Gibson Kente free essay sample

Gibson Kente: Arguably the most popular playwright-director in South African Theatre history is â€Å"Bra Gib†, Gibson Kente. Born in 1932, Kente became the father of Black Theatre. He was a great patriot and founding father of Black Theatre in South ; an effective voice of the oppressed though the arts, he articulated the socio-economic imbalances created by the apartheid regime. Kente was not only an artist but also a vehicle for change. He conscientised the nation through music and theatre and gave a nation confidence in the midst of repression and brutality. Kente was largely unknown to the white theatre-going population of South Africa – however he produced 23 plays and many TV dramas from 1963-1992. Kente grew up in Duncan Village, a black village in the Eastern Cape. He was schooled at a Seventh-Day Adventist College in Butterworth. In 1956, he moved to Johannesburg and enrolled at the Jan Hofmeyer School of Social Work. He eventually abandoned his studies after he joined a black theatre group called the Union Artists. We will write a custom essay sample on Gibson Kente or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is where he embarked on his career writing, producing and directing, where he created the unique genre referred to as the â€Å"township musical. Kente developed a style and pattern for his plays specifically to deal with the challenges and needs of his audiences. His plays were melodramas of township life, which were performed in an over-the-top, stylized manner using stock characters and a declamatory style of performance. His style of directing his actors to ‘overact’ was in order to compensate for many of the townships venues which had poor acoustics. His use of music, movement, gesture, gimmicks, dance and acrobatics were directly related to his problem with township venues. These large halls were not complimentary to any type of method acting. The movements had to be unnaturalistic, the acting was vigorous and exaggerated well beyond reality, in order to have an impact on the eye and the ear. There was also a devaluing of dialogue – the dialogue is in English, however, most of it was inaudible because of audience noise and interaction, bad voice projection in the acoustically unsound halls, the musical band and unfamiliarity with words from the script. The audiences were not there to appreciate the subtlety of language through the use of puns or witticisms – they were there to be entertained through the stock characters antics – to recognize themselves on stage. Kente’s aim was to fill township venues and he did. The majority of his plays are stylistically similar: the acting style hardly varies, the story development is superficial, there is an absence of conflict other than the physical fights and the slanging matches between characters. The plots were simple – they were made up of occurrences which were happening in the townships and in daily township life. Ian Steadman writes in his article Alternative Politics, Alternative Performance: 1976 and Black South African Theatre that â€Å"while he [Kente] has been criticised by more radical Black Consciousness proponents for being a-political, Kentes theatre succeeds in creating social comment and criticism – sometimes by implication, at other times by direct proseltism† (1984: 219).

10 Exemplification Essay Topics on Myths and Religion

10 Exemplification Essay Topics on Myths and Religion Before there were legal laws and government policies to provide a structure for humans to live by, religion played the role of providing direction for the lifestyle each individual should attain to that was pleasing to god. With time, the world’s religions have evolved from providing directions to daily living to catering to faith and what happens in the afterlife. This makes religion an expansive and interesting topic to discuss as well as write about in educational environments. Today’s article focuses on myths and religion which means it discusses the myths associated with religious worship and how some have been accepted in mainstream religions. So before discussing these myths, here is a brief explanation of what religion and myths represent. Religion can be defined as a set of beliefs diverted to a cause, nature and the purpose of the universe as well as man’s place in it. While myths are unproven stories generally passed down from generations to generations that become facts with the passage of time. Practicing religion involves conducting certain rituals and the use of devotionals- holy books, religious tools- to provide directions on how to worship the creator of the universe and this is where myths come in for they are included in most devotionals as religious stories or instructions. So here are 10 facts on the myths and religions for an exemplification essay: The Inspiration behind mythical stories in the minds of men in ancient Greece is attributed to divine sources such as Zeus and the muses. In like manner, modern religion also attributes the inspiration behind the stories and facts found in religious books to divine inspiration from a divine being or an element of the divine being. Therefore, in both cases, myths are sometimes believed to be actual historical incidents that occurred in a forgotten era. The creation story and its mythical origins the three major Abrahamic religions share the same belief on how the world was created in three days out of nothing but before this belief became widely accepted, ancient Egyptian myths and text also described a creation process in which the world was built from an infinite, lifeless sea of nothingness. Other religions such as the Kamba in Kenya, and the Maori religion also contain aspects of this creation myth. Oral transmission creates avenues for distortions the stories we recognize as myths today were transferred through the ages by oral communication which has led to distortions as the custodians of these stories either embellish or detract facts from them. Like Homer’s tale of the Iliad which were a set of stories passed around for 500 years before he penned them down the first 5 books of the bible which forms the basics of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith were also passed down orally. Myths tend to be modernized by politics modernization is a procedure that also affects mythology as story tellers tend to retell stories to fit into the popular political movement or beliefs of his or her time. In ancient Greece, the Tragedians adjusted mythical plots to illuminate the political and social problems of that era. So also do religious books which sometimes reflect the politics and social on-goings that occurred during the periods they were written. The concept of heaven and hell are a product of mythical stories passed down from generations to generations and are not solely endemic to the major religions of today. In ancient Egypt, the belief in an afterlife was one held in the Trayastrimsa culture while in ancient Greece, the belief in Tartarus as a place of punishment predated the belief in hell. Ancient commandments and human society myths have also played their path in setting commandments on which ancient societies lived by in years past. The first recorded text of commandments included the treaty of the Hittites and the code of Hammurabi. These commandments preceded the 10 commandments and the Torah. A close look at the Hammurabi laws show close similarities to the laws in today’s modern religions. The belief in a trinity possesses mythological roots the belief in a trinity consisting of three coequal gods has been a part of the ancient religions practiced in Babylon, Rome and Asia before the advent of Christianity. In Babylon, Baal, Ashtoreth and Tammuz were one of the earliest known examples of the trinity theology in religion, while later on in Rome, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva formed a trinity which is quite similar to that found in the Christian religion. The dying and rising gods the stories of a god who died and resurrected to provide succour to its worshipers has been a recurring meet since the beginning of time when humans had a belief system. The earliest version of a resurrecting god can be found in ancient Egyptian religion were Osiris undergoes a form of rebirth after death. Subsequently, ancient Greek religion added Dionysus to the list of resurrecting gods. The flood or deluge myths the belief in a global flood that affected humankind is an important tenet. The three major Abrahamic religions have mythological stories that preceded Judaism. The Sumerian creation myth is credited as having the first religious reference to a global flood that washes humanity. The Sumerian myth also includes stories of a mythical creature, Zi-ud-Sura, who builds an ark to save both himself and other animals. The evil nature of serpents since the beginning of religion, the serpent has been ascribed a mythological role as the bringer of bad news and destruction to mythical beings. In one of the oldest stories ever written- The Epic of Gilgamesh- Gilgamesh loses the power of immortality which was stolen off him by a snake. Also, in ancient Greece mythology, the serpent plays a stellar role in trying to thwart the destinies of mythical figures. Likewise, Christianity, Islam and Judaism feature the serpent as the deceiver of the first humans on earth. So here we come to the end of our 10 fascinating facts on myths and religion that you can apply when writing an essay on religion. Do not hesitate to also read the follow up pieces to these facts. 20 topics on myths and religion and a complete guide to an exemplification essay will give you directions on choosing a topic and writing an exemplification on essay on myths and religion. References: Scott, L. (2009). Myths and Religion. angelfire.com/indie/green_economics/MythsandReligion.pdf Levitt, M. Elissa, G. (2000). How Raven Found the Daylight and other American Indian Stories. Encyclopedia.com. (2006). Myths. encyclopedia.com/topic/Myths.aspx Wikipedia. (2014). Creation Myths. https://www.google.com.ng/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2ion=1espv=2ie=UTF-8q=creation%20mythsoq=creation%20mythsrlz=1C1AVNE_enNG649NG650aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.27072j0j7 John, M. (2008). Why Does Nearly Every Culture Have a Tradition of a Global Flood? icr.org/article/why-does-nearly-every-culture-have-tradition-globa/ Ed, T. (2002). Pagan Roots of the Trinity Doctrine. biblicalunitarian.com/articles/pagan-roots-of-the-trinity-doctrine-ed-torrence-2002 Norse-mythology.com. (2008). Death and the Afterlife. http://norse-mythology.org/concepts/death-and-the-afterlife/ Ellis, R. (1968). The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature, 84.

