Antigone, By Susan Glaspell And The Doll House - 1812 Words

In todays world it is not hard to find a woman in any role in society, however this was not always the case. In time periods previous to this, the role of women was quite different than it is in today’s world. What is now equality and power was once seclusion and degradation towards women of society. Over the course of time the role of women has changed dramatically, and the plays Antigone by Sophocles, Trifles by Susan Glaspell and The Doll House by Henrik Ibsen are great works that show how women can challenge the boundaries that were put on them by a society that was not very accepting of feminism. In â€Å"Antigone†, it does not take long for our main character (Antigone) to step outside of the boundaries set against women in society. Antigone’s brothers died in battle as leaders of separate sides, and only one was to be honored after death while the other would remain on the battlefield. A strict ruling was put down by the leader Creon that Antigone’s brother Polyneices be left to rot, which Antigone quickly decides to defy. After asking her sister Ismene for help with the deed of a proper burial (which was declined), Antigone spoke of Creon by saying â€Å"Nay, he hath no right to keep me from mine own† (Sophocles, Norton 11th Edition). Antigone breaks the obvious rule of society by going against Creon’s command to not give proper burial to her brother. This was not like many of the women of this time period because women were not seen as equal in the decision making process,

The Dos and Donts of My Dream College Essay Samples

The Do's and Don'ts of My Dream College Essay Samples Essays which are poorly written can doom someone who is virtually perfect in the majority of other ways. Give a small thought on ways to possibly make things handy for you. Dreams play a significant part in shaping our future. Dreaming is a rather wonderful thing. My Dream College Essay Samples: No Longer a Mystery You may not locate a sample which suits your requirements. In case you go through an intricate financial situation, you may be not to attempt to find the prep materials. Prior to starting, the very first thing you ought to see is that the personal statement is easily the most significant part your admissions package. There are several free practice test materials you could utilize. My Dream College Essay Samples: No Longer a Mystery Fantastic application essay samples are really hard to discover. In order to admissions one of the lucky few you need essay than simply an extraordinary essay. The essay is all about how well you set your thoughts on paper. Your common app essay ought to be different. At our essay support, essays are always delivered in a brief moment. Such essays are thought to be boring and dull. Application essays are extremely important bit of writing. Reading sample essays is a huge approach to understand how to write one. If you've already graduated from college or university and are trying to find a superior job, you want to get a persuasive resume to impress your future employer. A college essay is a significant part of a college application and a chance for students to demonstrate an admission committee what makes them a very good candidate. College application essays are vitally important, and can be an intimidating undertaking. College admission essay writing might have given you a great deal of stress but important to understand is you could write decent college essays when you have confidence over what you are and you will need to understand where to reach out to to be able to look for the very best help. IUP has a fantastic campus that makes very easy in order for it to be my dream college. While students will find a good deal of advice about ways to compose a college essayAdmission Essay. In any case, the person begins sacrificing their soul simply to appreciate their high. Save the can's opening clip each time you own a drink and put it to use for making double hangers. Lots of people stop fulfilling their dreams since they get tired in the center and think of seeing a quick path. Finding the plan prepared and staying organized is among the initial measures to accomplish your dream. Keep Your Paper Works Completed Just enjoy a foreign trip, you require several documents if you're planning to study in a different nation. After discovering our website, you will no longer will need to bother friends and family with these kinds of requests. It is imperative to take a while out of your busy routine to work out regularly. Every student demands help with homework from time to t ime. Say you get a particular question. If you're unable to select your topic and you are not familiar with the subject matter, find out more about the topic until you're familiar. The topic needs to be something that you are able to relate to and even better if you've got an emotional attachment to the topic. Don't sweat this portion of the procedure, but do be well prepared with a very good topic and concise writing. If you're serious about your college essay, you'll most probably be spending a reasonable amount of time brainstorming, writing, and editing till you make it as near perfect as possible. If it's the very first time you're likely to use our article writing service, you most likely have a great deal of questions. A number of bucks won't help you wind up getting an excellent paper. Because you just have one opportunity to produce a first impression, you will have to make the the majority of it. My Dream College Essay Samples - the Story Writing coursework isn 't a kid's play. Academic papers cannot contain any signals of plagiarism. Some students are fortunate enough to come across online examples matching their enthusiasm. Coursework completion ought to be regarded as a learning opportunity rather a burden. College admissions in the USA refers to the practice of applying for entrance to. Those students who need to visit college must make arrangements for tuition fees and other costs. The opted University would go through the fundamental background check to be sure the family's capacity to pay the tuition fees. Indiana University of Pennsylvania also has many terrific professors and advisors that are prepared to assist their students out with anything they might need.

Mission vision free essay sample

I have been a nurse in the acute care setting for over 9 years and due to the changes in health care I have decided to pursue my professional goal in the part of a Family nurse practitioner; which will allow me provide advance nursing care. In order to achieve this goal, I have to advance my education, and Walden University has the capacity to provide me with information and skills required to achieving my academic goal of graduating with a degree in Family nurse practitioner. Walden University vision and mission statement relate to me; because they have all the attributes in making my dream come true. According to the University’s vision, they see a future with a community where skills obtained are valuable to the degree which graduates can apply to societal challenges. (Walden University, 2011, para. 1). It is obvious that the school will provide me with the knowledge and skills necessary to advance my care giving in the area of nursing. We will write a custom essay sample on Mission vision or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This degree will allow me to serve and meet the need of individuals, and families throughout their lifespan. They also stated in their mission that, the school will provide a variety of career professionals with the ability to change themselves as scholar-practitioners. This relate to me; because, a degree in Family nurse practitioner will prepare me for the task of facilitating positive changes in the acute care setting where I will be working to provide patient care. Applying into Walden University School of Nursing (SON) was a step in pursuing my dream. The SON vision said their program will be recognize as a contributor to nursing and health sciences which will bring changes in the way nurses provide care to individuals. This support my goal of getting a degree that promotes health care delivery to individuals throughout their lifespan. Also, their mission statement said they provide education that is strictly relevant to the educational programs.. I am ready for the academic work involve in getting my advanced nursing degree. My main purpose of coming to Walden University is to pursue an academic goal of getting a degree in Family nurse practitioner, which will allow me achieve my professional goal of being able to practice in an acute care setting. Also, the knowledge and skills acquired, will to precipitate a positive transformation in my area of practice. Walden University said they support â€Å"positive social change through the development of principle, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society. † I look forward to applying my new knowledge to enforce a positive social change to those I provide care, and also at the acute care setting. As a Family nurse practitioner, I will demonstrate the skills obtained by providing the best health assessments, direct care, including emphasis on prevention and education throughout individuals and families lifespan. References Walden University. (2011). Vision, mission, and goals. Retrieved from http://catalog. waldenu. Walden University College of Health Sciences. (2012). About the school. Retrieved from http://www. waldenu. edu/colleges-and-schools/college-of-health-sciences/15863. htm NURS 6001: Foundations of Graduate Study INITIAL POST Mission Vision and Personal Goals I have been a nurse in the acute care setting for over 9 years and due to the changes in health care I have decided to pursue my professional goal in the part of a Family nurse practitioner; which will allow me provide advance nursing care. In order to achieve this goal, I have to advance my education, and Walden University has the capacity to provide me with information and skills required to achieving my academic goal of graduating with a degree in Family nurse practitioner. Walden University vision and mission statement relate to me; because they have all the attributes in making my dream come true. According to the University’s vision, they see a future with a community where skills obtained are valuable to the degree which graduates can apply to societal challenges. (Walden University, 2011, para. 1). It is obvious that the school will provide me with the knowledge and skills necessary to advance my care giving in the area of nursing. This degree will allow me to serve and meet the need of individuals, and families throughout their lifespan. They also stated in their mission that, the school will provide a variety of career professionals with the ability to change themselves as scholar-practitioners.   This relate to me; because, a degree in Family nurse practitioner will prepare me for the task of facilitating positive changes in the acute care setting where I will be working to provide patient care. Applying into Walden University School of Nursing (SON) was a step in pursuing my dream. The SON vision said their program will be recognize as a contributor to nursing and health sciences which will bring changes in the way nurses provide care to individuals. (Walden University 2012, para. 3). This support my goal of getting a degree that promotes health care delivery to individuals throughout their lifespan. Also, their mission statement said they provide education that is strictly relevant to the educational programs.. I am ready for the academic work involve in getting my advanced nursing degree. My main purpose of coming to Walden University is to pursue an academic goal of getting a degree in Family nurse practitioner, which will allow me achieve my professional goal of being able to practice in an acute care setting. Also, the knowledge and skills acquired, will to precipitate a positive transformation in my area of practice. Walden University said they support â€Å"positive social change through the development of principle, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society. † . I look forward to applying my new knowledge to enforce a positive social change to those I provide care, and also at the acute care setting. As a Family nurse practitioner, I will demonstrate the skills obtained by providing the best health assessments, direct care, including emphasis on prevention and education throughout individuals and families lifespan.

Survival Essays - Lech-Lecha, Book Of Genesis, Vayeira, Abraham

Survival Finding one's place in society is a major dilemma many people face every day. Once people find their place in society they understand who they are, what is expected by them and what their roles are. Once a person has found their place in society they understand their life and which direction it is going. The main characters are portrayed as two different individuals with very different lives who have only one thing in common- their inability to find their proper place in society. Brian Moore, and Margaret Laurence's concern for the plight of the individual and their position in society is clearly self-evident in their novels The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel . The main characters Ginger Coffey and Hagar Shipley both struggle to survive with dignity even though their overwhelming pride often obscures reality. Throughout the novel it becomes evident that both Ginger Coffey and Hagar Shipley's overwhelming sense of pride obscures their reality and therefore causing problems for them. Coffey the main character in Brian Moore's novel The Luck of Ginger Coffey is portrayed as a comic hero who has endless limitations that he does not see. Ginger Coffey believes he is his own man, which is why he leaves his homeland Ireland and moves to Canada . Coffey believes Ireland would not allow him to become the person he thought he could be, " What was his aim in life ? Well...he supposed it was to be his own master, to provide for Vera and Paulie, to...to what ?...To make something of himself, he supposed." (Moore, pg.21) Coffey's values do not seem to be unrealistic or selfish in themselves, but because he sets unobtainable and unrealistic goals he encounters numerous failures. Coffey cannot content himself with a simple job and provide for his family in this way; he wants to become someon! e important, and achieve personal status. Not realizing that these very ideas bind him to a life of repetitive failures. Because of his pride Coffey sees himself not as the middle aged man that he is, but as an attractive young boy out for new adventures. "Now in his prime, he considered himself a fine big fellow with a soldierly straightness to him, his red hair thick as ever and a fine mustache to boot.." (Moore, pg. 58) Coffey does not seem to be aware of reality around him, nor of how others see him. "Look at this one with his tiny green hat, short bulky coat and suede boots. A man that age should know better than to dress as a college boy."(Moore, pg. 23) Although others see him as he is, a middle aged man trying to act like a teenager, Coffey is blinded by pride and not aware of who he really is. All he knows is that he wants to make something of himself. But because of the false image he has of himself, he encounters endless frustrations in his search for work. ! He strives always for the most demanding jobs ; although he is not qualified in any way to fill any of the positions he applies for. Yet, in the end, things do not improve as Coffey thought they would , once he left Ireland. Coffey continues to be the same childish boy full of hopes and dreams unable to find his place within society. Margaret Laurence's heroine in a way faces the same dilemma that Coffey does. Hagar Shipley in The Stone Angel is a ninety year old woman, desperately trying to live out her last days in some sort of dignity . But Hagar like Coffey suffers, for it is because of her pride, that she is unable to see the real world around her, or try to understand it. Hagar sees herself as a young woman, trapped in an old body. Thus she tries endlessly with many frustrations to do things for herself, and always fails. Hagar becomes resentful, moody, childish and angry when her son Marvin or her daughter-in-law try to help her. Hagar feels that they are trying to take her pride away, the one thing Hagar could not face up to, "I always swore I'd never be a burden-" (Laurence, pg.

Free Essays on PC Vs Mac

When you’re trying to pick out a new computer to buy, you are faced with many tough decisions. There are many different types of personal computers but they are all basically the same. On the other hand the there is the MAC where you do not have as many options but it very different from the personal computer. It is important that you know the history of the personal computer or PC, so that it may help you make the decision on what computer to purchase. Contrary to what you might think the history of the PC does not begin with Microsoft, IBM, or any of the other name brands that you might be used to. The first PCs to be sold on the market was the MITS Altair 8800 in 1975. That PC ran on a very slow processor known as the Intel 8080. This PC was pretty much useless until Bill Gates and Paul Allen wrote a somewhat useful BASIC compiler which was also when the enormous corporation known as Microsoft was formed. In 1976 the first word processing program was written which made it possible to type on the PC for the first time. That was also the year that the 5.25† floppy drive was released which was great invention in the PC timeline. In 1977 Digital Research produced the first 8-bit operating system which helped make it possible for a MS-DOS to be released. That was also the year that the worlds first computer store opened. In 1978 the PC world began to really open up when software was starting to be released for the PC. The first software released was a spreadsheet program which made it possible to be used a business tool instead of just something to type and play videogames Justin Pryor Page 2 on. Although it was also the year Atari made their name known world wide in the video game industry. This was a very productive year for the PC because Epson also created the first dot matrix printer. A new type of software was introduced to the market in 1979 and it was known as the database. This was also the year that the PC was es... Free Essays on PC Vs Mac Free Essays on PC Vs Mac When you’re trying to pick out a new computer to buy, you are faced with many tough decisions. There are many different types of personal computers but they are all basically the same. On the other hand the there is the MAC where you do not have as many options but it very different from the personal computer. It is important that you know the history of the personal computer or PC, so that it may help you make the decision on what computer to purchase. Contrary to what you might think the history of the PC does not begin with Microsoft, IBM, or any of the other name brands that you might be used to. The first PCs to be sold on the market was the MITS Altair 8800 in 1975. That PC ran on a very slow processor known as the Intel 8080. This PC was pretty much useless until Bill Gates and Paul Allen wrote a somewhat useful BASIC compiler which was also when the enormous corporation known as Microsoft was formed. In 1976 the first word processing program was written which made it possible to type on the PC for the first time. That was also the year that the 5.25† floppy drive was released which was great invention in the PC timeline. In 1977 Digital Research produced the first 8-bit operating system which helped make it possible for a MS-DOS to be released. That was also the year that the worlds first computer store opened. In 1978 the PC world began to really open up when software was starting to be released for the PC. The first software released was a spreadsheet program which made it possible to be used a business tool instead of just something to type and play videogames Justin Pryor Page 2 on. Although it was also the year Atari made their name known world wide in the video game industry. This was a very productive year for the PC because Epson also created the first dot matrix printer. A new type of software was introduced to the market in 1979 and it was known as the database. This was also the year that the PC was es...

