Food Trip Essay

Revolutionaries and activists, tried of associating the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) with these words? Well, it’s time to change your thoughts. PUP isn’t just for words like those mentioned above, please try to look at the brighter side. PUP isn’t just the way you think it is. All the speculations about our school aren’t true. Actually, if you’re inside our campus, you’ll surely have a wonderful time. The school offers delightful treats such as low tuition, high quality education and most especially, foods. I recommend you to go to PUP and I assure you a cheap and an enjoyable food trip for you and for your friends. TRUST ME! ï Å  PUP has it all, from snacks to lunch and to every kind of foods that you will surely like. I bet if you enter our campus, you won’t go out of it without being tempt to buy foods because of its cheap price. Be sure to prepare your spoon and fork as I introduce to you the best foods at the lowest price our campus can offer. 1.Value Meals (20php – 35php) One cup of rice with any ulam of your choice. These include dinuguan, chicken fillet, fried chicken, beef steak, adobo, burger steak, liempo, giniling, sausages, vegetables, etc. Imagine?!! With just 30php, you will experience tasting lutong bahay even if you’re away from home. 2.Buy 1 Take 1 Burgers (25php – 32php) Say goodbye to Jollibee, Mcdonald’s, KFC, and other burger – producing fast food chains. PUP has the cheapest burger ever. With just 32php, we can avail two burgers and that is if you are in PUP. While in fast food chains, you will just be left with dissatisfaction. 3.Clubhouse (20php) All the PUPians know this – clubhouse is a triangle – shaped sandwich with egg wrappings and ham fillings. Well, the best thing about this food is that it is served with free drinks. Yes!!! You heard it right! It’s with FREE! FREE! FREE! AS IN FREE DRINKS which comes in various flavors. As far as I know, it is one of the highest grossing and most sought food in the University. It is so SULIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! 4.FEWA (33php or 37php) FEWA is also known as Footlong and Egg Wrapped Around. It is a sandwich with footlong (can be either regular in size or jumbo) wrapped in fried scrambled egg with cheese and cabbage. Another reason why you would enjoy this food is because of its vendor who has great sense of humor. Wondering who? Well, better check him or, should I say, her? At the East Wing of PUP canteen. 5.Fruit Shakes and Juices (10php-20php)

Media Analysis- Macbeth

Macbeth is that it can be performed, not only read. This version of the film has done exceptionally well in terms of the performance. This film, directed by Rupert Gold is set in the 20th century as opposed to its original setting which took place in Scotland during the 1 lath century. This allows it to be more modernized by the use of hospital tools, elevators and everyday appliances which results in the Intended audience to connect with the film and truly grasp the concept of It. This film was very effective as It acted as an Incredible visual aid to the confusing Shakespeare language.Furthermore, It was very effective In conveying the theme of appearance versus reality In act two, scene three through the use of film techniques such as camera work and positioning, the script and lastly, the acting of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It Is due to the films effective role as a medium that the audience Is able to feel the same emotions that Shakespeare wanted to evoke. While watching a movie, no one thinks about the camera work or the positioning when in fact, these are the two major factors that make the film effective as a whole.The camera work and the positioning help convey the theme of appearance vs†¦ Laity in Macbeth by using medium shot and close shot. For instance, when Macadam goes to Dunce's room, Macbeth waits outside for him while Lennox talks to him about the chaotic night. When Lennox talks to him, the camera turns to her from Machete's perspective. However, when Macbeth talks to Lennox, the camera does not show the audience how he looks to Lennox from her perspective rather they Just show him turning sideways to talk to her. This plays a role in appearance vs†¦ Laity because Macbeth appears to be calm when talking to Lennox however she cannot tell if it is otherwise because the position of the camera sakes it seem like she does not see his face as he talks to her. Although he appears to be calm, the camera takes a medium shot and then a cl ose shot of Macbeth while he is waiting for MacDougal discover Dunce's body and this shows that in reality he is terrified. The script has lots of effective dialogue however the only dialogue that is successful in conveying the theme of appearance vs†¦ Laity is of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. As Macadam discovers Dunce's body and wakes everybody, Lady Macbeth comes running and says â€Å"What's the business, that such a hideous trumpet calls to parley the sleepers of the house? Speak, Speak! † (Shakespeare 44). From this line that Lady Macbeth says, it appears as If she Is genuinely concerned and confused about what Is going on when in reality, she Is the one who planned the murder. Macbeth also has a line that displays this theme In particular.After Macbeth returns from Dunce's room, he goes on to say, â€Å"Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time, for from this Instant there's nothing serious In mortality (Shakespeare 44). In this line, Macb eth talks about how there Is nothing to live for now that the king Is dead and as he says that, It sounds as If he Is truly filled tit remorse when in reality, he is the one that murdered Duncan. Therefore. The script definitely has a big role when carrying out a theme not only that but also the people who are saying the dialogue as well.Acting is one of the greatest factors that contribute to depicting the theme of appearance vs†¦ Reality in this film, act and scene. Macbeth display anything besides their actual emotions. For example, when Macbeth hears about Dunce's murder from Macadam, there seems to be nothing but pure confusion on his face. This is incredible acting as he is completely aware of the death before anyone is and acts as this is the first time he is finding out. Also, as soon as Macbeth returns from Dunce's room, his face seems pale.Although he has already seen the body, he acts like he's never seen anything like it before, keeps a straight face on and shows th e utmost sorrow for the kings death. Much like his acting, when Lady Macbeth hears the alarm that Macadam sets off, she runs in showing extreme concern on her face and in her exclaimed voice and tone says, â€Å"Woe, alas! † (Shakespeare 44). She claims this is a horrible thing yet she is the person behind the murder. Acting is not limited to Just emotions or expressions but it also has a physical aspect of it. Lady Macbeth is able to bring that aspect out when she uses her whole body and pretends to fall.Even though she is capable of holding herself up, she pretends to fall in order to distract everyone from Macbeth after he says that he killed the guards. If anyone were to watch this scene alone without any knowledge of the evil side of Lady Macbeth or Macbeth, they may not be able to tell recognize that behind the genius acting of them both, lays a guilty soul and therefore introduces the theme of appearance vs†¦ Reality. The 180 minutes that this film runs for, Gold is able to bring out a major theme in Just 10 minutes that is scene 3.There are many other techniques in the direction of this play such as the continuous dark lighting to represent sorrow and the evil that surrounds them, cutaway shots when Dunce's murder is announced to follow the action and the establishing or master shot to show overall view of a location and all the actors in a scene. All these techniques help enhance the other factors that play a role in carrying out the theme of appearance vs†¦ Reality such as camera work, positioning of the camera, the script ND dialogue and finally, the acting.Lady Macbeth and Macbeth continually display the theme of appearance vs†¦ Reality as they act innocent when they are the people behind the planning and the committing of the murder. Most lines were present in the duration of this scene. Only some cuts in lines were noticed in the porter's part probably due to the annoying nature of the character. As Gold directs this play wh ile changing some things, the dramatic purpose, which is to advance plot and develop character, and the theme of appearance vs†¦ Reality are still conveyed in the same way Shakespeare would have imagined.

Aldi Inc Strategic Swot Analysis Review Essay Example for Free

Aldi Inc Strategic Swot Analysis Review Essay Summary Aldi, Inc. (Aldi) is a grocery retailing company. The company’s stores supply various food and general merchandise such as fresh meat and produce; refrigerated and frozen foods; snacks and sweets; bakery, dairy, pantry items and beverages. In addition, it also offers skincare and beauty products, house hold must have products, and beer and wines. Aldi operates over 1,200 stores in the US and sells over 1,400 of the most frequently purchased grocery and household items in manageable, non-bulk packaging. It operates as a subsidiary of ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG. The company is headquartered in Batavia, Illinois, the US Our Aldi, Inc. provides a comprehensive insight into the company’s history, corporate strategy, business structure and operations. The report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on the company’s key employees, key competitors and major products and services. This up-to-the-minute company report will help you to formulate strategies to drive your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better. Scope – Business description – A detailed description of the company’s operations and business divisions. – Corporate strategy – Our summarization of the company’s business strategy. – SWOT analysis – A detailed analysis of the company’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. – Company history – Progression of key events associated with the company. – Major products and services – A list of major products, services and brands of the company. – Key competitors – A list of key competitors to the company. – Key employees – A list of the key executives of the company. – Executive biographies – A brief summary of the executives’ employment history. – Key operational heads – A list of personnel heading key departments/functions. – Important locations and subsidiaries – A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details. Note: Some sections may be missing if data is unavailable for the company. – Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis and corporate strategy are incorporated in the profile to assist your academic or business research needs. – Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report’s analysis of the company’s business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. – Understand and respond to your competitors’ business structure and strategies with Our detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company’s core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing you with an up to date objective view of the company. – Examine potential investment and acquisition targets with this report’s detailed insight into the company’s strategic, business and operational performance. Aldi Inc Strategic Swot Analysis Review. (2016, Sep 18).