Comparing Gateway NV55SO5U Performance To Apple MacBook Pro Essay

Comparing Gateway NV55SO5U Performance To Apple MacBook Pro - Essay Example The video range is also weak and is probably limited to only two individuals pressing their inner shoulders together. That is not exactly an impressive display. Its battery life is not also ideal which can only last for an average user to only up to 4.5 hours. If you multi-task and so some burning and music, that battery life will be reduced more. It also runs only on unsophisticated Windows 7 Home Premium which is susceptible to the contracting virus. Comparing Gateway NV55SO5U performance to Apple MacBook Pro is no contest. Perhaps the only category that the Gateway NV55SO5U can claim as an advantage compared to MacBook Pro is price because MacBooks price starts at $1,000. It may a lot more expensive than a $629.99 Gateway NV55SO5U but the price difference is far more compensated by performance and design. When it comes to performance, you can play anything simultaneously with a MacBook without its system freezing while video rendering and 3D MMO gaming simultaneously will probably freeze the system of Gateway NV55SO5U. It is also made of very strong and rigid unibody chassis that is machined out a solid block of aluminum. That means that your MacBook is as sturdy and as durable as a rock compared to a plastic frame of Gateway NV55SO5U. Above all, MacBook Pro uses OS X which is immune to viruses. You will be free from the anxiety and actual threat of a virus that could disrupt and destroy your work. This is important because the safety and security of your data could costs a lot more than $400 price difference. MacBook Pro’s battery life also lasts almost twice longer compared to Gateway NV55SO5U (8 hours). The approach of this essay is just to compare and contrast the weakness of Gateway NV55SO5U compared to MacBook Pro. I identified two major weaknesses of Gateway NV55SO5U which are the strengths of MacBook Pro.

