Organizational Chart Essay

The company I worked for in the past was FORE Properties. This was a chain or apartment communities that were all purchased and built by the owner and run by the property managers, assistant property managers, and the leasing team. The â€Å"chain of command† went as follows. This is my knowledge to the best of my ability. New positions may have been added or I was never aware of their presence. There are many different reasons why I did not enjoy working for this company. None of them have anything to do with the organization structure. For one, I accepted the position as leasing consultant when I was 3 months pregnant. After working for the company for a few months, I was told that my appearance was unsatisfactory. I was wearing clothes from Motherhood Maternity and looked better than most employees. They were referring to my face because I had severe acne due to the stress of the pregnancy and the job. They were also referring to my hair because it had recently been cut short. My regional actually told me I looked sick. I had extreme fits of morning sickness throughout the whole pregnancy, so looking sick came with the territory. My job was actually threatened several times due to my â€Å"appearance.† Another reason I did not enjoy working for this company is because on one occasion, I was in the shower, getting ready for my regularly scheduled weekend work day, which I hated because I could not spend time with my family, and I slipped in the shower. I was immediately rushed to the ER because being pregnant and falling is a serious issue. I contacted my manager as soon as I could to let her know that I could not physically make it in the office that day and she wrote me up because I contacted her AFTER the office should have been open. I explained that there is nothing I could  have done differently and that my child’s life was in danger. I refused to sign the write up to admit that I was guilty of anything because I wasn’t. The main reason I did not like the job was because the product I was trying to sell was disgusting. For starters, the apartments are income restricted. You have to make a certain amount of money to live there, so it is pointed toward a lower margin. The apartments themselves were never cleaned, stunk like cigarettes, and had multiple different kinds of linoleum and carpet throughout a single apartment. My manager could have paid to have each apartment looking amazing, but instead kept her budget low so she would receive a bonus for not going over budget. I mentioned this several times to my regional, and even had her come and view our apartments, but we were told to lease them anyways. I tried to explain that no one would want to live in an apartment like this. I myself come from the ghetto of South Austin Texas and have lived in some DISGUSTING apartments, but I would not chose to live in these apartments if you paid me. They still put a sense of urgency on us to get the apartments leased and began threatening our jobs. The whole situation was horrible and I am glad I got out of it when I did. I was even told to constantly walk up to the third floor to clean cockroaches out of the breezeways when I was 9 months pregnant. One time I was even told that I would be standing on the corner in a clown suit with a sign that points to the apartments to get traffic in. Being 9 months pregnant, not fitting into the costume and it being 110 degrees outside, I put my foot down and contacted HR and explained what I was being told to do. I was protected from the dressing like a clown, but still expected to walk up and down three flights of stairs in high heels and about to deliver a baby. If I was the regional, the manager, or even the owner, I would invest more time and money into making the property look amazing, inside and out. I would be sure that each and every employee is treated as fair as possible. I would never expect anyone to do anything that they could not physically do. I think the more you push someone to do something, the more stressed out they become and the less they provide you with good work. In conclusion, working for a company has its up’s and down’s. It is up to each level of the structure to make the best of each situation that they are dealt. If they see something that is not right, they need to take charge and handle the situation immediately. I wish that in several instances, my  assistant manager had spoken up for me and handled the situation instead of keeping quite out of fear of losing her job as well. REFERENCES Green, Sarah. Personal Experience, (2010). Working as a leasing consultant for FORE properties. Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Human Resource Management Case Study Essay

1. Ch 1, page 60-61, question 4: What is â€Å"evidence based HR†? Why might an HR department resist becoming evidenced based? The concept of â€Å"evidence based HR† is using specific tools (key performance indicators) to help clarify course of action, identify errors or omissions, and align HR to corporate strategy. It is a decision-making process combining critical thinking with use of the best available scientific evidence and business information (Rousseau & Barends 2011). It forces HR professionals to measure their efficiency and effectiveness quantitatively. In addition, it presents a clearer way to share information with colleagues in a systematic way. One tool that is used is Critical Path Analysis, which helps illustrate the minimum time needed to complete a process. Another method is process mapping, which can help determine needed steps/tasks and enable users to systematically follow the process outlined. Utilizing these tools helps develop uniform, consiste nt operating procedures, which results in a more efficient system. Two key characteristics of evidence based HR are a focus on business strategy, taking into account financial and organization performance measures that are most critical to the company and then using quantitative methods to identify human capital strategies that drive those outcomes; and standards of evidence, in which criteria is used to determine the importance of various relationships which can be used to better design employee strategies. An example is the measurement of employee productivity and work quality against organizational goals. Evidence based HR forces human resource professionals to systematically gather, utilize and evaluate information based on results. In addition, it causes HR professionals to be precise and utilize valid evidence. To do this, HR professionals must evaluate evidence to determine its’ worth. Furthermore, it involves change and systematic work skills, which often causes resistance. However, at the same time evidence based HR allows HR professionals to be viewed as a source of competitive advantage and as a department that creates value by maximizing the use of the company’s most important resource, its’ personnel. It also elevates the importance of employees as a resource beyond the HR department and increases the value of the department to the entire organization, and most importantly utilizes statistical evidence to â€Å"find the critical human levers for improving business results† (Gibbons & Woock 2007). 2. Ch 2, page 99,-100 question 4: How can strategic management within the HRM department ensure that HRM plays an effective role in the company’s strategic management process? When strategic management within the HRM department is used to ensure that HRM plays an effective role in the company’s strategic management processes, it will basically force HRM to review their mission, their goals and their objectives. These factors will have to be in-line with the strategic processes of the company. The two have to be in-sync when they are handled through strategic management. It integrates HRM into the company and the strategic processes from HRM are then also integrated into the strategic management processes of the company. HRM becomes a more active, effective department and both HRM and management then work as a unified team towards the company’s mission, objectives, and values. It creates the most productive and opportune environment for customers and the company. When we look at it from the opposite spectrum, if strategic management is not in place within the HRM department, it will create a state where the company is less efficient because although strategic management is being used throughout the company, it is not being used within the HRM department. When we strategically manage HR, we become involved with the employees from a strategic basis. By doing so, we are better able to handle the resources needed for the employees and to provide our employees with more, like better benefits, more comprehensive compensation packages, and related items. The employees are encouraged in their work because they are being motivated by the strategic management of HRM and what it’s doing to provide for them – the employees. Due to the greater encouragement, it reduces employee turnover and increases efficiency. This causes the company to be able to fulfi ll their goals and objectives that have been both created and managed through the strategic management process. 3. Ch 3, page 147-148, question 3: Many companies have dress codes that require men to wear suits and women to wear dresses. Is this discriminatory according to disparate treatment theory? Why? The process of establishing if an action/policy is discriminatory can be very challenging. However, a number of theories seek to differentiate actions that constitute  discrimination and those that do not. Disparate treatment Theory is amongst the most commonly used theories that have been used to ascertain whether an act or policy amounts to discrimination or not. The theory argues that one is subject to discrimination if they are treated less favorably than others are in similar situations (Bent, 2011). Many companies have dress codes that require men to wear suits and women to wear dresses. This has raised a debate on whether such policies are discriminatory or not. Based on the Disparate Treatment Theory, such a policy cannot be considered as discriminatory. Men and women cannot be on the same platform in that they both dress differently. Even if people from both sexes were allowed to determine whatever they dress, there is no way that men would dress exactly as women (Belton, 2004). The most important consideration as to whether the policy that commits men to wear suits and women to wear dresses amounts to discrimination would call for the scrutiny of the motive. Many companies that take up such a policy are not inclined to punishing or discriminating against women. Rather, they attribute the policy to the need for sanity and decency at the work place. In a world where dresses for women can expose some of the most sensitive parts of their body, the need for regulation cannot be ignored. Furthermore, one cannot claim that putting on dresses is less fashionable as compared to putting on suits. The design and fitting of the dress and the suit would determine whether one is neat or not. From all these considerations, the disparate treatment theory rules out the possibility of the policy that requires men to put on suits and women dresses as discriminatory to women (Bent, 2011). 4. Ch 4, page 185, question 6: What are the trade-offs between the different approaches to job design? Which approach do you think should be weighted most heavily when designing jobs? There are three major approaches to job design: the engineering approach, human approach, and the job characteristic approach. Each is valuable in its own way, but there are trade-offs that occur depending upon the approach, which is taken. With the engineering approach (also called the task approach), there is a lot of repetition. This can lead to boredom. In this approach, there is specialization to the task, and employees are not encouraged to learn more or improve the job. Because jobs designed using this approach have employees typically set at a  particular station, each employee is basically a wheel in a cog, executing part of a task and passing it on to the next station. There is little interaction between employees and often the job is paced according to a machine (part of an assembly line). It is difficult to take pride in one’s work since there is not a finished product. Employees do not have a say in their work, tools or methods used. However, work is performed accurately, by the best person selected for the job, in a procedural, systematic way. This increases specialization thus leading to higher output. The human approach increases employees’ job satisfaction and emphasis motivators like responsibility, advancement, and recognition. In addition, importance is placed on working conditions, pay, job security, and employee relations. The psychological needs of employees are paramount in designing jobs, which increases employee satisfaction, but does not necessarily guarantee satisfaction or performance. Another approach, job characteristics, is based on the idea that employees will perform better if motivation and rewards are built into the work. As such, the work is designed to offer a variety of activities so employees can use different skills, tasks are executed in a manner that there is completion of an identifiable piece of work, there is work of importance, employees have the ability to work based on their knowledge, not as part of an assembly line, and there is feedback in regards to the work. This is optimal, however, drawbacks of this approach include needing to find people who are motivated to find best practices, who can work independently, and who do find motivation at work. The approach which should be weighted more heavily is dependent on the job. In the case of making an automobile or similar repetitive task, one would want to utilize an engineering approach, since the work is repetitive, precise, and focused on output. In most other cases, the job characteristics approach seems logical since it is likely to lead to better, more satisfied employees. It would be important to give sufficient feedback to help manage the employee toward optimal performance utilizing this approach. Ultimately, efficiency and productivity are key, so motivation must be included in some form to produce better results. The job characteristics approach appears to take in regards more factors (skill variety, task identity and significance, autonomy and feedback) to produce greater results. References Bent, J.R., (2011). The telltale sign of discrimination: probabilities, information asymmetries, and the systematic disparate treatment theory, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 2011, Volume 44, Issue 4, p. 797 Belton, R. (2004). Employment discrimination law: cases and materials on equality in the workplace. Thomson/West Bobinski, D. (2004). The role of HR in strategic planning. Management Issues. Retrieved from: http://www.management-issues.com/2006/5/25/opinion/the-role-of-hr-in-strategic-planning.asp Campion, M.A. & Thayer, P.W. (1987). Job design: Approaches, outcomes, and trade-offs. Organizational Dynamics, 15(3), 66-80. Gibbons, J. M., Woock, C. (2007). Evidence-Based Human Resources: A Primer and Summary of Current Literature. The Conference Board, Retrieved from: http://www.conference-board.org/ Mashete, P. (2008). Approach to job design. Human Resource Knowledge. Retrieved from http://hrknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/01/approach-to-job-design.html Noe, R., J. Hollenback, B. Gerhart, Wright P. (2013) Human resources management (8th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Rousseau, D. M., Barends, E. G. R. (2011). Becoming an evidence-based HR practitioner. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(3), pages 221–235.