Background of the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921

Background of the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921 The Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921, informally called the Maternity Act, was the first federal law to provide significant funding to help people in need. The purpose of the Act was to reduce maternal and infant mortality. The legislation was supported by progressives, social reformers, and feminists including Grace Abbott and Julia Lathrop.  It was part of a larger movement called scientific mothering- applying scientific principles and to the care of infants and children, and educating mothers, especially those who were poor or less educated. Historical Context At the time the legislation was introduced, childbirth remained the second leading cause of death for women. About 20% of children in the United States died in their first year and about 33% in their first five years. Family income was an important factor in these mortality rates, and the Sheppard-Towner Act was designed to encourage states to develop programs to serve women at lower income levels. The Sheppard-Towner Act provided for federal matching funds for such programs as: Health clinics for women and children, hiring physicians and nurses to educate and care for pregnant women and mothers and their childrenVisiting nurses to educate and care for pregnant and new mothersMidwife trainingDistribution of nutrition and hygiene information Support and Opposition Julia Lathrop.of the U.S. Childrens Bureau drafted the language of the act, and Jeannette Rankin introduced it into Congress in 1919. Rankin was no longer in the Congress when the Sheppard-Towner Act passed in 1921. Two similar Senate bills were introduced by Morris Sheppard and Horace Mann Towner. President Warren G. Harding supported the Sheppard-Towner Act, as did many in the progressive movement. The bill first passed in the Senate, then passed the House on November 19, 1921, by a vote of 279 to 39.  It became law after it was signed by President Harding. Rankin attended the House debate on the bill, watching from the gallery.  The only woman in Congress at the time, Oklahomas Representative Alice Mary Robertson, opposed the bill. Groups including the American Medical Association (AMA) and its Section on Pediatrics labeled the program socialistic and opposed its passage and opposed its funding in subsequent years.  Critics also opposed the law based on states rights and community autonomy, and as a violation of the privacy of the parent-child relationship. Not only did political reformers, mainly women, and allied male physicians, have to fight for the passage of the bill at the federal level, they also then had to take the fight to the states to get matching funds passed.   Supreme Court Challenge The Sheppard-Towner bill was unsuccessfully challenged in the Supreme Court in  Frothingham V. Mellon And Massachusetts V. Mellon  (1923), The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the cases, because no state was required to accept the matching funds and no injury could be demonstrated. End of Sheppard-Towner By 1929, the political climate had changed sufficiently that the funding for the Sheppard-Towner Act was ended, with pressure from opposition groups including the AMA likely the major reason for the defunding. The Pediatric Section of the American Medical Association actually supported a renewal of the Sheppard-Towner Act in 1929, while the AMA House of Delegates overrode their support to oppose the bill.  This led to the walkout from the AMA of many of the pediatricians, mostly male, and the forming of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Social and Historical Significance The Sheppard-Towner Act was significant in American legal history because it was the first federally-funded social welfare program, and because the challenge to the Supreme Court failed. The Sheppard-Towner Act is significant in womens history because it addressed the needs of women and children directly at a federal level. It is also significant for the role of women activists including Jeannette Rankin, Julia Lathrop, and Grace Abbott, who considered it part of the womens rights agenda beyond winning the vote for women. The League of Women Voters and the General Federation of Womens Clubs worked for its passage. It shows one of the ways that the womens rights movement continued to work after the right of suffrage was won in 1920. The significance of the Sheppard-Towner Act in progressive and public health history is in demonstrating that education and preventive care provided through state and local agencies could have a significant effect on maternal and child mortality rates.

Cross cultural management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cross cultural management - Dissertation Example Globe program used nine cultural dimensions to capture the different norms, beliefs and cultural values that determine the effectiveness of leadership, these dimensions include power distance, uncertainty avoidance, human orientation, institutional collectivism, in-group collectivism, assertiveness, gender egalitarianism, future orientation and performance orientation (Bertsch & Girard, 2011 p23). This dissertation will critically review the various leadership styles used in United States of America, China and Nigeria using the nine dimensions of culture as brought forward by the GLOBE study. In America, most of the business leadership is usually far from the political class and the success of leadership does not necessarily depend on the contacts that the leaders have with the political class (Bertsch, 2012 p7). Most of the leadership roles in America has for a long time been centralised to the leader, the leader is in control of all the activities that are taking place in the organ isation, however, this has been changing with organisations being encouraged to decentralise the decision making process to the subordinates workforce. Bureaucratic procedures have always defined the mode of running organisations in America where the leaders have insisted on the following of the laid down processes and procedures in any activity. Humane orientation in most of the leadership position where the workers are rewarded for being kind or altruistic to the society does not exist, most of the focus is on how the organisations will maximise profits for their ownership. America, being one of the countries that have practised capitalism since their pre-colonial times, emphasises more on individualism than collective action in undertaking various roles, however, they pride themselves and show loyalty to the institutions that they work for; they have a sense of identity with their organisations or country. Gender roles in America, especially in the institutional and organisation platform have not been differentiated and there is no discrimination in leadership roles that can be assigned to either men or women, all roles are open to all genders (Anonymous, 2012, p91). Most of the organisations in the United States of America are involved in planning and strategising on how to improve themselves for better delivery of their roles and for the sustainability of their operations (Venaik & Brewer, 2010 p1299). Assertiveness is encouraged in organisations in order to gain a competitive edge over rival organisations or to increase area of coverage and market share, performance improvement and excellence is highly encouraged in individuals. In America, Charismatic value based style was the most effective where values are emphasised, autonomous leadership was the least effective in USA according to globe. Humane oriented leadership although preferred to some extent did not rank high in the United States, participative leadership in America which include involving oth ers in decision making would not be effective due to the population size. Team oriented leadership was also not favourable in USA and the self-protective leadership was similarly perceived to be practised in USA though not to a large extent. Most of the organisational leadership in the people’s republic of China are more concerned with the welfare of the people they serve and hence performance is not emphasised much, however, the trend is changing with the country heading toward a full capitalistic nation where excellent

Characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana PM19 protein by Essay

Characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana PM19 protein by functional complementation of yeast mutants - Essay Example This implies that PM19 compensated for the absence of trk1p, and thus it also acts as a high-affinity K+ transporter. In plants, since ABA, a hormone released in response to water desiccation, increases PM19 expression, the overproduction of the membrane protein allow the cells to imbibe the important K+ ion despite the low concentration in the environment. The DNA sequence of an organism remains constant throughout its life despite the multitude of processes it undergoes by preventing DNA mutations that might alter genetic information, and by ensuring the structural integrity of chromosomes and their orderly transmission to progeny cells. It is necessary to prevent alterations of DNA sequence that may change information encoded in genes because it may cause dysfunction of proteins that are important in the different physiologic activities of the organism. Proteins are the most significant class of molecules in biochemistry, although of course lipids and carbohydrates are also crucial for all living species whether eukaryotic or prokaryotic such as human, animal, plant and bacteria. Proteins organize and make the basics of life. They control of all actions in each known organisms, for example, the expression of the genetic code, transport of molecules, oxygen and minerals to in or out of the cells, therefore, proteins are responsible for controlling the machinery of cellular which is the phenotype of an organism (Lau, 2005). Moreover, the eukaryotic cell is surrounded by the membrane, which has the control for all substances that can enter in or out of the cell. Although the fundamental structure of membrane is made up by the lipid bilayer, the most particular functions of the plasma membrane are carried out by proteins and provides each sort of membrane a specific feature and characteristic, so under these circumstances the only part of cell that can

Expensive purchase Essay Example for Free

Expensive purchase Essay I bought my first laptop when I was doing my bachelors and when the circuits shorted out on the laptop and the engineer at the service center told me that it would be too expensive to replace the motherboard, I had to make a decision as to whether I was going to buy a second laptop or a desktop. My first laptop had been Toshiba and I had been to the service center several times in the past to get replacements for the first laptop now and then. All that time the service center had provided a level of service that was beyond reproach. As a result when I found out that the first laptop was not going to work any more, I did not go shopping any more. I began to check out the prices at the sales center that was also part of the service center. There was one model of Toshiba that was particularly cheap and I immediately purchased that model knowing full well that if anything went wrong, the people here provided great after sales service. But still, immediately after purchase I began to have doubts as to whether I had done the right thing. But the doubts began to evaporate as I began to use the model which had several additional features that the previous model did not have. The service center sent me a letter of appreciation a few days later to thank me for the purchase and to assure me of their continuing cooperation. Now all doubts were laid to rest. It is clear from the above that I had developed a brand loyalty for Toshiba. When the first laptop stopped working finally, I could have gone shopping for other models such as Dell. But I decided to stay with Toshiba because they had provided such wonderful support during the four and a half years that I had used the first laptop. Toshiba representatives had always been there to give me advice on how to best proceed whenever I needed a decision to make about replacing some part of the previous laptop. This makes me think that computer hardware manufacturers must focus on making their after sales services the best that they can. This area represents the core of competitiveness in the computer hardware manufacturing industry. An important factor that helped to resolve my doubts about making such an expensive purchase was also the warranty. There were lots of second-hand laptops available which were much cheaper. But if something went wrong with those laptops, then there would not be any services available to fix the problems. Toshiba had provided such great services during the years I had used the first laptop that I had no doubts that the best thing to do was to buy a second Toshiba laptop. The process by which Toshiba had gained a loyal customer like me was to follow the marketing strategy of providing not only a product of high quality but also high quality support throughout the life-cycle of the product.

The Evolution of the Existential Psyche of Raskolnikov through Crime an

The introspective and self-scrutinizing nature of Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment, allows for us to delve into the existential rationales that warrant and influence the decisions and courses of action that he carries out. It is crucial to explore the workings of Raskolnikov’s mind, to understand the motives by which he is compelled by to perform the heinous murder of Alyona the pawnbroker. By examining Raskolnikov’s psyche, characterization, and decision making processes, which are characterized by his constant schisms and dichotomies, we can gain an understanding of how the portrayal of existentialist ideals as represented by Raskolnikov, evolve through the plot of the novel. The changing attitude of Raskolnikov, the environment by which he is surrounded by, as well as the relationships and encounters he has, influence and form the existential tendencies that Raskolnikov personifies. The existential philosophies portrayed by Raskolnikov range from embodying Nietz sche's ÃÅ"bermensch to Kierkegaard’s Christian existentialist theories. To further address and progress the points of emphasis in understanding the evolution of Raskolnikov’s existential psyche, it is crucial that the definitions of existentialism, Nietzsche's ÃÅ"bermensch, Nihilism, and Christian existentialism (as prescribed by Kierkegaard) are established. Existentialism will be defined with respect to the idea that â€Å"existence precedes essence† for consistency’s sake. According to existentialism, there are no established, innate set of truths, meaning there is no established innate sense of morality. Life is, therefore, inherently meaningless in comparison of the vast expanse of the universe that surrounds us (Holmes 146). The discussion of existentialism brings on... ...hat surround him. The schismatic nature of his mind follows him throughout the novel, giving a glimpse of his faltering, indecisive mind which only changes after Sonya humanizes Raskolnikov through her religiosity. In this way, Dostoevsky overtly communicates his belief that Russian ideals, as represented by Christian existentialism, supersede Western ideals, as represented by the nihilist overtones within Crime and Punishment. Works Cited Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2007. Print. Holmes, Clellon John. Existentialism and the Novel: Notes and Questions. Chicago Review, Vol. McDonald, William. "Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard." Stanford University. Stanford University, 03 Dec. Pratt, Alan. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Nihilism . Embry-Riddle University, n.d.

Citizen Kane Shot Composition

Pick 2 out of the 3 images and analyse in depth how their composition affects the storytelling of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Word Count: Max 600words. In this long shot we see Kane's mother in the foreground is sigining the documents for Kane to be taken by the banker. Kane however is in the background playing with the snow. It shows the innocence in Kane who is playing happily in the snow and unaware of what is happening to his future. The mother is the one signing the documents which demostrates little love for her child over herself which in course leads kane to crave love more than anything in his later life.The lighting in the scene where Kane is playing happily in the snow also is strong with little cast shadows, this shows the purity of his character. The use of the window to frame little Kane places the emphasis on him and shows how the signing of the documents will have a crucial impact on Kane. The framing also creates contrast between the joyful mood of kane playin g outside with the serious discussions in the house. The men are in a dark room, silouette of the man talking in front is seen. This shot uses only back lighting as the sole source of lighting to create a mysterious and secretive mood.The dark room signifys that the men have many questions on their mind about Charles Foster Kane and his last words, hence being â€Å"left in the dark†. The set-up also establishes the stage for the rest of the story. None of the men are actually in the focus in this shot, it shows that neither of them are of adequate significance in the story. The way the room is lid also expresses the filmmaker's views about members of the media. The strong light and shadow contrast shows the characters' somewhat shady intentions for uncovering the last words of kane.

