Magazine article on E-books Essay

Cassettes-sidelined! DVDs –gathering dust! VHS-retired! Technology mutates and evolves leaving redundant platforms in its place. Much of the time technology is beneficial and change is good, however occasionally change is not so auspicious and we do not realise what we have lost until it’s truly gone. The book. The Bible, The odyssey and The Gruffalo (and that’s not even mentioning the poets). All books which have stood the test of time and are still being read as much today as the moment they were published; with these texts societies were bound and broken; lessons were learned and empires fell; all to the humble book. However the brazen veteran; the book; is endanger of being stripped of its crown by the young and brash E-book. In the words of Northrop Frye books are the only piece of technology which has not become socially defunct–Yet! They have stood firm whilst DVDs, tapes and vinyl like empires, rose and fell. However the frog like e-book with its dull boring features and its fabulously annoying Wifi connectivity could be the bane of books. E-books are vastly growing in nature, like a weed; multiplying on every train, beach and plane you see them they are growing in number and his suggested by 2016 there will be nearly 10 billion of these dastardly devices roaming the world. Even the mere existence of E-books has created a whole new type of piracy where people are ripping off hard working authors and publishers by getting counterfeit e-books online for free. This illegal practice was consummated by the emotionless e-book. These characterless devices rob the tangible nature you get from books. The feel of the paper the smell of the ink all contribute to the sensation we get from reading. E-books rob this from us and sadly soon children will not understand this interaction as they will be more familiar with the blistering headache the monotonous e-book provides.

Counseling African Americans Essay

Sue and Sue’s Chapter 14 Counseling African Americans spends a great deal of effort exploring cultural particulars and corresponding clinical implications while working with African Americans; factors such as family dynamics, educational orientation, spirituality, and the pressures and stress of racism and marginalization. This offered me perspective through a lens much broader than my own somewhat narrow, predominantly white, and fairly privileged way of relating to the world. Before understanding culturally appropriate interventions, one must have an understanding of the cultural context or the cultural word of an individual. For me, this first means that differences must be noted, either literally in relationship with the African American client or simply as a clinical observation I make on my own. Of course the difference in the two will depend on the client, context, and general relevancy in the moment. In my own experience, noting racial difference aloud with a client has been most helpful in that it gives permission for the potentially â€Å"taboo† topic of race and differences to be considered, brought into the space at a later time, and even into the forefront of consciousness. Apart from the explicit therapeutic relationship, noting difference is a personal reminder that I am no expert on anyone’s experience but my own, I may make mistakes (and probably will), I should steer clear of assumptions, it’s ok to be curious, and to do my homework. Once a general understanding of differences is established, then one can begin to consider appropriate therapeutic interventions. Let’s take the issue of racism and discrimination; the byproduct of these atrocities oftentimes manifests as defense and survival mechanisms in Black Americans. Which can lead to a general mistrust or as it’s stated (by Sue and Sue) a â€Å"healthy cultural paranoia†, as a way of coping. This mistrust can be of individuals, entire races of people, the government, social service providers†¦ With this in mind, it’s important to determine what the client’s feelings and understandings about therapy are. To touch base and explain what kind of therapy I engage in, how it can be helpful to them, and what can be expected of our time together. Hopefully this will help to assuage uneasy feelings of fear of the unknown or mistrust, as well as set up a foundation for a healthy therapeutic alliance. Although Sue and Sue’s Afrocentric perspective can be helpful it can also simultaneously be viewed as reductive. It’s important not to discount individual differences by universalizing traits of African Americans. Self cannot be defined as a unitary concept evolving from a single defining variable, such as race or gender (Williams, 1999). For instance, not all women are nurturing, caring, and relational. Similarly, not all African Americans possess an African ethos of communalism or spirituality. Race, class, sexual orientation, and gender are all complex interactive components that make up the self. To approach a client through the lens of only one of these variables, means potentially silencing a central component of their identity. Additionally, it is also necessary to consider an internal state without regard to the social demands of each variable. Collectively, these considerations can aide to a more holistic view when working with African American clients. Part Two After spending a year in practicum at the SF county jail, I feel as though I’ve had a fairly decent introduction to working with African American females. When I began practicum I had had very little training in diversity or cross-cultural counseling. Turns out that a year in the jail was one large training in diversity and cross-cultural counseling! Now I’m able to pin my personal experience against the readings and gauge my success as a culturally competent therapist. When assessing my strengths, I find that I possess a keen and tremendously empathic understanding of how the stress of racism, sexism, and oppression can manifest in African American women. Oftentimes the byproduct of this stress is what brings the individual to jail. As a clinician, I can confidently say that I am able to enter the therapeutic relationship with a greater capacity for empathy because of this understanding and build a strong alliance as an ally as well as a therapist. I’m not afraid to make mistakes and have no attachment to being â€Å"right†; these qualities will only support me as a clinician. In addition, my upfront demeanor and willingness to self-disclose have had a remarkable impact on the therapeutic relationship. My empathy is strongly with women and their plight of identifying and addressing all the â€Å"isms† that stand between them and equality, wholeness, and health. Frequently, those â€Å"isms† are at the hands of men and I certainly have a bias towards this, and towards men in general. It’s no accident that I spent an entire year of practicum working solely with women; although it wasn’t a conscious choice, I believe on some level I chose not to work with men. I have incredible biases towards men as perpetrators and oppressors and men and their privilege, African American men as well as Caucasian. These biases keep me terrified at the thought of working with male clients. I imagine heaps and heaps of countertransference between male clients and myself; countertransference that is full of pain and rage. I’m not sure that I have much to offer men inside the therapeutic space. I don’t believe this to be my â€Å"final answer†, I just know that I have some work to do around my relationship with men before I make the leap of working with them in such sacred space. Essentially, it all comes down to two core qualities- and they are humility and flexibility; humility in all that I think I know and the flexibility to shift or discard that knowledge. My experience of working with, knowing, and reading about African American culture, difference, and oppression may or may not serve me as a therapist at any given moment. What works for and makes sense in the context of Client A, may not be so for Client B, and vise versa. Although it is crucial to have fundamental knowledge of the legacy of oppression against African American people and to consider factors such as interdependence, collectivism, and emotional vitality as presumed long- standing black personality traits, I must also be able to draw connections between those factors and the individual experience- much like the womanist techniques mentioned in Carmen Braun Williams’ article African American Women, Afrocentrism and Feminism: Implications for Therapy. As a therapist, I am responsible for guiding and supporting the client in making the shift from object to subject; transferring ownership of self from one whose self is externally determined to one who is self- determining (Freire, 1990). And practice practice practice, with an open heart, ears, and mind. References Braun Williams, C. (1999). African American women, afrocentrism and feminism: Implications for therapy. Women & Therapy, Vol. 22(4) 1999. Freire, P. (1990). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum. Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, Chapter 14.

