What is Jane Austins Naratology Essay Example

What is Jane Austins Naratology? Essay Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novel Pride and Prejudice was written between October 1796 and August 1797, but it was published in January 1813. This female novelist is considered to be a rebel within the norm and her works will show a very interesting ambivalence between the restrictions of society, which she regarded, and the freedom of her mind. The purpose of this essay is to show this ambivalence in the novel. To do so, we are going to base our analysis on the narratological level, a method of analysis which will help us discover Jane Austenà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s complexity. Pride and Prejudice is a very complicated novel. It has an incredible number of characters whose lives get mixed throughout the story. It would be impossible to analyse each of these characters and their functions in the novel, so we will concentrate mainly in two: Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. The first is the second eldest daughter of the Bennet family and the latter is a rich gentleman who, in the end, will become Elizabethà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s husband. My hypothesis in this essay is: to what extend does the character of Elizabeth Bennet manipulate the readerà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s opinion on Mr. Darcy, and other minor charcters surrounding them? The answer, as I will prove, is that, in my opinion, Elizabeth only manipulates us at the beginning, when we get to know her, and that is just because we do not know what she is trying to do. I am going to concentrate my analysis in the first part of the novel, that is to say, the first 35 chapters. Narratology will be my method, so we will have to distinguish between narrator and focaliser in the novel to get to the answer I mentioned before. Those two names stand for the one who tells and the one who sees respectively. The one who sees, the focaliser, will be our main concern when analysing the novel, because focalization is the most subtle means of manipulating the information presented to the reader.1 We will write a custom essay sample on What is Jane Austins Naratology? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What is Jane Austins Naratology? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What is Jane Austins Naratology? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of the novel. She manipulates the elements of the fabula, the way in which the elements of the story are presented, to create certain impressions on the reader. Then, she is the focaliser whereas Mr. Darcy is going to be her object of focalisation. When I say that she is the focaliser, I mean that we are going to see everything that happens through her eyes, from her subjectivity. That is why she can manipulate what we think of other characters, and specially of Mr. Darcy, although she cannot do it for long as I said before. Her position with respect to Darcy is that of inferiority in a sense. She knows she is a very clever woman, but at the same time, she also knows that he belongs to a higher social status, so she is afraid of what he might think of her. She would like to have someone like Darcy, but maybe she cannot succeed. That is why, her first reaction towards him is of absolute despise. Inequality and fear are the psychological attitudes sh own towards the object of focalization. Mr. Dacy appears for the first time in the novel in chapter 3, where we have a full description of him: the gentleman pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared that he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley?. Here, we see a quite straightforward description, the verbs used are to pronounce and to declare. These two verbs do not imply any interpretation of him, they just suggest mere actions. But if we continue reading, we get verbs such as he was looked at and he was discovered to be proud. The question that arises now is: who is looking at him or discovering something in him?. The focaliser is the answer. But, who is it?, Elizabeth?, all the ladies at the party? The author? A mixture of all?. I would say that we are watching him through Elizabethà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s eyes. She is at the ball where Mr. Darcy is, and she is going to be rejected by him a few lines later. That is how she manipulates us. We do not know that he will despise her yet, but she is giving us a bad impression of him beforehand so that we start detesting him, just as she does. On the contrary, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcyà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s male opposite in the novel, is the one to be liked. He is an agreeable man and he also likes Jane Bennet, Elizabeth eldest sister, so we end up thinking he is much better than Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth felt Janeà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s pleasure. Again, Elizabeth feels what the reader is supposed to feel. We are under her perception of events. In chapter 6, Elizabeth talks to her best friend Charlotte Lucas. In this conversation, we just get Elizabethà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s perception of what happened at Meryton. She gives us her opinion of what her sister Jane feels, although we do not listen to Jane herself. At the beginning of the chapter, Elizabeth still saw superciliously in their treatment of everybody that is to say, she does not like those at Netherfield and so, she makes sure that we are going to share her perception. We do not question her, because all we hear and see is what she hears and sees. Now, Mr. Darcy is somehow attracted to Elizabeth, and he tries to dance with her, but she is very proud and will not consent. We are force to think that he is the proud one, although she is just the same. She is just full of what she detests: prejudices and pride. In chapter 9, we find the lady Bennets at Netherfield. Jane is ill so she has to stay there. Elizabeth proves herself to be a great observer of characters. In this chapter, Elizabeth even explains Mr. Darcyà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s words. At one point, she says to her mother you quite mistook Mr. Darcy How is it possible that everyone misunderstands information but her? We start thinking that she is neither honest nor objective. This forms part of irony, very much enjoyed by Jane Austen. Elizabeth thinks she is very clever nad objective when analysing someoneà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s behaviour. Here is where we find irony, the author is just using her to make a fool of those kind of women who think that their judgements are the only valid ones. This irony places us at the same level, we share Elizabethà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s views, so we are also fools at the beginning. What is important is that we have to realise that we are being manipulated, so we have to think for ourselves forgetting about Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet says at one point everybody is to judge for themselves but we do not pay attention to these surrounding comments because we are too much bewildered by what happens to Elizabeth and what he thinks about it. The manipulation of the focaliser is so subtle, that we do not realise we are being manipulated. At the opening of chapter 10, Mr. Darcy is writing a letter while Elizabeth is busy with some needlework. Miss Bingley is sitting near Darcy criticising his handwriting. Once more, Elizabeth will try to manipulate our perception of both characters. Elizabeth took up some needlework and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion By using the verb amused we get the idea of something interesting, of something worth being listened to and then laughed at or criticised by our minds as readers as well.