Race and intelligence

Essay 1 An individual’s work achievement can be best predicted by measuring their intelligence. Discuss. In modern life, the motive to success in career has been researched in order to benefit both individual and organization. The term â€Å"intelligence† has been acknowledged over the world as a common way to compare between individual people. Majority believe that succeed of every people can be best measured in that way. However, after many year of using that, some people argue intelligence is not the best way to show how good in work people are.They figure out other ways of measuring success of worker. So does intelligence measurement method make the best prediction for work achievement? This essay is going to discuss about methods for determining an individual’s work outcome for every body clear about that. Before discussing about career success and measurement, there is some knowledge that people should know. As everyone knows ‘intelligence’ is used all over the world but in fact, what intelligence is?As it was mentioned in Principle of Organisation Behaviour (2005), â€Å"intelligence† can be classified as: Pure speed which is the speed of process for simple information, choice speed which is an ability to make a choice, speed of lexical access is the time taken for retrieving information from long-term memory, speed of reasoning processes is speed at higher order information processing. Career is a general course of action or conduct in life, or in a particular part or calling in life, or in some special undertaking; usually applied to course or conduct which is of a public character (1913 Webster).Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The other meaning of that is the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status (Oxford dictionary 1998). So, career success could be defined as achieving the goal of work. For an individual, goal of works are difference for example some people want to do their normal jo bs, some want to do better than others in order to be premoted. In general, the work achievement that managers want to define can be understood as how good the work could be done.The measurement of intelligence is the way they get score to compare between people. Nevertheless, how they calculate the score of one thing that cannot be seen. Charles Spearman explores the â€Å"G† number which is the score related to intelligent. Many psychologists broke out the â€Å"G† into many parts such as Schmidt and Hunter (1998), Sir Cyril Burt and Thurstone (1938). These primary factors were identified which we would nowadays known as: Spatial ability, verbal reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability, memory, verbal fluency, inductive reasoning.The basis education in the UK during 1944 to 1971, the found that school education could be determined at the age of 11 by seeing intelligence test score. Actually, it is usually argued that intelligence is the best single predictor of scholastic achievement (Gottfredson, 2002; Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2004). Commonly, many organizations believe an ability of individual can be forecasted from an intelligence test score. Moreover, occupational status that is foundation form of achievement can be predicted by individual’s intelligence. Individuals are different.The same work might have difference result due to difference of method. As being describe in definition, intelligence has been known as the speed of dealing with problem. People who work faster and more efficiency can be more successful at work so that intelligence is an important part of working-achieve judgement. Beside that, intelligent people have more advantage of learning new thing than others. For example, they can find the new way of getting thing done rather than work under supervisor’s order. Intelligence has impacts on education, job performance and income.Because the more intelligences people have, the better they can achieve in edu cation. That also gives them a chance to have better reference to support their job and income. Jensen (1980) summarizes several causes underlying the later fact. Taking samples with high educational levels attenuate the correlation with intelligence scores (producing values between . 30 and . 40), whereas samples from elementary and high school produce the largest correlations (from . 50 to . 70) because of the greater restriction in range of ability at higher educational levels.The greater intelligent people can have the better capable abilities they have to achieve higher level of education. With higher IQ results, people can be success in studying at school by faster processing information, solving problem and so on. That way, those people get more information and better understanding about their work. Consequently, they can achieve better grade than the others do. Hence, the effects of intelligent continue with job performance such as people with higher IQ score can do work mor e accelerative because can process information faster.They have high pure speed for processing simple information combining with choice speed for retrieving information from long-term memory. Speed of reasoning processes is speed at higher order information processing can makes the work rapidly. Moreover, those people also have the backup from all information, knowledge they gain from work, training and education. They can connect the information that they received and knowledge that they gain for an outcome. Intelligence seems to do a set of barrier to entry into higher-status of occupation for people with low score.Vvariety of research found that the median scores of accountants was 128 with a range between 94 and 154 while the median for labourers was 88 with range from 94 to 145 (Harrell and Harrell, 1945). That caused by intellectual work require people working more rapidly and accurately with information. That gives people with high faculty of understanding, intellect (the abi lities of knowing and reasoning), quickness or superiority of understanding, sagacity, the action or fact of understanding something, knowledge, comprehension better job performance.Furthermore, higher IQ score more likely be seen as higher education so that those people have better reference, education and training than others do. â€Å"The proper aim of higher education in a democratic is to prepare the individual to make wise decision†. (Principle of Organisational Behaviour) As the measurement of intelligence, intelligence can be broken down to many parts. Spatial reasoning is the imagine abilities from perspectives. That copes with flat two dimension diagrams. That is necessary abilities for working as engineering, designer and so on.Verbal reasoning is the abilities to figure out the relationship. That helps people with job roles where prompt and accurate understanding of written material is important. Perceptual speed shows the speed of decision making. Numerical abili ty is the abilities of dealing with numbers. That has an effects on job performance because, higher intelligence mean they can have better abilities to deal with special parts of work. According to the results, high scorers are capable of contributing effectively in management and Besides that, Lynn, R. , & Vanhanen, T. 2002) research show that the estimated of national IQ. The results of comparison between GDP and national IQ score, Lynn and Vanhanen coincluded that there was a sthrong relation between intelligence and national wealth. They further argued that the relation was causal, and that it reflected essentially intractable differences in mental competence across countries. On the other hand, in The Mismeasure of Man (1981), Professor Stephen Jay Gcould argues that intelligence tests are based on faulty assumptions and shows their history of being used as the basis for scientific racism.Although, intelligence measurement is a good method to expect work successive but not all, it does not actually figure out the true value of workers, it misses out many important part that effect to measuring successful. There are many type of intelligences has been identified through history of biology. They are ‘linguistic, logical mathematical, musical, bodily, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic’. As can be seen, many kinds of intelligence are not easy to measure such as intelligent of art. Furthermore, as Halsey (Halsey et al. 1980) said the relationship between intelligence and occupational status occurs as indirect relation and subtly. This is caused by some of the impact of intelligence comes from the powerful shared cultural assumptions. That problem was figure out as being smart is more importance than having experience and understanding the market place. That is not true; because people cannot invest money on the market, they do not know and understand. In addition, some of the affect of intelligence on work exist indirectly bec ause of education, culture, environment, personality, emotion, communication, oopportunity and so on.For instant, the company cannot judge who is better just by seeing employees’ intelligences between people has IQ 180, diploma and 5 years of experience and the other with the same IQ score has degree and 1-year experience. Education gives people more power from reference, information, knowledge and training. From these points, people can develop further their knowledge, skills better than the others can who do not have as much education as them. Their personality such as hard working is important. In fact, to compare two people with the same range of intelligence their work hardworking must be taken in account.Because the more he or she does, the more experience he or she get from that. More over, when people practise their skills also improve further and they get more chance of promotion than other does. Besides that, even if people work hard and intelligent, they still have mistake. As long as, they ignore the mistake they made, the errors might increase and their works become worst. Self-monitoring is the ability and willingness to identify the problem and develop self-presentation and the sensitivity to expressive behaviors of others (Hamid, 1994; Lennox and Wolfe, 1984).Moreover, locus of work can makes the difference at work. People with high level of focusing at work they can reduce their errors that lead to an increasing in working process and performance (Andrisani and Nestel, 1976; Rotter, 1966; Ryckman, 1997). Those people can achieve high performance in disadvantage environment. Communication is also necessary for everyone at work or study because people can gain their knowledge simply by communicate with others. Information, experiences and skills can be transferred from one to another.That skill not only gives people whom good at a chance to improve ability to adjust to any situation but also helps them to reduce stress level. People need to be extraversion, open to experience in communication because they can have more contacts and oopportunity to learn from others with these personalities. Although good environment can makes people develop better, without suitable personalities and skills they might face difficulties. Emotion cannot be excluded, because every person has different character, emotion so that his or her work might not be measure correctly at one particular period.A principal emotion is self-esteem refers to how favourably individuals evaluate themselves (Brockner, 1988; Turban and Dougherty, 1994). High level of self-esteem mearns they feel more positive and believe they are more capable to cope with different situations and tasks (Brockner, 1988; Turban and Dougherty, 1994). Those people also have high self-confidence level at work that gives them more capable to do their work successful. With high confident people can have more power to control their work and increase higher chance of work premote.N evertheless, optimism also is an importance factor of negative affeactivity. It is a relatively stable dimension of individual differences characterised by a tendency to experience positive emotional states (Levin and Stokes, 1989; Turban and Dougherty, 1994; Watson and Clark, 1984). Moreover, the situation in life might change their successful such as people in poor family cannot have enough condition to pay up the tuition fee. In consequence, they lose their chance to get into higher education lead to an unsuccessful career.In addition, their work might achieve better or worst due to a difference of support received at work. Besides that, there are many factors effect the success of individual’s career such as family background, gender, marital status, number of children and so on. That is an implication of several major factor effects on individual’s career success. As far as this essay concern, it can be seen that intelligence is a good way to predict the advantage for education, meanwhile using intelligence term only to measure work achievement might be bias and lead to an incorrect results.

Interrelationship Between Hospitality And Travel Organisations Tourism Essay Essays