Daisyworld Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Daisyworld - Coursework Example The surface temperature of a lifeless planet would have changed dramatically with the increase in luminosity of the sun over geological timescales; on Earth, it has remained remarkably constant around temperatures suitable for life (s Harvey, 2003). Daisyworld is a simplified model of an imaginary planet with just two species of daisies, black and white in order to demonstrate the way it happens. The growth rate of the daisies depends on their local temperature but the daisies modify this due to the differences in the way of absorbing radiation; black daisies have low albedo i.e. reflectivity and thus they heat up easily. On the other hand, white daisies with higher albedo tend to reflect the sun's radiation. The Gaia hypothesis (Lovelock, 1972, 1979, 1988) came into the scene with the problem of determining the possibilities of life on Mars1. To carry out the experiments, it was neither easy not necessary according to Hitchcock and Lovelock (1966), to go to Mars. They claimed that all that was required is determination of the composition of the atmosphere of Mars. The atmosphere of Mars should be at chemical equilibrium (which is true) in the absence of any form of life on the planet. Similarly, if the atmosphere were not at equilibrium just like Earth, then this would strongly support the possibility of life on mars. Lovelock believed that the Planet Earth should be studied as an organism due to the analysis that the general activity of the planet can effectively indicate the existence of life on it. The characteristic properties exhibited by the living things like respiration, metabolism, self-regulation, irritability and reproduction can be studied for the determination of life. To consider earth as an organism is just a matter of choice of great researchers but it certainly posses many properties similar to organisms. The key objections that have been raised to the Gaia hypothesis are based on the evolution theory. Arguments are there on the consideration of Earth as an organism believing that organism properties arise only through natural selection. There is no particular mechanism so that the Earth can maintain the favourable conditions for the biota and hence there is no need to consider the matter (Dawkins, 1982). Continuous arguments were present about the

Stereotypes contribute to prejudiced thinking Research Paper

Stereotypes contribute to prejudiced thinking - Research Paper Example On the other hand, prejudiced thinking is defined by Stangor ( 2000, 22) as â€Å"thinking ill of others without enough warrant†. Ferguson (2004) averred that prejudice is an â€Å"attitude toward the members of some group based solely on their membership in that group (can be positive or negative).† Stereotypes are therefore generalized and confined according to distinct characteristics of persons or members of certain groups. As such, stereotyping distorts perceptions of people since once these traits are activated; those are the ones that come immediately to one’s mind – without justified warrant. As averred by Ferguson (2004) â€Å"prejudice often involves stereotypes, suggesting that all members of a group behave in certain ways and have certain characteristics.† I believe that stereotyping, whether positive or negative are both harmful in such as way that they become â€Å"self-confirming† (Ferguson, 2004), confining and distorting; and affect social judgments we have of others. As such, even positive stereotypes could have true characteristics not revealed to those who generalized them. Therefore, whatever relationships or interactions one has would be distorted due to stereotyping, eventually leading to prejudice (even positive or negative). The ability of stereotyping to give illusionary impacts makes them harmful despite their positive

Analysis of the figuritive language in th Poems Richard Cory by Edwin Essay

Analysis of the figuritive language in th Poems Richard Cory by Edwin Arlinton Robinson and Paul Simon - Essay Example Applying these criteria in the two versions of Richard Cory would help decide which of the two poems is more deserving of merit. Published in 1897, Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson is the original version of the poem. Robinson depicts the despair and death of a wealthy man in his poem. Basically, the language used is folkloric. A folklore is an oral tradition handed down from one generation to another. Thus, the character of Richard Cory and his experience appears to be a hearsay, a myth. The linguistic elements of the poem support this idea. First, the lines of the poem strictly follow a common rhythmic pattern with the first and third lines and the second and fourth lines rhyming. This may seem awkward when reporting about suicide as it negates the natural utterance of a suicide narrative. Second, the line of thought makes the language appear climactic, thus making the poem appear too literary and stilted. Like any narrative, the poem starts with the introduction of the cha racter, thus in the first stanza, Richard Cory is described as â€Å"a gentleman from sole to crown, / clean-favored and imperially slim† (l. 3–4).

What are some ways in which Facebook can be used by b2c marketers Essay

What are some ways in which Facebook can be used by b2c marketers - Essay Example B2B marketers can also utilize Facebook pages to send the word out to consumers about the organization or products. Great companies have been using Facebook to advertise their products and services. Some of these companies include entertainment companies such as music sellers, movie studios and booksellers (Dunay, and Richard 15). Facebook is the best place for B2C marketers as such they should have their presences there. Marketers can easily interact with the consumers and have more information about the consumer. Facebook gives B2C marketers a good brand-building environment. B2C marketers can use Facebook as a channel for marketing their products. The marketer has to build the fan base. Increasing the number of fans on Facebook can be done by providing them with attractive contents such as videos. Growing the number of fans on Facebook page can be done by using a method that requires a person to like the page before accessing the content. The more the number of fans on Facebook page the more it is easy for a B2C marketer to improve awareness of products or organization (Dunay and Richard

Human Resource Management transformation from primarily administrative Research Paper

Human Resource Management transformation from primarily administrative and operational to strategic - Research Paper Example In 1980’s notably the term â€Å"Human Resource Management† was introduced from USA. It indicated that employees are assets for the firm and vital steps should be taken to sustain & retain them. The main transformational period of Human Resource Management started from 1945 when â€Å"Personal Management† was given immense importance due to the post world war II scenario. Employment management & welfare work were categorized in Personal Management. Regarding Personal management, Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett Packard HP said: â€Å"the role of personnel is to enhance the quality of management†. The core reasons for the transformation of HRM are globalization, market competition, technological advancements and continuous change. The firms realized that productivity of employees depends upon the formulation of policies, if the policies are employee friendly, than eventually working motivational level will increase. Significantly numerous imperative developments were brought in the firms like selection & testing mechanism, negotiation techniques, expansion of management training, reward system etc. Adopting and presenting policies which would benefit both employer and employees is a major concern of Human Resource Management. Success of a business depends upon the organizational behavior. This was one of the core issue raised in the transactional period. CEO of Scandinavian Airline, Jan Carlzon openly presented his viewpoint on strong organizational behavior, which is a fundamental element of a company’s triumph. Adaptations of performance appraisal and compensation packages were highly appreciated by the CEO of General Electric, Jack Welsch. Technical terminologies were implied in the Human Resource Management in late 1990’s such as Job Description, Job analysis, Competencies, Recruitment & Selection, Reward Systems,

What is political legitimacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is political legitimacy - Essay Example John Locke’s view of political legitimacy emphasizes the necessity of respect for human rights and transfer of authority based on consent for effective public administration. Plato was philosopher and a mathematician during the Classical Greece. He was also an influential figure in the philosophy of the West. Plato, in The Republic, declared that an ideal society ought to be run by a council of philosopher-kings (Plato & Cornford 22). Plato recommended that philosophers needed to do a thorough learning of the world prior to making their way into leadership at the age of fifty. According to Plato, the best form of political legitimacy constitutes the moral reordering of the whole society. Plato, thus, implied that moral societies are dedicated to returning to the best ways of doing things in order to be the best version through which the society can be idealistic and achieve perfect governance. Locke proposes that after the establishment of a social contract, the first act of the government is creating different branches of the government. Lock suggested that the optimum number of government branches should be three as this could ensure maximum peace and protection (Rawls & Freeman 53). When people are assured of their protection, there are high chances of increased productivity because there is no fear of security threats. Peace in a country is the primary determinant of security and protection; therefore, the government should strive to use its machinery to ensure prevalence of peace and tranquility in the states. The Republic by Plato is actually an investigation at the harmonic justice that should be afforded to human beings and the balance required to establish the moral health of the soul. Plato believed that search for political legitimacy is not streamlined since it constitutes a journey within using the models of ideal state,

The Labor Market Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

The Labor Market Discrimination - Essay Example Also, the reduction of the discrimination from the beginning like in schools and the removal of complete disparity at this stage helps in developing more diverse society and a more effective labor market as well. The focus on skills rather than the creed and culture is also a major factor impacting the reduction of the Labor Market Discrimination. Other factors that also impact the Labor Market Discrimination include the opening up of fewer jobs for people and the acceptance of genders, castes and creed helps in improving the condition of the Labor Market Discrimination. The three movies that have been discussed in this class include Freedom Writers, Rossie the Riveter and Crash. The three movies although are of different genres and come from completely different views and insights have the main theme of gender and race discrimination. For instance, the movie Crash is based on a complete racial discrimination where the police officer is against African Americans and hence takes the step of even sexually abusing here in a routine stop. All actions that the police officer takes are based on complete racial discrimination and have a major impact on the story as a whole. In terms of Rossie the Riveter, it is clear that the discrimination is mostly based on the women and how women are treated like they cannot work. In the normal world, there are a number of jobs that are believed to be a ‘man’s job’ and women are considered to be unworthy of doing the job. This story has brought out how women overcome all the conventional beliefs and s how the world that they can work together and can work as well or in fact better than men in a number of occasions as well. Considering the Freedom Writer the story brings out how a culturally mixed class work together and how a woman is able to bring an unruly class to a more organized and well-behaved class.  Ã‚  