ATOM PRIOR TO 1900 essays

ATOM PRIOR TO 1900 essays In the 5th cent. B.C. the Greek philosophers Democritus and Leucippus proposed that matter was made up of tiny, indivisible particles they called atom, or in Greek "a-tomos". The reason why they assumed this is because nothing can come from nothing. Democritus believed that all atoms were firm and solid, but they could not all be the same. If all atoms were identical, there would be no satisfactory explanation of how they could combine to form everything in different shapes. Democritus concluded atom with these ideal qualities: invisible because of their extremely small size indivisible as their name indicates eternal because they are perfect surrounded by an empty space (to explain their movement and changes in density) having an infinite number of shapes (to explain the diversity observed in nature) Around 1803, John Dalton (1766-1844) developed the first useful atomic theory of matter. In the course of his studies on meteorology, Dalton concluded that evaporated water exists in air as an independent gas. Solid bodies can't occupy the same space at the same time, but obviously water and air could. Dalton reasoned that if the water and air were composed of discrete particles, evaporation might be viewed as a mixing of water particles with air particles. He performed a series of experiments on mixtures of gases to determine what effect properties of the individual gases had on the properties of the mixture as a whole. While trying to explain the results of those experiments, Dalton developed the hypothesis that the sizes of the particles making up different gases must be different. In 1808 Dalton's A New System of Chemical Philosophy was published. In this book he listed the atomic weights of a number of known elements relative to the weight of hydrogen. His weights were not ent irely accurate but they form the ba ...

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Research Proposal - Essay Example While a minimum amount of mobility of faculty is healthy, high rates of turnover exist and entrances are not favourable. The departure of any faculty member disrupts the teaching and research program and leaves the students without any familiar advice. High turnover usually leads to soaring administrative cost requirement for recruitment, selection of faculty, training and development of the new faculties. In addition, the remaining faculty shoulder the increased workloads without any increase in pay. The turnover rates can affect the prospective employees of the universities and leave a negative impact. High turnover is often associated with poor productivity, lesser job satisfaction and also stress among the members. The disruption and cost of faculty turnover has also lead to other undesirable outcomes which tend to be less noticeable than dispirited and overworked remaining faculty. In a survey conducted by Virginia University, it was analysed that the computer science department had the highest rate of turnover and the female’s undergraduates represented the highest rate of turnover. The unwanted outcome which gets associated with turnover often get exacerbated when faculty for replacement are hard to find (Cohoon, Shwalb & Chen, 2003, p. 1). According to a study conducted in Texas it was analysed that the faculty turnover rate averaged to about 6% for public universities and is said to have remained unchanged from the fiscal year 1999. The faculty turnover is lower at better and larger established universities. It was found that universities with 500 tenured had overall turnover rate of about 5% and it was 7% for other institutions (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2001). Faculty turnover has different meanings at different ranks. For example, at the level of assistant professors, turnover reflects voluntary movements with respect to other institutions and involuntary mobility and at this stage it reflects voluntary mobility. At the profe ssor level, it reflects voluntary mobility and also retirement decisions. Studies have suggested that, in addition to other factors, the faculty member’s salary is one of the major influences leading to faculty turnover but no study has yet addressed the extent to which the salaries or compensation tends to affect the faculty turnover rate (Ehrenberg, Kasper & Rees, 1990, p. 3). As per research, it was found that the reason for faculty members to stay or leave depends on the age of the professors. The relation between the age of the faculty and rate of turnover tends to follow a U-shaped curve as researchers have found that younger members have a high rate of departure, which declines during mid-career and rises again during retirement period (Ingersoll, 2001). As per the findings from other universities, most of the universities have researched and found the reason behind the high rate of turnover mainly through primary research based on questionnaires. The respondents will be the senior professors, associate professors and also the assistant professors. The same technique was used by Texas Higher Education to arrive at the conclusion as to why the turnover rate was high (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2001). Similarly, the Patriot University in Boston would follow the same technique to determine the problem statement of high turnover rate at the University. Research

Organizational Behavior Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Behavior Analysis - Assignment Example Understanding and appreciating the organizational behaviour thus helps a manager in an organisation to understand the behaviour of others in the same organization. For example, in some organizations, the managers are directly responsible for the behaviour of some of the employees, such as their immediate subordinates. Some of the usual activities of managers include motivating the employees, designing the job roles properly, resolving any kind of conflict in the workplace, evaluating the performance of the employees and helping the employees to achieve the set goals and objectives. The managers can also make use of the knowledge that they have to understand, in a better way, the behaviour, needs, feelings and thus motivate and help employees in the decision making processes and other aspects (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011, p. 6). Therefore, in order to effectively analyze various behavioral components within an organization, the following features are analyzed and discussed in detail. Typ e of culture Organizational culture can be defined as a system of beliefs and shared values which tend to develop within the organization and thus guide the behavior of the members and employees. The importance of the organizational culture along with its contribution is well established. A sound organizational culture is one of the most critical factors that are required in order to determine the attitude for survival in the long run and also towards creating a brand image and it is said to have profound negative as well as positive implications. Organizations tend to contain both informal and formal groups where the formal groups form the structure of the organization by establishing job designs and work responsibilities. The behavior of the individual in the formal group is thus intended and predetermined for achieving the organizational goals. On the other hand, informal groups tend to be coalitions which are neither established within the organization nor structured officially (Loughran, 2007, p. 16). Cultures are broadly divided into various classifications but this paper deals primarily with three forms of culture that are Pluralism, Dualism and Salad Bowl. Cultural Pluralism is of two types: descriptive and participative; out of which the first type of cultural Pluralism is conceptualized as the co-existence of various cultures within the same society and only a little interaction tends to occur among the separate elements. Each of the elements thus concentrates on maintaining their own culture and language in order to imbibe its own heritage in the future generations. The form of cultural pluralism tends to assume that the society is culturally pluralistic, but, at the same time, the individuals are not pluralistic. Therefore, the descriptive form of cultural pluralism tends to imply the coexistence of religious, political, ethnic and racial groups which live together and allow each of the groups to maintain and function itself. Cultural pluralism is another perspective that can be conceptualized not just for the society but also for the individual members. In the second case of cultural pluralism it tends to carry out the description provided by Pratte, as â€Å"positive of hurrah connotation.† As cultural pluralis