Critically assess the role of the contaminated land regime in cleaning Essay

Critically assess the role of the contaminated land regime in cleaning up contaminated land in the UK and how the planning syste - Essay Example The land has to be in a condition such that noteworthy damage is arising or/and, there is a noteworthy probability of the said damage being caused. Additionally, the land has to be in a condition such that controlled waters are being polluted or there is a probability that contamination is likely to occur. The water Act defines contaminated controlled waters as a situation where significant effluence of restricted waters is occurring, and/or there is a noteworthy probability of the said contamination occurring. Polluted land must fall within part 2A definition for it to be said to cause significant damage to people’s wellbeing or other specified receptors. Land development has to incorporate part 2A since a change in land use might bring the development inside the mandatory definition of contaminated land by creating a pollutant linkage (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, 2002). Other regimes that interact with management of land affected by contamination include the IPC, PPC, WML and WRA. Integrated pollution control (IPC) controls the management of large industrial buildings to lessen the danger of contamination arising. The body is also responsible for remediating the danger resulting from of the authorization. The waste management licensing (WML) controls the way in which waste management facilities are managed, as well as controls the disposal and recovery of controlled waste. Water resource act takes actions to safeguard or remedy the contamination of proscribed waters. The United Kingdom government has instituted and put in place a proactive regime and legal framework to handle land that has been previously contaminated. The new regime offers a means to put in force remediation where the IPC and WML may not apply. For new freeways, the prerequisite for handling the contaminated land will be agreed with the Environment Agency during the planned development. New development may also involve the Integrated Pollution Controls and the Waste Management Licensing. Contaminated land regime or WML might apply depending on the degree of contamination on existing sites that contain contaminated land. The remediation of polluted site is taken to be a waste management operation, and thus falls under the WML regime (Wolf& Stanley, 2010). For a number of remedial techniques, the specialized remediation contractor will need a mobile plant license and waste management site license incase contaminated material remains in the site. The regulatory framework now exists to put in force remediation and cleanup of contaminated land in any state of affairs. In instances where WML and IPC are in force on a specific land site, they will go on being used. The contaminated land administration acts to clean up areas that are not covered under IPC and WML, and initiate the remediation of static land that is polluted. Static land refers to land that is not undergoing redevelopment. Risk evaluation principles are employed to evaluate wh ether a site is contaminated under the meaning of the Environmental Act. Pollution linkage Before land may be defined as contaminated, the risk evaluation process has first to establish that noteworthy damage is being caused, or that there is a considerable likelihood of damage being caused by the presence of a pollutant linkage. Three elements have to be set out for there to be an existence of a noteworthy pollutant. These elements are 1. A

Comment on the article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comment on the - Article Example It may also boost the morale of the employee where they achieve the division’s profit and are rewarded on the same. However, this structure may also create goal conflict between the organization’s goals and the geographical goals (Go, 2012). This may however be curbed through proper organizational leadership. International geographic organizational structure may also be used to establish the MNE’s in new regions. This helps the geographic region enjoy independence from the headquarters management since each region is unique .This uniqueness may however, be costly on establishment costs and customized problems to the region thus reducing the organization’s profits. Therefore, for successful expansion of the MNE’s it is recommended to use the international Divisional organizational structure. The organization division organization structure creates a compressed organizational chart since all divisions report directly to the top level executives. This eases communication hence increased teamwork brought about by the focus on the employees abilities. On the other hand international Geographic organizational structure focuses on each region as a separate entity of the organization due to the fragmentation. This leads to increased costs on managing each region. It is also notable that international geographic organizational structure uses contingency eldership style which is expensive to employ (Go, 2012). These two organizations structures have been exemplary detailed by the â€Å"Microsoft† and â€Å"Avon â€Å"products. In Avon products its revenue is seen to decrease in the European markets due its changes in the Economic