Dressed to Kill Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Dressed to Kill Stereotypes Essay Dressed to Kill Stereotypes: Eddie Izzard’s Role as Parasocial Contact Icon You never get a second chance to make a first impression; a concept crucial to the importance of the Parasocial Contact Hypothesis. Eddie Izzard as a representative of a male transvestite minority group, plays a critical role in diminishing minority stereotypes in his HBO comedy special Dressed to Kill. Eddie Izzard does this in 3 important ways: by identifying with the majority (his audience) on a familiar and common level, by embracing minority characteristics in order to humanize differences, and by approaching the subject (mostly non-verbally) in a lighthearted and non-threatening manner. The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis is the suggestion that parasocial interactions through media can act in a similar way to Intergroup Contact Theory when correlated to minority prejudice. In studies on intergroup contact, it has been shown that direct exposure to a minority group changes the opinion and lessens the prejudice by that participant. Schiappa, Greg and Hewes wrote, â€Å"a person’s beliefs can be modified by that person coming into contact with a category member and subsequently modifying or elaborating the beliefs about the category as a whole† (93). In their parasocial contact hypothesis studies Schiappa, Greg and Hewes concluded, Cumulatively, the studies reported here provide support for the PCH for two minority groups and across three television genres. The PCH has significant theoretical and social implications. For decades, mass communication researchers have insisted that mass media and television, in particular, can influence viewers’ beliefs about the world. Research on parasocial contact and the relationships that such contact produces is significant because it suggests that one form of learning is about individuals and categories of people (111). This finding is most important because it means that individuals representing minority groups in media now become more than an individual, but an icon for the minority and as such they carry on a new importance and responsibility. In Dressed to Kill, Eddie Izzards approach to his special gains greater value because he now represents a larger group and his communication choices take on new significance. Eddie Izzard first identifies with the majority on a common level, but opening the show on the streets of San Francisco while not in drag. His audience is from or at least in San Francisco and through his opening video and dialogue he connects to the crowd on a level outside of gender issues as a fellow San Franciscan or at least lover there of. His second technique is to embrace minority characteristics all the while humanizing them. He does this by coming out on stage in drag and performing the whole special in ‘costume’. He defines transvestites and even categorizes them by type at points throughout the special to bring the audience back and to demonstrate similarities with which they can identify. His third technique is to approach the subject in a lighthearted and non-threatening manner; this is achieved simply by using a comedic format style. People laugh when they are uncomfortable and laugh when they are comfortable. Those that are uncomfortable are given the freedom to express themselves without standing out because everyone else is laughing. Those unfamiliar with transvestites now presented with a closer view of the minority in a comedic way, walk away with a positive feeling of the minority representative which influences their opinion and reduces prejudice. The studies and conclusions on Parasocial Contact Hypothesis research are significant because it means the media can be used to reinforce positive images of minority groups to reduce prejudice. However the opposite is likely also true, so it is important that media be used for productive and not destructive purposes in this regard. Works Cited Schiappa, Edward Gregg, Peter Hewes, Dean. The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis. Communication Monographs Mar. 2005: 92-115. Jordan, Lawrence dir. Izzard, Eddie wri. Dressed to Kill. 1999. HBO, 1999.

Report Generator for Bayanan Barangay Hall Essay Example for Free

Report Generator for Bayanan Barangay Hall Essay Computer technology has been widely used in different fields, nowadays; computer is the main system that is being used from large and wide scale manufacturing up to small scale industries. The defining feature of modern computers which distinguishes them from all other machines is that they can be programmed. In recent times, the world has witnessed a rapid increase in technological innovations. This era ushered in the advent of the electronic computer system among other modern technologies. At present the computer technology has permeated nearly all aspects of human organizational roles and education. Computer encompasses almost all facets of human endeavors. So much has been written on it and its relatedness to all areas of human disciplines, which include computer/information technology, engineering, agriculture etc. However, in the field of case records their role is much less well defined, for here the organization of data as a preliminary to computer input is the real stumbling-block. Barangay Bayanan is one of the barangay in the City of Muntinlupa. It is bounded between Barangay Alabang and Barangay Putatan. With residents for about 35,865 the hall is strategically located along Bayanan Bay walk, Muntinlupa City. Transactions are currently done manually wherein, information about the citizens are being process by just simply writing the citizen’s name, age, location and other personal information. Producing report such as Barangay Clearance, various certificates etc. is done manually by ink and paper, which is very slow and consuming much efforts and time. Furthermore, the duplication of produced report to each citizen is often result to data management problem such as slow processing, inaccuracy of report and many others. These problems are typical of a manual or traditional system. This research aims to consider a computerized report generator is needed to avoid redundancy and to quicken the generation of reports from the replacement of the current manu al system. The general objective of the study is to design and develop a report generator that would serve as proposal to help Bayanan Barangay Hall to their operation and provides an easier, faster, more organized, secured, and accurate system.  The specific objective of the study is to identify the problems encountered by Bayanan Barangay Hall and also create a report generator that will improve the scope such as citizens, staff and administration. In general scope, the focus of this study is directed towards the design and development of a report generator for Bayanan Barangay Hall with its administration, staff, and citizens are selected. The report generator has a secure log-in for administration and staff. For its limitation, the study is limited only to citizen-data entry person transactions. The inventory report, payroll of the staff and the payment for the service rendered is not provided by the report generator because it will only focus in generating reports after the registration of the citizen’s information is being done by the authorized personnel.   This part describes the relationship between the dependent variables, independent variables and intervening variables of existing system and proposed report generator.

The importance of vocabulary knowledge

The importance of vocabulary knowledge Introduction CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and motivation The aim of the present thesis is to investigate the relationship between EFL learners depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge[1] and the extent to which vocabulary knowledge contributes to listening comprehension in English as a foreign language[2]. Over the last 20 years vocabulary has assumed a more prominent role within the field of second language acquisition research, and vocabulary is no longer a neglected aspect of language learning as it was designated by Paul Meara in 1980. While researchers in applied linguistics were previously concerned mainly with the development of learners grammatical, and to some extent phonological, competence, more attention is now being paid to their lexical competence. This has happened as a consequence of the growing realisation that lexical competence forms an important part of learners communicative competence in a foreign language. As observed by McCarthy (1990: viii) in the introduction to his book Vocabulary: No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way. The importance of vocabulary knowledge in communicative competence has similarly been stressed by Meara who has argued that lexical competence is at the heart of communicative competence (1996a: 35) and that vocabulary knowledge is heavily implicated in all practical language skills (Meara and Jones, 1988: 80). In order to fully uncover the role of vocabulary knowledge in second language use, we therefore need to explore the extent to which it contributes to different language skills. The above claims by Meara have been solidly supported by findings from a considerable number of empirical studies investigating the relationship between learners vocabulary knowledge and their reading comprehension. Such studies have found that vocabulary knowledge is a significant determinant of reading success in L1 as well as L2. However, as will be come evident in the present thesis, very little research has addressed the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and the skill of listening in L2 and, at present, we can only tentatively assume that vocabulary knowledge will also play some kind of role in learners listening comprehension in English as a foreign language. Research of the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening is important as findings from studies of reading cannot automatical ly be applied to listening despite the fact that reading and listening are both receptive skills. The present study is thus motivated by a critical lack of empirical research on the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension and by the resultant need to explore the extent to which learners vocabulary knowledge will contribute to their listening success in L2. A prerequisite for exploring the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening, or any other language skill, is a clear notion of what is involved in being lexically competent in a foreign language. A further motivation behind the study therefore springs from the need to gain more insight into the nature of learners vocabulary knowledge. As evidenced in the research literature, the field suffers from a lack of consensus as to ways of defining learners vocabulary knowledge, partly due to the complexity and multi-dimensionality of the construct. Very often the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and L2 performance has been addressed simply from the perspective of vocabulary size. However, as other dimensions of learners vocabulary knowledge have been recognised, notably the dimension of depth, we need to empirically investigate how such dimensions interact and how they can make individual contributions to learners language use. 1.2 Aims and research questions The overriding aim of the thesis is to empirically investigate the relationships between depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge, and vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension in English as a foreign language. The point of departure for this investigation is the construct of vocabulary knowledge, specifically depth of vocabulary knowledge. Although the notion of depth in L2 learners vocabulary has received an increasing degree of attention in recent vocabulary research, the construct severely lacks conceptual clarity. For this reason an analytic aim of the thesis is to provide a clear and consistent theoretical framework for describing and operationalising the construct of depth of vocabulary knowledge. This is done by drawing on research within the field of L2 vocabulary acquisition and testing. The analytic aim then serves as a prerequisite for empirically investigating the following two main research questions: To what extent are EFL learners depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge interrelated? To what extent is vocabulary knowledge associated with successful listening comprehension in English as a foreign language? While the first research question addresses the interrelationship between two dimensions of learners vocabulary knowledge, namely a qualitative and quantitative dimension, the second research question is concerned with the extent to which these two dimensions will contribute to successful listening comprehension in English as a foreign language. The above research questions will be addressed through an empirical study comprising 100 Danish advanced learners of English. The theoretical basis and the methodology of this study will be introduced below. 1.3 Theoretical basis Although the present study draws on research in different fields, it is first and foremost a study rooted within the field of second language vocabulary knowledge and acquisition. The widely recognised theoretical distinction between depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge will serve as a theoretical basis for reviewing different ways of defining and operationalising L2 learners vocabulary knowledge and for empirically investigating the relationship between quantitative and qualitative aspects of learners vocabulary knowledge and their listening comprehension. In exploring whether vocabulary knowledge is associated with successful listening comprehension in L2, the study also draws on theory and research from the field of L1 and L2 listening. Prevalent theoretical models of listening and listening comprehension will be outlined, and factors assumed to influence successful listening will be described, but this account is far from exhaustive and will only serve as a backdrop for examining the role of vocabulary in listening comprehension. This will furthermore be evident from the theoretical framework developed to describe and explore the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension in the study. This framework draws on concepts from vocabulary as well as listening research, but the pivotal factor of the framework is vocabulary knowledge, emphasising that this is the main area of research in the study. In attempting to operationalise vocabulary knowledge and develop instruments that can tap learners depth of vocabulary knowledge within the context of the present research design, the study furthermore draws on concepts from testing theory and language testing research. However, the study will limit itself to primarily draw on research within the field of vocabulary testing and in particular focus on the assessment of depth of vocabulary knowledge. As will become evident, depth of vocabulary knowledge is frequently conceptualised in relation to what is made possible by assessment instruments, and the construct often becomes an artefact of the instruments used to assess it. This means that an important aspect of reviewing how this construct has been defined in various research contexts is to examine the way in which it has been operationalised. In view of this, concepts mainly related to vocabulary testing will be drawn upon in the present study. In addition to this, it is important to note that the vocabulary tests developed in the study are intended entirely as research tools that can be used for the investigation of learners vocabulary knowledge within the context of the present research design. No attempts have been made to develop generic and practical vocabulary tests that might be used for other kinds of research or pedagogical purposes. 1.4 Data and methodology The empirical study comprises 100 Danish EFL learners who are all first-year students of English at the Copenhagen Business School. These participants are given a range of tests intended to tap the depth and breadth of their vocabulary knowledge as well as their listening comprehension in English. While some of the tests are standardised measures of vocabulary size and listening comprehension, others have been designed specifically for the present study to assess the participants depth of vocabulary knowledge. Hence, a central aspect of the methodology is the operationalisation of depth of vocabulary knowledge. Different theoretical approaches to the construct will be discussed and these will serve as a basis for operationalising the construct from two distinctly different perspectives. The quantitative data collected through these tests will be subjected to different kinds of statistical analyses to explore relationships between the different variables of the study. SPSS[3] is chosen as the statistical program used for the analysis of the data and the principal statistical methods will be correlational and multiple regression analyses. As noted above, very little research has been done on the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension in L2 and none of this research has addressed the role of depth of vocabulary knowledge in listening. This means that there is little solid ground for the present study to build on and it must therefore be characterised as an exploratory study. 1.5 Structure of the thesis The thesis falls in two main parts. The first part, comprising Chapters 2 and 3, provides the theoretical background for the thesis, while the second part, comprising Chapters 4 to 7, describes the theoretical framework of the empirical study as well as the research design, and presents and discusses the results of the study. Although Chapter 4 is included in the empirical part, it can be viewed as a bridge between the two parts of the thesis. This will become evident from the description of the chapters below. Chapter 2 constitutes the main theoretical chapter of the thesis. This chapter provides an account of different ways in which the constructs of depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge have been defined and operationalised in the research literature. Furthermore, the chapter presents two comprehensive conceptualisations of lexical competence and ability that attempt to integrate different dimensions of vocabulary of knowledge and explain their interrelationships. Chapter 3 examines the role of vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension. While the first part of the chapter presents key concepts related to listening, the second part focuses explicitly on the role of lexis in listening comprehension. This includes a brief description of word recognition models, followed by a more elaborate review of findings from empirical studies investigating the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension in L2. Chapter 4 outlines the theoretical framework underpinning the empirical study. Drawing on theoretical approaches and empirical findings dealt with in Chapters 2 and 3, the key constructs of the study will be defined and the rationale for including them will be provided. Moreover, the chapter proposes a framework for describing the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension and presents a number of more specific research questions that will be addressed in the study. Chapter 5 presents the research design of the study, describing how the theoretical framework is operationalised. This includes information about participants, research instruments, the data collection and the data analyses. Furthermore, a pre-testing phase involving native speakers of English will be described and the results of a pilot study will be reported.   Chapter 6 describes the statistical analyses conducted and presents the results of the study in six phases. These phases address the various, specific research questions of the study. Chapter 7 interprets the findings of the study, discusses implications for theory and assessment and suggests directions for future research. Furthermore, the chapter addresses a number of limitations of the study and includes suggestions for further analyses of the data collected. Chapter 8 sums up the main findings and contributions of the thesis. [1] The concepts of depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge will be defined in the chapters to come. However, at this point, it should be noted that the terms breadth of vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary size will be used interchangeably in the thesis. [2] No distinction will be made between English as second language and English as foreign language (EFL). The terms second language and foreign language will be used interchangeably. [3] Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

