Getting Lost Essay Example for Free

Getting Lost Essay I can vividly remember the first time I visited my aunts and uncles in their hometown when I was still a child. It was a big city and the malls during that time were so huge in my eyes. I was with my grandparents then because my parents were so busy with their jobs. As a child, I was very excited to visit other place and see new things especially when I have not visited yet the place of my relatives. It was totally my first time to visit there and my first time to travel without my parents so I told myself that it would be a lot of fun without their presence. I undoubtedly and excitedly packed up my things and told my parents that it would be a memorable trip with my grannies. Besides, nobody can’t watch and reprimand me whatever I wanted to do because grannies were so lax in dealing with me. Unlike with my parents, they were so tight and disciplinarian when I was younger. To make the long story short, when I arrived in my relatives’ place, I was so astonished and surprised. The things I heard were really true. I happened to passed by in the heart of the city and I was so delighted of what I see. There were big buildings and modernized malls. I immediately told myself to ask my grannies if I could stroll around the city and look at the malls. Well, since they were not so tight, they allowed me to go to the mall but with two conditions, I should be back before eight in the evening and should take one of my cousins to the mall that was three years older than me. Wow, eight? It was still one in the afternoon and I can do many things with those hours of being in the mall. The mall we went to, I forgot its name because it happened many years ago, was so huge. It had 7th floor and the area was so vast. I was very excited as I got in. I immediately roamed around the mall and looked at the latest fashion. I was very happy at that time and could not speak because of excitement. I told my cousin to wait for me in the fast-food inside the mall because I am going to look at clothes first and promised to be back soon. However, I was so unconscious with the time that I was not able to go back to her as I promised. I was talking to myself that it was my time to enjoy because there were no oldies around. I started to go up and see what’s more on the rest of the floors. I enjoyed playing with the games in its amusement park and feasted on delicious ice cream (and totally forgot about my cousin who accompanied me) which was my delight when I was younger. When it was about past six in the evening, I went to the seventh floor and tried to have a look. I was able to see there big stuff toys and other toys for the kids. I was tempted to buy one but my money was not enough though so I just looked and fed my eyes with beautiful things I saw. I started to go down and plan to go back to my cousin around seven. When I was about to go down, I can’t traced anymore where I passed. I started to become startled and nervous. Because of my excitement, I forgot to remember my cousin who was waiting for me in the fast-food. I tried to remember the floors but I could not. I did not know that there were many entrances and exits in that mall and was not informed by my cousin that we passed in the second floor to get in the mall. I was roaming and roaming in order to trace where I previously passed by and get back to my cousin. But I could not find the fast-food where I left her especially there were a lot of people in the mall at that time. My heart pounded so fast not because of excitement but because of worry and nervousness. I wanted to cry but hold back my tears and started to blame myself why I did that. I regretted why I did not take her with me when I roamed around. In spite of that, I did not lose hope. I continue to look and look until I can pass again the path I passed hours ago. Since it was almost eight, my cousin was also starting to worry about me. It worried her where am I already and what happened to me, because I only told her to be back soon but I never did. Because of that, she went to the information and paged me. I was so relieved when a lady was paging me to meet my cousin at the information area. But since I did not know where the information was, I unashamedly asked one of the salesladies and fortunately I was able to get there. When I saw my cousin, I started to cry because of nervousness and was thankful that I saw her.