Does Prayer Make a Difference for Patients Research Paper

Does Prayer Make a Difference for Patients - Research Paper Example The supervisor asked her if there was any evidence to ascertain the benefits of prayer therapy on the health of patients. This incident triggered the search for evidence-based practice for prayer therapy and the results of the literature review and implications for practice are described below. Several research studies have been conducted to ascertain the benefits of prayer therapy with reference to patients. However, for evidence-based practice, only some studies can be taken into account. The gold standard for any evidence-based practice is randomized controlled trials which when performed with optimized research designs that can answer pertinent questions. However, meta-analysis and a systematic review have topped the hierarchy list and when present, they are preferred to randomized controlled trials (Evans, 2003). It is interesting to note that prayer does not only have therapeutic effects on those who pray, but also on those who are prayed by other people who do not actually kno w them. According to Hefti and Koenig (2007), "active prayer within the framework of a doctor-patient relationship can strengthen the patient's optimism and activate the body's healing resources." The first randomized controlled study evaluating the benefits of prayer therapy was studied in 1988 by Byrd. The study was conducted on 393 patients admitted to the coronary care unit of San Francisco General Hospital at San Francisco. In this study, the intervention group received structured intercessory prayers by persons unaware of them. Results of this study pointed to the benefits of intercessory praying in decreasing hospital course scores.