War of 1812 :: American America History

War of 1812 War of 1812, conflict between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815. Fought over the maritime rights of neutrals, it ended inconclusively. Background Over the course of the French revolutionary and the Napoleonic wars between France and Great Britain (1793-1815), both belligerents violated the maritime rights of neutral powers. The United States, endeavoring to market its own produce, was especially affected. To preserve Britain's naval strength, Royal Navy officers impressed thousands of seamen from U.S. vessels, including naturalized Americans of British origin, claiming that they were either deserters or British subjects. The United States defended its right to naturalize foreigners and challenged the British practice of impressment on the high seas. Relations between the two nations reached a breaking point in 1807 when the British frigate Leopard fired on the USS Chesapeake in American territorial waters and removed, and later executed, four crewmen. In addition, Britain issued executive orders in council to blockade the coastlines of the Napoleonic empire and then seized vessels bound for Europe that did not first call at a British port. Napoleon retaliated with a similar system of blockades under the Berlin and Milan decrees, confiscating vessels and cargoes in European ports if they had first stopped in Britain. Collectively, the belligerents seized nearly 1500 American vessels between 1803 and 1812, thus posing the problem of whether the United States should go to war to defend its neutral rights. Americans at first prepared to respond with economic coercion rather than war. At the urging of President Thomas Jefferson, Congress passed the Embargo Act of 1807, prohibiting virtually all U.S. ships from putting to sea. Subsequent enforcement measures in 1808-1809 also banned overland trade with British and Spanish possessions in Canada and Florida. Because the legislation seriously harmed the U.S. economy and failed to alter belligerent policies, it was replaced in 1809 by the Non-Intercourse Act, which forbade trade with France and Britain. In 1810 Macon's Bill No. 2 reopened American trade with all nations, but stipulated that if one belligerent repealed its antineutral measures, the United States would then impose an embargo against the other. In August Napoleon announced the repeal of the Berlin and Milan decrees on the understanding that the United States would also force Britain to respect its neutral rights. Although Napoleon continued to seize American vessels in French ports, President James Madison accepted his statements as proof that French antineutral decrees had been lifted.

Barbie - A Complex American Icon Essay examples -- American Culture E

As a young girl, I was not very interested in playing with baby dolls. I preferred playing with my many stuffed animals or the only doll I did like—Barbie. With my animals, usually I was rescuing them from some horrible disaster such as a flood or a forest fire. I was their heroic savior and benevolent protector. But with Barbie this was decidedly not the case. Sometimes my Barbie did normal Barbie things, such as get dressed up for an exciting date with Ken or go shopping with her little sister, Skipper. More often, however, I subjected Barbie to strange, sadistic acts of my imagination. Frequently Barbie, in her pink dune buggy, would have tragic head-on collisions with my brother’s dump truck, or the brakes would suddenly go out on her pink Barbie scooter, sending her careening off a steep mountain cliff. Barbie also had the unfortunate tendency to be sucked from her Barbie plane by her lovely long blonde hair while flying at 30,000 feet. Since in every other way I w as a normal child, psychoanalysts might interpret my play patterns with Barbie as childlike manifestation of women’s frustrations at the disparate images popular culture presents for women. Most women I know also experience this love/hate feeling towards Barbie and the mixed messages she represents, especially when their daughters start begging for Barbies of their own. While mothers do not want to encourage the unrealistic beauty expectations that Barbie represents, they also fondly remember Barbie as their own favorite toy. These many women, and their daughters, have made Barbie the most successful toy for girls since 1959, despite Barbie’s many contradictions. Barbie embodies American popular culture’s attempt to respond to women’s changing roles in the era since... ... â€Å"Barbie is a Million-Dollar Doll,† The Saturday Evening Post, December 12, 1964, 72. 23 Douglas, 24. 24 â€Å"All’s Swell at Mattel,† Time, October 26, 1962, 90. 25 â€Å"It’s not the Doll it’s the Clothes,† Business Week, December 16, 1961, 48. 26 Cleo Shupp, â€Å"Little Girls are too Sexy too Soon,† Saturday Evening Post, June 29, 1963, 12. 27 Zinsser, 73. 28 â€Å"The Barbie-Doll Set,† Nation, April 27, 1964, 407. 29 Donovan Bess, â€Å"The Menace of the Barbie Dolls,† Ramparts, January 25, 1969, 25. 30 quoted in Bess, 26. 31 Letty Pogrebin, â€Å"Toys: Bad News/Good News,† Ms., December 1975, 60. 32 Douglas, 27. 33 Douglas, 25. 34 â€Å"Zeitgeist Barbie,† Harper’s Magazine, August 1990, 20. 35 Helen Cordes, â€Å"What a Doll!,† Utne Reader, March/April 1992, 46. 36 taken from December 2004 Toys R Us, Wal Mart, Target, and K-Mart advertisements.