An analysis of how photography addresses ideas about still life, with Essay - 1

An analysis of how photography addresses ideas about still life, with particular reference to the works of Irving Penn Still Life - Essay Example rtant element complementing composition and the message conveyed by the artwork or â€Å"communicating allegorical or latent meanings† (Martineau, p.6); it later developed as an independent art form, acquiring its own definition, canons and traditions. Most dictionaries give the following definition to still life: it is a picture that consists of inanimate objects like flowers, fruit, vessels or dead game. But on the other hand, still life as a genre has always been a subject to cultural influences that formed differences in defining and thinking of this genre. The first photographic still life picture emerged about a decade before the official announcement of photography invention in 1839 (Martineau, p.6). Nicephore Niepce, the inventor, was an author of the picture named Set Table depicting a laid table offering a meal for one person. The objects on the picture are rounded by deep shadows (the evidence of lengthy exposure), and the austerity of the photographed meal conveys allusions to Da Vinci’s Last Supper (Martineau, p.6). As photography emerged as a revolutionary art enabling â€Å"painting† not with brushes, but with light, the golden age of painting was gradually replaced by the age of digital fine art. Photography virtually borrowed almost all genres from painting, vesting them in the form of new technologies and using new means to create a desirable effect. In this way, still life migrated to photography, carrying all the key traditions of conventional still life painting to the newly invented art. Particularly, the photographers working at the dawn of photography practiced nature morte as one of the principal genres, using the same objects of depiction their predecessors used to paint with oil or watercolor. Thus, first attempts in photography mirrored compositions used previously in pictorial art (Ingledew, p. 57). The reason pioneers of photography such as Roger Fenton chose still life as the most favorable genre and inanimate objects as their

Discuss how you think we should approach globalization Essay

Discuss how you think we should approach globalization - Essay Example Additionally, this essay presents the role of that the government and international institutions should play in a globalized world. Finally this essay presents a conclusion of the findings from the discussion supported by critical readings of available sources and material from the textbook and lecture. International businesses have significant responsibilities in a global economy, such as, provision of fair business systems across the borders. In the present day, as companies struggle to reach the international market, they are faced with a number of challenges that rise above their ordinary goals. It is clear that international companies have a significant role to play in the social and environmental spheres, labour settings and human rights (Palmer 4). Primarily, these international companies set principles that help them conduct businesses across borders as responsible businesses of the society. Most of all, international companies ensure that they respect the legal obligations set by the countries they carry out their business activities (Palmer 4). According to Varia (2007), the responsibility of international businesses, not only lies within the original countries, but even across borders. It is clear that many international businesses have put emphasis on the utilization of available resources and workforce while leaving out the need to avert risks involved by going across the borders. In addition, a number of international companies abandon their local resources in search of international resources (Varia 5). It is, therefore, important for these international companies to focus on developing local capacities or business ties with local firms and industries. According to Palmer (2002), it is the role of international businesses to participate in societal building activities and initiatives when called upon. Many people are forced to work under unfair work circumstances in foreign

Social Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Media - Research Paper Example In Varnali Para 2 the companies occasionally employ interactive marketing so to engage the customers either directly or indirectly in the move to raise their brand awareness, image improvement or to promote the sale of their products and services. The applications provide an important aspect for the customers and tourists to interact with the company’s brand frequently. Due to the rampant usage of smart phones; the travel providers, hotels and tourism destinations are increasingly formulating the mobile downloadable applications for leisure and business travelers, in order to facilitate their ease of information access. Based on Varnali Para 5 the hospitality industries are exponentially building their brand awareness so as to match with their long term strategies. The McDonald chain of hotels, have their successful mobile App (McD App) which assists consumers to know the available offers, a McDonald chain store near the customer, redeemable services, directions, menu, games among others to attract potential customers. The importance of such a cost effective strategy is that, frequent customers’ interaction with the Apps necessitate awareness and the companies brand image increases. Through the positive perception of the hospitality brand images, it provides an easy method to retain the consumers for future services or products. The peer reviews provide that Perceptual habit increase the hospitality industries brand loyalty (Varnali Para 7). The American Airlines and US Airways recently merged in order to boost their competitive advantages. From the merging, the companies’ used their respective mobile Apps to notify the consumers on their redeemable options to earn loyalty points, award travels, dividends, reservations and upgrades so as the customers can earn value from their money. The companies used the merging strategy so as

GUIDELINES ASSIGNMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GUIDELINES ASSIGNMENTS - Essay Example For this reason, adults often migrate from rural to urban areas hoping to find good employment opportunities that the local business cannot provide them. Because of this situation, a large percentage of young adults relocate to the city leaving their elderly parents behind. The study aims to establish a relationship between incidence of depression among elderly parents and outmigration of children ( Abas et.al, 2009). The study was conducted among a rural area in Thailand using a population based survey of 1,147 ageing parents (p.56). The subjects were recruited based on the following criteria: must at least be 60 years old, a parent of at least one living child, and Thai-speaking. Certain conditions were set by the researchers to establish the term â€Å"outmigrant† child. The researchers classified an â€Å"outmigrant child† as someone who has not come home for at least three successive months and lives no less than 15 km from the area being surveyed (p.55). The resea rchers formulated a survey wherein teams were dispatched to interview the subjects. Assistance from local administrators were sought to be able to have access to the community. The research was carried for 3 months (November 2006-January 2007) in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand (p.54).

Analysis of the Number of Explanations for the Significant Growth in Research Paper

Analysis of the Number of Explanations for the Significant Growth in Female Imprisonment - Research Paper Example Crime has forever been a major problem for society at large. It has presented itself as a challenge to every authority and government in the world. Since historical times, sociologists and criminologists have been the principal contributors to crime research, which has led to an extensive research literature on the general topic of the role of incentives in the determination of criminal behavior. In this regard, a notable feature is an increase in crime among women. With approximately 52% of the population of UK being formed by women (in 2005 there were 30.7 million females compared with 29.5 million males in the UK population), male offenders outnumbered female offenders by more than four to one in 2006. Despite this fact, the irony is that today more women are locked up in England and Wales than in any EEA nation other than Ukraine and Spain. The number of women serving custodial sentences has increased substantially. Recent statistics indicate an increase of 30% in the female pris on population during 2001. Furthermore, various studies demonstrate a 15% increment in the number of women incarcerated between 2001 and 2002, compared to an increase of 6% for men3. This might lead one to believe that women are becoming more prone to committing crimes or according to Box (1983);4 there is a serious problem with the system that was so far seen to be lenient in prosecuting women offenders. Crime in Switzerland is also becoming a cause of major concern with a 27% climb in the rate of female crime, in the past five years5. With the support of well-documented theoretical explanations for women’s crime as well as accounts of early contributions portraying women as sexual beings the focus on women has been in the context of their supposed inferiority to men. This has, in turn, led to explanations that revolve around the sex role socialization, as well as the emergence of the women’s movement.  Ã‚  

Risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Risk management - Essay Example The risk in investing in real assets is different from investing in financial securities because the rates of revenue generation associated with the two are different. Generally, real assets investment requires a lot of factors that determine profit. Some of these factors, which include staffing could be expensive and if not done well affect the revenue fortunes of the company. The risk with real assets is therefore higher. Question 2 In terms of acquiring the Latvian logistics business, the company faces business risk, which is posed against the market performance of the acquiring company. With reference to this particular risk, it is advised that â€Å"good fundamental analysis and careful selection of equities are the best ways to minimize this risk† (Noble Trading, 2009). Valuation is another risk that is associated with the Latvian acquisition. The company must be in a position to undertake comprehensive valuation that factors in the unseen cost of risks so that the final quote of the project will be one that assures value for money. With reference to the Kazakhstan subsidiary investment, some of the risks associated are inflation and interest rate risks, and market risk. This is because this investment is going into an existing business that is founded by the company in question. The single reason why it is important to have an integrated risk mitigation strategy is that the company is undertaking two different forms of investments which need an integrated strategy that caters for all the different investments. Question 3 Knowing that the risk-return trade off principle generally deals with the corresponding rises in return when there is an increase in risk, it would be right to argue that the management of working capital is the ultimate risk-return trade off for financial managers because the working capital is the single most reliable source of funding that financial managers can boast of. All other funds such as credits only come in as liabilit ies that need to be defended. Therefore, the harder financial managers try to take risk with their capitals and try to overcome the risks, the more they will count their returns. It is advised that the working capital of the company should be managed in such as way that it would have a correspondence with market dictates. This means that the company should pump in much fund into real asset investment if that sector shows signs of market boom. The switch should go to financial securities if that sector also shows signs of good performance. In simple terms, the working capital of the company should chance gloomy market. Question 4 The CAPM model distinguishes between specific risk and systematic risks because of the parameters under which each of these risks occur. Generally, specific risks are more attributed to managerial and other human control risks such as mismanagement which causes variation in the aggregate of productivity whiles systematic risks are associated with â€Å"vari ation in an asset's value caused by unpredictable economic movements† (cooper, 2012). To the investors, there is an implication which is, there are moments that their own actions can create risks and so as much as possible, they should always look for ways of minimising such specific risks.

Consumer Behavior Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consumer Behavior - Research Proposal Example While scholars like Rallapalli (2008) considered globalization as a blessing for the customers considering the increase in the number of options for decision making, Weinberg & Gottwald (2006) stated that the traditional buyer-seller relationship is changing because of globalization. Considering these sentiments, the primary focus of this research will be to analyze the influence of globalization on the behavior of the customer towards the multinational brands entering into the market. The aim of the research is to assess the influence of globalization on the customer behavior in respect to the multinational brands. The researcher also intends to evaluate the changes brought in the buying process of the customers as a result of globalization and identify the factors that are influencing the decision making process of the customers in the contemporary market scenario. The extent of globalization as a theoretical concept and reality is dominating the international business place. The concept of developing a unified market place for sustainable growth of the business houses and their customer base has taken a new shape, as the strategic aims of the business houses have altered from profit earning to accumulating customer base. On the other hand, the reaction of the customers towards the changes in the market place is mixed in nature. While some groups of customers are considering globalization to be one of the most advantageous alternations in market structure, others are finding it difficult to comprehend the developments in the market. In the words of Fornell (2007), globalization is not only for the business houses, it has given immense power to the customers by increasing the transparency in the market place. However, it is quite evident that despite having a larger market scope, many of the multinational firms are facing it difficult to perfor m in the new market places. This shows the contradictions in the nature of the business process and the

Identify the environmental factors that affect global and domestic Essay

Identify the environmental factors that affect global and domestic marketing decisions - Essay Example Due to the effective and competent marketing research and development of Coca-Cola it was able to manufacture and distribute worldwide. Coca-Cola is evidently a transnational organization. Even though the main office of Coca-Cola is in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the beverage magnate is greater than merely an American firm with several branches abroad (Gillespie & Hennesy 2010). It is genuinely an international business. Almost 80% of the operating income of Coca-Cola (Ferrell 2007) originates from its operations overseas. Influence of Global Economic Interdependence and Trade Practices and Agreements Trade agreements smooth the progress of joint enterprises, franchising, distribution systems, and other global transactions between and among companies. Products of Coca-Cola are manufactured and distributed in a large number of countries all over the world. National governments curb barriers to trade like tariffs cutback and funding that took place specifically a decade (Gillespie & Henness y 2010). This has been one of the major reasons compelling Coca-Cola to spread out globally. In the meantime, there has been an increasing financial market deregulation since 1980s. This has involved abolishing floating of currencies and exchange regulations (Ferrell 2008). This aids Coca-Cola in identifying financial deal globally. Lifting regulations on interest rate permits the company to take advantage of overseas lending effortlessly, with the intention of reaching the global market (Gillespie & Hennessy 2010). The financial market deregulation has significantly enhanced competition and promotes remarkable escalation in worldwide financial movement (Gillespie & Hennessy 2010). In sum, Coca-Cola has effectively reached the global market in reaction to the motivators of globalization. Importance of Demographics and Physical Infrastructure Coca-Cola has become successful through market segmentation and differentiation. For instance, the company recognizes that individuals with dyn amic or hectic lifestyle will prefer beverages that have high contents of caffeine or glucose, like energy or sports drinks (Ferrell 2008). Likewise, the company is aware that children, teenagers, and young adults want sweet beverages (Ferrell 2008). This is how Coca-Cola uses the importance of demographics. For example, the company determined through market research that Coca-Cola Lite was considered a ‘female drink’ by males. Consequently, the company introduced a fresh product, named Coke Zero, which is intended for the male consumers (Gillespie & Hennessy 2010). In the meantime, the company is affected by physical infrastructure in terms of its response to the fast growing beverage market. Coca-Cola takes into consideration the capacity for expansion of its current factories, acquisition or building of other facilities, and acquisition of goods from other producer (Gillespie & Hennessy 2010). As an outcome of this consideration the company is able to choose the best sites or places at which to broaden or enlarge their production capacity. Influence of Cultural Differences Promotional campaigns of Coca-Cola have been in agreement with the local culture. An adjusted or localized marketing mix implies modifying the mix with the dominant economic, physical, and cultural differences in various countries. Diverse cultures and languages

