Pretty Women Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pretty Women - Movie Review Example Being white, Vivian received help from the hotel manager in getting herself ‘made up’. However, in retrospect, she might not have received the same treatments had she been Black or Asian like Fox and Liu, respectively. On the other hand, should that have been how the story goes whether or not the female role player is white or colored, it would still go that way according to the director’s wants about how things should be. In the real world though, it is most probable that more racist actions and comments could have been flung to the lady if she was of a different race, and the woman could have endured more sufferings than the Vivian played by Roberts. With respect to becoming prostitutes, people usually have the assumption that poverty usually causes someone to engage at such a degrading profession. It could be a common perception which probably is logical considering most of the poor are not able to go to a level of education where they can be competent to get m ore decent jobs.

No definition of a miracle is adequate Essay Example for Free

No definition of a miracle is adequate Essay Many philosophers have attempted to define what exactly constitutes a miracle in a number of ways outlining definitions which contain the criteria for what phenomena can be counted as miraculous. Whether a definition is adequate seems highly subjective but will likely be one that is acceptable by non-Christians as well as Christians who in all probability will want a definition that accepts many of the miracle in the Bible to indeed be miraculous. Mackie’s definition of miracles describing them as events that occur when the world is not left alone and is intruded by something that is not part of the natural order necessitates that miracles are caused by a supernatural entity which may be considered to be God. This appears to suggest that his definition would indeed be adequate for some Christians given that it sets apart miracles from coincidences turning them into occurrences which could provide evidence for their faith. Moreover it allows a more specific idea of what constitutes a miracles disallowing events with an entirely naturalistic explanation maintaining them as unique events. However, Hick likely would criticise Mackie’s arguments for not be adequate given the ambiguity of what the natural order and the laws that govern it are. Hick suggested that laws were generalisations that are formed after events have happened, suggesting that that the natural order couldn’t be intruded upon. Also it may be that what is perceived to be an intrusion by something outside of the natural order is actually just a lack of understanding of the natural order on our part. This means that though an event such as the Moon Landing would have been defined as inadequate centuries ago, today it would not. This undermines the adequacy of the definition given that what it encompasses will change with time. A further issue with the adequacy of Mackie’s definition is that it could be argued to not be sufficiently specific given that it makes no attempt to define what exactly constitutes something distinct from the natural order, and it may in fact not be God. This would undermine its adequacy for Christians who believe that God is responsible for causing miracles and may not accept they are caused by other beings. Swinburne’s definition of a miracle appears to resolve this issue defining miracles as a violation of a law of nature by a god (a very powerful rational being who is not a material object). That said, the requirement for God to intervene in the world poses a number of challenges to Swinburnes’ definition especially given that God’s need to intervene in his creation contradicts the idea that he is an all powerful being if the world requires changes. Additionally philosophers like Wiles would argue that if God has the ability to intervene in the world in order to perform miracles in certain instances then his failure to prevent evil and suffering in the world undermines his characteristic of omni-benevolence. For this reason a definition that requires God’s intervention to cause miracles may be inadequate given the contradictions that would occur if such an event happened. On the other hand, many Christians do accept that God intervenes in the world and if so this definition of miracles may indeed be adequate also determining whether God is responsible for an event may be impossible as it may just be due to limited understanding of events. Additionally, Swinburne’s definition is undermined by Hick’s challenge arguably even more so than Mackies given his explicit use of the term ‘natural laws’ and also would likely be subject to change as understanding changes. Holland’s definition of miracles appears to avoid the contractions associated with Swinburne and Mackie’s explanations not requiring the physical intervention of God suggesting from the outset that it may be more adequate. This is because Holland only requires miracles to be an extraordinary coincidence of a beneficial nature interpreted religiously. The emphasis on interpretation also removes the difficulties associated with determining the cause of the miracle while still encompassing Biblical miracles. However it would likely be criticised for being too subjective given that different people would differ on whether the same event is miraculous. Additionally the Catholic church which usually requires a person to have performed at least two miracles in order to be Canonized as a saint would likely not accept miracles as defined by Holland as they only accept events without naturalistic explanation suggesting the definition is inadequate for how the term miracle is used by some Christian denominations. In conclusion, it seems probable that no definition of miracles is adequate given that although Swinburne and Mackie’s definition of miracles may encompass many of the instances of how miracles are used, they are undermined by the difficulty in determining natural laws and also whether God physically intervened. Likewise while Holland goes some way to avoiding these contradictions in his definition it remains highly subjective and also doesn’t reflect how miracles are used in Christianity. Additionally it will likely also lead to significant differences between what people consider miracles. Moreover, the existence of so many contrasting definitions of miracles suggests that there isn’t a single definition that is adequate given that there is no consensus on what makes an event miraculous so any definition will be subject to significant disagreement. For this reason the statement that no definition of miracle is adequate can be considered to be true.

