Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 Essay Example

Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 Paper Lord of the Flies analysis of chapter 1 The opening character is important and effective because it sets the scene for that character, and their situation. You can almost predict what that character will be like in the rest of the book by the few sentences that the author gives you. The opening character is also a vital piece of information, because it will make the reader want to read on. The first character that was introduced was Ralph. We can predict that he will become important in the rest of the book because he is the first on the island, and he removes his clothes, which is the first symbol of rebellion. Ralph is introduced as being the boy with fair hair (pg 7). One of the first things Ralph does is pull up his sock which symbolizes the idea that Ralph is still civilized and acts like he is still in a sophisticated society. Ralphs father was in the army, and made it a point to say that his father was going to rescue them. When Ralph was elected as chief, it was because he was oldest, and was said to have the physique of a boxer ‘he may make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil’ (pg 10). We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Piggy was more of an adequate chief because he was the main idealist who spotted the conch, and the one who did most of the work. Piggy was also the democrat of the boys, he thought things through, he was equal, rational, and had a mindset of being rescued, and not wanting to be stuck on the island. Ralph is overjoyed that there are no grownups on the island, but Piggy can envision the consequences of the pilots death, and the fact that nobody was a mature adult, and they couldn’t make mature decisions. Piggy was not elected chief because of his look and probably because of his name. ‘he was shorter than the fair boy and very fat’ (pg 7). Next to be introduced is Jack and his choir boys. They are introduced as aliens or beastie that appears later on in the book. ‘something dark was fumbling along†¦.. Then the creature stepped from the mirage’ (pg 19). This sends an eerie feeling to the readers. Later on in the paragraph it talks about them ‘stepped from the mirage on to clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦mostly clothing’ (pg 19). The boys were in ‘two parallel lines’ (pg 19) and dressed in black cloaks that covered them from throat to ankle that was adorned with a long silver cross, and a square black cap with a silver badge. Their leader is a boy named Jack. Jack was ‘tall, thin, and bony’ (pg 20) with red hair that was hidden somewhat by the square black cap, and his face ‘was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness†¦two light blue eyes’ (pg 20). Jack is very power hungry, and arrogantly assumes that he would be the chief of the boys because he was the ‘head boy’ (pg 22) of the choir, and because he could ‘sing C sharp’ (pg 22). Jack is quite upset to find that Ralph was voted to be chief of the boys ‘ the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification’ (pg 23). Ralph put the choir boys under Jacks power, and thus began Jack and Ralphs friendship ‘Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking’ (pg 23). When the boys arrive on the uninhabited island, they find themselves surrounded by beautiful shrubs, trees, and beaches. They soon discover that they are the only humans on the island, and there are no adults on the island. ‘no grownups’ (Pg 8). This shows Ralphs immaturity, and his excitement for freedom. However, when Ralph is voted chief, he knows that he needs to gather himself, and think about what they need to survive, and be rescued. The boys (Jack, Ralph, and Simon) explore the island to find out if the place they are in is in fact an island. They begin to have fun, and enjoy themselves while their sense of wanting to be rescued is dissipating. Ever since the beginning of the book, the boys have seemed to destroy the paradise of an island by the ‘long scar smashed into the jungle’ (pg 7) and they will most likely destroy it again. The island that Golding is trying to envision is not as it seems as he uses destructive imagery like ‘decaying coconuts’ (pg 12), ‘coarse grass’ (pg 12), and ‘typhoon’ (pg 12). Golding uses a lot of symbols to demonstrate themes such as friendship, relationships, and violence throughout chapter one. The island is presented as a Garden of Eden. It has all of the necessary things to survive such as, fresh water, fruit, shade, trees to make shelter, and wood to make fire. The relationships between the boys are complicated during the beginning of the chapter. In the first chapter the boys mostly want to be friends, but the relationship between Piggy and Jack is instant hatred which suggests that later on in the book Jack will probably turn on Piggy first. Jack is presented as a very violent person even when Ralph and Jack first meet ‘frustrated now and turning, or ready to turn, into anger’ (pg 20). When Jack fails at killing the pig, he slams his knife into a tree, and says that ‘next time there will be no mercy’ (pg 31). I think Golding chose to strand the boys on an island because there are no adults. There are no rules, no boundaries to what they were allowed to do, no guidance, no civilization, no society. Golding presents the island ‘roughly boat shaped’ (pg 31). I think he did this to represent the boys going into a state of savagery, and the boys civilization going backwards. I also think he said this to represent the boys decreased chances of being rescued. The boat that they should be rescued in is slowly floating farther and farther away. I believe that the first chapter of any book provides insight to what will happen in the rest of the book. The chapter one title ‘The Sound of the Shell’ foreshadows the fact that the conch is the only adult figure in the book, the fact that the sound of the conch gives everybody a sense of order and uniformity. Some of the themes that appear in chapter one, are often found in our everyday lives and it gives the reader an impression about what will happen in the rest of the book. After finishing chapter one, I am left with the sense of predicting what will happen to the boys, and if they will be rescued.

