Observing Nonverbal Communication

Choose one of the following activities and record your observations in the space provided.Watch a television drama or comedy and write down all of the instances of nonverbal communication that you see. After watching the program, list each instance, classify it based on the list of types below, and place a plus sign (+) next to any example that contributed to the message and a minus sign (-) next to any that detracted from the message.Go to a park or shopping mall and sit in one spot where you can view different groups of people. Observe moods, body stance, hand gestures, eye movement, and voice pitch. Notice the different types of nonverbal communication exhibited by people of different ages (e.g., between two teenagers, two children, a teenager and a parent, a child and a parent, two adults). Note any nonverbal communication that suggests that people may be making decisions or resolving conflicts. Observe carefully and take good notes.For both activities, refer to the list of the e ight types of nonverbal communication as needed.body movements facial expressions and eye movements self-presentation distance touch time voiceGroup of girls feeling happy after finishing their exams.It suddenly started to rain and one of the friends with high voice tone said † I have brought my umbrella. She said â€Å"I am not like you guys, Who are having theirs cars and drivers†( Showing angry face).All girls went for lunch giving the umbrella to the girl who was very happy about finishing her exam and felt like dancing. Meanwhile the girl's mother called and asked her to come home while she was leaving for London. The girl  felt nervous and was squeezing her hands.* body movement- (-) I am not like you having drivers and cars) * facial expression-(+)girls feeling happy, (-)showing angry face, (-)girl felt nervous) * self presentation- (-) the girl was squeezing her hand, (+) i have brought my umbrella. * voice-(+) I have brought my umbrella! ( with high tone voic e).

Critique of a Commercial Air Conditioning System Sales Speech

This essay is a critique of a recent commercial air conditioning system sales presentation. These commercial systems are manufactured by a Japanese company and are sold in the United States directly to building owners. Consulting engineering firms are also targeted by this HVAC manufacturer because these firms must specify the system to be used in their new building construction projects and because the engineers within the consulting firm usually have some sway and influence on the building owner. This sales presentation was conducted by a Regional Sales Manager for the HVAC manufacturing company. His name is Dennis and he is a mechanical engineer by education who has spent his fifteen year career in outside sales. Dennis’s audience consisted of a dozen consulting engineers who have the ability to specify and help promote these expensive, high-quality HVAC systems to commercial building owners. Dennis and his company chose a very nice, spacious, well-lit conference room within a Marriott hotel to conduct this sales presentation. This two-hour presentation was a prelude to a day-long presentation that would follow later. It began at 10 a. m. nd was followed by a lunch for the attendees at noon. Dennis used two large projection screens; one was for a PowerPoint presentation and the other was for a laptop computer display that demonstrated a software design program for the company’s HVAC systems. Dennis had his room and supporting materials ready by 9:30 a. m. in case some members of his audience arrived early. Dennis was dressed in crisp slacks, dress shoes and a p olo-type golf shirt that had his company’s logo on it. His audience of consulting engineers was mostly conservatively dressed. A couple of them wore golf shirts, but the others had dress shirts with ties or dress shirts with blazers. Based on his known audience of consulting engineers, Dennis should have dressed more formally and conservatively. He began his presentation as all good presenters do, with an attention-getting device or anecdote. He told a short story about his earlier days in minor league baseball. He pitched, and could reach 90 miles per hour with his fastball. But, his fastball lacked movement and he had no other pitches that he could throw consistently for strikes. To keep their attention, Dennis said he would pitch golf balls to audience members throughout the presentation. Dennis is a middle-aged, stocky, well-groomed sales professional with good posture and good enunciation. He varies his tone, cadence and vocal volume to good effect. He regularly moves around his stage area and sometimes walks among his audience, and he uses hand gestures and varied facial expressions frequently to hold his audience’s attention. A southerner, his speech is grammatically correct and nicely formal. He has a booming voice, and uses it every once in a while when he senses a lull or when he wants to enthusiastically make a point. Apart from saying the phrase, â€Å"you know,† every once in a while, his presence and content are professional and non-distracting. Dennis’s presentation was interesting and informative for his audience of engineers because his company manufactures an expensive, state-of-the-art system that is capable of simultaneous heating and cooling. The audience’s interest was confirmed because they asked many pertinent questions. Dennis used his dual screens and handout materials to make and reinforce his product’s attributes and advantages versus their competition. The engineers even worked on their laptops to get a brief feel for the software program, but were firmly told to close their laptops after trying the design program. Open laptops throughout the presentation would have been very tempting and distracting for the engineers, and Dennis did not allow it. And, as every fine speaker does, Dennis ended his presentation with a dramatic, memorable closing summary and statement of his product’s virtues and his company’s commitment to quality.

Career Development Is A Continuous Process Career Education Essay

Career Development Is A Continuous Process Career Education Essay Twenty or so years ago in the ‘old’ world of work there was emphasis on the following: making a career choice for a long-term career; concern with only one career theme; hierarchical progression (climbing the career ladder); having a career and job for life; loyalty to one company and employer; benefits and a pension in recognition of loyalty. The 21st century world of work is very different. With rapid developments in technology and globalisation of the economy and job markets, there is an increase in competition. The global economy is focused on information generation and delivery of services. There is constant outsourcing of work, downsizing of companies and customising of jobs. More people are in temporary and part-time employment and increasing numbers of people are self- employed. In most occupations there is a trend towards change, unpredictability, spontaneity, innovation and creativity and a demand for people with interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Many ca reers today can thus be described in terms of the following: uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, reduced likelihood of promotion, work intensification, increased likelihood of mobility out of one’s initial occupation, non-standard contracts, part-time work and self-employment In this context one needs to think of oneself as a ‘portfolio of skills’ (4-8 career changes will probably be made in your lifetime). There is a constant need to invest in maintaining employability, engaging in life-long learning and enhancing one’s personal growth. Increasingly, individuals also have to manage their own benefits such as pension schemes and medical aids. To be success in career development, we have to continue to have high adaptation. We should be flexible, adaptable and willing to gain knowledge and learn new skills. Besides, as a key of success, we must be prepared for lifelong learning – the ability to access information and develop knowledge and enha nce new skills on an ongoing basis. It is essential that you are constantly on the lookout for possibilities to develop yourself and your skills. There is a trend toward multi-skilling: the acquisition of a number of different skills rather than just focusing on the skills in which you were originally trained. Continuous learning process is essential in career development. In career development, building up a valuable network of contacts so that we are able to increase our network coverage in the future. Besides, we have to be prepared to perform tasks that may not be exactly what you want to be doing, but which could pave the way for future development (develop transferable skills). On the other hand, don’t expect to stick to the same job for your entire life. It is advisable to move around while you can. Gain fresh experiences. In fact, find yourself a mentor-someone whom you can rely on to give you feedback, encourage you and help you to find opportunities to develop in yo ur career. The last but not the least, learn to work effectively in a team. Right from your first year make a start on your career development. Career development is not about planning exactly what you will do for your career from the time you start studying to the day you leave; it’s about exploiting every opportunity that you come across to acquire new skills which will enhance your employability.

Lack of staff training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Lack of staff training - Essay Example The training and development of staff is predominantly based on the fact that staff skills bear direct relation with the growth of the organization and the requirement to grow the skill is to make the organization grow. Training is regarded as a systematic way of developing knowledge, attitudes and skills of employees to help them perform to the best of their abilities in their respective job roles. The new recruits in organizations have many different skills and may be specialised in a variety of specializations. However, the skills may not be as per the organizational needs and requirements. This is where the need for training and development finds importance in the organizational context. It helps the staff in taking the organization towards its goals and destinations. This project aims to address the issues which might arise due to the lack of staff training in organizations (Olaniyan & Ojo, 2008, p.326). Training, both socially, physically, mentally and intellectually are consid ered to be extremely important for facilitating the productivity of the organization and also for development of the personnel in the organization. ... The organization chosen for the purpose is the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) which has decided to make investments in the training and development of its staff (WHICH, 2011). The literature review brings forth the supportive and contradicting arguments for the topic. The study also makes a primary research on the topic. This is done by using the method of questionnaire. Finally the data collected is analysed and based on the analysis the project makes suitable recommendations for the same (Olaniyan & Ojo, 2008, p.326). Chapter 1: Literature Review The demand of the marketplace for quality, speed, customization, punctuality, and variety or services and products has been responsible for dramatically changing the landscape for conducting business across the world. Technology usage, the relentless speed with which technology has been changing and upgrading it, skills which the workplaces demand have completely changed the corporate scenario. The increased pressure which has been coming fr om these factors is acting as the driving force behind the constant search for improved and better performance. This is applicable for the smallest and simplest of tasks to the most complex corporate strategies in organizations today. The nature of this dynamic learning and performance of individuals especially at the management levels have been responsible for converting it into a rat race which does not have a finish line. The broader perspective shows that the individual learning and performance acts as the prime factor which keeps organizations ahead or behind their competitors (Kunneman, Key & Sleezer, 2000, p.40). In the year 1998, a study was conducted by the Training Magazine in US reported that organizations in the nation had been

