Management Efficiency Impact on Performance within CocaCola Dissertation

Management Efficiency Impact on Performance within CocaCola - Dissertation Example Coca Cola has been awarded severally for its management and market status the world over. The company has employed different management theories in different countries of operation to suit the market and human resource requirements. Betsy Morris a CNN-Money correspondent reported in her feature on Coca Cola management noted that the company’s management style directly impacted on delivery and profits. The early 2000s saw the company slur but the recent years of good management have seen it rise again. The theories of change management have seen the company record all time high profits in the last two years. Research Strategy and Methodology The evaluation process will use two instruments, the interview and the survey, to collect information on the intended Coca Cola project. The interview will be carried out on the top management of the company to gauge the management style. The process should run in a scheduled time frame of fourteen (14) weeks. The interview method provides detailed information and can develop relationships among participants. The limitations of this method are that it takes large amounts of time, can be costly and participants may feel uncomfortable. It is also hard to get time with the top brass management for the interview. The interviews should therefore be conducted face to face, over the phone or internet video calls and through emails. The second activity is to design surveys to be filled in anonymously by the low and midlevel workers of the company in different states.

Peaceful and Happy Personality, Positive Lifestyle Essay Example for Free

Peaceful and Happy Personality, Positive Lifestyle Essay They promote the utmost understanding of the present rather than dealing with the past. Since they give importance to the dealings of their spontaneous actions, they let go of their subconscious dealing with the environment. In having this kind of belief, Zen Buddhists kind of meditation promotes focusing on the inner strength of the present to give them a more valuable interpretation of their own experiences. It emphasizes dharma practices for them to awaken their spiritual factor thriving in them. To attain further discovery of their self, they must submit themselves in the understanding of their present state of being. Zen Buddhism discourages the strong association of their life to written texts and oral tradition of answering metaphysical matter. They promote this kind of belief for them to be able to address the limitations of their actions and for them to attest their discipline and hold to their own teachings. Many had been practicing this kind of religion because of its simplicity but complex understanding of the complex flow of their life. Since they do not hold many teachings on the philosophical written documents, many said that this kind of practice is against the law of words and against the theoretical framework of many religions existing today. This kind of belief of Zen Buddhism lead to their diverse understanding of their situation thus giving them a perspective of life and its attached meaning to their personal events and perspective to the kind of perception that they have. Taking the beliefs of Zen Buddhism, it is important to see it as an â€Å"influence† to the environment, positively or negatively, in which a person belongs. Therefore, through the collective efforts of the Buddhists, as they have made an impression to the people, they have gained this special discipline that allows them to live in a simple way without to many needs and frustrations in life. It advocates the pursuit a non-greed life in human pursuits in a non-violent way. (De Silva, 1992) They like being quiet and avoid noises for it distracts the meditation of the soul. So, this values practice helps them to reach their goal of a peaceful and a suffering-less life. Since they give importance to their peaceful way of life, they believed that through this, they can have a good personality especially in interacting with other members of the society. Although some of them chose to stay far away from people to avoid distractions, many of them still wants to influence other people by showing them how to be a real Zen Buddhist. And because of this, they become happier in dealing with their everyday experience. By looking at them in the society, they tend to have more stable emotional attachments because of the training that they have in their religion. If we will merge the idea of Zen Buddhism and their teachings, we can notice their emotion in their dealings with everyday’s scenario. Since they have the meditation and focus on the present situation of their life, in effect, they developed system of interaction that promotes same way of living with the teachings of their religion. In this way, Zen Buddhist keeps their focus on conscious thinking with regards to their experiences. In addition to that, Zen Buddhists have different meanings on their personal choices and perception to any problem that they may encounter. At this point, Zen Buddhists attained a certain level of acceptance and happiness to deal with their life and to give positive meanings to their endeavors and suffering. This attitude in life constitutes not only our perception but also our actions in dealing with other people and into different situation. Through their teaching of not only what is good and bad but on how to live your life to be able to be good, we can see the varying result. Buddhists are calmer and quieter in dealing even with the most pressure driven situation in life. They do not resort to any kind of violence in solving conflicts that arisen, but rather chose to a peaceful negotiation and trust to the capabilities of a human soul. This is one of their practices in relation to karma, or the fruit of their actions. Believing that if they do good, something good will happen to them.

A Clockwork orange :: essays research papers

Psychological concepts in A Clockwork Orange At the start of A Clockwork Orange, you are introduced to Alex and his droogs. They are at a milkbar drinking milk-plus. Milk, plus types of drugs that enhance Alex and his droogs ultraviolence, which is the main backdrop to the story that leads to other psychological events. Drug addiction is a complex disorder that is compulsive and often uncontrollable. This is a chronic relapsing disorder, and treatment for drug addiction is about as effective as treatments for chronic medical conditions. Next Alex goes to a home in the country for a surprise visit of the ultra-violent kind. To persuade the wife of the house to let him in, Alex uses an intrinsic approach, pretending to be a helpless fellow in need of a telephone. This is a behavior used to fulfill an urge of Alex's, which is ultra-violence. Later on back at the milk bar, or Korova, Alex smacks his brother for behaving inapropriately, saying, "...For being a bastard with no manners. Without a dook of an idea about how to comport yourself public-wise, O my brother." So at this point Alex is using positive punishment. Alex heads to his house where he stays with his Dad and Mum. His mother, an older woman, has purple hair. This could be from the natural aging process of the eye, making his Mum think her hair is possibly silver or blond, when instead is a deep purple. But, then again, this movie might as well be using an artistic approach, and the hair color could reflect on the fashion of the near future. Alex goes in for treatment to cure his ultra-violence. The treatment is a conditioning method where he is to watch terribly movies with his eyes held open. After many, many views Alex gets sick at the slightest hint of any voilence or sex. Alex is put on stage where he is to be used in a demonstration. A man walks out, toward Alex. He begins to yell at Alex, then gets violent.

history of lacrosse Essay -- essays research papers fc

Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America, having been played by Native American tribes long before any European had even set foot on the continent. A century after European missionaries discovered the game played by Native Americans, they began to play it themselves, starting in the 18th century. From there, it evolved and grew in popularity from a very savage game that resembled war, into what it is today, a recreational sport played widely in America and other countries. As U.S. Lacrosse literature aptly puts it "Lacrosse is a game born of the North American Indian, christened by the French, adopted and raised by the Canadians, and later dominated by the Americans.† When the first people of America started playing lacrosse centuries ago, the game served many purposes. It was played to amuse the Creator, to train young men for war, and to settle disputes between tribes (Source B). The game was played by tribes in all parts of the United States and Canada; it was played by the Mexican Kickapoo in Texas, the Seminole in Florida, the Bungi in Manitoba, the Cherokee in Tennessee, and the Passamaquoddy in Maine (Source B). The game was called Baggattaway, meaning they bump hips by the Algonquin tribe, and Tewaarathon, meaning little brother of war, by the Iroquois tribe (Source B). In the earliest times of American Indian lacrosse, the game had few rules, if any. Lacrosse games would last for days, stopping at sunset and continuing the next day at sunrise. The fi...

