How South Korean students make decision for choosing master course Dissertation

How South Korean students make decision for choosing master course abroad - Dissertation Example The primary objective of this research was to examine the choice factors that prospective South Korean students considered in choosing their master courses abroad, as well as the source of information employed in the decision making process. A non-probability convenience sample of 150 international students from 10 higher institutions abroad took part in the study. Data was obtained through questionnaires, which were distributed to the participants through their email addresses. The data obtained was analyzed through percentages and put in tables. The observations of the research suggest that job outcomes and prospects, parental influence and academic reputation ranked the highest significant choice factors. Beauty of the campus, co-curricular activities and the institution’s website rankings were the least significant choice factors. The internet was ranked the most useful source of information for potential students. Friends and institutional publications ranked the least us ed sources of information. 1.0 Introduction Internationally, higher education is experiencing significant changes, including the generation of partnerships (Newby, 2003), increased concentration on the universal market (Kwong 2000), and increased competition (Ehrenberg et al, 2006). Additionally, Baird (2006) denotes that higher education institutions also face financial pressures. These institutions are faced with increased prominence on technology, globalization, and transformation policies. Globalization has boosted competition through opening national and international boundaries. This makes it essential for such institutions to market themselves effectively. It is imperative for institutions to assess and re-assess their marketing strategies aimed at attracting potential master’s students. Over the past few years, there have been increased promotions, advertisements and other marketing stratagems evident in the higher education sector globally (Etzel et al, 2007). Moreov er, it is necessary for the higher education institutions to understand how to reach potential students and what to say in order to effectively communicate with them. Putting into account all the difficulties that these institutions go through, it is apparent that they will have to turn out to be more market focused (Lamb et al, 2005). An appropriate evaluation of the choice elements that South Korean students consider in choosing their master courses abroad, on top of the sources of information conferred with, will assist institutions understand how to target the prospect students. Numerous researches have been carried out in the field of marketing for non-profit making organizations including universities. Numerous scholars have examined the significance of institutional image in attracting students to choose the institution (Palacio et al 2002; Pabich 2003), on top of the choice aspects that students consider when registering with a university (Punnarach 2004, Gray & Daugherty 20 04). Marketing has been the only medium employed by higher education institutions to communicate with the prospective students. In reference to Abaya (2004), marketing a higher education institution is simple and multifaceted at the same time. Higher education institutions subsist primarily to offer a unique educational and campus experience to students. For this reason, higher

Dezember and Zimmerman Essay Example for Free

Dezember and Zimmerman Essay The authors, Dezember and Zimmerman (2012) report that almost six years after being purchased by private groups in 2006, Michaels Stores Inc. has plans to take the retailer public again. Currently owned by the private-equity firms Blackstone Group LP and Bain Capital LLC, Michaels no longer has equity securities listed on the New York Stock Exchange after going private. While private-equity firms have lately outperformed companies that have gone public, Dezember and Zimmerman (2012) say that Michaels plans to jump on the IPO bandwagon in hopes of doubling its owners initial 6 billion dollar investment. After the announced plan the public will soon see the launching of Michaels stock and a listing of the new share price. The announcement of the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a $500 million issue comes after much interest from investors desiring initial public offerings (Dezember and Zimmerman 2012). Dezember and Zimmerman (2012) report that Michaels went from no debt before the buyout, an advance of $4.3 billion in debt after the buyout, and has reduced its debt down to $3.4 billion since. Yet even with the debt the retailer added 160 stores and will come back as a larger and more profitable public enterprise. Although they have yet to determine how many shares will be issued and at what price, the owners plan on using some of the IPO money from the sale of stock in the company to reduce their high debt, foster working capital, and pay general expenses (Dezember and Zimmerman 2012). If the end result is profitable, Michaels could be laying the foundation for other large equity-backed companies to take advantage of public markets.