Positive effects of video games Essay Example for Free

Positive effects of video games Essay Now I am no expert in the mind, but in my research I have found that there is several ways that we can learn from playing video games. Video games have always been infamous for their anti-social aspect and the violence that is shown in them. They have been seen as negatively affecting the players in terms of lack of social skills, inefficiency, obesity and laziness. We lack the unbiased view thus miss on the positive effects of video games. The negativities brought in by video games are due to the unrestricted duration for which they are played. Video games are popular among the children and the youth of America. If there is no limit to the time for which a child is allowed to play a video game or no supervision on the way in which the game is being played, the not-so-positive effects of video games will start showing up. In the contrary case, video game players will start manifesting the positive effects of video games. Good video games incorporate good learning principles. Why? If no one could learn these games, no one would buy them. Players will not accept easy, dumbed down, or short games. Challenge and learning are a large part of what makes good video games motivating and entertaining. First of all a gamer can learn identity. No learning happens unless gamers make a commitment. Learning a new area, whether it be physics or medicine, requires the learner to take on a new identity: to make a commitment to see and value work and the world in the ways in which good physicists or doctors do. Good video games capture the player through identity. Players are either given a strongly formed and appealing character, such as Master Chief in the Halo series or they get to build a character from the ground up, as in Fallout 3. Either way, players become committed to the new virtual world in which they will live, learn, and act through their commitment to their new identity (Gee 4). When playing video games, gamers can learn how to interact. In fact, nothing happens until a player acts and makes decisions. Then the game reacts back, giving the player feedback and new problems. In a good game, words and actions are all placed in the context of an interactive relationship between the player and the world. (Gee 5). Players are producers, not just consumers. Even at the simplest level, players co-design games by the actions they take and the decisions they make. An open-ended game like Fallout 3 is, by the end, a different game for each player. In a massive-multi-player game like World of WarCraft thousands of people create different virtual careers through their own unique choices in a world they share with each other. Also many games come with versions of the software with which they are made and players can modify them. Such modifications range from building new skate parks in Tony Hawk or new scenarios in Age of Mythology to building whole new games. Players help â€Å"write† the worlds they live in. Players learn how to take risks and manage resources. Good video games lower the consequences of failure. If this happens then the players are encouraged to take risks, explore, and try new things. In fact, in a game, failure is a good thing. When facing a boss, the gamer uses initial failures as ways to find the boss’s pattern and look for a weakness. Also, especially with strategy games, player receive resources at given intervals and must save and spend them wisely to reach his ultimate goal. This involves abilities of resource management and testing. A player can learn to recognize the types of situations and react to them with determination. He can also learn to map the virtual world scenarios to those in the real world. Players can usually, in one way or another, customize a game to fit with their learning and playing styles. Games often have different difficulty levels and many good games allow players to solve problems in different ways. In a role-playing game, the distinctive attributes each player chooses for his or her character determines how the game will be played. Players can even try out new styles, thanks to the risk taking principle above. Research has shown that when learners are left free to roam in a complex problem space they tend to hit on creative solutions to complex problems. In good video games, the problems players face are ordered so that the earlier ones build a foundation so that later players can be presented with more, harder problems. It matters how the problems are organized, this is why games have levels. Good games offer players a set of challenging problems. Then, when the players have got it figured out the game throws a new type of problem at the players (sometimes this is called a â€Å"boss†), requiring them to rethink their now taken-for-granted mastery, learn something new, and integrate this new learning with their old mastery. In time, this new mastery is reinforcedA game can create an accomplished feeling by being pleasantly frustrating. Thanks to many of the above principles, good games stay within, but at the outer edge, of the player’s comfort level. That is, the game feels doable, but challenging. This is a highly motivating state for learners because it can feel rewarding beating the level or the boss that the player fails at a few times. Games encourage players to think about relationships, not isolated events, facts, and skills. In a game like Empire: Total War, for instance, players need to think of how each action taken might impact on their future actions and the actions of the other players playing against them as they each move their civilizations through the Ages. In a massive multi-player game like World of WarCraft, players must think of the consequences, good or bad, of their actions not only on all aspects of the game world, but on lots of other players as well. In our complex, global world, such system thinking is crucial for everyone. When players play a multi-player game like World of WarCraft, they often play in teams, in which each player has a different set of skills (say a Mage, a Warrior, or Druid). Players must each master their own specialty, since a Mage plays differently than a Warrior, but players learn to use each other’s strengths to minimize weaknesses. Furthermore, in such teams, people are allied by their commitment to a common goal, not primarily by their race, class, ethnicity, or gender. Players can play before they are experienced, supported by the design of the game, the help the game offers, and often, too, the support of other, more advanced players (in multi-player games, in chat rooms, or standing there in the living room). A very important positive effect of video games is the improvement of hand-eye coordination. A player has to watch on screen while simultaneously operating the joystick of the device in his hand to make moves. This requires the player to be alert and well coordinated. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester found that people who play fast-paced action video games have improved visual and reaction skills when compared to those who dont play. According to the study, people who played such video games were able to better track objects appearing simultaneously, and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently. To help ensure the validity of the study, researchers also looked at people who did not normally play video games, trained them to play, and then looked at the results. This group, too, showed improved visual capabilities. The games the non-players were trained on were Medal of Honor and Tetris. Those who played Medal of Honor scored better on the visual tests than those who did not. The findings indicate that video game training for people who require improved visual skills, such as soldiers or teenagers preparing to drive, would be successful. In a study conducted in 2004 by Butch Rosser, a surgeon of Laparoscopy, he studied the surgical skills of surgeons playing video games and surgeons who did not. It was astonishing to know from the results that surgeons playing video games were faster in action and made lesser mistakes during work than those who did not play video games. Children with problems with attention, lack of self-confidence, or who are picked on are often helped by the gaming experience. Video games have also been included in the therapy for children with such psychological problems. Children that see themselves as failures receive benefit from playing video games, because they can provide the player with a sense of participation success. In playing video games, a child gets a sense of participation, a sense of achievement, thus building his self-confidence. Children, after playing video games begin to feel excited about their lives, they start feeling positive and enthusiastic. This enables them to defeat their psychological disorders to a certain extent. And video games give children a chance to share their expertise and skills with their parents. This can give the child a boost of self-confidence when he gets to teach his parents something that he learned. Playing video games involves problem solving, planning, estimation and analysis of the moves or actions of both you and your opponent. This affects the player positively by developing in his problem-solving skills, analytical and estimation skills and quick decision-making. Video games give the means to channel one’s emotions in a positive way. Anger, hatred and such other negative feelings in a person’s mind get a chance to come forth by way of a game instead of real life. A player can shoot or beat up enemies with satisfying results that gets rid of anger that might have built up inside them.