Global Expansion Challenges Wal

Global Expansion Challenges Wal Introduction Wal-Mart is undoubtedly the largest retain store in the world. This American firm has been keen on increasing its market share as a way of expanding its financial strength. Originally operating exclusively in the United States, this firm has grown to cover various other markets in Europe, Asia, South American states among other regions. The firm is still planning further expansion to other world regions.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Global Expansion Challenges: Wal-Mart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Jie (2013), Wal-Mart has massively benefited from the increasing globalization that is taking place in the world. This scholar says that one of the sure ways through which a firm can manage the competitive market is to expand to various world markets. As other retail firms penetrate the American market, Wal-Mart has developed an ambitious program that would ensure that it has global ma rket coverage. Although this comes with numerous benefits to this firm, there are some challenges that this firm has to deal with. The management must respond to these challenges in an appropriate manner to ensure that they do not have negative impact on this firm in its expansion program. This study will review literatures about this topic in order to determine some of the global expansion challenges that Wal-Mart should be ready to manage. Cultures According to Paula (2013), culture is one of the most challenging environmental factors to deal with in an organization. This scholar says that culture can be looked at in two fronts. The first front when analyzing culture is the organizational culture. Every organization has its own unique culture that it uses to operate in the market. Wal-Mart is one of the firms that have developed strong organizational culture within the markets it operates. Gabriel (2011) says that it is very important that a firm develop a specific organizational culture that would guide the behavior of its employees when working on behalf of the firm. This scholar says that every individual has some unique characteristics that make him or her different from other members. This means that a large firm like Wal-Mart with thousands of employees would need to find a way of making these employees have similar approach that is desired within the firm. There must be a conventional way of behavior that should be common among all the employees as a strategy to win customers. With the current competitive market, it is important that this firm develop an organizational culture that will help guide its employees in the new regions it is entering. The problem with the organizational culture comes in when the firm tries to use the normal organizational culture it has been used to in other regions, especially in the United States (Koen, Erguncu Gokhan, 2013). One fact that this management must realize is that the workforce at its parent country in the Un ited States is very different from that in other countries that it is expanding to, especially in the developing countries.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the organizational culture common in Wal-Mart’s American stores where men and women are treated as equals may not work well in Saudi Arabia. This is because in Saudi Arabia, men are still considered as being superior to women. Trying to inculcate an organizational culture that challenges this notion may be challenging because individuals in this country have internalized this kind of reasoning. Given that Wal-Mart plans to expand its market coverage globally, it would be very challenging to learn how to develop new organizational culture in every country it enters. It may even force this firm to sacrifice some of the values it has been holding so dear for years in other regions of the w orld. The second front of looking at culture is at the regional level. Wal-Mart is planning to make major entry into various regions around the world. According to Mun and Yazdanifard (2012), media has been very instrumental in influencing the world culture in a convergent manner. This scholar says that media has been the main instrument of enhancing globalization. However, one fact is that this globalization has not managed to create a universal culture in the world. Although some of the cultural practices that were considered extreme such as human sacrifice have been eliminated, the management of Wal-Mart must realize that there is some uniqueness of culture in different regions. A good example of culture clash that this firm should be able to deal with is on the use of color. In its brand image, one color that comes out strongly is the yellow color. This brand- with the yellow color- is the identity of this firm in the market. However, this may pose some problems in its expansion efforts. The firm is eying the South African market (Wagner, Mazzon, 2013). However, it will find it difficult promoting its brand using the yellow color because the Zulu people- who make the highest percentage of the black South Africans in this country- associate the color with evil spirit. They consider yellow as a color that carries with it bad omen. This superstitious belief has forced many firms in this country to handle this color with a lot of care. This cultural practice will be standing on the path of development of the Wal-Mart brand in this country. Similar other cases can be identified in various countries this firm is planning to enter. This demonstrates the extent to which this firm may be forced to compromise some of its cherished values in order to achieve success in these new regions.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Global Expansion Challenges: Wal-Mart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Intel lectual property According to Mühlbacher (2009), issues with intellectual property have affected various business organizations around the world. In the developed countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, the law is very clear on the protection of intellectual right. In these markets, Wal-Mart can be assured that its intellectual rights cannot be infringed upon because the law is very clear on the penalties that this would carry. However, this is not the case in other markets around the world. Gregory (2010) says that some countries lack clear policies guarding the intellectual property. This makes it easy for on party to steal intellectual rights of another firm and get away with it. Other countries have laws meant to protect intellectual right, but the law enforcement officers are not doing their work to enforce the law. Some are easily compromised, especially when they feel that they can be given some form of benefits. This unfortunate situation has seen many fi rms suffer because they do not stand to enjoy the benefits of their creativity. Once they come up with a creative idea that should be of benefit to them, competing firms would steal the idea soon after its introduction to the market. Wal-Mart must find as a way of dealing with this in its global expansion program. Some markets will pose this challenge, and unless the management comes with measures to curb this vice, it may suffer a lot instead of benefiting in this new market. Human resource issues According to Roberts (2012), issues with human resource may not affect Wal-Mart when it makes the decision to go global, especially when targeting the developing economies. This firm is currently operating in developed economies where human resource is very expensive. This is not the case in the developing economies. However, this firm would be forced to find a way of boosting the skills of the people it shall employ to work in its outlets. Another issue about human resource that this fir m will have to deal with is attitude. According to Turner and Hodges (2010), most of the foreign retail stores operating in Afghanistan have complained of high levels of pilferage of stock. This scholar says that most of the citizens of this country have negative perception about the west. When employed in firms that are associated with the west, they would easily steal items either before they reach the shelves or at the shelves. This attitude has persisted despite the improving relations between this government and the United States government. This means that if Wal-Mart is planning to expand to this or other countries with similar attitude, it must find a way of dealing with negative attitude of the employees.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other relevant issues One of the most attractive markets that Wal-Mart has shown interest in is the African and Asian markets. According to Fox (2011), Africa has been considered as an untapped market with huge potential. For this reason, Wal-Mart has been trying to find its way into this market. One challenge that this firm should be ready to deal with in this market is insecurity and political instability. Most of the African major cities have been considered as generally insecure because of inadequate policing. It is common for an armed robber to terrorize a supermarket, especially if it is located in the suburbs of the city. Such incidents would always bring massive losses to the firm. A number of these countries are also undergoing some form of revolution in their leadership. Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt ousted their military leaders, and the countries are yet to achieve political stability. This means that operating in such markets will put the firm in a delicate situation. The r ioters can easily break into the supermarket and steal every single item on stock (Experian Marketing Services, 2012). During such times, most of the people employed in various institutions are also forced to remain at home because of the insecurity. This means that the purchasing power will be reduced considerably. With such stagnating economies, it becomes very difficult to move ahead because the rate of sales will be very low. According to Ernst Young (2012), in its global expansion program, Wal-Mart must realize that the infrastructural development that is experienced in the United States and other developed countries are common in every part of the world. Klohs (2012) says that Wal-Mart’s expansion plan has been targeting developed economies around the world. However, the new global expansion program would mean that this firm would be forced to go beyond the developed countries that it has been patronizing. Some of the emerging economies in Africa and the rest of the wo rld do not have developed infrastructure. Most of their roads are dilapidated, and some rail systems are completely collapsed. This is the kind of situation in east African countries. The management must have a way of operating successfully in the market despite these poor means of transport. Finally, the management of Wal-Mart will be forced to develop a system that would be able overcome the bureaucracy and corruption that is rife in some of the new markets it plan to enter. Transparency International has indicated that some of the most corrupt governments are found in the developing economies, which is the primary focus of Wal-Mart in its current expansion program. For instance, Nigeria has attracted many investors due to its high population and its rich oil reserves. Another country that Wal-Mart would be interested in is Venezuela. These countries do not have well-established retail outlets and the presence of Wal-Mart in them would be a benefit to this firm (Dewhurst, Harris, Heywood Aquila, 2012). However, these governments have a lot of bureaucracy, especially when dealing with foreign investors. Wal-Mart would have to visit numerous offices in order to get permit allowing it to operate in Nigeria. The officers in charge are always none committed to their work. An application sent to their offices would take weeks or even months to be processed while the processing can be done in hours. In some extreme cases, one would be informed that the application file has gone missing and the process must begin anew. This is always done on purpose. What these officers always want is to be bribed in order to do their work. Those who are not ready to offer the bribe get to suffer. These countries also have numerous regulatory agencies that would come to inspect the normal operations of the firm. According to Accenture (2009), the inspection they make is not always meant to bring sanity into business fraternity. The inspections are meant to increase corruption avenu es. During their inspection, the lawbreakers and law-abiding firms are equal before them. The only difference to them is the ability to pay the bribe. In such countries, it is not rare to find a law-abiding businessperson sent to jail for false crimes, while the criminals are making huge profits irregularly. These are some of the challenges that this firm will be forced to face with diligence in order to achieve the desired results. Conclusion It is a fact that Wal-Mart’s global expansion program is very ambitious and can help it increase its market share. However, the management of this firm must appreciate the fact that this comes at a cost. A number of challenges would come along the way, and the ability of this firm to manage them diligently would always dictate its success or failure in that particular market. Each region around the world has some unique characteristics that would bring unique challenges to this firm during its operations. The management of Wal-Mart shou ld identify these challenges before making an entry and determine if they are manageable. It is upon the analysis that it can make the decision to enter these markets. References Accenture, M. (2009). Expansion into Africa: Challenges and success factors revealed. Retrieved from accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Strategy_Expansion_into_Africa_POV.pdf Dewhurst, M., Harris, J., Heywood, S., Aquila, K. (2012). The global company’s challenge. McKinsey Quarterly, 3(1), 76-80. Ernst Young. (2012). Growing pains: Companies in rapid-growth markets face talent challenges as they expand. Retrieved from ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Growing_pains:_Companies_in_rapid-growth_markets_face_talent_challenges_as_they_expand/$FILE/MiniTalent_v9_hiqual.pdf Experian Marketing Services. (2012). Going global? The benefits and challenges of international location planning. Retrieved from experian.co.uk/assets/business-strategies/white-papers/wp-going-global-international-locatio n-planning.pdf Fox, K.A. (2011). Learn to expect the unexpected in global retail expansion. Graziodio Business Review, 14(4), 1-7. Gabriel, S.J. (2011). Challenges of international business before SAARC nations: Some reflections. International Journal of Global Business, 4(2), 41-59. Gregory, J. (2010). Counterparty credit risk: The new challenge for global financial markets. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. Jie, W. (2013). Marketing capabilities, institutional development, and the performance of emerging market firms: A multinational study. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 36-45. Klohs, B.M. (2012). Going global. Economic Development Journal, 11(3), 27-34. Koen, P., Erguncu, S., Gokhan, Y (2013). Winning hearts, minds and sales: How marketing communication enters the purchase process in emerging and mature markets. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 57-68 Mühlbacher, H. (2009). International marketing: A global perspective. London: Thom son Learning. Mun, L.Y., Yazdanifard, R. (2012).Wal-Mart success in Mexico, Canada and China: Global expansion, strategy, entry modes, threats and opportunities. Retrieved from researchgate.net/publication/234167019_WALMART_SUCCESS_IN_MEXICO_CANADA_AND_CHINA_GLOBAL_EXPANSION_STRATEGIES_ENTRY_MODES_THREATS_AND_OPPORTUNITIES/file/32bfe50fbfe066efdb.pdf Paula T. (2013). Conducting field research in subsistence markets, with an application to market orientation in the context of Ethiopian pastoralists. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 7(11), 83-97. Roberts, B. (2012). Walmart: Key insights and practical lessons from the worlds largest retailer. London: Kogan Page. Turner, L., Hodges, M. (2010). Global shakeout: World market competition the challenges for business and government. London: Century Business. Wagner, A., Mazzon, J. (2013). Socioeconomic status and consumption in an emerging economy. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 4-18.