Look At A Critical Incident That Occurred In Practice Nursing Essay

Look At A Critical Incident That Occurred In Practice Nursing Essay The aim of this report is look at a critical incident that occurred in practice and relates this to the theory and knowledge regarding communication and interpersonal skills, so as to demonstrate an understanding of my views on the art and science of reflection and the issues surrounding reflective practice; that is to say, what skills were and were not used at the time of the incident. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Nursing Midwifery Council Code (NMC, 2008).    There is a discussion appraising the concept of reflection both generally, and in my particular area of practice of urgent care. Reflection is part of reflective practice and is a skill that is developed. It can be seen as a way of adjusting to life as a qualified healthcare professional and enhancing the development of a professional identity (Atwal Jones, 2009). Reflection is defined as a process of reviewing an experience which involves description, analysis and evaluation to enhance learning in practice (Rolfe et al 2001).  This is supported by (Fleming, 2006), who described it as a process of reasoned thought. It enables the practitioner to critically assess self and their approach to practice. Reflective practice is advocated in healthcare as a learning process that encourages self-evaluation with subsequent professional development planning (Zuzelo, 2009). Reflective practice has been identified as one of the key ways in which we can learn from our experiences. Reflective practice can mean taking our experiences as an initial point for our learning and developing practice (Jasper, 2003). Many literatures have been written in the past that suggest the use of reflective assignments and journaling as tools to improve reflection and thinking skills in healthcare (Chapman et al, 2008). Reflective journals are an ideal way to be actively involved in learning (Millinkovic Field, 2005) and can be implemented to allow practitioners to record events and document their thoughts and actions on daily situations, and how this may affect their future practice (Williams Wessel, 2004). MODELS In order to provide a framework for methods, practices and processes for building knowledge from practice there are several models of reflection available. All can help to direct individual reflection. Some may be particularly useful for superficial problem solving, and other better when a deeper reflective process is required. Reflective models however are not meant to be used as a rigid set of questions to be answered but to give some structure and encourage making a record of the activity. Johns (2004) reflects on uncovering the knowledge behind the incident and the actions of others present. It is a good tool for thinking, exploring ideas, clarifying opinions and supports learning. Kolbs Learning Cycle (1984) is a cycle that reflects a process individuals, teams and organisations attend to; and understands their experiences and subsequently, modifies their behaviour. Schà ¶n (1987), however, identifies two types of reflection that can be applied in healthcare, Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action can also be described as thinking whilst doing. Reflection-on-action involves revisiting experiences and further analysing them to improve skills and enhance to future practice. Atkins and Murphys model of reflection (1994) take this idea one step further and suggest that for reflection to make a real difference to practice we follow this with a commitment to action as a result. Terry Bortons (1970) 3 stem questions:  What?,  So What?  and  Now What?  were developed by John Driscoll in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Driscoll matched the 3 questions to the stages of an  experiential learning cycle, and added trigger questions that can be used to complete the cycle. Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what you would do if the situation arose again. CHOSEN MODEL The reflective model that I have chosen to use is Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) as a framework, because it focuses on different aspects of an experience and allows the learner to revisit the event fully. Gibbs (1988) will help me to explore the experience further, using a staged framework as guidance ad I feel that this is a simple model, which is well structured and easy to use at this early stage in my course. By contemplating it thus, I am able to appreciate it and guided to where future development work is required. Before the critical incident is examined it is important to look at what a critical incident is and why it is important to nursing practice. Girot (1997), cited in Maslin-Prothero, (1997) states that critical incidents are a means of exploring a certain situation in practice and recognising what has been learned from the situation. Benner (1984, cited by Kacperek, 1997) argues that nurses cannot increase or develop their knowledge to its full potential unless they examine their own practice. Context of incident In the scenario the patients name will be given as Xst.   Ã‚  The consequences of my actions for the client will be explained and how they might have been improved, including what I learned from the experience. My feelings about the clinical skills used to manage the clients care will be established and my new understanding of the situation especially in relation to evidence based practice will be considered.   I will finally reflect on what actions I will take in order to ensure my continued professional development and learning.    Description Miss Xst is 55 year old woman who has a 10 year old daughter.   She suffers from psychiatric problems, lack of motivation and has difficulties in maintaining her personal hygiene and the cleanliness of her flat. She was one of my mentors clients to whom I had been assigned to coordinate and oversee her care. Mental health Nurses owe their patients a duty of care and are expected to offer a high standard of care based on current best practise, (NMC 2008).   Ã‚   Miss Xst had been prescribed Risperidone Consta 37.5mg fortnightly, which is a moderate medication. Risperidone belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotic, which are usually used to help treat people with schizophrenia and similar condition such as psychosis. Although her condition is acute, it is not extreme and the reason for this medication is to help Miss Xst to stabilise her thought so she is able to support herself in the community (Healey, 2006). Miss Xst did not like attending depot clinic and she missed three consecutive appointments. My mentor decided after the third non-attendance to raise the issue in the handover meeting where it was decided to see Miss Xst in the morning but when we arrived she was not there. We left a note for her to call the office. We did not hear from her and a further home visit was carried out to arrange for her next depot clinic appointment. I called a meeting of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) who agreed that there would be a problem if the next injections were missed. The social worker who was part of the team said that she will arrange for a community support worker to help clean Miss Xsts flat on a weekly basis (Adams 2008). We waited for about an hour for Miss Xst to attend the clinic for her depot injection but she failed to attend. I then informed the Community Psychiatry Nurse (CPN) that Miss Xst had expressed negative feelings about her medication and thought she did not need them; she had claimed she was already feeling well and therefore wanted the medications to be discontinued.   At a subsequent meeting with the patient, she agreed a joint visit with the CPN and myself to re-assess her condition and consider if it was necessary to   Ã‚  refer her case to the consultant (Barker, 2003).   I was given the opportunity to carry out the initial assessment, which showed that her behaviour was very unpredictable and very forgetful. Her inability to take her medication and to manage her personal hygiene clearly demonstrated that she was not well. The assessment tool I used was the Mental State Examination which helps determine the level of her insight into her illness and indeed I found out that she was in denial (Barker, 2004). I talked to Miss Xst about her non-concordance with her medication, but she persisted in saying she was well.   I reminded her that continuous use of the medication would benefit her mental health and protect her against relapse.   We agreed that she could discuss this with the doctor on her next outpatient appointment, with the option of reviewing or reducing her medication. I stressed the importance of her communicating any side effects or reservations she may have about the medication to doctor. She appeared to understand this and following the discussion, she finally complied with her depot injection. Even though the NMC (2008) maintains that nurses have a responsibility to empower patient in their care and to identify and minimise risk to patient. The principle of beneficence (to do well) must be balanced against no maleficence (doing no harm) (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001).   All these transactions were recorded in Miss Xsts care plan file and in computer. Good record keeping is an integral part of nursing and midwifery practice, and is essential to the provision of safe and effective care. It is not an optional extra to be fitted in if circumstances allow NMC (2009).   The consequences of my actions for the patient and her daughter were that she attended to her daughters needs and to her personal hygiene, and made regular fortnightly visits to the clinic. Her mental condition was improved, she was allowed to continue on her moderate medication and she did not have to be readmitted in the hospital. Feeling During the handover, I was nervous as I felt uncomfortable about giving feedback to the whole team. I was worried about making mistakes during my handover that could lead to inappropriate care being given to Miss Xst or could cause her   readmission to hospital. As a student nurse I felt I lacked the necessary experience to be passing information to a group of qualified staff members.   However, I dealt with the situation with outward calm and in a professional manner. I was very pleased that my mentor was available during the handover to offer me support and this increased my confidence. Evaluation What was good about the experience was that I was able to carry out the initial assessment and identify what caused Miss Xst failure to comply with the treatment regime.   From my assessment I documented the outcome and related what had happened to the MDT with minimal assistance. Accurate documentation of patients care and treatment should communicate to other members of the team in order to provide continuity of care (NMC, 2008).   The experience has improved my communication skills immensely, I felt supported throughout the handover by my mentor who was constantly involved when I missed out any information. Thomas et al, (1997) explains that supervision is an important development tool for all learners. The team were very supportive throughout the process as they took my information without doubt.   What was not good about the experience was the fact that my mentor had not informed me that I was going to handover the information; as a result I had not mentally prepared myself for it.   I also felt that I needed more time to observe other professionals in the team carrying out their handovers before I attempted to carry out mine.   During the original MDT meeting, I felt that we did not provide enough time to freely interact with Miss Xst to identify other psychosocial needs that could impact on her health. However, in any event, she was unable to fully engage because of her mental state. Turley (2000) suggests that nursing staff should include their interaction with the patient when recording assessment details, which can be used to provide evidence for future planning and delivery of care. Dougherty and Lister (2004) have suggested that healthcare professionals should use listening as part of assessing patient problems, needs and resources.      Analysis The literature regarding communication and interpersonal skills is vast and extensive. Upon reading a small amount of the vast literature available, the student was able to analyse the incident, and look at how badly this situation was handled. I realised communication is the main key in the nursing profession as suggested by Long (1999) who states that interpersonal skills are a form of tool that is necessary for effective communication. I found it difficult to communicate with a patient because I did not understand her condition. It was also difficult for me not to take her behaviour to heart and show emotion at the time, it is clear that this is an area I need to build on for the future. However, Bulman Schutz (2008) argue that this is failure to educate and for us to learn from practice and develop thinking skills. I would agree with them, as I learn best from practical experience, and build on it to improve my skills. With this is mind, I am now going to focus on my weaknesses, in both theory and practice, and state how, when and why I plan to improve on these. Through effective communication I was able to convince Miss Xst of the need to take her medication. I was able to pass on the information to the MDT for continuity of care.     Roger et al (2003) concluded that communication is an on-going process but can be a difficult process when dealing with mental health problems.   During the handover I was pleased that the MDT members were supportive and interested in what I was saying and they asked questions.   The patient had no recollection of what she had said to me and since the incident she has made these comments to other staff, which has put me at ease and made me realise that I had done nothing wrong. My mentor explained that a patient with Parkinsons can often behave like this as they develop dementia, which Noble (2007) also confirms. Since the incident I have read about Parkinsons and am now aware that the patients expressionless face Netdoctor (2008), also made her comments appear more confusing and aggressive. Conclusion   In conclusion, I have learnt that through effective communication, any problem can be solved regardless of the environment, circumstances or its complexity.   Therefore, nurses must ensure they are effective communicators.   I have identified the weaknesses that should be turned to strengths. I am now working on strengthening my assertiveness, confidence and communication skills. Participating in the care of Miss Xst, I have realised that a good background information and feedback about mental health problems before providing care to a clients can assist in accurate diagnosis and progress monitoring.  Ã‚   A good relationship between client and staff nurse is therapeutic and help in building trust.   This can be achieved by a free communication that allows the client to express their feelings and concern without the fear of intimidation.   From the experience, I feel the knowledge I have acquired will aid me in future while in practice should such situation arise again. ACTION PLAN FOR MY LEARNING NEEDS So that I could identify my strengths and weaknesses in both theory and practice easily, I found that the use of a SWOT analysis provided a good framework to follow. I have then built on this by producing a development plan that focuses on my weaknesses and how, when and why I plan to improve on them. I will now begin to work on these, the main reason being of course, that I am determined to be a competent, professional nurse in the future. I am now more prepared for any future patients with this disease as I have researched it. I will take the time to talk to them, to make sure they are at ease with me, before providing any care. If they appear distressed I would get another member of staff to help me to reassure them. Learning Need Planned action to meet this learning need Target time to meet the learning need. To improve my knowledge about patients illnesses and the risks of relapse associated with not taking Medication. Read books about different illnesses and causes of relapse End of third year To identify and have good background information and feedback about patients mental health problems before providing care to them To read my patients notes. On- going To ensure a good rapport exist between my patient and I, in order to build up a therapeutic relationship with them and to gain their trust. I will have regular meeting with my client On-going Effective communication with the patients and other members of the multidisciplinary team A locating time to talk to patients and their relatives participating in the ward round. On-going skills to develop throughout the training. Being prepared Talking with senior members of staff On-going CONCLUSION I have clearly demonstrated that by using a reflective model as a guide I have been able to break down, make sense of, and learn from my experience during my placement. At the time of the incident I felt very inadequate It was also difficult for me not to take her behaviour to heart and show emotion at the time, it is clear that this is an area I need to build on for the future. According to Bulman Schutz (2008), nursing requires effective preparation so that we can care competently, with knowledge and professional skills being developed over a professional lifetime. One way this can be achieved is through what Schon (1987) refers to as technical rationality, where professionals are problem solvers that select technical means best suited to particular purposes. Problems are solved by applying theory and technique. REFERENCES Adams, L. (2008). Mental Health Nurses can Play a Role in Physical Health. Mental Health Today. October 2008 pp27 Barker, P. (2004). Assessment in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Barker, P.   Ed (2003). Psychiatric and mental health nursing: The craft of caring Arnold, London Beauchamp, T. and Childress, J. (2001) Principles of Biomedical Ethics, (5th   Edition): Oxford University   Press. Bolton, G. (2001) Reflective Practice. Writing and Professional Development. Paul Chapman Publishing Limited, London. Bulman, C. Schutz, S. (2008) An Introduction to Reflection. In: Bulman, C. Schutz, S. (ed.) Reflective Practice in Nursing, 4th edition. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp 6 8 Burns, T. Sinfield, S. (2008a) How to organise yourself for independent study. In: Essential Study Skills The Complete Guide to Success at University. 2nd edition. London, Sage Publications Ltd, p 64. Burns, T. Sinfield, S. (2008b) Going to University. In: Essential Study Skills The Complete Guide to Success at University. 2nd edition. London, Sage Publications Ltd, p 16. Dougherty, L. and Lister, S. (2004) Royal Marsden of clinical nursing procedures. 6th edition. London: Blackwell publishers.   Gamble, C and Brennan, G (2005) Working with serious mental illness: a manual for clinical practice. Oxford: Bailliere Tindall. Kenworthy et al (2003) Marrelli, T. M (2004) The Nurse Managers Survival Guide: Practical Answer to Everyday Problems, United States of America : Elsevier Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Code of Professional Conduct NMC: London. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) The Code Standards of conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) Record keeping: Guidance for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council.  Ã‚   Rolfe,   G., Freshwater, D. Jasper, M (2001) Critical Reflection for Nursing and the Helping professor; a Users Guide. Palgrave Macmillan, London. Roger, B. Ellis, Bob Gates, Neil Kenworthy. (2003) Interpersonal Communication in Nursing: Theory and Practice, 2nd edn. Churchill Livingstone, London, UK. Schon, D.A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. Basic books. Harper Collins, San Francisco Schon, D. (1987) Preparing Professionals for the Demands of Practice. Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco, Jossey Bass, pp3 21. Thomas, B. Hardy, S. and Cutting, P. (1997) Mental health Nursing: Principles and Practice London: Mosby Turley, J.P.( 2000) toward and integrated view of health informatics. Information Technology in Nursing 12 (13).