Brave New World: How Technology Affects Society

October 29, 2012 Brave New World: How Technology Affects Society Brave New World, a place in which people are created from scientific labs through a process call the Bokanovsky Process, and where being born from parents is a shame for society. Where conditioning is use for training babies to act and think the way people in society wants them to do. A place where a popular drug call Soma is used to control and keep the society happy and stable, and causes principles and morals to disappear or change.Where entertainment is use to convince people of the phrase â€Å"everyone belongs to everyone†, and becomes a society that is always happy, no problems, and organized. The Bokanovsky Process is another way of reproducing ninety-six human babies from one egg by transforming it into buds, which each bud becomes an embryo. (pg. 17) Normally one egg produces one embryo which becomes one human adult, but in this case the Bokanovsky Process manipulates the egg to produce more than one em bryo by budding.After budding the egg for a couple of times it is dosed with significant amount of alcohol, and then later budded again until it creates more than eighty-six embryos, and since they’re all from the same egg they all are identical twins. Because the Bokanovsky Process is being used to reproduce more population, it has become one of the major instruments of social stability. (pg. 18) It causes people in society to wear uniforms with batches to identify what kind of twin they’re from, and what kind of job they are meant to do.Conditioning is done when the majority of the identical embryos are now full grown babies or children, they are placed in various repetition environments and experience in order to custom them the way they supposed to think and react. A very good example is when the babies are placed in front of books and flowers and start to like or get familiarize with it, once they are starting to like and giggle they give them electric shocks. It makes them get horrified or scared every time they see books and flowers, so that when they are older and full grown they would hate or not like books or flowers. (pg. 0) For society conditioning the children or babies that way is to make them hate the country, but at the same time love all the country sports so that they consume manufactured articles as well as transport(pg. 31), which helps the society increase in labor and income. Now Soma is a type of drug that works with society’s way of entertainment to avoid any unnecessary feelings, such as being in love, the feeling of wanting to form a family, or being stressed and worried. Soma is a drug that raises a wall into someone’s mind between reality and fantasy, which makes the person go into a soma holiday.As for the entertainment, Soma is always serve with coffee or as candy in many different places like restaurant and concerts while placing music by saying to take more soma or repeating the phrase everyone belong s to everyone. An example would be of a song like this, â€Å"Bottle of mine, it’s you I’ve always wanted! Bottle of mine, why was I ever decanted? Skies are blue inside of you, the weather’s always fine: for there ain’t no bottle in all the world like that dear bottle of mine. †(pgs. 8-79) Which basically describes how one feels after taking a couple of grams of Soma, which this actually helps to maintain control and organization in society. The Bokanovsky Process, Conditioning, Soma, and Entertainment all work together to create a world in which everyone is happy with no struggles, no problems or worries. A world where society is always in control and organized by using soma to keep the people conditioned as they are. Where there is no such thing as parents and family, love and friendship, and a new world of identicals with different jobs but with same culture. A Brave New World.

Healthcare Finace Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare Finace Review - Article Example This makes it difficult for them to see a doctor as it is estimated that they may only see a doctor once in a year when they are critically ill. This in turn increases the cost of treatment to more than what it could have been had the person sought medical attention at an early stage. (Rannan p62) A paradox of medical cost is that people who can least afford- the uninsured- end up being charged most (Tumulty and San Antonio, 2009). The author of this article was referring to a case where a certain individual had bought a short term health insurance cover and later was diagnosed with renal failure. The insurance company could not settle his bills due to the nature of his illness. He lost his job as he could not continue to work with his condition. Everything he had was getting lost until he had of a certain company that could offer him treatment at low cost in installments. This person could only get federal help once his renal failure was in end stage level. Struggling not to reach end stage failure was not easy but with the unfolding uncertainties and the hope of getting help while nearing his death had made him focus on that as the only chance of survival. This raises the question on whether the government priorities on health are upright. Should healthcare finance focus on when a condition reaches irreversible status to intervene? A fresh look at what has worked before in capacity building, and how agency practices can be improved, to avoid the lip service to capacity building that has unfortunately characterized past activities Although health care is a human a universal right, its provision is at the mercy of policy makers who in most case will be politicians, yet the matter requires more than political will. Identifying ways of approach that will help even the poorest in the society achieve basic health care without the overstretching their earning remains a challenge that cannot be