Families need fathers Essay

The debate, â€Å"Families need fathers† is one in which there are many issues that need to be considered when looking at the question. Family poverty, domestic violence, the effect on children and family stereotypes by society all need to be considered in the debate. Recent surveys have shown that fathers also need families and therefore making the matter more complicated. Fathers still remain important in our society because family poverty is still largely prevented by the existence of a male, full time worker’s wage in a household. Due to the patriarchal nature of our society, women find it difficult to obtain appropriate work to fit in with custody of children. In a Social Trends survey the rise in mothers working part time form 49 percent in 1973 to 64 percent in 1994. This often means working in low paid, part time jobs with little chance that mothers’ earnings alone will be able to cover the cost of subsistence for themselves, never mind there children. Those who do work full time do not necessarily escape from economic dependence, choosing to work and pay for childcare may well prove uneconomic for large numbers of the working class. There is very little publicly provided care which fits the needs of working mothers: most pre school care is part time and infused with the ideology of education, rather then care and education. A large proportion of their income is spent on childcare and as childcare in Britain is the most expensive in Europe, lack of affordable childcare prevents the lone mother entering the labour market emphasising the need for fathers, or a male wage in the family. â€Å"Married men work harder, earn more and are more likely to have a job then other men†, according to Rowthorn and Ormerod, therefore preventing family poverty, although the modern woman is striking back. Nowadays it is easier to be a single mother. Welfare benefits, job opportunities, and the support of nurseries, playgroups and schools make it easier for single mothers to provide for their families alone. The Family Futures Report conducted by Graeme Leach predicts that by the year 2020 women will have become the main earners in at least half of all households. The feminisation of the work place will force companies to create a â€Å"mother-track† career as many companies will prefer the work of women to men meaning that affordable childcare will become available and the 20 percent pay gap will have disappeared. Even now, women’s contributions through earnings are important in reducing the family’s vulnerability to poverty. Families with 1 or 2 children were at the greatest risk of poverty without the earnings of the wife. In 1990, for example, people in households where the husband worked but the wife did not, had a 4 to 6 times higher risk of being in the bottom income quintile then those where both parents were working. Gittins (1993) states that more divorced men remarry showing that women have more independence and less need for a relationship, the family does not need a father or male figure to survive. The effect on children growing up without a father is one of the main focuses on the debate as there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that this has an enormous impact on the emotional and physical health of the child. Dennis and Erdos (1993) argued that research into the effect of fatherless families showed that † unless a child is brought up in the constant atmosphere of human beings negotiating, co-operating, controlling their anger, affecting reconciliation’s, he (sic) cannot learn what it is to be an effective member of a social group†¦ for this he needs the presence of two adults in close interaction constantly in his immediate environment. † Fatherless families are seen as contributing to the rise of educational failure, welfare dependency, and involvement in crime and drug abuse among young people, especially young boys from council estates. Indeed, only a quarter of persistent young offenders lived with two parents and that included step parents and mother’s boyfriends, 4 out of 5 children going into care have lone parents and on American and British council estates it was found that the higher the percentage of lone parent households, the higher the percentage of crime and burglary. These statistics show that it is not just families that need fathers; society also needs them as well. The concern for the effect of divorce on children is being researched more and more as divorce rates are becoming higher, one in three marriages now end in divorce and the effect on children is being examined closely. Rowthorn and Ormerod state that â€Å"on every measure of achievement and emotional condition, children living with their married parents usually do better then other children† although it is often hard to distinguish between the effects of marriage and divorce and other factors such as poverty and racism. Nevertheless, divorce often means poor exam results, damaged health and stress and four times the risk of needing psychiatric help as a child. Dr Richards took 17,000 children from the National Child Development Survey and monitored their lives at intervals until they were 35. He discovered that children, whose parents had divorced before they were 16, were on average less emotionally stable, left home earlier, and divorced or separated more frequently. However, this study was concerned with children of the middle class in 1958, and from then till now, social attitudes have changed as divorce is much more acceptable then it was in the fifties and therefore children are less affected by it, but most studies show the more involved the father; the better developed the child intellectually and socially. This view that children are affected by the absence of a father in the family is one to be contested. The latest research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that the absence of one or other parent figure from a household is not the aspect of separation which most effects the child’s development. Children are not necessarily harmed by divorce providing the parents split in an amicable fashion and good regular contact with the absent father can reduce some of the ill effects of divorce.

Fun Things to Do During College Summers

Fun Things to Do During College Summers Your time in college during the academic year, that is is, of course, filled with stressors like classes, papers, lab reports, and exams. It is also happily filled with the fun stuff, like friends, parties, going out, and a seemingly endless schedule of upcoming events and activities. During the summer, however, the social scene in your life can drastically decrease, especially if youre no longer on campus and spend your days at a job or internship. Whats a college student to do? Get Some Culture Go to a museum.  Go see some art, plants, science, history, or anything else you find interesting. And make sure to use your student ID for a discount.Go to a film festival.  Film festivals can be a great way to see new, independent films that you might not otherwise see, and summer is a great time to find a festival that focuses on the kinds of films you like.Go to a concert.  Who doesnt like a late-night, all-out, super-fun, big-name concert?Go to a music festival.  The weathers nice, the musics great, and the people are fun and interesting. Take advantage of summer music festivals while you can.Go to a play.  It doesnt have to be Shakespeare but it should be fun. Whens the last night you went to the theater not for a class anyway? Get Creative Learn an instrument.  You may have always had a desire to play the piano, learn the flute, or even play the drums. Why not learn now when you have the time and freedom to really put your heart into it?Take an art class.  Learning to make pottery or how to paint, for example, can be a great way to learn how to release your creative side.Try your hand at creative writing.  You can try to write poems, a short story, or even music. You never know what you might come up with when you have the time and freedom to really let your mind explore!Take a photography class.  Honing your photo-taking skills can be a great way to have fun, meet people, get some skills, and see new parts of your town. Get Lost in a Good Story Read a new release book.  It can be science fiction, general fiction, trashy romance, murder mystery, historical fiction but it doesnt matter. Grab the latest release and let your brain take a break.Read a classic.  Always hearing about a classic book one of your friends or family members loves? Been curious about a novel you never read in high school? Summer is the perfect chance to finally sit down and read it.Buy a magazine you dont usually read.  It can be intellectual, like The Economist, or ridiculous and fun, like People. But whens the last time you just let yourself sit, veg out, and read a magazine?Get an audiobook.  Fair enough: you may read enough during the year to not want your nose in another book over the summer. Consider buying (or getting from the library)  an audiobook that you can listen to while working out or driving around. Get Physical Try a new form of exercise.  Been curious about yoga, pilates, spinning, or something else? The summer is a great time to explore something new and see if its a fit.Join a community sports team.  Most places have community sports teams that play in the summer; they can range from competitive baseball to completely silly kickball leagues. See whats in your area and what you can join for the few months youre free.Take a class at the gym.  Summer can be a great time to get in shape. Your local gym probably has classes you can join that will help you exercise your body and relax your brain.Go golfing.  Never been? Golfing can be a great workout, a fun way to spend the day outside, and an important skill to learn if youre interested in going into the business field.Take a dance class.  Feel awkward when you go out clubbing with friends? A dance class can help, even if its something funky like swing or salsa.Go for a bike ride.  People seem to ride bikes less and less the olde r they get. But bike rides can be a fun way to get out and  get some exercise. Do something that challenges your fears.  Terrified of skydiving? Bungee jumping? And yet,  do you secretly also want to try them? Grab a friend and conquer your fears. Get Social and Give Back Volunteer. Think of the last time you volunteered. Didnt you feel great afterward? No matter where you leave, there are undoubtedly places that could use your time, energy, and smarts.Join a community group. Treat yourself to something fun that also gets you out into the community, like a running or hiking club.Organize an event at your church, temple, mosque, etc.  If youre a little bored this summer, chances are others are, too. Organize something fun with people you have something in common with. Get Entertained Try a new video game. Seriously, its summer. What better time is there to grab a new game and play it without worrying about that paper youd have to write if it were the school year?Watch a movie marathon. You can rent a ton of your faves or just watch a themed marathon on a TV network.Spend a weekend seeing all the new releases. Grab a friend and see if you can see all the new releases in one weekend. With food in the theater, theres no reason why you can just spend all day there, seeing movie after movie!Try a new idea: breakfast and a movie. Just wake up? Call a friend and meet at a local place that serves 24/7 breakfasts ASAP. Then amble over to the theater and enjoy whatever movie is next playing. Added bonus: breakfast is cheaper than dinner, and matinees are cheaper than the later shows.Head to an amusement park.  Its a summer classic and can easily turn into one of the highlights of your summer. See the World Or Explore Your Own Backyard Take a bus or a train somewhere new. Flying can be so cheap these days that folks sometimes forget about the bus or train. But sometimes the journey is half the fun, and youll see new parts of the country youd never see from the air.Take a quick flight somewhere new. Since flights, especially last-minute deals, can be so cheap, why not hop a flight this weekend and see a friend?Act like a tourist in your own town.  If you were in your town on vacation, what would you do? You might surprise yourself by finding new things to do and see.Go camping.  Camping during the school year can be a challenge, both because of your workload and because of the weather. Utilize all that summer has to offer for the great outdoors. Get Cookin Try a new kind of food or restaurant. Heard people talk about how delicious Peruvian food is, for example? Or have you always been secretly afraid to try sushi? Challenge yourself to try something new (to you).Experiment in the kitchen/learn to cook. During school, you probably dont have much time to learn how to cook; you just need food, fast. Use some of your summer free time to learn how to cook.Take a knife class.  Learning how to properly use a knife in the kitchen is both handy and impressive and yet very few people do it correctly. Taking a knife class at a local cooking school will be entertaining and super helpful as you learn to cook for yourself more and more.Take a bartending class.  Its fun, its handy, its a great way to meet people with similar interests. Whats not to like?Host your own Iron Chef competition.  Gather several friends and divide them into groups. Then, at a certain time in the morning, e-mail out the secret ingredient. Everyone has to report back t o, say, your house at 5:00. People will have fun and youll have dinner on top of it. Pamper Yourself Get a massage at a massage school.  Youre a student; you know how important it is to learn by doing. Find a local massage school and help another student learn his or her trade. Added bonus: massage-school massages are usually way cheaper than the regular ones and just as good.Get a funky haircut.  You may not even get a haircut while youre away at school. Why not use summer as a time to get a little funky with color or style? Take Full Advantage of the Summer Season Go to a major sports game.  Baseball, basketball, soccer it doesnt matter. Grab some friends and head to the stadium.Go to a minor sports game.  Things like  minor league baseball games can be incredibly fun and much cheaper than the big leagues. See whos around your town and when you can watch em play.Grab some kites, friends, burgers, beers, and a picnic table.  With that combo, how can you go wrong?Go to a water park.  Summer is prime time for water park fun as long as you remember the suntan lotion.Make your own fun water park day.  You dont have to have a water park near you to enjoy yourself. Grab some water balloons, a Slip n Slide, a kiddie pool (that can be used for lounging or even, when filled with ice, for storing drinks), some friends, and a hose. Set Yourself Up For Success Get a head start on your fall classes.  Alright, this one may sound lame, but it can do wonders for your mental health to look over your syllabi and perhaps get a head start on the reading especially for a class you might be geeked out about.Set up systems for success for the new year.  Okay, this also sounds lame, but think about it: Did you struggle with time management? Being  organized? Spending a little time now, while you have it, may save you a lot of time and frustration once school starts.Take an online class.  You wont have to commute, you can save some cash, and you might even get ahead on the credits youll need to graduate.Build a personal website.  If youre going to be graduating next year, a personal website can be a great way to advertise yourself to future employers and show them all your mad skills. Make sure to keep it clean and professional.Go through your old stuff and donate what you dont use or need.  Do you have things for 2 lives: your college lif e and your pre-college life? Someone somewhere will probably be grateful for all of those sweatshirts and t-shirts youre no longer using. Clean up your e-life.  Super fun? Probably not. Will you feel better afterward? Most definitely. Dump your old Facebook friends, clean up your  laptop desktop, and delete old pictures you dont want or would hate to get in the wrong hands from your camera or phone. A clean e-slate is a great way to start your new year.