Creative Management Essays -- essays research papers

Creative Management gives creative ideas of how a manger should present himself and how to approach different situations. Creative Management written by Shiegru Kobanashi, focuses mainly on the importance of teamwork, and on group management. How can we transform our present methods of production, under which we become slaves to machines, and regulations for the temporary increase in productivity, into one in which we are the masters of our work? How can we establish a system, which will make people work voluntarily and feel good about doing it. The book starts with waking up make sure you have proper hygiene. Wear simple clothes. Not close that stand out. A fussy dresser doesn’t impress people, but it gives a false impression of the person wearing the clothes you should wear clean, pleasing clothes that match your personality. A manager should always meet someone with a smile. It will lighten the mood and there is no better way to show your personality them by your smile. â€Å"Face every day with a smile, and you will lead a pleasant life everyday.†(Page 86) It expresses the importance of saying the simple words good morning and good night. When talking to employees you should speaking sincerely and low toned which will make others understand your thinking or feeling. Speaking forcefully and loud with raw emotion can affect other people as well as yourself. The book also emphasizes the importance of a manager to use empathy when dealing with fellow employees. Always put yourself in other people’s position. If you base all decisions and give information to workers solely on how you feel chances are the advice you give will not be what the person coming to you needed. Everyone is different and everyone’s lives are different. A good manager should get to know his employees as best as possible. Giving the manager a little incite into each of their lives. The more you know about your fellow workers the easier it will be to put yourself in there shoes and give the correct advice. .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world is filled with all types of temptations, and sometimes a manager is put into a situation where he has the opportunity to make some extra cash or maybe get something from some one for doing a not so legal favor. When these situations occur you should stop think things through. You have a mind and are used to doing your own thinking, but you a... ...wth are discussed. This type of meeting takes place every six months. Each department manager or team leader becomes familiar with other functions and groups, learns from hearing their work revised, and participates in policymaking. They learn the significance of his department’s activities in relation to the whole company. They discuss policy making ideas, review appraisals, and set goals. Teams don’t function on order from above, rather it functions on it’s own ideas. The same thing can be said about the individuals who make team, and revise goals that are also handled by team. In other words they work as a unit. A manager should hold himself as a person of power who is still an equal of his work force. The job of the manager is not to order people around and push his ideas. A manager's job is to keep the work force unified and keep it working as a team. Most people in today’s society are power hungry and are only in it for them selves. They don’t realize that if everyone is successful you will be successful they will be to. So remember . there is no â€Å"I† in team. Working to getter and putting minds together is much more efficient then one person how thinks they know everything

Rheumatoid Arthritis Case Study Essay

Skeeter Buck has had 4 years of joint pain with some very severe occasions. He complains of stiffness in his wrists, hands, knees, and feet. The stiffness seems to last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours in the morning. When his joints are sore he is very unstable and feels as though he has no balance. The joint pain does not occur on a regular basis but when it does, he tends to lose his appetite. Medication: Cortisone shot (every 3 months), Aleve, Tylenol Medical History: 4 years of joint pain. Recently symptoms worsened. Family History: Grandmother and mother have rheumatoid arthritis and have had surgery. Grandma had a hip replacement and his mother had a knee replacement. Most of his family is overweight but there is no history of diabetes or heart disease. Social Lifestyle: Married with 2 children and wife is pregnant with their third. Lives in North Bay where he is the manager at a bank. He walks with a cane when his ‘flare ups’ are bad. Lifestyle History: Enjoys playing with the kids. He is as active as he can be without being in pain. He helps coach the hockey team his oldest son plays on. Wife is a dietician and so he eats healthy meals on a regular basis. Risk Factors: He is a non-smoker, regular cholesterol levels, and normal blood glucose levels. Physical Examination General Appearance: Looks healthy, comfortable and has great colour in face. Vital Signs: Blood Pressure = 123/82 mmHg in both arms, Pulse = 72 beats per minute, Respiration= 17 breaths per minute, Mass= 82 kg, Height = 70 in. (175 cm), BMI= 27, Waist Circumference = 34in. Cardiovascular: No carotid bruits, no jugular venous distension, clear lungs, normal point of impulse, regular rate and rhythm, no extra heart sounds, no edema, normal peripheral vascular exam. Skin: no rashes, a bit red, swollen and warm around knuckles on hands and feet. Musculoskeletal: walks slow due to pain, joints on the hands and feet are a bit swollen, does not have a full range of motion in his joints. Neurologic: Normal cranial nerves, loss of fine motor skills in hand, normal sensory exam. Resting Electrocardiogram before Exercise Test: Sinus rhythm, rate= 72 beats per minute, no Q waves, ST or T wave abnormalities. Computer interpretation is normal electrocardiogram. Diagnosis: Rheumatoid arthritis in wrists, hands, knees, and feet causing stiffness in the morning and pain throughout the day especially after more than normal use of the joints. This causes exercise intolerance and fatigue. Plan Complete a standard cycle ergometer test and initiate a training program focussing on increasing exercise tolerance, muscle strength, and range of motion. ** Please refer to following pages for pre-screen and informed consent forms! ** PATHOPHYSIOLOGY Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is one where the body’s immune system becomes confused and begins to attack its own body. In rheumatoid arthritis the target of the immune attack is the lining of the joints (synovial) and sometimes other internal organs. This causes swelling, pain, inflammation, and joint destruction. Inflammatory cells release enzymes that can digest bone and cartilage causing limited bone motion. This inflammation of joints usually occurs in a symmetrical and bilateral pattern (what happens on one side of the body, happens on the other). Rheumatoid arthritis is also characterized by aggravations and remissions (periods of time with intensified symptoms followed by period of time with reduced symptoms). Rheumatoid arthritis usually begins slowly, starting with only a few joints and spreading to others over a period of a few weeks to a few months. People with rheumatoid arthritis have impaired exercise tolerance. The disease affects flexibility, biomechanical efficiency, muscle strength, endurance, and speed, which contributes to functional limitations. There are three levels of classifying rheumatoid arthritis disease stages: 1. Acute: reversible signs and symptoms in the joint related to synovitis 2. Chronic: stable but irreversible structural damage brought on by the disease process 3. Chronic with acute exacerbation of joint symptoms: increased pain and decreased range of motion and function often related to overuse or superimposed injury. (3) Figure:(12) Signs and Symptoms of Concern (13)You should see your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms for more than two weeks: Feel unusual pain and stiffness in your joints Pain and stiffness in the morning lasting more than 30-60 minutes before you feel any relief Feel more fatigued than normal Lack of hunger leading to weight loss Importance of Exercise for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Although people with rheumatoid arthritis may be hesitant to exercise due to pain they experience within their joints, current evidence suggests that a significant amount of disability related to the condition occurs from lack of fitness. By not exercising, muscle strength and endurance begins to deteriorate. This weakens the joint and contributes to accelerating the speed or arthritis. By not exercising you are also putting yourself at risk for other chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis. The American College of Sport Medicine outlines three goals for exercise and arthritis. The goals are: 1) preserve or restore range of motion and flexibility around the affected joints; 2) increase muscle strength and endurance to build joint stability; 3) increase aerobic capacity in order to enhance psychological state and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. (8) Although long term effects of dynamic weight bearing exercise on those with rheumatoid arthritis remains unclear, current data suggests that vigorous exercise may be used to improve joint mobility, muscle strength, and aerobic capacity without causing joint damage (except when there is an acute joint inflammation or uncontrolled systemic disease)(8). Those with rheumatoid arthritis should remember that post exercise discomfort should be expected, but activities causing increased joint pain enduring for greater than two hours post-exercise should be discontinued. As previously mentioned, people with rheumatoid arthritis often have little aerobic capacity due to inactivity, but it has been shown to be a safe and beneficial form of treatment for those who are not experiencing acute symptoms. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that people with rheumatoid arthritis should participate in large muscle activities such as walking, cycling, rowing, swimming, and dance at 60-80% of their peak heart rate or 40-60% VO2max, a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) rating of 11-16, 3-5 days per week for five minute sessions building up to thirty minutes. When working with people with rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to emphasis duration is more important than intensity with goals of increasing VO2max, peak work, and endurance within 4-6 months. It is also important to have at least fifteen minutes of warm-up and cool-down. (8) MEDICATION Although there is no specific cure for rheumatoid arthritis at the present, there are a range of medications available to manage the symptoms to improve the condition. Rheumatoid medications can be classified into different classes such as NSAIDs, Corticosteroids, DMARDs, Biological Agents, Salicylates, and Pain Relief Medications. Your doctor will most likely use a combination of these drugs to alleviate pain and prevent further damage to the joints. NSAIDs NSAIDs or Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs are effective in pain relief and inflammation reduction, but do not serve to protect the joints from further damage. NSAIDs prevent your body from producing a substance called prostaglandins, which is primarily responsible for inflammation and pain. When taken in extreme dosages for a long time, these drugs can produce severe side effects, such as stomach bleeding, gastric ulcers, as well as potential damage to the kidneys and liver. Corticosteroids Corticosteroids suppress the immune system, thus managing inflammation. Although these may be very effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, they have been said to trigger adverse side effects if used in prolonged periods. Examples of these side effects include easy bruising, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, excessive weight gain, and thinning of the bones. DMARDs DMARDS or Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs are groups of medications that serve to inhibit the immune system from damaging the joints, thus slowing further joint damage. Rheumatoid arthritis causes permanent joint damage in the early stages and so it is very important to start these medications right away. The risks for severe side effects are high with these medications. Taking DMARDs for a long time may result in bone marrow and liver toxicity, vulnerability to infections, skin allergies, and autoimmunity. Biological Agents Biological agents or biological drugs function to alleviate inflammation via various methods. An example of how they work is by inhibiting tumour necrosis factors. They also can treat inflammation through eradicating Beta cells. Salicylates Salicylates reduce the body’s production of prostaglandins. The use of salicylates has been replaced with NSAIDs, mainly due to the fact that they caused adverse side effects. Pain Relief Medications While anti-pain drugs neither decrease inflammation nor suppress further joint damage, these medications allow the individual become more comfortable and eventually function better. (2) PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL To determine baseline levels and the areas exercise is in need of improvement, exercise testing can be used to evaluate the different exercise parameters. Those with rheumatoid arthritis tolerate sub-maximal and subjective symptom-limited treadmill tests that require less than 3 miles per hour walking speed. Early-onset muscle fatigue may limit receiving accurate information. Since people with rheumatoid arthritis may have troubles performing maximal treadmill test, sub-maximal bicycle tests may provide more accurate information without over-stressing joints.