Theory of Social Darwinism and the Impacts on Indigenous Australians

Theory of Social Darwinism and the Impacts on Indigenous Australians Social Darwinism is a social theory that Natural Selection in Darwins Theory is used to human society. Social Darwinism is evaluated from Darwins Theory. However, Social Darwinism is a belief and it is popular in the late Victorian ear in England, America and elsewhere. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the theory of Social Darwinism and its impacts on indigenous Australians. This essay will firstly have a brief introduction. Following it, it will discuss the theory of Social Darwinism. After that, it will explain the impact of Social Darwinism on indigenous Australians. Finally, it will be a conclusion of the essay. Theory of Social Darwinism The theory of Social Darwinism was put forward by Herbert Spencer in 19th century. Social Darwinism is the general term which applies to several different ways in which people (not biologists) tried to apply a distorted and narrow interpretation of the concept of natural selection to human cultural systems. (Peter, 2003) The popularity of Social Darwinism lasted from 19th century to World War II. Some people even think modern biology can be classified into Social Darwinism. The concept of Social Darwinism firstly appeared in American Historian Richard Hofstadters book in 1944> (Thomas, 2009) Social Darwinism is a kind of concept. This concept thinks that the core of Darwinism-natural selection is a common phenomenon in the human society. Theory of Social Darwinism thinks that natural selection plays an important role in the human evolution and development. Social Darwinism has ever been used by its supporters to name on the social inequality, racism and imperialism. Social Darwinism itself is not a political tendency.Some Social Darwinists use this concept to illustrate the social progress and inevitable change. Some Social Darwinists think that human degradation is inevitable. As the same as Theory of Evolution, Social Darwinism is usually involved in the debate on Eugenics. Social Darwinism also derived some concepts, including competition, eugenics and racism. Competition A simplified view of Social Darwinism is that people, especially for men, have to compete to survive in the future. They can not give any assistance to the poor because they must feed themselves. Most of Social Darwinism in 21st century supports the improvement of working conditions and higher wages in order to give the poor the opportunity to feed themselves, so that self-sufficiency is better than those who are lazy, weak or poor. Eugenics Another social interpretation of Social Darwinism is Eugenics. This theory is developed by Darwins cousin, Francis Galton. Galton believes that peoples physical characteristics are significantly from generation to generation. Therefore, the human brain qualities (genius and talent) have the same principle. Then the community should have a clear genetic decision to improve eugenics. Racism The racial superiority and competition ideology in the end of 19 century and early of 20 century are associated with Social Darwinism. The basic race concept of Social Darwinism is that white race should educate other races of people in the world by a civilized way. Darwins Evolution Theory divides the race on the basis of Genetic Bifurcation and Natural Selection Theory. Genetic Bifurcation is a group of genetic material which isolated with each other, so they can develop its own unique genetic characteristics. This theory is applies to all living organisms. Because of gene bifurcation, people have different races and ethnic groups. Impacts on of Social Darwinism on indigenous Australians Theories of Social Darwinism brought the disaster to indigenous Australians. Australian continent appeared before 60, 000 years ago. Most of the indigenous Australians were isolated from the rest of world before Europe settled in Australia. After the settlement of British, population of indigenous Australians reduced by 90%, which is also influenced by Social Darwinism. In the early of the twentieth century, Social Darwinism was also popular in Australia. The Racial Theories of Social Darwinism were used to justify settler treatment of the indigenous Australians, as subhuman, primitive and an inferior race. Social Darwinism accelerated the death of indigenous Australians. As the skin color of indigenous Australians is similar to black, people are easy to link them to Blacks. Racism discrimination emerged with the popularity of Social Darwinism. The Aborigines Protection Act 1909 established camps to provide a place for the doomed race to die off as indigenous Australian would inevitably become extinct. (Eleanor, 2002) Even cruel is that indigenous Australians were treated like experimental animals, which were allowed by settle policy. Between 1920 and 1930, thousands of indigenous Australians were used to scientific investigation into brain capacity and cranium size. Australian fascination with eugenics is similar to the obsession of Nazi Germany so ciety in relation to the Jews in the 1930s and early 1940s. (Geoffrey, 2004) Eugenics Theory of Social Darwinism also impacted on indigenous Australians. Children of mixed indigenous Australians and Europeans descent were called half-castes and a threat to so-called racial purity. (Dickens, 2000) According to the Eugenics Theory, the policy took these children far away from their parents to breed the blackness out of them. Based on Eugenics Theory, about 100,000 children with indigenous blood were taken away from their families. Parents did not know where they children were and were not allowed to trace them. At the same time, these children did not know who were their parents and thought they were orphans. The racist government thought the problem could be solved if indigenous Australians were dying out. As a result, these children were called Stolen Generations. Settler policy believed that white, Christian families and boarding schools was the best environment in which to raise Aboriginal children. They believed they were doing what was protecting them and was best for them, whether the children or their parents liked it or not. (Read, 2001) Conclusion Conclusively, Social Darwinism is a popular social evolution theory in 19 century. The theory itself did not contain any political position and it has ever been linked with politics. Influenced by the theories of Social Darwinism, many indigenous Australians were treated cruel and populations of indigenous Australians were reduced very much. Today, indigenous Australians share equal rights with other racial people in spite of existence of racial discrimination. It is wished that the world could eliminate the racial discrimination in future and every person could be treated equally.