Acid Rain 4 :: essays research papers

The Acid Rain Pain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With scientists and so-called â€Å"experts† on the environment disagreeing on so many issues, it is easy for the public to be lost in the fray of what is truth and what is media hype. Though the term â€Å"acid rain† has been present in our society since the early 1970’s, many people are not exactly clear on what it is what causes it, and the detrimental effects acid rain has on our environment. More confusing than all of the facts and scientific theories surrounding acid rain is the development of a suitable solution to reduce air pollution, which in turn leads to acid rain. Many experts do not agree that acid rain has in fact been caused by man made pollution because of the fact that rain is naturally acidic. This widespread disagreement delayed international action to reduce pollution for some time. However, with the coming of the 1970’s an awareness of acid rain spread, and with that awareness, possible solutions were proposed. The se solutions involved making environmental changes on the international, industrial, and personal levels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just how does acid rain form, and what consequences does it pose to our environment? There are numerous theories as to the cause of acid rain. However, the most prevalent is the theory that electric generating plants, heating plants, and other industrial plants have been emitting an excess amount of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) into the atmosphere. Once these chemicals are in the air, they react with water to form acids and fall back to the earth as precipitation. People who believe acid rain is a natural phenomenon do so because of the fact that carbon dioxide in the air combines with water vapor and produces carbonic acid (Bolch 95).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several environmental risks that come with acid rain. One of these is the acidification of lakes, resulting in the lakes’ inability to sustain the aquatic life. In fact, Norway reported that 18,000 out of 85,000 of their lakes were acidified, and more than half of their fish population has disappeared (Brunee 23). Ground water can also become more acidic because of the way acid rain depletes the natural buffer system of the soil. Studies done in the early ‘70’s indicate immense damage done to the forests, especially in Eastern Europe and in Germany. A sort of â€Å"tree disease† has been destroying a large percentage of the coniferous trees.