Patriots vs. Loyalists Essays

Patriots vs. Loyalists Essays Patriots vs. Loyalists Paper Patriots vs. Loyalists Paper Town Meeting Reflection Essay The town meeting that was held a week ago was confusing but exciting at the same time. Loyalists and Patriots were arguing their opinions of colonial independence. The loyalists wanted to prevent the colonial independence movement but the patriots wanted that independence. So because of the movement, patriots and loyalists began arguing and debating. Some didnt get to say what they were going to say and some had their chance. I think the patriots had better arguments, because hey were more concise about the debates, such as the taxation without representation and the Stamp Act. The loyalists also had good arguments such as taxes were paid in order to protect colonies. During the town meeting, the patriots had some good points for colonial independence. One of the major argument that was mentioned was taxation without representation. Taxation without representation meant that colonists refused to pay taxes to England until they were represented in British Parliament. They were paying high taxes to support a government The Stamp Act was a British act that taxed every British good by making the colonists buy a stamp for every British good purchased. But was later canceled. So when the patriots heard about this they tarred and feathered the British tax collectors. These arguments brought up during the town meeting were convincing because backed up their debates. The loyalists of the town meeting brought up major points like the taxing colonists or everything but were being used to protect them as well. One person said we tax you so we can protect you and your family. The debate started from then on. Patriots got furious, and said we dont need you to protect us, we can protect ourselves. the loyalists responded with if we didnt put a soldier with guns in your houses to protect you, then you might have been dead by now. So the debate went on and on. But ended up with the patriots winning the debate. I dont think the loyalists had a invoicing argument because they kept repeating the same thing over and over, which was we tax you to protect you. Overall the town meeting was great. People had their say about what they dont like about the colonial independence. The loyalists who stayed loyal to the king and Britain didnt have persuading thoughts so I have to say Im going to go with the patriots side. The patriots had lots of good arguments and they were more convincing. Patriots vs.. Loyalists Town Meeting Reflection Essay By lustiness

Arctic Wolf or Canis lupus arctos

Arctic Wolf or Canis lupus arctos The Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) is a subspecies of the grey wolf that inhabits the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland. Arctic wolves are also known as polar wolves or white wolves. Appearance Arctic wolves are similar in build to other grey wolf subspecies. They are slightly smaller in size than other grey wolf subspecies and have smaller ears and a shorter nose. The most prominent difference between arctic wolves and other grey wolf subspecies is their all-white coat, which remains white throughout the year. Arctic wolves have a coat of fur that is specially adapted to the extreme cold climate in which they live. Their fur consists of an outer layer of fur that grows thick when the winter months arrive and an inner layer of fur that forms a waterproof barrier close to the skin. Adult Arctic wolves weigh between 75 and 125 pounds. They grow to lengths of between 3 and 6 feet. Arctic wolves have sharp teeth and powerful jaws, characteristics fitting for a carnivore. Arctic wolves can eat large quantities of meat which enables them to survive for the sometimes long periods between prey captures. Climate and Ecosystem Arctic wolves have not been subjected to the intense hunting and persecution that other grey wolf subspecies have. This is due to the fact that arctic wolves inhabit regions that are largely unpopulated by humans. The greatest threat to Arctic wolves is climate change. Climate change has caused a cascade of effects throughout Arctic ecosystems. Climate variations and extremes have altered the composition of Arctic vegetation which has, in turn, had a negative impact on populations of herbivores in the Arctic. This, in turn, has affected populations of Arctic wolf who rely on herbivores for prey. The diet of Arctic wolves consists primarily of muskox, Arctic hares, and caribou. Arctic wolves form packs that can consist of just a few individuals to as many as 20 wolves. The size of the pack varies based on the availability of food. Arctic wolves are territorial but their territories are often large and overlap with the territories of other individuals. They mark their territory with urine. Arctic wolf populations are present in Alaska, Greenland, and Canada. Their greatest population density is in Alaska, with smaller, sparser populations in Greenland and Canada. Arctic wolves are thought to have evolved from a lineage of other canids about 50 million years ago. Scientists believe that Arctic wolves were isolated in very cold habitats during the Ice Age. It was during this time that they developed the adaptations necessary to survive in the extreme cold of the Arctic. Classification Arctic wolves are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Chordates Vertebrates Tetrapods Amniotes Mammals Carnivores Canids Arctic wolf References Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. London: Dorling Kindersley. 624 p.

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Business ethics - Essay Example ctive of the business ethics is to whether the practice of supporting the failing financial institutions through the tax money is morally correct given the fact that financial institutions failed to perform their duties. After the financial crisis of 2008, US and other governments from the developed nations bailed-out their financial institutions by pouring in the public money. This issue created significant moral debate regarding the role of the financial institutions and the government in having allowed the bailing out of the financial institutions. Most of the arguments were based upon the notion that public money should not be spent on those who behaved irresponsibly and are the very cause of the crisis itself. The role of the financial managers in managing the money and engaging into business practices which were risky and speculative was also being deplored. This business ethics issue will therefore be explored from the perspective of the utilitarianism as well as deontology. Both these philosophical theories will be discussed first and applied to this issue in greater details. Deontological ethics are based upon the moral evaluation of the actions based upon whether the actions actually followed or adhered to any rules or not. It is also because of this reason that the deontology is often considered as rule based ethics as it stresses upon the adherence to the rules if any action is to be considered as ethical or not. There are however, different theories of deontology which outline as to how to actually treat an issue from certain perspectives. Kantian ethics of deontology suggests that the morally right way of doing things is as to whether the individuals actually performed from the perspective of the duty or not. Kant also suggests that the morality of actions shall be based upon the motives of the individuals rather than the overall consequences of taking such actions. (Shaw) Utilitarianism however, is an alternative philosophical theory which

To what extent does the internal environment of E.ON enable it to Essay

To what extent does the internal environment of E.ON enable it to survive and prosper in a global knowledge economy - Essay Example The aspect of knowledge economy would also include the extent to which E-on has used innovations as a part of its strategic framework towards attaining excellence in the global knowledge economy. The report also contains an analysis of the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats using the SWOT analysis. Furthermore the external environment has also been analysed by using the PESTEL framework. Competitive framework is another significant area which demands considerable attention hence an analysis of the Porter’s five forces model applicable to E-on has also been discussed in the study. This has been followed by the analysis of the external environment with regards to the opportunities of the market and finally the level of synchronisation or harmony of the organization with regards to its changes in the business environment have been analysed so as to formulate effective strategies for the future in an attempt to gain sustainable competitive advantage. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 5 Background to the organization 6 Internal Analysis 7 Congruence with the External Environment 7 Organizational Structure 8 Leadership 10 Politics 11 Human Resource Management 11 Corporate Culture 11 Innovations 12 Customers 14 Stakeholders 15 External Analysis 15 PEST analysis 15 Porter’s Five Force 17 Summary of the Internal and External Analysis (S-W-O-T) 18 Internal Strengths and Weaknesses 19 Strengths 19 Weakness 20 External Opportunities and Threat 20 Opportunities 20 Threats 21 Conclusion 21 References 22 Bibliography 25 Annexure 26 Introduction Globalization has changed the business dynamics and the environment in which organizations operate in the markets. Business organizations are now looking beyond national and geographical frontiers to enter into new territories. This has significantly increased the rate of completion among the market players. The change in business dynamics of the external environment has forced organizations t o adhere with the global knowledge economy by bringing about innovations in their business processes. Innovations not only help in generating organizational excellence but also help to formulate measures that seek to counter the competition in the markets. Knowledge is perhaps the area which can be used as a tool to gain leverage of the prevailing knowledge based economy. According to Corey & Wilson knowledge economy is defined as â€Å"an economy that increasingly relies on technology and knowledge factors of production and wealth creation, in addition to labour and capital† (Corey & Wilson, 2006, p.206). Operating in a knowledge economy also involves making full use and proper application of the benefits of the knowledge economy in every business process of the organization. The evolution and use of ICT in business organization largely follows from the implementation of the elements of knowledge economy in the business organizations (Brinkley, 2006, p.4). The emergence and evolution of knowledge economies can be traced to the beginning of the industrial revolution. Since then it has been a continuous story of technological evolution with the present age of internet and highly advanced technologies which are increasingly used by business organizations to gain competitive advantage. Another interesting aspect is that technological innovation has not only inculcated among the developed nations but also among the developing nations which has