Evaluation of Tourism Brochure for Portugal

Evaluation of Tourism Brochure for Portugal The National Tourism Office for Portugal describes the country as one of the world’s oldest nations whose boundaries have remained unchanged since the thirteenth century. It encompasses the Azores and Madeira within its region and offers rapid access to other countries in Europe as well as the American continent and Africa. It has mild winters and ‘agreeable’ summers. It has a population of over 10 million, with the highest demographic in Lisbon. It boasts strong and historical and cultural ties with the rest of the world. (Sourced from: http://www.portugal.org/index.shtml, Date accessed, 12/01/09) Located in South West Europe Portugal has been an economic and politically powerful country and played a key role in early maritime exploration during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is clear that tourist brochures key objectives are to sell a positive and appealing destination to travelers; what is not quite so apparent are the disguised messages that are frequently conveyed by the way in which certain pictures are produced and by way of cleverly composed coded text throughout. Two official brochures issued by the Portuguese Tourism Office will be analysed for their content within this paper. This will mostly focus on visual images as well as some textual interpretation. One represents a traditional travel brochure depicting the country generically, while the other is their most up to date promotional campaign brochure which has only recently been launched. In Eric Laws’ Embracing and Managing Change in Tourism he talks about using content analysis to make ‘replicable and valued inferences from data to their context’. His model seeks to decode messages according to categories including location, activities, transport and travel parties etc whilst breaking down the analysis in sections; the front page, photographs and text. (Laws, 1998) It is this approach that will be applied to this paper. Assessing first the more traditional brochure for the country, immediately the front cover conveys a sense of isolation, with what appears to be a digitally enhanced image of a rock in the middle of the sea. Whether this is meant to represent Portugal is unclear and although a little uninspiring it will appeal to a certain type of audience that will want to discover more. This audience target becomes more apparent the further into the brochure you read. The first page into the literature provides a mixture of emotive, nationalistic and evocative images. A local Portuguese poet is quoted as a means of engaging the reader immediately with the prospect of a country which is inspired by the arts, as well as characterising it as a country not to be confused as a seaside resort, but rather for its lesser known rugged mountains and lakes which are illustrated romantically on the front cover. The accompanying text continues to relay all of the diverse things that Portugal has in terms of app ealing to a broad audience. These include nightclubs, hiking or deserted coves. However whilst it may seem to want to appeal to all people it is at the same time obviously trying to attract the type of middle class, sensitive and emotional visitor who will be inspired by beauty and poetry. The second page continues with this theme but elaborates on the architecture, museums and heritage to be discovered. Now the reader begins to imagine Portugal as more of an ‘old world’ country, which of course is what it is and it is clear that the brochure wants to emphasise this age old association with Portugal, not so much the seaside resort, but more of a cultural haven. Once again this romantic element continues across the following pages where the quaint old images are elaborated further with the introduction of the idea of romance. It’s as if the brochure has succeeded in coming across as a charming, welcoming country which is most suitable as a destination for lovers a nd couples to embrace. The reader is told that for the Portuguese ‘romance is as important as the air they breath’ It even goes so far as to say ‘one-night stands are out’ which automatically assumes that the young, single man or woman perhaps coming to the country in a group of similar young and single people would not feel comfortable or at ease. This is not the market that they want to encourage. It is a clever message and not so much cryptic, more overt in its presence. Already there have been four images all of which contain no people in them. This is particularly interesting as it suggests the sender of the message is trying to convey Portugal as a form of tourism which suits escapism. Pictures of food and restaurants feature across the next two pages with a list of the ten things you should not leave Portugal before tasting. Portugal thrives on its high-level services like drinking, eating and shopping and it seems uncharacteristic then that for a thirty six page brochure only around three or four pages have any images of food, bars or restaurants. Already this assumes in many ways that the country has defined its tourist and is utilising different methods of trying to attract them. In Finn et al’s Tourism and Leisure Research Methods: Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation the authors write about a research study which took place over three years on a remote Scottish Island with the intention of understanding better the relationship between islanders and tourists. Life on the island changed significantly over the summer months when visitors arrived and the study was able to determine that all visitors could be clearly categorized. The categories included day-trippers, summer