Accountability and Assessment in Nursing Mentorship

Accountability and Assessment in Nursing Mentorship Introduction The Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008a, p.23) declares in its Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice that a â€Å"mentor is a mandatory requirement for pre-registration nursing students†. This simply means that student nurses must be guided by nurse mentors. The Royal College of Nursing (2009, p.3) declares that the â€Å"significance of the role of a mentor and the quality of the mentorship offered in practice cannot be over-emphasised†. The NMC (2008a, p.23) defines a mentor as â€Å"a registrant who, following successful completion of an NMC approved mentor preparation programme or comparable preparation that has been accredited by an AEI (approved educational institution) as meeting the NMC mentor requirements has achieved the knowledge, skills and competence required to meet the defined outcomes†. The NMC (2008a, p.13) also provides for eight domains in the framework to support learning and assessment of students in practice. In essenc e, this means that in order to become an effective mentor, a nurse must be able to accomplish these eight domains. These domains are establishing effective working relationships, facilitation of learning, assessment and accountability, evaluation of learning, creating an environment for learning, context of practice, evidence-based practice and leadership (NMC 2008a, p.13). This essay will explore one of the eight domains, specifically the domain of accountability and assessment in mentorship. This will be done in relation to mentoring two first-year adult branch nursing students placed in the Dermatology Department. Before proceeding any further, it is imperative to relate that the NMC (2008b, p.3) declares the need to respect people’s right to confidentiality. In compliance with this, the real identities of the student-mentees will be kept anonymous. Main Body Accountability is essential in the professional practice of nursing (NMC 2010, n.p.). A literature review in defining professional nursing accountability conducted by Krautscheid (2012, p.45) revealed that accountability is usually linked with responsibility particularly the responsibility for one’s own actions and behaviours related to the practice of one’s profession. The professional accountability of a nurse is expressed by no less than the Nursing Midwifery Council in its Code for Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. To be specific, the NMC (2008b, p.2) states that â€Å"as a professional, a nurse is personally accountable for actions and omissions done in practice and must always be able to justify one’s decisions†. The accountability of a nurse as a mentor is also grounded on the same NMC Code. The NMC (2008b, p.5) states that a nurse must facilitate students and others to develop their competence. This specific provision directly requires a nurse playing the role of a mentor to be accountable for the learning of students during practice placements. In the case of the two first year adult branch nursing students, it is safe to declare that a mentor is accountable for the total learning experience of the students while in the placement. To effectively mentor the two students, it is necessary to first establish a positive mentoring relationship with them. This is because a positive mentor-mentee relationship can help make the mentor and the mentee feel more comfortable with each other and this facilitates the smooth interaction and communication between them. Gopee (2011, p.28) supports this when he declared that a mentor and his or her mentee are initially strangers to each other and so they must develop rapport and cultivate a positive working relationship in order for the mentorship to really work. A practice placement is where students begin to apply their knowledge and practice skills in order to achieve the required competence for registration (RCN 2006, p.1). The need for a strong and positive mentoring relationship is crucial especially because clinical placements can be a daunting environment for the students. This is particularly true during the first few days of the placement. A clinical placement can pose a great challenge for students such as during a busy day and the ward or department is understaffed (Levett-Jones and Bourgeois 2011, p.227). It is therefore vital for the mentor to initiate a friendly but professional approach when interacting with the students in order to help them feel at ease in the clinical environment of the placement. One way by which this can be done is for the mentor to conduct an orientation wherein the students are made familiar with the different areas of the Dermatology Department and are introduced to the entire healthcare staff working there. Beskine (2009, cited in Walsh 2010, p.23) state that an â€Å"orientation is the gateway to a successful placement†. Walsh (2010, p.23) suggests that an initial orientation is a vital part of helping a student get off on the right foot and make the most of their placement. Walsh (2010, p.23) further relates that one strategy for the mentor to accomplish this is by sharing with the students information about one’s personal experiences as a student and one’s expectations as a mentor. This strategy can be made formal by providing an information or welcome pack. Typical contents for a welcome pack include a welcome letter encouraging the student to visit the placement prior to that start of the actual placement, the location of the placement, a list of learning opportunities and learning outcomes, the expected roles and responsibilities of the students, a dress code or guidelines on what to wear and the shift hours (Stuart 2013, p.157). It should contain a de scription of the various areas within the ward or department and a list of the names of personnel working within the placement (Bailey-McHale and Hart 2013, p.129). The importance of making the two students feel welcome in the placement is actually a simple but effective means of showing one’s accountability as the mentor for the students. This is because it is clear that a mentor is accountable for the total learning experience of his or her students and the first step to ensure the learning of students begins with making the students familiar and comfortable within the learning environment. This should then be followed by conducting an initial assessment of the learning needs of the students related to the area of the placement. A mentor is responsible for making initial interviews with students to assess their learning needs and to develop a plan on how to address these needs (RCN 2006, p.6). Naturally, the interview will be smooth sailing if the mentor is successful in building a positive mentoring relationship with the students. In interviewing the two students in the Dermatology Department, it is important to take into consideration the preferred learning styles of the students. In essence, this means that along with identifying the learning needs of the students, it is also vital to identify how they can learn best from the placement. The Royal College of Nursing (2006, p.6) states that a mentor’s responsibility includes being approachable, supportive and being aware of how students learn best. There are many theories and models that can be adopted to label the preferred learning styles of students. An example of this that may be use in the two students is the Honey and Mumford learning styles model. The Honey and Mumford model identifies four types of learners namely activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists. An activist learner is a hands-on learner and prefers to learn by trial and error (Temple 2012, p.75). A reflector is someone who prefers to be thoroughly informed before acting on a situation (Temple 2012, p.75). A theorist is someone who utilises theories to make sure that a particular u ndertaking makes sense (Temple 2012, p.75). A pragmatist is someone who learns best by observing a demonstration from an expert (Temple 2012, p.75). In the case of the two students placed in the Dermatology Department, both have been identified to be pragmatists and so actual teaching of the skill of bandaging was done through demonstrations which the students carefully observed. A simulation strategy was also used wherein the two students were given the opportunity to practice their bandaging skills onto a mannequin before they were allowed to perform the skill onto real patients while under supervision. In using the demonstration and simulation strategies, it is crucial for a mentor to also take into consideration the internal and external factors that affect student learning. This can be further identified by using the SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) Analysis. The SWOT Analysis is a useful tool to help mentors identify factors that can either improve or hinder their mentoring skills (Murray and Rosen 2010, p.103). The strengths and weaknesses are the internal factors that affect the efficiency of mentoring while the opportunities and threats are the external factors (Murray and Rosen 2010, p.103). In the case of the two students, one prevailing strength that has been identified is their genuine eagerness to really learn while in the placement. For the mentor, one strength is the mastery of the nursing skills that need to be taught to the students. One weakness of the students was their initial hesitation to interact with the mentor. One weakness of the mentor is the initial uncertainty on how to begin interaction with the students. One opportunity is the presence of diverse learning opportunities in the placement while one prevailing threat is the very hectic schedule of the department which causes frequent interruptions during actual teaching sessions. In teaching the two students about correct bandaging, it is also important to adopt the concept of andragogy. To simply put it, andragogy refers to adult learning which is in contrast to pedagogy which is all about child learning (Walsh 2010, p.82). The concept of andragogy implies that adults prefer to take an active role while children are passive learners and therefore leave everything to the discretion of the teacher or mentor (Kinnell and Hughes 2010, p.60). Base on these premises, teaching the two students who are adult learners will require the mentor to actively seek the students’ input. This means that the mentor should not on his/her own decide on what and how to teach the things which the students need to learn in the placement. The mentor should brainstorm with the students on how the students’ learning needs can be best met. This will allow the students to have a more active role in planning their own learning during placement. There is also the need to consider the current level of aptitude of the students in relation to the skills that will be taught to them. In this case, the Benner’s Skills Acquisition Model will be helpful. Stuart (2013, p.126) states that a student or even a newly qualified nurse will have to pass the five stages of nursing competence as identified in Benner’s Model. The model classifies learners into five stages namely novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. It is safe to deduce that the two students being mentored are still under the novice stage; hence, it is vital for the mentor to create teaching strategies that would fit their current level of knowledge and skills. For instance, it would be unfair to teach the students advance skills on four layer compression bandaging without first teaching them the basic principles of bandaging. Blooms Taxonomy should also be adopted by a mentor to enhance teaching sessions. Cannon and Boswell (2012, p.140) state that Bloom’s Taxonomy is an important learning theory as it distinguishes learning into three domains: namely affective, cognitive and psychomotor. Teaching correct bandaging skills naturally involves the cognitive domain since it requires mastery of steps or procedures. It also involves the psychomotor domain because it entails using instruments and tools. It also incorporates the affective domain because it requires positive and encouraging feelings and emotions which help motivate a student to do the procedure correctly. It is also important for a mentor to make the learning objectives SMART. This means that the objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bounded. In the case of the two students, this has been achieved since the objective involves making the student understand and perform the steps of bandaging. This makes the objective specific. This will be done under supervision with the policy on bandaging as the criteria. This makes it measurable and realistic. The said objective is to be accomplished at the end of the placement. This makes it time-bounded. A mentor’s accountability naturally includes assessing the students’ performance. Aston and Hallam (2011, p.60) relate that assessing students’ learning while they are under one’s mentorship is one of the important role of a nurse mentor. This is grounded on the Nursing Midwifery Council (2008a, p.16) declaring that students must be supported and assessed by mentors. Mentors are responsible for assessing the total performance of students including their knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours (NMC 2008a, p.23). It is vital to relate that there are basically two types of assessment namely formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment happens during the course of the placement wherein it is done on a continuous basis to gauge how much progress a student has reached without necessarily grading such progress (Kilgallon and Thompson 2012, p.153). It typically involves the giving of feedback in order for the student to further improve (Kilgallon and Thompson 2012, p.153). This kind of assessment is done in order to prepare the student for the final assessment which is the summative assessment. Summative assessment marks the end of the mentorship and involves the actual grading of the student’s final performance (Kilgallon and Thompson 2012, p.154). It is essential to point out that the giving of feedbacks is an important component of effective student assessment. Kinnell and Hughes (2010, p.96) relate that â€Å"feedback must be constructive and not destructive†. It must highlight the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the student (Kinnell and Hughes 2010, p.96). Kinnell and Hughes (2010, p.96) further relate that it must emphasise areas for improvements and incorporate praises appropriate for the student’s achievements. Constructive feedbacks given by mentors and the clinical staff can help the student grow and develop as a future professional (Levett-Jones and Bourgeois 2011, p.48). One strategy for the effective giving of feedback is to use a strategy called feedback sandwich. This involves sandwiching a negative feedback between two positive feedbacks to avoid hurting the student’s feelings and self-esteem (Elcock and Sharples 2011, n.p.). There are several methods and strategies by which a mentor can effectively assess a student’s competence. The Royal College of Nursing (2009, p.8) states that assessment can be done through direct observation, simulation, objective structured clinical examinations or OSCE, testimony of others, student self-assessment, written portfolio evidence, active participation, interactive reflective discussion, learning contracts, guided study, interviews, patient comments, peer evaluation, collection of data, case studies and team mentorships. In the case of the two students, one was assessed through direct observation and questioning while the other was assessed through direct observation and through written reflection. This was in consideration of the fact that one student has a prior degree in English literature, while the other one was awaiting a dyslexia test; hence, it would be unfair for both of them to be assessed through written reflection. In assessing student performance, the mentor’s accountability includes making sure that all the possible opportunities for learning has been exhausted and that the students have been given ample time to master the skills that will be assessed from them. This is because it would be unfair for the students to be assessed for skills which were never taught to them or where they were never given a chance to improve on it. This points to the accountability of the mentor to the students he or she is mentoring. There is also the accountability of the mentor towards the general public. This accountability signifies that ultimately the mentor’s role in guiding students is to ensure that future generations of nurses are truly competent to serve the general healthcare consumers. This suggests that if after giving opportunities to improve, the student has failed to show competence, then the mentor must not hesitate to give a failing mark. On the other hand, a study conducted by Duf fy (2004, n.p.) revealed that failing students is a difficult thing to do for majority of mentors and this is because it raises emotional issues for the mentor. The emotional dilemma of failing a study is carried by mentors and sometimes this emotional stress overcomes the need to practice a fair and objective mentoring. It is logical to assume that sometimes the decision to either pass or fail students is influenced by the personal sentiments of the mentor towards the students. This is something that should be avoided because it threatens the very essence of why there is a need to assess students under mentorship. A good mentor is someone who knows when to empathise with students and when to detach themselves in order to objectively assess a student’s performance; therefore, it is important for a mentor to learn when to empathise and when to be objective. In essence, this means that in assessing the final performance of the two students in the Dermatology Department, it is i mportant for the mentor to be objective and set aside any personal friendly relations which he or she may have established during the course of the mentorship. Conclusion Accountability and assessment in mentorship in this case involves the responsibility of the mentor to ensure the learning of the two students in the Dermatology Department. Being accountable for their learning starts with establishing a positive mentoring relationship with them. This can be accomplished by using a friendly but professional approach. An orientation can help the mentor inform the students on what to expect from the placement. It is important to assess the students’ learning needs and learning styles by using different theories and models. This is important in order to maximise their learning in the placement. Using demonstration and simulation are only two of the many teaching strategies that may be used to effectively mentor students and the choice of strategy depends on the kind of learner a student is. Assessment is another important role of a mentor. This can either be formative or summative assessment. Assessment should be fair and objective. A mentorâ€⠄¢s personal friendship built during the course of the mentoring relationship should never hinder objective assessment of students’ performance. References Aston, L. and Hallam, P. (2011). Successful mentoring in nursing. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Bailey-McHale, J. and Hart, D.M. (2013). Mastering mentorship: A practical guide for mentors of nursing, health and social care students. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Cannon, S. and Boswell, C. (2012). Evidence-based teaching in nursing. London: Jones Bartlett Learning International. Duffy, K. (2003). Failing students: A qualitative study of factors that influence the decisions regarding assessment of students’ competence in practice. [online]. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/documents/Archived%20Publications/1Research%20papers/Kathleen_Duffy_Failing_Students2003.pdf [Accessed on 12 October 2014]. Elcock, K. and Sharples, K. (2011). A nurse’s survival guide to mentoring. [online]. Available from: http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=t6na8wOS5X4Cpg=PT131dq=feedback+sandwich+mentoring+nursinghl=ensa=Xei=bjY6VPSCHs-ruQSjloH4Bwved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=feedback%20sandwich%20mentoring%20nursingf=false [Accessed 12 October 2014]. Gopee, N. (2011). Mentoring and supervision in healthcare. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Kilgallon, K. and Thompson, J. (Eds.) (2012). Mentoring in nursing and healthcare: A practical approach. Chichester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Kinnell, D. and Hughes, P. (2010). Mentoring nursing and healthcare students. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Krautscheid, L. (2012). Defining professional nursing accountability: A literature review. Journal of Professional Nursing. 30(1):43-47. Levett-Jones, T. and Bourgeois, S. (2011). The clinical placement: An essential guide for nursing students. 2nd ed. Chatswood: Elsevier Australia. Murray, C. and Rosen, L. (2010). Mentor updating: Other activities/sources of evidence. In: C. Murray, L. Rosen and K. Staniland (Eds.). The nurse mentor and reviewer update book. Maidenhead: Open University Press, pp.95-111. Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008a). Standards to support learning and assessment in practice. London: NMC. Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008b). The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. [online]. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Standards/The-code-A4-20100406.pdf [Accessed on 10 October 2014]. Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010). Regulation in practice. [online]. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/Nurses-and-midwives/Regulation-in-practice/ [Accessed on 10 October 2014]. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2009). Guidance for mentors of nursing students and midwives: An RCN toolkit. London: Royal College of Nursing. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2006). Helping students get the best from their practice placements. London: RCN. Stuart, C. (2013). Mentoring, learning and assessment in clinical practice: A guide for nurses. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. Walsh, D. (2010). The nurse mentor’s handbook: Supporting students in clinical practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Intelligence and Happiness in Flowers for Algernon :: Flowers for Algernon Essays