Pursue litigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pursue litigation - Essay Example This ensures that people do not take advantage of legal loop holes to cause damage to others property or image. However, there may be chances where changes in the wider society happen so fast as to outpace changes in law. Tort damages are financial damages that are required from the offending party. These are required to make up for the injuries caused to the injured party. These damages differ as they are dependent on the injury and may include present or future injuries, mental distress, loss of wages amongst other tortuous behavior. There are three types of torts; intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability. Intentional torts result when a person causes damage intentionally; for instance, if one slaps another with an aim of causing harm, such is considered an intentional tort (Lunney & Oliphant, 2008). A similar act perpetrated unintentionally may not be regarded as intentional tort but might be considered a negligent act. Negligent act qualifies as tort. An important observation here is that tort does not always result from intended acts but also results from unintended acts with potentiality of harm, in this case the tort is referred to as strict liability. When a defendant is charged under strict liability, it means that their engagements, though innocent present potential liability to those around. All these classes of tort attract potential charges as they pose actual or potential injury to people. Unfortunately, not all people are aware of the existence of these and are ignorant of the likely consequences. This means that they do not know what action to take and often their rights are continually trampled. To understand the likely results and redress, such individuals require legal counsel. First, they need to understand what translates into a tort. They should seek damages for such action as these are likely to result to loss either financially or due to the distrust

Dissertation outline(please help me think of a title related to CSR Outline

Dissertation (please help me think of a title related to CSR with extractive industries) - Outline Example companies that are engaged in the business process of extracting materials, minerals and metals from the surface of the earth for further processing and commercial use. It has been observed under the review of literature that the extraction companies are mostly listed in the Canada and there has been an increase in the investments of these companies in both the domestic as well as the overseas markets. In recent years, the multination investment in the extraction industries like oil and gas, mining, etc. have increased at an average rate in the US and UK. On the other hand, the multinational investments in the countries of Asia and Africa as well as the developing economies have increased multiple folds. While this represe4nts a win-win situation for the multinational investors in the extraction sector and the economies that are rich in the mineral and resources as their primary industrial sector, there is a gap in the literature which suggests that the multinational companies invest ing in the extraction industries have often faced complex situation and challenges in running their business in the extraction sector (Abdel-Fatau, 2002, p.16). The review of literature suggests the Canadian financial market are the largest sources of equity capital for the mining and exploration industry and the expenditure of the Canadian based extraction industry accounts for almost 43% of the total expenditures by the companies in the extraction industry all over the globe. However, with the increasing performance of the extractive industries, the multinational investments have started flow into the developing countries. Although the extraction industries have been playing a major role in stimulating the growth of the host countries, there are several social and environmental challenges faced in their course of operations. It has been found that the extraction industries have performed the role of CSR on an increasing trend while operating in the overseas markets. In order to

Project Planning Documentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project Planning Documentation - Essay Example In this scenario, this report outlines some of the major objectives of implementation of ERP technology. Introduction According to Al-Mashari (2003) the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can be viewed as one of the most modern and effective developments since 1990s. Additionally, with the growing attention of a number of businesses towards moving from a traditional functional approach to IT and business IS based corporate working environment, ERP systems have turned out to be one of today’s most popular business information system solutions. In addition, the well-known qualities of ERP business solutions motivated businesses to put into practice ERP systems. In this scenario, some of the well-known qualities of ERP systems include standardization and integration capabilities; besides, this is flexible in the both server and client architecture and their capability to take effectual organizational reengineering and management of foundational and support processes (Al-M ashari, 2002; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005). Seeing the importance of an ERP system for a business, ABC Corporation has decided to implement a corporate-wide Enterprise Resource Planning package which will form (define) the core technology, database, and development environment to be utilized by the organization. This report will present recommendations for the acquisition and implementation of a corporate-wide business information system RFP from ABC Corporation in Toledo, Ohio. In addition, this report will offer a detailed analysis of the major problems and objectives of ERP technology in the context of ABC Corporation. Problem Situation ABC Corporation is currently running and managing its business tasks using the distributed financial management system in conjunction with various disparate platforms. However, with the rapid growth of ABC Corporation is the past few years, the business has experienced expansion in its business circle and data. In this scenario, the old and other business management systems are not capable of offering any reasonable support for the business management. Due to a large number of business management systems the firm is not able to deliver effective performance and a centralized business platform. The business of ABC Corporation is facing a number of IT related problems, some are outlined below: Vulnerability to arrange errors because of slow processing in the course of customer service. Lack of correct performance information Lack of incorporating financial support Dirty data Less supportive for corporate decision support More load on central corporate management staff No central data repository Different formats of data No standard format of data Less support for efficient extraction of information Manual calculations and compilations Long waiting for time for management reports More data duplication Lower quality data Objectives This section outlines the objectives of ABC Corporation which they want to achieve t hrough the implementation of an ERP system. In this scenario, some of the major objectives of this ERP technology based system at ABC Corporation are outlined belo

Dissertation outline(please help me think of a title related to CSR Outline

Dissertation (please help me think of a title related to CSR with extractive industries) - Outline Example companies that are engaged in the business process of extracting materials, minerals and metals from the surface of the earth for further processing and commercial use. It has been observed under the review of literature that the extraction companies are mostly listed in the Canada and there has been an increase in the investments of these companies in both the domestic as well as the overseas markets. In recent years, the multination investment in the extraction industries like oil and gas, mining, etc. have increased at an average rate in the US and UK. On the other hand, the multinational investments in the countries of Asia and Africa as well as the developing economies have increased multiple folds. While this represe4nts a win-win situation for the multinational investors in the extraction sector and the economies that are rich in the mineral and resources as their primary industrial sector, there is a gap in the literature which suggests that the multinational companies invest ing in the extraction industries have often faced complex situation and challenges in running their business in the extraction sector (Abdel-Fatau, 2002, p.16). The review of literature suggests the Canadian financial market are the largest sources of equity capital for the mining and exploration industry and the expenditure of the Canadian based extraction industry accounts for almost 43% of the total expenditures by the companies in the extraction industry all over the globe. However, with the increasing performance of the extractive industries, the multinational investments have started flow into the developing countries. Although the extraction industries have been playing a major role in stimulating the growth of the host countries, there are several social and environmental challenges faced in their course of operations. It has been found that the extraction industries have performed the role of CSR on an increasing trend while operating in the overseas markets. In order to

Introduction to people at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to people at work - Essay Example As such, there are factors in this aspect that focus mainly on extrinsic motivation, which is known to be related closely to intrinsic motivation. As a result, there is need to have attention paid to the environment in which I work as an employee following this close-knit relationship, in which offering the right tools for the job to be done should serve as a motivator. This is in addition to presentation of a suitable environment such as lighting and ventilation as depicted by the Maslow hierarchy of needs to eliminate the need for certain things before one can graduate to the next level of productivity (Nader, n.d, p.4). As a result, tools and physical conditions would serve as ate best means of motivation following the need for a highly productive employee. This couples further with making the employer enjoy that which he does as per Taylor’s theory of motivation and this provide perfect motivation to enjoy work (Silver, n.d). In addition, another expectation lies with lead ership and hierarchy, which studies have expressed concerns that strategic management is the best way to go when dealing with new employees and developing a company to success. As a result, the key expectation as per this depends on having positions of power and a distribution of authority throughout the organization such that there is not a single employee in the organization that cannot take responsibility. The implication of this is having a hierarchy of authority as called for amongst those that advocate strategic management, but based on more modern systems of interaction following the questionable nature of traditional strategic management and the role of these managers in the said era (Chakravarthy and Henderson, 2007, p.4). Employers that follow new tested means have more appeal that those who stick to traditional means following the image of dynamism that is depict for both employees and clients. This also serves as a motivating factor, especially in the interactions betwee n managers and employees, in which case I aspire to be a marketing manager, as there is immediate feedback and development of corporate behaviour that is unique to the business model of the organization. Reward systems are also to be looked into keenly as it is this that works to motivate employees significantly coupled with conventional motivators such as meeting all their needs at work. This serves for remuneration and compensation for other works and duties fulfilled outside the normal job description, but for the benefit of the organization. The incentives provided for such performances outside of the normal job description are part of larger scheme to improve performance of workers in the organization, and personally as an employee, I am of the opinion that having a scheme such as this boosts individual performance. In addition, it is crucial for the image of the organization in that it pushes employees to work towards the overall success of the organization and every employee wants to be part of a successful organization, and I am no exception. Other forms of rewards and of utmost importance include remuneration as it plays the role of pay for services rendered, and an attractive pay is part of the package expected from future employers