Interrelationship Between Hospitality And Travel Organisations Tourism Essay Essays Interrelationship Between Hospitality And Travel Organisations Tourism Essay Essay Interrelationship Between Hospitality And Travel Organisations Tourism Essay Essay The cordial reception sector is one of the most important service suppliers for the international travel and touristry industry. It includes all concerns which accommodate tourers and travelers when going to other finishs. They are an built-in portion of the overall experience, and must populate up to the criterions which are expected by patronages and those which are set by the industry. Modern web sites such as Trip Advisor besides set criterions based on people s ratings of their personal experiences. These ratings are viewed by possible clients from all over the universe, and can act upon their pick of hotel, motel, or any other adjustment supplier or catering constitution. Task 1- Investigate the cordial reception sector. Adjustment suppliers Hotels By and large, when tourers arrive at their concluding finish their chief involvement is to look into into their hotel room and unwind, particularly after hours of travel. It is hence important that invitees are treated with extreme attention, as they may be tired and perchance irritated after their trip. Hotels within the Euro zone typically keep 1-5 star evaluations which depend on the quality, graduated table, and the figure of comfortss and services which are offered. Hotel evaluations outside the EU are non limited to five stars, such as the extremist epicurean 7 star Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. Adjustment is a cardinal constituent in bundle vacations. Tourists may choose for budget bundles which include basic 1 to 3 star adjustment, whilst others may choose for higher priced bundles offering 4 to 5 star adjustment. When choosing for epicurean adjustment, invitees may pass a good proportion of their clip at the hotel or resort to do full usage of the comfortss which are being offered. Guests would anticipate to be pampered throughout their stay, peculiarly for the monetary value being paid. If jobs are encountered, they would anticipate a rapid response and immediate action to be taken. 5 star constitutions normally offer 24 hr receptionist and concierge services, gentleman parking for invitees who have rented their ain autos, every bit good as 24 hr amah, care, and room service. One would besides anticipate to hold an in-room mini saloon and safe, personal attention merchandises, high velocity Wi-Fi entree, wash services, gym, watering place and a concern Centre, to call a few. 4 and 3 star hotels offer more of a comfy atmosphere than a epicurean one, whilst 2 and 1 star hotels offer basic, yet clean adjustment, and are more suitable for people who aim to pass most of their clip out-of-doorss. Suites are simple, but include a color telecasting, and an en suite bathroom. In general nevertheless, as the star evaluation lessenings, the installations and services besides decrease in figure, and perchance in quality. Although there may be certain hiccoughs in the services rendered due to human variableness, cleanliness can non endure the same destiny. Strict wellness ordinances should be abided by and enforced by wellness governments on a regular footing to guarantee that hotel operators are giving adequate importance to cleanliness. Cleanliness is so of import that Trip Advisor features it as one of the chief classs which can be rated together with service, location, suites, sleep quality and value for money. Guests can besides endorse up their cleanliness claims with blunt exposures. However, hotel comfortss and services frequently do differ from state to state, every bit good as from trade name to trade name, even within the same finish. As with all companies, it is finally up to the people running the constitutions to populate up to their star evaluations, or more suitably in today s markets, exceed them. Motels and invitee houses A motel is basically a little hotel which is specifically designed for expressway travelers. They originated in the United States when motor trips were going the norm. After a twenty-four hours of traveling, people needed a convenient topographic point to pass the dark before acquiring back on the route. Presently, one of the most popular motel ironss is Motel 6, which has more than 1000 constitutions in North America and Canada, and is run by the international Accor Hotels group. Similarly to motels, invitee houses besides provide a comparatively low-cost alternate to other adjustment. However, unlike motels, guesthouses offer adjustment on a bed and breakfast footing, where the house proprietors would fix a simple homemade breakfast for their invitees. Some travelers specifically opt for themed guesthouses, such as those which are said to be haunted. Camping Parkss, caravanning and Lodges Camping Parkss and Lodges give people the chance to bask nature and the out-of-doorss, an activity which is going progressively rare as people surround themselves with engineering. Caravans and household sized motor vehicles are most normally used by groups of friends or household members for bivouacing trips. Sir oliver lodges are typically found in wooded countries, mountain scopes, or ski resorts, and vary in quality, runing from comparatively basic to more upscale adjustment. They may take the signifier of a group of cabins with common installations or as lone cabins with dedicated installations, which are all popular options for household trips, or romantic pickups. Self-catering flats Self providing flats have become popular as they offer greater flexibleness, even though there is frequently the demand to cook and clean. They besides offer more of a homely atmosphere than motels or hotels as they consist of a kitchen, populating room, and dining country. Renting an flat may really good salvage clients money, particularly if they plan to pass most of the clip out-of-doorss. The high paying tourer may lease a epicurean Villa for a few yearss and engage their ain pantryman, whilst the mean household may make up ones mind to cook for themselves and bask passing their difficult earned money elsewhere. Cruise ships Cruise ships originally catered for the wealthy, nevertheless as costs were lowered and new concern schemes were created, they are now more low-cost to the mean income earner. Companies normally offer long-haul to short-haul sails, some of which are all inclusive and others such as easyCruise which requires frequenters to pay as they go. One would normally happen a huge choice of high quality nutrients on board, largely in buffet signifier. Providing suppliers Catering is cardinal to the success of the touristry and cordial reception industries. It is so of import that providing mercantile establishments can be found in topographic points runing from metropolis Centres and hotels to boats, trains and air hoses. Restaurants The bill of fare, music, atmosphere and pricing are the most important factors in finding which eating house to take. There are eating houses which cater for different demands, runing from low-cost takeawaies to high category and sole constitutions. Restaurants form an built-in portion of a tourer s vacation, some of whom would see the same eating house twenty-four hours after twenty-four hours if it is to their liking, whilst others may make up ones mind to see a different eating house each twenty-four hours. Chain eating houses offer tourists a sense of fiscal security. Tourists know that McDonalds in Portugal will offer the same merchandises as McDonalds in the United Kingdom. On the other manus, when it comes to non-chain eating houses it tends to be less simple. Tourists would frequently see eating houses based on recommendations made by the staff at the concierge of their hotel, from locals, or Trip adviser. Generally one would normally happen providing constitutions to accommodate all gustatory sensations and pockets. If a finish receives high, medium, and low Spenders, so there must be constitutions which cater specifically for them. The top eating houses in the universe are normally Michelin accredited, which is perchance the most olympian of all international eating house awards. A eating house can get a upper limit of three Michelin stars, intending that it is about immaculate in footings of service, nutrient quality and the overall atmosphere. Cafe Cafes used to specialize in hot drinks such as teas and javas. However, they have developed to a great extent since so and now offer a assortment of bites and nutrient offerings. As cafes addition in popularity, they tend to add more to their bill of fare to increase their client base. Cafes are going so popular that McDonalds now has its really ain McCafe, which was established to perchance vie with the likes of Starbucks or other international coffeehouse. Outside catering Cordial reception caterers are of great importance for major events such as conferences, after parties and exhibitions, which attract people from all over the universe. It is up to the organizers to guarantee that all of the participants are prepared to jointly present an unforgettable and alone experience. 5 star hotels are normally chosen for big events as they can afford to strike better balances between quality and monetary value than other lower rated hotels or providing constitutions. Theaters, cinemasand shopping composites. Traveling to the film or theater is frequently non finish without a bite or a drink. It has become usage to hold something to eat or imbibe when watching your front-runner movie or drama. Most films have their really ain bite bars, which serve drinks and bites such as Zea mays evertas and nachos. In Portugal for case, the major shopping composites such as Vasco Da Gama, Colombo shopping Centre, and Cascais Shopping in the Lisbon country have their ain film in-house. Located right following to the film entrances one would happen infinite catering constitutions runing from coffeehouse to ticket dining. Motorway service station Motorway service Stationss throughout the universe offer dining options for expressway travelers, most of which have simple coffeehouse which besides offer bites. However, some expressway service Stationss do offer constitutions such as McDonalds for case. Motorway eating houses have proven vastly popular, particularly for people going long distances on major main roads. Rail and ferry catering Railway riders normally have limited or no catering amenities onboard. Costss will doubtless be high and the scope of points available for ingestion would be limited due to the deficiency of infinite on board. Ferries on the other manus are much larger and have a batch more infinite to comfortably sit frequenters. A figure of dining countries can be provided onboard, nevertheless coffeehouse and bite bars are still the most executable. In-flight catering Space on an aircraft is even more limited, so repasts are normally reduced to two sorts of dishes on rider planes. AirMalta for case has for the past several old ages licensed Corinthia Hotels International as their official supplier of in-flight nutrient. Food parts are frequently little and specially packed to protect the nutrient from force per unit area buildup. The repasts are pre-heated and stored in little compartments in the kitchen country of the aircraft. First category circulars do sometimes hold the option to choose their ain repast, but these services are evidently reflected in the high menus. Task 2- Explain the interrelatedness between cordial reception, and travel and touristry administrations Hospitality administrations are some of the most of import service suppliers to the travel and touristry industry. Whether for leisure or for concern, people do pass a important sum of clip at their hotel, peculiarly if it is of a luxury position. Guests would intelligibly desire to harvest the benefits offered by their hotel, peculiarly for the premium monetary values paid. Package vacations The function of cordial reception in bundle vacations is really important. Hotels which are included in bundle vacations finally depend on the monetary value paid for the bundle. If person opts for a budget bundle, so one would non anticipate 5 star adjustment, but more realistically some signifier of 3 star or perchance 4 star adjustment. Popular vacation bundles are frequently aggregate purchased, so clients would profit from good hotel rates and air hose ticket monetary values. Hotels besides have particular understandings with single travel agents, offering particular rates to their companies in return for a guaranteed flow of clients from their terminal. Customers may choose for adjustment on room merely footing, bed and breakfast, half board, or more seldom, full board footing. Travel agent representatives on a regular basis check up on their clients at their hotel to guarantee that they are holding a pleasant clip. They besides discuss any jobs that they have been sing throughout the continuance of their stay, and acquire them sorted consequently. All inclusive bundles are besides available but do non offer clients the flexibleness of other bundles. Such bundles would include everything that is needed for the whole stay such as repasts, drinks, hotel, Tourss, and all other demands. Customers who opt for these bundles would normally pass most of their clip within the resort as most of their activities would be based at that place. Aviation The Airline industry s success depends really much on adjustment handiness. Airlines may lose out on concern if hotels are at full capacity. This is a serious job for air hoses winging to little finishs such as Malta, as there have been cases where all hotels on the island were to the full booked. Major air hoses must therefore analyse state of affairss sing bed handiness, and take flight times and yearss consequently. Cordial reception is besides present onboard air hoses in the signifier of catering, every bit good as kiping agreements. Budget air hoses offer nutrient and drinks at excess cost, whilst higher category air hoses frequently offer all inclusive nutrient and drinks, even to those paying for economic system seating. Some extremist epicurean air hoses even have lean backing seats which turn into beds, every bit good as Ag service dining and a centrally located saloon, where clients can take what to eat and imbibe. Business travel Business people specifically opt for hotels which are equipped with the necessary installations to work comfortably. They search for hotels with concern Centres, Wifi or overseas telegram cyberspace entree, meeting suites and conference countries, every bit good as other services such as 24 hr wash and dry cleansing. They may besides seek to suit in some clip for leisure, peculiarly in between meetings, where they would either spend clip by the pool, at the watering place, or out and about. However, due to the nature of concern travel this is non ever possible. The same goes for providing constitutions. Business people opt for some of the best eating houses in order to affect concern associates or clients. They make usage of the money supplied to them by their companies, so they can afford to take high category eating houses to attach to their luxury adjustment. Globalization has brought about a turning demand for concern related travel, and this will doubtless turn even further as finishs become more affiliated. Budget air hoses have besides made concern travel a batch more low-cost to companies, nevertheless, some companies believe that winging concern category would maintain their repute integral. Business category was basically developed for concern people who required infinite to work. Emerging finishs such as India and China are going hot spots for concern travel, and international companies from around the universe are interested in puting up subdivisions at that place. Their industries are turning faster than any other, and certain companies do non wish to lose out on any chances to increase their market portion and profitableness. Conferences and exhibitions Conferences and exhibitions are besides important for national and international travel and touristry industries. For case, between the 29th of August and the 4th of September, Malta welcomed its largest of all time conference, hosting 5000 delegates who were invited to the annual Oriflame conference, each of which stayed at 4 and 5 star hotels. In entire, 8 million Euros were injected into the local economic system, largely through adjustment costs. Outside caterers, chiefly from hotels, were chosen to fix nutrient for all of the delegates. Conference attendants are frequently hosted at the hotel at which the event is taking topographic point. Exhibitions offer consumers the possibility to see merchandises or services before buying them. The International Tourism Bourse ( ITB ) is an international exhibition which attracts exhibitioners from around the universe. Companies, administrations and NTOs showcase their new offerings and constructs to other people from the field. Such events attract 1000s of people from around the universe, profiting legion hotels in the events margin. Visitor attractive forces A visitant attractive force is anything which gets people speaking or that is of involvement to visitants, tourers and others. Attractions may take the signifier of manmade creative activities such as museums and subject Parkss, or natural attractive forces such as natural Parkss. On the other manus, some sites happen to be of involvement to people merely because of the activities taking topographic point at that place, and non because the existent topographic point hosting the event is of any involvement. Subject Parkss are perchance the most popular visitant attractive forces, jointly seeing 1000000s of visitants on a annual footing. Disneyland happens to be one of the universe s most popular flagship attractive forces, and can be found in the United States, France, Japan and China. Most theme Parkss house their ain eating houses and coffeehouse, where households can bask a repast and so acquire back to holding merriment. However, Disneyland Paris goes a few stairss farther by holding two hotels at the resort, which frequently feature in bundle vacations and are vastly popular. Task3- Describe integrating within the cordial reception industry Integration foremost gained popularity in the 1900 s, when concerns focused on making economic systems of graduated table, through which they were able to profit from lower operating costs. When companies provide their ain merchandises or services through in-house attempts, outsourcing is no longer required, hence salvaging the company money in the long tally. Through such integrating companies are besides able to increase their planetary presence and increase their market portion. Vertical integrating Vertical integrating is a procedure through which a company buys another company in the distribution concatenation, or enters a amalgamation understanding. This is chiefly done to maximize profitableness and benefit from lower operating costs. It is traditionally characterised by forward, backwards and sidelong integrating. One of the most followed and good documented episodes of perpendicular integrating was that of the Carnegie Steel fabricating company in the United States. It had complete control over the distribution concatenation including the Fe mines, steel Millss, railwaies, coal mines and the ovens required to organize the steel. The company placed economic systems of graduated table at the top of its docket, and even focused on holding people trained internally instead than using foreigners. Barriers to entry will develop, restricting competition in the market place. Companies may derive control of providers such as adjustment and transit suppliers to farther bound possible competition. If monopolistic behavior develops through broad graduated table integrating, authorities bureaus will interfere and put limitations because competition is cardinal for bettering quality in the services industry. Forward perpendicular integrating is a procedure through which a company merges with another company farther along in the distribution concatenation. For case, a hotel concatenation may make up ones mind to purchase its ain travel bureau or circuit operator in order to spread out into other markets. Hotels frequently strike understandings with travel agents and circuit operators, supplying particular room rates and offers for clients brought to them. Backward Vertical integrating is when a company purchases one of its providers and makes proper usage of its inputs for the benefit of the administration. A circuit operator may buy an air hose company or a hotel, as they are both providers of services which are important to the bundle industry. TUI AG has over the class of its development created the TUI Hotels and Resorts trade name, which owns and runs hotel trade names such as Robinson, Magic life, Iberotel, Grecotel, Riu and Grupotel, numbering 243 hotels around the universe. It has late embarked on an wholly new undertaking for the company, the first TUI branded hotel. The TUI Hotel Kaluga has 136 luxury suites and 74 flats, and is targeted specifically at concern people. Lateral integrating on the other manus requires the amalgamation of two administrations which may hold indirectly related merchandises and services ; nevertheless they need non be in direct competition with one another. The three types of perpendicular integrating give a sum-up of possible schemes which may be adopted as companies frequently make usage of different discrepancies of these schemes. Horizontal integrating Horizontal integrating is of import for companies which want to spread out their client base, benefit from economic systems of graduated table and above all, maximise profitableness. It occurs when a company purchases or merges with a company at the same phase of the distribution concatenation. A fitting illustration of this occurred last August when Hilton hotels international purchased a hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort for ˆ92,202,465. Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen late formed a pool for the production of their 107, C1 and Aygo cars, which are all based on the same shared platform, engines and hardware. The three companies shared their cognition and resources to accomplish a common end. Although this illustration is non straight related to the cordial reception industry, these autos have helped auto rental companies increase their gross revenues by a important border in Europe because tourers find them low-cost to lease, environmentally friendly, dependable, and merriment to drive. Horizontal integrating can besides be complementary in nature as opposed to competitory. Airlines frequently work closely with hotel ironss, harvesting some of the benefits which are offered by amalgamations without the existent hazards. Such relationships are seeable in the pick of air hoses made by hotels for their air hose stat mis schemes. Airlines gather informations from hotels to seek and do their flight agendas correspond with adjustment handiness ; nevertheless this is non ever possible due to the dynamism and complexness of the cordial reception and travel industries. To avoid letdown, the bulk of tourers book their adjustment beforehand to guarantee that they have their suites available upon reaching. Deductions of integrating on the cordial reception sector. Branding A Brand name entirely may raise up certain feelings or emotions related to personal experiences with the trade name. As with all industries, the success of the touristry industry depends on the stigmatization techniques adopted by all the key participants, and how good they can present their messages to aim markets. It is important that clients are able to tie in themselves with such trade names, and frailty versa. Trade names frequently aim to do their loyal clients see their merchandises or services as an extension of their personality or character. For case, if a group of concern people check in to the Sheraton Pine Cliffs hotel in the Algarve, they would anticipate the same check-in processs, concern comfortss and munificent luxuries as any other Sheraton hotel. Anything different for the money paid would frequently be unacceptable. Merely like Sheraton, Westin besides belongs to Starwood Hotels and Resorts. It is an upscale trade name which caters for all kinds of clients who are after epicurean adjustment. It has top category comfortss for concern people, and all the luxuries that twosomes would anticipate for that romantic pickup. It besides happens to be the most household oriented trade name within the Starwood group, offering installations where kids can play under changeless supervising. The life squad at the Westin Dragonara Resort in Malta frequently organises activities during the twenty-four hours, such as Sony drama station tourneies for adolescents, or synergistic games and other merriment activities for kids. Westin hotels around the universe besides have a kids s check-in point at response to do them experience every bit of import as their accompanying grownups. All of the above constructs are an built-in portion of the company s stigmatization scheme. Coupled with other factors, kids may utilize their positive experiences to act upon their parents into sing that same hotel clip and clip once more. Market control and integrating between larger administrations Some of the UK s major circuit operators have purchased hotels overseas to increase their planetary presence and profitableness. By making so, they are able to command their hotel rates to their advantage, perchance conveying more low-cost bundles to their clients whilst increasing their gross revenues. Although this sort of activity is good to the company, it can be damaging to smaller companies in the industry. Integration between big administrations doubtless poses a menace to smaller administrations, and it is inevitable that employees and their households will endure as the larger administrations take over. Although frequently unfortunate, travel and touristry basically depends on the endurance of the fittest, the companies which are able to offer the best balance between quality, measure and value for money. In certain cases, the growing of the Internet is restricting the potency of forward integrating, peculiarly when it comes to vacation bundles. It has thrown some travel agents out of concern, as they did non hold the necessary financess to switch their physical operations to practical platforms. The morning of dynamic packaging was besides a major menace to these companies, so much so that UK circuit operators are in the procedure of shuting down retail mercantile establishments to concentrate more on cyberspace merchandising. Although possible clients will profit from lower costs over the cyberspace, this can present a grave menace to society as 1000s of people may endure from unemployment. Direct merchandising over the cyberspace is widely employed by hotels that have their ain online booking systems. This makes the reserves process a batch simpler, cheaper, and less clip devouring for possible invitees, every bit good as for hotels. However, a reserves squad is still required for those engagements which are made straight with the hotel over the phone or at the forepart desk. Some people feel more comfy doing physical payments because they may non wish to supply their personal inside informations over the cyberspace. Or they may merely bask the human interaction. Increased globalization After a company expands successfully in its finish of beginning, abroad markets are frequently following in line. Globalization is the consequence of a aggregation of enlargements, which can be analysed from an internal and external position. A company will confront internal globalization whereby its employees from around the universe will develop relationships with one another. External globalization is when squad members interact with clients from all over the universe. Social networking web sites besides allow for such communicating to happen. Companies frequently create their ain histories on web sites such as Facebook and Twitter, through which squad members and loyal clients from around the universe can fall in in and prosecute in treatments. Globalization has besides made manner for a drastic decrease in trade barriers, peculiarly within the European Union. EU states frequently benefit from lower priced merchandises and services when trade occurs within the Euro zone. This benefits adjustment and providing suppliers to a great extent, peculiarly when buying in majority. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide is doubtless one of the most powerful international hotel and leisure ironss. It has had enormous success through its integrating undertakings over the last old ages. In the twelvemonth 2005 it acquired the Le Meridien trade name and its full portfolio, which amounted to 130 hotels and resorts internationally. This acquisition has increased Starwood s client base to a great extent with extremist smart belongingss in Africa, Europe, the Middle East every bit good as the Asian Pacific, and many more to come. Starwood s preferable invitee programme has besides benefitted Le Meridien s loyal invitees as they have entree to over 700 finishs as a consequence of the coup detat. Mr. Steven J. Heyer, who at the clip occupied the place of CEO at Starwood, believed that the acquisition of Le Meridien was a really exciting development for the Starwood trade name. Le Meridien hotels are located in finishs where Starwood had small to no presence prior to the coup detat. The Le Meridien trade name provided the company with another exciting undertaking to attach to their recent Aloft hotel trade name. Since Starwood s coup detat, The Le Meridien trade name has been come oning steadily with widespread betterments in grosss and growing. Le Meridien Balluta in Malta happens to be one of Malta s top five 5 stars belongingss, and it is steadily working its manner up. It began operations in the twelvemonth 2004, merely one twelvemonth prior to the trade name s coup detat by Starwood. Impacts of integrating Economies of graduated table and market portion Operating costs can be reduced significantly when companies integrate. If a circuit operator takes over a hotel, the cost associated with investing would be high, nevertheless the benefits reaped by offering a wider assortment of merchandises or services can be seen instantly. In this instance, integrating would let the circuit operator to cut down its dependence on other adjustment suppliers as most operations can be taken attention of within company parametric quantities. The more reputable hotels the circuit operator is willing and able to put in, the more good it will be from an operating cost base point. The circuit operator may take down the costs of its bundles and pass the benefits onto the consumers. With the right schemes in topographic point, market portion will increase and profitableness will be maximised. Through horizontal integrating, companies can widen their bing client base, whilst through perpendicular integrating companies can come in new markets and pull an wholly different client base. Standardization Standardization is a complex and clip devouring procedure, peculiarly in an industry which involves so many variables. Automated procedures can most surely be standardised, nevertheless it is a batch more hard to standardize the human component, albeit non being impossible. For case, McDonald s eating houses throughout the universe have had their procedures standardised. Whichever finish one visits, the processs which employees follow are close indistinguishable, and the same goes for the nutrient. The company tends to be extremely efficient, clip oriented, predictable and commanding over its procedures and work force. Standardization can be possible in hotels, nevertheless it is limited. The manner in which a telephone operator answers the phone can be standardised, and so can the manner in which invitees are greeted upon check-in. Variability will ever be an issue, as the different sections within a company are run by different forces, who each have their ain criterions and ways of covering with state of affairss. Quality It is non guaranteed that quality will better through integrating. As ever, it depends on how variable the human component is. If a hotel is taken over by another, it does non intend that the new proprietor will hold a better attack towards bettering quality. Employees may non acquire along with their new foremans because they believe that the attack being adopted towards bettering quality is non executable or practical, hence doing the hazard of mistake greater. It is hence important that the direction of any administration does non choose for a rigorous top-down bureaucratism. Management must listen to what employees have to state because they are the people who are in changeless contact with clients, and they know precisely what clients are anticipating from the administration. Hotels within the same hotel concatenation besides face such jobs, even though it is at the top of their docket to offer quality services throughout. General decision Catering and adjustment suppliers keep the travel and touristry industry alive as few people would hold the inducement to go if there are non any nice topographic points to eat and kip. There are hotels and eating houses which cater for different mark markets. Business people may necessitate a concern oriented hotel which offers all of the necessary comfortss for concern communications, whilst a household may choose for a resort puting where they can pass most of their clip relaxing by the pool. The different hotel star evaluations provide possible invitees with an array of adjustment suppliers to accommodate their pockets. If they do non wish to remain at a hotel, they may so choose for a motel whish offers standard adjustment at really low rates, a invitee house which offers a homely scene and place cooked repasts, or a Lodge, where invitees can loosen up and profit from the fresh outdoor air. The cordial reception industry must work hand-in-hand with the travel and touristry industry to supply tourers with a seamless experience, where all constituents must be carefully planned to offer the best value for money. It is when such coactions fail that people will take other administrations, or worse, other finishs. It is hence in the best involvement of any administration that communicating between join forcesing parties is clear and precise. Integration is inevitable for some administrations which aim to spread out their concerns. It gives them control over suppliers at different or the same phases of the distribution concatenation, with the purpose of increasing market portion, cut downing operating costs, bettering quality and maximizing profitableness. Companies integrate as it is frequently less hazardous than get downing up new companies, as most systems would already be in topographic point. It will besides take clip for people to develop a sense of trust for a company that has merely started up. ______________________________________________________________________________