Company Analysis: Sears Holding Corporation Essay

Company Analysis: Sears Holding Corporation Abstract Sears Holdings Corporation (SHC) is the nation’s fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Formed in the later part of the 19th century it was the largest retail company in the country until the early nineties. SHC is currently the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. As a result of its merger with Kmart in 2005, SHC also has Martha Stewart Everyday products, which are offered exclusively in the U. S. by Kmart. SHC operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. In recent years Sears has undergone major changes in order to maximize its profits and beat its competitors. In the past several decade Sears has been the place to go shop for home goods, clothing, and fitness equipment and auto repairs. As time progressed they became very comfortable with what they hard as other companies such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, JC Penny crept in and reaped a chunk of its market. In a struggle to re-invent itself, it tries to maintain focus on its primary and secondary target markets. Introduction The Sears Holding Corporation is a multinational corporation with retailers purchasing products in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. It is the fourth largest retailer within the United States, with over 3900 locations and sells many different marketable goods for consumers. These goods include products such as tools, branded clothing, appliances, sporting goods, electronics, home maintenance and repair, and automotive from many different retailers (http:// www. searsholdings. com/). The Sears Holding Corporation is a result of the merger between Kmart Holding Corporation with the Sears Roebuck Co. which occurred in 005, and the headquarters is located in Hoffmann Estates, Illinois. The consolidated subsidiaries include Sears, Roebuck and Co. , Lands’ End Inc. , LRFG, LLC, Sears Brands, LLC, Sears Canada, Inc. , Sears Financial Holdings Corporation, Sears Reinsurance Company, Ltd. , Kmart Holding Corporation, Kmart Management Corporation, Kmart Cor poration, and the Sears Holdings Management Corporation(http:// www. secinfo. com/dVut2. v3ap. 5. htm#1stPage). Brief History The Sears Roebuck Corporation was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck in 1893. Sears started as a Jeweler who made a profit by selling watches. The most innovative and quite possibly the most famous method of sales synonymous with Sears was the Sears Catalog. Providing pictures of the products, the prices, and a handy item that could be ordered on a regular basis for sales was by far an ingenious method of marketing. Consumers would be able to purchase items with no markup, have knowledge of their budgets required for purchases, and be somewhat assured of the quality of the product based upon the appearance, marketable ideas and mainly products which could be sold, thus expanding Sears’ enterprise. Mainly from the early 1900’s throughout the 1980’s, Sears maintained its tronghold in America’s consumer market, especially in the 40’s and 50’s with its tremendous expansion. However, towards the 90’s and 2000’s, as many other big businesses arrived, divestiture, as well as problems associated with employee wage issues, Sears’ marketability dropped off until its merger with Kmart in 2005 (http:// en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sears). Kmart first opened in 1962 and was founded by Sebastian S. Kresge. It was a relatively successful corporation and utilized marketing ideas within the store, namely â€Å"Blue Light Specials† which would entice customers to urchase the â€Å"blue light† or discounted items while they were shopping for their products. Unfortunately, due to failed ideas regarding consumer marketing, failure to utilize the computer technologies for supply chain management, and other setbacks, Kmart had to declare bankruptcy in early 2002. (http://en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/Kmart). Merger The merger between Kmart and Sears clearly enhanced both of the companies’ mutual progressive goals. Sears invested many assets in the formation of Sears Grand stores, larger off store malls, and in the process bought many of the Kmart locations which were going out of business. Therefore the merger helped this process so that it would enable the further growth of Sears at a quicker pace as well as enhance the productivity and save the Kmart Corporation. This was clearly a strong decision made by the executives in combining forces so that the marketability of both companies would increase. Along with this, the shareholders could make a tremendous profit with this alliance. Prior to the merger, if the independent companies were not steadily increasing their revenue shareholders would lose money from their investments. The combination of both of the corporations would mprove shareholder investment returns and thus facilitate the growth of the Sears Holding Corporation. The more investors receive higher returns, the greater investments into the company thus fostering its overall growth. The proprietary brands, selling the aforementioned products, under both companies would be able to reach the target demographic groups with greater ease. The real estate holdings of individual Kmart or individual Sears stores, now under the umbrella of the Sears Holding Corporation, could be leveraged, thus enhancing the ability to sell more of their combined products to a vast variety of consumers. This was reported to increase revenue by nearly 200 million dollars per year. Along with the increased revenue, a decrease in overall cost for maintenance of both corporations due to the merger would save nearly 300 million dollars per year (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ Sears_Holdings_Corporation). A general projected net increase of 500 million dollars per year is a phenomenal growth rate. As mentioned previously, a global distribution of these stores in the North American continent (from Mexico to Canada) has enabled the Sears Holding Company to expand even further. Leadership Overall, this merger helped Sears Holdings Corporation be a force in the United States market. As the eighth largest company in the US, the profits and revenue have increased tremendously, but the lack of leadership and the constant changing of executive power has been a preventative factor in its further growth and means that a company cannot initiate new marketable strategies that will come to fruition. Employee stability and satisfaction in a large company is always an issue as well, because Job security is always in question when companies merge. Another downside to such mergers means that the people in executive positions can relocate o other positions at different companies, and strategies that were used to run a single company might not work due to multiple variables involved to create a Joint company. Initially, the decisions to run the Joint company might cause disagreements that might not necessarily increase the percentage of revenue on an annual basis. However, after testing market strategies over a period of time, implementing different methods to sell products, and keep investors happy by generating profits on a yearly basis, the company will eventually succeed through innovation and investment. SHC faces stiff competition from big box retailer such as Wal-Mart and Target. In the mid-tier its competitors include Macys,J. C. Penny and Kohl’s. Organizational Structure SHC recently implemented an organizational structure and operating model that aids in the management of its several business lines thus creating autonomy and focus for business unit management teams. This 5 unit structure enables each organization to focus on their core capabilities and categories which are: support, operating business, brands, online, operating business and real-estate. These support units provide administrative and operational support to the areas of arketing, store operations, customer strategy and finance. Each unit thus comes with a designated leader and an advisory group which is composed of Sears Holding executives. Giving autonomy to each unit futures the business by allowing them to focus on management and profitable of that Unit and the company as a whole (Reuters 2008). With these changes I believe SHC will be better placed to compete and maximize profits. Target market The primary target market for sears is arguably home owners between the ages of 25 to 55 with a moderate household income 25,000 to 60000 dollars. Homeowners make he majority of the population shopping at sears stores. This accounts for the sale in the hard lines department. Sears provides home improvement solutions to this group of people. This group is attracted by products such as home appliances, entertainment centers, home d? ©cor, and fitness equipments. The main appeal to these customers is home appliances and lawn and garden tools. This is so because Sears has a reputation for Secondary market targeted by SHC consists mainly the younger generation. In an effort to bring itself up to par with its competitors, they have been providing brands and clothing items in the soft lines department. This group consists of school age children (4-18). Sears offers products like the kids advantage program where parents can purchase shoes for their kids and be able to switch it for a new pair sometime down the road. Last year Sears teamed upped with LL Cool J and MTVto provide the LL Cool J brand appeal to the teenage population. This brand resonates better with young African American and Latino teenagers. Competitors In the hard lines division sears faces major competition from hardware retail giants such as Lowes and Home Depot. These two have managed to cut off some primary more variety home improvement products than sears. Their yearly sales post better profits than SHC. The soft lines department faces major completion from JC penny, Macy’s, Target and Wal-Mart. Macy’s and JC Penney have managed to chip away some of the market by providing better quality brand named apparel such as Liz Claiborne, Baby Phat, and Anne Kline to these customers. Both companies have managed to post better revenue than SHC the previous quarters. Retail Giants such as Wal-Mart currently (currently No. 1) and Target also provide stiff competition for SHC. These two also have managed to fair better than Sears during this harsh economic period ith Wal-Mart providing a variety of products at super low prices, while target provides more quality apparel at equivalent prices. Recent Performance The company recorded revenues of $46,700 million during the financial year (FY) ended January 2009, a decrease of 7. 8 % over 2008. The operating profit of the company during FY2009 was $251 million, a decrease of 83. 8% from 2008. The net profit was $53 million in FY2009, a decrease of 93. 6% over FY2008. The decline in operating and net profit was due to decrease in gross margin and higher impairment chargers. Stock Market Chart SHC http://www. reuters. om/finance/stocks/chart? symbol=SHLD. OQ The graph chart above illustrates how SHC has performed in the stock market since the merger in 2005. SHC has seen a constant struggle since the merger, the highest grossing year being 2007 when SHLD stock went for $ 190 and currently at $78 thanks to the current economic crisis. Of all the revenue grossed by SHC in recent and past years only 11% comes from Sears Canada meaning the most of SHC revenue is generated here at home: 55% form Sears domestic and 34% from Kmart as demonstrated by the Pie chart below. http://www. wikinvest. com/stock/Sears_Holdings_(SHLD) SWOT Analysts For decades the hard-lines department brought the highest revenue to the business and is considered one of the strengths of sears. Here we see the power of Sears’ owned brand named products such as Craftsman, Kenmore and the usual home improvement tools and equipments. Such are products that are nationally recognized as very reliable tools. In the soft-lines department sears brands such as Lands’ End and Diehard are also heavy sellers and nationally recognized. One other strength of sears is that it is dedicate to its community and customers. Sears has taken upon its self to provide excellence in customer services and for years has had a tring of dedicated customers. Sears is also involved in serving the community and helping the less fortunate. Programs like Heroes at Home and Extreme Makeover Home Edition has Sears written all over it. This dedication to the community has help exposed it to consumers The weakness of this corporation stands from what may have been one of its strengths. Though it has a large customer base, Sears has allowed its sales volume to plummet because they are not keeping up with the changing market environment. They have lost touched with the consumers and competitors when it comes to soft- ines (clothing) and some hard-lines divisions. Sears has undergone too much diversification and has thus lost focus on retail services (Prentice-Hall, 2003). Most of it retail stores today are not reflective of the needs of the consumer. Sears clothing line is old, outdated and out of touch with fashion trends. Currently retail stores are old worn out and do not attack customers. At present its current CEO has been interim so for 18 month indicative of managerial or leadership problems (Gorenstein 2009). Opportunity The merger of K-mart in 2005, was thought be the â€Å"silver bullet’ that would revamp he company, providing a variety of products and obtain an expanded customer base. So far SHC has post several quarterly losses with the most recent of 94 million dollar (SHC 2009). Sears has the opportunity to revamp or improve sales in the soft-lines department by buying and capitalizing on brands such as Liz Cleburne, Nine West that are appealing to customers. They currently have brands such as LL Cool J and Joe Boxers that are thriving in the male department. For the Hard-line department, while it is thriving sears can still provide affordable and durable products with the kind of guarantee that they have for Craftsman tools. In general a change to inventory that appeal to the consumers will bring in revenue and make Sears a better competitor. Threats Like any other company in business Sears faces a constant threat from its competitors. Sears current faces threats from retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Target. More over departmental stores such as Macys and JC Penny are also fighting for its customers. It is worth noting that all these business were babies compared to Sears in the past. More discount stores are opening further driving down sails in certain departments. Sears risk losing its customers if it doesn’t re-invent the stores o provide items that appeal to them. The economic down turn hasn’t been fair to SHC as they have posted record losses for the whole year and until the situation improves SHC has to take steps to reduce cost and increase profits or revenue. Supply Chain Management Sears’ main focus when supply chain management is concerned, is to replenish its inventory as quickly as possible. SHC has 3 basic products: seasonal products such a s lawn mowers and snow blowers, perennial best sellers and fast moving products that need to be replenished rapidly. Unlike many of its competitors, SHC provides 6 illion home appliances/home improvement deliveries directly to customers’ homes every year. To do this effectively SHC uses Cross-docking which is a type of distribution in which inbound products are unloaded at distribution centers, sorted by destination and then loaded onto delivery trucks. Thus the goods are not warehouse i. e. they are Just moved across ducts This reduces the days in inventory positioned its inventory in 4 regional warehouses so it can provide next-day delivery to it customers and quickly replenish store supply. Recommendations How can we stars fixing the problems faced by sears? Starting from the top, a permanent CEO, not another Interim should be put in place to take charge of long term decision making. An environmental analysis would help Sears see where it is and help guide it to where is should be in the market place. Showing them who their customers are, what the customers want and how they can out-beat the competition for more customers. It is no secret that the brands and styles in the soft-lines department have to be ever changing to appeal to customer in time. SHC needs to invest more money into remodeling each departmental store, making it easily accessible and more appealing to consumers. In light of the fact that SHC has lost touch with its customer base, decentralization should be considered. This will allow specialty stores that carter to consumers in each region thus increasing customer base and revenue. References About Sears Holding Corporation (2009) Retrieved September 4, 2009 from website: https://searsholdings.com/about https://searsholdings.com/about/kmart https://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_beekman_compconf_6/ http://ru.reuters.com/ http://www.searsarchives.com/history/history1886.htm http:// www. wikinvest. com/ https://searsholdings.com/ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/