Strategic plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic plan - Research Paper Example sed feedback systems structures are oftentimes implemented in engineering processes, one recognizes that they are similarly implemented in terms of organizational processes. It is within this mode of understanding that a feedback system is a necessary strategic advantage for One International Airline. Perhaps the most overarching strategic consideration for One International Airline is the implementation of a feedback control system in terms of customer satisfaction. Within this spectrum of understanding a number of systematic approaches are recommended. As the airline experience is a structured process the organization must develop a survey mechanism that systematically articulates all the elements of the customer experience. This survey can then be implemented as a means of gaining direct insight into organizational strengths and weaknesses. Within the control system structure customers will be contacted through telephone and email communication methods and asked to take a voluntary survey. These surveys can be implemented towards the end of the on-flight experience. Additionally, focus groups can be gathered and these survey mechanisms implemented. The recognition of multiple inputs from survey respondents follows general quantitative statistical understandings that recognize gaining a valid and unbiased sample requires a multidimensional approach. As these responses are then collated the organization will have a strong understanding of organizational strengths and weaknesses that can be recycled into the organization’s control system and specific changes to the customer experience implemented. While the control system is primarily recommended as a strategic input from customer survey mechanisms, it is also recommended that the organization implement this process from inter-organizational elements. As the report has noted that a reduction in operating costs is necessary to remain competitive within the airline industry, this element can function as one of