The Federal Aid to Highway Act of 1956 Case Study

The Federal Aid to Highway Act of 1956 - Case Study Example The Act was an amendment of the earlier Act of 1916. It proposed a hike in the gas tax by one to two cents. With the help of this Act, interstate highway system was expanded from 1,600 km to 66,000 km. The conference committee of House Senate included several features of Fallon and Gore bill into the Act. The main idea behind this Act was to reduce the ever-increasing pressure of interstate traffics in surface transportation. This regulation provided the provisions of uniformity in the interstate highway design standards (Code of Federal Regulations, 2009, pp. 23-25). The regulation law was enacted for the larger interests of the US people and defense services. According to the Law, on the interstate highway speed limit of the vehicles is 80.5kmph in the mountain terrain. In case of flat terrain speed limit is 112.7 km per hour. During his tenure as an army person President Dwight D. Eisenhower realized that interstate highways of USA should be improved for providing better transport ation services to the citizens and the defense forces of the country. Impacts of the Federal Aid to Highway Act of 1956 were obvious. In the last 40 years population percentage of America increased by 70% and employment rate increased by 100%. Primary requirement of the increased population is superior transportation. Over the years the interstate high way system has become the work horse for the nation. The above data is clearly indicating that the law has impacted the transportation system of the country in a positive fashion. According to the data, highway system takes care of almost one fourth of total roadway traffic. The Act has made the lives easier for the American people. The highway system carries almost one trillion person miles  per year. The Act was revolutionary and the importance of the Act is increasing day by day. In case of intercity and rural logistic facilities the system is undoubtedly the best. According to a survey, 45% of country’s large trucks

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Strategic Management - Essay Example Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota Motor Corporation is a company that is leading globally in manufacturing and sales, in the automobile industry. Its main aim is to make better cars and be able to contribute to the society at large. Toyota Motor Corporations is committed to considering the customer first by manufacturing vehicles that are of high quality and those that are of affordable price (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2009). Toyota Motor Corporations believe in a bigger and brighter automobile future. Their main objective is to try and understand the customers’ needs and be able to provide services and products according to these desires. Therefore, Toyota motor corporations is endeavored to pursue the right way forward, to be able to further their growth and make each stakeholder happy and satisfied(Toyota Motors Corporation, 2009). Internal analysis and SWOT Toyota Motor Corporation is termed as the largest manufacturing company of cars by production and sales in the automobi le industry (Schmitt, 2010). It is also the largest manufacturing company in the US, and it is currently operating under five principles, which include; challenge, Kaizen, GenchiGenbutsu, respect, and teamwork (Toyota way, 2001). Despite all these, the Toyota Corporation is faced with strengths, weaknesses, threats, and tries to create opportunities to better their company, like any other in the world. Some of the strengths in the motor corporation include; being able to develop vehicles through innovative technology, and this has been achieved through putting more emphasis on the technological development, healthy corporate environment in which people are able to work and be taught at the same time. This is generalized as working together (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2009). Another strength, is that of tight integration of its group companies and this has helped them to contribute a lot on the economic growth of the nation, and are able to be the pioneers of the creation of a domesti c automobile industry, they are also able to penetrate through the well-known markets including; (Japan, north America and US) (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2009). Apart from the strengths, Toyota Motor Corporation is experiencing some weaknesses within its industry and these include; criticism over large scale recall in 2005, the company was blamed for producing low quality products that lacked innovations. This criticism encouraged them to focus more on designing more innovative cars so as to cater for the customers’ needs. They have gone ahead to make the latest models of primus and hybrid cars, keeping in mind the customers’ satisfaction (Takahashi, 2010). According to Armstrong and Kotler (2002), to be able to manufacture products that are of high quality with stable prices without putting pressure on the competitors will earn the company, a customer’s loyalty, and this is evident in Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota Motor Corporation is also faced with the wea kness of foreign importation by the Japanese industry, and the company has strived to conquer this problem by producing low priced products in exchange of high quality products (Toyota Motor Corporation, 2009). Toyota Motor Corporation is also faced with the problem of global inefficiency; this means that it is only offering its brands to Japan and US while other competitors offer their brands globally. Therefore, to be able to curb this problem the Toyota Motor Corpo

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 20

Strategic Management - Essay Example The company believes in developing exceptional flow experience for its people. In this study different strategic frameworks have been included to determine strategic position of the firm in market place. These models are PESTLE analysis, Porter’s five forces model, competitor array, strategic group mapping, GE-McKinsey 9 box matrix, Bowman’s strategy clock, Ansoff’s matrix and TOWS matrix. The digital marketing strategy of the company has been outlined which shall support KONE in terms of offering new products to new geographical markets. There is intense competition in the industry and it can be addressed only through implementing innovating business strategies. KONE needs to explore new market opportunities through offering new products to target segment. Digital marketing strategies shall help the firm to easily access target market and acquire desirable profit margins. The mission or value statement of the company is to create best flow experience for people. KONE is regarded as the global leader in context of elevator industry. From past many years the company is actively indulged in offering superior quality escalators or elevators to its client base. KONE aims at achieving cost competitiveness and operational excellence through innovative processes and people leadership. KONE’s strategic objectives can be divided into four dimensions such as expanding base of loyal customers, initiating employee empowerment, enabling best experience for users and seeking profitable growth. Financial objective is to grow at a rapid rate in comparison to market growth rate. KONE aims at enhancing working capital rotation and reaching 16% EBIT. External environmental analysis indicates all possible external influences which have significant impact on business operations. KONE Great Britain has been operating in elevator and escalator industry from past many years. The entire business operations of KONE can be categorized into two distinct