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 72

Journal - Essay Example For instance, the story uncovers the ordeal faced by the immigrants back in their countries, which drives them to take a journey through the dangerous sea. Additionally, the author explores how Sicily, its residents, and the government of Italy has come in to provide rescue efforts to these immigrants and provide a safe landing in the form of holding places instead of turning them back. Nevertheless, the journalist ignores another critical part of the story, which is the fatal passage. He ought to emphasize how the bought, and ship journeys are a matter of life and death to discourage anybody willing to go through the journey. In this article, he makes the journey seem like a mere bad luck for one to die, instead of stressing on the fact that it is a gruesome risk with 1% percent chance of reaching the destination. Hence, the story is presented in such a way that it tends to encourage immigration despite the deadly trip it takes to reach Italy. Nonetheless, the article achieves the c riteria for newsworthiness because it contains several elements such as the significance, human interest, and timing among

Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Forms of Simple Stimulus Learning - Essay Example It is the most fundamental, individual way to reduce the unnecessary excitability of nervous system. Habituation appears after the multiple systematic repetitions of a particular stimulus. If it is not threatening life and body, after many perceptions of a stimulus, reaction decreases steadily. It depends on the frequency of repetitions until complete disappearance of the reaction. In other words, we "learn" do not react to stimuli, which do not cause any harm to us.   For example, a person, living in the vicinity of a railway, stops responding to the noise of passing trains very soon. Though, at first, the noise was annoying enough and interfered with sleeping. The same way, we get used to the sounds of the clock and flowing water, to billboards and road signs. The stimuli are no longer come to our consciousness. Perceiving familiar stimuli as common things, we just ignore them. For us, such adaptation means getting a state, where we can recognize easily new, important stimuli among the multiplicity of familiar, insignificant ones.  Ã‚   The reaction of habituation does not mean getting fatigue or tiredness of receptors. After the development of habituation, the nervous system continues perceiving a stimulus; just it needs a little effort to cause reaction immediately.   In nature, habituation is represented widely: from primitive creatures up to human beings. It provides an adequate reaction of a body to eliminate all superfluous, unnecessary perceptions, maintaining just reactions to the most important key stimuli. Such adaptation of nervous system saves lots of energy for an organism.

Conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya - Essay Example The key question is whether the conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya do bear much resemblance. Certain parallels between these two conflicts exist without a doubt. Thus, both cases involve powerful separatist movements, which emerged after the collapse of the Soviets, with ethnic and religious factors underlying them: they have unfolded on almost exclusively Muslim territories (Albanians in Kosovo and Chechens in Chechnya) population of which mistrusted the respective federal authorities. In both cases these movements have formed their own military forces to rely on: the Armed Forces of Ichkeria in Chechnya and the Liberation Army in Kosovo. And finally, military solution has been chosen as an appropriate conflict management strategy in both cases. In spite of the numerous parallels, the most important distinction between the conflicts is evident as well. In former Yugoslavia NATO conducted warfare against a sovereign state though claiming to act out of humanitarian concerns; the Russian Federation embarked on the still ongoing hostilities in order to secure the territorial integrity of the state and suppress secessionism in Chechnya. However, this distinction does not relate to the underlying nature of these conflicts: it has emerged as the result of NATO's solution to intervene in Kosovo and not intervene in Chechnya. Given the numerous parallels between both conflicts, it does require serious analysis to understand the reasons underlying NATO's intensive military efforts in former Yugoslavia and lack of similar actions in Chechnya. MAIN DISCUSSION NATO justified its decision to use force in Kosovo on the basis of the so-called 'international humanitarian emergency'. The origins of this concept can be traced back to the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). A famine which followed the conflict killed hundreds thousand people, but was ignored by the Western states in the name of non-intervention and neutrality doctrines. However, the idea that under certain circumstances the principle of the sovereignty of states might be questioned emerged to receive further theoretical development in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the Europe for the first time witnessed how this right of humanitarian intervention could be implemented in practice during the interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo. The armed forces of the Alliance attacked Yugoslavia under the pretence of defending the human rights of Kosovo population. The essence of their claim was since the forces of Yugoslavian government were engaged in repeated, and systematic violence against its own citizens, NATO's choice of the military intervention as the only effective method of protecting human rights was fully justified (Annan, 1999). The case for war in Kosovo immediately generated much criticism associated with the ambiguity of the juridical status of a right to intervene, validity and relevance of statistical data on human rights abuses in Kosovo, and questionable ethical aspects of using military power to restore peace. Yet perhaps the most difficult enquiry related to the Kosovo precedent came from those whom questioned the reasons for NATO's decision to intervene in Kosovo and not in Chechnya where the statistics for human rights abuses was even more frightening than in Yugoslavia. An overview of existing st atistical data

Police corruption relating to money laundering Essay

Police corruption relating to money laundering - Essay Example This nexus of police and politicians often leads to disastrous consequences for the country's prosperity. Political leaders have often been found to be involved in the cases of money laundering in many countries around the world. In such cases, money laundering happens to be the next stage of money laundering. Political leaders generate billions of dollars of funds from different corrupt practices. They cannot deposit this money in country's banks, which then requires to be deposited elsewhere using the money laundering route. International bodies like UN have also raised the issue from time to time, and called upon respective governments to put in place proper rules and regulations which help in controlling the menace of corruption. The 'UN Convention Against Corruption' (UNCAC) is one such international understanding which came into force in 2003 and calls upon member countries to establish criminal offence cases against people indulging in corrupt practices. Despite much persuasio n and resolutions adopted by different countries from time to time, the menace of corruption appears all the more strong all these years. Corruption as such has been defined as the 'abuse of a position of trust to gain an unfair advantage' (Chaikin, 2008). When the extent of unfair advantage gains huge proportions, things appear to go out of hand. Such practices not only prove to be a big drain on the development and resources of the country, but it also adversely impacts the morale of the citizens. Many politicians have often been implicated in money laundering cases. For example, French politicians Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and Francois Leotard were found to guilty and convicted for money laundering in the political party of the President Chirac (BBC, 2004). In general the money laundering takes places in such a manner that money earned through corrupt means is stashed away in banks abroad, which then finds way back home using false invoices, loans etc. This money is then used by the concerned person to make luxurious purchases or further promote the businesses (Fig). Once the money launderer is able to firm up the chain, then it becomes extremely difficult for the law of the land to trap it, more so because the chain is established with fullest support from the police establishment. Corruption and money laundering often go hand in hand, with the presence of one strengthening the other. While concealing such money, the police administration needs to be paid bribes. Chaikin (2008) defines money laundering as 'a process in which the ownership or control of assets and income are obscured or concealed from tax authorities, law-enforcement agencies or private parties, who have a legitimate interest in discovering the true beneficial owner or controller of such assets/income'. Police administration is the key law enforcement agencies entrusted with taking action against such corrupt practices. Chaikin (2008) further states that money laundering has two inter-related processes, namely; Anyone hiding the money for improper or illegal reasons is involved in money laundering. Money is "cleaned" or sanitised whenever its true nature, source or use is concealed. In some countries this process is called conversion of black money into white money. There were allegations that Iraq was receiving arms and ammunition from international arms dealers even during the period of

Aviation Safety Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Aviation Safety Program - Essay Example The security blunder that took thousands of lives on that fateful day is still a cause for debate. How could a few terrorists manage to walk through security, and after hijacking the planes, crash them into prominent, high-security areas in New York and Washington D.C This security lapse may well go down in history as the biggest human error to be recorded in the modern times. The airport security got it all wrong. This factor is applicable to other fields as well. The risk of deliberate acts of terrorism, sabotage, vandalism and theft can cause the release of highly hazardous chemicals and biological gases from a process facility. This could have severs repercussion. Unless managed properly, the result could have catastrophic impact on civilization. The risk from such acts must be assessed to determine if existing security measures and safeguards are adequate or need improvement. Risk assessment is the heart of a security program (Human Factors and Human Error Analysis, http://www.primatech.com/consulting/services/human_factors_and_human_error_analysis.htm) People are key components of the process. They are involved in process design, production, operation, maintenance, and security. No step in the process life cycle is complete without some human involvement. Also, processes are generally not well-protected from human errors since many safeguards are directly focused on equipment failure. This is evidenced by the number of major accidents that have been attributed to this cause. Aviation is no different. Technical flaws, mechanical malfunctions, security lapses, and human error have all been attributed to aviation accidents. The human factor is perhaps the major cause for concern in safety procedures. It is vital that the factors influencing the likelihood of errors be identified and assessed to determine where, and if improvements in design of a process are needed. Surprising but true, human factor is most poorly understood in safety management. However, the standards from regulatory agencies and industry groups have underscored the importance of addressing human factors in process safety and risk management programs. This is motivating more companies to evaluate and address human factors issues in their facilities. Improving the human factors design of a process can produce not only improvements in safety, but also gains in quality, productivity and job satisfaction (Human Factors and Human Error Analysis, http://www.primatech.com/consulting/services/human_factors_and_human_error_analysis.htm) 2.0 Introduction "The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), is a general human error framework developed and tested within the U.S. military as a tool for investigating and analyzing the human causes of aviation accidents. Based on Reason's (1990) model of latent and active failures, HFACS addresses human error at all levels of the system, including the condition of aircrew and organizational factors. This was used to analyze human error data associated with commercial aviation accidents that occurred between