Classic 45c Notes

* Female by nature, not by law†¦are supposed to be obedient†¦ruled by men†¦there’s something unnatural about what Antigone is doing†¦. * This play is about gender also * Ismene =ideal woman * Women should be silent and Ismene voices that * Women should be sensible, should be ruled by men * Greek audience at the time is supposed to hate Antigone * Creon he wants to see himself as voicing the opinions of the gods†¦ Antigone also says that she’s working for the divine†¦and that complicates things * Creon stands for the city He aligns his authority with the authority of the gods * He doesn’t think of himself of going against the gods * He has taken over and summoned the people and asked them how he rules†¦.. how does he rule? Notice how he likes public speaking! When the city is suffering†¦. when the city is in trouble, you shouldn’t be silent * The city is at this point in a kind of danger that Creon does not see yet. H e will see it later on†¦. if the city is suffering he wants the people to speak up and take action†¦. he’s not talking about Antigone of course†¦. but she’s doing just that†¦. Loyalty is to the state! Not to another human being! * And yet at the end of the play, to whom does he show loyalty HIS SON * These are his values and he does not abide by his values†¦ * It is not in a way family vs. state†¦. it is family vs. Creon state†¦. this is the state that Creon is organizing†¦.. why does this state have to fall? Not state in general†¦. keep that in mind†¦ * He wants us to see the proclamation coming up is in harmony†¦.. he’s inviting us to see the proclamation: Eteocles will be buried in his grave while Polyneices will not be buried†¦. he is not to be mourned†¦.. Creon uses the future ( Eteocles SHALL BE BURIED†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦) * Antigone uses the past * Another thing we noticed is the cruelty of the ki ng ( you shall watch him chewed up )†¦something that we see rot, devoured, we see the body, he doesn’t belong with the living †¦. or the dead†¦what happens when the body becomes food for the animals * The idea that we’re supposed to watch someone rot, take delight in it†¦. * Someone is going to violate the proclamation, we don’t know who is the criminal†¦we are looking for the identity of the person who has violated the law†¦. what is the crime It looks almost miraculous, someone sprinkled dust over the body and buried it without leaving any marks†¦.. or traces†¦as if the body was visited from above * Chorus wonders if it’s the god’s doings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and Creon loses it when the Chorus says that! * Here’s Creon is arrogant, how can a man know what the gods want? * Both characters act in a way that they think the gods want them to do†¦. * Creon thinks he’s doing all this to please the gods Creon cannot believe that Antigone did the burial†¦. She is his niece and a woman! :O Notice that he’s interrogating and asking for the truth just like Oedipus * Nature is assisting Antigone†¦. ature participates in the events†¦mimicking what Antigone was gonna do with her own hands.. * The dust rising†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦she was about to finish the ritual but then someone removed the dust off the body the second time she visited the body * Why does Antigone abide by the laws of the gods? They are there forever†¦. * Human laws like everything human, are subject to change * Antigone is basically saying Creon’s worthless cause once someone comes after you to rule, things will change * Antigone’s demise and Creon’s demise * Both will have terrible ends Creon thinks that he has supreme power over her, and that power is to kill her†¦. according to the proclamation, whoever †¦they will be stoned to death in public,†¦fate given to he r by man†¦. gender roles is very important * Antigone tries to weaken his powers by put down his laws†¦. saying that his laws are not strong as the gods cause they were there forever†¦whereas his laws are only in effect in his reign†¦. that is one way * Second way is saying that I know I will die†¦. even if you are not the one putting me to death, I will die anyways†¦.. by saying that, she is robbing away of his power†¦. ssentially Creon is only a guy killing her†¦but her death is just gonna come to us†¦. death is part of the universe†¦what makes a difference is that we die naturally or someone is killing us†¦. * And creon’s reaction to antigone’s words is that he’s being lectured by a woman†¦ * Creon’s the man, so therefore he needs to teach this subordinate woman how to behave†¦. * He seems to think that whatever he believes is what the gods and how their people want†¦. identifies the ir wishes with what they think others wishes also * Ismene comes out, shy, obedient, at the end of theplay changes her mind and wants to die with Antigone†¦.. he had a real change of mind namely she saw that what she wanted in the beginning of the play when she was called cowardly†¦. her decision is as cowardly now namely that now she wants to be accused of the burial †¦is that she doesn’t want to be left alone†¦ * LONLINESS†¦. that’s another theme of the play * Antigone enjoys the support of the citizens but dies alone in a tomb * Creon is loathed by his citizens and is also alone when his family is no longer alive†¦he is ruling a kingdom and no one respects him†¦thought to be a corrupt king * Ismene doesn’t want to be alone†¦.. Creon changed his mind so that DEATH is killing her†¦and not him†¦so DEATH will kill Antigone and not Creon himself and that is an act of cowardice†¦. some of the characteristics tr ansfer to other characters * Haemon and exchange between father and son * Antigone is very much the daughter of Oedipus†¦.. Antigone and Haemon never talks†¦or interacts†¦. they never will come together†¦so son goes to talk to his father * What seems to matter to Creon more than anything else is obedience†¦power relationships†¦someone is obeying someone else†¦. e demands obedience from his sons and his subjects†¦ruling both state and family in the same way†¦. he does not differentiate the family and the state†¦.. in EVERYTHING†¦. small and just things and unjust things.. bigs.. that is the problem†¦. it is NOT family vs. state! It’s actually family vs. tyranny / Creon’s state†¦. * Is Creon disobedient? Does he violate his own principle? Yes he is disobedient to himself to his own proclamation†¦. this is to be contrasted to Oedipus†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦what Creon does when Tiresias comes forth†¦.. he cha nges his mind and does something different†¦. he actually tries to save Antigone to which he has condemned her†¦.. Creon thinks that both his family and city as his possession * He does rule the land at someone else’s judgement in the end†¦. by Tiresias †¦.. CONTRADICTIONS AND INCONSISTANCIES†¦. * He is not changing his principles†¦. but the change in action was for personal gain! Had he saved in Antigone, it’s doubtful for him to change his ruling if she even lived†¦. * Unmarried women are put to death in marriage gown†¦.. marrying dead kind of a ritual and so Antigone’s addressing the tomb as the bridal chamber†¦.. she’s having sex with Death, that’s her husband from now on.The idea is that DUE BRIDAL CHAMBER†¦already an emphasis on DEATH, not Haemon†¦ * To die if she so wishes or live†¦. how can she live?! SHE CANNOT LIVE†¦. she does NOT wish to die!!†¦. Creon wants a clean co nscience†¦. he makes it sound like whether Antigone dies or lives, it is up to her or the gods, he has nothing to do with it†¦.. * Antigone put in the tomb, locked inside, left there to die†¦. Polynices and he is not in his tomb†¦notice the unnatural of things†¦a living person taken into tomb†¦. not dead yet†¦a corpse is left outside left to rot†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ * Rituals are important the gods will not listen to the chorus cause of Creon’s past * protecting, shielding himself!†¦ he wants to keep Haemon so he can stay in his throne†¦. not for the sake of his son, it’s for himself†¦ * they might belong to different realms cause Creon does not see what’s going on inside the cave/tomb * Haemon is embracing Antigone, and Creon is asking him to join his father†¦. he would be saying bye to Antigone and joining the father, and also joining the political succession of his father and no love†¦. so what does he doâ € ¦he attempts to kill the father with his swords but fails†¦and cannot touch the father†¦. o far away and even the attempt fails,†¦so the father is still the king and Haemon †¦.. he no longer belongs to anyone†¦. disowns his father†¦. he does not belong with death yet†¦. he leans on the sword (phallic symbol) and kills himself†¦. FULFILLMENT of marriage †¦.. sexual union with Antigone†¦. sword is the phallic that enters him†¦blood is of the woman†¦.. once blood starts coming out, blood drops fall on her white cheeks, break of hymen†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Antigone has never been touched by anybody†¦. Haemon’s body receives the wound * Eurydices kills herself with a knife and Creon is alone Political situation in france in the play * Think about nazi, jews, money, greed, later on before she dies (ring) * Who is the hero? Who is the villain? This makes it harder for us to pinpoint who is who†¦. * Antigone’s stubborn = French resistance * A lot of emphasis on childhood, beauty, purity * Many people who read anouilh’s play doesn’t like her * she goes back and forth a lot * METATHEATER : beyond the theater, outside the theater, something that goes beyond it * watching a play; any kind of comment about the play, about what’s going on†¦second look at what’s going on†¦. Prologue is a character that tells us what is going to happen * Chorus tends to delay, more of a commentary on the action itself†¦ similar function to the prologue in this play * Prologue is commenting on the roles of the characters, basically introducing us to the main actors, he is talking about the situation†¦.. * Page 4: Prologue gives us that insight into Creon’s soul: sensitive man, someone who doubts his political authority, something very important and different from the Sophocles one * Characters are full of self doubt, is a second level situation†¦looking a t what I’m doing and figuring out what I’m doing†¦.. Function of metatheater? The effect? * Conveys a sense of inevitability as if the characters cannot be anything other than what they are†¦they have been given roles†¦.. assigning the roles and they are going to enact the roles and there’s no escaping that†¦ * The idea that theater and maybe life in a totalitarian regime is more like a play†¦if you live in a state where you can die anytime, your life won’t matter much, might as well go out and have fun†¦.. et’s just do what we have to do and get it done †¦get the job done ( what Creon says a lot) and move on†¦truth of life lies elsewhere†¦.. characters talk about the truth a lot here†¦.. Antigone is kind of like that, but the truth she longs for is an illusion and doesn’t exist and all that she has in her life is what exists, nothing beyond that†¦ Prologue†¦. is just like the Greek gods, a kind of fate†¦. Scene between antigone and nurse Nurse doesn’t exist in the original†¦. have Tiresias but not here†¦ it’s the nurse..We are given a first insight of Antigone†¦. she’s rebellious, not sleeping, she’s out†¦god knows where she is Nurse thinks she’s having a boyfriend†¦yet she’s about to be betrothed to Haemon†¦aristocratic women should not behave this way†¦. there’s all this back and forth between them†¦ The Nurse is perhaps.. IS the example of pure love and care in the play, there’s nothing selfish, impure about her†¦. she’s all about selfless giving to Antigone, cares about her, loves her†¦political outsider, has no role, she’s a servant†¦. nothing to gain from the system†¦.. o you might say that’s what is achieved, introducing kindness and goodness into a world where motives are very much fluid, neither Creon or Antigo ne are good or bad, they are deluded†¦. Nurse is not full of Illusion†¦she loves Antigone Antigone Her famous word is saying NO†¦.. no is a word of a rebel†¦. She says yes to the Nurse†¦affirming a bunch of things to the Nurse even though it’s false†¦. we have a bunch of yeses right after the other. Affirming things to the Nurse, denying things to everyone else†¦WHY? Nurse is someone she trusts, not a political authority†¦.. rusts her and not an opposition to her as she is to everyone else, even her sister One of the things we noticed is that the relationship of Ismene and Antigone and how they are different in here than in Sophocles Ismene still the same in which she is opposite of Antigone, follows rules, obedient She understands where Creon’s coming from, but there’s some other stuff too One of them is the BEAUTY contest†¦. Antigone is physically unattractive and Ismene is physically attractive, and there’s a jealousy thing between the two sisters†¦. Haemon is in between†¦.Antigone steps in and uses Ismene’s stuff to attract Haemon STRESSES Nazi’s term of BEAUTY blonde, blue eyes, and not any way dark skin and stuff Ismene is the resemblance of beauty= German Nazis Antigone= French resistance STRENGTH & WEAKNESS Antigone .. not as beautiful as Ismene apparently Antigone’s love for dirt and mud†¦. has a lot to do with her upbringing, was told to do things in a certain order, she was told to be clean, not dirty†¦. keeping surface clean of mud, cover up the imperfections, not let physical ugliness show†¦. Same applies to strength†¦ Person who says no? erson who says yes? Antigone in this play is IN LOVE WITH LIFE†¦she loved life when she was little, but as she grew up, she realized that the world is really corrupt so now she doesn’t really care about dying and she doesn’t others to touch her†¦does that mean Antigon e is in love with death? NO, not exactly, she is tired of living†¦.. a very young innocent Antigone and now that she is an adult, she doesn’t want the world that she sees in her†¦she js doesn’t want to live IN THIS WAY†¦rejecting REGIME†¦German occupation of France, resisting THAT kind of life†¦ Childhood= paradise†¦. or example Antigone just like in Sophocles play buries her brother twice 1st time she buries her brother= just the sprinkling of the earth†¦.. †are you sure it wasn’t an animal that did it? † animal metaphors †¦. THE SPADE†¦little childhood spade†¦rusty also.. we know that this spade belongs to Polynices children are associated with purity, innocence, all these ideas that the Nurse resembles spade= rusting†¦.. playfulness, innocence, lack of care is gone .. it doesn’t exist. uses this to bury the brother second time, Antigone did it with her bare handsAntigone is very much be having like an animal when she is arrested Creon thinks it might have been an animal the first time She behaves like an animal Why would a girl be like an animal? What’s the association with the animal that ends up being a woman Why bring up animals here? Antigone is very much an adolescent, someone who hasn’t grown up†¦.. her using the spade is a sign of someone clinging to childhood, innocence†¦. the animal means she doesn’t want to enter â€Å"society† Nurse gives her little pet names†¦all of them have to do with birds†¦. alls her dove/sparrow/turtle dove†¦.. so that’s another case in the play where Antigone is thought of as a bird, as a non human, term of endearment used by the bird†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦all of them comparing Antigone to a non-human and then we have Creon continuing that later on†¦.. all of these things resemble Antigone as not belonging to society †¦. that and she doesn’t put make up†¦noth ing artificial on†¦sign of clinging to childhood†¦. rejection of artificiality, she’s clean pure, naked†¦.. clings to childhood cause everyone else is an adult * Both Jonas and Antigone are under Creon’s rule Jonas is a guy that says YES†¦doesn’t rebel in any way†¦.. Antigone is the rebel * How does the guards behave†¦. his desire to be on the ruler’s good side†¦promotes himself a lot†¦saying he does his job well†¦. Creon and Jonas are fixated on doing well & being efficient * Creon is very in favor of taking orders and executing†¦Jonas is his subject * Efficiency†¦. every failure was followed by with justifications just in case the king wants to kill you†¦his greed to get more money†¦ * Self promotion, beautifulness, efficiency, desire to be on the ruler’s good side†¦.. nd those are the values that Creon likes and that’s what Jonas displays * We know who did it and now we go to the confrontation between Antigone and Creon * Creon’s obsession with duty†¦. he sees his job as a duty that needs to be executed almost mechanically†¦. Creon has been given the role so he needs to play that role as best as he can†¦it’s all over the play†¦. so a few examples * Creon says that Thebes needs a king with no fuss†¦Ismene’s a sensible person, Antigone’s a irrational person * Creon is the guy that says yes * Antigone’s a person that says no Creon is caring about just DOING THE JOB, doesn’t matter about how it’s done†¦not that kinda guy†¦just DO THE JOB * By doing that, Jonas and Creon is alike * Creon is the lover of CLEANLINESS†¦Antigone is the one that likes to get her hands dirty†¦mud†¦. Ismene is the clean make up etc†¦. make up†¦. Antigone is the natural, and Ismene is not†¦.. * Creon is a practical guy†¦hygiene * **The world is empty of meanin g†¦.. Haemon and Creon are talking†¦Haemon wants someone to look up to, to have values†¦. Creon says that we are alone and the world is empty and you’ve looked up to your father too long * values are what make the world work†¦. ut in the play, if you’re given an order, just go execute it†¦if you want to live and value life, given a task execute that task†¦ * next: keeping quiet†¦is what Ismene shows in both plays†¦. * Creon here does not believe in the gods in this play†¦. he thinks the gods are him in this play†¦absence of the divine completely†¦. gods are actually being ridiculed * Creon: be practical†¦don’t waste time†¦. get married have kids live a happy life and then die * One of the THEMEs: NEGATIVITY†¦fact that she says no all the time†¦. * Antigone thinks she’s the best thing in a corrupt world†¦she will only love a Haemon that is like her†¦