Behavioural Perspective of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Behavioural Perspective of leadership - Essay Example A majority of such leadership theories have focused on the study of characteristics of the leaders and the manner in which they behave. The impact of leadership behavior on organizational performance has been studied extensively since the past four decades, by practitioners and academics alike (Cannella and Rowe, 1995; Giambatista, 2004). This is mainly because of the widespread belief, that the leadership behavior displayed by the leaders in organizations is regarded, by some researchers as crucial to achievement of organizational goals and in motivating the employees to enhance productivity (Berson et al., 2001; Zacharatos et al., 2000). The behavioral leadership theory evolved during the Second World War, focuses mainly on the human relationships along with, organizational performance and productivity. This theory proposed that the behavior of the leaders has a significant influence on organizational performance and the effectiveness of the workers. Two most important studies with regard to leadership behavior include the study conducted at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan during the 1940s and 1950s. These studies highlighted two distinct categories of leadership behavior based on their individual leadership styles namely: the people-oriented leadership behavior and the task-oriented leadership behavior (Leadership in Organizational Settings, Pp. 287). The former category / cluster focuses on the employee tasks and the methods used to achieve the same, while the latter, focuses on the personal needs and requirements of the employees / workers, and the need for enhancing their interpersonal relationships. The people centered leadership style emphasizes on the people by listening to the suggestions of the employees, grant them personal favors, support them whenever needed and treat them with equality while the task oriented

Issues in global economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Issues in global economy - Essay Example In turn, more economic growth was observed and many new jobs were created. In other words, new companies, business organisations and enterprises joined the arena that not only resulted in healthy economic growth but also in stiff competition among existing entities. Businesses, therefore, started making innovations and developments in their production process and finished products so that they could differentiate their produce from the rivals in the same industry. Nevertheless, this competition benefited people in a way that they now had more variety of products at their disposal. The emergence of media, especially after popularity of ‘Penny Press’ was another reason that enhanced the knowledge of people about their surroundings while it also enhanced the flow of information. Businesses started understanding the importance of advertising, branding, research and marketing intelligence in order to ensure their survival, growth and sustainability. Also, they started producing highly sophisticated and modern machinery to speed up their operation and improve productivity. The media, especially newspapers, has also become popular by the end of 19th century. Finally, important inventions such as advent of Television and Internet in the 290th century helped introducing the world with an entirely new concept of globalisation that talks about international markets, international institutions (banks, universities, research centres and others etc.), global politics, justice, global culture etc. In short, people are closely knitted after recent advancements i n internet and communication media and the subsequent improvements in circulation and sharing of information among people from different communities and geographic regions. The relationships among people and their frequent communication have also created enormous business opportunities after emergence of global markets that in turn have increased global trade (through imports and exports).

How did Bobbie Ann Mason`s upbringing in the rural south influence her writing of Shiloh Essay Example for Free