In the story "Flowers for Algernon", the main character, Charlie Gordon is a mentally retarded 37 year-old man with an IQ of sixty-eight. Although he might not have been smart, I believe that Charlie was the definition of happiness. He worked happily as a janitor, was motivated to learn, and had a great time with his so called ?friends.? After Charlie undergoes an experiment that triples his IQ, his life changes for the worse. With intelligence does not come happiness. For Charlie, Ignorance is bliss. He realizes that his so called ?friends? were just using him to entertain their perverse humor. Also, he was also fired from the job that he loved so much because his new intelligence made those around him feel inferior and scared. This sends Charlie into a short depression. His life was better before the experiment because he had a job he looked forward to and ?friends?. "Now I'm more alone than ever before," Charlie says on April 30th. He had nobody to relate to because at this point of the story, Charlie?s intelligence has already exceeded that of his teacher and the doctors. Before Charlie became smart, even the simplest things in life were good enough for him. As a genius, none of those things mattered to him. His mind was more complex, he needed more and he wanted more. As a result, he felt alone and buried himself in his work. Charlie?s experiment was temporary, and overtime his IQ regressed. Algernon, a mouse that went through the same surgery as Charlie, died. If Charlie?s hypothesis proves correct, then he will die as well. Charlie?s life was better before the experiment because he was not exposed to the risks and consequences of the surgery. Without the experiment, Charlie would still be living his ignorant but happy life. In conclusion, I believe that Charlie?s life was better before the surgery. Although ?

Odi Case

Optical Distortions (ODI) is a start up with limited resources and a product that can change the egg production business. Its product, contact lenses for chickens, would reduce the vision of the hen and achieve two desirable results in the behavior of the chicken. These behaviors include reduction in cannibalism and reduction in amount of food required for chicken. And as a further result, the reduction in cannibalism rate removed the need to debeak the birds, which adds further economic value to the farmers. These benefits far outstrip the costs of the contact lenses themselves.And for ODI, there are definitely profits to be had if the products can be marketed well before the competitors can enter the market in a few years. Therefore, ODI should introduce their product according to my analysis below. The issue ODI is facing is that it currently has no revenue flow. And to stay competitive in the industry, ODI is estimating it will have large expenses coming up quickly to grow quickl y enough to stay viable. Therefore, ODI must capitalize as soon as possible. Also, on the consumer front, the product is completely unknown to its customers.It will face a slightly uphill battle to convince potential customers that its product is better than the other more â€Å"conventional† methods provided by other vendors in the poultry egg production industry. On the competitor side, ODI has little breathing room. It expects that the competitors can be kept out of the market for at most two to three years thanks to patents and licenses that ODI currently holds. And ODI believes that competitors will likely try to enter the market as soon as possible because of the potential impact that the lenses hold on the egg production industry.Thankfully, ODI’s collaborator, New World, has entered into an exclusive contract with ODI on the non-human use of hydrophilic polymer. Given the general market information, we need more detailed understanding of the current market to d etermine a strategy for ODI. 1. How big is the market for ODI chicken lenses? First, we must determine the market size of the ODI’s contact lenses. According to information provided by Garrison, that ODI can only profitably sell to a farm if that farm had at least 10,000 chickens in its flock. As our first target market, California, we must determine the number of farms nd chickens in farms with more than 10,000 chickens. We are shown the distribution of farms in Exhibit 3. However, we are only shown break outs of farms with 20,000 more chickens. We can still use this information, because farms with just over 10,000 chickens is barely profitable, so we can concentrate on them later on in the process as ODI’s product becomes more mature. Hence, there are 521 farms with 20,000 hens or more, with 39,929,680 million chickens. (Please note that this is approximately 86. 4% of all chicken in California farms. ) The market size for ODI’s lenses in California is fairly big at 39,929,680 potential chickens.And nationwide, which will be the eventual target market for ODI, there are 197,970,487 chickens currently. And according exhibit 4, the trend in chicken farming shows that this market will continue to increase for two reasons. First, there is a net growth in the number of birds in flocks. Second, there is a trend for reduction of smaller farms and increase at the medium and large farms. And since we are targeting only medium and large farms, we can expect the number of birds in this market to continue to increase. 2. Who are the potential customers for such a product? Why would they buy it?Next, we need to identify potential customers for the product. The clear customers are farmers of the egg farms, we will call this the direct to consumer (DTC) market. The farmers would definitely buy the product if they are aware of the cost savings it provides. For each 10,000 chicken, the farmer can expect to see savings of $2,617. 60 ignoring the additiona l costs imposed by the lenses (please see appendix 1 for the estimated savings calculations). If we sell the lenses at the 8 cents per pair, then we will be adding approximately $800 to the cost of the farmer in costs. This means the farmer can see a net savings of $1,817. 0 by switching to the contact lenses over debeaking. In addition to these farms, perhaps, services firms that provide labor for debeaking may be also customers; this would be a business to business (B2B) market. These firms may wish to diversify their offering if they see additional value for their end customers (the farmers). These firms will buy if debeaking becomes less popular due to our new contact lenses. Since their primary offering is labor, they will want the advantage of being the one stop shop. The one stop shop here means that the farmers will only have to deal with 1 contract as opposed to multiple.This is an offering that the services firms will want to have when dealing the farmers, which means they will need to purchase our lenses. 3. Would potential customers eagerly adopt or would they resist adopting this product? Why? Next, is to understand the early adopters versus the market laggards. I believe that the early adopters would be the large farms. They have the most to gain from purchasing the lenses. Additionally, since they have so many birds, they can run a test trial on 10,000 or even 20,000 birds for the first year and observe the results before rolling out the lenses to the rest of the birds.This makes the switch a little easier on the farmers. Since the product hasn’t been on the market ever, I can imagine that there will be significant resistance at the start due to the lack of experience with the product. However, I would also like to acknowledge that there is a possibility that these large farms are likely to have existing contracts with other firms (for example for debeaking) that would make it hard to switch. Additionally, it may be more difficult to conv ince several decision makers to agree on the large farm to make the change happen.On the other hand, the medium farms only have one decision maker and may be converted to using the contact lenses quickly. But due to their size and amount of savings, I can see reluctance to take on the risk of an â€Å"unproven† product. The market laggards would definitely be the small farms and services firms. For small farms, it is just too much risk for the untested product. And services firm will not purchase until there is sufficient number of farms switching from debeaking to contact lenses and it’s starting to hurt their business. 4.Given the financial constraints faced by the company, are the ODI lenses an economically viable product? We should now understand if the product is financially viable. If we sell the lenses at 8 cents per pair, then must sell at least 13,229,167 pair of lenses to break even. This is due to costs of the $586,000 for the personnel and office for the re gional office (see appendix 2 for the cost assumptions) and then the $25,000 licensing fee then must to New World, as well as the $24,000 for the two injection molds they would need. And their margins are 4. 8 cents per pair, so $635,000 / $0. 048 gets use the 13. million pairs. Please note that this number is approximately 33% of the potential market (39. 9 million) that we identified earlier. Since Garrison that 50% penetration is feasible, we would be quite profitable. Even if we add in the $250,000 R&D expense, then our require # of lenses is 18,687,500 lenses (thanks to the need for a third injection mold). However, even at this number of required lenses, this is approximately 46% of the market, and under the 50% share of market rate that ODI is forecasting. This means that we will remain profitable. And as ODI expands to the nation, their costs rise to be about $4. 63 million (see appendix 3), which would require 84,645,834 lenses to break even, well under the 50% mark for the 197,970,487 chickens in farms with 20,000 chickens (42. 8%). Hence, the product should be profitable. 5. Would you recommend introduction of ODI chicken lenses? At this point I would recommend the introduction of ODI chicken lenses if the forecasts that we see in the case are accurate, because there is clearly benefits for both ODI and the customers. However, we need to explore the possibilities of alternatives. The only other feasible alternative is to license the product to larger agricultural supply firms.The benefit of licensing is that ODI would dramatically reduce its costs and recognize income right away. And they would not have to convince individual farms. All they have to do is pitch the product to corporate executives. However, they do face the issue that the large agricultural supply firm would likely kick ODI out as soon as the patent protection runs out. And without the on the ground presence, ODI would lose all revenue sources in three years. Therefore, this approach is extremely dangerous compared to actually selling the lenses themselves, which according to our analysis will be profitable.Therefore, ODI should introduce the lenses on its own. 6. If introduced, how should ODI segment the market? In which markets should ODI concentrate its effort and why? Now that we believe that ODI should sell the chicken contact lenses, we need to understand how to market the product. First, we need to segment the market into distinct, mutually exclusive, identifiable segments. The two segmentation metrics that immediately come to mind are Farm Flock Size and Cannibalization Rate of Strains at the Farm. Farm Flock Size will be broken into the 20,000 to 49,000, 50,000 to 99,000, and 100,000 or more identified in Exhibit 3.Cannibalization Rate of Strains at the Farm will be divided into High Cannibalization Rate, Medium Cannibalization Rate, and Low Cannibalization Rate. There are metrics that we can use to segment the farms, but we want to make sure that we d o not put so many metrics that there are only a few farms in each segment. The idea is to have large, identifiable, distinct, and stable segments. Here, Farm Flock Size and Cannibalization Rates make good metrics because not only do they divide the similar farms into the same bucket and different farms into distinct buckets, but they also measure the value of presented to the farmers.Flock size because larger size represent more potential for savings for farmers and more potential for earning for ODI. And high cannibalization rate also represent potential for savings for farms due to less hens lost to cannibalization and more likely ease of sale for ODI since the farmers have more incentives to try the lenses. And given these segments, ODI should focus on the large farms with high cannibalization rates (please see appendix 4 for targeting sequence). This group will have the highest market potential and be the most receptive to the product. 7. How should chicken lenses be marketed?Fi nally, we need to see how to actually implement the marketing plan. Our marketing plan will have the following components. One, sales force at the regional offices will be talking directly with the customers to convince them that there is value in the product. And two, headquarters will be responsible for advertising in industry related publications and attending trade shows to promote the product. As part of the messaging, we will advise our customers that the contact lenses as a product to substitute debeaking to reduce cannibalization rates with extra benefits.The benefits are three fold, reduction of cannibalization rates to ~4. 5%, reduction in trauma from debeaking (~50,769 eggs per 10,000 chickens), and finally, savings in chicken feed (14. 235 tons per 10,000 chickens per year). We want to concentrate on the fact that our product is more effective than debeaking at reducing cannibalization and has additional beneficial effects that far outweighs the costs of the lenses itsel f. And according to Garrison, because he customers are independent-minded type of men who would react unfavorable if they felt cheated, we cannot have low introductory rate that may upset the customer base. This also means that these customers are not likely to be the type to jump on the band wagon and we will need to make sure our sales representatives reach each of these farms. This would mean that even favorable word of mouth will not contribute significantly to our sales due to the characteristics of the customers. Our sales force should not only explain the properties our lenses, but also do demonstrations to let the farmers see for themselves.And we must have our sales forces reach out frequently the customers to reinforce the message throughout the year, so when we get to the few weeks where the new hens are bought, we can convince the farmer to try the ODI lenses on their farm. Additionally, at the trade shows, we would also demonstrate the difference between hens wearing ou r lenses versus hens that do not wear the lenses. This would serve to introduce the product to new potential customers. We should use the trade shows also as a CRM opportunity; we should also collect contact information for our sales representatives to follow up on.This type of reinforced messaging will be effective in convincing customers to switch. And after we’ve brought the innovators and early adopters on board, we need to ensure customer satisfaction for these influential groups. Bad word of mouth is generally stickier than good word of mouth, and could be damaging to our brand even if the customers are generally independent-minded. And to achieve good customer satisfaction, we need to address customer issues as they emerge. So by the time we get to the Early Majority and the Late Majority, we can address any concerns that they have with the product.We will use the following positioning statement until ODI diversify into other products: â€Å"For farmers in egg product ion who have more than 10,000 chickens in their flock, Optical Distortion, Inc. (ODI) is a specialty agricultural supplier that provides contact lenses for chickens intended to reduce food required and reduce cannibalization rate. Unlike other agricultural suppliers offering to debeak the birds, ODI provides a solution that results superior reduction in cannibalization rates, reduction in food wasted and required, and reduction in losses of production resulting from traumas associated with debeaking. Appendix 1: | | | | | Saving Opportunities for 10,000 chicken| # of Chicken Affected| Value Per Chicken| Value| Information from the case| Reduction in Canalbalism (4. 5% additional survive)| 450 | $0. 66 | $297. 00 | Exhibit 5 – 22 dozen per year @ $0. 03 per dozen per hen| Reduction of Trauma| 10,000 | $0. 01 | $126. 92 | Exhibit 5 – 22 dozen per year -> 22/52 dozen per week @ $0. 03 per dozen per hen| Savings in Food| 10,000 | $0. 22 | $2,193. 67 | 0. 78 lbs per 100 bir ds per day @ $158 per ton of feed| Appendix 2:Cost for Regional Offices| # of Item| Value Per Item| Value| Office and Warehouse1| 1| $196,000 | $196,000 | Sales Representatives2| 8| $40,000 | $320,000 | Tech Representatives3| 2| $35,000 | $70,000 | Total|   |   | $586,000 | 1. Office and Warehouse price from Table B. 2. Sales Representatives based on capacity of 80 farms, and the assumption that each sales will only cover farms of one particular size present in Exhibit 3 (20,000 to 49,000, 50,000 to 99,000, and 100,000 or more). 3. Tech Representatives based on ratio of 1 tech representative per 5 sales representatives.Appendix 3: Estimated National Costs| Units| Cost per Unit| Costs| Comments/Assumptions| Regional Offices| 5| $586,000| $2,930,000| Assumed that regional offices costs are similar to California| Headquarter Costs| 1| $614,000| $614,000| Estimated cost at 60 million pairs| Advertising| 1| $100,000| $100,000| Monthly advertising for 1 year in 8 leading industry publ ications| New World License| 1| $25,000| $25,000| $50,000 over 2 years| Injection Molds| 12| $12,000| $144,000| $12,000 per mold, which produces 7. million a year| R&D Costs| 1| $250,000| $250,000| Required for diversifying the company| Total|   |   | $4,063,000 |   | Appendix 4: | | Farm Flock Size| | | 20,000 to 49,000| 50,000 to 99,000| 100,000 or more| Cannibalization Rate| Low| 4| 4| 3| | Medium| 4| 3| 2| | High| 3| 2| 1| First target group 1, then followed by group 2, group 3, and group 4. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. In the analysis, I am assuming that 1kg ? 2 lbs and 1 ton ? 2,000 lbs.