Henkel

Bob Simmons – Strategic Transformation Case Summary: Henkel was a German manufacturer of laundry products. Went public in 1985. In 2008 it was 14 Billion pounds in 125 countries. Majority in EMEA. Most of exe team were German. Organized into three major business units: Adhesive Technologies 48%(glue stick), Laundry and Home Care 30%, Cosmetics/Toiletries 22%. Industry leader in adhesives. Rorsted took over as CEO in 2008. Henkel was reporting comfortable growth and profits with 8% growth.Second half of 2008 global financial crisis and economic slowdown had negative effect on Henkel’s key markets. Shrinking demand and rising costs caused business untis to fall in second half of 2008. Rosted vowed to transform Henkel into a leaner, more performance driven company. â€Å"staying where we are is no longer an option. We either move up or move down: we either become relevant or we will be made irrelevant. â€Å" This case illustrates the transformation of a CEO-led organiza tion driven stretch goals, performance measurement and accountability.Kasper Rorsted become CEO of Henkel, the German personal care, laundry, and adhesive products manufacturer, in 2008, he was determined to transform the â€Å"good enough† corporate culture focused on to win in the fierce competition in the market. In history, Henkel is a comfortable, stable workplace. Many employees have never received a negative performance feedback. To overthrow a generally complacent attitude, Rorsted implementation of a multi-step change initiatives, aimed at establishing a â€Å"winning culture. First, in November 2008, in 2012 he announced a series of ambitious financial goals. With the financial crisis to disrupt the global economy, he reiterated his commitment to these goals, sent a clear signal, Henkel employees and external stakeholders an excuse is no longer acceptable. Rorsted duties launch a new set of five values replace the previous 10 values, these employees can recite the first memory an emphasis on the customer. He also set up a new, streamlined performance management system for evaluating management performance and progress of a four-point scale of potential.The system also includes a forced ranking requirements, requiring a defined percentage of the various business units and company-wide staff was named the top, strong, medium, or low performance. These ratings significantly impact management’s bonus compensation. In this case, where it is needed at the end of 2011, when Henkel is a good way to achieve its 2012 target. Shed nearly half of the senior management team, as the site of many products and brands, Henkel seems to be a leaner, more competitive, â€Å"win† the organization. Hide This case illustrates a CEO-led organizational transformation driven by stretch goals, performance measurement, and accountability. When Kasper Rorsted became CEO of Henkel, a Germany-based producer of personal care, laundry, and adhesives products, in 2008, he was determined to transform a corporate culture of â€Å"good enough† into one singularly focused on winning in a competitive marketplace. Historically, Henkel was a comfortable, stable place to work. Many employees never received negative performance feedback.Seeking to overturn a pervasive attitude of complacency, Rorsted implemented a multi-step change initiative aimed at building a â€Å"winning culture. † First, in November 2008, he announced a set of ambitious financial targets for 2012. As financial turmoil roiled the global economy, he reaffirmed his commitment to these targets, sending a clear signal to Henkel employees and external stakeholders that excuses were no longer acceptable. Rorsted next introduced a new set of five company values-replacing the previous list of 10 values, which few employees could recite by memory-the first of which emphasized a focus on customers.He also instituted a new, simplified performance management system, which r ated managers' performance and advancement potential on a four-point scale. The system also included a forced ranking requirement, mandating that a defined percentage of employees (in each business unit and company-wide) be ranked as top, strong, moderate, or low performers. These ratings significantly impacted managers' bonus compensation. In late 2011-the time in which the case takes place-Henkel is well on its way to achieving its 2012 targets.Having shed nearly half its top management team, along with numerous product sites and brands, Henkel appears to be a leaner, more competitive, â€Å"winning† organization. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales. [email  protected] com to buy additional rights. http://www. ft. com/cms/s/0/6a85b182-1128-11e2-a637-00144feabdc0. html#ixzz2ODYNf8Gg The story.In 2008, Henkel, the German group with well-known brands ranging from Persil to Loctite, had reported comfortable growth and earnings. But its new chief executive, Kasper Rorsted, a Dane who had made his career in big IT companies, thought the 132-year-old, family-controlled company needed to shake off some of its complacency if it was to safeguard its success. * * * * More On this story * Case Study How a publisher exploited a bestseller * Case Study How an outsider institutes change * Case Study If P&C’s improved staff performance Case Study Microsoft Lync’s bottom-up restructure * Case Study How to build a low-cost brand The challenge. Henkel faced several serious issues. For instance, while reporting solid sales, it was less profitable than its industry peers – by a margin of up to 10 percentage points. But the majority of employees did not see any need for change. In fact, one analyst commented that it was characterised by â€Å"complacency and lack of competitive spirit†. Mr Rorsted determined to change the way the company was run and to create â€Å"a winning culture†.The strategy. Mr Rorsted and his new, young team set about introducing changes that would include both tangible financial and performance targets, and an overhaul? of? company? culture. ? Ambitious targets. In November 2008, Henkel announced challenging targets for 2012 that would improve performance but would also energise the organisation by creating a sense of urgency. Targets included an increase in pre-tax profit margins to 14 per cent; in earnings per share; and in sales, to above the market average.In addition, the share of sales in emerging countries would be required to rise from 33 per cent to 45 per cent by 2012. ? Efficiency and focus. With more than 1,000 brands, at least 200 production sites globally, and three separate business units, Henkel was ripe for proposed efficiency measures. These included cutting the number of brands in order to put more m arketing resources behind its strongest labels; consolidating manufacturing sites; and shifting tasks to shared service centres. ? New vision and values.Henkel had a vision statement and a set of company values. But they were neither well-known nor relevant to either day-to-day decision-making or evaluation of employee performance. In 2010, Henkel replaced the original list of 10 values with five new ones – such as: â€Å"We put our customers at the centre of what we do. † To make sure these were communicated to the 48,000 employees, more than 5,000 workshops were held in which managers and teams discussed how the new values could apply to their work and how they could build a more positive company culture. Performance management. Henkel introduced a process to evaluate consistently the performance and potential of all management-level employees. They would be ranked on relative performance, which significantly affected managers’ bonuses. Each individual is revi ewed in â€Å"development roundtables†, interactive meetings where managers review and evaluate their direct reports across teams to create a broader perspective on their achievements, development needs and promotability. What happened.For fiscal 2012, Henkel’s global sales are forecast to exceed â‚ ¬16bn ($20bn), a rise of more than â‚ ¬2bn since 2008, and reach its profit margin target of 14 per cent. Emerging markets now represent 43 per cent of global sales, and more than 50 per cent of employees work in those territories. The number of brands is less than 400 and manufacturing sites have been consolidated by around 25 per cent. Key lessons. To boost performance across a company, communicate a clear strategy that is backed up by setting ambitious targets.Simplify your vision and values, and take time to communicate them to all employees to ensure they provide practical guidance, especially when tough decisions may be needed. To focus everyone on successful ex ecution, use performance management systems that link the evaluation and compensation of key employees to achievement of the new strategy Write down in a sentence or two your definition of a winning culture. What are the things that you like about Rorsted’s approach? What are the risks? Assuming that the 2012 EBIT margin goal is achieved, how should Rorsted

Hottest Product and Services Essay Example

Hottest Product and Services Essay Example Hottest Product and Services Essay Hottest Product and Services Essay Hottest Fashion Whats hot now? One of the most popular current trends is the American Swag this fashion may consist of pastel colors, floral, prints, collars and much more. Also duffer clothing is very popular within the UK at the moment it has taken the UK by storm. Duffer clothing is stylish and comfortable and is a must-have piece of clothing in your wardrobe this year. Hottest Upcoming Angel, often mistaken for a rapper because of his street-like image is what Hot lately. Angels unique talent distinguishes him from other male singers, he brings his Tyler to any genre of music he sings, and some of his hottest consists of Angel Ft Sneak-Ride Out, Angel-wonderful, and many more. Angel has made many well- known artists such as, Wretch 32, Sneak, Chipmunk, etc. One of Angels newest tracks out is to his cover of Cheryl Cole Call My Name. Hes reached over 1,670,000 views and is slowly making his way to the top. Hottest Video Lamebrain Express Yourself He definitely expressed himself for sure in this video! This video has over 3,100,000 views; its colorful, positive, uplifting and inspiring. He stands out from other UK artist and shows his creativity through his music and videos. His video doesnt follow any of the traditional characteristics of a usual I-J artist; it is creative, old school and retro. The actual song express yourself has been remixed by various artist, Lamebrain versions is the hottest so far and has the most originality. His name is Timothy McKenzie but is better known by his stage name Labyrinth, born in 1989, he has achieved two top 10 singles in the UK and has been signed to Simon Swells record label. Many record labels wanted McKenzie as a producer but Jewell signed him as a solo act. McKenzie started his big time career by producing for Master Shorter in his debut album A. D. H. D. , also producing and featuring on Tine Temperas first single Pass Out, which entered the I-J singles charts at number 1 . Lamebrain is an artist you need to know about! Hottest Mixture The hottest mixture out now is Roll Deep No Comment Star by the British group Roll Deep. Roll Deep have managed to produce a perfect mixture. Its a return to good glorious grime music and a reminder of why Roll Deep is so important. Its successful mixture this magnificent, their upcoming album can only be automatically amazing. , No comment star is a testament to Roll Deep, who have now been in the music game for ten years. Unsurprisingly, theyve changed since the beginning, and whilst the sounds and lyrics may not be as edgy, and their clothes may be a bit nicer the fact remains that this is still grime. All in all No Comment Star is a really positive release, to Just for Roll Deep, but also for grime, as it brings the up-tempo hype flavor that have been associated with the genre from the start. Hottest group After they won the Cofactor life has gone so uphill for this group Little Mix , they have made so many new songs and have received over 4,100,000 views. Dreams have really come true for these four girls, they have the latest fashion trends and are making hit after hit. These girls could truly be the next Spice Girls with their flavor and image and really showing that the I-J. Little Mix are the first girl band to win X Factor, also they was formed on x factor and originally auditioned as solo artist ! The band members include Jess Nelson, 20, Peppier Edwards, 18, Leigh-Anne Opinion, 18 and Jade Authorial, 18. Jess, has been in the center of a cyber-bullying ordeal since being on the show. People had been discussing her weight over Twitter. However, the X Factor star has bounced back and is showing the bullies shes proud of who she is! Little Mix is going to go far , watch out for them.