Main functions of GO4IT Sports Essay Example for Free

Main functions of GO4IT Sports Essay * The company has a warehouse which supplies goods to shops as well as to sports teams by mail order * The company sells a wide range of sports goods in it shops this includes clothing, footwear and equipment for sports. * The shops also sell exercise equipment; however these large items are not kept in stock but are ordered from the supplier as required. * The company supplies match strips, to order, in team colours for different sports * The company supplies other team merchandise with team logo; these are supplied through a mail order service. * Sell sports trophies which can be engraved if required. * The company also supplies sports clothing in bulk to schools Different types of customers for GO4IT Sports The companys customers include: * Schools * Sports teams for all sports such as football, rugby, tennis, athletics and golf * General customers * The shops which are supplied by the companys warehouse Describe the functions of each section within the shops and Head Office, paying particular attention to Administration in shops and Human Resources in Head Office Functions of each section within the shops Administration * Each shop has a Branch Manager who has overall responsibility for the running of the shop. * The assistant manager and head of administration section report directly the branch manager. * The staff keeps account of the money taken through the EPOS terminals by comparing money received with EPOS records. * The administration staff produce and send correspondence from the shop as well as receiving correspondence. * Organise for a trophy to be engraved by contacting the local engraver. * Emailing weekly orders for goods to the warehouse * Producing confirmation purchase orders for goods and services * Checking invoices against goods received and work done and passing these to Head Office for payment Clothing sales * The clothing sales section has a clothing sales manager who the clothing sales staff and footwear sales staff report to. * Clothing Sales staff assist customers in choosing appropriate clothing and provide advice for those who wish to purchase clothing * The footwear sales staffs assist customers and provide advice for those who wish to purchase footwear. Equipment sales * The Equipment sales section has an Equipment sales manager. The general sales staff and specialist sales staff report to the Equipment sales manager. * The General sales staff operate the EPOS terminals, they scan the barcodes of every items during purchase and handing of receipts. * The Specialist sales staffs provide assistance and specialist advice and information for customers purchasing more advanced equipment. Functions within the Head Office * The Managing Director of GO4IT sports is responsible for all aspects of the day to day running of the business. The two directors which are: sales marketing director and the finance and administration director report to the managing director Sales and Marketing * The sales and marketing director is responsible for the mail order operation as well as advertising and promoting the business * A buying manager is responsible for locating the goods to be sold and negotiating contracts for their supply. * The buying manager ensures the right volume and type of goods are supplied at the right time to maximise profit. Finance and Administration * The Finance and Administration director is responsible for all other functions within the Head Office. This includes administration, Human Resources(HR) and finance * The Administration assistant, HR executive, chief accountant and ICT support executive report to the Finance and Administration director Finance * Keep records of all financial transactions on the head office server, including the income from sales for each shop and mail order, payments for goods purchased, payments for engraving contractors and staff wages. * Records are used to produce monthly and annual accounts for shareholders and Inland Revenue. * Generate VAT (value added tax) returns once a quarter for customs and excise. * Arrange for the amount due to be paid. Human Resource (HR) The functions of the HR Department are; * Staff recruitment and training * Place advertisements for staff * Send out and receive application forms * Organise interviews and provide contracts for successful applicants * Keeping standard personnel records on a database along with records of training courses attended by members of staff and any qualifications they obtain. * Determine what further training each staff member requires and how best to provide it * Book the member of staff on an external training course/ if many members require training organise for a trainer to deliver the course in house. Task1 Identify different types of supplier to the shops and warehouse and describe relationships between these suppliers and the departments/individuals within the company Warehouse Supplier What is supplied Who orders it How and when it is ordered Wholesaler Clothing and footwear Warehouse manager Order is made by fax once a month but can place special order by telephone if stocks of a particular item falls faster then expected Specialist manufacturers Sports equipment Buying Manager The buying manager negotiates contracts at the beginning of each season either by telephone or visit, for the supply of a certain quantity. Shops Supplier What is supplied Who orders it How and when it is ordered Local Engraver (external Contractor) Engraved Trophy Administration Assistant Administration Assistant telephones local engraver. The engraver collects the trophy from the shop with a confirmation purchase order detailing work the required. Warehouse Clothing and footwear Administration staff Branch manager hands an annotated stock list to Administration staff who e-mails warehouse Task 2 An analysis of the processes for recording sales in a shop and for mail order sales in Head Office. Shop Information Required * Product bar code or numerical code if bar code unreadable * Quantity bought * If sale is to be paid by credit card * If paying by cash the Amount to be tendered From where this is obtained and how it is captured * product code by barcode scanner * numerical code keyed in using a keypad * quantity keyed in by till operator * credit card yes/no keyed in The processing and calculations required * look up item in computer * display item name and price on screen * multiply price by quantity * if on sale, reduce total price by 50% * display total on screen * if credit card = yes, generate credit card receipt for signature The form and content of any output * on-screen / display message * paper till receipt * paper credit card receipt * Contains prices. items, sales items highlighted with words ON SALE, store address, time of sale, till operator name Mail Order in Head Office Information Required * Team details e.g. team name, name and address of contact person, the sport, the colour(s) and design of shirt/vest, position of logo e.g. VTL(vest top left), picture of team logo and team number * Product colour * Product quantity required * Product code * Colour code/ X is entered If a non standard colour * Size and number of colours in logo * Amount of deposit paid From where this is obtained and how it is captured * Team details from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product colour from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product quantity required from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product code from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Colour code/ X is entered If a non standard colour from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Size and number of colours in logo from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Amount of deposit paid from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Team logo captured using a scanner and stand alone computer The processing and calculations required * look up item in computer * display item name and price on screen * Calculate price of embroidery by multiplying number of logos by price * multiply price by quantity * Calculate sub total if less than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 is added for postage and packaging * Calculate and add VAT to give total price The form and content of any output * on-screen / display message * Invoice * Contains prices. items, store address, store phone and fax number, date of sale, invoice number, team contact person details, sub total, VAT, total, Less deposit, total due. Task 3 Outlining the current ICT systems used by GO4IT Sports, in particular, Finance within Head Office and Administration within a Shop Administration within a shop * Each shop has a number of Electronic Point of Sales (EPOS) terminals with barcode readers and card readers. * Telephone connection to banking system * Small Local Area Network (LAN) of three computers * Laser Printer * Branch managers computer acts as a server * Dial up modem Software used includes * Word processing * Spreadsheet applications Finance within Head Office * Number of workstations * Local are network (LAN) * Single Server * Fast laser printer * Slower laser printer * Bar code reader * ISND line Software used includes * Word processing * Spreadsheet applications * Database management software * Stock control software Task 3 Analysing the purpose and operation of the main ICT systems used for sales in each shop and the ICT systems using within the warehouse Shops * Each shop has an EPOS terminal with barcode readers and card readers. Stock data is held on dedicated server connected to the EPOS terminals. * There is also a telephone connection to the banking system for authorisation of the card payments. * The barcode reader is used to scan the barcode of each item and the product code it contains is used to look the product description and price from stock database * When items are scanned total price is calculated. This includes the VAT, the system calculates the net value of the items, and all of this is printed on the receipt. * If customer pays by cash, member of staff enters the amount tendered; the EPOS terminal calculates the change due. This is printed on receipt and given to customer * If customer wishes to pay by credit or debit card the member of staff swipes the card through the card reader. The card details are checked by the banking system and if the transaction is approved an authorisation code is transmitted to the EPOS terminal. * The authorisation Code and card details and amount debited are printed on receipt which is handed to customer to sign with card and items purchased. Warehouse * Stand alone computer * Scanner * Computer controlled embroidery machine * Workstation * Laser printer * Stock control software has separate screens for incoming and outgoing goods. * All goods have a product code which is contained in a barcode. When goods arrive in the warehouse the barcode of each product is read and the quantity entered via the keyboard. * This data is used to update stock database. * For every order picked up the staff use the barcode reader to input the product code and the keyboard to enter the quantity removed from stock. These items are deducted from stock database. Task 3 Recommending and explaining improvements/ extensions to shop systems Methods for improving stock control and the re-ordering of stock, as well as integration of systems within GO4IT sports. * A dedicated server could be used instead of the branch managers computer acting as a server, if the branch managers computer crashes then that would leave the other computers stranded without a printer and no access to the internet. * ISDN connection would improve communication giving workers a faster connection to send e-mails internally. Dial up connections are not as reliable and are slower so information being sent will be limited due to connection speed of dial up. * There should be a centralised database put into place. This is where all the companys data is held in one place and the computers in the company are networked. This central database can be used by anyone within the company provided they have been given access through a password. This will be a very resourceful way of storing company data, as it will prevent the problem of data duplication. * Sales based ordering where automatic re-ordering takes place of goods from the warehouse using the sales information from the checkouts. * To increase the efficiency of communication between the supplier and GO4IT sports I would recommend the introduction of EDI (electronic data interchange); the system is similar to email and allows users to exchange invoices, delivery notes, orders and receipts over the telephone network. Security * Log in pages requiring a specific unique user name requiring a private password to track who logs on and off to restrict users Possible problems for suggested improvements * One of the problems that may arise is the finance to cover the costs for the installation of the systems in place. * Also addition of new feature will mean that staff are not familiar with it and training for staff will be required. Benefits of using new technology EDI Advantages * It is much faster, as work does not have to be printed, it is on the screen * The EDI system is easy to use and work can be sent off very easily * Information can be sent to other companies, in less then a few minutes instead of days. * The company can be linked up with their bank, suppliers and customers. * Will minimize the amount of paperwork and business can be transacted much faster and more efficiently then is possible through the normal post. Disadvantages * For EDI, computers are relied on, therefore if the systems go down; it will have a huge of affect on the company. * It is very costly for the installation of EDI * The organization has to research into which system would be best for the company Ecommerce Advantages * Majority of the work of GO4IT sports can be done just through the internet, making it much easier. * This would means a lot less people will have to be employed this will result in huge savings for the company as most transaction will be electronic. * Currently GO4IT sports uses a lot of time to get into contact with suppliers by using the telephone, which can be tedious due to the telephone being engaged; by using e-commerce orders could be automatically electronically sent straight to the suppliers. * Team contacts currently have to post the payment to the company, which is very time consuming and not very secure and with using ecommerce an electronic funds transfer could be made. * Promotion of the company can be improved as it is all online presentation of online advertising can be enhanced. * This will also enable the company to advertise their products online and also allow customers to purchase the products directly from the site using their debit/credit card. They can place the desired items in the virtual shopping trolley. The company can be fully based on the internet, making it easier for the company and also for customers. Disadvantages * A close relationship between the retailer and supplier is required in order for the system to work * Returning products online will prove to be difficult. The customer may be put off when these areas are taken into account. As the customer will question how to send the goods back to their source? Who pays for the return postage? Will the refund be paid? Will I be left with nothing? How long will it take? Compared to offline experience of returning goods to a shop and it is frustrating for the customer. * Privacy, security, payment, identity, contract. Many issues arise privacy of information, security of that information and payment details, whether or not payment details (eg credit card details) will be misused, identity theft, contract, and, whether we have one or not, what laws and legal jurisdiction apply. MIS(management information systems) For the Buying Manager I would recommend the following improvements: * MIS could produce an analysis of patterns of sales in the company * MIS would be able to identify peak production needs * What if type questions could be applied to different patterns of sales The features of the MIS system that could be used by the branch manager are: * Production costs can be based on raw material costs * MIS could be used to carry out analysis automatically * Results could be displayed in graphs which are easy to understand * Monthly graphs could be produced of price comparison with competitors goods or services resulting from regular market research. * Planning, directing, controlling and forecasting decisions. Both managers would benefit from the following points of the MIS system: * Warnings could be set if production costs exceed budget. * Warnings could be set if stocks fall below fixed level.