Discuss the Motivation for International Strategic Alliances

Discuss the Motivation for International Strategic Alliances Discuss the motivation for international strategic alliances ABSTRACT: To establish traditional international business in the market, businessmen do apply different strategies and one of the most common and emerging strategies that are being used now is the international strategic alliance. To study the ‘motivation of international strategic alliance, it has been made to systematically define the term ‘motive. This paper argues those studies of motivation of international strategic alliance, their advantages and disadvantages and how they are becoming beneficial in the global market place. This paper is an initial step to understand the definition of motivation in terms of the international strategic alliance by using the firms that have used this strategy. INTRODUCTION: An alliance can be defined as a business to business collaboration. In an alliance two or more companies agree to work together to achieve a common goal while not losing their individuality. Strategic alliance helps the both parties to gain the complementary strengths. Companies form alliances for joint marketing, joint sales or distribution, joint production, design collaboration, technology licensing and research and development. Strategic alliances have different forms, Contractual (non-equity- based) alliances (Alliances which are based on contracts and which do not involve the sharing of equity), Equity-based alliances (Strategic alliances which involves the use of equity), Cross-shareholding (Both partners invest in each other). ( Peng Mike W. Global Strategic Management, Second Edition, page 219) One form of Equity-based strategic alliances is the joint venture. The formation of the alliance is rich and fragmented. One of the main reasons behind the collaboration is to gain the competitive advantages. According to Williamson â€Å"Intermediate asset specificity and low uncertainty are conditions that may lead to a preference for hybrid forms of governance structure over both arms length transactions and internalization† (Williamson, 1991). Increasing the strategic alliances is one of the fastest trends in the business today and it is becoming an essential driver to grow for every industry. One of the main goals to form a relationship with other companies is strategic alliance where they combine the skills and expertise of the both companies and gain the cooperative venture. Then they enter the international market and share their costs. MOTIVATION for STRATEGIC ALLIANCES in the INTERNATIONAL MARKET PLACE The growing international marketing is becoming the norm in this time and these partnerships are leveraging the growth through alliances with international partners, where the both companies merge and gain the competitive advantage. They do it by licensing agreements, cross shareholder deals, cooperative arrangement and joint ventures. Rather than taking risks and wasting their time and investing a huge amount on of money for gaining this competitive advantage in business, they are entering the international markets by finding an appropriate alliance which is operating in the same market in another country. So they enter the market that they desire to enter and the main reason behind this is to share the knowledge, skills and expertise and also to gain the marketing advantage in the world. And its becoming another strategy to defeat the monopoly business in the global business within fraction of time, for example collaboration of Sony and Ericson. In the view of traditional industry, firms are independent and emphasize on maximizing their own performance. As competition in the market shrinks the profits of firms, they do not rival always against one another. For instance, in 1983 Toyota and GM establish a horizontal alliance on a limited basis to accomplish different targets of manufacturing small cars in the US. The intention of Toyota was to gain knowledge of running business in the American market. On the other hand, Gms objective was to learn manufacturing small cars profitably. Sometimes high entry barriers discourage individual companies. In that circumstance companies can build strategic alliances and networks to level this fence. Firms convert the relationship with suppliers to a mutual assistance and knowledge sharing, previously which was based on hard-bargaining. This liaison is known as upstream vertical alliance. In this case companies do not consider suppliers as threats. In the same way, now, downstream vertical alliances can bind the central firms, buyers and distributors together rather than treating them as possible threats. The market potential pushes the firms on alternative products to establish strategic alliance and networks to materialize the commercial prospective of new products. According to Resource-based consideration firms can get benefited from the alliance through value creation. â€Å"First, alliances may reduce costs, risks and uncertainties. Second, Alliances allow firms to tap complementary assets of partners. Third, alliances facilitate opportunities to learn from partners. Finally, â€Å"real option† an option is the right, but not obligation, to take some action in the future.† Real option gives the opportunity to the firms when they are not sure whether they will do acquisition or merge. The companies just need to pay a tiny portion of their assets (known as deposit). Through this temporary alliance they will judge its future profitability. If they are not satisfied, they can easily leave. There is no obligation to go on with this alliance or take further actions. Institutional based consideration includes two categories Formal Institutional based consideration and Informal Institutional based consideration. According to Peng â€Å"Strategic alliances and networks function within formal regulatory and legal frameworks.† In some countries, Governments impose restriction on Whole Owned Subsidiaries. In that circumstance international firms have only one option, which is, to make an alliance with a local firm in order to enter that market. Peng says â€Å"Informal institutions centre on collective norms supported by a normative and cognitive pillar.† When a firm decides to move on its own, it faces pressures and criticisms from peer, analysts, investors, and the media. In that situation firms make collaboration with other firms to enhance or protect its image in the market place. The firms do choose the target market they want to enter. After choosing the target market they come up with a strategic plan which will suit in the international market. They use all resources of both companies to exploit the existing resources and explore the new opportunities; the main concern for this exploitation is to increase the productivity and efficiency using the current employed capital and assets thought standards. When the both companies are big in size their integration level is also high which, vise versa, makes the higher level the degree of control. The difference between the integration and degree of control is making motivation for forming this strategic alliance. The ADVANTAGES of STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Many start-up companies do focus on emerging into the market and gaining a competitive advantage in the international market to beat the monopoly business around the world for the same products and nowadays it is becoming the most useful strategy to gain this competitive advantage. By which a firm can enter the target market faster and with less risk on the investment. Businesses use strategic alliances to: scope and speed the business process achieve advantages of scale in international market increase market penetration among other companies increase the competitiveness in domestic and global markets enhance product development by sharing the skills, knowledge, technology develop new business opportunities through new products and services and make it more competitive in the world market expand market development fast increase exports diversify create new businesses gain completive advantage in cost diversification into new markets improve cash flow Ability to move quickly The motivation of forming the international strategy varies from one country to another country. The main focuses of the join venture of the companies are to represent the companies in the various countries. But as the days passed the definition has changed because of the activities which became more prevalent. Because the international market the alliance can impart to the company in a relative advantage in size or by the size which makes the process to go faster or in other words it provides compliments to the areas which they are lacking. The motive behind increasing the international strategic alliance is not only gaining profit. The other factor which motive them are the competition among the competitors the fast changing market place industry convergence For an example an alliance between Sony (which is Japanese company, it was an electronic consumer company) Ericson (a Swedish telecommunication company) both giant companies planned to get an advantage in production and development which will prove their marketing skills. So once the joint venture is done with a legal manner it is similar in nature to a partial acquisition in consideration for shares. Because this combination has created the transaction, combining the relative advantages of both parties and ties their future together. They stopped making their own phones. They started to share their expertise and they have a research development teams in United States, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The both companies were profitable on the first year but they had to face huge loss because of lack of investment and strategic plan. Once they have injected the money into their joint venture and came up with new idea which was to launch the built-in-digit al camera and with high features they started to enter to the market back but it still were a huge loses for them. So having the same strategic plan this joint venture did not work. They were struggling for the first three years. But walkman phones made them successful and made the 4th position in the world again. So here it proves that the giant companies do merge to gain competitive advantage but it is not always threat to the other companies which are already leading. It totally depends on the strategy they follow and implement. The DISADVANTAGES of STRATEGIC ALLAINCE Alliances are risky in term of cost, the reason is not due to cash being involved with another company and its not being in the companys hands, but it is due to returns from which they will get. First of all the company is to go throw the join venture which involves the investment. When a proper set of contracts, various transfer prices and incentive schemes from the partners to the joint alliance resolve most conflicts, most of the joint venture manages to entirely avoid conflicts between its respective parties. Managing the managerial position of both companies and resolving the possible conflict from the both parties due to the location and other factors of international market, Financial blocking is one of the major disadvantages in the international strategic alliance. Because most of the companies do not want to disclose their financing operations. For example, an alliance with SonyEricsson in the area of cellular communications could reduce the likelihood of contracts with Nokia, thereby putting the company at risk that if Ericsson is weakened, so will be all the companies that depend upon it. Alliance between competitors can be risky. Firms can access to the information, technology, business strategy, and database of each other. Therefore they acquire the knowledge of another company. One firm can plan to excel other firm by achieving the knowledge and skills of other firms business tricks. And then it can drop the other firm and may use the strategy against this firm. Strategic partners are often led by the company which is stronger in the international market. But they should come up with something unique by merging the both companies rather than starting from a start-up. But this strategy dose actually work with the every company depending on the market and company, like SonyEricsson came up with mobile when they merge but it was a huge loss in the market . They started losing their shares rather then gaining it. And it affected the job market. So they later on came up with cyber shoot which was the turning point of their company and also the walking walkman, which was different product then they used to launch. Because their main focus was to make competitive cell phone. But by the cyber shoot they have entered the market and now they are one of the giant companies with 4th position rank in the world. Sharing profits is another disadvantage. The revenue is being divided and goes to different country which does not help the country to boom up. But it dose have a great impact on it The decision is to be made by the both parties so there are always barriers for future financing opportunities. The distraction is the main disadvantage. The top level management is to take decision on behave of the both countries so they are to keep all the time in mind thinking about their own country when ever they are making decision. The both parties do not think alike because of the distraction that they are around by the competitors. As two or more companies are joint in this alliance, the decision is to be taken jointly so there is always a headache from the other partner. Because of the way they want take the company may not agree. To keep this mutual decision, the companies are to go through all this unexpected disappointments. Conclusion: The strategic alliance is one of the most implemented strategies in the global competitive market. And it is one of the mostly common used strategies which have an effect in the market to boom up the economy of a country. It has created the bond between the geographical territories. Where they can share their competitive advantages and bring out new polices and products for the consumers and increase the job market in this world. The advantages for this alliance is more then the disadvantages. So people are coming up of new policies where they can hide the disadvantages compared to the advantage. According to Pekar and Margulis â€Å"The fundamental purpose of an alliance is to facilitate collaboration and varying degrees of integration between companies without necessitating a merger or an acquisition, though it can often lead to a merger or acquisition. Bibliography Hill, Charles (2005), â€Å"International Business Competing in the Global Marketplace† Peng Mike W. â€Å"Global Strategic Management†, Second Edition, (page 216-240) http://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v33y1996i3p301-332.html http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/leadership/strategicalliances.html http://www.corporate-partnering.com/info/strategic-alliances-advantages-and-disadvantages.htm http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkhtmlcontentId=1515040 www.faqs.org/abstracts/Business-general/Strategic-motives-for-international-alliance-formation-The-limits-of-employee-involvement-profit-sha.html http://www.lotsofessays.com/essay_search/Conclusion_Strategic.html http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGK-4MBBYN6-1_user=10_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1123950549_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=52af2b0a1c7e40ab036d752257b46fc1 http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/leadership/strategicalliances.html illiamson, O.E. 1991. Strategizing, economizing, and economic organization. Strategic Management Journal, Winter Special Issue, 12: 75-94 Peng Mike WGlobal Strategic Management, Second Edition, page 213 Peng Mike W Global Strategic Management, Second Edition, page 227 Pekar Peter Jr. and. Margulis Marc S, Equity alliances take center stage: The emergence of a new corporate growth model, IVEY MANAGEMENT SERVICES †¢ May/June 2003