Regretfull stage in life

Regretfull stage in life Three years ago I made a mistake, which brought me a lot of trouble, distrust, and disappointment. It all started when a big famous music artist got a piercing on his lip and after that it became big fashion all around the world, and for me it was something cool but forbidden. In my freshmen year I knew a friend in my grade that had a couple of piercing's, and I once told him that I wanted one in my lip, he said that the person who gave him the piercing was his brother who had a famous tattoo and piercing shop, and if I wanted one he could hook me up and give me one for free. After what he had supposed I started to think, but not thoroughly, and one day I made the decision to get a piercing without permission and hide it from my parents which was not going to work but I did not care.Girl with a Lego earringThe day when I got my piercing, it was a school day; so right after school my friend and I went to his brother's place. When we got there I saw that it was a very clean place, it w as decorated in a very neat and simple way, one of the things that caught my attention a lot, is that there was a lot of diplomas hanging on the walls for piercing and tattoos, I dint know they gave diplomas for that type of things. My friend introduced me to his brother he was a nice guy, and he asked me what size of earring I wanted, I chose one, and he placed it in a antibacterial liquid. While I was waiting, I was sitting in a big dentist stile chair and I stated getting second regret thoughts, but...

Business and Management Free-Sample for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Business and management are interrelated with each other. Application of effective management techniques assists the personnel of panies and organizations to carry out the business activities efficiently. For the achievement of efficiency in business activities, raw materials are a crucial factor (Gollenia, 2016). Within this, adherence to the integrated structure helps the personnel to create and develop effective plans. Involvement of the employees, stakeholders and shareholders within this process helps the personnel to ensure the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed plans in terms of the identified and the specified requirements. Maintenance of consistency in the execution of evaluation brings to the forefront the potential drawbacks in the products and services. Exposure of spontaneity in rectification of the drawbacks reflects the corporate attitude of the personnel (Weske, 2012). Herein, lays the true essence of the aspect of management . All these aspects seem tru e for Westfarmers. Theoretical framework provides a clearer understanding about the basic concepts related to the management of business activities. One of these theories is the contingency theory, which pels the managers to put on their thinking caps in terms of taking decisions for the betterment of the panies and organizations (Fadun, 2013). Maintaining pace with the current trends is an important proposition of this theory. This alignment helps the personnel of Westfarmers to maintain their position within the Australian market. Involvement of the employees, stakeholders, shareholders and agency partners in the decision-making process proves beneficial for Westfarmers in ensuring the effectiveness of the proposed plans in terms of the identified and specified requirements (Wong et al., 2014). Along with the contingency theory, systems theory proves beneficial for Westfarmers in terms of achieving successful pletion of the business activities. Viewing it from other perspectives, systems theory helps the personnel of Westfarmers to ensure the presence of defects within the devices. This reflects the consciousness of the personnel towards bestowing productive energy to the buyers. Hiring experts for detecting the presence of virus attacks or hacking interventions is an indication of effective utilization of systems theory by the Westfarmers personnel. Delving deep into the functionality of Westfarmers, for the production of efficient and productive energy, technologically advanced machines are required (Zhang & Wang, 2012). Negligence in this direction deprives the Westfarmers personnel from getting uninterrupted current flow for manufacturing efficient energy resources. This negligence is also an obstacle in terms of ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal parts of the devices. On the contrary, market research in terms of getting the advanced machines. However, ensuring financial flexibility is crucial for adopting mahines, whih aligns with the modern tehnology (Jeston & Nelis, 2014). Evaluation of the seleted device helps the personnel to ensure the effectiveness and applicability of the selected device in terms of the identified and specified requirements. Maintenance of consistency in the execution of evaluation brings noticeable improvements in the performance of Westfarmers. Exposure of consistency towards the evaluation upgrades the status of the Westfarmers in terms of enjoying petitive advantage over the contemporary brands. One of the noticeable facts within this is the adherence and pliance to the petitive policies, which helps the Westfarmers personnel to indulge into fair trades, transactions and deals with the contemporary brands (Fleischmann et al., 2014). The â€Å"fairness† in the earlier sentence aligns with the factor of quality, which is one of the major factors for attaining customer satisfaction. In order to manage the business activities, Westfarmers personnel abide by an integrated structure. As a matter of specification, within the management e ponents, such as sales, operations, finance and human resource management. Finance is an agent, which aters to the effective management of sales operations and human resource management. Flexibility in the financial aspect helps the Westfarmer personnel to introduce prospective schemes, offers and discounts for the buyers. Simultaneously with the success, failures also find its way. Countering this, emerging successful in ove ing the failures, qualifies Westfarmers as leader within the brands struggling for a firm place in the petitive market of Australia (Becker, Kugeler & Rosemann, 2013). The effective coordination between the functional units of the departments is the keystone towards managing the crisis period. The major drive behind this is the pliance to the risk assessment process, which is assistance towards reducing the i ntensity of the potential risk factors. Identification of the risks and their causes solves half of the problem. Application of known solutions further eases out the process of risk assessment. In case of failures, application of alternate solutions reflects the conscious attitude of the Westfarmer personnel in terms of ensuring the wellbeing of the customers (Weiss, 2014). Along with this, rating the risks projects the confidence of the personnel towards reducing the intensity of the risk factors. Emerging successful in this direction adds value to the roles and responsibilities of the managers. Involvement of the employees, stakeholders, shareholders and agency partners in this risk assessment process helps the organizational personnel in terms of ensuring the effectiveness of the implemented solution for carrying out the business activities (Rosemann & Brocke, 2015). Herein, lays the conjoined significance of business and management. Adherence and pliance to the risk assessment p rocess is an additional assistance in terms of reducing the instances of harassments, discriminations, conflicts among others. Apart from risk assessment, training forms an important ponent for Westfarmers personnel in terms of managing the business activities. Frequent training programs improve the grasping power of the employees on the basic management skills. Providing training to the employees on the operation of the devices brings efficiency in the business activities of the organization. Taking post-training tests enables the managers to test the capability of the employees to make practical application of the learnt skills in the workplace operations (Dumas et al., 2013). Moreover, trainings also prove essential in handling the emergency situations in an effective manner. Provision of adequate motivation and encouragement by the managers generates an urge among the employees to expose better performance. Maintenance of consistency from both sides in this context results in the exposure of professional performance of the Westfarmers personnel. Conscious attitude towards the reduction of carbon and smoke emission enhances the corporate social responsibilities of the organization (Chang, 2016). As a matter of specification, boycotting the utilization of carbon footprints in the manufacture of the energy resources proves advantageous for the organization, Westfarmers in mitigating the health hazards of the customers. This action expands the reputational status of the organization into a widespread one. Exposure of consciousness in this direction uplifts the corporate attitude of the personnel. This results in the establishment of professionalism in the workplace of the organization (Hutt & Speh, 2012). Provision of safe and fortable workplace to the employees results in the outpour of creative output, which takes the organization, Westfarmers to achieve high growth rate and a sound profit margin. Adoption of social media helps the organization, Westfarmers to expand the business. Putting the news of the newly launched devices makes the investors aware of the organizational issues. The means of social media supports the organization to increase the trafficking of the audience towards the brand image (Aalst, 2013). Levying authentic information to the customers, agency partners enhances the brand awareness of the organization. One of the noticeable features about Westfarmers is the effective management of human resources. Provision of training on the effective and judicious utilization of the organizational resources adds efficiency in the business activities. Viewing it from other perspective, this efficiency contradicts the issues of inadequate stock of raw materials. Attaching the concept of soial media here, advertising authentic information about the recruitment process systematizes the management of human resources (Rà ¶glinger, Pà ¶ppelbuß & Becker, 2012). Herein, management and business can be placed in an equal alignment, which establishes relevancy with the requirements of the discussion. Emerging successful in ove ing the challenges attains a different connotation towards management. Herein, the statement, â€Å"Failures are the stepping stones of success†, b es tautologically true. Dedication and mitment towards upgrading the services adds color to the steps, which leads to the path of success. On the contrary, negligence in this direction aggravates the hardness of the stones, which detach the organization from the identified and specified business requirements (Hutt & Speh, 2012). Herein, lays the interplay with the phases of success and failure of the organization, which adds value to the discussion. On the other hand, this interplay can be aligned with the organizational capability to restore lost glory and honor within the petitive ambience of the market. Different parameters of management helps Westfarmers broaden the perspectives of the managers. Risk assessment brings to the forefront the areas on which training needs to be delivered to the employees.   Effective and judicious utilization of the provided training adds efficiency in the business activities of the organization (Chang, 2016). Within this, utilization of the means, such as, social media acts as a promotional activity for the organization in terms of achieving large scale ustomer satisfaction. Specifically, execution of marketing mix supports the organization to align with their mission, vision and core values. Consciousness of the personnel in this direction adds to the organizational culture, which provides a better placement to the organization within the Australian market. Becker, J., Kugeler, M., & Rosemann, M. (Eds.). (2013).  Process management: a guide for the design of business processes. Springer Science & Business Media. Chang, J. F. (2016).  Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC Press. Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., & Reijers, H. A. (2013).  Fundamentals of business process management  (Vol. 1, p. 2). Heidelberg: Springer. Fadun, O. S. (2013). Risk management and risk management failure: Lessons for business enterprises.  International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,  3(2), 225. Fleischmann, A., Schmidt, W., Stary, C., Obermeier, S., & Brger, E. (2014).  Subject-oriented business process management. Springer Publishing pany, Incorporated. Gollenia, L. A. (2016).  Business Transformation Management Methodology. Routledge. Hutt, M. D., & Speh, T. W. (2012).  Business marketing management: B2B. Cengage Learning. Jeston, J., & Nelis, J. (2014).  Business process management. Routledge. Rà ¶glinger, M., Pà ¶ppelbuß, J., & Becker, J. (2012). Maturity models in business process management.  Business Process Management Journal,  18(2), 328-346. Rosemann, M., & vom Brocke, J. (2015). The six core elements of business process management. In  Handbook on business process management 1  (pp. 105-122). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Van Der Aalst, W. M. (2013). Business process management: a prehensive survey.  ISRN Software Engineering,  2013. Weiss, J. W. (2014).  Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Weske, M. (2012). Business process management architectures. In  Business Process Management  (pp. 333-371). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Wong, W. P., Tseng, M. L., & Tan, K. H. (2014). A business process management capabilities perspective on organisation performance.  Total Quality Management & Business Excellence,  25(5-6), 602-617. Zhang, P., & Wang, C. (2012). The evolution of social merce: an examination from the people, business, technology, and information perspective.