How did Bobbie Ann Mason`s upbringing in the rural south influence her writing of Shiloh Essay Bobbie Ann Mason is considered as one of the great American writers from the South. Her personal background as a Southerner influenced and set a backdrop for most of her fiction stories. From a small country girl who used to read Bobbsey Twins and the Nancy Drew mysteries, Bobbie Ann Mason has become one of the Americas leading fiction writers. In 1980 The New Yorker published her first story. It took me a long time to discover my material, she says. It wasnt a matter of developing writing skills; it was a matter of knowing how to see things. And it took me a very long time to grow up. Id been writing for a long time, but was never able to see what there was to write about. I always aspired to things away from home, so it took me a long time to look back at home and realize that thats where the center of my thought was† (Bobbie Ann Mason’s Homepage). This discourse will try to map out the journey that Bobbie Ann Mason has taken from being just a country girl to being one of America’s leading fiction writers as well as how her upbringing has been manifested in her writings, especially â€Å"Shiloh†. Bobbie Ann Mason was born in 1940 in a small town in Mayfield, Kentucky. Growing up in her parents’ dairy farm, she spent most of her childhood days in the typical rural Southern setting and experiencing the Southern way of upbringing. (â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason,† Wikipedia) The first nine (9) years of her educational life were spent in a rural school. Shortly thereafter Bobbie Ann Mason attended a city school where she stayed until her graduation. It was here where she first experienced living in the city and experiencing the hustle and bustle that was absent from the rural setting that she was accustomed to in Kentucky (Webber). It was her love for literature that prompted her to pursue a degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky and eventually attain a Ph. D. in English from the University of Connecticut. (â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason,† Wikipedia) This seeming â€Å"duality† of her background, growing up in the Southern Setting and highly educated in a metropolitan setting, is reflected within most of her written works (Hunt). Rothstein describes Mason’s style as a combination of her â€Å"intellectual sophistication† (after all, she had a doctorate degree) and â€Å"the sense of isolated, yearning existence of her rural characters [is] one she has never quite shed herself. The influence of growing up in the South is clearly shown in most of her characters in her stories yet the theme and feel of the story reveals her intellect and cosmopolitan views as well. A perfect example of how Mason reveals this â€Å"duality† is in Shiloh. In Shiloh, Mason shows this through the challenges that the characters undergo; some of these changes that the characters in experience deal with the nature of human life, the changes brought on by death, the issues on disease and aging; but these changes are not so common, nor as troublesome, in Masons stories as the changes brought on by a changing society. These changes, as Edwin T. Arnold correctly observes, are brought about by the fact that the present has effectively displaced, transformed, and cheapened the traditional, and Masons characters are depicted as they lose their strengths and beliefs and find nothing substantial to replace them (136) Bobbie Ann Mason’s writings are mostly set in the South. Her version is more realistic and not romanticized; unlike the works of Faulkner or O’Connor (Hunt), she depicts small-town rural Southern living, using dialogue and settings characteristic of the South (Hunt). However, southern history and all it represents seems irrelevant to her characters lives (Fine 87). Bobbie Ann Mason occasionally reveals her talent and wit by being able to focus more on her characters and their sense of isolation and their want for something more from their lives and draw the reader towards the characters and make them empathize with the characters. These characters are not simply depicted as typical Southerners, but rather as people who are trying desperately to get into the society rather than out of it (Reed 60). Mason shows the Southern Influence by creating believable characters that are caught in the transition between the old, pastoral, rural world of farms and close-knit communities and the modern, anonymous, suburban world of shopping malls and fast-food restaurants (Shiloh: Themes). In Shiloh, for example, Leroy did not notice the change in his hometown while he was on the road as a trucker. However, now that Leroy has come home to stay, he notices how much the town has changed. Subdivisions are spreading across western Kentucky like an oil slick. Change, a theme often used by Mason in her works, shows just how much Mason is influenced by her upbringing and also reveals how she laments over how people are slow to realize the changes in southern society. In this story, it takes a traumatic event of some kind to make the characters see that the land has changed or that they no longer know who they are. In Leroys case, it is his accident and injury in his rig that make him see that the land has changed, that Norma Jean has changed, and that in all the years he was on the road he never took time to examine anything. He was always flying past scenery (2). Several of Masons characters react to the changes in their lives by trying, at least momentarily, to go back. Leroy thinks that he can hold onto his wife if he can go back to a simpler time. He decides to accomplish this by building her a log cabin for which he goes so far as to order the blueprints and to build a miniature out of Lincoln Logs. Mabel, Leroys mother-in-law, is convinced that if Leroy and Norma Jean will go to Shiloh where she and her husband went on their honeymoon, they can somehow begin their fifteen-year-old marriage anew. So does Leroy. He says to Norma, You and me could start all over again. Right back at the beginning (15). It is ironic, fitting, and symbolic that it is at Shiloh that Norma tells him she wants to leave him. By storys end, Leroy knows that he cannot go back as it occurs to him that building a house of logs is . . . empty too simple. . . . Now he sees that building a log house is the dumbest idea he could have had. . . . It was a crazy idea (16). He realizes that the real inner workings of a marriage, like most of history, have escaped him (16). The female characters that Mason brings to life are what set her stories apart from the usual literature which depicts Southern women; their dreams, goals, and their want for progress significantly differs from those of the traditional Southern belle characters such as Scarlett O’Hara and Adie (Hunt). The female characters of Mason embrace change and are not afraid of it (Kincaid 582). This seemingly feminist theme reflects the change in social relationships between men and women; how evolving and rapidly shifting gender roles affect the lives of simple people. Mason also shows how some of her women try to forge new identities in the wake of shifting gender roles and how their efforts often include a blatant shrinking of traditionally feminine behaviors or characteristics; sometimes they seem almost completely to be trading roles with the men in their lives. And since change often causes uncertainty and instability, another aspect is the way these women find some solid ground through connections with other women (Bucher). â€Å"Shiloh† is a story that symbolizes the modern woman striving to find her identity (Cooke 196). In this short story, Bobbie Ann Mason masterfully portrays the lead female character, Norma Jean, as one such woman; strong, determined and confused in a search for her identity. Mason is able to show this to the reader through the acts of Norma Jean as she tries to improve her physical appearance by â€Å"working on her pectorals† (Mason 271), enrolls in a variety of classes, from weightlifting to cooking exotic foods to English composition in an attempt to become a new woman (Thompson 3). These actions of Norma Jean actions reveal more of a strong desire for inner personal transformation, much more than anything else. However, Mason also recognizes that abrupt change in one’s personality has its own dangers (Hunt), as illustrated by Norma Jean and Leroy’s relationship. Norma Jean and Leroy’s relationship is a perfect example of the dangers of an abrupt change as it shows a marriage with serious problem and the effect that change has on it. Leroy and Norma Jean Moffitt, are working-class people living in the modern South, and thus they bring into their marriage all sorts of unspoken expectations of who they should be, which often contrast violently with who they are even more so with who they are becoming (Bucher). When in a twist of fate, Leroy loses the use of his leg, Norma Jean suddenly assumes the role of being the man in the family and this leads to problems. It is this sort of change that is not only abrupt but also drastic which Mason shows in Shiloh that reveals her Southern influence. She emphasizes the changing role of women in society by using the Southern setting as a backdrop. Mason is a lover of rock and roll music. This passion and preference for rock music and pop culture are frequently reflected throughout her stories as well (Webber). â€Å"Writing is my version of rock-and-roll,† Rothstein quotes her (Webber). This is aptly shown in â€Å"Shiloh,† where the main characters themselves are named after Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, popular icons of the rock and roll scene and pop culture in the early 1950s. All in all, it can be said that Bobbie Ann Mason’s personal background shows a very consistent influence in the fiction stories that she writes and provides a deeper and different perspective about living in a Southern setting and rural life in general. In the country in Kentucky, people are just amazed that anybody in New York wants to read about their lives (Rothstein). With fiction stories of Bobbie Ann Mason, however, it is not surprising that people will want to read more about Kentucky or the Southern locales of the United States, for that matter, for her stories speak of the universal human experiences that transcend physical and cultural boundaries which people can identify with. WORKS CITED: Arnold, Edwin J. Falling Apart and Staying Together. Appalachian Journal (1985): 135-141Aycock-Simpson, Judy. Bobbie Ann Mason’s Portrayal of Modern Western Kentucky Border States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association, No. 7 (1989) â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason. † Wikipedia: Free Encyclopedia. August 30, 2006. November 11, 2006 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bobbie_Ann_Mason â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason. † Bobbie Ann Mason’s Homepage. September 17, 2005. November 24, 2006 http://www. eiu. edu/~eng1002/authors/mason2/bio. htm Shiloh: Themes. Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes. com. January 2006. 24 November 2006. http://www. enotes. com/shiloh/32686 Bucher, Tina. â€Å"Changing Roles and Finding Stability: Women in Bobbie Ann Mason’s Shiloh and Other Stories† Border States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association, No. 8 (1991) Cooke, Stewart J. Masons Shiloh. The Explicator 51 (1993): 196-197. Fine, Laura. Going Nowhere Slow: The Post-South World of Bobbie Ann Mason. The Southern Literary Journal 32 (1999). Hunt, Kristina. â€Å"Mason’s Transformation of the South. † October 27, 2000. November 11, 2006.