Writing as Healing :: essays papers

Writing as Healing Chapter five, Writing as Healing and the Rhetorical Tradition: Sorting Out Plato, Postmodernism, Writing Pedagogy, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder written by T.R. Johnson of the University of New Orleans describes the different views of how language helps a person who has encountered a traumatic experience overcome and heal. Chapter nine, Pathography and Enabling Myths: The Process of Healing written by Anne Hunsaker Hawkins of Pennsylvania State University discusses how personal writing, such as autobiographies and biographies, promote healing in regards to illness. Both of these two chapters speak about writing in regards to healing, but chapter nine speaks about a specific writing that tends to be more effective. Classical logotherapists believed that disease and illness inflicted a person in order to punish a person for something he/she had done. The illness was also viewed as a form of trauma that deformed one’s character by society of the classical era and healing of the illness restored one’s identity and moral purity. Healers used â€Å"verbal charms, prayers, and incantations† in order to drive out the demon that caused the illness from the infected person. Plato believed that healing occurred â€Å"in a plane of absolute, unchanging truths above and beyond the plane of lived experience.† In other words, Plato rejected the idea of that language could heal the diseased or traumatized person. Postmodern healers believe that healing occurs through â€Å"self-actualization† which occurs through writing, another form of language. They feel that writing will provide an insight to the individual and that insight will allow the healing process to begin. It is said that pathography allows a person to heal because one consistently remembers new details when one writes about a particular experience. The remembering of these details are imperative to the healing process because it not only allows the person to get through the experience by re-telling it also allows one to get beyond the traumatic experience. The healing process often occurs through writing an autobiography or biography because the writer soon begins to feel that others should learn from his/her experience, which bridges self-suffering and the outside world. Pathography demonstrates that healing oneself often involves reaching out to others, which writing does.