Impact of traditional and ABC cost allocation on decision making Research Paper

Impact of traditional and ABC cost allocation on decision making - Research Paper Example The cost of direct materials and direct labors are easy to trace to products. However, allocating indirect overhead costs are very complicated and not easily traced to products. Such indirect costs require predetermined overhead rates to be allocated. In this study, I will focus on the impact of traditional and activity-based cost allocations on decision makers. Decision-making is a function preceded by a series of information gathering and analysis. The business environment is becoming more dynamic and volatile not to mention the ever increasing competition. Companies operate under the famous accounting concept (the going concern), which implies that the business’ operations should continue indefinitely. However, the life span of a business and more importantly, the performance are heavily influenced by the decisions made. Therefore, decision-making is a critical function in the organization. The managerial accounting is the organization’s department charged with the responsibility of providing the necessary information for decision-making. Consequently, the management accountant’s role is significant in the organization (Kaye, 1988; pp. 1-5). Managerial accounting includes the following activities: data distinguishing proof, measuring, information examination, and correspondence. The transmission of the data is important to upgrade educated choice making to encourage the accomplishment of the associations targets (Sawsan and Mostafa, 2012; pp. 1-5). It is the commitment of the administration bookkeeper to guarantee the usage of the procedure specified previously. The role of the administration bookkeeping and the administration bookkeeper are to plan, organize, control, direct, communicate and motivate. To start with, Planning is the essential capacity of the administration by a method for which the supervisors choose the objectives to be fulfilled and the course of activities to convey the objectives (Sawsan and Mostafa, 2012;

Final scenerio analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final scenerio analysis - Essay Example Based on the Global Enterprise, we take an analysis of the case facts and ethical issues concerning the enterprise’s operations (Nakmwil, 2012). In addition, we also take into account the ethical alternatives and recommendations the business has at their disposal in order to survive the legal accusations they have (Nakmwil, 2012). Case facts Global enterprise international (GEI) is a military contractor charged with the responsibility of manufacturing protective body armor, ammunition equipments and armored vehicles that are all useful during military operations (Nakmwil, 2012). The company has employed 140 workers who are all highly paid union technicians, mechanics, union members and Armor workers (Nakmwil, 2012). For the United States military, Global Enterprise International manufactures body flask jackets, night vision riflescopes and armored tank vehicles (Nakmwil, 2012). Contrary to the spelt out international laws and treaties, Global Enterprise International also part icipates in the manufacturing of land mine explosives (Nakmwil, 2012). The company’s best customers for the illegal land mines products are Afghanistan and Iran (Nakmwil, 2012). Based on these sales, more than half the company’s profits come from these stealthy operations (Nakmwil, 2012). ... For instance, the flak jackets do not effectively protect military soldiers as required from personal ammunition (Nakmwil, 2012). In addition, the night vision rifles produced by the company in many cases end up causing severe injuries and deaths to the users while in combat situations (Nakmwil, 2012). Besides, armored vehicles despite having strong sides and tops, the composition comprises solely of a single thin sheet layer emended on the undersides (Nakmwil, 2012). This makes them very vulnerable and weak to IED (Improvised Explosive Device) explosives (Nakmwil, 2012). Despite all these modifications, the inclusion of superior and quality materials in the flak jackets are capable of effectively preventing the unnecessary injuries encountered when utilizing fake products produced by the company (Nakmwil, 2012). However, Global Enterprise International spitefully declines altering their materials because this would cost the company a fortune and probably at the end lose the contract (Nakmwil, 2012). In addition, most of the landmines sold by the company to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Iran are not effective (Nakmwil, 2012). Those who attempted to plant the mines died in the process as they contained faulty switches. Later on, United States military realized numerous flaws characterizing these jackets, night vision rifles and armored vehicles, which it purchased from Global Enterprises International (Nakmwil, 2012). The United States justice department initiated legal investigations and the families of the deceased military members followed suit (Nakmwil, 2012). They also started forming mass actions and filing lawsuits against the concerned company. A

Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management in Tesco

Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management in Tesco The business that I have chosen to study as part of this assignment is TESCO. TESCO is a public limited company, which is very successful and renowned in all over the world. I am always interested about TESCO and do my shopping very regularly from there. So I chosen to do my study about this particular business and it will help me to get information quite effectively and efficiently than any other organisation or business. Definition: Human resource management is the organisational function which is focused on recruitment, management, and providing direction for the employees of an organization. Strategic human resource management is linking of human resources with objectives and strategic goal in order to develop business culture and performance with flexibly, innovative. In an organisation SHRM means involving the HR function and implementing companys strategies through recruiting, selecting, training and rewarding personnel. 1.1 Importance of strategic human resource management TESCO: Strategic human resource management is a part of Human resource management. SHRM focuses on human resource programs with long-term objectives. rather than focusing on internal issues of HR, its focus on addressing and solving problems what effect people management related issues in the long run globally. So the primary goal of strategic human resources is to increase employee skills by focusing on business problems that happens outside of human resources. The actions that needed to be taken at first for a strategic human resource manager is to identify key HR areas ,where strategies will be implemented in the future to improve employees productivity, motivation and skill. Human Resource Management professionals are facing with some issues such as performance management, employee participation, human resource flow , reward systems and high commitment work systems in the context of globalization. These are some of the major issues that HR professionals and top management involved in SHRM that implemented in the first decade of the 21st century: Internationalization of market integration. Significant technological change. New concepts of general management. Cross-cultural factors The economic trend transferring from developed to developing countries in the world. SHRM also reflects some of the contemporary challenges faced by Human Resource Management. Such as aligning HR with core business strategy, demographic trends on employment and the labour market, integrating soft skills in HRD and finally Knowledge Management. References Armstrong, M (ed.) 192a) Strategies for Human Resource Management: A Total Business Approach. London:Kogan Page Beer, M and Spector,B (eds) (1985) Readings in Human Resource Management. New York: Free Press Boxall, P (1992) Strategic Human Resource Management: Beginnings of a New Theoretical Sophistication? Human Resource Management Journal, Vol.2 No.3 Spring. Fombrun, C.J., Tichy, N,M, and Devanna, M.A. (1984) Strategic Human Resource Management. New York:Wiley Mintzberg, H, Quinn, J B, Ghoshal, S (198) The Strategy Process, Prentice Hall. Truss, C and Gratton, L (1994) Strategic Human Resource Management: A Conceptual Approach, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol.5 No.3 1.2- The purpose of strategic human resource management in TESCO: The purpose of SHRM is to stimulate interest in the field of Human Resources by inviting HR professionals to speak about different aspects of their job and other HR issues. SHRM was created to provide assistance for development of its members, to provide leadership opportunities, and establish and support standards of excellence in Human Resource Management. SHRM aims to provide a sense of direction in an often turbulent environment so that organizational and business needs can be translated into coherent and practical policies and programmes. SHRM should provide guidelines for successful action, and the ultimate test of the reality of strategic HRM is the extent to which it has stimulated such action. There is an overall corporate purpose and that the human resource dimensions of that purpose are evident. A process of developing strategy within the organization exists and is understood, and that there is explicit consideration of human resource dimensions. The organization at all levels establishes responsibility and accountability for human resource management. It includes the responsibility to identify and interact in the social, political, technological and economic environments in which the organization is and will be doing business. The need for a Concept Much of the literature provides evidence that strategic integration is not well developed and advances reasons why to achieve it would be beneficial to organizations. Organisation advocated an increase in the input of human resource considerations at strategic planning, an attitude of treating employees as assets, more participation and involvement for employees, effective and open communications, less rule-oriented policies and practices, better training and career development opportunities, reward and recognition tied to performance. 1.3 Contribution of SHRM to the achievement of TESCOs objectives: Strategic HRM typically helps to achieve strategic goals in many ways. The main aspect of using strategic approach is alignment of all the levels of the organization with the organizational goals. The strategic approach to HRM will lead to development of policies that align with the organizational strategies. The various HR policies will try to reward positive behaviors which are essential to achieve organizational strategy. The HRM functions help to achieve corporate goals like growth or expansion by recruiting people, training and orienting them, and put them in new job assignments. The growth plans of any organization will require employees and recruitment is the only function which ensures that people with required skill sets are acquired. The retention strategy used by the company can lead to differentiation by retaining best of the talent force. Retaining best of the employees will lead to quality work, higher efficiency, customer satisfaction, etc. The strategic approach when taken helps performance management as there will be measurement of correct parameters which affects the organization as whole. It also ensures that correct feedback is obtained so that measures are taken to bring above the improvement. The other practices like performance appraisal helps to assess employee performance and using suitable reward system the company can channelize employees efforts to achieve organizational objectives. The training and development function ensures that the employees have the skill sets required to perform their tasks. The training programs are organized to train the employees for specific skills which will help them to achieve required goals. The strategic approach will help in developing effective training programs. Due to this the organization is benefited as there will be proper utilization of financial resources available for training and development function. The training and development function also supports the growth of the organization through career development of employees. It will be interesting to see how companies have benefited through HRM practices. Take the example of Tesco which is UKs biggest supermarket. It has more than 240000 employees and has seen consistent profits over the years. The company over the years has used participative management which has helped the organization as a whole. The company made use of the competitive A company or an organization is an entity where two or more people come together to achieve specific goals. The basic aim of any organization is to earn profits. There is always a talk on ways by which a company can earn profits continuously. In this context the word strategy is often heard. It is also said that proper alignment of strategy with all the processes is extremely important. In the present essay I would like to focus on how strategies help to achieve competitive advantage. I have also tried to evaluate the effect of linking strategy to human resource management to improve employee performance. I have found t hat properly aligning organizational goals with different processes helps the firm to achieve competitive advantage. It can also be seen through many examples how strategy linked to HR practices helps to improve performance of employees.An organization is always in dilemma regarding use of financial, technological and human resources. According Porter (1985) an organization must use resources which are valuable, inimitable and rare. In this context there has been a shift in focus from financial aspect to human resources. An organization is said to have sustained competitive advantage when the strategies applied by it are not applied by any of its competitors and are hard to implement. Now it is necessary to understand what strategy is? And which aspect of strategy gives importance to human resources? Strategy can be defined as plans and methods deployed by a company to achieve competitive advantage and operate profitably. It is related to the long term plans of the company. The reso urce base view of strategy sees it as a way to create opportunities using the organizations internal resources and competences (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2005). According to this theory employees are considered as resource with knowledge, skills and experience present with them as the core of organizational performance. Now, human resource management (HRM) is the branch of management which deals with managing employees in an organization and using their knowledge to gain effectiveness. The resource based view looks employees as valuable resource, which is rare, their knowledge is hard to imitate, which provides organization to get competitive advantage (Pfeffer, 1994). Strategic human resource management can be defined as predetermined steps of human resource development activities undertaken to achieve organizational goals (Jackson, Schuler, 2003). The strategic approach makes it necessary for organizations to focus on improvement of Human resource capability (H helps the organization to improve its competitive position by improving human skills, knowledge and experience. The strategic approach to various human resource practices like staffing, performance management, training and development, career planning, etc helps in improvement of human resource capabilities. Beer et al. (1984) stated that with rapidly change in environment the makes it essential to take strategic approach to human resource function. Strategic HRM can therefore be considered as overall process related to long term human resource issues which are part of strategic management of the firm. The SHRM approach need that the HR function of the firm must set new priorities which are more business and strategic oriented. These priorities have less orientation towards traditional HR practices like staffing, performance management and training. There is more emphasis laid on improvement of organization structure, quality, values, culture and performance of employees which are the pillars of an organization. The traditional HRM focused more on physical skills. It was more of functional nature and there was lot of concern of individual efforts. It gave more importance to tasks and there was less focus on people. The strategic HRM focus on overall contribution and efficiency of firm (C hang Huang, 2005). It promotes innovation, creative behavior and cross function integration. This approach helps to produce employee behavior that focuses on core business priorities. This in turn helps to drive the growth, profits and market value of the firm. The strategic HRM approach systematically brings about coordination of all HRM measures and implements it, so that it influences employee attitude and behavior which helps a business to gain competitive strategy. There is need for proper strategic human resource planning as it helps not only to retain the talent necessary to achieve organization goals but it also helps in penetration of strategy at all level of an organization. Proper strategic human resource planning helps an organization to find the gap between current position of a company and desired future position. It helps to stimulate creative thinking and promotes proactive behavior. It helps to identify causes of the problems and opportunities present. Now let us examine these aspects in more details. For any company its employees are the major assets. So as suggested by Hertzberg (1959) in his two factors theory, the hygiene and motivating factors should be made available to them so that it results in satisfaction of employees. These factors include good working conditions, status, rewards, incentives, communication, work culture, etc. So if the hygiene and motivating factors are provided the employees will be satisfied and they will work productively. The question is how strategic approach to HRM helps to achieve competitive advantage? Strategic HRM typically helps to achieve strategic goals in many ways. The main aspect of using strategic approach is alignment of all the levels of the organization with the organizational goals. The strategic approach to HRM will lead to development of policies that align with the organizational strategies. The various HR policies will try to reward positive behaviors which are essential to achieve organizational strategy. The HRM functions help to achieve corporate goals like growth or expansion by recruiting people, training and orienting them, and put them in new job assignments. The growth plans of any organization will require employees and recruitment is the only function which ensures that people with required skill sets are acquired. The retention strategy us ed by the company can lead to differentiation by retaining best of the talent force. Retaining best of the employees will lead to quality work, higher efficiency, customer satisfaction, etc. According to Jain (2005) the organizations which have ability to attract and retain employees which have skills to achieve the organizational goals gets sustainable competitive advantage. The strategic approach when taken helps performance management as there will be measurement of correct parameters which affects the organization as whole. It also ensures that correct feedback is obtained so that measures are taken to bring above the improvement. The other practices like performance appraisal helps to assess employee performance and using suitable reward system the company can channelize employees efforts to achieve organizational objectives. The training and development function ensures that the employees have the skill sets required to perform their tasks. The training programs are organized to train the employees for specific skills which will help them to achieve required goals. The strategic approach will help in developing effective training programs. Due to this the organization is benefited as there will be proper utilization of financial resources available for training and development function. The training and development function also supports the growth of the organization through career development of employees. It will be interesting to see how companies have benefited through HRM practices. Take the example of Tesco which is UKs biggest supermarket. It has more than 240000 employees and has seen consistent profits over the years. The company over the years has used participative management which has helped the organization as a whole. The company made use of the situation by improving the way in which they interact with the customers. Tesco used continuous innovation, welfare management, customer relation in conjunction with HRM strategies to gain respectable position in UK retail industry. It treats employees as champions and involves them in decision making. It has also resulted in increase in employee satisfaction, efficiency, high work morale, motivation and greater acceptance to any change. Total development of all the employees within the organization is the main strength of Tesco. It constantly focuses on effective implementation and utilization of HR strategies, which has helped it to perform well in the market. For Tesco the HR policies go along with marketing strategies which are then placed into operation. The participative management practices have helped in improvement of the employees as well as the whole company. These have made them to achieve required performance through employee engagement. It has used distinct employee man agement practices which have helped it to achieve competitive advantage (Strategic HRM: TESCO, n.d). The strategic HR practices help to produce competencies that differentiate products and service and thereby create competitiveness. The strategic approach is also important as in many cases the human resource is in direct contact with the customer. Finally to conclude it can be observed that HRM function manages various functions like human capital skills, work culture, employee commitment, teamwork, productivity, etc. which is likely to be source of sustained competitive advantage for any TESCO. The human resources are extremely important in a company from finance to sales to customer service. There is a significant relation between satisfied employees and customer satisfaction. It is therefore necessary for managers and supervisors to ensure that employees are motivated, productive and enthusiastic.