Strategic Management Case Study: Apple

Strategic Management Case Study: Apple 1.0 introduction Strategic management is the art and science of formulating, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its objectives. Strategic management includes a systematic recognition of specifying the firm’s objectives, nurturing policies and strategies to achieve these objectives, and acquiring and making available these resources to implement the policies and strategies to achieve the firm’s objectives. Strategic management, therefore, integrates the activities of the various functional sectors of a business, such as marketing, sales, production etc., to achieve organizational goals. (Lamb, 1984) 1.1 Company background Apple Inc. is an American corporation that designs and manufactures computer hardware, software and other consumer electronics. The company is best known for their Macintosh personal computer line, Mac OS X, extremely loyal user-base, iTunes media application and the iPod personal music player. The company headquarters is in Cupertino, California, CEO and co-founder is Steve Jobs and the company boasts 284 retail locations spanning 10 different countries. Apple was established on April 1st, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit. Steve Jobs was said to own 45% of the company, Steve Wozniak with 45% and Wayne with the remaining 10%. While Jobs and Wozniak were young with little to no assets, Ronald Wayne was older with personal assets and was scared to put these at risk. Apple products have been able to achieve the highest rate of sales compared to its competitors in the world, and the company was able to significantly control the electronics market in the world throughout their products. 2.0 strategic analyses Strategic analysis is the process developing a strategy for a business, throughout researching about the business and the environment in which it operate. Strategic analysis involves two scenarios internal to organization and external to the organization. It is important to also remain focused on the destiny or goal and then make relevant analysis internally as well as externally, as the strategic analysis is something which is very wide in nature. (MiHyang, 2010, NCVO newsletter, 2009). The strategic analysis tools gives magical solutions for the company’s head office, so that they can analyze the current internal and external business scenario for advanced planning. The tools that Apple can use are as shown below. 2.1 General environment General environment are the factors and circumstances such as economic, legal, political and social. That affects everyone in the industry generally or the market more or less similarly. Although a business cannot control what takes place in the general environment, evaluating the general environment can allow businesses the opportunity to predict changes and identify future opportunities during a manager’s analysis of the general environment. General environment includes two theory branches. The SWOT analysis which detects the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats an organization may face in the future or is facing in the present. The other theory is the PEST which may affect the general environment of the company. 2.2 PEST analysis As well as the internal factors that can affect an organization’s performance, there are also a number of external factors that affect the organization success in the business world. Many organizations use the PEST analysis in determining the impact of these factors on the organization. Pest analysis consists of four factors political, economical, social, and technological. To achieve the highest benefit from this analysis, organizations must understand the role of each factor. As a company apple Inc. concentrates a lot on PEST analysis and Porter’s five forces. Actually these two theories are considered very important for any successful company. As a company apple cannot control its relationships with other countries such as, china, and Korea. Any political conflicts between United States of America and any of these countries will cause horrible effects on Apple Inc. Since is producing many of its products outside America in Chinese and Korean factories. Any economical crisis will highly have an impact on Apple Company. Although inflation rates will also affect the company, as well as the U.S.D value in international market will also affect the company. Socially the world has changed a lot in the last 5 years with the help of Apple’s advanced technology. Apple contributed in this social change. Apple is required to improve and develop their technologies more and more, so that they can get the highest benefit from the social changes that occur in the world. Apple is a prestige for any high class person, so they should always stay like that. Nowadays technology is improving quicker than before. Apple is considered one of the innovative companies in the world right now, so they always should utilize any development in the technology to innovate and introduce more products to the world. 2.3 Competitive environment The competitive environment is the dynamic system in which your business competes. The status of the whole system controls and sometimes limits the amount of flexibility in your business due to the world economic status. Economical crisis, shortage, and unexpected disasters affect the competitive environment. There are two types of competitive environments direct and indirect competitors. Direct competitors are competitors who produce the same products as yours. They compete with you directly in order to achieve higher revenue than your company. The other type of competitive environment is the indirect competitors. Most of the organizations face competition from suppliers of different products or services. 2.3 Value creating Activities Value creating activities is the set of actions that increase the value of the product, or the service. In order to gain a competitive advantage, throughout this process the product or the service of an organization will achieve a marginal value. If these set of activities are applied properly the organization will gain a competitive advantage on their product or service. 2.3.1 Value chain analysis According to Michael porter a value chain is the set of actions that build up worth at every stage in producing the product. The cost of the product settled by the company is the total of all the expenses paid throughout all stages of producing this product. Value chain analysis is a tool applied by organization, so that they can figure out how to create a great worth for their consumers. 2.3.2 Application to Company The value chain analysis will help in determining the rate of development in Apple Inc and will also detect how Apple uses their resources. This value chain component tends to prove apple’s abilities in the technological branch. Apple was the first company to introduce a digital lifestyle hub. The history of apple is full of technological achievements. Apple operating system is considered more safe and stable than windows. Apple tends to be the best and the first in the technological products achievements. Since Apple rejected to license its operating system to other organizations, the bundled packages of the company developed hardware and software that became the basis of Apple’s production process. Apple considers productivity as an important branch of the designing process. When apple achieved a good market share growth and had a base of loyal consumers who are waiting for apple to introduce a new product, so that they can replace their old product with the new one. Apple saw that it is time for expensive P.C to enter the market. Apple concentrated on achieving more growth than before, so that they can produce a better ‘mousetrap’ all the way through its history. Customer service is one of the main things that make Apple Inc. special in the market. Actually they tend to satisfy the consumer even after buying the product by giving the consumer after sale services and warranty. Apple’s efficient customer service is one of the reasons why loyal consumers never change to another companies selling the same technology. Legally in a changeable innovative market, it is well-known for apple company that it is important to protect their copyrights and maintaining the patent, so that no one of their competitors can use any of the inventions that apple have record it under their name. In the year 2012 Samsung company was fined about 1 billion$ in favor of Apple Inc. because they used two of the invention that apple have record them as a patent. This proves that apple as a company is able to protect their rights from the competitors’ utilization. 2.4 Resource based view RVB is a tool that is used to evaluate the value of organization strategic assets. The resource based view tool is based on the idea that the efficient use of all resources that an organization collects helps in determining its competitive advantage. 2.4.1 Resources Organization resources are all the resources that allow and help a firm to apply and perform its activities. All resources that a firm has may not be strategically related. There are specific resources that are capable to put a firm in position of competitive advantage. There are four components that an organization should have in order to achieve a competitive advantage. These four components form the VRN characteristics. 2.4.2 Core Competencies (Prahald Hamel) Core competencies are a group of supplementary information, abilities, attitudes, and resources in a firm which makes performing a critical process better than other process. 2.4.3 Distinctive capabilities According to john kay distinctive capabilities are a related aspect of organization resources. Organizations with distinctive capabilities have features which other cannot imitate. To achieve a competitive advantage a company must have three distinctive capabilities architecture, reputation, and innovation. 2.4.4 Application to company Apple main resources are its brand name and marketing strategies. Apple has a good reputation in the market, although their high quality products in the market results in having a big base of loyal customer. Apple software also is one of the most resources that the company has. In a nutshell apple as a company have both tangible and intangible resources, but the intangible resources is the main reason for the company success. Apple Core Competencies analysis Adapting a viral marketing strategy from social networking websites was a great step which achieved success in making apple closer to the consumers. Customer loyalty is one of the most important competencies in Apple Company. The company was able to manage keeping their customers loyal to them by attracting them through creating such innovative products, so that customers will always wait for the new products. What makes apple so special is their high ability in protecting their new product details, although there is no any information can be leaked about apple products before introducing them. This proves that apple employees are so loyal to their company by maintaining secrecy about any information regarding new products. 2.5 Organizational performance Organizational performance is tool used to analyze an organization’s performance compared to its goals and objectives. Organizational performance consists of three essential outcomes financial performance, market performance, and shareholder value performance. 2.5.1 Measuring Coo-prate Performance Measuring corporate performance tool is used to evaluate the accomplishments of settled goals in an organization. It also detects any failure in achieving a specific goal. This tool also predicts the future performance. 2.5.2 Meeting the Needs of Stakeholders Achieving success in applying a certain strategy is evaluated through the amount of satisfaction of stakeholders and whether there needs are met or not. To satisfy stakeholders there is a short term and long term success of any business. 2.5.3 Application to company (appendix) Throughout balance sheet a company can measure its coo-prate performance, so that they can get know whether they are gaining profit or not. 3.0 strategy formulation Strategy formulation is the course of action that indicates actions that should be taken by an organization in order to achieve a specific goal. There are some certain steps that should be applied in a chronological order. These steps are as following: value assessment, vision and mission formulation, strategy design, performance audit analysis, gap analysis, action plan development, contingency planning, and implementation. Using these steps in the chronological order shall help an organization in achieving their goals. 3.1 business level strategy Business level strategy concentrates on the position of the firm in the market in compare to its competitors. It also explains the steps and actions taken by the firm in order to value their customers in order to gain a competitive advantage by utilizing essential efficiencies they have in specific products or services markets. There are four main important strategies that are used by organizations in order to gain competitive advantage over competitors. The four generic strategies are as follows: cost leadership, differentiation, focused low cost, focused differentiation. Business strategy level gives a great opportunity for an organization to gain a competitive advantage on its competitors if applied correctly. 3.1.1 Generic competitive strategy In the year 1980 Michael porter developed three generic strategies that are used by an organization in order to gain competitive advantage. These three generic strategies are: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. 3.1.2 Corporate strategy Corporate strategy is the actions a firm takes in order to achieve business success in the future. It also concentrates on the company adaptations and anticipations toward changes in the business environment. In order to apply corporate strategy it requires concentration on the firm’s activities and the nature of the business it is doing. As well as its position in the market and how wild the competition is with its competitors. 3.1.3 Growth strategy Mostly organizations always have plans for expansion in their business in order to increase revenue. Although there are specific techniques a firm must use in order to apply their growth strategy. The technique an organization use in order to apply growth strategy mostly depends on their financial status, how strong is competition between their competitors, and the rules and regulations of the government in this country. The most common growth strategies are market expansion, market penetration, diversification and acquisition, and product expansion. 3.2.2 Application to Company Apple growth strategy depends on increasing its market demand on its products through product differentiation, through producing unique and attractive products to customers. The company was able to achieve success through this strategy by keeping its brand loyalty in its highest levels. Apple concentrates on certain level of customers. Customers who wish to pay more, so that they can receive high quality products. Through product differentiation apple was able to achieve success and become one of the leading organizations in the world’s market. 4.0 Strategy Implementation Strategy implementation is considered the toughest stage in the strategic management process. Strategy implementation requires managers to apply these strategies and convert it to actions that will achieve success and high performance. 4.1 International Strategy (Organizational and environmental factors) International strategy is a strategy in which an organization introduces and sells their product in other foreign markets. The main reason for applying this strategy is because of the new opportunities an international market introduces to an organization. 4.1.1 Globalization Framework MNC’ stands for Multi National Corporation. MNC’ are organizations that have assets in other countries within its original home land. These organizations may have factories and departments in other countries, although they have a specific main head office in which they manage the organization. MNC’ organizations main goal is to maximize the wealth of shareholders. 4.1.2 Entry mode Strategies Entry mode is a strategy that allows and helps in adjusting the proper time for an organization to introduce their product in another foreign country. Applying this decision is one of the hardest processes in an organization. It may affect the company either negatively nor positively in many ways. 4.1.3 Diamond of National Advantage Porter’s diamond national advantage strategy states that the national the national advantage of a country depends on certain factors. Porter used a diamond shaped diagram to explain and state his theory. He explains the role of the national field that governments create for their business advantage. 4.1.4 Application to company Apple expanded their business through opening many retail stores around the world, having partnerships with other telecommunication companies all over the world. One of the reasons apple expanded in the last years was because of their innovative products which met the customer’s needs Although the company was able to manage their product’s cost through concentrating on certain level of customers specifically high level customers. 4.2 Corporate Governance Corporate governance is rules and policies settled in which an organization is controlled and directed. It also draws structure for an organization to achieve its goals. Actually it includes all the branches of management from planning and controlling to performance evaluation and company disclosure. 4.2.1 Board of Directors Board of directors is a committee chosen by elections in which its main role is to take the responsibility for managing a nonprofit organization. This committee is responsible for holding the funds and assets and any other property that belong to others. Board of Trustees oversees management and counseling issues facing the organization. 4.2.2 Executive Compensation Actually compensation for executive manager is not the same as compensations for normal employees. This happens in mostly all organizations. The executive compensation includes the CEO, CFO, the vice president, and the upper- level managers. These employees are treated in a quite different way from other employees. Their salary and compensation are negotiable and are stated and recorded in the contract. The contract records their salary, compensation, and bonuses. 4.3 Application to company Apple’s board of directors main mission is to assure that the shareholder’s interests are being served. They set standards to ensure the company’s success through maintaining high standards of responsibility and ethics. 5.0 Conclusion Strategic management gives an organization a creative ability in shaping and drawing its future in the market. It gives an organization the ability to launch and create a plan rather than responding to actions, so that they control their destiny. Nowadays any manager or a business owner controlling an organization has recognized the importance of strategic management and the benefits gained from it. Organizations that apply strategic management in their company plans will have high performance levels than companies that aren’t applying this strategy.