A PESTEL analysis of Tesco expansion overseas

Tesco first launched their international expansion in 1994. After 11 years their sales have grown to contributing 20%(à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½7 billion) of the total turnover has been from overseas sales. The success of Tesco expansion overseas has mainly been down to the strategy of seeking out new markets in an early growth stage. These markets have few and week competitors and lots of potential. Tesco expansion overseas has mainly been in Eastern Europe and the Far East. Tesco has set up in thirteen countries abroad so far, some of these include; Czech Republic, Malaysia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Thailand and Turkey. This assignment will focus on Poland in Eastern Europe, Thailand and Malaysia of the Far East. The assignment will undertake a PESTEL analysis of Tesco expansion overseas. Involving political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal issues that effect Tesco. There are many political factors that effect businesses. The main factors are legislation, government agencies and incentives put forward by the governments in order to attract investors. Investment incentives in Poland are very favourable for large companies such as Tesco. Polish government offers these incentives mainly to companies that invest more than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 million. Some of these incentives that the Polish government offer Tesco are, employment grants, training grants and grants for infrastructure development. There may be problems to businesses through political unrest, which may result in civil unrest and violent crimes. This civil unrest and violence is a problem that Tesco has faced in the Far East. In December of 2001 an antitank missile hit the office of EL AL Israel Airline. However the Thai authorities believed that the target was a Tesco building adjacent that had received numerous bomb threats previous. The government may also be taking action against businesses in order to protect their economy. The government of Malaysia has recently taken action against the large investors in the retail sector. They have recently put a five year ban on any new hypermarkets being build in the countries top three cities Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Juhor Bahru. The Malaysian government have also stated that they are concerned with the negative affect that Tesco may have on the economy. As a result they have stated that any new hypermarkets that are being planned, are to submit their plans two years in advance. They have also required a socio-economical study to be carried out in advance. This has effect Tesco strategy as they may have to result in building smaller stores where there range is less. Economic factors are those that affect the purchasing and spending habits of the consumer. When the economy is decreasing there will be less disposable income and consumer spending will decrease. Even though the countries economy is low, it does not mean businesses cannot benefit if the right strategy is deployed. With the right strategy businesses may be able to gain market share and increase turnover. Despite Thailand's uneasy economic future Tesco has decide to invest more capital into their partnership with Lotus. However, Tesco-lotus has shifted their strategy towards the development of smaller projects in downtown areas. This is due to the current economic environment as there is less risk in development small-scale retail stores. This is because they require small budgets and have a decreased breakeven time compared to hypermarkets. Other economical factors are those of unemployment, however companies can exploit these. If a country has a high unemployment rate then they may offer great incentives. The polish government offers companies such incentives as; * Reimbursing the cost of high ring an unemployed person for up to twelve months. * Reimbursing up to 50% of the cost of training employees Tesco can take advantages of such incentives when employing Polish staff as it has invested over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 million pounds. Sociological factors are those that affect the business through the people of the country. Income distribution is a sociological factor; if there are a high percentage of people with a low level of income there will be a large market for inferior goods. In Thailand there is a large class divide between high-level income and low-level income. To control the effects of this divide the Thai government have create legislation that states that brands of prestige must have the same amount of advertising of those of inferior goods. Tesco has adhered to this through the amount of shelving space allowed for products. Another factor that affects business through sociology is that of the attitudes in which the population has on such aspects as work and leisure. Businesses need to take into account that different countries will have different attitudes. In Poland where the population is mainly of Roman Catholic belief, leftwing political parties have accused Tesco of undermining the traditional Polish values of home, family and church. These views have mainly come from the poorer rural population who are suspicious of foreign investors. Mobility of the population is also important. If the countries population is less mobile, then the retail outlets of goods must be near to the most densely populated area. In Thailand Tesco has started to focus more on smaller convince stores that will be situated closely to the customer. The technological environment is very important for businesses as it can increase efficiency and decrease costs. Technological advancement is import for many governments as it encourages development and new opportunities. The Thai government have praised Tesco for the use technology in environmental issues. Tesco Lotus has achieved increased energy efficiency through technological advancement in chillers plant operation and air conditioning unit. Tesco has created a more efficient operation that lowers energy consumption and emissions into the atmosphere. Other technological factors include discovery and development of new technology. This may help companies with efficiency and may help businesses to enter new markets. Tesco had already launched its .com operation in the UK and had become rather successful. They then in turn took this new technological idea and brought it to Thailand. Thus creating a new market and higher revenues. Technological development means that businesses can better themselves, making them more efficient and can decrease costs. Tesco has recently proposed to use RFID (radio frequency identification), these new tags will allow Tesco to monitor their products development through the supply chain. This will allow Tesco to monitor their temperatures more effectively. The temperature monitoring is important as it is through the supply chain where most of the salmonella outbreaks occur. Another development that Tesco has recently been apart of is a new IT system named the Intactix space planner. This will allow the planning team of new stores to be more productive. The space planner uses 3D technology to create planners for store and shelving layout. Environmental factors have become increasingly important over time. Environmental factors pose worldwide issues for businesses. Businesses need to be aware of two major factors when looking at the environment. Firstly is the usage of raw materials. Energy used by all businesses is mainly arises from fossil fuels which are running out at a high rate. Companies may also need to look at other aspects of material such as water usage. Which is already a problem in some US states. Tesco Lotus has taken large steps to combat their raw material and energy usage. Tesco lotus has created their first ‘Green Store'. This ‘Green Store' is said to be leading the way in energy conservation and environmental management in the retail section. Some of the key features of the green store include: * Solar Panel Lighting System * Reduced heat radiation – through extensive use of natural light * The recycling of rain water as well system water * Non lead paint * CFC free refrigerators * A totally asbestos free site Another key issue with the environment is pollution. Businesses need to be aware of the consequences of their actions on the environment. Many businesses today have started taking the effect on the environment very seriously and are introducing policies of recycling and lowering of emissions. These energy efficient policies can also save the company money in costs. Tesco Lotus reduced surplus airflow of the air conditioning unit, which lowers the electricity usage and saved the company 2 million baht. Further electricity usage reductions were made by reducing the lighting intensity by 20% which saved an overall 30% of the electricity bill saving the company over 12 million baht. Tesco is also trying to cut down on transport emissions through usage of railway systems. This allows fast economical usage of systems already in place. However the problems with sub contracting is the lack of control in which businesses have over the contractors. The final stage of the analysis is Legal. Legal issues can interlink heavily with political. These issues that affect the business are those in which the business must comply with. Businesses must comply with government rules and regulations concerning areas like health and safety and product safety. Tesco product safety remains heavily on their chilled items, such as meat and dairy. To combat any area of salmonella poisoning they have created a system called the cold chain. This allows a product to be out of a refrigerated environment for no more than twenty minutes. If Tesco were found to be a course of an outbreak then there would be large consequences. Employment law is another issue that affects Tesco. In different countries there are different laws. Tesco will have to adhere to laws such as rate of pay and employee conditions. Tesco Lotus has just failed to win a court case involving paying their workers over time on bank holidays. Tesco were seen to be outside the employee law and therefore were ordered to pay their workers a total of 35 million baht to a total of 8500 employees. There has also been inquest in the allegations of Tesco suppliers of forcing suppliers to sell their produce below cost. Tesco has also been accused of charging suppliers fees in order to sell their products. The Thai government have stated that these unethical business strategies are not welcome. In my view the most important factors are those of the political and technological. Political problems plague companies looking to expand aboard as they have a large control of what companies can and cannot do. Technological factors are also extremely important as technological advancement can mean efficiency and being able to sustain any competition.

