising has achieved the result of increasing the sales of tea. The research has investigated the 5 objectives which are key trends in the tea market, key customer segments and a profile of each, levels of brand awareness and measure attitudes towards teas as a drink. The findings show Dilmah should continue the current campaign as it is. Key trend in the tea market (market size, market share and price†¦etc) Key customer segment and a profile of each Brand Awareness The most effective form of media and publicity Attitude toward to tea as a drink Recommendation Id research problems / to understand / to investigate / to explore The primary research has contained five objectives are key trend in the tea market, key customer segments, the most effective forms of media and publicity and the measurement attitude towards tea as a drink. Unfortunately, it has had 800 survey but female is almost double of male. This may because the survey accuracy as the secondary research findings shows female has much higher percentage of purchasing the tea which might affect the survey. Beside, there is one more important finding that from middle to mature age groups are also the main groups of tea purchasing. The survey also has higher percentage people at the age group of 36 – 45 and 45 and over. In the primary research, it has covered quite well at the brand awareness question but there are not enough information which required to support the campaign should keep going or modify at the objectives of effectiveness of media, attitude to buy / drink tea and profile of customer segment. The key customer segment by employment should be full time worker, part time worker or non-employed. It will be good to know who does grocery shopping of the household. Full time housewife with out job or Housewife with part time job, part time student or full time student The attitude toward to tea as drink will be good to have the question of what kind of tea is the most favorite to drink? Answer to be black, herbal and green tea which can help to know the current trend of drink tea. * Main reasons of purchasing the tea What kind packaging is the most favourite etc paper bag, tin, glass jar †¦etc†¦ * What kind of advertising comes to mind when you think about tea advertising? * What would you expect to see from tea advertising? Tea history, fashion trend, tea taste†¦etc * Attitude to buy / drinking tea? (change to actionable statement – to identify * Effectiveness of advertising * Profile of segments – behaviour (drinking tea) The secondary and primary researches have got a numbers of good information and data to support the continued campaign of TV advertisement as the most effective form of media. However, it still lack the important information and data key customer segment, attitude toward to tea as drink and the type of tea advertising to support the campaign. The key customer segment will indicate which group is main consumers purchase tea for the household and when and where will the best time to have campaign on according the life consumers. The great information of attitude toward tea as drink can modify the campaign to the advertising that consumers would expect to see and also show who main consumers are. The type of media form will encourage consumers to purchase Dilmah tea brand. Sometimes, it is very hard to encourage consumers to change the brand they have drunk for long time as tea is a very family oriented drink. Drinking tea can be the family habit which dominated by the main person who is shopping for the household. For that reason, it is essential to have the focus group qualitative research to The research requires 8 – 12 people and homogeneous in terms of demorgraphic and socio-economic characteristics. Of course, those people need to have the habit of drinking tea. The final thing is has not participated in many focus groups. The reseach will also require a relax environment and it will takes about 1. 5 – 2 hours. The research will be recorded all relvant information including facial expression and body language so the recorder will need to be in the central front of the room behind the moderator. The moderator will question the group and lead the discussion to the proper way to encourage the group not be afraid to express own ideas and opinions. A good qualified moderator will be detached but kind and Final statement Identify the need for qual research †¦ (topic) To explain yes we have got some good information but still lack some important information†¦ for support to provide more about how to present to public†¦ to recommend what should need according to behaviour†¦ or age group†¦ Just comes one statement that is actionable to complete by the research (your task)†¦ Going to Appendix Good morning/ afternoon Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. We will honor your time by making sure that we wrap up in the next 90 minutes. Does anyone mind if we tape record this for our records? The tape will be only use for the case study of the major tea brand campaign design. We are researchers under contract with the major tea brand to conduct the tea brand awareness and the attitude toward to tea as a drink. Our evaluation is formative and qualitative. This means that our primary point is to gather information that helps the major tea brand origination finest tea product and improve the brand awareness. The information we collect is by design descriptive rather than numeric. We have a system for quantifying qualitative information, but for now, we don’t need to be concerned with counting things. We just want your ideas and opinions. There is no right and wrong for each question and each idea and opinion are all very valuable information for the research. Any question before we start? Be sure that everyone signs and completes the info on the sign-up sheet. Key themes Suggested question End the guide with some kind of thank you and conclusion – recognize that people will have gone out of their way to participate