Introduction To Sony Corporation Commerce Essay

Introduction To Sony Corporation Commerce Essay Sony Corporation has a history of almost more than 60 years. It has a wide sales network and is registered in approximately 200 countries. However, the primary manufacturing facilities of Sony Corporation are located in Asia. Sony Corporation is involved in the developing, designing, manufacturing and selling electronic equipment and devices, game consoles and software. It is also producing and distributing motion picture, home entertainment, television products, and recorded music. In addition to this, it is also rendering its services in the financial services sector which involves insurance operations through the Japanese insurance subsidiaries and banking operations through a Japanese Internet-based banking subsidiary. Sonys products are largely marketed in Japan, the United States, and Europe. Major Problems and Challenges Faced by Sony Corporation Sony is a multinational organization and has to deal with the dynamic industry in which it is operating. It has developed itself by formulating a steady work environment where engineers had thoughtful appreciation of technology and have worked without restraint as they pleased to focus on development of dynamic technologies and creation of products that people have always desired (Mintzberg, 1989). Sony Corporation, which has been a leading corporation once, has reported losses for almost four consecutive years. It declared a record annual net loss of 520 billion yen ($6.4 billion) for the year ends in March 2012. The main strategic problem of Sony Corporation is embedded in its several product lines that provide too many parts of the entertainment value chain. The companys innovation and operations slowed down due to the introduction of the empire-building strategy. It has lead to the weakening of its competitiveness in all of the market segments of its business. In addition to the internal problems faced by the wide product lines by Sony, it is facing other external challenges as well. In late 2000s, global economic crisis caused a significant decline in consumer spending as of recession and resultantly caused a decrease in the profitability of Sony. The overall demand of the products of Sony has declined due to the appreciation of the Japanese Yen as it has lead to negativel y affect the purchasing power of non-Japanese consumers of Sony Products. Further, the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster and its consequences also effected Sonys operations badly and resulted in extensive re-establishment costs. In the presence of these external and uncontrollable challenges, Sony was unable to cope with the increasing competition and it became difficult for Sony to retain its market share within the electronics and game industry. In accordance with such problems the top management team of Sony was comparatively conservative. As a result, Sony lost its competitive edge in the industry due to decrease in its technological innovation. In a nutshell, the primary emphasis of Sony Corporation on restructuring strategies in such alarming and challenging situation leads to enormous and continual losses. Overview of Sony Corporation Strategies and its Implications Sony Corporation is a giant in its industry having well-built core competencies. It has economies of scale and wide scope both in production and research and development because of its huge network in Japan, the United States and other countries all around the world. Moreover, its unique quality, technology and differentiated products are other top strategic benefits that can help it to attain competitive advantage in market. Sonys business operations have been restructured many times in last two decades. Sonys first signs of loss began in early 1990s when it experienced a loss of  ¥ 293.36b in 1995. The reason behind this loss was primarily the unrelated diversification and the dearth of innovation. New products are imitated very soon by the competitors in the digital era because these products can be produced by assembling widely-available parts. So there always remain the dangers of being entangled in price wars (Kusunoki, 2003). This can only be avoided by readily adapting changes in a way that competitors cannot keep up. In reaction to this, Sony put all its efforts into restructuring the corporation considering it as a way towards success as there was general trend of diversification in leading companies (Itami, 2001). It faced heavy restructuring costs in this course but these efforts failed to attain the expected results and outcomes. In 1994, Sony formulated an eight company structure with an a im to create a market-responsive company but the losses prevailed. In 1996, it designed a ten-company structure with a same goal to get the company back to profits. Again, due to unrelated diversifications, heavy decentralization and minimal involvement of board room in major decisions, the losses cannot be reduced. After 1999, the company focused on Internet based products due to dot com burst. This major shift in business focus further worsened the situation. The major reasons for further losses were the lack of consolidation and hence substantial fall in sales. In addition to this, the economic slowdown in the US was also a key reason. Consequently, the focus on core competency was re-established which resulted in regaining profits slightly. Sony must focus on increasing sales immediately so as to meet their short-term goals and attain success in long run. In addition to restructurings among Sonys product lines, it should ensure stable profitable trend to avoid more severe decline. In the past few years, it has been able to reduce it cost. It should maintain this reduction so as to increase gross margin in the long run. Moreover, it should utilize the increased leverage and other assets in the ways that can lead to optimum and efficient boosting of sales. Most importantly, it should try to reduce or mitigate the macroeconomic risk which has been a major cause of unexpected losses in previous years. Critical Evaluation of the One Sony Strategy The most important challenges for Sony are the high competition in industry and the macroeconomic risks. In this regard Sony should re-develop its competitive advantage, regain focus, ensure quality and reduce external factors effect on companys performance and profitability. The chief executive of Sony Corporation has emphasized on the fact that its the time for Sony to change now. He has given a revival plan that elucidates a major shift from the companys unprofitable television business. It also planned to cut 10,000 jobs as well. In the new strategy, it is emphasized that the Sony would concentrate on three businesses namely the mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets; cameras and camcorders; and games. Sony has fruitfully expanded into various business segments (Electronics, Game, Pictures, Music, and Financial Services) since the beginning of the company as a telecommunication company in 1946. It has diversified its product lines and has attained remarkable reorganization in a wide range of sectors. It has enhanced many other resources like research and development, marketing, customer services and even unrelated areas. All this has lead to both positive and negative effects simultaneously. As diversification has lead to the expansion of the company, it has also resulted in decreasing its specialized capabilities. Hence, Sony was unable to keep hold of its competitive advantage in any sector or segment of its business and lost the competitive edge against the highly specialized competitors within each segment. So its the need of the hour that Sony locates a specific segment or sector to focus and specialize in it and then it should restructure the company around that focused segment. This type of restructuring can help the company to utilize maximum of its resources in the most productive and optimal way. The current move of Sonys strategy is exactly in this line. Sony is about to terminate or integrate its least profitable segments. Such restructuring will lead to the development of a proprietary product collection and special set of Sony hardware and software products that can be used against the highly specialized competitors like the products of Apple. In this way, Sony can have an edge over the competitors in long run as no other company is operating in such wide range of sectors currently as Sony is. Sony, no doubt, will have an incomparable experience in this regard. This type of restructuring can reverse the recent unprofitable trend of the company as it will be a strong positive s ignal to the market and its competitors enhancing the confidence of consumers and investors. The segments or sectors of business that should be focused should have the specific features. Sony should focus on such sectors which are already its main segments, namely the consumer, professional devices segment or the networked products services segment. Moreover, such segments should also have the prospect or potential to get integrated with various remaining segments. In this way, Sony will be able to leverage most of its current resources. Most importantly, this market segment should be moderate in competition as well. Sony would be able to implement the strategies in such segments where it has bigger market share recently. Keeping these benefits in view, the mobile devices of Sony are extremely desirable sector to be focused by it. The series of Sony Ericsson smartphones launched with the Xperia brand in 2011 which operated on Android gained an extensive market share and have much more potential. Similarly, the Xperia smartphones can also be integrated with Sony tablets, personal computers and game consoles in this concern. In this way, Sony can be able to lower the cost and increase the demand for such Sony products in the long run keeping the main focus on the abundant competition in the smartphones and tablets markets. Another sector to be focused by Sony can be of the games. The main reason behind it is that its the major segments for Sony in which it has competitive market share. The sector of games can induce synergies among Sonys product lines. Moreover, the competition in the segment of games business is not as extreme as it is in the other market segments. Sony intends to replace the operations of disjointed lineup of content delivery platforms to expand its PlayStation game network which will offer music and video as well. This is no doubt a good strategic step. However, one Sony strategy is intending to focus on Sonys digital imaging business that involves digital cameras and camcorders. This policy is again not very appropriate as Sony will have to face intense competition from Canon, Nikon, and Olympus. Moreover, Sony will also face threats from substitutes such as tablet computers which are highly equipped with advanced digital imaging functions. Keeping all these factors in view, it can be deduced that Sony will encounter great problems in the integration of digital imaging sectors with its other businesses. Another appropriate feature of the new strategy is the decision of shrinking the TV business as the severe competition from Samsung and LG, the deficiency of synergy potentials and the comparatively low share of market is making it impossible for Sony to attain or retain its competitive advantage. The focus on certain sectors will provide various benefits to Sony. Sony can start acquisitions within related segments once it has established strong focus. The acquisition strategy will lead to increase market share, to get the economies of scale, decrease manufacturing costs, and provide access to new technologies and patents. An increase in the market share will provide Sony with higher pricing power. The economies of scale will raise its productivity. The reduction in the manufacturing cost will lead to give benefit in a price competition. The technologies and patents will allow Sony to speed up their innovation progress which is slow right now. Sony must start by acquiring smaller companies in its focused market segment and should overpay premiums for the expected synergies as well. Another main focus of this new strategy is to improve the quality of its products by managing such features at the top level of management in integrated way. The major strength of Sony is its brand name because consumers deem Sonys products as trustworthy and having high quality generally. Whereas the quality of products of Sony has decreased in last few years. For instance, Sony declared that almost around 535,000 of their VAIO laptops might be in danger of overheating because of the temperature gauge error in 2010. Similarly, Sony had also recalled eight models of Sony digital cameras because of the problems with the image pick-up shortly after its multiple delays in launching PlayStation3. Such quality problems have lead to cost lawsuit expenses and have damaged the corporate image as well. Now, Sony is seriously emphasizing on attaining specialization in its products to avoid any such circumstances in future which is a positive action of this strategy. Moreover, Sony is expecting to enhance its business in emerging markets with greater focus on the innovation. It is a vital strategy for any business so as to keep itself in the market successfully. This will provide it with more markets availability in the long run increasing the sales and hence profits. However, this strategy is lacking in one very important aspect which is handling the macroeconomic factors. The presence of Sony in the international market has lead to its sensitivity to exchange rates and local economies. No doubt, Sony cannot get direct control over such factors but it can utilize its Financial Services segment to mitigate the risk exposure. Sony can apply this strategy by making derivatives contracts (currency swaps and interest rate swaps) or by taking short positions in particular securities as long as these practices comply with laws and regulation. The most problematic task is goal congruence. It means alignment of the managers incentives with the overall firm because such hedging measures can impact the profitability of the financial services segment. If these factors are ignored, they will again lead to unexpected losses to Sony in the long run making all other measures unrewarding. Sony took the direct action in introducing the company system in the first place (Kunii, 2000). It then performed an organizational improvement synchronized with the changes in the surrounding environment. Its strategy shifted in accordance with Chandlers proposition that organization follows strategy. Sonys organizational reforms and responding to environmental changes after the bubble collapse were significant (Nishiwaki,1990). The one Sony and one management system will lead to solve many problems and have the capability of improving the performance of the company as all the major decisions are now to be taken and implemented by the top management. The new approach emphasizes on the strengths of the entire Sony Group as One Sony by implementing a rapid decision-making process. With the help of this, Sonys primary goal is to revive and cultivate the electronics business to create new value in addition to further escalation of the stable business foundations of the Entertainment and Financial Service businesses. This management structure has reduced the previous complexity of the system and efficiency is expected to be increased. The more top-down leadership is expected to start to attain Sonys goals for the next years as it is said its the key to spot the requirement to create visions, motivate, establish direction and align people (Kotter, 1999). The focus is on development of six components for successful strategic leadership that involves determining a firms vision, retaining core competencies and mounting human capital. All these aspects are introduced to develop new technology and benefit from a centralized decision making system in the long run (Hannan and Freeman 1977, 1984). Conclusion Sony has faced many difficulties for several years and has now been able to properly identify many of its real problems. The latest strategy will lead to address them to some extent. Although some improvements have been shown in the recent times but still many areas are to be focused on in this strategic change. The basic reason behind it is that Sony is not a market leader now. Resultantly it does not have that old power to influence the direction of the market and follow its own plan. Moreover, the policy of defending its own interests has proved to be exigent. The strategies need not be deliberate always, they can emerge as well (Mintzberg, 1980). This strategy is good in many aspects and can lead to revive Sony Corporation but still Sony needs to work hard if it wants to survive and regain its market-leading position again. Recommendations A wide range of unrelated businesses operations are usually justified on the basis of scale and scope economies but this unrelated diversification can be more harmful than helpful in long run. So, Sony must perform a due diligence to assess the financials and brand worth of its different business units as its competitor Samsung has done. Sony should regain focus and invest in development and make improvements in its core competence. It will be helpful in regaining brand leadership. Sony should restore its RD, design, and marketing departments as well. Innovation should be induced in both products and services that will improve the relationship between the brand and the consumer. The innovation should make valid brand sense. It can be done by reflecting consumer preferences. Sony should promote the marketing function to the board room again and allow marketing to take a lead of the business and the strategy as marketing and branding cannot be transferred to a tactical level handled by marketing managers who dont have an appreciation of the broader vision in the long run. The market has become tremendously competitive. In this situation Sony should follow the old branding techniques only in case they are steered by a brand oriented leadership. The top management including the CEO of Sony should assess the meaning and identity of the brand to its customers in these dynamic and challenging times in a way that they innovate and lead the industries in which Sony is operating. It is extensively important for Sony to regain the cool factor. It should enhance its designs and features all over again as this is the main strategy which can help Sony to survive in competition of the industry having strong competitors like Apple, Nokia, Samsung and others. The supremacy in designs and customer oriented features are very essential to be attained.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Essay -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge Papers