Taylorism and Scientific Management: Work Design Influences

Taylorism and Scientific Management: Work Design Influences The origin of modern management consulting dates back to the early 1900s when Frederick Winslow Taylor, an American mechanical engineer published his work, The Principles of Scientific Management. In his study, Taylor argued that scientific management consisted in devising the one best way to complete a task and then ensuring the workman closely followed the rules, by supervision and incentives. This essay will primarily attempt to discus a proposition that Scientific Management in the 21st century dominates the work design within large firms. Starting with what scientific management is and how it evolved, we will analyze some modern day examples of firms that have adopted Taylorist approach in their businesses. Further, we will highlight both strengths and weaknesses of this approach and also touch base with the works of other authors in the similar domain. Evolution of Scientific Management Adam Smith, the father of Economics, originally developed scientific management in the 1800s. Interested in a factory that operated and produced pins at the rate of 20 pins per employees per day, he applied division of labour i.e. breaking down of complex tasks into numerous simple tasks. As a result of this change, each employee produced 4800 pins per day, a staggering 23900% increase in productivity. However, the greatest breakthrough in scientific management came during the industrial revolution when factories were only focussed on mass production. Workers were trained through lengthy apprenticeships and followed Rules of Thumb i.e. they enjoyed much initiative and control on how their tasks were completed. Also, there was a need to systemize managerial practices. It was here when Taylor, an advisor at the Bethlehem Steel plant, started working towards improving worker productivity after observing gross inefficiencies during his contact with the steel workers. He conducted time st udy and measured performance standards to calculate a full, fair days standard for each task and then emphasized on selection of workers who could meet those standards when motivated by the differential piece rate system. In his book, Taylor (1967, p.10) states prosperity for the employer cannot exist through a long term of years unless it is accompanied by prosperity for the employee, and vice versa; and that it is possible to give the workman what he most wants high wages and the employer what he wants a lower labour cost for his manufacturers. Taylor further suggests that maximum prosperity for a worker can exist only when he has reached his highest state of efficiency and to implement scientific management, the management had to assume much larger share of the responsibility for result rather than the worker and that a managers job is to tell employees what to do and a workers job is to do what they are told and get paid accordingly. Taylor, through various experiment, proposed the four principles of scientific management. First, replace rule-of-thumb work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks. Second, scientifically select, train, and develop each worker rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. Third, cooperate with the workers to ensure that the scientifically developed methods are being followed. And finally, divide work nearly equally between managers and workers, so that the managers apply scientific management principles to planning the work and the workers actually perform the tasks (Taylor, 1967). Taylorism in Industry The First major firm to adopt the principles of scientific management was the Ford Motor Company in 1914. Henry ford believed that the more cars they produce, the more they can sell. His main objective was to mass-produce. Hence he built an assembly-line system, with a constantly moving conveyor belt and minute subdivision of labour. Through subdivision, a complex task was broken into a series of simple tasks for which workers had instructions on how to do it and when to do it. Taylors system insured the most efficient work process was selected and standardized. This way, Ford could employ staff for as cheap as possible and yet keep the quality and efficiency at a satisfactory level. The difference in the productivity levels was striking. Before the assembly line was setup, each car chassis was assembled by one man, taking a time of about twelve and a half hours. Later, with standardization and sub division, the total labour time was reduced to ninety-three minutes per car. This movement of Ford was given the name of Fordism. Taylorism in the 21st century In the 21st century, you can hardly find a successful business enterprise that does not implement the principles of scientific management. It is not that managers study Taylorism before adopting it; in fact these methods of working are so logical that its quite natural to base an efficient business on these principles. McDonalds, the worlds largest chain of fast food restaurants can be seen as a major implementer of scientific management. They have setup their business on the similar lines of a what Henry Ford did to his manufacturing plant, by implementing a human assembly line, where they use food items instead of car parts, and churn out Fast Food instead of automobiles. They follow the highest levels of standardization and sub division. George Ritzer (1996) in his book, The McDonaldization of Society says that the impact of Taylors time and motion studies is very strongly felt at McDonalds. He reiterates Taylors philosophy that the most efficient ways of performing a task has been codified and taught to managers, who further explain to workers. The degree of standardization at McDonalds can be perceived when Ritzer (1996, p.46) mentions, For instance, hamburger chains strive to discover and implement the one best way to grill hamburgers, cook French fries, prepare shakes, process customers, and the rest. One of the major characteristics of Taylorism was the separation of planning, designing and decision making unit of a firm from the production unit. Braverman (1974) supports this attribute of Taylorism in his claim that the production unit operates like a hand that is watched, controlled and corrected by a distant brain, i.e. the management unit. This aspect of Taylorism is very evident in the design of a firms customer care call center. Companies operating in one part of the world often setup/outsource their customer service call centers into countries in another part. For example, an organization based in the UK has its service call center setup in India where labour is very cheap and government policies are favorable. The workers, who may not be skilled, are trained to repeat ad infinitum the same scripted words over and over again and function as a human assembly line. While manufacturing may be moving away from Taylorism, for reasons we will see in the later part of the essay, but the service sector is readily embracing it (Batt Moynihan, 2002). Limitations However, adapting such high levels of standardization and division of labour has some serious limitations. Performing the same simple task, over and over again makes a workers life monotonous and boring. The worker in such an environment is as good as a robotic arm. Ritzer (1996, p.110) criticizes Taylor by stating, Taylors attitude is one precursor to the contemporary effort to reduce human activities to robot-like actions so that humans can actually be replaced by robots. Because Taylor did not have Robots at his disposal, all he could do was hire humans, then dictate to them in great detail what they were to do on the job. To illustrate this further, a Taylorist