Movie Review Of Punch Drunk Love Film Studies Essay

Movie Review Of Punch Drunk Love Film Studies Essay Punch-Drunk Love is a very interesting American comedy directed by Paul Thomas Anderson with Sandler as the protagonist of this film. The detailed description and depiction of the main characters and the keep-changing and aesthetic setting of the story leave me a very deep impression after watching the film. After watching this film, Punch-Drunk Love looks like a sorbet of very strange color and flavor, its sweetness shot through with startling, unexpected taste. The whole story is very humorous, but one can also feel it is always on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Just like Jon Brions schizoid musical scorein the film, which is liltingly romantic one moment and abrasively percussive the next, Punch-Drunk Love is determined to throw you off balance. Sandlers performance keeps you guessing when, where and whether the protagonist, this self-hating, painfully self-conscious man might explode. There is danger lurking under his bland exterior, visible to everyone but Lena, who sees only what? This is the mystery in the whole story, and the key of the problem, at the heart of the movie. You must take Lenas love for Barry on faith, for her character is seriously underwritten. What does she see in the guy? Why would she commit herself to him, rather than have him committed? The bravura filmmaking (theres not a dull shot in the whole movie) dazzles you from start to finish, but the movie is an emotional jigsaw puzzle thats missing a couple of crucial pieces. Anderson has willed Punch-Drunk Love to be a romantic comedy; its powerful undercurrents, however, keep tugging it in other, darker directions, resulting in a movie more amazing than satisfying. In this paper, I am going to review Punch-Drunk Love from these three perspectives by analyzing the characteristics of the protagonists and the scene of the film, aiming to find out the humor and the aesthetic value of this film. At last, since love is the theme of this movie, and the constant theme in most of the American movies, I will try to dig out the romance between Barry and Lena in this film. To some extent, we can say, there are basically three dimensions in this film, that is, humor, aesthetics, and romance. In the next part, I will analyze the three dimensions respectively in detail. First of all, the arrangement and description of the characters in this film completely exhibit the features of a comedy. This is a new Adam Sandler on view in Punch-Drunk Loveangry, sad, and desperate. In voice and mannerisms he is the same childlike, love-starved, and sometimes even a little stupid Adam Sandler weve seen from a series of dim comedies he has acted, but this film, by seeing him in a new light, encourages us to look again at those films. Given a director and a screenplay that sees through the Sandler persona, that understands it as the disguise of a suffering outsider, Sandler reveals depths and tones we may have suspected but couldnt bring into focus. However, from the perspective of the style of the film, this is a comedy, so the performance by Sandler is still very humorous. In this movie, Sandler plays Barry Egan, a fearful, volatile, socially maladroit salesman of novelty plumbing items in the west of America. (His dice-and-money toilet plunger sells big in Vegas ). In this story, Barry always dressed in a formal bright blue suit and wore a tie in the working place. By contrasting with other workers who wore dirty and random clothes corresponding to their work and identity together with him, formal Barry looked very funny. So from the appearance, we can see he is very different from others and there must be some interesting stories will happen to him. And under such a strange looking, what a mental state will be there? What caused his specialty from other fellow workers? Then we get to know that this has something to do with his family circumstances. He had seven sisters, who cared much about him and inferred most of his personal and non-personal things. As a result, he was not spiritually free, for his thoughts and performance were all restrained by his sisters. Let us think about the gender and number proportion, one boy to seven girls! Barry must be very depressed in the process of growing up, and he must feel very lonely. So in this film , we can find out he got a borderline agoraphobe because of the restriction of his seven sisters. Besides the appearance, Barry also had other strange and funny behaviors. Barry lives alone in a sterile Valley apartment, and he is prone to sudden violent outbursts of rage. For instance, he broke the washing room of the restaurant when having meal with Lena and he would not admit that he did that. I believe most of the spectacles will feel amazed when seeing he did that. That is for sure he was ill, since what he did is beyond the imagination of an ordinary person. What is more ridiculous is that Barry obsessed with his scheme to acquire 1.5 million frequent-flier miles by buying a lot of Healthy Choice pudding. All the puddings made everyone surrounding him out for gold. As a result, everybody misunderstood him and laughed at him in his working place. As a matter of fact, he had never been on an airplane and of course he had no intention to travel to other places. So even if he real ly liked Lena, he didnt go to Hawaii with her. The stupid and inconceivable behaviors of the character bring a lot of humor. There is also an interesting plot in this movie, which is also a sparkle in the whole story. About 15 minutes after the movie began, Barry made a phone call the sex hot line, aiming at finding a girl to talk to him and reduce the feeling of loneliness. As the price of this call, he told all his private number to the switchboard operator, including his phone number, credit card number, and his address and so on. But actually, he didnt want to do anything with the girl. No matter how the girl Georgia seduced him with obscenity words, he reacted indifferently and even stupidly. The great contrast of performance between these two persons is quite funny and ridiculous. Whats more unbelievable is Barry was stayed on by the kidnappers hired by the sex phone. That is, until he meets his sisters adorable friend Lena (a luminous Emily Watson), who inspires the love-stru ck Barry to follow her on a business trip to Honolulu. He will also make it to Utah to confront the extortionist (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has sent four menacing Mormon brothers to threaten his life, all because, one lonely night, he called a sex-phone service and foolishly gave them his credit-card number. All in all, the character acted by Sandler seems very stupid and simple-minded and also a little goosy. All these characteristics increase the index of humor of the whole movie. Another eye-catching point in Punch-Drunk Love is the choice of the scenes. The wise choosing of the scene in the film can add the aesthetic value of the story and the picturesque beauty can make the audience have a better understanding and feeling of the story. Although Punch-Drunk Love is a comedy with humor at the main tone of the whole film, the scenes are also romantic and beautiful in the story. And the transform of the scene quite adapts to the plot and the characters. At the beginning, the scene is in a void and sunny outside place where Barry met his future lover Lena. The sky is very blue and open; the sunshine is very bright; the land is yellow; the car is white; Barry wearing bright blue suit and Lena in red dress met with each other and had an interesting short talk. In such a scene, no body will not imagine a romantic plot even if the hero of the story seems stupid and simple-minded and answered questions with the single sentence I dont know. So this scene of contrastiv e bright colors indicates the future development of the characters. Also there is another clue of the story is the organ. When the protagonists met with each other, there was a organ in the middle of the street. Then Barry took it into his working place. Since then, he would play it from time to time. The coincidence is that the heroin Lena is a woman organist. The appearance of this organ added much romantic flavor to the love story between the hero and heroin. And besides the beauty of picture, there seem some musical signals as well in the story. The other eye-catching setting in this movie is the beach of Honolulu. Although Barry is very afraid of taking the airplane, he flew to Honolulu for his lover Lena. After he arrived there, he called Lena by the public telephone on the street when there was grand gala parade. Barry bared his heart to Lena and asked many private questions on when the grand parade was going on. It was very noisy and we hardly heard clearly what he said. Thi s is where is funny. The big public parade contrast with the private love expression. I thing only Anderson can think of such a contrastive and dramatic plot and scene. Next comes the romantic beach dinner. At dusk, Barry and Lena dated at the beach and had very romantic dinner. The sun had set just now and there was still some rest light of the glorious sun. The ocean was dark blue and very quiet. The local artist played the guitar and sang a beautiful song with Hawaii flavor. The whole atmosphere is so quiet and comfortable. Our protagonists were having the same quiet date in the dark light of a small and weak table lamp. No words is needed at that moment but enjoyed the silence and the beauty of the dusk and the music. But still we know everything without words. Thats why we say the choice of the scenes in this film is a bright spot. And this is also the attractive glamour of the big screen film. At last, I want to say something about the development romantic relationship between the hero and the heroin. I think for most of the audience, they dont know what will be going on next from the very beginning of the film. However, this is also an important factor in the film about love, for the unexpected plot will be more impressive than those old stories. If I am a girl in this film, I would not love Barry, maybe because of all the misunderstandings. He is such a strange man: calling sex girls and arising troubles, buying lots of pudding for free airplane tickets even if he didnt want to have a trip by plane, breaking the washing room of the restaurant without sensation, not knowing how to express love to the girl he loves, etc. yes, that is Barry. But since this is a story in the film, Lena loved him although he was such unbearable. I dont know why and you dont know why, but that is the fact in the film. Maybe this is so-called romance. As a feedback, Barry finally woke from his psychological problem and closed self-world and tried to express love to Lena and adapted to this objective world. Thats why he overcame the fear in his heart and went to Honolulu for Lena by airplane. I think this part may let many girls moved and touched. The ending of this film is also very touching and perfect. Barry and Lena played the organ together in his working place. The scene and the organ both echoed the beginning of their love story. In a word, Punch-Drunk Love is comedy which is humorous, romantic and picturesque. It deserves our review and also other thoughts about humanity and love.