Education quiz 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Education quiz 2 - Essay Example A concrete example of this can be made by comparing the speed of reading between a learner who uses the Braille slate and a student who is not visually-impaired. According to healthguidance.org, the average reading speed of an adult is 250 words per minute. On the other hand, the Braille reading speed registers an average of 125 words per minute according to RIDBC Renwick Center for Research and Professional Education. In short, people who use the Braille slate demonstrate a 50% decrease in reading efficiency which has a significant impact in learning. Aside from causing reduced efficiency in reading, visual impairment limits the mobility of an individual. Limited mobility translates to inability to do tasks or perform actions that can be crucial for field learning. Observation, experimentation and interactive activities that can likely enhance learning cannot be accomplished. Additionally, a visually-impaired individual needs to rest the eyes in between tasks more than an individual with good eyesight. 2. B. There are different approaches which can be used to enhance the instructional accommodation of students with visual impairment. Some of these remedies are guided by the lessons from Master Differentiators. The first approach is to classify the students according to the following criteria: functional blindness, low vision and blindness. These varying degrees of visual impairment can serve as guide in preparing more learner-oriented curriculum and materials. The process begins by placing the learners in different classrooms. Then, targeted instruction can be administered which can heighten the learning experience. The second approach would utilize different learning materials for more effective instruction. Technology can be harnessed by using digital projectors as substitute for the traditional blackboard. Even software programs that come with a tablet for writing could aid the students to write. All these enhancements not only assist the learners to overco me their disability but also provide more time for instructors to attend to other instructional activities. The third accommodation is related to the second option although this one does not employ technology. Learning materials with a high-contrast would be used so learners can easily differentiate objects. There are two purposes for using high-contrast material: to reduce eye strain and possibly improve information processing. If national standards would come up with recommendations on color combinations ( as result of study or research ), this would greatly be a step forward in helping these learners. References Cox, P. R., & Dykes, M. K. Effective Classroom Adaptations for Students With Visual Impairments. (pp. 68-74). Vancouver: The Council for Exceptional Children. Craig, C. J., Hough, D. L., Churchwell, C., & Schmitt, V. (2002, June). A Statewide Study on the Literacy of Students with Visual Impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness , pp. 452-455. Mark, T. (n.d.). What Is the Average Reading Speed and the Best Rate of Reading? Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Health Guidance: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13263/1/What-Is-the-Average-Reading-Speed-and-the-Best-Rate-of-Reading.html RIDBC Renwick Center for Research and Professional Education. (n.d.). Reading Braille. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.ridbcrenwickcentre.com/louisbraille/ facts/reading-braille/ 2. A. Challenges in reading

Long period of time Essay Example for Free

Long period of time Essay I was lucky to interview someone from the RTW Garments industry and whose day seems endless from deadlines and fast phased fashion trends to chase. He is Mr. Dave Smith. He graduated in an art school, majored in advertising and decided to pursue Graphics artistry as a career. What do you like/best worst about your job/work? What I really love about this job is the access you get to the latest trends in graphic designs and the fashion shows that only few famous people that works in the industry knows of until it hits the magazine stands sort of a VIP pass. Well, developing new trends is also one of those and also seeing other people buying and appreciating your work would be the most rewarding thing that can happen. Well, the worst would be getting your most loved works be rejected for its not in season, its out of budget or for some insane random reason they have up their sleeves. Office politics sometimes kicks-in too but that’s another thing. What are the steps necessary to break into the field? It was hard at first breaking into the industry when you want to make it big as a fresh graduate. The worst part about it was, the companies taking advantage of your status. I experienced being paid below minimum wage for quite some time, and all that you’re left to do is be patient and gain experience from all of it. But with my goal at an aim on my mind, I’m now in one of the leading brand there is in this industry. The basic would be getting to know what software to use and why. Some of it is Photoshop, Corel, Illustrator and Freehand. Another investment that you must have is a quirky imagination to stand out and create something new. If you don’t have it, you must know the latest trend there is and what sells in the market, have a market survey and what appeals most of your target market. Browsing through magazines and the internet is a must to survive, for it helps you formulate what other possibilities there is in a particular design/look you want to achieve. There’s also the printing aspect of it, which a graphic artist must also be armed with. So that you’ll know or have a peek of the end result of the artwork you did. It’s definitely a plus if you know at least some of it. What is a typical day like for you? A typical day for me would be buried in the computer for a long period of time. As in long, until I can dig a hole in my chair at the office. Its either you search for references for whatever seasoned collection your boss wants you to do, what your mind ticked you to do, or you’re doing promotional item before you knew it. Well, in the place I work in I never had a single day without having a new assignment to work on. What are some related occupations to your profession? As a graphic artist, you can choose which field to specialize in. You can be in the garments, in a printing company, product development division, as photo editor, as a company’s only graphics artist who’ll do their collaterals. There are really so many job opportunities as a graphic artist, as long as it involves photo editing and vectors. Do you see yourself doing the same job till you get older? Yes I do see myself being in the business till I age. I mean, it pays well to people who are experienced, who perseveres and also as long as I feel that being a Graphic artist fulfill my purpose. One thing more, if you really enjoy what you are doing you, you felt the fulfillment in every thing that you do, definitely you will stay on the job your in. What made you decide to pursue this profession? I decided to pursue this because it makes me feel accomplished as an artist, as a designer, as a human being who appreciates art, it makes me feel happy that at the end of the day I know I can make someone feel confident, happy, at-home with their statement with my designs. It’s like I liberated someone from being a fashion victim, because I care for what other people look like, and because its feels great to lift someone up in a different way. I do believe that Fashion is good for the soul every once in a while. A boost of confidence one design might give, getting your message across through the artworks’ you did. It’s all worth-it even though the deadlines are next to impossible sometimes, and the revisions are inevitable, but still I have to go up there because I know in my own way I’m helping other people feel good about themselves. After this interview I had, I have a deeper reason why I should pursue to be a Graphic artist. With all the things my interviewee mentioned, I have a deeper knowledge and appreciation of who I want to be. Whether what field of graphics designing I want to concentrate on. There are really so many choices. I’m sure I can pick out something that I like among it. I know it will take me a lot of hard work, patience, and determination to be able to achieve my goals. In addition to that the job also pays well, I don’t mind being in front of the PC for such a long time, as long as I know that I can express my ideas and thoughts very well thorough the means of designing and I have to agree also with what Mr. Smith told me, that it feels great to make someone better through your work, and that’s really fulfilling as an artist.