environment is analogous to software development. Software applications are developed by programmers who write the program code and machines that execute the code and generate output. By giving detailed instructions to workers on what to do and when to do, managers act as programmers and workers as mere machines that execu te the given instructions and generate output. They are not allowed to apply their ideas or exercise any kind of control. As a critique to McDonalds highly scientific and standardized approach, Ritzer (1996, p.15) states that People have the potential to be far more thoughtful, skillful and creative, and well rounded than they are now. If the world were less McDonaldized, people would be better to live up to their human potential. Braverman (1974) substantiates this claim in his statement, Taylorism dominates the world of production; the practitioners of human relations and industrial psychology are the maintenance crew for the human machinery. Hence, in such a work environment, it is hard to motivate employees since money is not always a motivating factor. Some people work for reasons other than financial reward. Also, workers are not homogeneous in their attitudes, work and personality. So the one best way may not be the best for all. By following this approach, firms are de-skilling workers and encouraging them to underperform. Another limitation of the Taylorist approach was that it inspired bureaucracy. According to Warring (1992, p.206), by centralizing power with managers, separating planning from performance, and specializing tasks, firms were encouraging excessive bureaucracy. Managers did not visit the production floor and were thus ignorant of many production matters. They manipulated people like any other factor of production. There was thus a quest to develop an alternative to Taylorism, which called for a stop to treating employees as factors of production, and begin treating them as respected members of community. Human Relation Management The limitations of Taylorism along with practical problems caused by it led to the birth of the human relations school of thought. The movement was established by Elton Mayo, when he conducted a series of behavioral experiments called the Hawthorne Experiments (1924-1933). Two-way communication was encouraged i.e. from worker to chief executive and vice versa for effective management. McGregor (1960) in his book Management and Scientific Knowledge argues that the human relations school is a movement forward from Taylor by inculcating social science into scientific management. He advocated the contribution of social science towards greater productivity in the firm and stated that without predicting human behavior, the control over workers was even harder. He suggested that incentive structure for employee motivation should be aligned with human nature and also claimed that Taylor did not care about ethical values. Conclusion While its is not quite clear that Taylor did not care about ethics and worker motivation as he himself was once a worker at the steel plant. He had also given the idea of setting up suggestion boxes for workers on the shop floor. His main emphasis was on finding the best man for a particular task and motivating him through an incentive structure. Manufacturing today, is moving away from Taylorism. Customers now have more specialized and customized interests. They are willing to pay extra for quality and a differentiated product. Hence, the interest in mass production is declining. Also, with the advent of technology, firms can afford to be more flexible in their production process and reduce the involvement of humans in Repetitive tasks that do not require skill. It is difficult to summarize if Taylorism in its exact sense is dominantly implemented in the 21st century. Just like Henry Ford, Firms have interpreted and modified the scientific management principles in ways to suit their style of business, however, the crux of their efficient existence lies in the principles stated by Taylor. References Batt, R., Moynihan, L. M. (2002). The viability of alternative call center production models. Human Resource Management Journal, 12, 14_/34. Harry Braverman book was Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century McGregor, D., (1960) Chapter 1, Management and scientific knowledge. from McGregor, D., The Human Side of Enterprise. pp.3-15, McGraw-Hill Companies Nelson, D. (1992), Epilogue, in D. Nelson (ed.), A Mental Revolution: Scientific Management since Taylor, Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 237-40 Ritzer, George. (1996) The McDonaldization Of Society. Pine Forge Press Taylor, F.W. (1923).ÂÂ   The Principles of Scientific Management.ÂÂ   New York: Harper Warring, SP., Peter Drucker, MBO, and the Corporatist Critique of Scientific Management. In: D. Nelson, ed.1992. A Mental Revolution. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. Ch. 9. Achieving Competitive Advantage: IKEA Case Study Achieving Competitive Advantage: IKEA Case Study Strategic business units in IKEA Each country is a strategic business unit in IKEA as they are all a part of the organisation but for which there is a distinct external market for goods or services and distinct competitors that is different from another SBU. Also, the financial performance of each country can be clearly evaluated. From the case, it can be noted that each SBU faced the same class of customer the class, but customer behaviors in each SBU are different. For instance the American had a different set f measurement system. Therefore, each SBU needed to tailor its product and service and have particular business strategies in order to satisfy distinct needs in each market segment. Porter (1980) asserts there are basic businesses strategies differentiation, cost leadership, and focus and a company performs best by choosing one strategy on which to concentrate. However, many researchers feel a combination of these strategies (hybrid strategy) may offer a company the best chance to achieve a competitive advantage (Cross, 1999; Karnani, 1984; Miller and Friesen, 1986;; Miller, 1992;). There is much debate as to whether or not a company can have a differentiation and low-cost leadership strategy at the same time (Helms et al., 1997). Porter felt differentiation and cost-leadership were mutually exclusive (Helms et al., 1997). However, research shows this is not the case (Kumar et al. 1997). This case study is an example of how IKEA employed a hybrid strategy and successfully maximize its competitive advantages. Generic strategies can be successfully linked to IKEA performance through the use of key strategic practice. IKEA positioned itself as both a cost leader as well as differentiator. It distinguish itself from its competitor by providing a better shopping experience, a new concept of lifestyle, a wider range of product, a simultaneous service which involved customers participation. As customer have to delivery and assemble the flat packed furniture by themselves, this unique delivery system also partly contributed to IKEAS low cost strategy. Differentiation Differentiation is one of Porters key business strategies. When using this strategy, a company focuses its efforts on providing a unique product or service (Hyatt, 2001; Porter, 1980). IKEA managed to distinguish itself from other furniture merchants by successfully making its customers around the world believe that instead of selling furniture, it was selling a lifestyle by offering a much wider range of home products. It has been commented by Retail Consultant Bryan Roberts that there were other retailers offer affordable furniture, but there is no one else who offer the whole concept in the