residents, tourists, returning island-born visitors etc. (Finn et al, 2000) The tourists were defined, known and responded to accordingly. Each country has an understanding of who their visitors are and will attempt to appeal to them as categories, such as those listed above. In order to do that they apply a number of techniques that will be designed to capture the imagination of any given category. This particular brochure omits any indication of hedonism, instead it depicts couples walking or lone back-packers. There are no crowd scenes, no shots of happy groups of participatory people. The focus remains on large rural landscapes, with urban representations limited to the city architecture, rather than on nightlife or entertainment. The word romance appears seven times in the first four pages, which immediately indicates that the oweness is on this type of visitor; a couple or perhaps two friends looking for meaningful encounters rather than drink-fuelled, party antics. This isn’t isolated to one section of the brochure either, it is prevalent throughout even in the pages selling Lisbon, Portugal’s adven turous capital city. In fact the word Lisbon only features once in some contact details at the end of the literature. Portugal’s capital is referred throughout by its old traditional Portuguese name, Lisboa. This in itself suggests that the tourist office is appealing to more sophisticated and knowledgeable travelers who will know that Lisboa is Lisbon. Some readers may understandably pick up a brochure of Portugal looking for Lisbon, but it is clearly this type of prospective visitor that the country is not necessarily interested in appealing to here. Page 19 goes into tremendous detail about the historical background of the region. For many standard holiday makers looking for a cheap and cheerful get away this will automatically leave them cold and disinterested. The text reads like a detailed guide book in the style of Lonely Planet or Time Out. The Mosteiro dos Jerà ³nimos in the district of Belà ©m is a hymn in stone to Portugal’s maritime heritage, while the Torre de Belà ©m is a potent symbol of Portugal’s great age  of expansion. Even contemporary architecture takes on a maritime theme – the amazing new Vasco da Gama bridge is in the shape of a giant sail. After the devastating earthquake of 1755, Baixa Pombalina (the centre of Lisboa) was rebuilt in a classical style, but many of the winding mediaeval bairros remain, crammed with fascinating shops, restaurants and cafà ©s. At night they come into their own,  offering everything from African to Latin American music – and of course the  bluesy melancholy of fado. This is not the language traditionally associated with grabbing the attention of hard marketing, fast promoting tourist attractions and once again only seeks to reiterate the type of audience they are trying to capture. The second brochure for analysis is very different in its approach. It has been designed in a deliberately stylized way to grab the attention of the potential tourist. The reader is informed immediately that this has been created specifically for Portugal by the world renowned photographer Nick Knight. A photographer who is British, which immediately eradicates any thoughts of patriotism or national pride which comes across so clearly in the opening pages of the other brochure. And on the cover the reader is presented with a juxtaposing photograph of the Portuguese football manager Jose Mourinho resting above the caption ‘My country has 220 days of sunshine every year’. Jose Mourinho is the face of Portugal, literally. Not only that but the accompanying statement makes it personalized somehow, as if Mourinho was talking to the reader as a friend or confident. This is a very clever way of engaging readers. In addition it is almost as if the writers of the brochure have de cided that they need to associate the country more with a well known image. It signifies pride whilst boasting that it is a country blessed with sun and celebrities. National celebrities as well as the ability to attract other celebrities such as Nick Knight. It is a very bold, confident style. The most noticeable next technique to be analysed is the selected font that the brochure is written in. This looks like old computer style icons, which conjures up images of both the future in terms of technology and of nostalgia for old fashioned computer text. As a consequence the reader becomes drawn in by a familiar yet inspirational attitude towards the literature being presented. Is this the way in which Portugal is trying to be imagined? As an inspiring, forward-thinking country which is also reassuring some how. As if carrying on with this theme the brochure then informs us that Portugal is essentially trying to re-define and re-brand itself, telling us on page 4, that its many and varied assets deserve to be ‘promoted and exploited†¦.with a proper stage so that they can be seen, appreciated and valued as they are not enough at the moment’. This self-depreciating and yet overly confident message will appeal to readers on a number of levels. The information which the reader is communicated on page 6 is particularly interesting. It seeks to plead with prospective tourists on the basis of beginning to disassociate itself away from its old Mediterranean identity. Despite none of Portugal’s coast being on the Mediterranean Sea, it has often promoted itself as a ‘Mediterranean area’. For the first time in this brochure it is realigning itself with the ‘Atlantic†¦and our home’. This signifies a complete change of image and identity for the country and one that it wants to relay to other potential visitors from around the world. After