Conversations inside the Third Culture :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Big Questions: Conversations inside the Third Culture In 1961, C P Snow introduced the idea of the "two cultures", the scientists and the literati, divided by a lack of communication that had been crystallized through academic specialization (1). Thirty years later, John Brockman unveiled the Third Culture as the new face of intellectual life, consisting of scientific thinkers who had ousted the traditional literary scholars in "rendering visible the deeper meanings of our lives, redefining who and what we are" (2). He has been criticized for his fragmented vision of intellectual culture, which affords no place to non-scientists in spite of the apparent inability of science to provide answers to the "big questions" that we ask (3). But are we defining these particular questions in a way that excludes science? If these are issues of truly universal significance, then no single discipline can claim monopoly over their interpretation: answers must draw from broader horizons. The scientific optimism of which Brockman boasts has been approached with much cynicism by humanist scholars. Much discomfort arises not from scientists' claims to general truths about the world, but from the assertion of many scientists that their work stops at the process of discovery: science has nothing to do with how politicians choose to apply their ideas (4). Humphrey (5) points out that it is a great cause of anxiety when those who generate knowledge disclaim all responsibility for how that knowledge is put to use, whether in the form of eugenics in the past, weapons of mass destruction in the present, or even possibly thought control in the future (5). Appleyard recognizes that science aspires to be a value-free pursuit of knowledge, but also that such pursuits are inevitably conducted in a value-laden world (4). If scientists refuse any role in shaping these values, then it is for the humanities and social sciences to help us understand the significance of scientific progress (6), whether it is through the way in which we define life, when confronted by abortion and cloning, or how increasingly closely-integrated communication networks have transformed human relations across the expanse of space and time. In this respect, Brockman's scientifically imperialistic conception of intellectual culture lacks the "questions of subjective, of spiritual and of social values" (3) that must lie at its heart.