Samuel Taylor Coleridge The French and American Revolutions had an enormous impact on the early Romantic thinkers like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. The aristocracies that had been controlling Europe were beginning to fall, the middle class began to grow and power was increasingly falling into the hands of the common people. This may explain why the poetry that Coleridge and Wordsworth produced was aimed at the common man, rather than the educated aristocrats. This meant a shift from elevated language and subject matter, a common trait throughout the "age of reason", and a turn toward spontaneity and emotion, otherwise known as the Romantic period (Spartacus. school net). The Romantic period, which consisted of the time between 1785 - 1830, can in a sense be synonymous with "nature poetry." Romantic poets often wrote about the beauty of nature, both physically and spiritually. A common theme throughout the Romantic period expressed how an individual must become one with nature. The Romantics believed that: "ordinary language was the proper vehicle for communication of the soul, for a poet was ‘a man speaking to men.’ For Wordsworth, this meant rural and pastoral language, for he believed that the most important knowledge came from communing with nature. For Coleridge, it simply meant the language spoken by most people at ordinary times" (Abrams 8). During this time, people began to question what the aim of poetry was. Previous generations had believed that poetry existed solely to change people’s behavior. The Romantics, however, felt poetry should exist as a pure form of expression, especially the expression of intense emotion. According to Wordsworth, in his preface to Lyrical Ballads, the defini... ... in promise but not in performance" (Abrams 325). Works cited Abrams, M.H., et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. 2 vol. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. Hill, John Spencer. "Critical Approaches to: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan and Frost at Midnight." A Coleridge Companion. 1983: http:// www.uottawa.ca/~phoenix/comp4e.htm (9 Dec 1999). Literature Resource Center: "Overview of: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan." Gale Research. 1999: http://www.pace.edu (17 Dec 1999). Lycos.com: "Coleridge, Samuel Taylor." 1999: http://infoplease.lycos.com/ce 5/ce011814.html (28 Nov 1999). The Spartacus Encyclopedia. "Samuel Taylor." 1999: http://www.spartacus Schoolnet.co.uk/Jcoleridge.htm (28 Nov 1999). Wordsworth, William. "Preface to Lyrical Ballads." 1802. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.