Advertisement Coca Cola Commercial Media Essay

Advertisement Coca Cola Commercial Media Essay Coca-Cola has one of the most recognized brands in the world, and that recognition is due in large part to the companys careful marketing and branding efforts. In an Essence magazine, I noticed that the Coca Cola uses warm welcoming colors such as gold, brown, and orange to set the atmosphere. Also symmetry plays an important role in this advertisement. For instance, the props are equally matching on both sides the table around the cake. There is one woman in the center of the group as a focal point; all the other women have their heads tilted toward her. Clothes in this ad even have a pattern. First, the woman to the far right has a pattern shawl; the woman next to her left is wearing a solid color blouse. As we continue to examine each woman clothes, every other woman is wearing either solid color or a pattern shirt. Facial gestures are scripted as well; if we look closer on each side of the table two women give the same face expression with their nose up and month open. Another symmetrical trait is the women hair styles. Therefore the women that match facial expression also match with having long hair styles. The storyline is simple; it takes place at someone house in the kitchen. Friends gather around the table to celebrate a birthday. Skinny African American women are look happy and are laughing having a good time. Then the advertisement states in lower case letters, whos counting? Coca Cola make it real. Coco Cola ad is targeting African American women in their mid twenty to mid thirties and promising them that no one care about the calories, age doesnt matters, and y ou will have a good time because Coca Cola is the real taste of soda. Evidently, the brand being advertised in the ad is unmistakably Coca Cola, and the product being promoted is Coca cola can. The characters in the advertisement give a picture of young African American women, probably in their mid twenties to mid thirties celebrating a birthday party. Undoubtedly, the advertisement is specifically meant for them. According to Goddard, women in such an age group are faced with a couple of decisions to make, which include but are not limited to marriage, career status, and independence (121). Additionally, these women are usually faced with dietary and weight problems, matter that forces them to watch their eating habits more closely. It would seem unusual to see a woman in this age group celebrating some good moments without the company of men. This leads to majority of them being insecure, unhappy, and less confident. Conversely, the ad gives another scenario of the situation that is sure of attracting emotions. The women in the ad are all happy, as e videnced from the facial expressions and the celebration. Interestingly, they seem independent and able to treat themselves without help from any male presence. Pickton Masterson postulate, Coca cola products give a clear impression that it is the ideal drink for the occasion (15). The advertisers make of use hype to illustrate a certain impressions. Hype refers to vague and meaningless statements as such as Coca Cola Making It Real and no one is counting. This makes the whole scenario to sound good. Another attention-seeking hook towards the target market in the advertisement is the use of femininity and culture. The Coca cola ad is all-feminine with complete presence of females. Additionally, the setting of the advertisement is the kitchen, a place commonly associated with the female species. Robinson Warwick argue that gender stereotype is sure to capture the attention of the African American woman who loves to share issues affecting them during social settings such as in friends parties and social settings (50). The Coca cola can fit in properly to such a scenario given that they are all females celebrating a birthday party of one of their own. Culture is applicable in this situation given that the advertisement specifically targets females of African American origin. The feminine scenes of African American women depict the culture being targeted in the ad (niche marketing). Beauty is among the outstanding features of this Coca Cola ad in that images of average African American women are used to glamorize the whole scenario. Robinson Warwick goes further to claim that, Even if their ages can easily be categorized into a particular group, they still manage to give an impression of beautiful and happy African American women having fun (55). Additionally, the impression of beautiful and happy African American women does not necessarily tell anything regarding the Coca Cola product but all the same, the impression is capable of relaying emotional transfers about the product and making someone to feel good through influence and manipulation. According to Pickton Masterson, the technical effects in the advertisement that are key to adding the intended effects to the commercial (20). For instance, the camera angles made sure that all the necessary details in the advertisement had been given the desired perspective. Emphasis was provided by ensuring that the images were taken from a close-up angle. The set and setting was preferably the kitchen to give a feminine impression to the targeted audience. This in turn serves to generate an emotional impression to the audience that the product being advertised is ideal for their normal environment whereby independence can also be exercised. Accessories are featured mainly in the advert to promote an element of beauty to the Coca Cola product being advertised. The African American women featured in this advert are nice dressed as evidenced from their hairstyle, to stylish and elegant clothes, and jewelry (necklace and earrings). These accessories truly give images of beautiful women, an element that the target audience can easily associate. In the ad, the poses and clothes by the second and fourth persons are similar. Their necks of their clothes are both v-shaped, the color being the only differentiating thing. Moreover, they both wear accessories (earrings and necklace) to complement their beautiful appearance. The first and the last women seem to share some similarity as evidenced from their poses. Finally, the third (middle) woman seems to share the same amusement with the other women thereby completing a happy moments that they seem to be sharing. The Coca Cola product completes the celebrating mood by relaying the intended message of happiness and beauty. The whole advert is sure to persuade the target audience that they can be happy, attractive, and beautiful. The use of color in the advertisement helps in giving life to the situation. The golden color that seems to be illuminated by the lighting of the room completes the delightful moment typical of celebrations such as birthday parties. The candles, the cake, the table, and most of the elements in the background are matched to draw emotional attention. Additionally, the color matches with the golden and/or chocolate complexion of the African American characters in the advert. The scenario looks beautiful to the eyes and is likely to be associated by the targeted audience. The contents of the product are sure to fit in to the situation for it matches with the hair of the characters giving a matching effect to the elements in the advert. Again, beauty and happiness is a sure thing to be associated by the targeted audience. The message promoted in the commercial is simple, beautiful women are always happy. The slogan-Coca Cola make it real gives the message that if happens to the characters in the audience, it can also happen to them. Age is a major factor in the advert given that the target audiences are African American women in their mid twenties to mid thirties. Usually, such women are coupled with identity issues to do with their ages, social status, and independence. They are often mirrored by the society and are expected to have achieved something under their name. Leading on the list is marriage or family responsibilities. Additionally, they can never do anything without their motive being questioned. This includes but not limited to having fun and enjoying themselves. This advert promises to give them reassurance through the do not care attitude that nobody is counting and therefore they should have uncontrolled fun. Instead, they should have it real as it is just as portrayed by those consuming the advertised product. Conversely, advertising has a lot to do with conveying the intended message. This is attained by use of words that are capable of generating straightforward meaning without having to struggle much. Tomlinson emphasizes, Coca cola advert uses a mixture of signs, texts, and gestures to drive the desired meaning to the audience (65). Images of those featured in the Coca cola commercial contains some iconic qualities that the audience can easily associate. Those images belong to normal, average African American women enjoying themselves in a normal setting and it provides resemblance effects to the audience. Symbolic gestures and facial expressions give illusions of some people who are happy and it is clear that they are consuming the advertised product and happy altogether. Finally, the presentation of the Coca Cola advert can be categorized as being simple and compound. It is simple in the sense that most of the intended information is relayed on a neutral background (Tomlinson 71). The target audience is not only easily identified but also the product being advertised. Alternatively, it is characterized as being compound in the sense that it employs realistic pictures of African American women in straightforward situations. For instance, drinking is common during birthday celebrations and therefore Coca cola comes in handy. Additionally, it unusual of people in a celebration party to be sad and thusly, the women in this advert are portrayed as being happy. Strategy is also evident in the Coca cola avert. Firstly, the brand image takes the lead in the advert for the only evident brand in the picture is that of coca cola. The brand is fore grounded so that everyone can see. Goddard asserts, Generic and pre-emptive messages are included to persuade provide the audience with the necessary personalities (122). For instance, the messages whos counting and make it real are included in the advert add meaning to the brand image. The Coca cola commercial is sure to provide the targeted audience with the promise of improving their personalities by connecting concrete features of the product and the driving force.