An Overview Of Next Plc Marketing Essay

An Overview Of Next Plc Marketing Essay The only way to attain the successes the company has experienced in the past few years in terms of growth of sales and profits is to see what opportunities lie on the horizon. In order to identify these opportunities, the Marketing Department of Next Plc has performed a series of internal and external scans throughout the company. This report contains an analysis performed on the micro and macro environment of NEXT PLC. The outcomes are presented in the form of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the company. Furthermore there is a focus on the environment that the company now is in by a PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) and a scan based on the Five Forces Model of Michael Porter. Based on the data gathered by the Marketing Department, we have constructed a Mission Statement to provide the company vision and a sense of direction. All the above mentioned activities are performed in order to create options for future strategies to expedite further growth. The NEXT Company has been performing very well in the last years, sales have increased with more than 100% since 1995 and it increased 20% in the last year. If one looks at the competitors in the market: the department store Marks Spencer and the Arcadia Group (formerly Burton), the sales outcomes are less favourable. You can conclude this by looking at table 1 and 2 down below. Next Plc is one of the innovative companies in the market and was one of the first to adopt and develop an Internet based home shopping branch as a high street retailer. Though competitors (Arcadia) also do business in this channel of retail, it is a highly lucrative way of offering products to customers and has a large growth potential (see table 5). Maybe one of the biggest advantages is the lower fixed cost that Internet selling brings with it because of reduced personnel cost and no shops are needed. One of the strengths the company also has established is a good brand posture. The NEXT brand states individual style, good quality and value for money. Everything in the stores is labelled ‘NEXT and no other brand is sold inside the stores, the brand is perceived by the audience as top quality for an affordable price. 1.2 W E A K N E S S E S : Poor Planning The Gross Profit level of NEXT PLC was lower than the previous year. One of the reasons we found of this occurring is that there have been higher stock levels throughout 1999 and there is an increased proportion of sales made at below full price level. (Daily Mail, City and Finance, 16 Sept 1999) Expensive Currency logo.gifThe expensive pound in contrast to other continental currencies will hamper growth in any main land expedition the company will be participating. The pound is expensive for continental customers and will prefer mainland stores such as ESPRIT and HM. topesprit.gifOne can also see this in the companys results of the year ended January 2000: Sales in overseas stores are declining in turnover when reviewing the change throughout the year. 1.3 O P P O R T U N I T I E S Consumers preference: Large shops In a recent inquiry, Mintel found that most people like to shop in large businesses with a big offer of different types and makes of clothing as you can see in Table 5. Especially men, prefer, when they go out for the purchasing of new clothing, to go to one shop that has it all instead of walking from the one shop to another. E-Commerce logo_skydigital_new.gifThe development of the home shopping channel in the form of internet and digital TV still is in its infancy and can be exploited more. However, one can see in tabel 5 that the online shopping sales are almost doubling every year. People are buying more and more computers, yet the real opportunity lies not in this form, yet in the form of digital TV (see table 6 and 7). Almost everyone has a Televsion: 97%, yet not everyone has a computer 33% in 1998 with an increase of approximately 5% annually. Expand Into new Target Group The company could, as a result of the trend stated at the threat side of the SWOT analysis, expand into a new buyer group. In this way the company could use the threat of decreasing population of targeted age group as an opportunity. In order to reduce the dangers from reduced sales and get an extra benefit from the new people targeted, NEXT can open a shop under a new name or expand the product range in the existing stores. 1.4 T H R E A T S : Over Crowded Market The clothing retail market as well as department stores faces a highly competitive market. The market is overcrowded and still new entries are coming in from the main land (discussed later). Due to this costs rise and profit falls, for the companies have to make people aware of their products (as can be seen in table 1 and 2 of this report). In the future, to make the market healthy again, there have to be some acquisitions. This must be done in order to lower supply. In combination with a stabile or weakly fluctuating demand, this will make it possible for companies to rise prices again and restore profit margins. Population of Target Group Decreases The number of people in the age group that is targeted is declining. This is due to the fact that the baby boomers of the fifties are almost at pension age and the trend of smaller families is sustaining. The main target group of NEXT is people between 18 and 35 and as shown in table 5, one of the