Queen Victoria :: essays research papers

On November 6, 1817 Princess Charlotte, the only heir to the crown of England died. She was the only child of the Prince Regent and was not a happy women. She was married off to prince of Orange at the age or 17, but broke off the marriage after falling in love with Prince Augustus of Prussia. He was already married but she was unaware and she continued seeing him. After a long time of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobury admiring her, Princess Charlotte gave him a chance and finally they were married in 1816. Later she got pregnant and for nine months of doctors told her that she was not in good health to have the baby on November 5, 1817 at nine o'clock in the evening after a 50 hour labor, Princess Charlotte delivered a dead baby boy. That night she was obviously dying. The Prince was in her room for hours and left for but a moment when a doctor came out and told him his wife was dead.After many controversies between the royal family about who was to become the heir to the crown there was a female infant born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24, 1819.Born Alexandrina Victoria to Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Cobury-Saalfeld, and Edward Augustus, duke of Kent and Strathern, the fourth son of George III and youngest brother of George IV and William IV, both kings of Great Britain.In January of 1920 the Duke a Kent remembered a prophecy that a fortune teller told him. The fortune teller said two members of the royal family would die. The Duke of Kent never would have thought one of the two members would be him and the other would be his father George III. The Duke of Kent caught a cold and inflammation of lungs occurred and he died on January 22 and then six days later his father's long, unh appy life was ended. Victoria called Drina by her family was raised in Kensington Palace and was very spoiled she was idolized by her mother's ladies and despite her mother's strictness about her being spoiled, she had everything she cloud have wanted. At the age of five, Fraulein Lehzen came who was the previous governess of Princess Feodoram she helped Drina learn her letters and she acted like an angel unlike before the arrival of Fraulein Lehzen when she was naughty and violent. Queen Victoria :: essays research papers On November 6, 1817 Princess Charlotte, the only heir to the crown of England died. She was the only child of the Prince Regent and was not a happy women. She was married off to prince of Orange at the age or 17, but broke off the marriage after falling in love with Prince Augustus of Prussia. He was already married but she was unaware and she continued seeing him. After a long time of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobury admiring her, Princess Charlotte gave him a chance and finally they were married in 1816. Later she got pregnant and for nine months of doctors told her that she was not in good health to have the baby on November 5, 1817 at nine o'clock in the evening after a 50 hour labor, Princess Charlotte delivered a dead baby boy. That night she was obviously dying. The Prince was in her room for hours and left for but a moment when a doctor came out and told him his wife was dead.After many controversies between the royal family about who was to become the heir to the crown there was a female infant born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24, 1819.Born Alexandrina Victoria to Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Cobury-Saalfeld, and Edward Augustus, duke of Kent and Strathern, the fourth son of George III and youngest brother of George IV and William IV, both kings of Great Britain.In January of 1920 the Duke a Kent remembered a prophecy that a fortune teller told him. The fortune teller said two members of the royal family would die. The Duke of Kent never would have thought one of the two members would be him and the other would be his father George III. The Duke of Kent caught a cold and inflammation of lungs occurred and he died on January 22 and then six days later his father's long, unh appy life was ended. Victoria called Drina by her family was raised in Kensington Palace and was very spoiled she was idolized by her mother's ladies and despite her mother's strictness about her being spoiled, she had everything she cloud have wanted. At the age of five, Fraulein Lehzen came who was the previous governess of Princess Feodoram she helped Drina learn her letters and she acted like an angel unlike before the arrival of Fraulein Lehzen when she was naughty and violent.

Encounters with Death in The Masque of Red Death Essay examples -- Mas

Encounters with Death in The Masque of Red Death      Ã‚   After reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of Red Death" (317-22), the reader can only conclude that death is the theme once again in another thrilling horror tale. Other critics such as Patricia H. Wheat, view this tale as a battle between life and death (51-56). Yet, Leonard Cassuto brings an interesting theory to this tale--"According to the narrator's own account, no one survives the Red Death. The only one who(lives) is Death. The narrator must be death himself" (317-20). Reflecting back to the various critical analogies on tone, character, and allegory on "The Masque of Red Death" a certain aspect of this work has yet to be defined. The plague that devastated a whole countryside could only be described. Could it be that Poe uses this fiction to chronicle his own encounters with death in his own life? To better understand this viewpoint a short summary is incorporated:    " The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and it's seal-the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim was the pest ban, which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow men. And the whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease were the incidents of half an hour" (Poe 317-22).    In this passage Poe describes a plague that death uses to take its victims. The horrific manner in which the disease appears -- bleeding at the pores, sharp pains, and seizures--can be related back to episodes in... ...Tales of Mystery and Imagination Norwalk: Heritage P.,1969. 317-322. Starret, Vincent. "Tales of Mystery and Imagination." Norwalk: Heritage P., 1969. Intro. Wheat, Patricia H. " The Masque of Indifference in The Masque of Red Death". Stud Short Fiction, 19(1982), 51-56.    Works Consulted Alton, Laura. "Masque of Red Allegory." 30 Oct.,1999. <http://www.neo.Irun.com/12stark/12smith/Netpages/Masque/alton.htm>. Bell, H.H. " The Masque of Red Death An Interpretation." South Atlantic Bulletin. 38 (Nov. 1973) 101-105. Dudley, Leonard. " The Coy Reaper: Unmasque-ing the Red Death". Stud Short Fiction. 30 (1993), 169-73. Silk, Richard D. "Poe's The Masque of Red Death". Explicator, 47(1989) 24-26. Womack, Martha. "Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of Red Death." 28 Oct. 1999. <http://www.poedecoder.com/essays/masque/>.    Encounters with Death in The Masque of Red Death Essay examples -- Mas Encounters with Death in The Masque of Red Death      Ã‚   After reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of Red Death" (317-22), the reader can only conclude that death is the theme once again in another thrilling horror tale. Other critics such as Patricia H. Wheat, view this tale as a battle between life and death (51-56). Yet, Leonard Cassuto brings an interesting theory to this tale--"According to the narrator's own account, no one survives the Red Death. The only one who(lives) is Death. The narrator must be death himself" (317-20). Reflecting back to the various critical analogies on tone, character, and allegory on "The Masque of Red Death" a certain aspect of this work has yet to be defined. The plague that devastated a whole countryside could only be described. Could it be that Poe uses this fiction to chronicle his own encounters with death in his own life? To better understand this viewpoint a short summary is incorporated:    " The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and it's seal-the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim was the pest ban, which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow men. And the whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease were the incidents of half an hour" (Poe 317-22).    In this passage Poe describes a plague that death uses to take its victims. The horrific manner in which the disease appears -- bleeding at the pores, sharp pains, and seizures--can be related back to episodes in... ...Tales of Mystery and Imagination Norwalk: Heritage P.,1969. 317-322. Starret, Vincent. "Tales of Mystery and Imagination." Norwalk: Heritage P., 1969. Intro. Wheat, Patricia H. " The Masque of Indifference in The Masque of Red Death". Stud Short Fiction, 19(1982), 51-56.    Works Consulted Alton, Laura. "Masque of Red Allegory." 30 Oct.,1999. <http://www.neo.Irun.com/12stark/12smith/Netpages/Masque/alton.htm>. Bell, H.H. " The Masque of Red Death An Interpretation." South Atlantic Bulletin. 38 (Nov. 1973) 101-105. Dudley, Leonard. " The Coy Reaper: Unmasque-ing the Red Death". Stud Short Fiction. 30 (1993), 169-73. Silk, Richard D. "Poe's The Masque of Red Death". Explicator, 47(1989) 24-26. Womack, Martha. "Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of Red Death." 28 Oct. 1999. <http://www.poedecoder.com/essays/masque/>.   