Management styles: Small and large businesses

Management styles: Small and large businesses The overall aim of the essay is to explore the difference between management styles of small and large business. All organisations large or small, are today struggling to develop in an external operating environment which is epitomised by turbulence and uncertainty. Within the small business context research shows that owner-managers view of management as one of their most important roles, and yet one of the task they find the most difficult (Hankinson 1997), while a multitude of theories, concepts and guiding frames of insight have emerged and are embraced the best management style knowledge but it can be argued that much of this knowledge has relevance to large organisations and fails to address the distinctive characteristics of the small business. Management of any business consists of internal and external management, internal management involves human resources management and managing organisational structure and functions where external management can include developing strategies for business growth and development and managing influence of change on business activities. Within the context of management, small and large businesses have different ways to managing business activities. The detail discussion of management differences below covers the management issues that both businesses come cross during its growth. 2. Discussion What is a small business? What is a large business? There are differing definitions for small versus large businesses, depending on the context of the discussion. As an example, the United States Small Business Administration has established a size standard for most industries of the economy (United States Small Business Administration, 2002). Under these standards, for instance, in the manufacturing and mining industries, a business is small if it has fewer than 500 employees, while fewer than 100 employees makes businesses in the wholesale trade industry small. For the discussion in this paper, we use the term â€Å"small business† to imply organizations with fewer than 100 employees. Therefore, a â€Å"large business† implies 100 or more employees. Small and large organizations typically differ in resources, money, and time. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] 2.1 Management It is known that freedom of information and communication, the culture of trust and confidence, and management systems that support policy implementation are the organisational factors that affect middle manager activities (Hancock and Hellawell, 2003). It appears these issues closely relate to the size of an organization and its form of ownership. For instance, it is easier for small organizations to act as a coherent whole and provide better two-way communication, while this is a challenge for large organisations. The middle managers proactiveness appears to be related to the issues of firm size and ownership: they are more visible in small companies and they get more extrinsic incentives to be active. The organisations size and form of ownership as two separate variables have been the focus of prior studies (for review, Wu, 2006; Chen and Hambrick, 1995), but a combination of these variables in large state-owned enterprises and small private companies has not been a subject of res earch. The difference between the managerial environments of state and private companies is evident: state-owned enterprises are very sensitive to institutional constraints, while private firms have an adaptive ability (Hoskisson et al., 2000); the state sector prioritises income per worker rather than profit, whereas private-sector firms are profit maximizes (Meng and Perkins, 1998); employee participation in decision making is highest in employee-owned enterprises, compared to enterprises with state or mixed ownership (Russell and Callanan, 2001). As to the differences between small and large companies, small firms show a lower degree of visibility as well as a lower degree of responsiveness to competitive actions; they are slower to announce responses, but they execute faster than larger firms (Chen and Hambrick, 1995). Large enterprises have more procedures and regulations regarding employee and managerial operations, while managers of small companies have less feelings of secur ity. Two different managerial environments â€Å"private, small business management† and â€Å"state, large enterprise management† -influence the implementation of middle managers decisions. The possibility of such influence is even sharper in economies that are moving from central planning to market competition. Divergent factors, such as national ideology, culture, and government policy are significantly influential â€Å"in shaping the values of middle managers which in turn affects the interpretation and enactment of their managerial roles† (Holden and Roberts, 2004, p. 270). [www.emeraldinsight.com 23-11-07] 2.2 Business structure and functions Small and large organisations are structured in radically different ways ranging from relatively fixed structures with positions, rules, and established chains of communication to dynamic structures in which people belong to teams that are continually being formed and reformed for the duration of a project. [www.thetimes100.co.uk 24-11-07] Typical organisation structure [www.tutor2u.net accessed 28-11-07] Typical ways of organising people are: By function dividing the organisation up into groups with similar specialises e.g. marketing, finance and accounts, human resources, etc. usually seen in large scale businesses By product grouping people together according to the product they make. For example, BIC has three main divisions pens, lighters, and razors. By process grouping people together according to the processes that they are carrying out. For example retailing organisations like Argos and Travis Perkins will group employees according to whether they are involved in packing and display or customer service. By geographical area most large companies are widely dispersed. Companies like BIC, Gillette, Kelloggs, etc have European and North American divisions. Small and large firms can also be highly centralised or largely decentralised. In a highly centralised structure control will be tight from the centre or Head Office of the firm, mostly implies on large firms. In contrast, in a decentralised organisation power will be passed down to the various project managers and teams typically used in small firms where culture relies on informal management and employee relation and business activities . [www.thetimes100.co.uk 24-11-07] Managers of small and large firms need to learn to work with both formal and informal structures. A flexible manager will realise that elements of the informal structure can be formalised i.e. by adapting the formal structure to incorporate improvements which result from the day-to-day working of the informal structure. When managers nurture these informal groups and mould them into the formal structure this can lead to high levels of motivation for the staff involved. [www.thetimes100.co.uk 24-11-07] 2.3 Bureaucratic versus Pre bureaucratic management Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity, usually in large organizations and government. It is characterized by standardized procedure (rule-following), formal division of responsibility, hierarchy, and impersonal relationships. In practice the interpretation and execution of policy can lead to informal influence Pre- bureaucratic (entrepreneurial) structures lack standardisation of task, this structure is most common in smaller organizations and is best used to solve simple tasks. The structure is totally centralized. The strategic leader makes all key decisions and most communication is done by one on one conversations. It is particularly useful for new (Entrepreneurial) business as it enables the founder to control growth and development. [en.wikipedia.org 28-11-07] Regardless the size of the business management styles applies the same, management can be considered as leadership and leadership has various different styles to manage business as well as people working for it. Management of any business based upon the culture of the business and culture or basic assumptions, values, belief and attitudes. These elements are the basic of any management to consider before implementing any managerial styles on business. 2.4 Management and employee relation: All firms, small and large, should emphasize honesty, trust, fairness, and clarity in employee and labour relations. Employers and employees must take the time to build a cooperative relationship for the success of the organization and individual employees. Both non-unionised and unionised environments must emphasize communication, disciplinary action, and conflict and dispute resolutions to achieve harmony in the workplace. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] A small business is often portrayed as close, friendly, and harmonious. Owner/manager and employee relationships are facilitated through informal communication and greater flexibility (Dundon, Grugulis, and Wilkinson, 1999). Communication takes place one-on-one and face-to-face that typically leads to increased cooperation and less formal policies. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] Labour relations in a large unionised business are similar to that in a small unionised business. Communication, disciplinary actions, and conflict and dispute resolutions involve the union, employee, and management. One possible difference is that unionisation in a large business may be more desirable for employees than in a small business (Brown, Hamilton, and Medoff, 1990). [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] The small firm provides a better environment for the employee than is possible in most large firms. Although physical working conditions may sometimes be inferior in small forms, most people prefer to work in small groups where communication presents few problems. The employee in a small firm can more easily see the relation between what he is doing and the objectives and performances of the firm as a whole. Where management is more direct and flexible, working rules can be varied to suit the individual. Each employee each employee also likely to have more varied role with a chance to participate in several kinds of work, turnover in small firms is very low and strikes and other kinds of industry dispute are relatively infrequent. The fact that smaller firms offer lower earnings than larger firms suggests that convenience of location and generally the non material satisfactions of working in them more than out weigh any financial sacrifice involved.(Bolton report 1971), (Carter S, Jo nes D, 2000, p309) 2.5 Human resource management Substantial work has been undertaken in the field of human resource management (HRM) as it applies to large organizations. However, for small business these models frequently do not apply. The small business lacks adequate systems to ensure the efficient management of human resources. Further, most small businesses are the product of their owners, whose personality and personal involvement dominate. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] Human resource management (HRM) is the performance of all the managerial functions involved in planning for recruiting, selecting, developing, utilizing, rewarding, and maximizing the potential of the human resources in an organization (Megginson, Franklin, and Byrd, 1995). Human resource (HR) personnel also support and advice managers, serve as employee advocates, resolve problems, and implement organization policies. Small and large businesses often develop and implement policies and procedures related to these functional areas differently, primarily due to the size and nature of the firms. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] Small firms may have different HR practices than larger firms because of different workforce requirements and/or a lack of understanding of HRM issues by small business owners (Deshpande and Golhar, 1994). Regardless of size, employees are vital assets, and a well established and maintained HRM department, or just functional area for smaller firms, provides a strong structure which is an organizational asset and crucial to ultimate success. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] HR planning is part of HRM, particularly the staffing process required by all types of organizations. In many instances, the owner of a small business handles the HRM function himself or herself because the firm only employs a few individuals (Hornsby and Kuratko, 1990). It is easier for the small business owner to make decisions and hire employees due to the owners single authority. In contrast, in a larger organization, this task is often handled by the HRM department, which employs fulltime personnel to recruit, hire, and fulfil the other HRM functions. Such a process may involve lengthy hiring procedures due to the number of individuals and departments who may be involved in the final hiring decision. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] As a small business grows its owners must begin to increase their staff and learn how to develop and implement human resource management (HRM) policies. The faster the growth experienced by the small firm the more likely it will experience HR problems. For many fast growing small to medium enterprises the main problem is finding and retaining high quality employees (Fraza, 1998). As a firm grows and its employee numbers increase the complexity of its HRM deepens. The owner-manager is usually burdened with a variety of HR functions for which he/she is generally poorly equipped (Thatcher, 1996). Managing such issues as recruitment and selection, staff promotion and retention, wages and salary negotiations, compliance with government employment, tax and insurance regulations and training and development can severely tax the average small business owner. What is required is the development of suitable HR policy and procedure. Ideally this should be flexible and not a mere addition to the bureaucracy (Caudron, 1993). [www.emeraldinsight.com 20-11-07] For e.g. Marks and Spencer CEO Stuart Rose has given all new look to marks and Spencer at the stage where its growth has almost declined. Stuart Rose introduced a new strategy with the element of human resource management, he believed that any thing can save Marks and Spencer is a new effective human resource strategy. His, strategy built a new image of Marks and Spencer in market and enable it to compete with rivalries. 2.5.1 Human resources planning HR planningprocess makes assumptions and forecasting future HR needs of the organization. This involves issues concerning revenue, number of employees, and expansion or downsizing of the company. Both small and large businesses try to predict changes that may occur in the future. Small businesses may look to expand the venture through growth strategies. In this case, forecasting the need for additional employees is the first step. The company may also look at required employee skill levels, particularly when the business relies heavily on technology or other change elements. A large business often looks at cash flow and cost control when it comes to HR planning. It may or may not hire additional employees, provide raises, reduce employee pay, and expand or downsize the company. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] As a small or large company evolves or grows, employees need proper training to help the company achieve its goals. Training is essential to improve skills and overcome deficiencies. Not only do employees benefit, but the company also benefits. Training and development is also essential to stay ahead of competitors, especially in the area of innovation and technology. Research suggests that the investment made by entrepreneurs in training their employees strengthens a firms technical excellence and innovative capabilities (Gundry, 1991). Small businesses usually do not have large training budgets like many large firms, but they can still get the most out of their training dollars. Smaller companies assess their training needs by finding out what is important to the organization and employees. The most serious challenges small firms face in terms of training and developing employees are restrictions on time, money, space, and staff (Cohen, 1998). Larger businesses typically have more time, space, money, and staff to train employees than smaller organizations. These firms may have training specialists who are responsible for setting training objectives, developing and presenting training materials, and following up on the progress to ensure that the training objectives have been achieved. [www.sbaer.uca.edu- 19-11-07] 2.6 Strategic management Strategic management involves developing a game plan to guide a company as its strive to accomplished its vision, mission, goals and objectives and to keep it from straying off its desired course (Zimmerer.T.W Scarborough N.M, 2005, pg. 69). The goal of developing a strategic plan is to create for the small business a competitive advantage- the aggregation of factors that sets a small business apart from its competitors and gives it a unique position in the market superior to its competition. [www.fm-kp.si- 20-11-07] [www.tutor2u.net accessed 28-11-07] When it comes to developing a strategy for establishing a competitive advantage, small businesses have a variety of natural advantages over their larger competitors. A small business has often narrower product lines, more clearly defined customer bases, and more specific geographic market areas than big businesses. Due to simplicity of organisational structures, small business owners are in touch with employees daily, often working together, allowing them to communicate strategic moves firsthand. Consequently, small businesses find that strategic management comes more naturally to them than to larger companies with their layers of bureaucracy and far flung operations. [www.fm-kp.si- 20-11-07] Strategic management can increase small business effectiveness, but entrepreneurs first must have a process designed to meet their needs and their businesss special characteristics. It is a mistake to attempt to apply a big businesss strategic development techniques to a small business because small business is not a little big business. Because of their size and their particular characteristics small resource base, flexible managerial style, informal organisational structure and adaptability to change; small businesses need a different approach to the strategic management process [www.fm-kp.si- 20-11-07]. The value of strategic planning for firm performance may lay more in the future orientation and planning practices than in the formal form of a strategic plan (Hunger and Wheelen 1998). Small firms in particular tend to plan informally and not on a regular basis. Strategic planning can be beneficial for small firm performance, because it forces the entrepreneur to think about open business questions and search for solutions, and also encourages the entrepreneurs learning and making improvements (Wickham 1998). Strategic planning is a process that helps to forecast the future and prepare for the future, and can be beneficial for firm growth (Zimmerer and Scarborough 1996); [www.fm-kp.si- 20-11-07] Successful small firms tend to a large extent to use advanced planning and activity analysis (Zimmerer and Scarborough, 1996). Strategic orientation can be considered a driver of strategy formulation; a strategically oriented entrepreneur will pursue opportunities regardless of resources under his or her control, whereas a strategically not-oriented entrepreneur will limit his or her activities by the resources that are currently under control (Sahlman et al. 1999).[ www.fm-kp.si- 20-11-07] 2.7 Change management: More than ever, organisations are being subjected to a host of pressures for change from elements in the environment, both internal and external. According to Churchill and Lewis (1983), there are five main stages of development in a businesss growth. These include existence, survival, success, take off, and resource maturity. As an organisation moves from one stage to another, it must adjust to the challenges of that phase. There is a need for continual renewal if the organisation is to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage which will ensure its survival in a turbulent business environment. Organisational change is the process by which the organisation moves from its current position and state towards some future position as a way of increasing its overall effectiveness (Jones, 2001). The management of change is a complex process, which according to Larkin and Larkin (1996) is something which many organisations get wrong. (Jenny Hayes, Managing Change, 2004) Although much has been written about managing change in large private and public companies, very little has been written about managing change in the unique context of small firms. Concerns particular to small firms include their relative lack of control over their environment, commingling of business and personal priorities, and lack of resources to carry out the magnitude of change that is appropriate to meet accurately diagnosed problems or recognized opportunities.. [www.smeal.psu.edu -27-11-07] Change occurs frequently in most large and small companies. The problem is that it is not always well planned, deliberately executed, and successful. It is also often reactive to events rather than proactive in anticipating or even creating them. The typical small firms has not invested much in planning, pursues change haphazardly, and adopts generic or packaged change initiatives (Smart et al., 2004). Owners and managers of small firms should engage their company and its environment in a proactive manner, which means they cause something to happen rather than wait to respond to it after it happens. Owners and managers are more likely to engage in generative learning when they are proactive because they have time to explore potential problems and opportunities. Small firms that are reactive do not have adequate time to explore problems and even less, if any, time to explore opportunities. Learning under these conditions tends to be adaptive. Problems can be solved in this manner, but this may not contribute to long-term survival or prosperity. [www.smeal.psu.edu -27-11-07] [www.managingchange.com accessed 28-11-07] 2.8 Organisational culture Culture is often deeply rooted within an organisation and results in formal and informal systems, rules, and shared expectations that govern attitudes, beliefs and behaviour. Organisational culture, or corporate culture, comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organisation. It has been defined as the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organisation and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organisation. Organisational values are beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals members of an organisation should pursue and ideas about the appropriate kinds or standards of behaviour organisational members should use to achieve these goals. From organisational values develop organisational norms, guidelines or expectations that prescribe appropriate kinds of behaviour by employees in particular situations and control the behaviour of organisational members towards one another. [en.wikipedia.org 21-11-07] In an owner managed business (small firms), the organisational culture typically reflects the personality traits and aspirations of the owner-manager that, in turn, help to shape the enabling and constraining forces affecting the firm. The pervading sets of norms and values and the ways of doing things and the freedoms afforded to different individuals are often reflected in informal structures, systems and processes which themselves often the personality traits of the main owner (Carter S, Jones D, 2000). To support the argument there is an example of well known entrepreneur the owner of Virgin group Richard Branson, he introduced a culture at the early stages on Virgin group in mid 1970s a blame free culture, in which Branson and management considered the mistakes made by any employee or manager as the implications for the growth of the business, purpose of this culture is to encourage and motivate innovation among the workforce to produce sufficient outcomes. 2.9 Job quality at small business versus large business: Small businesses create a significant share of new jobs; it is natural to ask how these jobs compare to those at large firms. Simply put, large firms offer better jobs and higher wages than small firms. Benefits appear to be better at large firms as well, for everything from health insurance and retirement to paid holidays and vacations. Finally, job turnover, initiated by both employers and employees, is lower at large firms. The lower rates of employee initiated turnover suggest that job satisfaction and mobility are relatively greater at large firms; lower rates of employer initiated separations suggest that jobs at larger firms are more stable. For e.g. multinational organisations such ICI limited, Unilever limited, Pfizer, these are the known companies around the world due to their quality of work life and effective management styles. [www.emeraldinsight.com 20-11-07] Large firms often have desirable working conditions, such as weaker autonomy, stricter rules and regulations, less flexible scheduling, empirical evidence can capture these differences, working conditions can not explain the firm size wage effect (Brown and Medoff). The expansion lies in the migration of firms across size classes from year to year. In any given year, some small firms will grow beyond 20 workers and join a large size class. Such migration trims the share of firms in the smallest class size, in the same way that small business failures trim the class size. Likewise, some large firms will contract, falling below the 500 employee level and dropping into a smaller size class. Also, new small businesses are born, increasing the share of jobs in the small firm class. [www.emeraldinsight.com 20-11-07] Brown and Medoff and other theories suggested that larger employers may make greater use of high quality workers. This might occur, for example, because larger firms are more capital intensive and require higher skilled employees to operate that plant and equipment. [www.emeraldinsight.com 20-11-07] The critical factor in greater labour turnover at smaller businesses is that the failure rate of small businesses is somewhat greater than that of larger businesses, which leads to higher rates of employer initiated separations (Dunne and others; Idson). Failure rates of establishments drop markedly as firm size increases to 100 employees, but then turn upwards again such that firms with 500 or more employees have larger failure rates those firms with 20-99 employees. Nevertheless, the failure rates for the smallest firms (one to four employees) generally are about one and one half times higher those of larger firms. [www.emeraldinsight.com 20-11-07] 2.10 Management Characteristics, Small businesses Versus Large business There are some characteristics of small and large firms, which may represent an advantage as well as a disadvantage. For instance while the presence of fewer hierarchical layers in smaller firms may on the one hand reduce bureaucracy, increase flexibility and result in less filtering of proposals, it also limits career opportunities for their employees. [www.emeraldinsight.com 20-11-07] Small firms Large firms Little bureaucracy Formal management skills Rapid decision making Able to control complex organizations Risk taking Can spread risk over a portfolio of products Motivated and committed management Functional expertise in staff functionaries Motivated labour More specialized labour Rapid and effective internal communication, shorter decision chains Time and resources to establish comprehensive external Science Technology networks Fast reaction to changing market requirements Comprehensive distribution and servicing facilities Can dominate narrow market niches High market power with existing products RD efficiency Economies of scale and scope in RD Capacity for customisation Better able to fund diversification, synergy Capable of fast learning and adapting routines and strategy Able to obtain learning curve economies through investment in production Appropriation of rewards from innovation through tacitness of knowledge Able to erect entry barriers (www.emeraldinsight.com) 3. Conclusion The relative strengths of large firms lie mostly in resources, while those of small firms are generally argued in terms of behavioral characteristics. It is however not either small firms or large firms which are the better innovators. Small and large firms are likely to play complementary roles in the process of technical advance, in the sense that they are better at different types of innovation. A challenge for management would be to find ways to combin

Teaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools Essay -- Religion in Publ

Teaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools The question of whether or not schools should teach ethics and morals is misleading, because ethics and morals are two different things. Webster's Dictionary defines ethics as "a particular system of principles and rules concerning duty, whether true or false," and morals as "motivation based on ideas of right and wrong." As I take it, ethics implies a set of basic rules to abide by, whereas morals strictly set down what to believe, and what not to. I have no objections to schools teaching ethics, however I do not think schools, or any authority for that matter, should be teaching children morals. In this country, we have an accepted system of ethics that children begin to learn in the lower levels of education. This system tells them such basic rules as "treat others as you would treat yourself," "share with others," etc. These rules help children to learn how to interact with other people. A child will not learn much if he only talks with other children exactly like himself--he must be able to get along with his teachers, and his peers who may or may not be of the same background. A shared system of basic ethics regarding living with other human beings is essential in any society, and in school. Along with this system of ethics, however, we have myriad systems of morals, and it is impossible to determine which is the "right" one to teach. Morals, like beliefs, are totally subjective, and they are, in my opinion, personal. The method of Authority, described by Charles Sanders Peirce in "The Fixation of Belief," has no place in the formation of anyone's morals, because no Authority has the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The freedom to believe what one wishe... ...uld the public school system, and, inherently, the United States government, want to educate unethical people? I believe it is because the public schools exist to create not "good people," but what Kozol refers to as "good citizens:" "defeated, unprovacative" people that will fill the necessary jobs, pay the necessary taxes, and perform all the other duties put forth to them by the federal government, such as voting, and jury duty. The fact that this process has not changed since Kozol wrote The Night Is Dark... is a testament to how well the public schools carry out their task. The solution to the problem of education we face today lies in a revolution of ethical teaching within the public schools, not in "moralizing" children with a certain dogma. A person's morals, and beliefs are things that should not be taught, but developed over the course of their life.