A Traveler’s Guide to Gifts and Bribes

Financial Management Policy Professor: Ms. Gleason A Traveler's Guide to Gifts and Bribes Harvard Business Review Why might bribery become a problem for U. S. managers working in foreign countries? The FCPA was structured to help U. S. companies understand what bribery is, and what is or is not acceptable behavior at home and in other countries. The confusing issue is that even with this guidance, it is not always clear what exactly is to be considered a bribe. Under the Act, not all payments are deemed to be bribes. FCPA doesn’t forbid payments to lesser figures, it allows bribes to facilitate ongoing business activities, as there is no monetary guideline it requires companies to keep reasonable records of the transaction. Brides given to influence political decisions are banned and usually small payments that are designed to get a foreign official to perform a non-discretionary function. The distinction between the two is blurred. Confounding this is that many U. S. business people do not know what is permitted and what is not, as there is no clear guidance. As there is no clear guidance on what you can and can’t do working with foreign countries a lot of U. S. Managers could actually be offering bribes that should actually be banned. This creates no equal opportunity for everyone; the foreign company will go with whomever’s bribe seems to be greater. This will create a huge problem because this is where a lot of U. S. manger will cross the line just to win the business. What are the major features of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)? The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was enacted in 1977 and substantially revised in 1988. The FCPA generally prohibits corrupt payments to foreign officials. To complement this prohibition, the FCPA has accounting provisions that require maintenance of transparent and complete financial records. The Justice Department enforces the anti-bribery provisions, while the Securities and Exchange Commission has jurisdiction over the accounting requirements. The key provisions of the FCPA are as follows: (Hart, 2001)    * The FCPA prohibits payments (including promises to pay) of anything of value to nfluence, corruptly (with corrupt intent), the discretion of a foreign official to do something in violation of his or her official duty; to obtain, retain, or direct business; or to gain any improper advantage. * The FCPA prohibits indirect payments, as well. These provisions also apply to acts of a non-U. S. representative that is attributable to the U. S. party. * The FCPA exempts â€Å"facilitating† payments. These are usually small payments that are designed to get a for eign official to perform a non-discretionary function. The Justice Department can pursue criminal sanctions of up to $2 million per count for legal entities, with individuals facing fines of up to $250,000 per violation and imprisonment up to five years. Civil penalties may also apply at a rate of $10,000 per violation for an entity or individual. Additional fines by an SEC civil enforcement action may apply. * FCPA conviction can result in the party being debarred from U. S. government contracts, prevented from participating in the securities industry, and barred from loan programs of certain U. S. and international lenders. In addition, there may be tax ramifications. * Compliance should be reflected in international agreements. (It is not sufficient, however, to state in an agreement that the FCPA applies and is part of the agreement). * FCPA    require corporations to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the transactions of the corporation and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Why might the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act create a competitive disadvantage for U. S. firms? Many believe that the FCPA has created a competitive disadvantage for the U. S. s, historically, both the Europeans and Japanese have and continue to use payments to key foreign officials as a promotional device to attract and win business contracts. The U. S. Justice Department has been lobbying the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for greater international enforcement. When the U. S. stood completely alone in its legislative quest to curtail foreign bribery, the catastrophic scenario did not materialize. â€Å"As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted four years after the implementation of the FCPA in a study called the Impact of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on U. S. Business; claims that U. S. companies have lost sales†¦are difficult, if not impossible, to substantiate and quantify† (Graham, 1984). Further, a paper published in the Journal of International Business used published data to test the competitive disadvantage theory and found that â€Å"the FCPA had not negatively affected the competitive position of American industry in the world marketplace† (Graham, 1984). Even then, when the American industry was the only one worldwide facing these kinds of restrictions, anti-bribery laws did not negatively impact their export performance or market share. In today’s world, several markets where such an act may exist may provide a competitive disadvantage include those of China, the Middle East, Africa, and other emerging markets. This is in part due to the lack of similar laws in these markets and tradition based business practices where bribery, gratitude, or gift given is a norm. â€Å"Unfortunately, in the context of China, this has the potential to place American companies in a position where they must decide between violating the FCPA and losing Chinese business† (Shira, 2010). Even though China does have written anti-bribery laws on the books; these laws are poorly enforced and are routinely violated by Chinese and foreign companies. The desire to increase a company’s competitiveness in the face of such adversity may be tempting. Despite criticism of it, FCPA has benefitted honest U. S. firms by reducing unfair competition among other American firms which comprise about 80 percent of the world’s true multinationals. Despite original reluctance, the current trend among nations appears to be to follow the U. S. ead in cracking down on corrupt dealings between firms and governments in international trade. In the spring of last year, the United Kingdom passed its own act, the Bribery Act of 2010. Describe the three non-Western traditions that can lead to confusion regarding â€Å"gifts† vs. â€Å"bribes. † Three non-Western traditions that can be cause for confusion are the inner circle, future favors, and the gift exchange. The inn er circle refers to the notion in â€Å"developing nations of classifying outsiders into some form of â€Å"ins† and â€Å"outs† (Fadiman, 1986). For example in the Middle East, Central and South American, as well as, African countries there is a tendency for the upper class to view itself as the â€Å"Elites† of the society and often times take the view that they are above the law (or certain laws do not apply to them). They retain the view that certain procedures are not applicable to them and are entitled to circumvent these via their stature, position, or personal connections. Future favors relates to the notion of relationships within the inner circle here it is â€Å"assumed that any individual under obligation to another has entered a relationship in which the first favor must be repaid in the future† (Fadiman, 1986). Again this can notion relates to many countries within the Middle East, as well as, Far East countries such as Japan, India, and Indonesia. Gift given relates to payoffs as a continuous exchange of gifts. â€Å"In many non-Western commercial circles, particularly Moslem and Asian countries, the tradition of gift giving has evolved into a modern business tool intended to create obligation as well as affection. Gift giving in these cultures may therefore operate in two dimensions: one meant to provide short-term pleasure; the other, long-range bonds† (Fadiman, 1986). Through personal observation, for example, company executives may be presented with an invitation to a traditional banquet. This not only is intended as an â€Å"ice breaker†, but also serves as a sense of pride on the part of the giver and may be viewed negatively if rejected. What are some suggestions for managers who want to give bribes without violating the FCPA? One suggestion I found interesting is based on an interpretation of facilitation given by Howard Sklar (2011): â€Å"When someone asks me whether a payment is a facilitation payment, I ask only one question: what are you trying to get? If what you’re trying to get is a decision, it’s a bribe. If you’re trying to get something you’re legally entitled to (processing an application, for example), it’s a facilitation payment†. However, even facilitation payments are considered bribes, for though one part of the FCPA exempts such payments the control and record keeping provisions do not. The fact of the matter is, that corporations should not be engaged in bribery, facilitation payments, or gift given but rather concentrate on the merits of their product or services. Any company that wishes to do so can attempt to hide these within discretionary funds. This not only would still be in violation of the law, but also in breach of their responsibility to their stakeholders. What is more important? I believe is the thorough understanding of your markets culture, language, and traditions. A better understanding of these provides a competitive advantage over others. While there may exist some gray areas here, for instance, paying a gratuity to low level government workers in some countries who rely on such payments as part of their salary. Reciprocating in kind to a gift based on cultural norms, the dollar value has to be taking into consideration. One has to consider what is minimal and what could be construed as excessive. As Fadiman (1986), describes in the case study, corporations should â€Å"device appropriate responses to pay-off requests†. One method that can be used as means to bypass such requests and also to promote good relations is to use a donation strategy. That is to appeal to the â€Å"national element† by offering to assist for example an orphanage, or provide local schools with supplies, or help built a hospital. References Fadiman, J. A. (July-august, 1986) A Travelers Guide to Gifts and Bribes Retrieved May 3, 2011 from Harvard Business Review, Graham, J. L (Winter, 1984) The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: A New Perspective Retrieved May 3, 2011 from http://www. jstor. org/pss/154278 Hart, H. (July 31, 2001) Anti-Corruption Provisions of the U. S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Retrieved May 3, 2011 from http://www. hollandhart. com/articles/FCPA. pdf Shira, D. (October 14, 2010) U. S. Business, China and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www. china-briefing. com/news/2010/10/14/u-s-business-china-and-the-foreign-corrupt-practices-act. htm Sklar, H. M. (February 07, 2011) On Facilitation Payments Retrieved May 5, 2011 from http://openairblog. wordpress. com/2011/02/07/on-facilitation-payments/