Swot Analysis Mcdonalds

Running Head: MARKETING SWOT Analysis Answer 1. The company so selected for the sake of carrying upon SWOT Analysis is McDonalds. The company is found to run its food outlets all around the globe. It basically deals in fast-foods. The customers serve to be the main aspect for the company. It used to collect feedback from the customers on a regular basis. The SWOT Analysis is the tool that is used from the point of developing pertinent knowledge about company’s position in the market. From this, it can improve the weak areas and can strengthen the strong aspects more and more. The information regarding company’s SWOT Analysis can be derived from Company’s website, annual reports, books, articles and journals. All these prove to be effective from the point of developing knowledge about its strength, weakness, threats and opportunities (McDonald’s Corporation: The Past, Present, and Future, n. d. ). The strength of the company is that it is operating in accordance with various cultures. It serves to be a socially responsible company and actively work for community’s betterment. It is also placed on a great position under Fortune ranking list. The weaknesses linked with the company are that it failed to move towards pizza market. In addition to this, it needs to capitalize on the trend towards organic foods as well. The changing preferences of the customers also pose a problem in front of the company. The company understands customer’s value in business and that is why asking them regularly for more improvements. The health of the customers is taken into account with due effect and this makes it high (McDonalds, 2011). It serves to be the opportunities for the company. The threats are that the company faces intense competition and this makes things impossible. At the same time, it is also important to see to it that all these things need to be considered from the point of indentifying company’s actual position. The SWOT Analysis related to the company can be easily found out. But it seems to be very much general in approach. The point is to derive best possible information. The data and all other relevant information are not available easily while writing up SWOT Analysis for a company (Meldrum & McDonald, 007). Answer 2. The SWOT Analysis is being conducted by taking information from books, company’s website, articles etc. All these altogether supports a lot in making things carried upon effectively. The information is being collectively taken from all these sources. The best possible information can be derived from books and articles. Actually, things are quite understandable and comprehensible. With this, it becomes quite easy to u nderstand importance of things in a far better mode. The steps that are being adopted for checking as to information are valid or reliable or not. It is important to arrive at a better conclusion with the help of accumulating information from the authentic sources. The sources so utilized need to be effective and valuable so that interpretations can also be made properly and successfully. In addition to this, SWOT Analysis can be performed and carried out effectively as well (Our Company, 2011). Answer 3. The manager of the company is required to carry upon strategic decisions on the basis of company’s position. The SWOT Analysis so carried upon leads to make things effective and successful in approach. The information so derived online seems to be somewhat ineffective in approach. It would be better to go for developing more knowledge from some better sources. With this, it is for sure that decision-making can be made effective and good in approach. The situations need to be analyzed with due effect as well. It would make manager confident as well as self-assured from the point of carrying upon business practices in a far better way. The other relevant sources that can be used for the sake of completing SWOT analysis for the company are that proper studies and company’s previous records need to be examined and investigated with due respect. It would lead to make things effective and appropriate for the company as well (McDonalds Corporation, n. d. ). References McDonald’s Corporation: The Past, Present, and Future. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://2myprofessor. com/Common/Sample%20Projects/McDonald%27s_Corporation. PDF McDonalds. (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/home. html McDonalds Corporation. (n. d. ). Swot Analysis Mcdonalds Running Head: MARKETING SWOT Analysis Answer 1. The company so selected for the sake of carrying upon SWOT Analysis is McDonalds. The company is found to run its food outlets all around the globe. It basically deals in fast-foods. The customers serve to be the main aspect for the company. It used to collect feedback from the customers on a regular basis. The SWOT Analysis is the tool that is used from the point of developing pertinent knowledge about company’s position in the market. From this, it can improve the weak areas and can strengthen the strong aspects more and more. The information regarding company’s SWOT Analysis can be derived from Company’s website, annual reports, books, articles and journals. All these prove to be effective from the point of developing knowledge about its strength, weakness, threats and opportunities (McDonald’s Corporation: The Past, Present, and Future, n. d. ). The strength of the company is that it is operating in accordance with various cultures. It serves to be a socially responsible company and actively work for community’s betterment. It is also placed on a great position under Fortune ranking list. The weaknesses linked with the company are that it failed to move towards pizza market. In addition to this, it needs to capitalize on the trend towards organic foods as well. The changing preferences of the customers also pose a problem in front of the company. The company understands customer’s value in business and that is why asking them regularly for more improvements. The health of the customers is taken into account with due effect and this makes it high (McDonalds, 2011). It serves to be the opportunities for the company. The threats are that the company faces intense competition and this makes things impossible. At the same time, it is also important to see to it that all these things need to be considered from the point of indentifying company’s actual position. The SWOT Analysis related to the company can be easily found out. But it seems to be very much general in approach. The point is to derive best possible information. The data and all other relevant information are not available easily while writing up SWOT Analysis for a company (Meldrum & McDonald, 007). Answer 2. The SWOT Analysis is being conducted by taking information from books, company’s website, articles etc. All these altogether supports a lot in making things carried upon effectively. The information is being collectively taken from all these sources. The best possible information can be derived from books and articles. Actually, things are quite understandable and comprehensible. With this, it becomes quite easy to u nderstand importance of things in a far better mode. The steps that are being adopted for checking as to information are valid or reliable or not. It is important to arrive at a better conclusion with the help of accumulating information from the authentic sources. The sources so utilized need to be effective and valuable so that interpretations can also be made properly and successfully. In addition to this, SWOT Analysis can be performed and carried out effectively as well (Our Company, 2011). Answer 3. The manager of the company is required to carry upon strategic decisions on the basis of company’s position. The SWOT Analysis so carried upon leads to make things effective and successful in approach. The information so derived online seems to be somewhat ineffective in approach. It would be better to go for developing more knowledge from some better sources. With this, it is for sure that decision-making can be made effective and good in approach. The situations need to be analyzed with due effect as well. It would make manager confident as well as self-assured from the point of carrying upon business practices in a far better way. The other relevant sources that can be used for the sake of completing SWOT analysis for the company are that proper studies and company’s previous records need to be examined and investigated with due respect. It would lead to make things effective and appropriate for the company as well (McDonalds Corporation, n. d. ). References McDonald’s Corporation: The Past, Present, and Future. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://2myprofessor. com/Common/Sample%20Projects/McDonald%27s_Corporation. PDF McDonalds. (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/home. html McDonalds Corporation. (n. d. ).