PSY 301, Introductory Psychology, 1998, Exam 2 :: UTEXAS Texas Psychology

Introductory Psychology -- Pennebaker Test 2 Please write your name and social security number on THIS PAGE as well as on your Scantron form. Be sure and blacken in the correct dots for your SSN, name, and test form. 1. Hans and Franz are identical twins that were separated at birth. The finally meet at age 45, and find that both of them have become psychology professors. What is the most likely explanation for this similarity? a. both twins had strong psychology genes. b. both twins had strong teaching genes. c. something in the twins’ genes led them to see the world the same way. d. identical environments. e. all of the above are true. 2. Functional fixedness interferes with a. objects or events that are functioning properly. b. looking back to evaluate the success of a strategy. c. defining the problem and goal. d. choosing a solution. e. implementing the chosen strategy in solving a problem. 3. When people of varying cultures were asked to match facial expressions with specific emotions a. there was little agreement, even among people from the same culture. b. there was agreement within a specific culture but not across cultures. c. people from underdeveloped societies had responses not seen in industrial societies. d. there was remarkable agreement among members of all cultures. e. there were large differences between rural and urban societies. 4. The innate physiological mechanism that keeps an individual's body weight at a genetically programmed level is known as the a. homeostatic trigger. b. hunger median. c. genoprogrammatic releaser. d. metabolic master. e. set point. 5. The cessation of breathing during sleep is called a. sleep apnea. b. narcolepsy. c. insomnia. d. paradoxical sleep. e. simulated death. 6. Unlike sex in humans, sex in animals typically takes place a. far more frequently. b. after elaborate courtship and foreplay. c. in run-down hotels. d. in the absence of physiological cues. e. only at certain times of sexual readiness. 7. The affiliation motive often strengthens when people are in a situation involving a. performing a work task. b. helping others. c. the threat of danger. d. independent behavior. e. casual discussions 8. The fact that some people who are very good at some intellectual skills (such as reading or verbal reasoning) are frequently rather poor at other intellectual skills (such as solving math problems) tends to contradict the concept of a. the "g" factor. b. specific intelligences. c. instrumental (operant) conditioning. d. componential IQ. e. factor analysis. 9. Of the following, the BEST example of an aptitude test is a. the MMPI. b. a college final exam. c. a 5th grade spelling test. d. an academic achievement test in arithmetic. e. the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. 10. If Mother Goose sees one of her eggs outside the nest, she will go through a series of steps to move the egg back with her bill.

Bad Tires Create Safety Problems :: essays papers

Bad Tires Create Safety Problems Bad Tires Create Safety Problem for the Public Firestone produced a line of tires that have been responsible for deaths and injuries throughout the United States. The faulty tires are known to experience tread separation, which causes the tire to blow out. Evan though there is an ongoing recall, the number of accidents continues to rise. Since the recalled tires are most commonly found on Ford vehicles, there is an attempt to draw Ford into the blame. The problem at hand is that there are faulty tires on the roadways, and innocent people are dying. The Firestone tire recall is perhaps the most deadly auto safety crisis in American History. As of September 20, 2000 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 103 deaths due to crashes. Also they included more than 400 injuries, and 2,226 complaints from consumers. Most of the fatalities are linked to accidents caused when 15-inch ATX and Wilderness tires mounted on Ford Explorers experienced tread separation, usually in hot weather. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has recalled 6.5 million of those tires, and the NHTSA has issued a consumer advisory covering an additional 1.4 million Firestone tires. On August 9 of this year, Firestone, owned by Japan’s Bridgestone Corporation, began recalling 6.5 million tires made up of a certain 15-inch models of its ATX and Wilderness AT tires in response to a federal probe that began in May. The majority of the recalled tires were fitted over a decade to Ford motor company’s best selling sport utility vehicle, the Explorer. Firestone claims that the unique design of the 235/75R15 Wilderness AT tire, in combination with variations in the manufacturing process at its Deatur, Illinois, plant may have produced some of the problems. At the Senate hearing, Ford and Firestone again blamed each other for the problem, which has strained an automotive partnership that goes back 100 years. A Reuters Zogby poll released last week showed that three out of five people surveyed in the United States blamed Firestone for the controversy, while only one in fifteen blamed Ford. Ford President Jaques Nasser said, â€Å" Every time Ford went to Firestone with problems that foreign customers reported, the tiremaker insisted there were no tire defects either overseas or in the United States.

Nacirema Paper Essay

It has been rumored that are extraordinary beings on another familiar planet close by our home of Nacirema, and it is our goal as the Interplanetary Nacirema Research Center team to investigate the situation. We plan to focus our trip on the specific coordinates that the University of Connecticut campus lies on, and being the curious creatures we are, we plan to delve into specific areas within this concentrated area. We will be studying the way both males and females conduct their everyday lives in terms of living, learning and communicating. Through our research, we plan to lighten up the mysteries about this foreign species and enable ourselves to communicate and interact with them according to their cultural norms. We launch our research in a lively part of campus where the residents will meet with each other and eat a meal of their foreign cuisine, the Student Union. This area is always populated with all different kinds of people who conduct their meetings amongst each other in close quarters like there is nothing to hide. It is here that we made a great discovery which we believe will apply to all parts of campus; we observed a separation in habits based on gender. The males eat their food and associate with each other in rather barbaric ways, hardly breathing before taking the next bite of food. In contrast, females seem to almost nibble at their food as if they weren’t even hungry. After observing this lack of similarities between genders while eating, we are now curious to see how it applies to other settings. The earthlings of these coordinates have taken a special liking to the area surrounding the north campus quadrangle. The residents of this particular area have certain characteristics that separate them from the rest of the campus in a way that has never been observed on our home planet. Everywhere you look there is someone participating in either some sort of barbaric activity or just lying around looking like some sort of statue. It does seem, however, that there is a division in personalities based on the gender of the earthlings, much like what has been observed in other parts of the campus. The males of the community run around wearing shirts that hardly cover half of their torso and throw objects at each other as if it was some sort of fun activity. Additionally, they refuse to stop looking at the females like they are trying to impress them or something. Despite these oddities, the females are an even more foreign species and observing them just sends my mind into even more confusion. These females just gather in large groups and instead of socializing with each other and conversing about their lives, they just lie down and do absolutely nothing. It is truly a spectacle. According to my observations, it seems as if the only thing they are interested in is lying in the sun and tanning their skin. In lieu of this behavior by the females, the males just insist on prancing around trying to get their attentio n. It will definitely take more observation to understand why the earthlings of this particular location act the way they do. We decided to continue our research in the gymnasium to figure out how the humans behave in a more isolated environment of working out and conditioning. Once again there seems to be more differences than similarities between the two genders while working out. The males tend to lift weights to build muscle and work on their â€Å"beach body†. Males were constantly caught looking as themselves in the mirror and flexing just to see how good they looked. Once again it seems as if there main goal is to use all their energy impress the females no matter what they are doing. On the other hand, the females seem to go to the gym just for the purpose of running and losing weight. It appears that the females’ mindset is that it doesn’t matter how skinny they are, they still think they need to lose weight. Our studies of this strange setting yielded more important information concerning the behavior of the humans and hopefully will lead to more effective studies in the future. Based on these observations, it is evident that we are not on our own planet of Nacirema and the beings of this planet are not like us at all. However, much has been learned from our trip here about the personalities and motives of these residents. Nonetheless, I believe that based on our findings we will not be making a trip back here until we have prepared ourselves enough in the ways of their strange, strange culture.