Symbolism in Scaffolds essays

Symbolism in Scaffolds essays The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many things for symbolism and in my opinion the most symbolic were the scaffold scenes. There are a total of three scaffold scenes and each has its own purpose and meaning. Without the scaffold scenes this book would basically leave you clueless to what was really going on because the scaffold scenes really tell you what is going on and why. The first scaffold scene is basically an introduction to the whole book. You learn who all the main charters are and most of all Hester and her terrible crime she committed. This is the first time everyone sees Hester with the letter "A" on her bosom. Hester is a very brave woman for standing up on that scaffold in front of everyone in the town to gawk at and for admitting that she had committed adultery. Also, it takes a very courageous person to stick up for what they believe in like she did by not telling who she had The whole story builds you up to this point of finding out who Hester committed adultery with. By this point in the story you have some clue who the father of Pearl is but until you get to the second scaffold scene you dont know for sure. At the second scaffold scene Dimesdale is on the scaffold and Hester and Pearl come up and join him. Dimesdale is wearing down by the burden of his sin he committed. He goes to the scaffold to confess to God and ask for some kind of forgiveness. Then a cloud forms the letter "A" in the sky and everyone thinks this stands for angel because thats how they view Dimesdale. Then when Dimesdale goes to leave he leaves his glove on the scaffold to symbolize he was there and that he should have been up there with Hester and his daughter in the first place. Then when you think everything is going to turn out okay and nothing bad is going to happen to Hester and Pearl, Dimesdale goes up on the scaffold. This worries Hester ...