approximately seven extremely short paragraphs along this same theme and a biography of Nick Knight; what emerges is a series of robust images, first of rugged seascapes and rough coastal scenes which invoke feelings of drama, excitement and energy which is clearly what this ‘new’ Portugal is attempting to portray. Probably the most powerful messa ges are however the next set of portraits which illustrate well known Portuguese people including the architect Miguel Cancio Martins, the artist Joana Vasconcelos, the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and of course Jose Mourinho. It is a brochure which is very stylised and reads more like a power point presentation than a piece of promotional tourist information. It is particularly visual and leaves behind any romantic, idealised, historical textual information so associated with the hard sell of ‘old world country’s’. Instead it is making a very brave and bold move into re-branding itself as a country to be viewed as a modern contender even going to the extreme of repositioning itself geographically within the Atlantic Ocean, rather than the Mediterranean. Perhaps this has been done in a move towards getting people to start associating it with an entirely new type of holiday which does not necessarily reflect the beaches, clubs and excitement connected to the Medit erranean, but more in line with the sophistication of the brochure discussed earlier. To be considered more like Mexico and Guyana rather than Cyprus and Greece; the more popular and media driven destinations which are more and more prone to be associated with package tours, groups of young people and stag and hen parties. The other rationale for its provocative move might relate to the Middle East; so firmly entrenched as it is in the Mediterranean, in particular Israel and Libya. Recent political unrest and continued problems in this area might have prompted Portugal to consider disassociating itself from its previous identity. In Pritchard and Morgan’s study, Evaluating vacation destination brochure images: the case of local authorities in Wales, they identified the power and influence of images appearing in brochures into six groups all of which assist with establishing identity; scenery, activities, people, heritage, urban and rural and iconic destinations. (Pritchard and Morgan, 1995). This contemporary brochure proves no different in many ways. It still succeeds in Portugal establishing itself as a vacation destination in that it projects large bold images of Portugal’s natural scenery, not its heritage, castles or monuments, but the wildlife that exists around its coast, the people of course are also iconic representations and exemplify the country as a modern forward thinking and inspirational place to go. No activities are demonstrated but the photographs of well known people listed by occupation craftily suggests that it is possible to do anything in Portugal, whether that be a scient ist, artists, architect or even an Olympic champion. Portugal has it all. The juxtaposition of both brochures; traditional and contemporary have been interesting to analyse in relation to their differences as well as their very obvious similarities. From this angle it is determinable that messages may often be similar or indeed the same but that they can be delivered in very conflicting ways in the context of differing perspectives. Many of the messages relayed in both brochures advertising Portugal predominantly appeal to more broad minded, sophisticated audiences who appreciate and know a little more about life and the world around them. By doing so it sometimes actually serves to discourage anything other than that type of tourist, which may on some levels seem risky, whilst on others is understandable if the country has faced economic, public or political issues due to the nature of their tourism or media associated tourism. References Finn, M, Elliott-White, M, Walton, M (2000) Tourism and Leisure Research Methods: Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation: Pearson Education Laws, E, Faulkner, W, Moscardo, G, Faulkner, B (1998) Embracing and Managing Change in Tourism: International Case Studies: Routledge Pritchard, A and Morgan, N. (1995) Evaluating destination brochure images: the case of local authorities in Wales, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol 2, pp 23-38 Ringer, G.D (1998) Destinations: Cultural Landscapes of Tourism: Routledge Official Portugal Tourism Office (Sourced from: http://www.portugal.org/index.shtml, Date accessed, 12/01/09)

Cross-cultural Learning Essay -- Personal Narrative Essay Example

I was lucky enough to be raised in a family that strongly felt its Irish and Celtic heritage should be celebrated. From them, I learned the beauty of my own culture, and an appreciation to learn the cultures of others. I brought that appreciation with me through life, and found it to make all the difference. Â   My earliest cross-cultural experience that I can remember with clarity was the Spanish exchange student who was hosted by one of my aunts. Mai not only taught me about her culture, which in turn piqued an interest in the Spanish/Latino culture that continues to this day, but she also helped me to appreciate many small, seemingly insignificant aspects of my own culture. Â   I built upon my cross-cultural experiences as I befriended exchange students from Belgium, Japan, and Korea. Each time, the friendships enriched my appreciation and understanding of not only my own culture, but the very concept of culture. What falls under the cultural blanket can vary from person to person, and I found it to be very interesting that while one person could claim lan...