The Film Industry During Cold War

The Film Industry During Cold War Introduction From 1946, the cold war affected almost all aspects of the world’s social, economic, political and cultural life (Quart Albert 214). In 1991, Sir Churchill announced the separation of the Soviet Union from the eastern satellite Nations (Reinhold, 85).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Film Industry During Cold War specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This led to the birth of cold war which greatly influenced the film industry especially in American and in the Soviet Union (John Peter 451). In the United States for example, the film industry became a target for Un-American political and social film industry personalities. During the nineteen fifties, film personalities who failed to cooperate with the Hollywood film committee were blacklisted by the studios and worse still, some of them such as ‘the Hollywood Ten’ were made to serve a prison sentence (iMinds 2). The Film Industry durin g Cold War The ‘Hollywood Ten’ were screen play writers, film directors and producers. iMinds asserts that, â€Å"These 10 individuals had been summoned to appear before the congressional house committee that dealt with Un-American activities† (iMinds 1). The end of world war two marked the start of the cold war between the Unites States of America and the Soviet Union. The congressional house committee reflected the climate of fear created by the rise of communism and clash of ideologies, initially over the partition of Germany (iMinds 1). The committee existed to investigate the infiltration of Hollywood by communists in the belief that communist agents were planting propaganda in American movies (iMinds 1). It was illegal in America to join the communist party, and all the ten individuals had been members of the party at one time or another. The ‘Hollywood Ten’ were convicted of contempt of congress, and each of them sentenced to up to a year in p rison and a fine of one thousand dollars (iMinds 2).Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They were also blacklisted by Hollywood, and after serving their sentences, their only avenue for work was to leave America, or to work under pseudonyms (iMinds 2). The ‘Hollywood Ten’ cases was only the beginning. As the blacklist grew, it damaged the careers of hundreds of American artists. Many artists were forced to betray their friendships and their principles in order to continue working, and ideological censorship was promoted across the film industry in USA (iMinds 2). The film industry was co-opted into this hysteria (iMinds 2). The screen actors Guild, led by Ronald Reagan, who later became the United States president, voted to make its officers swear a non-communist pledge in 1944 (iMinds 2). In the year 1950 the screen actors Guild started to make all its empl oyees to take loyalty oath (iMinds 2). In 1952 the Screen Writer’s Guild authorized the studios to delete the credits of writers who failed to clear themselves before the congress (iMinds 2). Ironically three of the ‘Hollywood Ten’ had been members of the Guild when it was founded twenty years before (iMinds 2). The pending cases before HUAC committee finally came to an end (iMinds 2). They were able to prove that some communists held important jobs in the film industry, particularly as writers. However they failed to prove that the film industry was secretly spreading communist propaganda (iMinds 2). By 1960 the blacklisting began to die out. It was undermined by many different events (iMinds 3).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Film Industry During Cold War specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One interesting case was that of John Henry Faulk (iMinds 3). He was a comedian blacklisted in a privat e publication and sacked by his employer (iMinds 3). He sued his employer behind the publication in 1957 (iMinds 3). The case dragged through the courts for years but in 1962, John Faulk won the case (iMinds 3). John Faulk’s legal outcome led to so many individuals threatening to sue that private firms against being blacklisted (iMinds 3). Before blacklist was history, it was already being played in films (iMinds 3). The most famous film dealing with the theme of the cold war was â€Å"On the Waterfront†, starring Marlon Brando (iMinds 3). This film was collaboration between director Elia Kazan and screen writer Buzz Shulberg with a plot that dealt with the issues of informers (iMinds 3). This film won academy awards in 1954 (iMinds 3). Types of Movies Released During Cold War Movies which were produced during the cold war era are documented and it is through what they exhibited that we individuals were informed about how the film industry responded to the external soc ial pressures of the cold war and how the film industry reacted to it (Michael 173). External social pressure is very vital when evaluating the effects of cold war era on the film industry (Whitfield 42). The cold war era had started a long time before the film industry started getting affected by it. Many movies are produced based on the social events which take place at the time the movie scripts are formulated, therefore films that were produced during the cold war eventually reflected on ‘the garrison state mentality’ which surrounded many people’s minds during that time (Michael 173).Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The movies produced in the cold war era which had cold war theme, mainly conveyed information touching on America and Russia quest for power (Sayre 122). These movies included movies which deliberately contained anti-communist or anti-capitalism themes. Films in this category were concerned with effects of the cold war to Nations (Gaddis 24). They could best be referred to as propaganda films and were meant to convince the informed public regarding the objectives and strategies of global cold war conspiracy (Whitfield 56). These types of films were mostly directed from Moscow or Hollywood and were intended to underpin the American and Soviet Union’s ways of lives (Elaine 76). The themes in these movies were straight forward and depicted the forces locked in mortal combat. These movies are vital to the historian because of the information of propaganda contained in them (Melvin 88). Some of the movies in this category includes, â€Å"The Iron Curtain (1948)†, â€Å"I m arried a communist (1949)†, â€Å"I was communist for the FBI (1951)†, â€Å"The Conspirator (1950)† and â€Å"Walk East on Beacon (1952)† (Elaine 102). Conclusion In conclusion it can be asserted that, the cold war had a heavy social impact on the film industry. HUAC committee’s verdict in 1944 to black list any Communist party supporter in the USA, had posed a great challenges to the film industry but now that this challenge is long gone, the industry can continues to unleash blockbuster movies without any fear. It is obvious that the cold war era, continues to socially influence the scripting of themes in modern films. Gaddis, John. The Long Peace: Inquiries into the History of the Cold War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Print. iMinds. Hollywood Blacklist: The Arts. New York: iMinds Publishers, 2009. Print. John, Durham and Peter, Samson. Mass Communication and American Social Thought: Key Texts, 1919-1968. Oxford: Row-Man Littlefiel d, 2004. Print. May, Elaine. Home Ward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. New York: Basic Books, 1988. Print. Melvin, Small. â€Å"Buffoons and Brave Hearts: Hollywood Portrays the Russians, 1939- 1944.† California Rhetorical Quarterly (1973): 327-37. Print. Michael, Paris. From the Wright Brothers to Top gun: Aviation, Nationalism and Popular Cinema. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995. Print. Quart, Leonard and Albert, Auster. American Film and Society since 1945. New York: Praeger, 1991. Print. Reinhold, Wagnleitner. Coca-colonization and the Cold War: the Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria after the Second World War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994. Print. Sayre, Nora. Running time: Films of the Cold War. New York: Dial Press, 1982. Whitfield, Stephen. The culture of the Cold War. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. Print.

Def Leppard HYSTERIA essays

Def Leppard HYSTERIA essays Def Leppards album, HYSTERIA (1987), is a great classic that will be forever remembered. Lead singer Joe Elliot sings songs all based around women, whether the songs be about mans need for a woman or the hardships that come with loving women. The main theme he deals with in this album is mens relationships to women (Adams 68). The relationships he speaks about in his songs are not necessarily love relationships. Elliot advocates his desires for the lusts of a woman in his songs. Def Leppard would rather keep it simple, with quick, punchy guitar riffs and a straight-from-the-crotch philosophy. These songs are devoted to one adolescent fantasy after anotherAnimal, Woman, and Armageddon It are just what you think they arewith music that pounds their hormone-heavy attitudes home. Its rarely more than 6 inches deep, but even mindless fun is still fun (Adams 68). Def Leppards album starts off with the song titled Women. Elliot discusses how In the beginning God made the land and Then He made the water and creatures, then He made manborn with a passion. He goes on to describe that there was something that was missing, something lost. He says that women are what mencant live without. Elliot makes many biblical references in this song. In the second verse, he describes that in the garden, lust began, referring to the Garden of Eden (Fricke 14). This song is a great example of the theme of mens relationships with women concerning mans search for women. Elliot is describing and making reference to the Bible to show that mans instinct and desire for women came from the beginning of time. He uses this powerful reference as a tool to justify his point that men need women. In the song Animal Elliot speaks mos ...