Racial discrimination and colonization in literature

Racial discrimination and colonization in literature Frantz Fanon once wrote, â€Å"Colonialism hardly ever exploits the whole country. It contents itself with bringing to light the natural resources, which it extracts and exports to meet the needs of mother country’s industries, thereby allowing certain sectors of the colony to become relatively rich. But the rest of the colony follows its path of under development and poverty or at all events sinks into it more deeply.† The term â€Å"Postcolonialism† refers broadly to the ways in which race, ethnicity, culture, and human identity itself are represented in the modern era, after many colonized countries earned their independence. However, some critics use the term to refer to all culture and cultural products influenced by imperialism from the moment of colonization until today. A work by postcolonial writer attempts at describing the interactions between European nations and the people they colonized. A post colonial reading reveals the characters racism and dis criminatory attitude that drives their action. A post colonial prospective presents a discourse describing an attempt of assimilation of a black man into a white society. One of the major characteristics of the principle of human rights is the fact that each and every human being was born free with equal rights and dignity. Hounding and favoritism of human beings based on ethnicity and race are violations that are very clearly going against this fundamental principle. Discrimination based on race can assume several forms, from the institutional discrimination and severe discrimination to other forms that are covert whereby certain ethnic and racial groups are barred from enjoying similar cultural, political, civil, economic and social rights as other classes of people in the same society. Postcolonial literature is something that cannot be bound by time. Post colonial studies especially theories cannot be made obligatory. It must be properly disseminated and assimilated before it can ever begin to address the issue of the complex cultural investment. The postcolonial literature reveals the characters racism and discriminatory attitude that drives the ir action. It prevails since the time of Shakespeare. Postcolonial Shakespeare for most of the people, means a little evincing an interest in the moor but there are certain specific Shakespearean text that are thought to lend themselves to post colonial reading because of their obvious engagement with the colonial issues of racial and cultural otherness. Tempest and Othello have received this status of most favored text by Shakespeare of the postcolonial label. In Othello, the postcolonial perspective presents a discourse describing an attempt of assimilation of a black man into a while society by marrying a white woman but by the end of the play the protagonist is stripped off from his white construct and is reduced back to the traditional role of a â€Å"moor†. Similarly Shakespeare’s Tempest, is considered a central work in postcolonial theory. It is thought to be, by some critics as an early postcolonial work. Many colonial theorists and critics tend to focus on th e character of Caliban as their centre of discussion. According to the critics, Caliban has been tied to the west’s image of the native people often described as bizarre in their appearance. The natives according to the colonizers are dehumanized and are considered one with nature, similar to that of Caliban’s character in Shakespeare’s Tempest. His character is also easily fooled and intoxicated by the Europeans. Such is the way the colonizers perceive the natives. It is mentioned by theorist Edward Said that the colonizers always considered themselves superior and considered the natives as â€Å"the others†. Racial discrimination has been rampant for many centuries, post colonial literature mainly focuses upon this segment in their discussion. Not only were the Europeans dominating over the natives physically but they also worked at erasing their cultural identity and their past in order to implant their own cultural customs. Racial discrimination is a theme that runs throughout postcolonial discourse, as white Europeans consistently emphasized their superiority over darker-skinned people. This was most evident in South Africa, whose policy of apartheid was institutionalized in national laws. Nadine Gordimer’s novel My Son’s Story is a brilliant example of the trials and tribulations of racially discriminated people. In her novel, Gordimer presents how a black family struggles to survive in a white dominated society. One of the main attractions of the plot is the character of Sonny. It’s his desperation to be one of the white people that sets Gordimer’s story apart from the rest. The character of Sonny has an affair with a white woman Hannah. Through this affair the mere logic of Edward Said is proven, the fact that the white masses dominated over the natives by rearranging their ideology and setting it in such a way that it perceives the white people as their superior in every sense. By Sonny’s affair with Hannah and his obsession with Shakespeare it is proved that his ideology was programmed in such a way that his attraction towards Hannah and Shakespeare are hints of him wanting to be one of the white masses. Unlike Gordimer’s My Son’s Story, there are other novels regarding racial discrimination that present the natives as â€Å"the other† and set the white colonizers as people with superior intellect. Although ironically in each of these novel their lies a hint of destruction that is caused by this very superior intellectual group of people and it is the natives who are represented with humanity. One such work of art is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, that represents the natives from the view point of the colonizers. Although it is debated whether Conrad wrote it as a criticism to the colonizers or the natives. Heart of Darkness truly is deserving of its title name. The darkness that is emphasized in the title not only talks about the darkness of the region but the darkness that exists in the heart of the colonizers. The novel depicts some soul shattering images of the natives being tortured and chained by the colonizers. The novel beautifully narrates th e plight of the natives and depicts how the colonizers viewed them. Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is another exemplary example of colonial racial discrimination. Achebe’s novel emphasizes Edward Said’s Orientalist theories, about how the colonizers dominated over the natives by implanting the colonial ideological thinking into the natives. The plot depicts how the natives are made to give up their own culture and customs and follow the colonial way of living. Achebe depicts in his novel how the things fall apart for the natives and their colony, how the natives are driven away from their own sense of identity and individuality. The concept of losing one’s identity has also been taken up by Derek Walcott in his poem The Sea is History. His poem talks about how the natives are clueless about their history, their roots and their identity. The poem depicts the native’s plight of not knowing their past and thus being unaware of their sense of identity. Discrimination was mainly done on the basis of colour, and one of the ways to dominate over the natives was to erase their sense of identity by dominating over their ideology. Since many of the natives culture was in form of orator and not written, it was fairly easy for the colonizers to establish their upper hand over the natives. Some other works that depicts racial discrimination are Coetzee’s novels Waiting for the Barbarians (1982), which is set in an imaginary empire not unlike South Africa, utilizes postmodern strategies and tactics to foreground their status as works of fiction, while at the same time suggesting a political posture t owards a real place and policy, which is, South African apartheid. Also, Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children(1981), Michael Ondaatje’s novel The English Patient (1992), Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth (1961), Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place (1988), Isabelle Allende’s The House of the Spirits (1982), J. M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians and Disgrace (1990), Derek Walcott’s Omeros (1990), and Eavan Boland’s Outside History. Two essays that are worth mentioning in this particular genre are: Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin. White Masks and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Decolonising the mind. â€Å"When people like me, they like me in spite of my colour. When they dislike me; they point out that it isnt because of my colour. Either way, I am locked into the infernal circle.† This line of Frantz Fanon, a French psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary and writer, speaks about how he has been victimized by the same hard blow of hatred by white people. He believed that there is a paralytic judiciary system of whites towards the black. Franz Fanon gives utmost importance to the phenomenon of language. He said, â€Å"White men always claim to posses all knowledge of the world and believe in hallucinating black, because of their own means.† In his book Black Skin, White Masks, Fanon talks about how black race faces the lack of judgment in society and is always abolished out of societal virtues (Fanon, 1967 ). In another book on Colour Prejudice, he begins with the duality in the behavior of a black man towards a white man and towards another black man. His opposition towards such discrimination and racist factor was so strong that it compelled other revolutionaries to take a stand against such injustice firmly. Perceptions as far as the minorities are concerned, which specify that they are weak and inferior are usually planted in the minds of people from the majority group in their early stages of development. The minority group of people, in other words, the racially discriminated people are made to believe such perceptions by their parents, teachers and the society in which they grow in.Racism involves a set of actions or beliefs that considers an individual or a class of people to be inferior as compared to another individual or a class of people, due to their appearance physically, such as their skin color. These are perceptions that are fed in the minds of people and they usually have a lot of negative impacts on the individuals or group of people being considered to be inferior. One of the ways through which, ill-treatment and narrow mindedness against the minority can be eliminated is by reversing such unfounded perceptions. This can be done through increased awareness that all peop le are the same and those simple differences such as height or skin color cannot be adequate reasons for treating some people as less equals as the others and thus oppressed and exploited. The individuals that are racists are simply the product of a society that sponsors and encourages the vice in one way or another. In order to change such a society, there is need for both political and legal change to be shadowed. Politically, the interests of the minority should be well addressed and this can be done through increasing the political representation of the groups facing discrimination. Laws that are aimed at protecting the rights of the minority should be enacted so that anyone violating these rights is to be dealt with severe punishment. The minorities themselves have also a role to play in ending prejudice and discrimination against them. They should ensure that they are in the forefront in the campaign against oppression, prejudice and discrimination along racial lines. As African Americans place in today’s new age society has changed over the centuries and along with it so has the focus of African-American literature. Before theAmerican Civil War, the literature primarily consisted of memoirs by people who had escaped from slavery; the genre ofslave narrativescomprised accounts of life in slavery and the path of justice and redemption to freedom. There was an early peculiarity between the literature of freed slaves and the literature of free blacks who had been born in the North. Free blacks had to express their oppression in a dissimilar narrative form. Free blacks in the North often spoke out against slavery and racial injustices using the spiritual narrative. The spiritual addressed many of the same themes of slave narratives, but has been largely ignored in current scholarly conversation. At the turn of the 20th century, non-fiction works by authors such as  W. E. B. Du Bois  and  Booker T. Washington  debated whether to confron t or appease racist attitudes in the United States. During the  American Civil Rights movement, authors such as  Richard Wright  and  Gwendolyn Brooks  wrote about issues of  racial segregation  and  black nationalism. Today, African-American literature has become recognized as an integral part of  American literature, with books such as  Roots: The Saga of an American Family  by  Alex Haley,  The Color Purple(1982) by  Alice Walker, which won the  Pulitzer Prize; and  Beloved  by Toni Morrison achieving both best-selling and award-winning status. Bernice McFadden quoted, â€Å"Dont you know sugar is brown first? White folks couldnt stand the fact that something so sweet shared the same color as the people who cut the cane, slopped the hogs and picked the cotton. So they bleached it to resemble them, and now they have gone and fooled everybody. You included.† Decolonizing a person’s mind is quite difficult to do because it cannot be done. Once the natives have been colonized for certain time period the colonizers history merges with that of the natives. Aijaz Ahmed in his essay wrote that when India was colonized by the British, their language that they shared with the natives became a part of the Indian culture and if the natives wish to ignore that culture in order to decolonize their minds, they are unintentionally discarding a part of their own culture. Doing so, will not accomplish anything and it will only end up fogging the sense of identity in the natives. According to Ngugi Wa Thiongo, in his essay Deco lonizing the mind he writes that, The oppressed and the downtrodden of the earth preserve their rebelliousness: liberty from robbery. However the prevalent weapon wielded and actually daily set free by the imperialism against that combined disobedience is the cultural attack. The effect of a cultural bomb is to destroy people’s faith in their religion, in their speech, in their surroundings, in their inheritance of great efforts , in their harmony, in their capability and eventually in themselves. It makes them want to recognize with that which is furthest detached from themselves; for example, with other peoples’ languages other than their own. It makes them categorize with that which is immoral and backward-looking, all those forces which would end their own life. It even grows chain of doubts about the ethical aptness of struggle. Possibilities of success or conquest are seen as unreachable, unreasonable dreams. The intended results are despair, hopelessness and a c ollective death wish. Amidst this wasteland which it has created, imperialism presents itself as the restore to health and demands that the dependant sing hymns of praise with the regular refrain: ‘theft is holy’. Indeed, this refrain sums up the new statement of belief of the neo colonial bourgeoisie in many independent African states. The classes fighting against imperialism even in its neo-colonial stage and form and have to tackle this threat with the higher and more creative culture of unyielding struggle. These classes have to wield even more firmly the weapons of the struggle contained in their cultures. They have to speak the united language of struggle enclosed in each of their languages. They must discover their various tongues to sing the song: A people united can never be defeated. We have a black president in U.S now , but does it mean that we are witnessing a post racial America ? The answer is no. Present day America is more racially polarized .Racial violence is on the rise. Black people can never realize their potential and goals, unless the thinking of White colonizers is reconceptualized and perceived afresh by which I mean a change in the way the White people perceive their identity vis a vis their country .This reconceptualization is something which Baldwin tries to do in The Fire Next Time. He stresses the importance of mediating one’s own identity and necessity to move away from white mediums of representation. He aims at flipping the power equations and to invert the hierarchies. Going by this vision, it is the white man who is in shackles (trapped in history), who needs to be free for the black people to be free (Baldwin, 1963 ) . Though he is offering a paradigm shift in the sense that he is offering a conception of White men in nonwhite terms, yet he does not do away with the entire idea of the white and the black. White colonizers need to stop seeing each other through the lens of race/colour but as equals.