Definition and Examples of Visual Metaphors

Definition and Examples of Visual Metaphors A visual metaphor is the representation of a person, place, thing, or idea by means of a visual image that suggests a particular association or point of similarity. Its also known as  pictorial metaphor and analogical juxtaposition. Use of Visual Metaphor in Modern Advertising Modern advertising relies heavily on visual metaphors. For example, in a magazine ad for the banking firm Morgan Stanley, a man is pictured bungee jumping off a cliff. Two words serve to explain this visual metaphor: a dotted line from the jumpers head points to the word You; another line from the end of the bungee cord points to Us. The metaphorical message- of safety and security provided in times of risk- is conveyed through a single dramatic image. (Note that this ad ran a few years before the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-2009.) Examples and Observations Studies of visual metaphors  used for rhetorical purposes generally concentrate on advertising. A familiar example is the technique of juxtaposing a picture of a sports car . . . with the image of a panther, suggesting that the product has comparable qualities of speed, power, and endurance. A variation on this common technique is to merge elements of the car and the wild animal, creating a composite image...In an ad for Canadian Furs, a female model wearing a fur coat is posed and made up in a way that is slightly suggestive of a wild animal. To leave little doubt as to the intended meaning of the visual metaphor (or simply to reinforce the message), the advertiser has superimposed the phrase get wild over her image. (Stuart Kaplan, Visual Metaphors in Print Advertising for Fashion Products, in Handbook of Visual Communication, ed. by K. L. Smith. Routledge, 2005) A Framework for Analysis In Pictorial Metaphor in Advertising (1996) . . ., [Charles] Forceville sets out a theoretical framework for the analysis of pictorial metaphor.. A pictorial, or visual, metaphor occurs when one visual element (tenor/target) is compared to another visual element (vehicle/source) which belongs to a different category or frame of meaning. To exemplify this, Forceville (1996, pp. 127-35) provides the example of an advert seen on a British billboard to publicize the use of the London underground. The picture features a parking meter (tenor/target) framed as the head of a dead creature whose body is shaped as the fleshless spinal column of a human being (vehicle/source). In this example, the vehicle visually transfers, or maps, the meaning of dying or dead (because of lack of food) onto the parking meter, resulting in the metaphor PARKING METER IS A DYING FEATURE (Forceville, 1996, p. 131). Considering that the advert wants to promote public transport, having lots of parking meters wastin g away in the streets of London can only be a positive thing for underground users and the underground system itself. (Nina Norgaard, Beatrix Busse, and Rocà ­o Montoro, Key Terms in Stylistics. Continuum, 2010) Visual Metaphor in an Ad for Absolut Vodka [The] subcategory of visual metaphor involving some violation of physical reality is a very common convention in advertising...An Absolut Vodka ad, labeled ABSOLUT ATTRACTION, shows a martini glass next to a bottle of Absolut; the glass is bent in the direction of the bottle, as if being drawn toward it by some invisible force... (Paul Messaris, Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising. Sage, 1997) Image and Text: Interpreting Visual Metaphors [W]e have noticed a decrease in the amount of anchoring copy used in visual metaphor ads...We theorize that, over time, advertisers have perceived that consumers are growing more competent in understanding and interpreting visual metaphor in ads. (Barbara J. Phillips, Understanding Visual Metaphor in Advertising, in Persuasive Imagery, ed. by L. M. Scott and R. Batra. Erlbaum, 2003)A visual metaphor is a device for encouraging insights, a tool to think with. That is, with visual metaphors, the image-maker proposes food for thought without stating any determinate proposition. It is the task of the viewer to use the image for insight. (Noà «l Carroll, Visual Metaphor, in Beyond Aesthetics. Cambridge University Press, 2001) Visual Metaphor in Films One of our most important tools as filmmakers is visual metaphor, which is the ability of images to convey a meaning in addition to their straightforward reality. Think of it as reading between the lines visually. . . . A couple of examples: in Memento, the extended flashback (which moves forward in time) is shown in black-and-white and the present (which moves backward in time) is told in color. Essentially, it is two parts of the same story with one part moving forwards and the other part told backward. At the point in time where they intersect, the black-and-white slowly changes to color. Director Christopher Nolan accomplishes this in a subtle and elegant way by showing a Polaroid develop. (Blain Brown, Cinematography: Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. Focal Press, 2011)

Public Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Policy - Assignment Example There are many culprits to this statistics such as lack of education, no gainful employment skills, lack of ambition and lack of self belief. Prisoners should be adequately prepared for reentry with programs that prepare them for reintegration, motivation and life skills. Such programs should offer vocational training, self esteem workshops, entrepreneurial workshops, basic computer skills, money management skills and access to various resource outlets thats tailored to the individual and their particular set of problems. Prisoners who are up for release should be given an exit interview in order to understand which programs would best suit that prisoner and be most effective to their reentry into society. The exit interview should entail a one-on-one session or at minimum a detailed form that is measurable and attempts to get to the root of the problem. Although vocational workshops are essential, self esteem workshops may prove just as valuable and should be mandated if parole is extended. Although vocational workshops are vital and should be extended, these workshops may not prove as effective as initially planned. The stigma of having a criminal record combined with the overall condition of the economy may detract from the effectiveness of the workshops. Exiting prisoners should have access to vocational workshops and/or entrepreneurial workshops that lend support with opening their own business. This is not a far fetch concept as many prisoners enter the system from running a business enterprise, however it just wasnt a legitimate business enterprise. Having an overall healthy lifestyle consists more of than just having employment. Many prisoners have children that have been adversely affected by their parents incarceration. The prisoner may need parenting skills and social programs with designated goals should be available to help reunite parents and children touched by incarceration. These

Impact of social media on project stake holder management Research Paper

Impact of social media on project stake holder management - Research Paper Example It forms an important part that leads to smooth completion of the project that has been undertaken. This is a very important discipline that is mostly addressed by successful people they believe that the opinions and ideas of these stakeholders are very much fruitful for the overall project development and in the majority cases leads to the success of the project rather than failure. There are various reasons that lead to failure of a project; however, the factor that is taken into consideration in this research study is the communication factor. An effective communication platform and coordination are the most important pillars of stakeholder management. As the stakeholders need to be aware of every possible detail of the project so that they are able to contribute towards such project so that it results in a success. Social media in the present scenario is not only bounded within Facebook, Twitter, etc., but it has proved itself to be a beneficial tool when there is a requirement t o improve upon the level of communication amongst the team members and also amongst all the other stakeholders who play an important role in the success or failure of a project. There are various approaches in social media platform that helps in enhancing communication and applying such principles in a project helps to manage effectively the stakeholders, facilitates better collaboration, beneficial for problem-solving. Social media as a model helps an individual to focus on how information is being shared, used and aggregated.

BMW Cars in US Car Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

BMW Cars in US Car Industry - Case Study Example Mini and the 1-series rapidly grew at much higher rate through 2008. Since the early days of the new millennium BMW has been one of the first automakers to utilize flexible factories in which more than one vehicles model could be produced at the same time. This enabled the company to meet shifts in market demand more effectively than BMW's competitors could. BMW challenges to retain its market position in the international market for luxury cars. Many automakers, such as Hyundai with its Genesis sedan or Nissan's Infiniti brand are increasingly successful in realizing higher margins earned on luxury vehicles. BMW is rated behind luxury brands such as Lexus, Porsche, Mercedes, and Infiniti for these reasons 1. The car industry is undergoing a rough phase for some years because of recession set in many parts of world including USA. According to Mr. Kinoshita of Toyota Credit squeeze has made sales and profits tumbling caused by deteriorating demand. . The BMW Group reported a year-to-date sales volume of 70,606 vehicles, which is 29.4 percent, compared to 99,977 vehicles sold in the same period of 2008. Experts project that in future strongest sales growth is unlikely to come from the US and Europe which became more a manufacturing centre. Sales growth is likely to come from Asian countries such as China, India, Middle East and Russia where demand for motor vehicles is increasing. Sales in number of vehicles are shown declining in the following table. Supply side During recession the demand for the product is the primary factor. Supply is usually flexible to adjust with the demand without which products will have to be idle in the market or to be sold at reducing prices. There are so many suppliers in the market and most of them are languishing for want of adequate demand for vehicles. In this situation prices fall. A price war has been set in the premium car market among importers and dealers who are struggling to survive in a market with declining sales. And now BMW has entered the battle for the second time with price reductions. The new pricing of BMW cars are lower by about 15 per cent in Mini and BMW range of models. (Despite sales decline of 38.4 percent) The car market in US is very competitive with so many manufacturers and suppliers. The main competitors of BMW are Daimler Chrysler AG of DAI, Lexus of Toyota of, Audi of Volkswagen, Infiniti of Nissan; Cadillac of GM. Whereas other firms in the automobile sector manufacture commercial trucks, lower market vehicles, and buses as well BMW focuses exclusively on the production of premium personal automobiles and motorcycles. They have fewer brands that are easily recognisable. This specialized product positioning has earned success to the company in the US market with 2% of market share. GM, the local US company held the maximum market share in 2006 but fell down to 19% in May 08. Toyota has increased its market share from 15% in 2006 to 18% in May 08. Ford has lost market share from 17% to 15% in May 08. Honda has increased its market share from 9% in 06 to 12% in May 08. BMW maintained its market share at 2% in May 08. Foreign companies like BMW, Toyota, Lexus and Mercedes Benz repre sent one-third of all cars manufactured in the United States.Their operation is enormous and not infected by