largest age groups (25-34) is moving out and as a substitute there is a 6.5% group moving in in the age category of 10-14. This will definitely cause reduced sales in the next 10 years and the retailers will have to look for another source of income. The trend of price offs is ruining the market; reports of lower profit margins are coming from all the companies in the sector, as can be seen in the financials of the competitor companies at the beginning of this report. The price offs are an outcome of the fact of another threat; the market is overcrowded. Since NEXT has not had much trouble with the growing competition, this problem can hurt business seriously. If people get used to the price promotions, they will be reluctant to pay more for the product in the future and that means death for the market. One advantage of this occurrence is that it will drive out the unhealthy part of the market as Sears PLC, who was dismantled last year. (taken from Mintel) Even after knowing the fact that the market is over crowded, the German fashion retailer ESPRIT wants to re enter the market after abandoning it a couple of years ago. ESPRIT is a company that has all the necessary traits of a company to enter the market, for it has a large capital basis, a lot of experience and can create economies of scale. Also with its brand it has a greatly differentiated product, which will create interest. (The Sunday Times 28 nov 1999) The expensive pound relative to the continental currencies and the Euro has made it hard for British companies to expand into the continent. This brings a disadvantage and an advantage; UK products are expensive for continental citizens, yet the costs for the company are lower, because you get a lot of Euros out of a pound. Due to the European unification and the laws that came with it, the British government can not do much to steer the industry sector, for it will then be seen as an act against the monopolies legislation. Also the reluctance of the UK to join the Single European Currency in an entrepreneurs point of view was not such a wise choice, looking at the possible as well as current economic and business related outcomes. Some international companies are pulling out or demand to be invoiced in Euros. 2.2 E C O N O M I C As stated at the threats for the company, the population structure is changing because of the ageing of the population. The concentration of the age groups will shift to an older one because of the tendency of smaller families. People tend to be more active in the last few years and outdoor weekend activities are more popular than ever before. The population is more mobile. On there free time and is willing to spend more on the attributes concerning these activities such as clothing. On the other hand there is also a trend that there is more need for casual dressing instead of the more formal requirements that used to be present at companies. The introduction of the ‘casual Friday and home working makes this possible. 2.3 S O C I A L / C U L T U R A L The consumers spending budget has increased significantly in the last few years due to the upturn in the economy. The ongoing trend of the last few years is the relaxation of dress codes throughout companies. A lot of corporations have adopted the ‘casual Friday as a day where the dress code is less strict and there is no need for formal dressing. Due to the fact that people are spending more time in leisure activities, demand for other fabrics and clothing was created that would suit their needs in their free time activities. Active leisure is more popular now. The current technological advances in clothing are found in the fabrics that have entered the market in the pas few years. Focus is on comfort, in wearing and caring for the material. Popular are the multi- layered Gore-Tex and the flexible materials as Lycra. The advantage of these materials is that they are warm, light, thin, comfortable and easy to clean. Also the further development of the Internet and the relative ease that people can acquire clothing without having to leave their house is an interesting development in the market. More and more retailers are becoming multi-channel retailers by offering their services online. Examples of this are of course www.nextdirectory.co.uk , but also the grocer at www.Tesco.com and bookstores at www.whsmith.co.uk. * The threat of new entrants is rather low, yet, as said before, the German ESPRIT company is trying to enter the market. This is an exemption, because ESPRIT has a lot of resources that make this possible as well as a lot of experience. In words of product differentiation they are in the league of Levis and Benneton. These brands have as extra benefits: Image and superior quality. * As we already know, the bargaining power of our suppliers is very low for there are a lot of companies supplying this market so substitution is easy (see table 10). The problem, however, is the quality we ask from our suppliers. Most of the suppliers only deliver into this market, yet can also change to other markets (professional clothing) that are less profitable and the level of competition is great. * The products that can reduce our sales in the form of substitute products or services are not there, there is however a ‘threat of Internet portals and other forms of home shopping. This is not a severe threat for the company already is active in this channel of selling. The discount retailing of A-brands as Levis in outlets through parallel imports can be a problem. * In the prospect of the consumers there is not much leverage from their account: their money spent on clothing per person is not substantial enough looking at our total sales and their total spending budget. * There