big shed. In fact, there were 7000 products from kitchen cabinets to candlestick. Thus, the focused diversified production choice is a decisive advantage. And: Hybrid Strategy With a Hybrid strategy, IKEA was simultaneously achieving differentiation and a price lower than competitors which enables it to achieve greater volumes. It counterbalances the risk of just using one generic competitive strategy, such as the loyalty problems caused y cost leadership strategies (Cross, 1999). In fact, it has been found out that when an organization follows a hybrid strategy, they exhibit higher performance than those following either cost leadership or differentiation alone (Kumar et al. 1997). Similarly in their research on the UK wine industry, (Richardson and Dennis, 2003) found the hybrid focused differentiation approach was best for niche segments. (Spanos et al., 2004) studied the Greek manufacturing industry and found hybrid strategies were preferable to pure strategies. and how they can be applied to the case. You dont do so with every argument however, sometimes you simply offer opinions such as: These product differentiations fulfilled customer need and involves tailoring the product or service to the customer. This allows IKEA to capture market share. The differentiation strategy is effectively implemented as IKEA provides unique and superior value to the customer through product quality. Also, the message of differentiation reached its clients (McCracken, 2002). It s vital to the effectiveness of the strategy as the customers perceptions of the company are important (Berthoff, 2002). These senses of differentiation created strong brand loyalty among IKEA customers and lower their price sensitivity. This helps to insulate IKEA from competitive rivalry. Second, the lack of perceived acceptable alternatives with comparable combinations of features and costs increases the IKEAs power over customers. Third, with the existing customer loyalty, potential competitors need to overcome the attractive uniqueness of IKEA product so it creates substantial entry barriers. While some researchers suggested that when using differentiation, firms must be prepared to add a premium to the cost (Hyatt, 2001), as customers perceive the product or service as unique, they are loyal to the company and willing to pay the higher price for its products (Cross, 1999), price therefore is not the main focus, IKEA went for a different approach. It employed a hybrid strategy which combined differentiation and low cost and focus strategy. Which, whilst they cite references do not offer justification and support for the views that you are expressing. And in other places you merely summarise the theory without providing clear linkages to how this relates to the case such as in saying: Sustainable competitive advantage Sustainable competitive advantage can be achieved through the following methods. Achieving Low Prices Operate with lower margins Develop a unique cost structure Create efficiency in Organizational capabilities Focus on market segments with low expectations Achieving Sustainable Differentiation Create difficulties of imitation Create a situation of imperfect mobility Establish a lower cost position Establishing Strategic Lock-In Size or market dominance First-mover dominance Self-reinforcing commitment Insistence on preservation of position Paraphrasing or summarising the theory is not, on its own, proof that you know how to apply it in a practical situation such as the case study. Be careful of simply offering assertions and opinions you need to cite evidence and draw in facts from the case, compare and contrast them to the models and frameworks from the course and then draw strategic conclusions from that process. When you actually try to apply the concepts explicitly such as in saying: The CAGE Framework The CAGE of Distance framework can be applied in this case study of IKEA in a large extends. The four dimension of distance namely cultural distance administrative and political distance, geographic distance and economic distance between the Sweden and its foreign markets indicated how different is the foreign market and what strategy should IKEA adapt accordingly (Ross, 1999). It has been illustrated by the IKEAs difficulties in reaching the California Hispanic market. Hispanic is geographically far away from Sweden, socially different in term of having larger family size and different color preference. Also there was economically different. Thus IKEA designers need to customize product and pricing strategy according to the particular market needs. The result is more seats were added to dining tables and sofa. Showroom color was warmed to avoid the more subdued Scandinavian palette. you are demonstrating a level of understanding and application of some of the marketing concepts in this response that is at least the sort of thing we are expecting from a postgraduate student at this point in your studies, and sometimes even better than expected. These demonstrate an understanding of the concepts that is appropriate and explicit. Whilst the way that the concepts have been described and applied is really sound, and I was pleased to see the use of a wide range of concepts but remember that you need to use them to analyse (explain and interpret) rather than simply to observe and comment and throw in some course references as headings or citations such as in saying: Strategic position Strategic capability Internally, some strength of IKEA can be identified in the case. IKEAs core competences lay on it low cost distribution system and innovation product design which ease manufacture and distribution which enable the organization to become cost leadership. Besides, with the company creative flair, strong capability in research and product engineering, IKEA can put its differentiation strategy into practised effectively. Macro Environments Externally, IKEA was benefited from the opportunities identified below. Economically, the growing size of the world middle class especially in China, India and Russia implies that there will be an increasing need of IKEAs product (contemporary household furniture with value of money). Also the growing wealth with the worlds population means middle class with higher purchasing power. Socially, the fact that the new emerge middle class are more aware of their home design present an opportunity for IKEA to expand. In conclusion, it e be seen that IKEA has successfully generated strategic choices that utilized its strength to take advantage of opportunities The difference between analysis and commentary is the capacity to interpret and make explicit what the facts are telling you. Commentary on the other hand describes what you see and asserts (rather than proves or demonstrates) a set of conclusions. So, if you take the wide range of course concepts that you are obviously familiar with and compare and contrast a little more explicitly facts and evidence from the case itself, it will make your arguments flow much more directly, and more reasoned conclusions emerge. From time to time, what you offer here is like an explanation of the theory and an assertion that X is true at IKEA! without always providing specific evidence and analysis to substantiate the comments. Understanding how you get to conclusions from your analysis is as important as setting out what the conclusions are. However while it strikes me that your observations about could use some more reasoning your other answers are sound and reflect a good understanding of strategy . Overall, this is well-structured and laid out piece of work and offers a clear indication of your emerging understanding of this subject and ability to apply it in practice good work.