Coca Cola: PEST Analysis and Strategy Plans

Coca Cola: PEST Analysis and Strategy Plans Introduction The battle of the chief soft drink manufacturer has been intense and the coca cola company with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia has had the largest market share globally. The company has withstood the test of domination globally from its greatest competitor Pepsi Company. Coca Cola has had a large share of the market capitalization but at times the rival company has emerged strong beating it in market share in other financial periods. Its brands have however remained renowned throughout the world and for them to continue dominating they must focus on the customer needs and preference that is the reason they are in business (Milliken, 2007). The company boasts of key success factors in its operations which include; capacity to introduce competitive prices, global extensive distribution, effective customer awareness, a wide range of product choices for customers, effective and timely distribution channels and bottlers, and a global system of operation. The Coca Cola Company has been forced to operate under tight competition in the US domestic markets from Pepsi, Cadbury Schweppes, Cott, and AmBev, but in other markets especially in the developing countries it has established zones of duopoly where it remains the dominant company. Its efforts to penetrate the Middle East and China have been risky since the Pepsi Company continues to dominate the markets there (Milliken, 2007). PEST Analysis of Coca Cola Politics and legal environment In many developing countries there has been ease of entry but the countries face a lot of political unrests e.g. coups and violence which may affect the penetration of market or losses for the already established companies. Other companies have legal barriers that must be addressed before the company establishes itself. The legal showdown of Pepsi and coca cola in India gives a clear view of this fact and especially in the Middle East and Asian markets where Coca Cola seeks new markets. Economic The Company sells consumer products which are sensitive to buyer disposable revenue. The consumers have viewed the drinks as inexpensive and hence its unlikely to forego. Also the disposable income continues to raise hence more purchase to such things as soft drinks. The world currently is going through many financial crises such as the global financial crunch and increasing inflation and companies especially Coca Cola has continued to put in measures such as price adjustments to be able to impact the markets. The strategy of adjusting prices helps Coca Cola to counter the effects of raising costs and hence thus generate enough cash flow that ensures the company productive capability is maintained (Fredrix Skidmore, 2009). Social/demographic Soft drink consumption is inversely related to the age of the consumer i.e. most people take more drinks when they are young as opposed to when they mature. In the current generation average age increases and most of the population is made up of the young this gives an advantage of the increase in the market base of the company. This means that the company has a more potential market to sell the products to and thus a strategic plan should be worked to own the markets. Technological The world is turning to a global village and the age of effective communication gives the perfect atmosphere for business. The world today is easy and convenient to travel, secure and different tastes and preference have emerged (Hannagan, 2002). The powerful brand name of the company becomes a selling point in the franchise of other companies that need to be affiliated to the prestigious brand. Effective communication has also ensured that advertisements and promotions by the company are known world over hence better growth. Rivalry The major rival domestically is Pepsi in the United States. The soft drinks industry has continued to be very competitive and major competitors turn to rivals. The promotion of the brands such as Sprite, Coke, and Fanta in many countries has grown at the expense of the many beverages in the markets (Mark, 2000). The company must implement an effective strategy that ensures advertising, sales, innovations, increased efficiency, brands development, promotional program trade mark development are done efficiently to outsmart the rivals. Suppliers The Company will always need supplies of raw materials such as fructose corn syrup, and sucrose. The availability of this major raw material at numerous sources has made the company dominate the suppliers, however aspartame has not been available in numerous sites and this can lead to problems if production ceases (May, 1998). Buyers The main buyers are individuals who consume the product. The company however deals with local franchised bottlers who deal with the local markets. After effective bottling of the products the consumer/buyer must get the products through chain supermarkets, vending, and fountain sales. The buyers must have the knowledge of the product and be enticed to consume so that he/she can make the purchase (Mark, 2000). Threats of substitutes Many products have emerge to substitute soft drinks e.g. fruit juices and beverages. The company must have attractive offers to ensure that the substitutes introduced in the market dont interfere with the market share of the company. Threats of entrants New companies keep on coming up to compete for a share of the market. The soft drink markets have been mainly dominated by Coca Cola and Pepsi and new entrants find it very hard to penetrate the markets. Internal Environment Operations Coca cola has continued to globally dominate the market and the regional operational strategy that is centralized production system ensure reduced costs. Sales and marketing The area of supermarkets and brand loyalty has played an essential part in the growth of Coca Cola this has ensured profitability and large market share. Distribution The efficient distribution channels i.e. bottling companies has ensured that customers get the product at the right time and conveniently. Automated channel of distribution like the Coca Cola Enterprise that has sales agents and merchandisers in major outlets complement other distribution strategies. Procurement For efficient operations the company has a strategy to own the bottlers operations so that they do it more efficiently to be able to distribute the product properly. The procurement of acquiring a franchise chain is done procedurally to ensure qualified people own the process. Human resources Many people have been employed by the company and they have remained loyal. The company has given attractive remunerations and compensations in order to make them perform effectively and efficiently. Core Resources and competence The factors that favor the companys growth and development plans include; markets, costs, governments, and competition. In the markets they are characterized by homogenous customer needs, global channels and global customer needs, transferable and easy to manipulate market approaches. Cost are favored by learning and experience, large scale and scope economies, high resource and development costs, conducive logistics, and efficiencies in sourcing (Mark, 2000). On the side of the government they are responsible for putting in place inductive trade policies, technology standards that are common and manufacture and marketing regulations that are common and do not favor any party but put a level competing ground for all players. In terms of competition globalization has been favored through presence of interdependent countries that allow competition, and the liberalization of trade in many countries. With the markets giving many incentives to the company to grow then good management policies is all needed to grow and became successful and coca cola has done just that (Kottler, Amstrong, 2006). It has endeavored in its mission to refresh a thirsty world and creating value to shareholders. The company brands have continued to be advertised and image enhanced, where the company has also acquired more franchise networks globally. The systems of the company that are based on organizational structure and timely decisions have continued to make the company succeed. The objectives of the company include; customer satisfaction and creation of a loyal system of customers, community development, effective partnership, and valuable shareholding in the company. The long term goals include increasing cash flow through increased sales, optimizing of profit margins, and global investments expansion in hot spots (Kottler, Amstrong, 2006). The guiding principle is to have an established production, distribution, and marketing system that can support long term growth of cash flow and shareowner value of Coca Cola. The Strategic Choices Available for Coca Cola Product Filling Strategy Ohmae (1990) states that the product line of a firm is lengthened by the addition of more products within the current range; The implications behind this line filling includes; the reach for profit incremental, satisfying the complaining dealers on sales due to the absence of some items in the line, utilizing the capacity that is excess, to try to be the full time company that is leading the market and lastly, to try to plug the holes hence keeping out the competitors. Kogut (1985) starts by explaining that, Coca Cola uses this form of strategy of filling the line of production from time to time; during different seasons as it launches its new products. For example to Zerocoke was launched by Coca Cola at the time James Bond released the movie Quantum of Solace forms part of product filling marketing. The product is presented as if it new. Distribution strategy Coca Cola is globally famous for its distribution channels. In India the Coca Cola distribution channel is a bout 6.5lakh outlets by the year 2000 as compared to its competitor Peps Cos which was 6lakh. The firm has a development of different strategies of distribution strategies for the rural and the urban sectors. The channel of distribution in the Urban adopts the model similar to the direct store distribution, warehouse distribution brokers and vending food services programs according to Ohmae (1990). This methods ensures savings of margins and encourages quick availability of the item to the retailer While in the rural, the Hub and Spoke model distribution channel is applied. Where there is a division of different distributors categories depending on the area they are covering. This model is utilized by to reach the rural market as the program allows the bigger loads to travel long distances while the smaller ones shorter distances as a result the costs are cut down, as stated by Bate and Johnston (2003). Khan (2005) explain the point that through there use of modern technology in the present times Coca Cola is able to improve its distribution and management operations logistics reasonably. There are the options of Chilled DSD System that deals relatively with the methods of distributions that are small. Particularly, it deals with juicy fruits products that can easily go bad. The second option is the Hybrid System, where there is collaboration between the firm and the firm of complimentary good so that its channels of distribution can be used for the selling of the product. In this, the example is collaboration Coca Cola and McDonald. This system is actually benefited by the creation of the synergy by the two collaborating firms. The Social corporate strategy This is where the firm provides the volunteer services in the community. This strategy with the social work assists in position the firms brand name in the minds of the users for the longer time as the brand that is both ethical and social, hence providing the opportunity for the period of growth that is long term. The recent example is the case of Coca Cola social work in India where it has been awarded a golden peacock a ward. Coca Cola has concentrated on water conservation, clean drinking water access and water conservation awareness and other related issues as the firms strategy on the stewardship of water. The Coca Cola Corporate strategy The achievements made by Coca Cola in China are a very strong indicator that patience pays. The firms strategy and management planned vigorously for the success. The market leadership that it enjoys is rooted on strong capability of reacting in time and accurately to the changing market dynamics. Heller Bono, (2006) argued that the firm dominates the market not because it came early in the market but because of brilliant short time moves like the concentration on fanta and sprite. Also success comes because of joint ventures. Early on when the investment in beverage industry was restricted it formed partnership with government bodies but no equal share. Latter, it joined with other ventures with equal control hence gained majority equity. The strategic partnership that the Coca Cola firm was being involved was the strategy of positioning itself for the future. The Coca Cola partner serves the number of firm critical goal. They do share the investment risks in the plant of bottling and it can leverage the political effects its partners to acquire government approvals for the new plants of bottling. The most significant of these new partners allows the Coca Cola management control via the major equal ownership of joint ventures. Pricing Strategy This drastically affects sales in a number of ways. The case from Kogut (1985) of Pepsi provides an example of how pricing strategy can affect the market and sales. The firm gained popularity in 1936 by introducing 12-ounce bottle. The earlier price of 10 cents resulted to slow sales. After slashing the price to 5 cents there was a substantial increase in sales. This was due to the Pepsi ability to encourage the price-watching users to switch the Coca Cola 6-ounces standard bottle for the price of 5cents instead of 12-ounces. Pepsi sold at a similar price. The sales in 1939 a lone was 5 million bottles as the profit doubled as the consumption went higher. The Communication Strategy Dana and Oldfield (1999) say that after looking at the environment that is changing, Coca Cola calibrated its communication strategy in a way that is very innovative. The works of imagery for the carbonated soft drinks, while the work of functionality for the rest of the categories. The example that entrenches imagery is the brand for refreshing; the firm introduces the issue of comfort ability. Brand Development Strategy The strategy that I believe Coca Cola Company should peruse is the brand development strategy. According to Dana and Oldfield (1999) this strategy has far reached and managed to remain in the limelight ever since it started to be good with these that do not take alcohol. The loyalty of the brand is a significant factor to maintain the number one position. Collins (1991) states that Coca Cola Company enjoys the status of being of the biggest non alcoholic beverage firm worldwide its distribution system is unique from other non alcoholic companies. Over years the company has passed many brand enhancement tests and a point is made for the products under the banner of Coca Cola as it invades the minds of the users continually. Hamel and Prhalad (1985)explains that the brand development strategy of Coca Cola should involve the redesigning of its brand development policies and the techniques of keeping up with the set minds of its users that is ever changing. In the beginning this brand believed in affordability, being available and being acceptable. However this Coca Colas brand development should be changed to include the value of price, preference and pervasive penetration. Boutzikas (2000) explains that the issue of building brand of the firm is based on the fact that it wants its users accessibility, which is to be within the reach of desire of the arm. In the efforts of building the brand identity of the firm, many brand attributes for example 20 are to be tested in every month which may involve as much as 4000 users. The strategy of brand development of Coca Cola is very effective as it has been having the capability of constructing, managing as well as maintaining its brand image since many years ago. Another reason as to why this strategy should be used is that the brand has unanimously gained the acceptance all round the world because of the fact that it has shown the capability of relating very well with its users. This signifies the brand loyalty. The loyalty of the brand has been very vital in maintaining the brand picture of Coca Cola. It has believed in shelling out the best as a result the users by default are retained as explained by Boutzikas (2000). The enhancement of the frequency of purchase is one of the techniques of building brand. The firm has also made investments in many campaigns of advertisements always involving the services of theses who are the celebrities around the world. On top of the users, there is another category of users, who usually increases the user foundation and they comprises of the brand collectors. They most of the time indulges in the collection of the old and the logos that are upcoming of the Coca Cola bottles and they literary matter. Collins (1991) says regarding to the development of the brand of Coca Cola zero the firm came out with an advertisement that was some what different from the most common ones. In the concern of this the no calorie beverage, it has given raise to three forms of products that include; the Coca Cola Classic, the Diet Coke, and the Coca Cola Zero. Boutzikas (2000) continues that there are a number of experts who have a believe that these times when Coca Cola the tag of line that states, the real thing, it was really meaning that, however, with the invention of different kinds of categories of coke, the statement the real thing got changed to the statement that reads many things, and the flavor that was there originally is at most times lost. As the result, the building of the brand strategy has to be in such a manner that it will not lead to the peoples confusion and have the capability of retaining users despite the fact that many new manufactures of non alcoholic beverage being on the anvil. Theories And Practice Of Leadership: Nissan Theories And Practice Of Leadership: Nissan When making major changes in a business, efficiency, adaption and human relations need to be considered and the trade-offs between these that might be affected. Efficiency was improved by closing 5 of the factories in Japan and eliminating 21,000 jobs to maximize production and reduce wastage. To simplify the production process Ghosn reduced the number of car platforms by 50% and the number of power trains by 33%. Human relations is always a trade-off when job cuts are made, this was counter acted by Ghosn. He used natural attrition whilst selling subsidiaries or offering early retirement or part-time work at other company facilities all of which would help the morale of the employees that left and the ones that remained so they did not feel so guilty and suffer from survivor syndrome (Daniels, 2006). Reducing purchasing costs by 20% was another way that Nissan improved efficiency; this was achieved by reducing the number of suppliers and making bigger orders. A negative trade off from this was the reduced relationship status with suppliers which is a highly regarded aspect of business in Japan. Engineers were also to blame for making overly specific orders which increased costs unnecessarily as they produced cars to solely improve performance, the trade off was that cars began to be made with customer needs in mind, not performance improvement. Weak distribution was also to blame for the downfall of Nissan; Ghosn reduced dealerships by 10%. Brand loyalty is high in Japan and determined by good customer relations which was a trade off for the reduction in dealerships; this was handled by improving the management in the remaining