is some rivalry in the ranks of the market, for there are declining sales due to a decreasing market. In order to attain customer base, companies have increased their discounts and that leads to the destruction of the market. This is caused by the fact that people do not want to pay the full price amount of the products and companies will have to suffice with lower profit margins. The companys philosophy is to offer quality fashionable clothing, accessories and furnishings for a good price. We can ensure good prices because of our knowledge of the market and by buying in large volumes. Next puts a lot of effort in ensuring and improving our service to our customers and we constantly seek new innovative opportunities to expand our business to fulfil the market needs. The employees of next all work towards the same goal; providing the customer good value and quality in service in all the companys fields of business and build a prosperous company image. The company has a strong drive to increase the value of the company and actively looks new ways to achieve this goal. We have made sure of this in the past and definitely will continue this trend in the future in order to increase shareholder wealth. 4.1 E x p l a n a t i o n After careful examination of the companys features, we came to the Mission Statement above, to give the company a sense of direction. Referring to the book Marketing Strategy and Management by Michael Baker, we found that the following core points should be in a mission statement and we give a brief explanation how we inserted them Company philosophy: This is also directly linked to the other points that are included, for it provides the way the company wants to be seen: its image. Concern for shareholders: Shareholders are the providers of finance for a company and there is no activity before there are financial inputs for the company. In order to secure this in the future, when expansions are current issues, we need extra monetary incentives to achieve these goals. The part of the mission statemetn that deals with shareholder wealth is in line 7 Concern for Employees: Employees are the most important part of the company for they are the direct link to your customers and represent the company. To give them a sense of belonging and a notion of what the company expects from them, the part in line 5 is included. Customer care: Next always seeks to give the price, value and quality products and services the upper hand when turning towards customers. This can also be seen in the way the company sees the importance of its personnel in relation to its customers. Future objectives: The company needs to look into the future and sees it as expanding into new (parts of the) market and improving the customer care by streamlining activities. It also wants to continue the trend of success it has had in the last 5 years 5. C O N C L U S I O N S P R O P O S A L S 5.1 OPTION A: ENTER A NEW AGE GROUP WITH NEW SHOP As stated in the SWOT analysis earlier on in this document, the target group of NEXT is decreasing in size due to the fact that the bay boomers are moving out. There could be a possibility to increase profits by entering this part of the market, as the CEO of Esprit, Heinz Krogner, says in the Times of 28 November 1999: ‘ The population is getting older but not in their attitudes. People do not want to look old, they want to dress young'[1]. People of older age are more established and have more money and free time. Also stated in this report that there is a propensity to tune your clothes towards the free time spending and that is another possibility to increase turnover and therewith profits. 5.2 OPTION B: GO INTO NEW PRODUCT AREA: Search another product area, in which the target group is interested; during research, there was a statement in Mintel that one of the causes of degradation of sales was the fact that young people spend more on technology (mobile phones, sound carriers, etc). This addition to the product range offering, can create a ‘total package and lift the product range of clothing and accessories to a new level. Th problem is that we will be introducing different brands into our product offering and that will decrease the level of exclusiveness of our products, for we have only sold NEXT branded products so far. 5.3 OPTION C: INCREASE SHOP SIZES AND PRODUCT OFFERINGS: In a report of Mintel, it concluded that men prefer to shop in the largest shops where there was everything on hand, so that they only had to go to one shop in order to buy the things they wanted. If you increase shop sizes and hence increase the number and types of clothing and accessories, it will have a larger impression on the potential customer. Larger shops also create larger economies of scale and that brings on favourability in pricings looking at the competition and the need to lower our fixed costs 5.4 R E C O M E N D A T I O N S As the marketing department of the company, we suggest that we expand our services as stated under option A. Option B will bring a lot of disadvantages with it including staff training and more competition. For sure, the customer needs to be educated to know that the NEXT Company sells personal audio and other accessories. As a disadvantage of option C we see that this will not generate that much extra sale, yet decrease our fixed costs. A company must not see reducing cost as their core objective when there is an opportunity to increase sales and create a base for further growth as stated in option A. The number of people outside our regular target group will exceed the number in it in the near future (as can be seen in table 8) and that is why we need to be innovative and use this opportunity in our benefit.