Comparing the Past in The Ice Palace and The Great Gatsby :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Nature of the Past in The Ice Palace and The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚   In "The Ice Palace" and The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the nature of the past. He shows us that we can neither return to nor escape from the past. In "The Ice Palace" he writes about the pasts of two different societies, the North and the South. In The Great Gatsby he writes about Daisy's relationships with two men, Tom and Gatsby. â€Å"In both of these stories some characters want to escape from the past and others want to return to the past†(Pendelton, 37). These characters find that neither of these is possible, that the past and the present have become intertwined.    The first society Fitzgerald deals with in "The Ice Palace" is the North. Here people try to ignore the past. We see this when Harry Bellamy tells us that "Everybody has a father, and about half of us have grandfathers. Back of that we don't go"(Fitzgerald, "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" and Other Stories, 72). They have no interest in what has gone before. Even their buildings are new. An example of this is the library of the Bellamy house. Many of the books haven't been read and the items in it "all looked about fifteen years old"(71). The epitome of Northern buildings is the ice palace, which stands for a winter and then melts away. It is an attempt at a building without a past, built fresh each time. In the Southern graveyard, when Sally Carrol is talking about Margery Lee, Harry Bellamy looks at the grave and says "There's nothing here"(68). To him headstones have no reality beyond the immediate physical one. In the North the snow hides the gravestones, making each "a light sh adow against light shadows"(80). The hiding of the headstones demonstrates the entire Northern attitude toward the past. They feel that it isn't important and should be ignored.    Despite all of these efforts the North is unable to escape the past. The gravestones may be covered with snow, but they are still there. Eventually the snow will melt and everyone will be able to see them. Even the ice palace, the attempt at a building with no past, falls victim to it. The last time an ice palace was built was in 1885, but it is still "peopled by those shades of the eighties"(80).

Sports Narrative - Volleyball Tryouts :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Volleyball Tryouts Six long hours after departing Hotchkiss, we finally reached our destination. We pulled into the parking lot of the Super 8 just off Interstate 76 in Sterling, Colorado. Since I had been to this hotel on a previous trip to Sterling, I began wishing I had brought my swimsuit along. Mom and dad went inside and got the keys for room 129. I was so sick of riding in the car that I did not care what the room looked like as long as there was a bed for me to sleep on. As we entered the room, on the left there was the bathroom sink, a mirror, and a place to hang our "good" clothes. To the right, was the miniature bathroom. There was not enough space in there for a midget. Stepping out of the entranceway, there was a wooden dresser with a 27-inch television. By the large window, there was a small table. Two queen size beds sat on either side of the nightstand. The purple patterned quilts were quite shocking compared to everything else in the room. Awaking at 7:00 a.m. on the cool morning of December 7, 2003, I prepare for a long day. I put on the spandex and T-shirt that I will wear during the tryout at Northeastern Junior College. By 7:30 a.m., my family is walking over to the neighboring hotel's restaurant for our breakfast. It did not take long to decide that I wanted two golden-brown, buttermilk pancakes with warm maple syrup for breakfast. Both of my parents knew what they wanted right away and as usual, we were all waiting for my little sister to decide. Finally, she decided on the pancakes. It took only ten minutes to get our food and what a relief that was considering my stomach sounded like there was a lion inside. The pancakes were delicious, and my dad's biscuits and gravy was yummy. However, the cinnamon roll my mom order was hard as a rock and she had to pour maple syrup over it. That did not help it at all. After breakfast, we returned for some lounge time in the hotel room. My dad and sister watched television, my mom crocheted, and I worked on my Kinderbuch for German class. As usual, everyone but me fell asleep. At 10:30, we packed all of our things into the back of the Tahoe and pulled around to he front to return the keys.

The Deadly Influence of National Socialism Essay -- National Socialism

The Deadly Influence of National Socialism National Socialism was a political movement that emerged in Germany after its defeat in World War I. This movement is more commonly known as Nazism. The National Socialist Party or Nazi Party was formed in Munich is 1919. Adolph Hitler was given all dictatorial powers as the result of the Enabling Act. By 1933 the party had gained control over the entire German state and the ideas, propaganda, and doctrines of National Socialism were written in Hitler's Mein Kampf (My Struggle) . Hitler believed that, "The Nordic master race was created to rule over inferior races, especially the Jews" (McManus 5). This was just the beginning of Nazi thought that swept throughout Germany until the end of World War II. Party membership was "voluntary" and millions joined, some willingly and others against their will. National Socialism transformed Germany from a weak republic to a powerful state. This change was brought about by one individual, Adolph Hitler. Hitler had tremendous influence o ver millions in the German community. National Socialism greatly influenced the church and education in the Third Reich. Today the Nazi influence is seen in white nationalist groups all over the world. It was essential for churches in the Third Reich to understand what was happening politically in Germany. Hitler subordinated church policy to his political policies. Tensions were high in the German Bishops' Conference between the president Archbishop Bertram and Bishop Preysing. Preysing saw that the Third Reich was corrupt as early as 1933. The Vatican and most of the German Bishops agreed with the ideas of National Socialism. Bertram defended the government until his death in 1945. Preysing... ...race is superior to all others. Hitler impacted both the church and education in Germany. The effects of the Nazi party are still felt today. The power of an individual should never be underestimated. In Hitler's case, it is apparent that one individual can influence millions lives and completely change the course of history. Works Cited - Blackburn, Gilmer. Education in the Third Reich. Albany: New York Press, 1985. - Constable, George. The Twisted Dream. Virginia: TIME-LIFE, 1990. - Gay, Kathlyn. Neo-Nazis: A Growing Threat. New Jersey: Enslow, 1997 - Hockenas, Paul. Free to Hate. London: Routledge, 1993. - McManus, Jason. The New Order. Virginia: TIME-LIFE, 1989. - Scholder, Klaus. A Requiem for Hitler. Philadelphia: Trinity, 1989. - Speer, Albert. Inside the Third Reich. New York: Macmillan, 1969.