Little Miss Sunshine Essay

The directors of the film â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine† satirize aspects of American society by completely humiliating and twisting the basis of many issues within American civilization. Numerous aspects are parodied throughout the film, however the angle in which the theme of personal failure and beauty contests is mimicked is particularly intriguing. Personal failure is highly satirized in multitudinous ways during the film, and the subject has been accentuated to the extreme. Richard’s nine steps to success completely blocks out failure, and when his program is not sold amid the movie, the scene was developed to express so much irony. Throughout the entire movie, personal failures and achievements are both considered and accentuated using different film techniques. Camera distance and viewpoints are used when both Richard and Dwayne experience personal failures within the movie. When Richard hears the news from Stan Grossman that his program deal had slumped and was not sold, the camera was very distant from Richard. Showing both him and the nature of the area, this allowed us to see and hear the event from a more external perspective. As Dwayne runs out of the car when he discovers he cannot become a pilot, the camera angle changes from a close up, to a distance shot. This allows for the audience to take in the atmosphere of the situation and shows that during the present moment, Dwayne is all by himself in his position. Close up shots are used when Dwayne falls to his knees and screams, which shows the disappointment and setback he is experiencing. The mood soundtrack changes from a happy, up-beat song, to a very slow and depressing melody when Dwayne realizes he can never fly. In both situations, the satire is extremely blunt and gets straight to the dilemma of personal failure. Another evident personal failure in the film is when Olive humiliates herself and the entire beauty pageant when she performed her routine for Little Miss Sunshine. The narrative structure within this scene is Olive giving everything she has got into her dance, being the protagonist who is motivated by their desire to achieve a goal. Throughout the movie, many obstacles stand in her way to arrive at her desired destination in Redondo Beach, California. These obstacles create conflict; however also allow some family members and Olive to overcome problems whilst traveling to the beauty contest. Despite the ups and downs of the family’s voyage to Redondo Beach, the protagonist being Olive, is able to achieve her goal of being in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest and the family’s questions and tensions generated by the conflict along the way are answered and resolved. Throughout the scene when Olive was performing, many different film techniques other than purely narrative structure were utilized such as: camera distance/point of view, sound effects, mood, soundtrack and cinematography use of camera angles. All of these techniques cooperate together to allow for the audience to fully absorb the way this scene is set up to satirize beauty contents and show personal failure and the other two scenes to show purely personal failure. Not only were film techniques portrayed in the film, several humorous techniques were put to use and stood out within the theme of personal failure. Caricatures were assiduously used throughout all roles in the movie, however the exaggeration of Richard’s persistence and obsession of winning and Dwayne’s vow of silence are played on intensely to show how ridiculous they are without saying it. The directors have adapted the film to make the movie more prominent for the audience to be able to reflect their own experiences to the events so that it is easy for them to relate to. Irony is a huge factor when it comes to Richard; he is so overwhelmed by himself and his nine steps to success program that he is absolutely oblivious to his ignorance, which represents situational irony. Taboos, irrelevance to the plot and running jokes are also humorous techniques applied to the theme of personal failure. The most noticeable aspect satirized in the film is the theme of beauty contents. The song that Olive dances to, ‘Can’t Touch This’ by MC Hammer, in the competition is mocking the basis and perception of young girls beauty contests. Olive’s Grandpa chose this song for her to perform her routine to because it patronises the whole structure of how tarty, promiscuous, immoral and ridiculous these obscene events are. Evidence in which shows the concept of beauty contests being satirized comes from film techniques such as the music soundtrack, cinematography, sound effects and camera distance/point of view. Humorous techniques exercised throughout this scene include satire, irony, tone, reflection on human lives and experiences, ridiculous situations and irrelevance to the plot. Little Miss Sunshine† utilizes film and humorous techniques to satirize aspects of American society. The directors have carefully and thoroughly utilized various film techniques to make it evident to the audience the way they attempt to satirize themes throughout the movie. Overall, the most evident theme satirized within the movie was personal failure, due to the frequent amount of scenes related to the subject during the movie. â€Å"Richard, whatever happens, you tried to do something on your own, which is more than most people ever do. I include myself in that category. You took a big chance, it took guts, and I’m proud of you† (Grandpa).

Hammurabi Reaction

Today’s laws are not as harsh as Hammurabi's. They are more civilized. For example, none of today’s laws include amputating other people’s body parts. Hammurabi thought it was necessary to amputate arms, breasts, digits, etc. I believe our laws are better, overall because they do not incorporate corporal punishment. I think Hammurabi’s Code of Law was an excellent deterrent against crime, and very few people would try to break the law. I think this is due to how harsh the laws were.There was zero tolerance. For example, the sixth law says, â€Å"If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death. † Also, because of the severity of some punishments (dismemberment, whippings, drowning, etc. ), I do not think people would want to test Hammurabi. I do not think Babylon was a safer society than the society that we currently live in.There should be no need for the extreme laws I learned about if people behaved. I also think that these laws would cause many deaths. I think many members of the Babylon civilization were killed, sometimes unnecessarily. â€Å"If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he cannot prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death. † This law would put people to death if they made a false accusation—in my opinion, this is too extreme and living under the Hammurabi laws would be like living under a dictatorship.