Object Speech Outline Essay

I. Blood sweat and tears have been shed in this jersey. I have battled in this Jersey, for God, this school and my team. All my life I have played soccer with the goal to never â€Å"plateau† or to stop getting better, to always achieve the next level. I have played soccer since I was four years old and this jersey embodies my experiences up to this point. This jersey represents not only soccer, but my accomplishments, my defeats, my passion, my hatred, the impact it has had on my life, and much more. But most importantly this jersey represents God in my life, and how soccer has been the catalyst for God to minister through me. II. I started off my college soccer career playing division 1 soccer at Sacramento State in the 2nd hardest conference in the country, the big west. As a freshman I had the 4th most minutes played on the whole team, I had a full ride, and some might say my life had been set up nicely. But by then end of the season I found myself feeling empty, something was missing. The more I thought about it the clearer it became, I had all of this but I didn’t have what mattered most, God. So I took a leap of faith and left sac state to pursue a deeper and stronger relationship with God. I had no intention of playing soccer anymore or coming to APU. But one of my good friends who plays here at Azusa convinced me to come and check it out. Having done this I found myself in a position, for the first time in my life, where my faith and my passion have been able to coincide, through wearing this jersey. III. This brings me to my second point, which is that not only am I able to play soccer for God and represent my faith, but I am able to actually minister to people through my sport. This summer I tried out and made a semi professional team known as the Southern California Seahorses. This team plays at the highest level possible for college athletes while still allowing them to maintain collegiate eligibility. The Seahorses are a Christian based organizatio n whose main goal is to mold young men into, not great soccer players who are Christians, but Christians who are great soccer players. You may wonder what the difference is, though it is rather small in semantics the significance is nothing short of incredible. I am now proud to call myself a Christian who  happens to play soccer. The difference is what do you put first, your passion and your goals, or God? For the first time in my life, I have put God above my goals, I have put aside my dreams to live to serve God, and in return God has blessed me by allowing to me to still pursue my goal by ministering through soccer. IV. As I said before, this Jersey embodies my life up to this point, why? Because soccer has been the center of my life, everything has revolved around it, and finally I am now able to combine the two biggest things in my life, my faith, and my passion for soccer, and am blessed to be able to practice both on a daily basis. For me the question that brought the most clarity, was when I was asked, â€Å"Do you call yourself a soccer player who is Christian, or a Christian who happens to play soccer? †

Giant Beaver (Castoroides) - Facts and Figures

Giant Beaver (Castoroides) - Facts and Figures Name:Â  Giant Beaver; also known as Castoroides (Greek for of the beaver family); pronounced CASS-tore-OY-deez Habitat:Â  Woodlands of North America Historical Epoch:Â  Late Pliocene-Modern (3 million-10,000 years ago) Size and Weight:Â  About eight feet long and 200 pounds Diet:Â  Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; narrow tail; six-inch-long incisors About the Giant Beaver (Castoroides) It sounds like the punchline to a prehistoric joke: an eight-foot-long, 200-pound beaver with six-inch-long incisors, a narrow tail, and long, shaggy hair. But Castoroides, also known as the Giant Beaver, really existed, and it fit right in with the other plus-sized megafauna of its late Pliocene and Pleistocene ecosystem. Like modern beavers, the Giant Beaver probably led a partially aquatic lifestyleespecially since it was too big and bulky to move about sleekly on land, where it would have made a tasty meal for a hungry Saber-Tooth Tiger. (By the way, other than both being mammals, the Giant Beaver was completely unrelated to the beaver-like Castorocauda, which lived during the late Jurassic period.) The question everyone asks is: did the Giant Beaver build equally giant dams? Sadly, if it did, no evidence of these gigantic construction projects has been preserved into modern times, though some enthusiasts point to a four-foot-high dam in Ohio (which may well have been made by another animal, or be a natural formation). Like the other mammalian megafauna of the last Ice Age, the extinction of the Giant Beaver was hastened by the early human settlers of North America, who may have valued this shaggy beast for its fur as well as its meat.