Media and Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media and Sexuality - Essay Example Fashion magazines are a good example of how media represents sexuality. With particular interest to the Dolce & Gabbana; we are looking at how fashion will allow me to suppose about the specificity of the visual pleasures and forms of identification that will be extracted from such magazines. The dissimilar consumer habit that is assumed in lesbians and gay men in addition to their reading of fashion images is related to the difference in historical relationship to fashion (Lewis 19). Whatever the fashion, dress has become a huge marker to the identity of the everyday’s lives of gays and lesbians. They have served as an identity to other homosexuals or as a method of passing; for those who may be gay coded. Because of these reason clothes have been so important to the lives of gays and lesbians and so related pages may seem of more interests to them. It has also been an argument that lesbian viewers and readers have always had a mode of selfish identification with images of be autiful women images and producing desires to have or to be the displayed woman. As she gazes at the model she may synchronize at a fantasy level of desire to be like her, a desire to have her, and moreover, a longing to be because she is the receiver of another woman’s gaze. Besides, in the female world the fashion magazine produces logic female desires gazes whether she is consciously lesbian or not. This is referred to as paradigmatic lesbian viewing (Lewis 23). She can be imagining to be looking at the images so as to learn how to make herself desirable for her man. But this does not police the viewer against the lesbian pleasure. Although we are focusing on the lesbian visual pleasures, gay magazines have the habits of illuminating. ... But this does not police the viewer against the lesbian pleasure. Although we are focusing on the lesbian visual pleasures, gay magazines have the habits of illuminating. Previously, the male body has been documented in ways that thought to be connected with the body of the female alone. Gay magazines have done it in the reverse; they seek to sell the idea of homosexuality as a lifestyle which they openly celebrate. They try to make the readers to celebrate and participate in their mainstream culture, rather than to converse to them in an insulate of fantasized gay separation. It means that the advertising revenue is possible, more so when this campaign adverts look to be increasing at homes in a gay venue (Lewis 29). So while looking at the fashion coverage we are viewing it in the increasing queering of the popular gay culture. A single reading experience for a gay or lesbian will engage the reader in reading prevailing representational codes and this may more or less open them to same sex pleasures. To consume a gay or lesbian magazine is therefore, an experience of simultaneous reading with and against the grain. The re-reading of images that were previously consumed is laid with obviously homoerotic connotations in the homosexual context. There has been some debate on the nature of picture presentation in lesbian magazines. Popular lesbian magazines such as diva have brought up the naughty/nice composite of picture presentation that is a signification of the up to date awareness and style of the lesbian dress debates (Lewis 38). A look at the top figures invites a participation and identification. It is the policy of lesbian and gay magazines to use photographs of

Operational Factors of Maritime Theater Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operational Factors of Maritime Theater - Essay Example The fear was that the United Kingdom was fighting a battle too far from home and that its people were the ones that would suffer in the end. In addition, time and space restraints have since resulted in the British resolving to not again enter a situation where their land-based air support was compromised and largely out of range. As a result, the maritime theater expressed by the UK military has greatly shifted as a results of conflict in the Falklands, and this can be reflected by a shift in operational space, force, and time. This discussion will begin with a cursory examination of the situation that resulted in the War in the Falklands. As with most wars, two opposing viewpoints certain resulted in the escalation of tensions between Argentina and Great Britain in terms of the Falklands. Argentina, believing that an island that just rested 200 miles from its coast could not possibly be considered a territory of the UK, which was thousands of miles away. For its part, England argued that the Falklands was parts of its long reaching arm of territories that had held for centuries and, as such, Argentina had no claim to it. Interestingly enough, while other countries were will to assist the UK on the diplomatic front, they were not willing to assist England in any type of physical military response. America, for example, use its strong diplomatic relations with Argentina to argue England’s side, but to no avail. For the conflict to be resolved, England was going to have to go to war on its own, and that it did. This lead to a revaluation of military tactics moving forward as it become evident that it was not feas ible to fight such a conflict so far from the homeland (Hill, 1988). As the Falklands rests in a remote area of the ocean, with Argentina being the closest land mass to it, England was left with nowhere to launch a true land

Pirated Software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pirated Software - Essay Example In fact, it is estimated that 36% of all the software currently used is stolen (Journal of Business 2004). Instead of benefiting consumers, pirated software adds to consumer burden because the profit loss from the sales of this software is being passed on also to them by manufacturers in terms of higher prices (Piracy 2007). Software piracy is defined by Microsoft as the "mislicensing, unauthorized reproduction and illegal distribution of software, whether for personal or business use" (Protect yourself from piracy 2007). It should be noted that once an individual purchase a software from the copyright holder, the package include an end user license agreement (EULA) which provides the software a protection against copyright infringement. It is understood that once a consumer open the software and install it in his/her computer, he will adhere to the EULA. In the common knowledge, pirated software is often understood as counterfeit software which is bought from an illegal seller which reproduced it. This practice is very common in Mexico and China where software is reproduced and packaged in CD cases featuring the original design from the copyright holder. In countries where copyright infringement is often overlooked, pirated software are sold openly in markets. However, pirated software goes beyond purchasing from an illegal seller who reproduced it for a profit.

MIS Usage in Supply Chain Management (SCM) Research Paper

MIS Usage in Supply Chain Management (SCM) - Research Paper Example As the study outlines the use of management of information system in supply chain management of an organization like the police department helps to straighten value chain operations of the organization. Use of management of information system increases the organization’s competence Due to effect of globalization, organizations are experiencing stiff competition from across the globe. In order for such organizations to survive in a global competitive market, there is a dire need for efficiency in the acquisition and distribution of merchandise. From this discussion it is clear that the use of management of information system in the police department assists the department of defense in ensuring that the soldiers have the suppliers they want at the most appropriate time and at the best price. This will ensure the defense force is adequately equipped at all times. Management of information system increases efficiency of the business The organizations are striving for efficiency in their operations. The desire for achieving the best performance has resulted to complication of the processes through which information flows from suppliers to the consumers. Consequently, business managers are developing data bank to assist them in determining their clients and the specific items that those clients would like to purchase. The use of supply chain management in an organization enables supplier improve the market performance by controlling their inventory and at the same time reinforce their interactions with clients. The police depa rtment requires information regarding the type of supplies needed by the soldiers and the time when those suppliers should be delivered. The use of management of information system in supply chain management in the police department is of great significance for increasing performance of the police officers. The management of information system enables the department of defense to control all the data regarding what the department requires and the time when those supplies are needed.

The growing globalization of markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The growing globalization of markets - Essay Example People visiting Cadbury World are provided for a complete experience of the company's chocolate-making process through a detailed tour, which starts from the main exhibitions and culminates to the shop. The company strives to impress on its customers the thoroughness of the activities that compromise its chocolate-making process. Thus, the service concept of Cadbury World is very customer-oriented and informative. In addition, the company also strives to make sure it maintains a happy staff, believing that happy employees result in happy customers. "According to the American Marketing Association, marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services." (SBA, Marketing research.) Although market research is imperfect science, it deals with customers and their continual changes feels and behaviours, which are influenced by innumerable subjective causes. (SBA, Marketing research.) Marketing mix represents the total marketing programme of Cadbury Company. It involves decision, with regards to product, price, place and promotion. Marketing mix serves the linkage between a business firm and its customer. Thus marketing mix is a blending of decisions in the 4 P's. It is a system comprising the subsystems of product, promotion and distribution. These elements of the marketing mix are interrelated because decisions in one area affect the others. Marketing mix is a dynamic concept as it keeps on changing with changes in markets and the environment Philip Kotler has defined the term marketing mix as "the set of controllable variables that the firm can use to influence the buyer's response". (59) The marketing mix denotes a combination of various elements, which in their totality constitute Cadbury's "marketing system". These elements are often described as FOUR P's: Product, Price, Distribution (Place) and Promotion. Concept of Market

Pirated Software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pirated Software - Essay Example In fact, it is estimated that 36% of all the software currently used is stolen (Journal of Business 2004). Instead of benefiting consumers, pirated software adds to consumer burden because the profit loss from the sales of this software is being passed on also to them by manufacturers in terms of higher prices (Piracy 2007). Software piracy is defined by Microsoft as the "mislicensing, unauthorized reproduction and illegal distribution of software, whether for personal or business use" (Protect yourself from piracy 2007). It should be noted that once an individual purchase a software from the copyright holder, the package include an end user license agreement (EULA) which provides the software a protection against copyright infringement. It is understood that once a consumer open the software and install it in his/her computer, he will adhere to the EULA. In the common knowledge, pirated software is often understood as counterfeit software which is bought from an illegal seller which reproduced it. This practice is very common in Mexico and China where software is reproduced and packaged in CD cases featuring the original design from the copyright holder. In countries where copyright infringement is often overlooked, pirated software are sold openly in markets. However, pirated software goes beyond purchasing from an illegal seller who reproduced it for a profit.