All About Most

All About Most All About Most All About Most By Mark Nichol Most is a grammatically versatile word employed in references to amounts, quantities, and degree. This post discusses its use as various parts of speech. Most, deriving from Old English and related to more, serves as an adjective pertaining to extent (as in â€Å"The most support comes from the Midwest†) or the majority (â€Å"Most of his supporters are in the Midwest†). Note the distinction between general and specific discussion: Compare â€Å"Most households have more than one television† (general) with â€Å"Most of the city’s households have more than one television† (specific). As an adjective suffix, it applies to something that most completely or extensively displays a characteristic, appearing in such words as foremost and hindmost, meaning, respectively, â€Å"farthest forward† and â€Å"farthest behind.† As an adverb, most performs a similar function, except that it modifies adjectives. When it means â€Å"to the greatest degree,† it is preceded by the, as in â€Å"He found it to be the most rewarding job he had had to date.† When the meaning is â€Å"to a great degree,† the is omitted, as in â€Å"His current job is most rewarding.† It can also modify another adverb, as in the phrase â€Å"most certainly.† In addition, most is sometimes employed as a variant of almost to modify such words as all, anyone, anywhere, and always, as in â€Å"You will find that happens most everywhere,† but this usage is considered informal. Most is also a noun meaning â€Å"the greatest amount,† as in sentences such as â€Å"It’s the most I can do† and â€Å"You gave him the most of all,† and in the phrases â€Å"at most† and â€Å"at the most† (which are interchangeable), as in â€Å"It will take her two or three days at most.† As a pronoun, it means â€Å"the greatest number or part,† as in â€Å"Most would agree.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. Had80 Idioms with the Word TimeEducational vs. Educative

Micro and Macro Economics (marginal revenue; marginal cost; Essay

Micro and Macro Economics (marginal revenue; marginal cost; elasticity) - Essay Example Define marginal revenue and explain its relationship with total revenue. â€Å"Marginal revenue (MR) is the rate of change in total revenue with respect to quantity sold†. In other words marginal revenue is the additional revenue from a product earned by a producer through the production and sales of an extra unit of the product. Algebraically, marginal revenue is the difference between total revenue earned by producing and selling ‘n’ units of a product instead of ‘n-1’ units. Formula for calculating marginal revenue is MR = ∆TR/∆Q Marginal revenue is the addition to total revenue associated with a unit increase in output or sales. There is a direct relation between marginal revenue and total revenue. When marginal revenue is positive, total revenue increases and it falls when marginal revenue is negative. B. Define marginal cost and explain its relationship with total cost. â€Å"Marginal cost is the change in total cost associated with a unit change in quantity†. Marginal cost is thus the additional cost incurred by the producer in producing an additional unit of product. Marginal cost is thus a cost incured in addition to previous cost ie. cost of producing ‘n’ units of output inplace of ‘n-1’ units. Formula for calculating marginal cost is MC = ∆TC/∆Q Marginal cost is related to the average total cost in the short-run since a change in total cost is reflected in the total average cost. The total variable cost is got by summing up marginal cost. C. Define profit and explain the concept of profit maximization. â€Å"An economist measures a firm’s economic profit as the firm’s total revenue minus all the opportunity costs (explicit and implicit) of producing the goods and services sold† (Mankiw, 2011, p. 262). Profit is the reward received by an entrepreneur for the risk taken during the process of production or for alloting scarce resources for production. Profit maximization is a method used for determinig the quantity of output to be produced and price to be incurred by an entrepreneur so as to receive maximum profit. D. Explain how a profit-maximizing firm determines its optimal level of output, using marginal revenue and marginal cost as criteria. A profit-maximizing firm will determine its optimal level o f output at the point where marginal revenue of the firm equals its marginal cost. At this point the firm receives maximum profit. E. Explain what action a profit-maximizing firm takes if marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost. If marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost, then a profit maximizing firm will increase production which will be followed by a movement from earlier point of marginal revenue to a new intersection point where marginal revenue equals marginal cost. This step is adopted by the firm as there is room for further revenue at the earlier stage. F. Explain what action a profit-maximizing firm takes if marginal revenue is less than marginal cost. In a situation where marginal cost of a profit-maximizing firm exceeds its marginal revenue, the firm will cut short its production up to a level where it will equalize its marginal cost to marginal revenue. At the earlier level the firm was incurring loss. Task 2: A. Define the following three terms 1. Elastic ity of Demand: Elasticity of demand has various definitions. â€Å"The price elasticity of demand is a measure of the sensitivity of the quantity demanded of a good to the price of a good. ‘Price elasticity of demand’ is sometimes shortened to ‘elasticity of demand’† (Taylor & Weerapana, 2009, p. 93). 2. Cross-Price Elasticity (includes substitutes and complements): Cross-price elasticity is the degree of responsiveness to change in the price of a related commodity on the demand for a good. â€Å"

Education Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education Leadership - Essay Example As much as leaders in the institutions of higher education face and encounter various challenges emanating from differences in expectations of policies, educational leadership has to be accredited the smooth running of the learning institutions and controversial issues resolved amicably. As noted by Hill, educational leadership is of great importance to the institutions of higher learning considering that it is the system that establishes direction and structural functioning of the institutions (28). It has been routine for education leaders to set future visions to be attained to ensure internal and external growth of the parties involved and the society in general. Setting vision by education leadership inspires the entire students’ body and teachers to work harder to ensure maximization of benefits of staying in the institutions of higher learning. Educational leadership further gains support of Hill as she indicates that it has been responsible in aligning people towards the realization of educational objectives (28). After setting visions, education leadership treads ahead to set example while identifying groups with similar goals and objectives and setting them towards attaining their particular goals. Moreover, Hill reckons that educational leadership has been instrumental in motivating and encouraging stakeholders in the field of higher education (28). The encouragement of the stakeholders has enabled participants in the field of higher education to overcome political rifts, unworthy bureaucracies and growth barriers. This has enabled students and other stakeholders in the field of higher education satisfy the basic needs by use of the limited resources and improve social relation and cohesion. In a nutshell, education leadership has led to blossom of respect among the key participants thereby leading to