Globalization and Localization Essay -- Globalization vs Localization

The world is a constantly changing place and the relationships, or lack there of, of the people in it are the primary source of the change. Growing partnerships and the creation of a "global community" are being encouraged and defined by the term known as globalization. At the same time, the need for tradition and individual culture has perpetuated localization. Events that happen everyday around the world prove that both of these phenomena do have a prominent role in our society, and by studying these occurrences, we can better explain the benefits and consequences of the circumstances. Globalization can best be seen in the political and economic realms of society. In general, globalization is an "open door" type of policy in which different nations "feed" off of each other. In the political arena, they can learn from one another. What has proven to be inefficient by one, can be assumed so by the other. Following this train of thought, one can see a globalizing effect happening with democracy. This form of government has proven its longevity and usefulness in more than one area of the world, and in more than one culture. Economically, globalization encourages international trade and the exchange of ideas. Countries can share their resources and advancements in technologies. This should not only enhance the trade and thus economies of countries, it should also increase the possibilities of quicker technological change. In a sense, two minds are better than one. When nation’s work together to create a stronger united force, they can also try to convince a nation to act in accordance with a global idea of what is right and what is wrong. In "NATO, Serb Forces Prepare for War" (Syracuse Post Standard, October 6, 1998), it demon... ...overcome one another. Localization is taking a back-burner these days, as countries are needing help financially from one another. At the same time, there is a greater concern for political stability, and therefore there is a need for advice from other nations. Putting up boundaries will only hurt these nations in the long run. They will not progress at the same speed and they will have a tendency to alienate themselves from the rest of the world. There is constantly changing trend as to what is the best stance to take. When the World as a whole is doing well , many people may want to take the chance that they can advance themselves and leave everyone else in the dust. When recovering from some turmoil, such as a war or financial instability, the world may want to work together to make sure that everyone doesn’t fall down in a large scale trickle down effect.

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Essay

1. Discuss how you could apply negotiation strategies to address potential conflicts in the workplace. The primary focus at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is patient/Veteran care and establishing new Veteran enrollees. This is done by direct marketing among other forms of outreach. For VA, negotiation will be important in not only establishing a new enrollee, but keeping that enrollee as well. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, integrative negotiations are used to â€Å"achieve results that benefit both parties† (2011, p.397). By consistently explaining and showing Veterans the benefits, they gain by maintaining their health care through VA, and how the outcome will benefit them, VA will continue to receive the federal funding to continue sustained operations for the coming years. According to Hellriegel and Slocum in order for integrative negotiations to be successful, VA should follow these principles: * Separate the people from the problem- VA’s staff must not allow their personal issues with Veterans to interfere with the negotiation process instead focus on the issue at hand. * Focus on interests, not positions – Understand the needs and interests of the clients instead of being concerned about title. * Invent options for mutual gains- This is where creative decision making comes into play. By presenting the client with several alternatives to meet their needs, Winston has a better chance of finding one that the client finds appealing. * Insist on using objective criteria – When dealing with marketing, it is imperative that goals are measurable and obtainable. 2. Determine how evidence-based management could be applied to the work environment you researched. Evidence-based management is defined by Hellriegel and Slocum as â€Å"the premise that using a better, deeper diagnosis and employing facts to the extent possible enable managers and leaders to do their jobs better† (2011, p.425). Hellriegel and Slocum also outline five diagnostic questions to be used to help leaders avoid â€Å"simpleminded quick fixes† (2011, p.425) which address how assumptions are used, if the assumptions are reasonable, and what alternatives could address the same issue more consistently. At Winston there are a few areas where evidence-based management could apply, specifically human resources and scheduling. The human resource department at Winston is responsible for recruiting talent and developing training. Both these tasks are found in almost all organizations, therefore extensive data about how to best approach them is available. In such an instance, utilizing tried and true techniques for evaluating prospective employees and training them to properly do their job saves Winston time and money because they do not have to risk failure trying to develop their own techniques. Scheduling is also an area where there is extensive data that supports how to properly schedule employees to ensure that all client goals are met in the predetermine time frame. In fact, scheduling is one of the major components of Operations Management. 