Gel Electrophoresis Lab Report Essay Example

Gel Electrophoresis Lab Report Essay Example Gel Electrophoresis Lab Report Paper Gel Electrophoresis Lab Report Paper To examine DNA and RNA, the fragments are placed in the garage wells and an electrical charge is sent through, pushing the negatively chi argued molecules towards the positive side. The smaller the molecule, the less res stance it will face when hitting the pores of the gel, and the farther it will travel. Restriction enzymes are short nucleotide sequences used to cut DNA into o segments, separating the fragment into pieces. When cut, two different ends will be produced, a sticky end or a blunt end. When a sticky end is created, it makes the double helix staggered, one end chills with an over hang above the other. These ends can connect to an identical sequence cut y the same restriction enzymes or a very similar end. Blunt ends are created when a restriction enzyme cuts the double helix evenly. Materials One will need buffer solution, pipettes, an electrophoresis chamber, agrees, and three DNA samples consisting of an uncut sample, and a sample cut with Score and one cut with Handbill to complete this lab. Methods To start things off, the gel must be created. The mold has two open ends, thereof must be taped tightly and repetitively. After pouring the agrees liquid into t he mold, it is mandatory that a comb is placed in the mold to create the w ells as the liquid solidifies. After 20 minutes, it has solidified, remove the c mob and the tap and place the gel in the chamber. The buffer solution is used to deliver the current to the agrees gel. Pour the buffer solution so it covers the gel. : Add one of each sample of DNA to separate wells using a pipette. Cover the chamber and make sure the negative side o f the circuit is on the same side as the wells. After two hours of sitting in the electricity, remove the gel and stain it. Rinse the gel thoroughly and let it sit in water for a day. Results My petting must have been atrocious for only one of our t ere DNA samples, the uncut sample, was visible. The UNC UT strand traveled two centimeters, forming no bands as it was uncut. Discussion Our attempt at gel electrophoresis showed unbelievable potent al, though I would describe it as feeble at best. In comparison w tit the lab manuals, our wimpy sample conquered a whopping . 65 CM less than the average uncut bacterial DNA. We lacked results from the E COIR and Handbill samples altogether. The uncut sample was large, no doubt, as it traveled 14th of the entire gel. Of the numerous places we could have made mistakes, there are three that wow d have created the most devastating end results. First off, we left Eleanor in c hare of sealing the ends of the mold and placing the comb. Had the comb not been cleanly drawn out of the gel it could have damaged the wells. Second, who en petting the DNA in, the genetic ooze may have been drawn out of the we II by the current created when pulling the insertion device out. Rendering that well and sample a bust. Third, and least likely, the gel may have been shocked for too long. I repeat, this is very unlikely as our wonderful and beautiful teacher conducted this part of the experiment.

Farming in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Farming in the United States - Research Paper Example An American farmer today feeds about 155 people worldwide through agricultural exports, an incredible increase in efficiency from his ability to feed only about 26 people back in 1960 (Center for Food Integrity 1) on the same land. However, there are obvious limits to what farming in the United States of America can do. As the country’s population grows, which now number about 313 million and then still growing fast due to immigration, there is pressure on the environment to produce more food. There is always the question about how the Malthusian theory plays out if this trend continues when population growth will have outpaced agricultural production growth. In other words, a reality check can happen anytime soon but Man always found ingenious ways to produce more food as the population keeps growing. An example was the introduction of mechanized farming which greatly increased industrial food production, followed a few decades later on by the so-called Green Revolution which increased crop yields and brought prices down, saving at least a billion people worldwide from hunger, malnutrition, and death by preventing famines. American farming is now on the brink of another technological revolution which w ill again increase food crop production to feed a growing global population using GMO crops. GMO crops are alternatively termed as biotech crops because these are plants whose DNA has been modified using genetic engineering. GMO means genetically modified organism which can refer to both plants and animals. It refers to any living organism from the simplest life forms such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast to go up higher to include successively complex organisms such as insects, birds, fishes, and mammals. Plants are GMOs because these are living organisms whose genetic material contains a novel combination using modern biotechnology techniques to improve a trait or obtain superior strains of a plant species. GMO are

Integrated Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Integrated Marketing Strategy - Essay Example Finally in the conclusion we will take a look at the suggested strategy that Apple should take to overcome its deficiency. Main Body Here we will take a look at all the Marketing Mix of Apple iPad and consequently whether the strategies followed by Apple with respect to the four Ps are effective or not. Price Apple has always used a marketing strategy where it wants their products to have a mass appeal. It wants to gather the business customers and the entrainment customers both for their product. Price is perhaps the most important factor among the four Ps of marketing. It is important form the point of view of revenue which the company earns. We need to understand that as a product moves along its product life cycle the pricing strategy adopted by the company usually changes. Of the many strategies which a company can adopt, â€Å"price skimming† is one of them. Here the initial price of the product is set high to targeted creamy segment of the market to skim revenues from t he market layer-by-layer. Apple gas used this strategy of pricing for its iPad product. The process of Price skimming involves charging relatively high price for the product for a short period of time when a new, innovative product or new improved version of it is launched in the market. The main objective of the price skimming strategy is to â€Å"skim† off the customers who are willing to pay more for owning a product sooner than the others (Huimin, and Hernandez, 2011, p. 390). Later when the demand falls a little then the prices are lowered and the late adopters then accept the product. Figure 1: Product Life cycle. Generic Graphic The success of this pricing strategy is dependent on the inelasticity of demand for the product by the market segment or by the market as a whole. Such... This report stresses that due to brand loyalty which Apple had acquired over the years, the company has been able to take advantage of the market opportunities and adapt to the environmental threats. Apple is successful on two of the marketing mix i.e. price, product. Apple still has to work on its other two marketing mix which are promotion and distribution. This paper makes a conclusion that people are more interested in things which really matters to them. This means that Apple should target the audiences based on their specific needs. Apple shouldn’t create a one-size fits all app. It is just filled with loads of irrelevant content. Instead Apple should plan to segment on the basis of their needs, interest and wants. Apple invests in the right user experience. It is of no use to create fantastic content, if the users have bad application experience. The author of the paper talks that With the launch of iPad on 2010, the company made use of good use of its core competency i.e. innovation. They have been able to turn ordinary into something beautiful. PC fans wanted something which is as powerful as a PC but portable. Apple understood the need and created iPad with new features to meet their increasing demand. They can offer accessories along with iPad like adapters, chargers, cables, cases etc. Apple have made iPad a household n ame so that they everyone knows about the product. On an overall basis Apple has achieved a successful integrated marketing strategy with still rooms for improvement as discussed above.