The Railroads Role in the Settling of the West

One of the largest contributing factors in the settling of the American West was the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Development was a slow process in much of the west, due in large part to how long the journey took. The completion of the railroad made it both a faster and much safer way to travel across the country. In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act was signed. It promised federal support to build the first transcontinental railroad. Two companies were chosen to take on this enormous project, they were awarded generous land grants and were given millions of dollars in government loans so that they could complete the project.The Union Pacific Railroad started laying tracks heading west from Iowa, while the Central Pacific Railroad was laying tracks heading east from California. The two sets of tracks finally merged together in Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869, creating the first transcontinental railroad. Before the completion of the railroad travel to the west was prima rily done by horseback or wagon train. This type of travel took several months to complete and was a very strenuous and dangerous journey, especially when travelling through Indian country.After completion of the railroad the same trip was reduced to a week’s time, while making it a far less dangerous trip especially for the women and children. Passengers were offered free trips, along with long term loans from the railroad companies. This was all done in an effort to attract Americans to the newly developing west. Railroad company executives no longer viewed the Great Plains which covered much of the American West as the inhabitable Great American Desert as it had once been described.The vast native grasslands that are so predominant in Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas that was once thought of as unlivable tracts of land due to the lack of trees to supply lumber that was needed for building homes. There was now an opportunity to ship lumber and building ma terials into those areas by train, and homes could be built on land that was once considered inhabitable. These native grasslands lands were also considered to be an ideal place for raising cattle. There were already an estimated five million head of longhorn cattle on ranches in Texas.When railroad tracks reached Missouri, these ranchers started organizing long cattle drives. Cowboys would drive the cattle from Texas to Missouri, where it was then loaded into rail cars to be shipped all over the country. As new tracks were being laid, new towns were being built in the areas that the tracks ran through. Within a few years, Abiline, Witchita, and Dodge City all sprang up in Kansas. These towns were all established due to the cattle trade that was created from the railroads, and thrived off of the business provided by the cowboys and the railroad employees.So in conclusion, a few of the railroads contributions to the settlement of the American West. Before the railroad, travel to the west was done on horseback, it took months of traveling over dangerous terrain. After the railroad, travel to the by rail was done in a week’s time on the safety of a train. Lumber and building supplies were now able to be shipped to the Great Plains, a place once thought inhabitable due to the lack of trees that were needed for building homes. Lastly, the railroad allowed the long cattle drives to take place that were responsible for building many towns where the railroad passed thru.There were other contributions that contributed to the settlement of the Great West but I believe these are some of the most significant. Why the AFL Prevailed Over the Knights of Labor One of the main reasons that the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was able to prevail over the Knights of labor was due to the fact that they understood the need for power. This power was achieved by a couple of different ways, they limited their membership to skilled workers, and they did not engage in politic s. Their goals were simple, above everything else, the union was there to protect the worker’s rights.The AFL was the national labor union for skilled workers, and they restricted their membership to skilled workers, most of whom were in the craft trade. With all of their members being skilled workers, it gave them solidarity, and meant that all of the members were interested in achieving the same goals. Unlike the Knights of Labor, who would allow membership to all wage earners except lawyers and saloon keepers. This made their membership to widespread, a result of this meant that not all the Knights members were interested in the same objectives.One of the reasons the AFL gained an advantage over the Knights was because of the AFL’s member restrictions. Samuel Gompers was appointed president of the AFL in December of 1886. Gompers realized the importance of keeping things simple. He understood that what was most important to the majority of workers was higher wages a nd better working conditions. Gompers made sure that the union’s first priority was to protect the rights of the workers. 1 His refusal to let the AFL delve into the political arena allowed them to maintain the support of both the government, and the public.One tactic that was used by unions were boycotts, these were able to take place because of the public’s support for the workers issues. Unions would hold town meetings explaining the workers grievances with their employers, the public would show their support by refusing to buy products that were produced by the company being boycotted. Of course the most popular tactic used by the union was the strike. Employees would refuse to work and form a picket line if the union was unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the employer.Thousands of strikes occurred at the end of the nineteenth century. The large and growing size of the AFL was used to support these strikes. Unions only won about half of these st rikes, but their demands were either partially or fully met in many cases. The AFL was the dominant national labor union in the United States, until the Great Depression. 2 In conclusion, the AFL was able to prevail over the Knights of labor because of the power and solidarity they gained by limiting their membership to skilled workers.By realizing that most workers goals were simple ones that included better pay, and working conditions. Also because of public support that allowed them to conduct boycotts and strikes that would better the lives of the workers that were members. The Significance of technological innovation in Building American Cities American cities were significantly affected by technological advances in the later part of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. These advances were major contributors to the development of the modern city that we see in America and throughout the world.They were a crucial part in allowing cities to be able to grow a nd support the millions of people that reside in them. Generating technology made it possible to use electricity for improvements in the city. In 1878 the electric arc lamp was first used in Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia. This form of electricity was then used to power city lights, and later, elevators, trolley cars, and subways. Trolley cars were the first forms public transit used in cities that was powered by electricity. Trolleys ran on steel tracks and were powered by an electrical cable that ran above them.This however was not a viable mode of transportation in some of the larger more populated cities. Railroads had been the principal mode of transportation for the past few decades, but were of little use for transporting people through a crowded city. That is, until 1879, when the creation of the first elevated railroad or â€Å"els† took place in New York. Cities were also constructing rail systems that ran underground. Boston was the first to us e this transportation method, but in 1904, New York completed construction of the first subway system that ran under the entire length of Manhattan.Subways used the same electric technology that was used for trolleys, but they turned public, or mass transit into a much more rapid form of transportation. New innovations in the steel and glass industries allowed architects to change their way of thinking in regard to building design. Instead of using just wood or brick for the outside walls that would bear much of the buildings weight, they were now using steel girders. These girders would be used to build a shell that supported the buildings weight, and the rest of the building was built around them with brick and plate glass windows and other building material.This new building design allowed the construction to reach much higher into the sky. The first building using this new design was built in Chicago in 1885, the ten story Home Insurance Building. Later New York, which was heavy in population but low on available real estate built the fifty-five story Woolworth Building that was completed in 1913. 3 In conclusion, technological innovations significantly affected the building of American cities. Generated technology allowed the use electricity to power our lights, elevators, and subways.Creative thinking in the way that we used the railroads spurned the first subway system. While advances in the steel and glass industries gave architects the opportunity to design the skyscrapers that dot the skyline of American cities. Free Silver and the 1896 Election Free silver was a very heated topic during the Presidential election in 1896, due to the economic crisis that the country was in. Because of the governments shrinking gold reserves it was proposed that silver be used at an exchange rate of sixteen ounces of silver, equaling one ounce of gold.Free silver was the term being used for this concept. It was widely thought, especially among Democrats, that this infl ux of silver would help to propel the country out of the depression and economic despair of the last three years. Farmers were going bankrupt, thousands of Americans were unemployed, and the economy did not appear to be getting better unless changes were made. These are the issues that brought free silver to the forefront of politics. This issue gained much of its support from the wheat and grain farmers in the Midwest and by the cotton farmers from the South.These farmers were being hurt financially due to falling prices for their crops. The economy in the United States was in need of dire repair and many people saw silver as the economic boost that was needed. Free silver had become the most debated topic leading up to the Presidential election. Democrats wanted to go back to a bimetallic policy for the United States Treasury Department. They believed that this was the only solution to end the economic crisis that the country had been in for the last three years.This was not the f irst time that silver was a heated topic, this had been an area of debate since it was dropped as a medium of exchange at the treasury in 1873. Democrats had become the party of free silver, but the parties were becoming divided based upon whether members were in support of gold or in support of silver. Free silver however was not just getting support from the Democrats, many Republicans were also in support of silver, and both Democrats and Republicans were switching parties over this debate. Populists, who were also in strong support of the silver were essentially turned into Democrats.This had become one of the most heavily debated subjects in the later part of the nineteenth century and it made the election of 1896 one of the most hard fought campaigns in nearly since 1860. 4 In conclusion, free silver had become such a hot topic during the election of 1886 due to the economic crisis the country was in. Many people believed that free silver was the solution that would give the e conomy the boost that it needed. Lastly, the silver debate was such a hot topic that it caused both Democrats and Republicans to jump parties over the issue.