Bicycle Business Trends, threats and opportunities

Bicycle Business Trends, threats and opportunities Trends Fashion, health consciousness and active lifestyle trends Statistics have indicated that bicycling is a healthy lifestyle with regard to not only cardiovascular exercise, but also a great mode of stress and tension relief. Many Americans have realized the benefits associated with bicycle industry (National Bicycle Dealers Association 2009 Para.4). It is also a fashion trend that fit and slim people are regarded to as fashion conscious.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Bicycle Business: Trends, threats and opportunities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many people regardless of age or gender therefore see bicycling as a convenient way of achieving fashion statements with regard to their perceived fitness and body size. Subsequently, the bicycle industry has grown as more and more people take this option either as a means of transportation or, for recreation. The retail shop is evidently going to have high sal es due to these social trends which do not show signs of diminishing in the next three to five years. Student market The fact that this retail shop is located near a university is very convenient, as many students prefer to use bicycles for their transport given that most of them cannot afford cars. Additionally, it is regarded as fashionable to own certain makes of bikes, which is a very effective factor that might see this retail shop make large profits in the course of the next five years. Opportunities High fuel prices Political instability in the Middle East is a vital factor that highly affects the cost of fuel world wide. With the high cost being felt by the consumer in the recent times, consumers have found cycling not only a faster means, but also a cost saving mode of transport (Williamson Zeng 69). The bicycle industry therefore must see the opportunity in the high fuel costs which has turned about 5.2 % of the total population to cyclists. It is therefore important that the market finds convenient strategies to win more consumers as they also work effortlessly to satisfy consumer needs. Bicycle variety Additionally, the business must endeavor to stock a wide variety of bikes to cater for varied consumer needs. These include comfort, mountain, hybrid, beach cruiser, downhill, commuter and also children bicycles in order to capture the whole market. If every customer’s needs are met, then the profits will inevitably be enormous. The business can engage in offering free repair services for a specified period of time after purchase. This shall keep customers as they build business trust. The retail shop must therefore have unlimited selection of bicycles as they offer after service to customers. It is also important to note that the retail shop must stock varied brands to suit customer needs.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Clothing Among its competitors, there is no single one that offers riding clothing. Mostly, customers are referred to other shops. The retail shop therefore can take up the task of in additional to retail sale and service as their ways of generating revenue, selling gloves, shoes and riding wear to enhance service delivery. Events organizers The fact that this retail shop is the only shop that organizers riding events gives it an upper hand over other competitors. However, there is great opportunity in organizing events that cater not only for students, but those that are gender and age conscious. This will give consumers an opportunity to view the stock in the retail shop. It is also at such events that raffles can be organizers where winner are awarded with prizes such as new bicycles, free service to their current bicycles for a specified period of time or free riding gear. The organization of riding events is an opportunity that is bound to raise the profit margins. Thr eats Economy fluctuations – discretionary spending Being a small retail shop, the business will inevitably be affected by fluctuations of the economy as times become harder and harder for the consumer. Today, the unemployment rate stands at 9.1% which translates to fewer and fewer customers as a result of discretionary spending. Lowering costs of bicycles on the other hand is not a valid business decision considering the fact that this is a retail shop which makes only significant profit margins. Seasonality The market is sometimes unpredictable and has seasons. If a new make of car is produced in the market, then there are chances of shift of interest. This is bound to after the bicycle retail shop as sales will definitely go down (Bicycle Retailer Para.1). Challenges associated with seasonality go beyond profits as the retailer has to cater for other business expenditures from other sources. Competition The retail shop is at a threat facing competition pressure with r egard to price sets as other wholesale merchants are in a position to cut profits and offer large discount considerably. At this point, the retail shop is not in a position to face such competition as it deals in limited stock and very minimal capital is there for expansion. Even though other competitors are retailers, the retail shop is bound to suffer together with them, when the large merchants offer appealing discounts. Bicycle Retailer. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. 2011. 14 September 2011. www.bicycleretailer.comAdvertising We will write a custom report sample on Bicycle Business: Trends, threats and opportunities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More National Bicycle Dealers Association. Industry Overview. 2011. 14 September 2011. www.nbda.com Williamson, Peter Zeng, Ming. Value-for-money Strategies for Recessionary Times, 2009 Harvard Business Review, 69

Forest Hills essays

Forest Hills essays Forest Hills was the product of Cord Meyer, attorney and innovative entrepreneurs creative imagination, that moved from England to New York. Started off by purchasing 600 acres of farmland in 1901 that was known as a white pot. Several tales exist of what this name derived from. Some historians say that this area was purchased from the Indians for three white clay pots. However another story states that the name Whitepot came from Dutch word whiteput which means dried streamed bed (put meaning pit or hollow) as it was a site of dried up stream. Cord Meyer purchased six large farms and the area was named Forest Hills, because it was adjacent to the Forest Park and it was on the high rolling ground. In 1909 part of 160 acres was purchased by Russell Sage Foundation, and developed as a model residential community and was named Forest Hills gardens. Developers always intended this community to be in upper or middle class one. Frederick Law Olmstead Jr., son of the man who planned Central Park, laid out the development. By 1908 the Cord Meyer development company property stretched from 65th Avenue (west), to Union Turnpike (east), and from Metropolitan Avenue (south), past Flashing Meadow Corona Park, to Vleigh road (now place) in East Forest Hills now Kew Gardens Hills. At the same time Long Island Railroad main line that passes through Forest Hills is elevated electrified, and increases from two tracks to four tracks. In 1910 Forest Hills railroad stations opens. Three years later Trolley line was opened, from 59 St Manhattan to Queens Blvd. Forest Hills. The line is extended to Jamaica South in 1914. By 1924 Cord Meyer Company has built 340 House on the north side of Queens Blvd. At that 2000 residents occupied Forest Hills Gardens area. By 1930 overall Forest Hills Community grew to 18,200 people. This imminent growth was made possible by introduction of apartment buildings that were able to a...