Bilingual Acquisition

Through various observations and experiences that the public witnessed regarding bilingualism and learning second languages, the people have formed particular beliefs, opinions, and ideologies about language and communication, as well as the nature or characteristics of second language learners and the learning environments they are subjected into.These beliefs, opinions, and ideologies, even generalizations are extremely significant in shaping the structure or framework of education in terms of bilingualism and second language learning considering the situations of the learners because they provide the academic community with significant information that will help professionals in making well-informed decisions regarding the matter at hand. For instance, people may communicate their thoughts about various teaching strategies that efficiently provide learning opportunities for second language learners that were designed to accomplish the goals and objectives of bilingual education.So metimes, the involvement of the public to academic affairs helps in fostering collaborative relationships that further improves the landscape of education. With this in mind, one of the most important issues regarding bilingual education shall be discussed in the remainder of this text, determining how second language learners learn best and identifying how the issue shall be settled for the adaptation of academic institutions under the context of bilingual education.This particular issue challenges the framework of bilingual education because it criticizes how pedagogical processes designed for second language learners facilitate the transfer of knowledge efficiently and appropriately meeting established goals and objectives of bilingualism. Apparently, there had been much debate on the risks, difficulties, and challenges involved during the process of bilingual acquisition due to the perceived results or outcomes from the learning process that do not meet standards, guidelines, go als, and objectives of bilingual education.For critiques of bilingual acquisition, learning two languages at the same time influences what and how second language learners will learn, particularly grammatical structures and functions. They postulate that there will be learning delays if the pedagogical processes implemented for bilingual education is compared with those applied for monolingual education.Although critiques have developed an acceptable position that transforms how bilingual education and acquisition is viewed, I believe that thorough investigation on the matter supported by various research studies will support how bilingual education is made efficient by implementing pedagogical processes based on bilingual acquisition. This discourse shall focus on disproving the aforementioned claim about bilingual acquisition and look to support arguments through a series of discussions gained from various reputable and valid sources.Going over these issues thoroughly and comprehe nsively is extremely important because understanding how learners will be able to learn through bilingual acquisition matches the landscape of society at present time. GLOBALIZATION AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION I believe that bilingualism is rooted on globalization which initiates worldwide interaction between people from different nations. Globalization facilitates the growth and development of economies, cooperation and sharing between governments and politics, unity among cultures, and so on. However, one of the challenges faced by globalization is communication.For this reason, there had been an impending need in the past to look for means by which interaction among nations was to be facilitated by discovering communication strategies and techniques. Under these pretexts, bilingual education was developed and its foundation fortified in order to cultivate the aims and objectives of globalization. (Sonntag, 2003) For these reasons, tackling issues that either shape or debunk bilingual education is severely important because its results or outcomes instantly affect the situations that society will consequently experience.By realizing the advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses, nature and features of bilingual education society will become aware of its importance in developing the landscape of our world based on the demands and concerns of our society at present time. We shall be able to make valuable decisions on how we are to develop and improve education, particularly bilingual education, in order for people to obtain comprehensive and essential knowledge and skills to become productive and indispensable members of society. ANSWERING CHALLENGES TO BILINGUAL ACQUISITIONThe primary critique towards bilingual acquisition constitutes tendencies that impede learning and education rather than foster it in children. The critique hypothesis has something to do with how the process of simultaneously learning two languages might affect how learners will u nderstand and apply grammatical rules and structures during communication. This concern was focused on the possibility that learners might confuse the grammatical structure of one language with the grammatical structure of another developing inefficient and erroneous language use and communication.However, several research studies have proved that this argument or hypothesis is not true. Two research studies which were conducted to determine how early exposure to the target language of learning influences learning development and capabilities. These two studies revealed that early exposure to the target language does indeed strengthen the foundations of language learning and is more likely to exhibit positive results or outcomes. The first study conducted by Newport (1990) focused on proving the influence of maturational constraints in learning the American Sign Language or ASL.The second study by Mayberry, Lock, and Kazmi (2002) was centered on comparing the task performances betwe en learners who had no early experiences of the target signed and spoken languages and those who experienced learning situations for the purpose of obtaining knowledge and skills on the target signed and spoken languages. Both studies have revealed that exposure to the target language, whether it be signed or spoken, is more likely to contribute to advanced development of linguistic capabilities later in life despite differences on the level of maturity exhibited by children as compared to adults.This particular conclusions prove how exposing children with the target language early on is important in helping build a strong foundation for linguistic learning and capabilities that shall materialize until adulthood. Caruthers, Laurence, & Stich (2005) talked about how the competencies and capabilities of children are often undermined. What some people fail to realize, especially critiques of bilingual acquisition in children, is how this specific population as young as they are, are ab le to exhibit linguistic competence that is comparable to the knowledge and skills obtained by adults.By obtaining evidences from the poverty of stimulus argument and facts gained from psycholinguistic investigations on the language and communication skills of children, Caruthers, Laurence, & Stich (2005) proved that children are similarly capable of achieving competence in linguistics in the same way that adults do. In this particular study, children were described to be capable of looking beyond their experiences and determine the differences between languages used in various settings and situations.Moreover, the language input that children obtain from learning serve as guides for them in order to distinguish between their native language and the target language even if the nature of the input does not match their previous experiences. This means that children are naturally capable of learning second languages by looking beyond their previous experiences and native language, and distinguishing the second language through symbolisms and interpretations.In previous discussions, the innate learning capabilities of children were explored in order to emphasize how children are able to learn two languages efficiently despite differences in language or grammar structures between the learner’s native language and the target language. This argument was supported by research studies conducted by Newport (1990), Mayberry, Lock, & Kazmi (2002), and Caruthers, Laurence, & Stich (2005) which support the hypothesis that there is no learning gaps between children and adults.Exposure to the target language at an early age does in fact establish continuity to a child’s learning competence towards adulthood. This particular idea dismisses the previous argument stated to critique bilingual acquisition which states that simultaneous language learning will cause developmental delays in language, because the process results to the opposite. Studies have confirmed th at early exposure leads to impressive competence on language in later life.Supporting these arguments were the claims revealed about the innate characteristics of children who are able to perceive different languages despite their previous experiences from their native language. Children have been said to be naturally perceptive who can distinguish the differences between various languages simply because they do not relate their earlier experiences and their native language with a second or foreign language.This particular finding also dismisses the arguments presented against bilingual acquisition that relates the simultaneous learning of second languages to confusion regarding grammar usage or conflicts between the native language and the target language which leads to poor communication among children who were believed to be incapable of distinguishing grammatical and structural differences among various languages. In Ng & Wigglesworth’s (2007) discussions on bilingualism and language acquisition, they dismiss assumptions on the child’s innate capabilities as determinants of bilingual competence.For Ng & Wigglesworth (2007), bilingual competence exhibited by children is influenced by external factors independent of the child. Therefore, assumptions that children may not be able to handle second language learning because of their inability to distinguish between grammatical forms and structures exhibited by two different languages are incoherent simply because it was based on a limited construct which does not consider all the factors and aspects involved in the process.According to Ng & Wigglesworth (2007), the efficiency and frequency of interaction influences how language, particularly a second language, is acquired or learned. This means that although learning is generally known to be influenced by personality, self-motivation, and innate characteristics, the quality of instruction or interaction and the frequency by which instruction or in teraction take place affects the bilingual competence of children.Therefore, if some people argue that bilingual acquisition might not be the best strategies in the transfer of language and communication skills, we say, based on Ng & Wigglesworth’s (2007) illustrations that the feared or perceived outcomes of bilingual acquisition – that is, conflicts on grammatical forms and structures between the first and the second language – may be prevented by focusing on developing a strong foundation that shall stand by bilingual education. This means that the success of learning and bilingual acquisition is dependent therefore on how language is taught and learned.Pressly & McCormick’s (2006) discussions on bilingualism and cognitive development support Ng & Wigglesworth’s (2007) arguments. For Pressly & McCormick (2006), enhancing the bilingual or linguistic competencies of second language learners is dependent on the methods of instruction. Moreover, in several studies comparing bilingual and monolingual students, it has been found out that the awareness of bilingual students that they obtained from their exposure to two different languages contributed to their cognitive development, and thus, helped in letting them differentiate grammatical structures between both languages.CONCLUSION From previous discussions, we have found out that perceptions regarding flaws of bilingual acquisition are annullable. This is because evidences from research studies have pointed out that the innate capabilities of children, the external factors that contribute to bilingual acquisition, and the comparison between bilingual and monolingual learners, prove that children should not be undermined by supposing they will not be able to handle the process of acquiring two languages simultaneously.These findings imply that academic institutions should focus on strengthening the quality of bilingual education in order to further the cognitive growth and deve lopment of bilingual learners. Further research studies should focus on how bilingual education is to be transformed in order to meet high standards and guidelines of second language learning and linguistic competence that are not only precursors to personal growth and development and nation-building through productiveness, but also in meeting the demands of a globalized and multicultural society that relies so much on communication and interaction.ReferencesCaruthers, P. , Laurence, S. , & Stich, S. P. (2005). The Innate Mind: Structure and Contents. United States: Oxford University Press. Damon, W. , et. al. (2006). Handbook of Child Psychology, 6th Ed. John Wiley and Sons. Mayberry, R. I. , Lock, E. , & Kazmi, H. (2002). Linguistic Ability and Early Language Exposure. Nature, Vol. 417, p. 38. Macmillan Magazines Ltd. Ng, B. C. & Wigglesworth, G. (2007). Bilingualism.An Advanced Resource Book. Oxford, UK: Routledge. Pressly, M. & McCormick, C. (2006). Child and Adolescent Developm ent for Educators. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Newport, S. K. (1990). Maturational Constraints on Language Learning. Cognitive Science 14, 11-28. Rochester, New York: University of Rochester. Sonntag, S. K. (2003). The Local Politics of Global English: Case Studies in Linguistic Globalization. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.