Effects of non-verbal communication across cultures Research Paper

Effects of non-verbal communication across cultures - Research Paper Example The ability for one to exchange ideas with another, understand one another’s opinions, and solve problems is highly dependent on the effectiveness of the communication process (Agliati, Anolli, and Vescovo, 2006). According to Kirch (1979), verbal communication refers to the message content, arrangement and choice of words while communicating nonverbally addresses the message sent using body language. Non-Verbal Communication across Cultures The most common of all forms of non-verbal communication is facial expression (Levine and Adelman, 1993). Nevertheless, interpretation of the different facial expressions across cultures is quite hard. Lists of expressions exist with respect to situations, for instance; those that indicate happiness, fear, sadness and anger. This makes it hard for one to identify what expression is being conveyed and for what reason. Carey (1998) reports that â€Å"facial expressions are the most obvious ones that can be quite misleading, because most are pretty good at covering a lie† (350). ... A suitable example is the United States where eye contact and a firm handshake are considered a basic type of nonverbal communication whereas French people toss while looking at each other’s eyes as a symbol of respect and politeness. However, Kirch (1979) argues that other countries or rather other cultures consider avoiding eye contact as a sign of respect, for instance Africa, some parts of Asia and Latin America. Another common form of nonverbal communication used by people on a daily basis is body gesture (Carey, 1998). Good examples of using body gestures include greeting people using visual signals when initiating a presentation, and beckoning to a waiter instinctively. For instance, in a U.S bar, people walk over to the counter to get their bills while in Thailand, people snap their fingers to get their bills from the waiters in charge. In addition, Thai people greet each other by putting their hands together while in the U.S and with many Christians, people put their hands together while paying respect to the Lord God. In some cultures, bidding someone farewell is done by waving hands while in others it is done by embracing each other (Carey, 1998). Furthermore, people in other cultures hug and touch each other more. Habitats of Northern European countries do not fancy this type of bodily contact as compared to residents of southern countries. Some cultures have limited body contact between sexes to relatives only. Bulgarians nod their heads to signify rejection of a prevailing situation while other people in other cultures nod their heads to signify compliance (Carey, 1998). Culture and Nonverbal Communication The way in which people across different cultures communicate is greatly affected by the variations in

Credit risk management in banking sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Credit risk management in banking sector - Essay Example Credit risk management appears to have improved during the past decades due to greater reliance on market determined prices. Credit risk today is managed through the creation of an in-house risk management unit. In addition, efficient credit risk valuation methods are being employed today by banks. Banks have also resorted into more advanced methods of credit risk management and quantification such as value at risk, stress testing, credit scoring. According to BIS paper No.33, financial markets are subject to various sources of risk: credit, market, liquidity, operational and legal risks. These risks tend to be more pronounced in the developing world than in developed countries due to a lower level of economic, financial and institutional development. Credit risk tends to be more acute as a result of a lack of highly rated counterparties. Market and liquidity risks are higher due to thinly traded markets (IMF BIS Paper No. 33). Operational risks may also be exacerbated because of inadequate human resources or the failure of manual, mechanical or electronic systems to process payments. Finally, legal risk may also be part of the environment (for instance, due to the inability to foreclose on collateral). The next section discusses credit risk and some of its components and how it can be managed. 1.2 Credit Risk According to the International Monetary Fund Business Paper No. 33, credit risk is the risk that a debt issuer will default is known as credit risk; this is typically the most important form of risk for commercial banks (Shapiro, 2003; Buckley, 1996; Muller and Verschoor, 2005; Solt and Wayne, 2001).Solt & Wayne (2001) argues that, in assessing credit risk, an institution needs to consider three issues: default probabilities over the horizon of the obligation, credit exposure (ie how large the obligation is when the default occurs) and the recovery rate (ie what part of the exposure may be recovered through bankruptcy proceedings or some other form of settlement) (Solt and Wayne, 2001). Credit risk is often difficult to assess due to the lack of information on the credit history and financial position of borrowers, inadequate accounting practices and standards that make it difficult to evaluate credit exposures, macroeconomic volatility and deficiencies in the institutional environment (e.g., political instability) (BIS Paper No.33, 2005). Weak enforcement of creditor rights may also contribute to uncertainty regarding recovery rates. Although many of these factors have been improving in recent years, progress in some cases is slow (Mohanty et al., 2006). Moreno (2006) highlights two key issues related to credit risk that are relevant for emerging market economies (EMEs). First, the distinct increase in the share of credit to the household sector that has been observed in a number of countries could lower credit risk if the concentration of bank assets fell, if consumer credit diversifies risk among a larger number of borrowers. Moreno (2006), further states that, credit risk could rise if banks are lending in new market segments. Second, there is significant credit risk associated with the effects of asset price fluctuations on banking books. One concern in this case is the volatility

Freedom and emancipation of women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Freedom and emancipation of women - Essay Example On the other hand, men were more flexible and could look for work and live away from homes, while still expecting to have their wives take care of their children at home. In Kate Chopin story â€Å"the story of an hour†, women are depicted as being oppressed, but repressing their feeling despite their desire for freedom. The theme of oppression of women in the society is best captured in the story of an hour where Mrs. Mallard; the main author who is depicted as having a heart trouble. This is the reason why the death of her husband is brought with gentleness (Chopin 788). This is a disease that Chopin refers to be the one of the causes of trouble facing Mrs. Ballard. In the story, the heart disease is a symbol of the pain that Chopin has to contend with, one that makes her sick and remain at home, while her husband goes to work. The interpretation of the heart diseases ties with the notion that women’s places was home and not in the industry, which was considered as a playing field for men only. This was a belief that men held during the nineteenth century, at a time when women were trying to liberate themselves from chains of having to take roles as wives at home. But as indicated in the story, the struggles of women like Mrs. Mallard bore no success as she succumbed to death because of her heart trouble. Mrs. Mallard is depicted as a young woman in the story and yet all she could do was stay at home, while the husband went to work to fend for the family. Chopin’s portrays Mrs. Mallard as a young woman who has a fair and calm face. These descriptions indicate the status of women in the society being that most of them had the potential to take over roles in the industries and other domains (Stein 54). Needless to say, the theme of oppressions seems to be overstretched on women like Mr. Mallard who have to wait at home for the husband to come home. In addition, it is clear to point that men made women hold gender roles at home advancing the theme of oppression. In what seems as a twist, Mr. Mallard later becomes happy because the death of her husband meant his freedom. In the story, Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard as having a dull stare, one that illustrates the kind of life she has gone through. The dull eyes present readers with the feeling of women have having been stagnated and withdrawn in the quest for freedom. This notion is true considering the fact that women during the 19th century continued to hold a role at home with none having the chance to take part in other facets of life. In the story, it is apparent that Mrs. Mallard is less independent in her marriage, which indicates the oppression that women were going through in their society. To a great extent, it can be argued that married women like Mrs. Mallard were less independent because of their allegiance to the will of their husbands. Historically, the women’s quest from freedom in the nineteenth century reflected the difficulty of women making sig nificant breakthroughs in a society where men were parochial. In another perspective, the dull stare reveal the routine that characterized the lives of women being that many of them stayed at home. This signifies a form of oppression that made women restricted to their homes rather than joint the social and economic life experienced by their male counterparts. To some degree, Chopin reveal that women despite being oppressed remained tied to their husbands to the chain of oppression tha

Ronaldo part of Real's global marketing plan Essay

Ronaldo part of Real's global marketing plan - Essay Example Florentino Perez, director of the club, even admits it in the article: "One of the most important things for Real is its image". In this context the investment of US$44.25 million to transfer Ronaldo from his former Italian club Inter Milan seems nothing in regards of the foreseeable benefits of the arrival of the player. Perez adds: "We will begin selling shirts bearing the player's name immediately and we are sure there will be a massive demand. In five years we want to be in every country in the world." The statement proved to be true the very day Ronaldo signed his contract with Real Madrid. The player went to sign his shirt at the Real's boutique and broke all the records of soccer shirts sales in a day. A Ronaldo shirt costs 75 a piece. No Surprise Perez believes he will get his money's worth. Florentino Perez' strategy is obvious. He brings soccer stars from all around the world and offers them to the public. Who doe not want to see the best players of the world put together in a "dream team" Thus the skyscraping benefits of the shirt sales. However products with the Real Madrid logo are not the only source of major income for the club. With the arrival of Ronaldo, the team signed a commercial agreement with Siemens to bear the name of the mobile firm company on the team's shirt. The market share of Siemens has grown from 17% to 21% in one year.

Medea's Choices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medea's Choices - Essay Example However, in the foreign land of the Corinthians, Jason fails to rise to her expectation and banishes her on behalf of Glauce, the daughter of the ruler of Corinth, Creon. This betrayal by Jason completely affects Media’s choice of action and the play turns to narrate the plot of the jealousy and revenge of the character betrayed by her husband. It is most relatable here that the quarrel between Jason and Medea is the heart of the play by Euripides and the following actions by the husband along with the sense of strangeness among the Corinthians forced Medea take the ultimate revenge upon Jason. As Denys Page puts it, â€Å"Jason forsook Medea; Media killed his bride, his children, and his bride’s father.† (Page, xxi) In fact, it is the feeling of a stranger in the character of Medea which basically causes her subsequent actions and this feeling in the character was reinforced by the realization that her husband is has become an insider by way of marrying Glauce. Jason’s marriage to the Corinthian princess now makes him an insider which confronts Medea’s sense of outsider in the land of the Corinthians. Therefore, the fundamental factor contributing to Medea’s choice of action in killing Jason’s children, his bride and her father is her realization that she is a stranger among the Corinthians along with the fact that Jason will turn to be an insider in the land by marrying the Corinthian princess. The central action of the play by Euripides is the conflict between Jason and Medea which makes the husband an insider to Corinth and makes the wife remain a stranger to the land. Jason’s marriage to the Corinthian princess Glauce brings about a tragic situation to Medea who is left alone in a land of the strangers. She trusted Jason completely to leave everything she kept close to her heart. However, she comes to face a frustrating situation in Corinth where she feels a stranger when

Sales Rewards and Incentives Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sales Rewards and Incentives - Coursework Example Job-related incentives are one of the sales incentives which are least expensive. They can be in form of additional vacation time at no out-of-pocket cost. These are mainly incentives which are related to daily work responsibilities of the team. These can include but not limited to a half day of work, funny celebration gifts, watch movie as a sales team, etc. This is very significant in motivating the employees (Fisher, 2003). Tangible incentives are something of monetary value. This can be milk and cookies, new cell phones, laptops, or other gadgets that are of great importance to the employees. However, the items should be valuable in order to excite the sales force and motivate them to work harder (Fisher, 2003). Experience incentives have been identified as one that impacts positively towards the happiness of the salesperson than purchases. For instance, instead of sending just one sales person to a Hawaii, it is more fulfilling when a team-based contest is organized with a team experience being the main price (Fisher, 2003). This plays a significant role in not only rewarding the high performers but also to create a strong bond between the salespeople. This improves the level of teamwork, an aspect that is replicated in the overall performance of the business.