Foreign policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Foreign policy - Essay Example Realism was predominant during the Cold War between U.S and Soviet Union and guided the international affairs at the time. Realists are of the view that â€Å"self-interested states compete constantly for power or security† (Walt, 1998, p. 31). States are often in conflict as they struggle for power and dominance in the world order and as long as the balance of power is not maintained, war between powerful states is inevitable. The U.S and Soviet Union during the Cold War were thus fighting for power; U.S wanted to spread capitalism while the Soviet wanted to spread communism and secure its borders.There are various divisions of realism. Classical realists like Hans Morgenthau believe that states innate desire to dominate others is the cause of war while neorealists like Kenneth Waltz believe the reason for war and conflict is that states are just seeking to survive (Walt, 1998 p. 31). Recently new branches of â€Å"defensive† and â€Å"offensive† realists have e merged. Defensive theorists such as Robert Jervis, Jack Snyder and Van Evera believe in power of military in guaranteeing security and for their survival. These states have much faith in military force and exaggerated perceptions of threat thus use force to defend themselves but have no intrinsic interest in military conquest (Walt, 1998 p. 37). Offensive realists like John Mearsheimer on the other hand, believe the conflict arises from state of anarchy. States are thus encouraged to maximize their strengths in preparation for any emergence of revisionist power. This is because realism is based on Marxism which emphasized the role of capitalism in enhancing conflict among nations and whose solution is a revolution. For example, the U.S feels threatened by the rise of China which a socialist nation is and would do anything to maintain its dominant position in international affairs. International organizations such as NATO and UN are only of value if they serve the U.S interests and n ot when trying to equalize affairs among nations. Defensive realist like Evera think that war is not profitable and that in absence of militant forces such as in the post-cold war Europe, there would be peace. However, offensive realists are of the view that great powers are doomed to compete irrespective of internal characteristics hence security competition is inevitable. The U.S role is to act as Global police hence maintain peace in the world. Liberalism Just like realism, its main focus is the states. This theory advocates for cooperation among nations as the only way to end conflicts. Scholars in this field (Michael Doyle & Robert Keohane) do not believe that power is important in international affairs. Instead, they argue for democracy in believe that â€Å"democratic states are inherently more peaceful than authoritarian states† (Walt, 1998 p. 32). The democratic states aspire to be prosperous and as such, avoid being in conflict with each other but rather cooperate for future gains. This was the rationality used by U.S during Cold War to institute democracies all over Europe.

Ethical Issues During Louis XIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Issues During Louis XIV - Research Paper Example Spitting or scratching oneself at a table especially during meals is strongly discouraged but if at all one has to then he or she should do it politely and unnoticed. The above-mentioned laws are not immutable, they can be changed. For example in ancient times one could yawn, provided he or she did not speak in the process but nowadays it could be shocking to a person of rank. Spitting frequently is very much disagreeable but when there is need one should conceal it as much. When one spits he has to cover the saliva with the foot. When in the house a handkerchief should be used instead while turning aside. Care should be taken especially when spitting so as not to spit on one's clothes or those of others (Corey 78). One should not only spit in a handkerchief while in the house but also when in church and in places where cleanliness reigns. It is an inexcusable habit for children to spit in their playmates’ faces. Too it is a bad habit to spit out of windows, on furniture and o n walls. A series of quotations on spitting clearly shows that there has been a change in behavior towards a particular direction since the Middle Ages. Frequent spitting is still being viewed as unpleasant behavior and lack of â€Å"cleanliness† unlike it was seen almost four centuries ago. This clearly demonstrates how the civilization process has taken place (Hernandez 89). Taboos and restrictions of different kinds view ejection of saliva not as any other natural process but as a â€Å"primitive† and â€Å"uncivilized†. The distinguishing fact between the former and the latter is that the former views this as an external constraint while the latter sees it as an internal constraint (Lama 89). Elias asserts that even Louis xiv, who mostly is seen as the supreme among the omnipotent absolute monarch, proofs when scrutinized as a person whose rank as a king was in a certain network of interdependencies (Barrat 101). He preserved his power by a carefully calcula ted strategy which was under a peculiar structure of court society and by the society at large. Elias understood Louis xiv in the sense of light-recentre-thinking on the nature and structure of the French absolute monarchy. The personal rule of Louis xiv started in 1661, a time of great weakness when all the opposition was crushed. Louis xiv seemed to use the old Roman adage as the simplest strategy for his rule but he did not. From the experienced of the Fronde, the king knew that his ruler was under pressure of threats from below. Barrat asserts that to maintain his rule and avoid the unification of the court society against him, Louis had to exert more pressure (100). His genius, from Elias, was that he rose to perfection as a result of the careful assessment of the relationship of power at the court and the balancing of tension that was within it. He, therefore, succeeded by creating organizations which not only maintained the tension and the differences but also facilitated sup ervision. Louis xiv calculated strategy was implemented during his close to fifty-five years of personal reign. During the period he succeeded in maintaining his rank as a king and instilling the need for it in the French nobility. The king had to use all means at his disposal to maintain and enhance his power. The court and the etiquette as understood by the king were the most important instruments for his reign and power distribution.