dealerships so that they become more entrepreneurial than social roles in the business. Design was instigated by engineers and not by the designers; this is why only 4 of the 43 cars in production were profitable. Twelve new cars were to be produced by the designers, to meet customer needs. A trade off of this was poor self-esteem for the engineers but equally designers were given freedom to be innovative and feel more valued by the company. Adaption was improved by correctly identifying the major changes, whilst not dictating them to employees. These plans were all released at once with the explanations behind their needs as to stave of criticism and prejudgments. The trade off for this was in the use of cross functional teams to improve human relations via interaction across departments for them to identify the major changes themselves, therefore then not feeling like they are being dictated to by senior executives. Human relations were improved (for the company, not the employee) by not giving lifetime job guarantees and not adhering to the seniority system that was in place for pay and promotions which lead to the replacing of weak middle management with competent replacements. The trade offs for implementing this was for poor employee relations to occur but this was managed by a merit pay plan, for performance related pay increases and promotions, with employees capable of earning up to an additional 33% of their wage based on performance and gaining stock options. To conclude Ghosn tried to weigh up and counter act the trade offs between efficiency, adaption and human relations well with the use of merit plans, extra innovation and better management. However there was not any strong counter action in relation to reducing purchasing costs, this was evident for the engineers in particular, where as it was obvious how the designers benefited from the changes made. Effective change is essential to the success and survival of a business as 62% of new businesses fail within 5 years and only 2% survive over 50 years (Nystrom Starbuck, 1984). With this in mind effective change management is critical to Nissan and Ghosns success. Ghosn used planned change which has both driving forces and restraining forces that affect the organisations state of equilibrium during implementation (Thomas, 2010). Features of planned change include; Assumption of a stable/predictable environment which Nissan do have. Required change must be identifiable, Ghosn meet this by introducing cross functional teams to identify the problems and changes needed. To move from one fixed change to another, this was done with the permanent closing of 5 factories and the loss of 21,000 jobs. Organisational members must be willing to change; Ghosn increased the willingness to change by creating a vision for the company, empowering employees such as the designers and cross functional team to identify the changes needed which meant they would then be more willing to follow the changes through than have them dictated to them. To have the appropriate tools and techniques available, Ghosn had all the tools available, in most instances it was a case o f reducing them in terms of factories, workers and suppliers. Where he did not have the correct tools he brought them in such as designer Shiro Nakamura. Restraining forces of planned change include (Katz Kahn, 1978) structural inertia, work group inertia, politics and previously unsuccessful efforts. Ghosn changed structural inertia by implementing the cross functional teams to identify and suggest changes for the problems and allowing them to be more adaptive and innovative than ever before. Work group inertia was changed from the design being engineer led to being designer led and customer focused and not performance focused. Politics was addressed by giving more power to the employees via cross functional teams and via the merit pay system were people earned their promotions and pay rises/bonuses. Ghosn managed to implement these changes using Lewins (Lewin, 1947) three step model of change (see appendix 1). In the unfreezing stage of the model, Ghosn had to make sure that employees were ready for change and understood the need for it. This was achieved by using cross functional teams, as the employees would identify the issues and solutions of the company which would lead to higher acceptance for change as the changes were realized and not dictated. Ghosn also offered to step down from his post if the targets were not meet which installs confidence, commitment and belief in the employees that the changes are necessary, realistic and achievable. The change stage of the cycle was used to implement the required changes that Ghosn and the cross functional teams had identified such as the reduction in suppliers, better distribution channels and management, customer focused designs and reduction in production costs. The refreezing stage of the cycle is Ghosns weakest part in terms of delivery. Nothing had been outlined specifically to make sure those attitudes, processes and cultures do not return to how they were before or that similar patterns do not appear again. The incorporation of a vision and plan for the firm can be seen as a retention strategy for changes made, however this area is significantly weaker than previous two stages. In my opinion Ghosn was right not refreeze the changes, the opening statement points to the need for constant change and transformation for a company to keep up with the changing environments that they work within. This therefore would count as criticism of the theory; as Lewin talks about the tactics for change but does not recognize that change should be constant and never ending, which is not the impression you get in his theory with the refreezing of culture which would represent an end to the change. Ghosn was very focused on the planned changes that he had in mind for Nissan, which could be seen as reasonable due to the short term nature of the plan. However with every planned change, the external environment can not be predicted with complete assurances. All companies have to deal with strategic drift (Johnson G, Scholes K Whittington R, 2005) which is when strategies fail to address the strategic position of the organisation, relative to the changing environment. Ghosn had not considered this at all in his plans and therefore had failed to acknowledge the potential importance of emergent change. This could have been critical had there been severe and critical changes to the external environment. For example if the banking crisis that has hit us now had happened ten years ago during implementation, did Ghosn have an alternative plan. Ghosn managed to implement effective change management techniques through the use of planned change and used Lewins three step model of change to rectify problems encountered by the restraining forces. Ghosn managed to minimize the resistance to change through the use of cross functional teams, the merit pay system, empowering employees, offering alternatives types of work for some of the people unfortunate enough to lose their jobs and showing his commitment to the challenge by stating he would resign if the goals were not achieved on time. A trait refers (Yukl, 2002) to a variety of individual attributes, including personality, temperament, needs, motives and values. Skills refer to (Yukl, 2002) the ability to do things in an effective manner and are determined by learning and heredity. The use of good traits and skills will have been used by Ghosn to successfully lead Nissan out of its crisis to meet the goals that he set for the company. Strategic leadership requires a managerial ability to (Thomas, 2010), anticipate and envision change whilst maintaining flexibility and empowering others to manage strategic change if necessary. Effective strategic leaders (Thomas, 2010) tend to be able to manage operations effectively, sustain a high performance, make better decisions than their competitors, and make courageous and pragmatic decisions. They must also understand how their decisions affect the internal systems and respect the feedback from peers and employees about their decisions and visions. The three factor taxonomy of skills shows (Yukl, 1994) that it can be broken down into these sections: Technical Skills, Interpersonal Skills and Conceptual skills. Ghosn shows his technical skills in reducing the amount of power train combinations and car platforms due to his knowledge of the processes required. This shows his strategic leadership in managing operations effectively and sustaining higher performance Interpersonal skills were shown when dedicating cross functional teams to identifying and eradicating the problems in the business. Changing to the merit pay system from the seniority system also showed his good interpersonal skills as by taking one away but replacing the lose with something better and more productive. This was a courageous decision as these strategies have never been contemplated before in Japanese businesses prior to Ghosns arrival. His conceptual skills were proved in his ability to reduce the production costs by as much as 20%, by cutting down on factories, employees, suppliers and dealers and managing to keep a positive spin on these cost cutting initiatives. This showed his ability to make better decisions than his Japanese competitors and therefore be a successful strategic leader. Ghosns personality proved to be charismatic as he holds traits of charisma (Conger Kanungo, 1988) such as being self confident and enthusiastic and willing to take personal risks, such as putting his job and reputation on the line. He challenged the status quo with things such as reducing dealerships and suppliers and introducing cross-functional teams. Ghosn was also innovative and unconventional in relation to how the Japanese operate normally, by instructing designers to produce 12 new cars for construction and changing the whole pay and promotion system in the company. Ghosn has shown a range of skills and traits that are needed to be a successful strategic leader, such as the interpersonal skills to convince people of a new vision and get them committed to the goals through his own strong beliefs and dedication to them. Empowering people was used to enable them to become more innovative and creative and to be able to identify and solve problems themselves. Ghosn managed to improve production efficiency with his conceptualization skills whilst showing the charisma to be able to challenge the status quos in a culture that has a naturally high level of uncertainty avoidance. A transformational leader is (Bass, 1985) someone who identifies the needed change, creates a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executes the change with the commitment of the followers. An empowering leader is (McLagan, Patricia Nel, Christo, 1995) someone who gives a clear vision, strategy and enabling tool kit. A change-orientated leader is (Tichy Devanna, 1990) someone who recognizes the need for change, creates a new vision and then institutionalizes the change. Ghosn was a transformational leader as he incorporated all of the 4 Is (see appendix 2) into his leadership style (Northouse, 2001). Ghosn managed to gain idealized influence through making a huge commitment to the goals that he set by putting his job on the line. This is a charismatic and confident thing to do that would have firmly set the belief that he was superiorly knowledgeable and capable. Inspirational motivation was clearly set out by Ghosn as he made his targets clear and bold as he released them all at once, whilst managing to avoid leakage to minimize criticism without understanding. The merit pay scheme would have also been motivational to employees as they would now know they could get recognition and promotion for other reasons than besides seniority. Ghosn managed to install intellectual stimulation to his employees through the use of cross functional teams that allowed them to be creative and innovative in their approach compared to their previous roles. He equally gave designers the same freedom to become innovative. Ghosn did also challenge organisation processes with the reduction in suppliers, distributors and the use of power trains and car platforms. Individualized consideration was also covered by the use of the merit pay system and each employee now has the potential to earn an additional 33% of their salary through bonuses. They can also now gain promotion when it was maybe not possible before under the old system. However he could have done more for the engineers as they gained criticism for overly detailed specifications on orders and having too much influence on designers, nothing was outlined on how they would be picked up after these knockdowns. A mentoring or coaching scheme could have been incorporated to help employees reach their personal goals more effectively to improve on this point this further. Ghosn was also a change-orientated leader as he did identify and implement changes but it was already obvious that change was needed, which is why Ghosn was brought to Nissan in the first place. Ghosn was equally an empowering leader as he gave his employees responsibility and roles they had not experienced before but he done so much more for Nissan than just empower employees as he made radical changes himself. These two leadership styles in my opinion are present for Ghosn but are only small parts of his repertoire and the overall picture, which is that they are aspects which feed into being a good transformational leader. Ghosn incorporates all three of the leadership styles but uses change and empowering leadership as tools to direct his transformational leadership style more effectively and to help achieve intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. With Ghosn making so many changes to Nissan, it was inevitable that some of these changes would affect the culture of the company and the issues that are aligned with them. One of the big cross cultural issues that had to be addressed by Nissan first was the action of reducing the number of suppliers to the company, which was seen as unprecedented in the past. This was because supplier relationships were deemed sacrosanct. Part of the problem was that Nissan was at the time part of the Keiretsu culture in Japan, this is where a large group of companies work with each other to the perceived benefit of one enough. It was seen as a safety net upon which they all owned shares in each other and kept each other safe. If Nissan were to get out of their current crisis bold moves had to be made in comparison to competitors, so moving away from this culture was essential. An equally important cross cultural issue that was changed at Nissan was the belief of having a job for life and promotion and pay based on seniority. When the merit pay system was brought in, this was to motivate employees to push for their promotions instead of simply waiting for them to happen. With the new procedures of accountability measured against the goals of the company introduced this showed the weak middle/upper management that needed replacing. This would have been a shock to the Japanese as their culture has always been to respect your elders; this was no longer the case with the new system in place. In Japanese culture there is a high level of uncertainty avoidance, this is when (Yukl, 2002) people fear ambiguous situations and seek security and stability. Ghosn challenged this culture by immediately putting people into cross functional teams to identify the problems with Nissan. Employees will have felt uncomfortable with this new style that had not been experienced before but will have quickly learned the benefits of working with other department managers and understanding the problems they face on a daily basis. This can be a attributed reason as to why the engineers were aloud to dominate the decision making on supply specifications and design for so long, as confrontation was not part of their culture and therefore no would have questioned their workings. Another cross cultural issue faced is the performance orientation (Yukl, 2002). Prior to Ghosn and his introduction of performance that could be measured against specific goals, the Japanese were very focused on maintaining relationships as they believed it was brand loyalty that would ensure repeat purchase. This can be linked to the sacrosanct relationships which they had with suppliers and distributors as well as their involvement in the Keiretsu culture that created this behaviour. Ghosn changed this philosophy of relying on brand loyalty and brought in the need to meet customer requirements which has made them incredibly more goal focused. The important cultural issues that needed to be changed at Nissan, was the movement away from the reliance of other companies and the relationships built with them to ensure the maximum working efficiency and productivity for themselves. It was equally as vital that employees realized they would not have an easy ride with a guaranteed job and promotion but that they had to work for these things and prove themselves worthy of such rewards; this will have improved efficiency and motivation for the workforce. It was also important for Nissan to move away for a high level of uncertainty avoidance and towards performance orientation, to allow the team to work more effectively and understand each others needs to make a more successful and dynamic team. References: Daniels, K. (2006) Employee Relations In An Organisational context. London. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectation. New York: Free Press. Conger, J.A., Kanungo, R. (1988), Charismatic Leadership: The Elusive in Organizational Settings, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA Johnson G, Scholes K Whittington R (2005), Exploring Corporate Strategy 8th Edition, Harlow: Prentice Hall. Katz, D., Kahn, R. L. (1978). The social psychology of organisations, 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley. LEWIN, K. (1947).Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method, and reality in social science in Human Relations, Vol. 1(1), pp.5-42. McLagan, P. Nel, C. (1995). The Age of Participation, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco. Northouse, P. G. (2001). Leadership Theory and Practice, second edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Nystrom, P. C., Starbuck, W. H. (1984). To avoid organisational crises, unlearn. Organisational Dynamics, Spring, 53-65. THOMAS, G. (2010). Week 18: Leadership at the Executive Level. Birmingham. Aston University: Geoff Thomas. THOMAS, G. (2010). Week 19: Leading Change in Organisations. Birmingham. Aston University: Geoff Thomas. Tichy, N.M., Devanna, M.A. (1990), The Transformational Leader, John Wiley, New York Yukl, G., Gordon, A., Taber, T. (2002), A hierarchical taxonomy of leadership behavior: integrating a half century of behavior research, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Vol. 9 pp.15-32 Yukl, G. (1994). Leadership in Organisations. 