The growing globalization of markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The growing globalization of markets - Essay Example People visiting Cadbury World are provided for a complete experience of the company's chocolate-making process through a detailed tour, which starts from the main exhibitions and culminates to the shop. The company strives to impress on its customers the thoroughness of the activities that compromise its chocolate-making process. Thus, the service concept of Cadbury World is very customer-oriented and informative. In addition, the company also strives to make sure it maintains a happy staff, believing that happy employees result in happy customers. "According to the American Marketing Association, marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services." (SBA, Marketing research.) Although market research is imperfect science, it deals with customers and their continual changes feels and behaviours, which are influenced by innumerable subjective causes. (SBA, Marketing research.) Marketing mix represents the total marketing programme of Cadbury Company. It involves decision, with regards to product, price, place and promotion. Marketing mix serves the linkage between a business firm and its customer. Thus marketing mix is a blending of decisions in the 4 P's. It is a system comprising the subsystems of product, promotion and distribution. These elements of the marketing mix are interrelated because decisions in one area affect the others. Marketing mix is a dynamic concept as it keeps on changing with changes in markets and the environment Philip Kotler has defined the term marketing mix as "the set of controllable variables that the firm can use to influence the buyer's response". (59) The marketing mix denotes a combination of various elements, which in their totality constitute Cadbury's "marketing system". These elements are often described as FOUR P's: Product, Price, Distribution (Place) and Promotion. Concept of Market

Attachment in the United States and Amae in Japan Essay Example for Free

Attachment in the United States and Amae in Japan Essay Culture enables people to adjust to their physical as well as social environment. Culture enables the members of society to develop ways of coping with the exigencies of nature as well as ways of harnessing their environment. People also have to learn to relate themselves with others in order to survive. As Schwartz (1998:48) pointed out, the culture of any society represents an adaptation or adjustment to the various conditions of life, including their physical, social, and supernatural environment. No culture is completely static. Every culture is in constant flux; and the changes represent adjustments to the environment. Culture changes at different rates. The changes occur as a result of discoveries, inventions, and cultural borrowing. In some areas, control of the natural environment has been pursued to a point that the society has become endangered. Natural resources, such as bodies of water, forests, plant and animal life and minerals, have been so exploited that the environment is close to destruction. The acceptance of change depends on the exposure of the members of society to new ideas and ways different from their own and their opportunity to accept ideas and ways through diffusion. United States and Japan are belonging to different continents, locations and have different set of people; however, these two countries have similarities in some ways. Its people adapt and practice different cultures. Its culture shapes the behaviors and characteristics of its people that will make them noticeable that these groups of people are come from United States and Japan. Thesis Statement: This study will conduct a cross cultural psychology comparison of Attachment in the United States and Amae in Japan; thus, describes its functions, similarities and differences. II. Discussion A. Its culture, similarities and differences o United States There are a lot of groups of people that reside in United States; whites made up 83. 2 percent of the populations; blacks 11. 7 percent; American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts 0. 6 percent; Asian and Pacific Islanders 1. 5 percent; and other nonwhites 3. 0 percent. The nonwhite groups are concentrated in various parts of the country. Freedom in matters of education and the right of every child to have an education are basic principles in the United States. Unlike many other nations, the United States does not have a central or federal system of education, Establishing and administering public schools is one of the powers exercised by each state (Fritsch, 2001). The state, in turn, delegates much of this responsibility to local school districts. Literacy in the United States is high just like in Japan. In comparison to Japan (which only has two major religions), no other country in the world has a greater variety of religions, communions, denominations, and sects than the United States. More than 220 religious bodies report membership figures. Nearly all branches of Christianity and almost all Protestant denominations are represented. Japan and United States has the same views when it comes to religion (Katzman, 2003). The United States also believe that religious freedom and separation of church and state should be made. Government cannot interfere with religion or show preference for one religion over another. It cannot set up an official, or established, church, nor give support to any religion or to all religions. In the early days of the republic, United States artists and writers were generally regarded as inferior to those in Europe. Be the end of the 19th century, however, an independent national literature of high quality had been established by renowned writers (O’Neill, 2004). Music in the United States was strongly influenced by European music, and study in Europe was considered a necessary part of musical training far into the 20th century. America’s most influential contribution to music was jazz, a form originated by blacks and based on African rhythms. The musical which evolved from burlesque and operetta, was another American innovation. For many years, architects in the United States simply adapted European styles to American climate, landscape, and materials. The favorable economic position and amount of leisure enjoyed by the people of the United States give them unusual opportunities for recreation. Paid vacations became the rule for most industrial and office workers. The most popular outdoor spectator sports are football and baseball. Horse racing and automobile racing have large followings (Kurelek, 2005). o Japan The Japanese people are largely of Mongoloid stock, but little is known about their specific origin. Successive groups of migrating Asians from the mainland are believed to have settled on the islands some time before 300 A. D. Confronting them were the islands’ earliest known inhabitants— the Ainus, a Japanese people have developed from the mingling of these different ethnic groups. Only a few hundred full-blooded Ainus remain, on Hokkaido. Japanese culture is partly of Chinese origin and partly indigenous, for the Japanese adapted and did not merely imitate the culture of the mainland. Since the middle of the 19th century, Japan has been influenced more by the culture of Western countries than by that of its neighbors (Morton, 2004). Adoption of many Western ways produced sharp contrasts between the new and the old. Buildings and clothing, for example, are now seen in both traditional and Western styles. Among forces that have helped to mold the Japanese character are Buddhist, Shinto, and Confucian religious beliefs, the effects of a long feudal period, and the influences of the Japanese industrial revolution. With industrialization came a change from rural to urban living. American influences have been particularly strong since World War II (Smith, 2005). Moreover, its art has been strongly influenced too by Chinese art. From the mainland came the technique of ink painting on silk and the Buddhist influences in sculpture and painting. Flourishing throughout Japan are no, classical plays in which the actors wear masks depicting their character; bunraku, puppet plays; and kabuki, drama with stylized chanting and dancing. An important part of Japanese culture is the tea ceremony, a highly formal ritual, of which there are many variations. As a way of entertaining guests, it is regarded as the best expression of traditional etiquette. Some of the traditional arts—especially classical Japanese music and dance and the tea ceremony—are part of the repertoire of geisha, female entertainers who perform for groups of men. In addition, the family is a traditional and strong institution in Japan. It has a formal structure with authority vested in the male head of the family. The wife is expected to be subservient. Children learn discipline and their respective roles in the family at an early age. Sons are given preference over daughters, and the eldest son is superior to all others (Elkin, 2004). However, many of the more repressive aspects of the family, such as that of parents determining marriages, have weakened since World War II. Japanese homes are noted for their simplicity. Nearly all are built of wood. In many homes, paper-covered wooden frames, called shoji, are used for windows and doors. Being light and easily moved, they allow much of the house to be opened to the out-of-doors. Some homes are adjoined by landscaped gardens. Rooms usually have thick mats, called tatami, on the floor and very little furniture (Elkin, 2004). With regards to Japanese language and religion, the Japanese language is unrelated to other Oriental tongues. However, it is written in characters that originally adapted from Chinese writing. Furthermore, like in the United States, the Japanese constitution provides for freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The two major religions are Shinto and Buddhism. Many Japanese adhere, in varying degrees, to both. With regards to their education, six years elementary education and three of lower secondary school are free and compulsory for children 6 to 15 years of age. At the three-year upper secondary schools, tuition is charged. Education in Japan is highly competitive, and admission to upper secondary school and to college is determined by rigorous entrance examination. As a result, many Japanese children spend their after-school hours attending jukas, â€Å"cram† schools that specialize in preparing students for entrance examinations and other school tests. Japan has virtually no illiteracy (Christopher, 2003). III. Conclusion In conclusion, as I study the two different cultures, I have realized that United States and Japan have some similarities when it comes to their origin. Japan was most influenced by the Westerners and its origin was contributed by other indigenous groups and so is with United States. Everything that we can see from the Japanese and American culture are already been modified by other influences. However, in spite of the strong adaptation of different culture, Japanese remained their being family-oriented. They value the essence of having a united family; thus, a well-structured family role is formed so that each member can have its function. Unlike with the United States, it is very much influenced by the European settlers and based their competencies in European countries. Its culture is more focused on its development to the extent that internal competencies are suffered. I would say that Japanese culture is superb compared to United States because Japan is able to maintain their traditional ways in spite of economic development. Reference: 1. Fritsch, A. J. (2001). The Ethnic Atlas of the United States (Facts on File). 2. Katzman, D. M. (2003). Plain Folks: the Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans (University of Illinois). 3. O’Neill, Thomas. (2003). Back Roads America: a Portfolio of Her People (National Geographic Society). 4. Kurelek, William (2005). They Sought a New World: the Story of European Immigration to North America (Tundra Books). 5. Morton, W. S. (2004). Japan: Its History and Culture (McGraw-Hill). 6. Smith, R. J. (2005). Japanese Society: Tradition, Self, and the Social Order (Cambridge University). 7. Elkin, Judith. (2004). A Family in Japan (Lerner). 8. Christopher, R. C. (2003). The Japanese Mind: the Goliath Explained (Linden Press).