NASCAR Marketing Stategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NASCAR Marketing Stategies - Research Paper Example The company uses news report advertising genre. The news networks report the race results of the NASCAR race events. The newspaper, radio, television, and internet genre report NASCAR race schedules, results, and other pertinent NASCAR topics. Further, NASCAR embarked on a very aggressive marketing plan. The company’s holding of regular car racing events precipitated to a growing racing fan database. The company’s aggressive marketing plan included the setting up of its online marketing website, http://www.nascar.com. The current and future customers can open the company’s website to get additional information about future race schedules. The current and future customers can also view the company’s websites to get updates of car racing entries, car racing results, and car racing promotional products. The company’s racing events has created a mindset among its current and future customers that watching a car race is like visiting an unforgettable cel ebrity night out. After seven continuous researches on car racing, NASCAR unfolded it architecture race car of the future. The new NASCAR car model promotes higher racing speeds. The new NASCAR car model allows more advanced car racing safety procedures (Solomon, 2008). By setting up its won online website, the company advertises its NASCAR racing events to current and future customers around the world. ... The NASCAR website mentioned that both Frank Sinatra and Brad Keselowski â€Å"did it their way† (www.NASCAR.com). Further, NASCAR racing events are major news topics. Consequently, many people are eager to hear news reports pertaining NASCAR racing events. Many television stations air the NASCAR racing events live. By watching the NASCAR racing event, the television audiences are glued for several hours to the suspenseful NASCAR racing action. During the entire time, the television audience views the NASCAR name. NASCAR race lovers meet to discuss their favorite pastime, watching the NASCAR games. ESPN, a 24 hour 7 days a week television station shows the NASCAR racing events both live and on a delayed show basis (http://espn.go.com/racing/NASCAR/). Furthermore, NASCAR uses the entertainment genre to advertise its brand. The entertainment avenue is sports. The mere mention of the word NASCAR immediately brings to mind the racing sports. The NASCAR advertising scheme is to con nect with the product, NASCAR, with its product consumers. The company targets sports consumers, people who love car racing (Guinn, 2011). Moreover, NASCAR racing started prior to 1959. Colin Chapman joined the Formula 1 car race in the Indy NASCAR racing circuit. Colin Chapman entered his formula 1 car in the NASCAR races. After the tryouts, Mr. Chapman qualified to join the main NASCAR races. Chapman was one of the most successful NASCAR racers of all time. Another NASCAR Racer, Mr. Paul Goldsmith, was inducted into NASCAR’s Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1958. (Wheeler, 2010). Description of the phenomenon that occurs when Companies get their name on a car. When people get their name on a NASCAR Racecar, the name is advertised around the world. The whole world sees the advertised brand

Answer 3 questions about multilateral clearing arrangement Case Study

Answer 3 questions about multilateral clearing arrangement - Case Study Example f proprietary transactions of the member, the liquidator can initiate the transfer of all customer positions held by the member in default to other members of good standing, take control or liquidate the defaulting member’s proprietary positions, use the margin and security deposits of the member towards the default. In the event that all of the above are still insufficient to cover the default, the liquidator can still apply other funds such as guaranty funds paid by all members and insurance, if any (Dale 1998, pp. 23-24). Q2 The clearing house does not have a right to institute liquidation proceeding against ‘K’ as of 4:30 pm because there was no default yet. Default is the inability of a party to pay its obligations and in this case, its failure to complete a transfer of funds or securities in accordance with the rules of the clearing house, when it is due. Since there was no demand yet for ‘K’ to pay at 4:30, considering that under this particular clearing house rules the business day ends only at 5 and demand to pay at 7 pm, ‘K’ is not yet considered in default. Due process demands that ‘K’ is notified of its obligations, be given time to contest, and a demand for payment on it be made. Only when payment is due and a party is not able to pay can it be deemed in default and be made subject to a liquidation process. Q3 Initially, the clearing house must impose stringent membership rules on potential participants. These rules must require members to have, not only adequate capital, but also to adhere to strict financial and operational requirements upon admission as members such as maintaining a certain net capital as well as separate customer funds and property from their own funds and property. Moreover, members must also satisfy the clearing house that they are operating under sound risk management control. As a risk management control on the part of the clearing house, it could institute a predetermined threshold for each member, which

Is Bullying a Contributing Factor to Teenage Eating Disorders Essay

Is Bullying a Contributing Factor to Teenage Eating Disorders - Essay Example The eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia may develop as a result of bullying. Bullying instils feelings of insecurity and low self esteem as they try to conform to what is considered acceptable by people around them. This paper investigates whether bullying contributes to eating disorders among the teenagers. The paper comprises of four sections. The introduction section gives the background and definition of key terms relating to the topic. The second part is the literature review. The author has reviewed the comparative figures, impact of the bullying disorders and bullying, and complexity of eating disorders and public health issues. Section three reviews bullying in UK; the trends, statistics, current research and preventive measures, while section four is the conclusion. Bullying entails the use of threat, force or coercion that aggressively imposes domination on others repeatedly. This may involve physical assault, emotional, cyber or verbal harassment based on differences in class, religion, race, sex, reputation, or appearance among others. On the other hand, eating disorder entails the abnormal eating habits characterized by excessive or insufficient intake of food to the detriment of mental or physical health of an individual (Nelson 2008, p. 32). Teenagers live in a world characterized by a lot of pressure to conform to the perspective of the society on ideal weight. When combined with other factors in life, this may set a background for the eating disorders. This threatens the ability to learn as well as affect their physical health (Harris et al. 2004, p. 24). According to the British press, most of the teenagers diagnosed of eating disorders reported that bullying contributed significantly to the problem. Most teenagers develop eating disorders because of many reasons. Mostly, pressure from the outside sources forms one of the contributing factors.  

History of Japanese Literature golden age Essay

History of Japanese Literature golden age - Essay Example Though there has been a great influence of China on the Japanese literature in the very beginning, that made use of Chinese words in it. The Heian period lasted from the 8th to the 12th century in Japan. This period, that ran over the span of 794 – 1185, is termed as the Golden age for the literature and arts in Japan. â€Å"The Heian period is considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art and especially in poetry and literature.† (www.jref.com, 2010). Also, the meaning of the word â€Å"Heian† is â€Å"peace†, that should mean that the Golden age in the literature of Japan is considered as a period of peace. The Japanese imperial court also enjoyed its height in the same reign. Since its end, no other period has been appreciated more by the Japanese nation than the famous Heian period. In the same period, the Samurai class surfaced that later gained rule and helped the commencement of the feudal system in Japan. Since the Heian period was preceded by a strong influence of the Chinese and Korean languages on the Japanese literature and writings, the official lang uage of the official documents and the imperial court continued to remain Chinese in the start of the Heian period, but this was not all. Besides the Chinese language, another language â€Å"Kana† surfaced and started to rule the Japanese literature and all forms of written texts. Besides, another system of writing referred to as Hiragana was identified in the Heian period that was phonetic in nature. The special feature of Hiragana was that it did not need an understanding of the characters of the Chinese language, and was also considered much simple and quick for writing. One of the biggest achievements of the Heian period is that Japanese literature was relieved of the rule of Chinese language. Instead, the major use of Kana in the Japanese literature projected an innovative approach and

The Masters Skills Personal Development Plan Essay

The Masters Skills Personal Development Plan - Essay Example The aim of a personal development plan is to get a person to reflect in a well-thought-out way concerning her or his knowledge, abilities and skills, and to engage in a course of action of continuous self-improvement. Because of this, knowledge, abilities and skills are improved (Bossidy 2010). Personal headship development plan, conversely, can be regard as a record of core qualities, traits, and abilities on which a person intends to centre her or his personal development endeavours. My objective in designing a personal headship development strategy is to assess as well as explore my behaviours, traits, beliefs, values, as well as a feeling of personal determination, and their influence on individual as well as leadership efficiency. The personal headship development strategy will also aid me in delving into and developing affirmations of personal purpose as well as leadership vision. This endeavour will aid me in planning as well as writing a persuasive and unique action plan that builds on my headship strengths and enhances my personal as well as leadership efficiency (Bossidy 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     I will design a personal headship development strategy to assess my management skills and capabilities, and to generate a strategy for me to enhance them. Via the personal development strategy, I will prime a strategy to meet the preconditions for accomplishing my position as a manager and leader (Bossidy 2010). Leadership Objective My objective is to cultivate my leadership abilities and turn into a transformative manager. Learning new ideas and developing fresh abilities and skills are amongst my topmost precedence. I always aspire to obtain new skills, which can assist me in realizing my objectives. I constantly strive for prospects to utilize what I absorb and to develop further. Reflecting back upon my educational expertise, I could disclose that I have been able to employ the things, which I learnt in various scenarios and areas. In my educational experience, I studied the practical details of managing business. I managed to finish all the allocated tasks in addition to performing well within different undertakings. A good example is my research project on strategic management within organizations. The findings of the research were very informative. I was also able to employ the theories, skills and techniques, which I studied in different activities and scenarios. I learned ideas about the various management strategies and policies. I also learned the fundamentals of management, for instance, planning, leading, organizing, controlling and co-coordinating (Christensen 2009). Transformational leadership tries to transform attitudes, beliefs and feelings. Transformational leadership ensues when a person or more people engage with one another in such a manner that followers and leaders raise each other to higher ranks of morality and motivation. Transformational leadership results to the transmutation of the followers, the leader as well as the social structure they operate in (Christensen 2009). There exist different traits of a transformational manager. A transformational manager is Charismatic. Inbeing, captivating, transformational managers encourage change, collaboration, commitment, improvement and loyalty amongst personnel. The transformational manager functions like a role model to the employees. The transformati