Shutter Island Psychoanalytic Response

Shutter Island Psychoanalytic Response The film Shutter Island is an extremely complex mental thriller that you must watch multiple times to fully understand the movie. Teddy, believes he is a government Marshall looking for a missing patient named Rachel Solando, with the assistance of his accomplice Chuck. In reality, Teddy is Andrew Laeddis and Chuck is Andrews essential therapist. Andrew appears to have a fight between his conscious state, Teddy Daniels, and his unconscious state, Andrew Laeddis. Andrew knows that his wife Dolores murdered his kids and that he murdered Dolores out of rage. However, the blame and distress drag him back to his dreamland. Andrew is constantly tormented by the way his daughter attempted to convince him that he killed his family. Hence, Shutter Island is the perfect case of Freuds theory of psychosis. Initially, a person with an id personality will do anything to have instant gratification. Dolores represents the id because she is a lady who experiences sadness and schizophrenia, a few cases of this is when Dolores sets their apartment on fire because the voices in her head told her to do so. Also, Dolores only lives in Teddy Daniels fantasy world. Her unreasonableness and psychotic tendencies convinced her to kill the three kids. She never thought about the consequences of her actions. Some may argue that Dolores controls Teddy because he allows her to do so. In addition, a person with an ego personality deals with reality, they try to find a logical reason for everything. Dr. Sheehan represents the Ego because he understands the reality of the situation at hand. Hes aware that Teddy is on the verge of eliminating any possibility of living a sane, semi-normal life. Dr. Sheehan is logical because he never wants to hurt Andrew, so he goes along with his part in Teddys dreamland to hopefully break Teddy out of his psychotic state of mind. An example of this is when Dr. Sheehan and Teddy hunt down pieces of information about the missing patient, and they become stuck in an old building due to hurricane-like conditions. Teddy concluded that Shutter Island is brainwashing their patients and that he and Dr. Sheehan are soon to follow. Dr. Sheehan agrees with him because he sees the bigger picture. Hes rational in his actions and careful when dealing with Teddy. Furthermore, a person with a superego personality has a good set of morals in every situation. In the beginning of the film, Teddy Daniels is driven by his morals of good and bad. He chases a life where he seeks justice for the murder of his wife. From the moment Teddy enters the island his goal is to find the missing prisoner. As the movie progresses, he tries harder to solve this mystery even though, he keeps finding less evidence. This allows him to keep making up new reasons to live as Teddy Daniels, and not confront his truth. Andrew Laeddis can never live with himself knowing that he is a murder. Based on the observations from the film, Teddy Daniels has strong moral values. Its ironic how he immorally kills his wife and now lives in a fantasy where he is driven by his morals. Even when we see Teddy come to his senses he remains in his fantasy world, not being able to live with himself as a killer. This is the superego still in effect, which dominates his mind. To conclude, Shu tter island is an excellent example of Freuds theory of psychosis. Dolores has an id personality because she is irrational and irresponsible. Dr. Sheehan has an ego personality because he is rational and has a reasonable answer for everything. Finally, Andrew Laeddis has a superego personality because he goes against all his morals when he kills his wife. He creates a fictional world to live with himself. However, Andrew comes to the conclusion that he rather die a good man instead of living with all the remorse and guilt for his actions.