Ronaldo part of Real's global marketing plan Essay

Ronaldo part of Real's global marketing plan - Essay Example Florentino Perez, director of the club, even admits it in the article: "One of the most important things for Real is its image". In this context the investment of US$44.25 million to transfer Ronaldo from his former Italian club Inter Milan seems nothing in regards of the foreseeable benefits of the arrival of the player. Perez adds: "We will begin selling shirts bearing the player's name immediately and we are sure there will be a massive demand. In five years we want to be in every country in the world." The statement proved to be true the very day Ronaldo signed his contract with Real Madrid. The player went to sign his shirt at the Real's boutique and broke all the records of soccer shirts sales in a day. A Ronaldo shirt costs 75 a piece. No Surprise Perez believes he will get his money's worth. Florentino Perez' strategy is obvious. He brings soccer stars from all around the world and offers them to the public. Who doe not want to see the best players of the world put together in a "dream team" Thus the skyscraping benefits of the shirt sales. However products with the Real Madrid logo are not the only source of major income for the club. With the arrival of Ronaldo, the team signed a commercial agreement with Siemens to bear the name of the mobile firm company on the team's shirt. The market share of Siemens has grown from 17% to 21% in one year.

Sales Rewards and Incentives Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sales Rewards and Incentives - Coursework Example Job-related incentives are one of the sales incentives which are least expensive. They can be in form of additional vacation time at no out-of-pocket cost. These are mainly incentives which are related to daily work responsibilities of the team. These can include but not limited to a half day of work, funny celebration gifts, watch movie as a sales team, etc. This is very significant in motivating the employees (Fisher, 2003). Tangible incentives are something of monetary value. This can be milk and cookies, new cell phones, laptops, or other gadgets that are of great importance to the employees. However, the items should be valuable in order to excite the sales force and motivate them to work harder (Fisher, 2003). Experience incentives have been identified as one that impacts positively towards the happiness of the salesperson than purchases. For instance, instead of sending just one sales person to a Hawaii, it is more fulfilling when a team-based contest is organized with a team experience being the main price (Fisher, 2003). This plays a significant role in not only rewarding the high performers but also to create a strong bond between the salespeople. This improves the level of teamwork, an aspect that is replicated in the overall performance of the business.

Individual Assigment Essay Example for Free

Individual Assigment Essay Narration: The world of technology has evolved over the years, and that means the need for technology has increased as well. Businesses have evolved over time with the use of technology, it allows us to shop, sell, trade, and function overseas. As I read over your business plan it seems that it is designed to compete in the local market, as well as add value to the community. Technology will play a huge part in both, it allows you to create and implement a plan that will help increase profit and customer satisfaction. As your business will compete in the local market, you will need to consider implementing Enterprise 2.0 or Web 2.0. Both Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0 offer many benefits to help your company succeed and grow with the ever changing economy and local market, both will allow your company to widen your market from county to county, state to state and even other countries. Enterprise 2.0 The attributes of Enterprise 2.0 practices can be very useful and sufficient in brainstorming, sharing, and evaluating ideas by utilizing enterprise social networking. Enterprise 2.0 helps business decrease IT costs by decreasing the amount of hardware and software that is needed (McAfee, 2010). Enterprise 2.0 would be a good asset to your business, it would keep it cost down and allow the marketing that you need to be competitive in your local market. Web 2.0 Web 2.0 also has many beneficial factors that would also be a good asset to your company, it includes social networking sites that would create great marketing tools, it allows you to create website which can also be a great tool for marketing and it allows you the user to be in control over the data  used. Web 2.0 offer rich user experience, user participation, scalability, and freedom. Web 2.0 offers a wide variety of marketing tools as well as creating a safe and valuable way to increase profit, and safe guard your assets (McAfee, 2010). .