7th Ed. New Jersey. Pearsons. Are Security Threats Real or Imagined? Are Security Threats Real or Imagined? Giulia Valeri Introduction As far as the discipline of International Relations is concerned, security and threat are highly-contested concepts (Baldwin 1997: 10). Far more often than not, their inner nature has been deeply influenced by the historical context in which the two notions were first moulded. Security threats, whether they be real and objective or imagined and subjective, is still a matter to be put into trial by the academics. In turn, if the issue was to be analysed from a non-scholastic point of view, people would refer to those feelings of insecurity that perturb them and influence their daily action. The spread of the belief that todays world is a dangerous universe, where it is best to play safe and to take all the precautions necessary to avoid the risk of being exposed to threatening situations, is rising consistently. But are there any real threats that can eventually put individuals in a position of danger or is this feeling of self-doubt a mere product of policy-makers cunning moves to ac hieve goals, such as gaining wealth and accumulating their power, while letting the individuals sink in growing uncertainties? In other words, are security threats real and objectively calculated, or are they socially constructed and subjectively perceived? The latter interrogative leads us in another direction. One could, in fact, argue that an answer to this controversial issue can only be formulated in the light of the analytical fragmentation and the subsequent interpretation of two dominant approaches in the field of IR, Realism and Social Constructivism. Being aware of such opposing approaches is not only plausible and reasonable from a logical point of view, but it is fundamental in order to solidly ground our understanding of the issue. In this essay, I will first attempt to give a clear explanation of what is meant by security according to the so-called traditional and critical views. Secondly, I will make a distinction between what counts as a referent object for realist a nd constructivists security policies. Thirdly, I will examine the process that an issue has to undergo in order to be prioritized over the others and to become an existential threat worthy of security measures. I will conclude by using a significant case study to analyse and explain why, in the international system, threats to security cannot be tied to a single approach, traditional or modern, but instead need to be reconsidered as a compromise made up of multiple layers. The ontological conceptualisation of security and the shift in the focus of inquiry. Throughout the centuries, the attempt to define security has been a task of major importance for several IR scholars. However clashing theoretical approaches might be, they all shared a common need, i.e. the conceptualisation of security as an ontological basis for any further argumentation. Notwithstanding this premise, not much attention has been devoted to clarifying this notion, therefore there is a persisting disagreement on what security means exactly and on whether it is desirable to give a definition in the first place. The reason why such disagreement has arisen has proved to be related to the various historical periods in which different approaches have developed. More specifically the Cold War, besides being materialised in terms of an Iron Curtain that demarcated the European boundaries between Capitalism and Communism, also acted as an ideological turning point between Realism and Constructivism. Realists point out that security is about safeguarding acquired values. Arnold Wolfers rephrased Walter Lippmans definition, arguing that security is the absence of threats to acquired values (Wolfers 1952: 485). David Baldwin later portrayed security as the low probability of damage to acquired values (Baldwin 1997: 13), arguing that there is way too much optimism in Wolfers absence of threat (Wolfers 1952: 485). These acquired values are nothing more than national independence and territorial integrity (Wolfers 1952: 489), and thus they objectively correspond to the nation-states selfish interests. In turn, constructivists emphasize that the notion of security is a social construct and, as such, should not be bound to a specific referent object. In his People, States Fear Barry Buzan asserts that the search for a referent object of security has to proceed hand-in-hand with that for its necessary conditions (Buzan 1991: 26). As the reader might have noticed, Security is usually discussed in terms of enumeration of new threats and the identification of capabilities needed to counter them, but there is little examination of the meaning of security as such (Wibben, Human Security: Toward an Opening: ) The clashing tension between the realist theorization and the constructivist approach comes to blows when trying to establish what the referent object of security studies should be. Should it always be the state or should it rather be relative to the questioned sector? This problematic derives from the significant shift in focus that has taken place, alongside a massive change in the balance of history as a result of the end of the Cold War. A realistic perspective: security threats are real and objectively analysed. A traditional approach to security threats has to be considered in the light of an objective assessment of the world out there or as it is. Realists act as an elite of scientists with very fixed conceptions of the surrounding environment. As such, they feel the need to adopt a scientific approach to knowledge (Browning, 2013: 13), meaning that they look at reality in an objective way and they hold a static state-centric vision. Instead of bolstering substantial changes, they pessimistically dictate how to best cope with the world as it is (Browning, 2013: 13). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the referent object of security studies is the state, and threats to security are all those directly posed to the state, all those menacing the survival of its core values. The nation-state is presented as the guarantor of security and, as such, it has the duty to act in a way that assures the safety of its boundaries. This entails every action to be inextricably tied to the states assump tions. Realists are convinced that the term security is the equivalent of national security interest (Wolfers, 1952: 481). As the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger put it, how realistically we perceive our national interests is a core security concern (Kissinger, 1976: 182). Exempli gratia, in the international system -which is anarchic- where egoistic and self-interested individuals proliferate, absolute security is irredeemable, and thus states believe that the only way to secure themselves from external military threats is to increase their military forces. Yet by doing so, other states might be led to think that policies of armament are objective synonyms of imminent attacks and, consequently, of real and tangible menaces. In the field of International Relations, this ironic cycle of unintended provocations (Kanji, 2003: 2) is often referred to as the security dilemma, i.e. the belief that increasing ones security means rising insecurity for others as each interprets its own measures as defensive and measures of others as potentially threatening (Herz, 1951: 7). At this point, one could legitimately ask: If everybody claims to perceive real threats, how is one supposed to identify real menaces, if present, with objectivity? Put in another way: Are all military affairs to be considered as real threats or are they real threats only in conditions of international anarchy? As the constructivist Wendt argued anarchy is what states make of it (Wendt 1992: 395), claiming that what is presented as a real threat in international anarchy is not necessarily a real threat in this world. Therefore, can one assume that threats are objectively the same regardless of their political allocation? The constructivist approach: security threats are socially constructed. How the community moulds the concept of securitization. In Wendtianian terms, a security threat is what actors make of it and, thus, by no means can they be objectively assessed. Unlike realists, constructivists act as analysts in charge of presenting how the general public and their leaders mutually construct dangers (Dannreuther 2007: 42), thereby framing our experience of the world. In their Security: a new framework of analysis Buzan, Weaver and De Wilde -prominent members of the Copenhagen School[1] argue that Security is when an issue is presented as posing an existential threat to a designed referent object. The special nature of security threats justifies the use of extraordinary measures to handle them. (Buzan, Waever, De Wilde 1998: 21) Before discussing how an issue, being prioritized over other issues, is presented as an existential threat, it is of essential importance to define what we mean by existential threat in the first place. An existential threat is whatever threatens the safety of somebody or something. As opposed to realists, who unceasingly commit themselves to a scientific state-centric vision, constructivists point out the need for each and every threat to be analysed in relation to the referent object of the sector in question, while sectors have been categorised as military, political, economic, societal and environmental. As for the military sector, the state is the entity that can possibly be in danger. For this reason, however much traditional security studies would try to pass off peacekeeping and humanitarian interventions as menacing in their nature, both might not be regarded as an existential threat to the nation-state. In the political sector, it is sovereignty that is the principle that c an be existentially threatened, so that Brexit, for instance, is the most prominent deterrent to the European Union. In the economic sector, the referent objects are firms, and the threat of bankruptcy may act as an ultimatum for their existence, while collective identities and individual species are respectively referent objects of the societal and environmental sector. One might rightly wonder: What, who and how is an issue transformed into a matter of security or shown to be existentially threatened? Buzan et al. asserts that the answer lies in a key-term, i.e. securitization. Securitization is the process by which a general issue is recognised as an existential threat. Yet this process is built up through consequential steps in which two actors play a key-role, the securitizing actor and the audience. The securitizing actor, alias a political leader, is someone who performs the securitizing move, rhetorically identified as the speech act[2]. The task consists in declaring a state of emergency by recurring to apocalyptic statements, such as If we do not tackle this problem, everything else will be irrelevant (because we will not be here or will not be free to deal with it in our own way). (Buzan, Waever, De Wilde 1998: 21) If and only if the securitizing move raises consensus and it is generally accepted by the audience, the issue is successfully securitized and it becomes an existential threat. Donald Trumps securitizing move, i.e. the Muslim ban, cannot be considered as being successfully securitized because the general public hasnt legitimated the speech act. Contrariwise, war is an empirical example of a successful securitization that, being so recurrent, ends up being institutionalized. Once an issue is securitized, it moves out of the realm of normal politics into the realm of emergency politics, where it can be dealt with swiftly and without the normal (democratic) rules and regulations of policy-making (Taureck 2006: 54; Buzan et al. 1998: 24). The securitizing actor and the audience democratically negotiate and establish what existential threats are under which circumstances. As Buzan et al. underline, security is a self-referential practice, because it is in this practice that the issue becom es a security issue -not because a real threat exists (Buzan et al. 1998: 24). From a constructivist point of view, the realists presumption of assessing threats objectively goes beyond humans means. Threats are in fact inter-subjectively constructed rather than being natural or inevitable (Newmann 2001: 247) since what constitutes a threat for one is not necessarily the referent object for the other (Buzan et al. 1998: 30). How social constructivism has challenged the traditional realistic view. Case study: nuclear weapons are real or imagined threats? almost anything can be a threat CATASTROPHIC, TOO pessimistic and deterministic (timeless and irrevocable)nature of the threats, analysis of the world in itself! assumption: It is out of humans domain to establish which threats are really threatening survival, they are inevitable and there is nothing to do except for facing the crude reality. It is not possible to consider a nuclear weapon in every case a threat. What if the missil tank is a peacekeeping force? At the same time, it is illogical to affirm that a nuvlear bomb of a powerful state is threating whereas a bomb of allies doesnt pose any threat. SELFISH construction of threats: with the excuse of needing to shiftthe focus of enwuiry of the individuals, impact of ideas and values (newmnn, 247). eventually defyning the concept of human security, they ended up prioritizing issues according to the selfish interests of the securitizing actor. For constructivists try to push the notion of human security forward, they somehow end up shadowing the selfish construction of security threats. Both bigo and wibben when experts push for particular forms in which security of humans ought to be prioritized. Bigo showed how the securitizing actor together with the general public has securitized immigration. Issues are prioritized according to selfish interest.   Wibben makes an important point that our conceptions of security come from specific political visions, underpinned by certain ontological and epistemological assumptions. For instance, when experts call for elevating human security as a security concern, they are pushing for particular forms in which the security of humans ought to be prioritised. I Politicians have used the policy of securitization to satisfy their own interests, being legitimated to do whatever through the speech act. Murray Edelman has explained how the social construct of the politicalspectacle works.He has demonstrated how the construction of situations as problems is useful for politicians: the politicians can manage them in order to justify their own authority. It enablesthem, for example, to negate other problems or to transform struc-tural difficulties into easy targets. (Bigo 2002: 68-69) the presupposition that it is possible to control the flow of individuals at the borders of thestate (bigo 1992:69) Murray Edelman, Pià ¨ces et rà ¨gles du jeu politique (Paris: Seuil, 1991),a translation of his Constructing the Political Spectacle (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), with a specific and important foreword7 Chandler (Security Dialogue, 2008): human security has reinforced rather than challenged existing policy frameworks and is too easily co-opted by political elites. Security is a social construct with the meaning ofsoceurity depending of what is done with it. taureck THESIS Threats are real in the sense that there is sth threating the survival of the individuals, yet this cannot be objectively assessed and it is not deterministically given They are imagined in the minds of the politicians andthen presented as threatening, yet it would be irrational to claim that the speech act has no correspondence to the external reality. . they are mediated by the meaning we ourselves give to nuclear weapons rather than to reality e.g. Constructivist assumption: a nuclear weapon doesnt pose a threat by itself (ARGUABLY YES) Why the US view North Koreas nuclear weapons as a threat and not Britains? UK Prime Minister Tony Blairs securitisation of Saddam Husseins WMD programme for the British public in the lead up to the 2003 invasion is a useful case study here. Depending on our reading of the Copenhagen School, the securitisation of Saddam and his WMD programme may have occurred exclusively through public representations depicting the regime and its WMD programme as imminently threatening, through the vote in Parliament legitimising http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1232/1/WRAP_McDonald_0671572-pais-270709-mcdonald_securitisation_and_construction_of_security_ejir_forthcoming_2008.pdf 23 Blairs deployment of troops, or even at the point of invasion itself. While the latter might seem the least likely reading, The system is not deterministically given Brhaviors are socially constructed and can therefore change. (newmann, 247). Threats are socially constructed rather than being natural or inevitable: identity and interest derive from the social processes of interaction leading to expectations of costs and benefits attached with different types of behaviour within a system (newmann, 248) Constructivists: Finally, three important constituents of a speech act are: its internal features (the security form, grammar of security, enunciation of an existential threat and so on); social conditions regarding the position of authority of the securitizing actor (how easily would the audience accept the claims of the securitizing actor); and features of the alleged threat (a tank is more threat-like than a comb, for instance; or to use our example above, a North Korea bomb is more threat-like than a British bomb for America because of the institutionalisation of the North Korean threat). Realists: whoever the nuclear weapon belongs to, it is a threat. A foreign tank crossing the border. Conclusion? Threats to security are real and tangible. One cannot deny that whoever is the owner of a nuclear weapon the presence of a nuclear weapon is menacing the international security commission. However, saying that threats are real is misleading and too generic. what each state perceives as a threat is a variable. allocation Rather, it is a blurred misrepresentation of the world out there. This is to highlight the fact that what is regarded as a real threat in anarchy, being what states make of it, is not an objective reflection of the real threats. It is simply a reflection of the dangers out there. , provided that actions are unavoidably bounded to mere states assumptions Is not insecurity of any kind an evil from which any rational policy maker would want to rescue his country? (Wolfers, National Security: 494) The world is not a universe of all against all From a real basis, security threats are developed and constructed according to the will and mis)perceptions of policy-makers. This is to say that some security threats are prioritized over some others and consequently they might be seen as a matter of national security worth of becoming part of the security agenda. A security threat is what is presented as a security threat A security threat is always the other state Bibliography BALDWIN, D. (1997) The concept of security. Review of International Studies 23: 5-26. BROWNING, C. (2013) International Security: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. BUZAN, B. (1991) People, States and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era. London: Hemel Hempstead. BUZAN, B., WAEVER, O. AND J. DE WILDE (1998) Security: A New Framework for Analysis. London: Lynne Rienner, Chapter 2. DANNREUTHER, R. (2007) International Security: The Contemporary Agenda. Cambridge: Polity Press, Chapter 3. HERZ, JOHN H. (1951) Political Realism and Political Idealism. Cambridge University Press. KISSINGER, H. (1976) Documentation: Foreign Policy and National Security. International Security 1(1): 182-191. KANJI, O. (2003) Security. Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder.   http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/security>. NEWMANN, E. (2001) Human Security and Constructivism. International Studies Perspectives 2: 239-251. TAURECK, R. (2006) Securitization theory and securitization studies. Journal of International Relations and Development (9): 53-61. WENDT, A. (1992) Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics. International Organization 46(2): 391-425. WIBBEN, A. (2008) Human Security: Toward an Opening. Security Dialogue 39(4): 455-462. WOLFERS, A. (1952) National Security as an Ambiguous Symbol. Political Science Quarterly 67(4): 481-502. [1] The Copenhagen School is a school of security studies, which was established in 1983 by Barry Buzan with his first publication of People, States Fear. [2] The term speech act is rooted in the linguistic philosophy of J. L. Austin and John Saerle and it emblematically represents the rhetorical structure of securitization.