Zombies

Zombies There is a current fad of entertainment in popular culture about zombies and zombie apocalypses. Have you ever heard of a real â€Å"Zombie†? Have you ever thought of where this idea of â€Å"Zombies† came about? Theyre history does not stem from Hollywood or comic books. Zombies have a real history as well as an actual scientific capability of existing. Isak Niehaus (writer for The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute) explained the cultural connection to zombies in Africa, and Wade Davis (writer for New York: Simon & Schuster) researched the reports in Haiti of he zombie culture there.Ker Than researched the topic for National Geographic news and came up with startling possibilities of a zombie-like outbreak. Just about everybody knows about fictitious zombies, but less are familiar with the facts about zombies. There are many people zombies are very real. They aren't a fable and are something to be taken seriously. Belief in magic and witchcraft is widespread throughout Haiti and the Caribbean, often in the form of religions such as Voodoo and Santeria.The Oxford English Dictionary, the term â€Å"zombie† initially showed up in English around 1810 when historian Robert Southey declared it in his book â€Å"History of Brazil. † But this â€Å"Zombi† wasn't the typical Hollywood version of the brain-hungry horror. Instead it was a West African deity. The word â€Å"zombie† later came to propose the human life force exiting the body, ultimately leaving a creature human in form but lacking self-awareness and intelligence. The word was introduced to Haiti and to other places from Africa through the slave trade.Isak Niehaus found that the term Zombie is used to describe a spellbound person deprived of cognizance and self- wareness, yet able to move and react to immediate provocations. Though many people treat the current â€Å"zombie apocalypse† as a fun pop culture meme, Haitian culture † li ke many African cultures † is greatly immersed in faith in magic and witchery. Belief in zombies is related to the Voodoo religion, and has been widespread in Haiti for many years. Haitian zombies were said to be people brought back from the dead through magical means by voodoo priests called bokors or houngan.Sometimes the zombification was done as punishment which struck fear in those who believed that they could be abused even after death. Often the zombies were said to have been used as slave labor on farms and sugarcane plantations. A mentally ill farmer claimed to have been seized captive as a zombie worker for two decades, though he couldn't show researchers where this had taken place. Researchers pursued a case in Haiti, 1937 of rumors that the affected persons were given a powerful psychoactive drug, but they were not able to locate anyone willing to offer much evidence.After many years the researchers concluded that there is more to Voodoo than ritual and that there is a medical base behind what is going on. Several decades later, Wade Davis, a Harvard ethno botanist, offered a pharmacological case for zombies some of his books. Davis went to Haiti in 1982 and, after investigations, claimed that a living being could be changed into a zombie by way of two specific powders being put into the circulatory system, most of the time by an open wound.One of the powders includes tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent and often tatal neurotoxin tound in the putte The second powder consists ot dissociative drugs like datura. These powders could induce a deathlike state where will of the eing would be completely open to that of the bokor. Davis also popularized the story of Clairvius Narcisse, who was claimed to have succumbed to this practice. Davis described the case of an initial state of deathlike suspended animation, followed by reawakening into a psychotic state.The insanity induced by the drug and psychological trauma was hypothesized by Davis to strengthen s ocially learned beliefs and to cause the individual to rebuild their characteristics as that of a zombie, since they actually thought they were dead, and had no other role to play in the Haitian society. Though dead humans can't come back to life, certain viruses can induce such aggressive, zombie-like behavior, scientists say in the new National Geographic Channel documentary The Truth Behind Zombies.For instance, rabies, a viral disease that infects the central nervous system can drive people to be violently mad. If a rabies virus was to combine with the ability of a flu virus, in order to spread quickly through the air, you might have the makings of a zombie apocalypse. The first signs a human has rabies, such as anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, and paralysis ont typically appear for ten days to a year after infection, as the virus incubates inside the body. This is very unlike movie zombies, which become reanimated almost immediately after infection.Once rabies sets in, thoug h, it's fatal within a week if left untreated. If the genetic makeup of the rabies virus went through enough changes, or mutations, its incubation time could be condensed dramatically. Many viruses have naturally high mutation rates and constantly change as a means of evading or bypassing the defenses of their hosts. For the rabies virus to cause an event like a zombie pandemic, not unlike the ones ou might see in a movie, it has to be much more contagious.Typically a human could catch rabies after being bitten by an infected animal and the infection usually stops there, but thanks to pet vaccinations, people seldom get rabies in the U. S. nowadays, and even fewer people die from the disease. For example, in 2008 only two cases of human rabies infection were reported to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A faster mode of transmission would be through the air, which is how the influenza virus spreads. The movie 28 Days Later depicts a scenario of a age virus. If ra bies somehow became airborne this movie would be very plausible.In order to be transmitted by air, rabies would have to mutate or use traits from another virus like influenza. Elankumaran Subbiah, a virologist at Virginia Tech, states that diverse forms, or strains, of the same virus can change pieces of genetic code using reassortment or recombination. Unrelated viruses, although, don't Just randomly create hybrids in nature. Likewise, he also said â€Å"They're too different. They cannot share genetic information. Viruses assemble only parts that belong to them, nd they don't mix and match from different families. It's theoretically possible for scientists to use a rabies virus and an influenza virus, though extremely difficult, to create a hybrid rabies-influenza virus using modern genetic engineering techniques. Sure, you could imagine a scenario where you mix rabies with a flu virus to get airborne transmission, a measles virus to get personality changes, the encephalitis viru s to cook your brain wit n tever and throw in the ebola virus to cause you to bleed from your guts. You would probably get something like the zombie virus, but nature oesn't let these things to happen all at the same time.Yet†¦ There is a vast history of zombies, from Africa to Haiti and other trade lands, all the way to Hollywood. The general focus of zombies is the entertainment of it all. To this day there are still cases of zombie voodoo and stories of dead people coming back from the grave. The focus should be on the possibilities of the future though. If Just one team of scientists with access to the means to hybrid existing viruses the entertaining idea of zombies on a TV would not be funny at all. It's not all that unreal now is it?

Freneau and Wheatly

Philip Freneau was brought forth in New York of Huguenot ancestry in 1752, and died near Freehold, New Jersey, in 1832. Freneau became the unrivaled â€Å"poet of the Revolution† and regarded as the â€Å"Father of American Literature†. Romantic is defined as marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized. In my opinion, Freneau’s poems make him a romantic writer because of the following reasons: First, his poems demonstrate the love of nature. In here the emotions and instinct came to be more important than reason.There was an adoration of â€Å"The Natural Man†, the â€Å"noble savage,† and the primitive and untutored individuality. The thought that the simple and unsophisticated life was best, also grew popular implies primitivism. These perceptions led to curiosity in old civilizations, glorification of Greek society and a search in archeology nurtured as a science. Another thing wa s that his poems show heroism. The overcoming of our natural fears and limitations to achieve great things is heroism. The way he wrote those predicaments, he was not afraid to tell what’s inside his heart and the actions he would do to be able to help those who are in need.He is romantic because his poems represent the love of the common man. He gave ideas about the social and economic classes as they were denigrated or put down. An era of revolutions opened when the governments were overthrown, due to the fact that it often seemed to constrain elimination of social classes. He also imparted a way to satisfy a cultural need for wisdom, or a mythology suitable to a new nation. He also shared that life was like a flower. It bloomed and died because of its short life. In my opinion, he wanted us to enjoy life and made it worth living because life is too short to be wasted for nothing.Freneau explained about the strange and far-away places. This feature relates to the love of ex otic locations around the world and in time and space. This could comprise the past or the future as well as strange places or situations in the present. He also emphasized the love and respect to the dead people that they must be treated right despite of their condition. Finally, as a whole, Freneau’s poem make him a romantic writer because he stressed deeply the exact meaning of love in all his poem. Phillis Wheatley was born around 1753 in Gambia, Africa and died on December 5, 1784 while still struggling with poverty.The salvation of Christianity evident in her three poems namely: To the University of Cambridge in New England, On being brought from Africa to America, and On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield 1770. Salvation is the deliverance from the power and effects of sin and the realization of the supremacy of infinite Mind over all bringing with it the destruction of the illusion of sin, sickness, and death. The message of the poem entitled â€Å"To the Un iversity of Cambridge in New England† wanted to interest us on how Jesus had redeemed us for our sins and gave us another chance to enjoy the privilege of being with him.We cannot measure the goodness and passion of the Lord for us because even though we are sinners, he decided to reach us by allowing his only begotten son, Jesus to die and redeemed us and be with him someday. We should be thankful about it. While in the poem, On being brought from Africa to America it implies that there is no discrimination in the sight of God when it comes to salvation. The race or the color of the eyes is not matter in front of God. Even though, we belong to the clan of the sinners, we can be purified by the love of God if we are also willing in return and become a member of His kingdom.On the third poem, it dwells on the good motives of our God. I believe that no parents, who love their children, desire evil things for their siblings but of course the favorable and best things. Just like o ur Lord and Savior, he is inviting us to accept Him, whoever you are, whatever your condition is and what race you belong, he never chose whom He will love and save. In the sight of God everybody is fair because He is a just God, no favoritism and is loved without hesitatio

Krispy kreme doughnuts, inc. Essay

This case considers the sudden and very large drop in the market value of equity for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc., associated with a series of announcements made in 2004. Those announcements caused investors to revise their expectations about the future growth of Krispy Kreme, which had been one of the most rapidly growing American corporations in the new millennium. Your task is to evaluate the implications of those announcements and to assess the financial health of the company. This case provides an early exercise in financial statement analysis and lays the foundation for two important financial themes: the concept of financial health, and the financial-economic definition of value and its determinants. Suggested Questions for Advance Assignment 1.What are the definition and purpose of an income statement, as shown in case Exhibit 1? What are the definition and purpose of a balance sheet as shown in case Exhibit 2? How are the two statements related? In answering the questions above, highlight some of the following accounting choices and sources of variation in reported results in (i) Cash and cash equivalents, (ii) Accounts receivables, (iii) Inventories, (iv) Property, plant, and equipment, (v) Goodwill and other intangibles, (vi) Revenues, and (vii) Expenses 2.Are Krispy Kreme’s financial statements exact? Does management have any discretion over how those accounts are estimated? 3.What can the historical income statements (case Exhibit 1) and balance sheets (case Exhibit 2) tell you about the financial health and current condition of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.? Clues: Discuss Krispy Kreme’s growth; DuPont Analysis; liquidity, leverage, and profitability; and peer comparisons (Refer case Exhibits 7, 8 and 9) 4.How can financial ratios extend your understanding of financial statements? 5.Is Krispy Kreme financially healthy at year-end 2004? Given your assessment of Krispy Kreme’s health, why did its stock price drop by 80% between 2003 and 2004? 6.What is the source of intrinsic investment value in this company? Does this source appear on the financial statements? 7.Review the events since the date of the case. See the company’s Web site for updates on its financial information (http://www.krispykreme.com).