Performance Management Cycle Properties

Performance Management Cycle Properties The performance management cycle is a premiere technique used by many companies to guide their performance management system. It is regarded as a continuous, future oriented and participative system; as an ongoing cycle of criteria setting, monitoring, informal feedback from supervisors and peer, formal multisource assessment, diagnosis and review action planning and development resourcing (Bach1999; Williams 2002). The Performance Management cycle involves a continuous learning process as stated by Kaufman, R., Thiagarajan, S., MacGillis, P.1997 Performance is not a one shot process, it is ongoing. The continuous improvement and quality management process is vital. An organisations survival depends on it to be done correctly and consistently. Though the above authors identified that it is a continuous process Bach1999; Williams 2002 went on to say that it is far more than a simple process, there are many facets of this cycle. The Performance Management cycle comprises of planning, monitoring, developing, rating and rewarding and back to planning again Neely (1998), but on the other hand, many view performance management to be one step process of appraising the individual only, but as the following cycle explains there is more to performance management than appraising. This cycle provides a framework to help organisations and employees better manage the process of performance management which aids in the future success of the organisation. This research will analyse each aspect of this cycle to assess how it relates to the processes being used at AATT. Performance Management Cycle PLANNING The first step of this continuous cycle is to plan. Planning entails developing and setting performance objectives. Armstrong (2004:488) defines objectives as what organizations, functions, departments and individuals are expected to achieve over a period of time. It is important that company values and goals used as the basis for goal setting be understood and communicated to all employees and managers. Objectives, or goals, are the foundation for good performance. These objectives are used to provide a well thought-out approach to the achievement of the desired performance level for individuals and teams. Employees are usually involved in the planning process, this helps them understand their goals of the organization, what needs to be done; why it needs to be done and how well it should be done. Many companies involve their employees in the process so they can identify and understand the required behaviours. This enables the company to produce plans to meet the objectives of the company and enhance the knowledge, skills and competencies, also reinforcing desired behaviours. This was reinforced by Ducker (1954), He stated that the planning process typically done by senior managers should be prepared by all employee, they should partake in the strategic planning process which would give the employees a sense of ownership and responsibility to fulfil their objectives. Drucker (1954) also contradicted his statement by saying managers are responsible for achieving results. However the researcher is of the opinion that the planning phase should not be left to the managers alone as the employee are the lifeline of an organisation and careful planning and involvement of the employee will encourage them to work along their seniors to foster a successful company. An analysis will be conducted to identify whether this step currently is being enforced at AATT and if the result of this is clear and concise objectives. Monitoring Monitoring entails continuously measuring performance and its effectiveness in achieving the organisation set objectives in the planning process. It also allows the company to update and refine any current and future demands which may arise. This enables the organisation to stay on the right part. During the monitoring phase, its important to keep notes. Document both positive and negative performance issues, and make notes consistently throughout the performance management cycle. Specific instances should be looked at when employees meet and exceed expectations, and when they fall short of performance goals. These notes should be objective, job-related and accurate, focusing on behavior and void of personal option and emotion. Based on these findings the supervisor will be able to identify the employees strengths and shortcomings. The shortcomings are then addressed in the developmental stage of the performance cycle. Development At the development stage the developmental needs of the employee are assessed and addressed. This phase focuses on the improvement of current knowledge and skills and also on the development of new ones. This improvement is done via coaching; training and giving assignments that challenges the employee to take on more responsibility which improves their skills and ability. At This development stage many companies offer training and developmental opportunities to their employees but on the other hand some companies completely disregard this stage of the performance management cycle as they see it as the employees responsibility to further their development and also they avoid the costliness of training programs. The researcher will look at how AATT assess and implements this phase and the employees reactions to implemented training programs. Appraising This phase of the cycle is most synonymous with performance management. It is regularly regarded as the only step in performance management, though this is not the case. At this phase in the cycle the employee is assessed on their performance. When used correctly, performance appraisals can be powerful career development tool and help a company retain its current workforce by boosting performance and morale. According to Flippo (1984) performance appraisal is the systematic, periodic and an impartial rating of an employees excellence in the matters pertaining to his present job and his potential for a better job. As stated this phase enables the company to measure the employee performance and assess if they are meeting the objectives set out at the planning phase, it also allows the company to identify the employee weaknesses, strengthens, and opportunities for further development/ promotion. He also went on to point out that it should be unbiased, this is of great concern for many e mployees as they something feels that the evaluator is prejudiced and they cannot highlight their concerns. The following factors are critical for an effective performance appraisal, these are: proper documentation, Clear cut objectives and goals, Simple understandable evaluation format, evaluation technique, communication and feedback. Picket (2003 pp 237-240) states that the performance review continues in many organisations despite evidence that it has the potential to be one of the most effective management tools in the entire kit. However, according to Steers and Black (1994), performance appraisal is one of the most important and often one of the most mishandled aspects of management. This scenario is one of great concern considering the importance of the evaluator to the success of the appraisal process; Imundo (1993 p158) stated that it is an inherent responsibility of those in managerial positions to pass judgment on what employees do with respect to meeting job requirements. He went on to say While individual employees are responsible for their own performance, it is supervisors who should shoulder overall responsibility for the performance of the unit under their direction. In light of the above, in todays organisation many managers have little or no training concerning the evaluation of employees. As a result of this lack of training supervisors are not equipped to provide proper assessment and effective feedback. Therefore sometimes employees are left up to the own initiative to manage their department and personal performance. Recent studies suggest that organizations fail to conduct effective rigorous, skills-based training and rater training with their managers (Fink, and Longenecker, 1998). Torrington and Hall (1991) stressed that appraisers need training on how to appraise and how to conduct appraisal interviews. However, many organisations stray from this and they provide the manager with the appraisal forms and instructions on how to complete the form and the rating schemes. This procedure currently utilized by organisations underhands the appraisal process. However, Bacal (2001 p 201) states that: Performance appraisal isnt about the forms. The ultimate purpose of performance appraisal is to allow employees and managers to improve continuously and to remove barriers to job success, in other words, to make everyone better. Forms dont make people better, and are simply a way of recording basic information for later reference. If the focus is getting the forms done, without thought and effort, the whole process becomes at best a waste of time, and at worst, insulting. Bacal highlighted that the mundane process of form filling is not what an appraisal is all about, you have to look at the bigger picture which is the successful attainment of the organisations strategic objectives and the success of the organisation. There are many techniques and methods to performance appraisal such as the traditional methods and the Morden methods. These are highlighted below: Traditional Methods Description Morden methods Description ESSAY APPRAISAL METHOD BEHAVIORALLY ANCHORED RATING SCALES(BARS) STRAIGHT RANKING METHOD HUMAN RESOURCE ACCOUNTING METHOD PAIRED COMPARISON 360-Degree-Performance-Appraisal Method CRITICAL INCIDENTS METHODS Management By Objectives(MBO) Method FIELD REVIEW CHECKLIST METHOD GRAPHIC RATING SCALE FORCED DISTRIBUTION The researcher will assess the above methods and examine the different approaches and methodologies which relates to Performance Management at AATT. If these factors are adhered to, they assist the company in formulating strategies for the employee future promotion and rewards. Rewarding The final phase in the cycle is rewarding. At the rewarding phase, the employee or team is recognized and acknowledged with regards to their ability to attain the organisations set objectives in the planning phase. These rewards may be monetary, non-monetary, such as praising the employee for a job well done, and promotions. The researcher will assess if and how AATT determines reward. What Should organisations manage? The most widely recognized and implemented approach to measure performance is the Balanced Scorecard Approach. This is now widely used as a strategy development and execution tool .This approach was developed by Kaplan and Norton (1992, 1996), it provides a system of aligning business actions to the vision and strategy of the organization, improving internal and external communications, and monitoring organization performance against strategic goals it focuses on measurement and evaluation using criteria that will provide a balanced view rather than using only the financial criteria. The four perspectives which Kaplan and Norton recommended that managers assess their employees on are: The financial perspective -This perspective measures the financial outcomes of the organisation. These may include profits, new commercial business ventures or it can be result based. The customers perspective An organisation success depends on their customers, as such, this perspective measures the customers satisfaction and their perception of the organisation. The data collected allows the organisation to gauge if they are effectively satisfying their customers needs and if there is a need for further improvement. The internal business perspective This perspective focuses on the organizations critical internal operations which enable the organisation to attain customer satisfaction. It includes the infrastructure, long and short term goals and objectives, organisational procedures, and human resources. The innovation and learning perspective This perspective cover the organisations ability to innovate, learn, and improve. This links directly with the values of the organisation. For the Balanced scorecard approach to be effective the manager should have the capability to observe and take note of several instruments and measures concurrently. It is frequently stated that one of the main benefits of the Balanced Scorecard, is that is translates strategy into action. However, despite its popularity Norreklit (2003) questioned the existence of a causal relationship between the different perspectives, the fact that this system does not address the needs and wants of all the stakeholders of a company; and the lack of theory behind the scorecard concept. Notwithstanding this criticism the balance scorecard approach has proven to be an appropriate tool to address the organisation performance and if the four perspectives are properly assessed in the end the company and their stakeholders will benefit from their success. As part of this research the researcher will use this universally known model to assess the performance measurement system at AATT. Performance management as a motivational tool. Understand each individuals motivations and triggers can assist an organisation to motivate their employee to perform at their maximum potential. Performance management is constantly associated with theories of motivation. There are several written motivational theories in literature, with the most popular being; Taylor (1890, 1911) Scientific Management, Maslows (1954) needs hierarchy theory, Locke and Ladham (1968, 1990) goal setting theory, Herzbergs 1957 two-factors theory, and Vroom 1964 expectancy theory. Frederick Winslow Taylor (1890, 1911), put forward the idea that workers are motivated mainly by pay. His Theory of Scientific Management argued that workers do not naturally enjoy work and so need close supervision and control; therefore managers should break down production into a series of small tasks. Workers should then be given appropriate training and tools so they can work as efficiently as possible on one set task. Workers are then paid according to the number of items they produce in a set period of time- piece-rate pay. As a result workers are encouraged to work hard and maximise their productivity. However this approach became repetitive and insulting to the workers as they felt like they were being treated like human machines. This theory is often linked to Macgregors two fundamental approaches to managing people, theory X and theory Y, namely theory X which speaks to employees being self-serving, unwilling to take on responsibility and essentially only working for money. It follows an authoritarian management style. On the other hand theory Y speaks to a participative management style saying work is as natural as rest or play, without the threat of punishment people will work to pursue organizational objectives and people accept and seek out responsibility, which is what the performance management cycle is all about, including the employee in the process. Elton Mayo went against those theories saying that workers are not just concerned with money but could be better motivated by having their social needs met whilst at work. This factor was ignored by Taylor. Mayo introduced the Human Relation School of thought, which focused on managers actively communicating to their employees, and treating them as individuals who have meaningful opinions. His theory most aligns with the paternalistic management style and incorporates elements of the performance management cycle, whereby employees are encouraged to give their opinion and work alongside management. Abraham Maslow (1954) in conjunction with Frederick Herzberg 1957 introduced the Neo-Human Relations School in the 1950s, which focused on the psychological needs of employees. Maslow put forward a theory that there are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work. These are identified in the figure below. It is a bottom up approach, he identified that if certain need cannot be met the person will not be motivated to move on to the other level. Whereas, Hertzbergs two-factor theory are hygiene factors and motivator factors. Hygiene factors speak to the need for a business to avoid unpleasantness at work. If these factors are inadequate for employees, they therefore can cause discontent at work. Hygiene factors include: Company policies and administration Wages, salaries and other financial remuneration Quality of supervision Quality of inter-personal relations Working conditions Feelings of job security Motivator factors are based on the individual need for personal development. When they exist, motivator factors actively create job satisfaction. If they are effective, then they can motivate an individual to achieve above-average performance and effort. Motivator factors include: Status Opportunity for advancement Gaining recognition Responsibility Challenging / stimulating work Sense of personal achievement personal growth in a job There are similarities between Maslow (1954) and Frederick Herzberg theories; they both suggest that needs have to be satisfied for the employee to be motivated. However, Herzberg argues that only the higher levels of the Maslow Hierarchy (e.g. self-actualisation, esteem needs) act as a motivator. The remaining needs can only cause dissatisfaction if not addressed. (Motivation in theory n.d.) These motivational theories can be applied to a wide range of management functions, but these will be used by the researcher to fulfil her objective of determine the Performance Management process as it relates to the motivation of employees in the workplace and how it is implemented in the organization and the impact it has on the motivation of employees. This chapter outlined literature key to the researchers study of performance management as it relates to AATT. The following chapter will address the methodologies the researcher will utilize to ascertain her objectives. Drucker, P., The Practice of Management, Harper, New York, 1954; Heinemann, London, 1955; revised edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007 The Economist Guide to Management Ideas and Gurus, by Tim Hindle Flippo, E. B. 1984. Personnel management. 6th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Steers, R.M. Black, J.S. 1994. Organizational behaviour. Ed. ke-5. New York: Harper Collins. Grote, R.C. Grote, D. 2002. The performance appraisal question and answer book: a survival guide for managers. AMACOM. Les Pickett, (2003) Transforming the annual fiasco, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 35 Iss: 6, pp.237 240 Armstrong, M Baron, A 2005, Managing performance: Performance management in action. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London. Weiss, Tracey B., and Franklin Hartle, Reengineering Performance Management, Breakthroughs in Achieving Strategy Through People, St. Lucie Press, Boca Raton, 1997. Pg 3-6 Kaufman, R. (1997). A Strategic Planning Framework: Mega Planning. In Kaufman, R., Thiagarajan, S., MacGillis, P. (Editors), The Handbook for Performance Improvement. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer Co/Division of Jossey-Bass Laurence S. Fink, Clinton Oliver Longenecker, (1998) Training as a performance appraisal improvement strategy, Career Development International, Vol. 3 Iss: 6, pp.243 251 Douglas Maxx, Robert Bacall. 2001. Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews 2/E. McGraw-Hill Professional p 201. Neely A., Adams C. and Kennerley M, (2002), The Performance Prism: The Scorecard for Measuring and Managing Business Success, London, UK: Financial Times Prentice Hall Norreklit, H. (2003), The Balanced Scorecard: What Is the Score? A Rhetorical Analysis of the Balanced Scorecard., Accounting, Organisations and Society, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 591. KAPLAN, R. S. and NORTON, D. P. 1992. The Balanced Scorecard: Measures that Drive Performance, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb, pp. 71-79. KAPLAN, R. S. and NORTON, D. P. 1996. Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb pp 75 -85. HERZBERG, F. et al. 1957. The motivation to work. 2nd ed. New York LOCKE, E.A. 1968. Towards a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives, Organisational Behaviour and Human Performance, Vol. 14, No.2, pp. 157-189. LOCKE, E.A. and LADHAM, G.P. 1990. A Theory of Goal setting and Task Performance, New York, NY: Prentice-Hall. MCCLELLAND, P. C. 1975. Causal explanation and model building in history, economics and the new economy. Ithaca; London : Cornell University Press. Maslow, Abraham (1954). Motivation and Personality. Harper and Row New York: VROOM, V.H. 1964. Work and Motivation., New York, NY: John Wiley. TAYLOR, F. W. 1890. The rise of scientific management. Madison; London : University of Wisconsin Press. TAYLOR, F. W., 1911. The principles of scientific management. London : Harper Brothers. http://tutor2u.net/business/people/motivation_theory_herzberg.asp motivation in theory Neely, A 1998, Measurement of business performance why, what and how, The Economist, London.