Shakespeares Othello - Why did Othello Marry? :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Why did Othello Marry? Why did Othello marry is a complex question, the obvious answer would be that he loves Desdemona, but why does he love her and why does his love turn to hate so quickly in Act III scene 3 requires much thought and consideration. Othello likes people to be plain and open because that is what he himself is, he has grown to become his image, he is only on the surface, he hides nothing because that is his image, to only have one side, the military side. Thus Desdemona also seems to him very open, he likes her because he thinks she is like him however when he finds that she might be hiding something from him then he stops loving her. At the same time Othello needs a wife to complete his image, she is the proof that he is a successful general and Christian and he can show her off as such. Othello loves or thinks he loves Desdemona for many reasons, not least because he thinks she is like him. He thinks it will be a good relationship because she seems to be in his eyes just like a soldier thus like him so that he attracted her while telling her tales of his battles as seen in Act I scene 3: "She loved me for the dangers I has passed". He talks to her as he talks to a soldier using images of war and might: "May the winds blow till they have wakened death, And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas". Because she comes with him to the wars, she becomes even more in his mind one of his soldiers so that after he comes back to Cyprus he greets her with: "O, my fair warrior". Othello can not cope with anybody who is different from him, who he cannot understand so that because he sees so much of himself in Desdemona he loves her. She is his "hard bright surface" because she reflects his image when he looks at her. She is commanding, smart and self-confident which he sees as his own best qualities. She shows how commanding and smart she is when she first answers her father in Act I scene 3: To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you.

Mary Renaults The Last of the Wine Essay -- Mary Renault Last Wine Gr

Mary Renault's The Last of the Wine The Last of the Wine, written by Mary Renault and published by Pantheon Books in 1956, is a classical novel that is both historically informative and entertaining. It is a recreation of classical Greece during the Peloponnesian War, when Pericles was the leader of the city of Athens. The story is being told in the first person narrative by Alexas, an Athenian soldier who survives the war. He reflects on his childhood, his experiences as a soldier, and his society's reaction to the ravages of the Peloponnesian war. This was a time when the Spartans had the city of Athens under siege. They burned the surrounding farms, cutting off the food supply of the Athenians who sought refuge inside the city. Alexas recalls the hardships the Athenians faced and their gallant efforts to protect their city from Spartan invasion. The main themes in this book are war, power, heroism, love, loyalty and growth. We are given further insight into the classical Greek society as Alexas reminisces about his family life, his training as an athlete, the Olympic Games, his homosexual relationship with his mentor Lysis, and his encounters with Socrates the Philosopher. The main characters seem dogged by guilt, loneliness or failure, often the failure to love. The book ends on a triumphant note, with the Athenians defeating the Spartans, and liberating their city from the corrupt politicians. Mary Renault is an award-winning novelist who writes imaginative historical fiction. Her literary works center on the social, cultural and political ambiance of pre-classical, classical, and Hellenistic Greece. Renault "is mainly concerned with deepening and reconstructing myths for the purpose of describing contemporary prob... ...leader to create a vision for our youths and our society at large. We are to examine our political institutions to see if they serve the interest of the people. I can vouch for the authenticity of the information in this book. It is historically correct and can be corroborated by the textbook currently being used in my history class. The Last of the Wine makes delightful reading and will appeal to readers of all interests. Written in a style and language that is easily understood and appreciated, it bristles with excitement, adventure and heroic exploits. With all the foregoing in mind, I strongly recommend this book as a literary masterpiece. Works Cited ILandon, C. Burns Jr., "Mary Renault" in Gunton, Sharon R, ed., Contemporanry Literature Criticism. Twaynes Publishers Inc, 1969, 394-397. 2 Renault, Mary. The Last of the Wine Pantheon Rooks, 1956.