3. Analyze the blocks, stages, and methods of creative decision making to determine the best approach the employer you researched should follow when making managerial decisions. The very nature of the business at Winston lends itself to creative decision making since all the tasks involve the use of some form of creativity. From packaging design to visual stylists, the team at Winston is constantly using their creativity to meet client expectations. As a result of the artistic environment, using creativity when making managerial decisions comes naturally at Winston. There are several blocks, stages and methods of creative decision making yet only one approach would work the best at Winston, Osborn’s Creativity Process. Creative decision making involves several things, but before beginning the process it is important to recognize the blocks that can it from working properly. Perceptual blocks happen when one does not interpret a problem correctly based on a limited scope of understanding. When applied to the type of work done at Winston this can happen if an Account Manager incorrectly stereotypes the target demographic based on their personal experiences. Cultural blocks happen when one has a desire to conform to societal norms, avoid conflict, be practical, and believe that open-ended exploration is a waste of time (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 431). The staff at Winston must not be held back by cultural blocks because often the brands they work for are being marketed to an extremely diverse customer base with no clearly defined culture. In fact, part of what Winston does is create the brand’s culture so that like-minded individuals feel a sense of connection and will purchase the products . The final block, emotional, is most often seen as the presence of fear. Whether it is fear of failure, fear of others, or fear of making a mistake this emotion is a strong deterrent to the creative process. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, â€Å"For many organizations, fostering creativity and innovation is essential to their ability to offer high-quality products and services† (2011, p. 432). For Winston’s continued success, creativity and innovation must occur with every client on a consistent basis or they will lose business. For a brand to stand out in the increasingly crowded retail environment, their marketing efforts must be memorable and identifiable. This holds especially true when Winston designs the space a client will occupy in a brick-and-mortar retailer where brands are often thrown together based on functionality. If the space looks like something that has already been done, chances are customers will overlook it and go for something else that catches their eye. Once the three blocks are addressed, the creative process can begin. There are five stages to the creative process that are similar to the phases that are a part of Osborn’s creativity process. The first and second stages of the creative process, preparation and concentration, is similar to Osborn’s first phase, fact-finding. All three focus on identifying/defining and investigating the issue or problem. It is important to note that identifying the problem must be followed by â€Å"gathering and analyzing relevant data† (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p 434) so that there is a solid base to build upon during the following stages/phases. For Winston this may mean discovering that a problem with accessibility and visibility, not the product itself, are the reasons why buyers were not interested in a particular brand at a trade show (supported by sales data). The team at Winston can then use pictures and diagrams of the last trade show booth and layout to create new des igns for the next one during the incubation stage or idea-finding phase. The incubation stage is the third of five stages in the creative process and is similar to the idea-finding phase of Osborn’s creativity process. During this stage/phase, management brainstorms alternative solutions to the problem or issue identified in the previous stage/phase. In order to come up with the best solution possible, no idea should be rejected during this stage and team members should let their imaginations run wild since this is the perfect opportunity to be innovative and separate the client’s brand from competitors. This stage/phase is the most important to a creative services firm such as Winston because the generation of several ideas gives the Account Manager several options to pitch to the client. With a variety of options it is more likely that the client will find one they like and decide to do business with Winston instead of another firm. The fourth stage in the creative process is the illumination stage which â€Å"is the moment of discovery† (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.432). Similarly, Osborn’s creativity process has the solution-finding phase which involves generating and evaluating possible courses of action and deciding how they should be implemented (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.435). During this stage management must come to a consensus about which of the ideas generated during the previous stage/phase would best address the problem or issue identified at the beginning of the process. At Winston this would mean narrowing down the ideas generated to the top two or three, pitching them to the client, and then working with the client to implement the one chosen. Verification, the final creative stage, has no counterpart in Osborn’s creativity process. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, this stage â€Å"involves the testing of the created solution or idea† (2011, p. 432). At Winston this may mean building a small version the revamped trade show booth and using it at a few minor shows as a test run before unveiling it at the industries larger trade shows such as WWD MAGIC in Las Vegas. Testing is important because it allows the kinks to be worked out before producing something on a large scale which could mean a huge financial loss if done improperly. Although there are other creative decision making methods, Osborn’s creativity process works best for Winston because it is straight-forward and simple to execute. The other models of creative decision making are electronic brainstorming and De Bono’s lateral thinking. Electronic brainstorming is also not a good option for Winston because the software required to correctly utilize this method is an expense that such a small firm cannot afford when trying to keep their prices competitive. Also, the artistic aspect of the work done at Winston is best collaborated on in-person so that drawings and models can be seen by all involved. De Bono’s lateral thinking method involves the usage of techniques such as analogy, cross-fertilization, and reversal. This method is not the best for Winston because the techniques used to foster the development of new ideas are not feasible for the type of work done at Winston. For instance, the cross-fertilization technique requires the use of outside experts from other fields which means additional expenses that a small firm such as Winston may not be able to afford. The analogy technique requires specific and concrete analogies, whereas the nature of the messages and work done by Winston are abstract. Finally the reversal technique â€Å"involves examining a problem by turning it completely around, inside out, or upside down† (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 433). This is the one technique that may work for Winston, but it is a more complex process than Osborn’s and therefore harder to follow. 4. Discuss the environmental and strategic factors that affect the organizational design of the company you researched. Winston utilizes a decentralized network design to ensure efficiency and profitability. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, â€Å"Decentralization is the delegation of authority to lower level employees or departments† (2011, p.460). Decentralization relies upon upper management delegating certain tasks which allow lower level employees to make decisions within predetermined constraints. For instance, Winston’s field merchandisers often need to make changes to their schedules. There are a number of Staffing Managers who are able to review and approve these changes, thus allowing the Senior Manager of Staffing and Analysis to focus on more important tasks. Winston’s horizontal organizational design type is a network. â€Å"Organizational design is the process of selecting a structure for the tasks, responsibilities, and authority relationships within an organization† (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.446). In the case of Winston, although there are two main offices, New York and San Francisco, a large portion of the work is done by independent contractors throughout the nation in the field. According to Hellriegel and Slocum this is a network design, meaning an organizations â€Å"subcontracts some or many of its operations to other firms and coordinates them to accomplish specific goals† (2011, p. 467). There are several environmental factors that affect organizational design including suppliers, distributors, competitors, and customers (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p448). The first environmental factor to be considered when developing an organizational design is suppliers. Although Winston does not use raw materials to create a product, they still need suppliers to provide office goods and technology. Office goods are used at Winston for basic needs such as printing, taking notes, etc., but also for industry specific tasks such as preparing storyboards and interior space design drawings necessary to acquire and service clients. Technology suppliers are needed for things such as phone and internet service as well as cell phones, analytical software, and computers. As a mid-sized company, Winston must ensure that they work with suppliers that are not only reliable, but also cost-efficient. To guarantee a streamlined ordering process, Winston employs a full-time Purchaser whose sole task is to negotiate with and order from suppliers. The second environmental factor that affects organizational design is distributors. Hellriegel and Slocum define distributors as â€Å"the various organizations that help other organizations deliver and sell its products† (2011, p.449). As a provider of a service, Winston has a small distribution channel in terms of tangible goods, but a large one in terms of intangible service providers. To deliver materials such as tags, name badges and other marketing goods to their network of field merchandisers Winston has a business account with FedEx. Within the organization the Account Managers are responsible for getting material to their subordinates get in a timely manner so that goals are met in the required timeframe. On the intangible side, Winston’s nation-wide network of independent contractors is responsible for delivering the in-store services that clients rely upon Winston to deliver. Competitors are the third environmental factor to be considered when determining organization design. Hellriegel and Slocum wrote, â€Å"Competitors can also influence the design of an organization because they drive the organization to become more productive† (2011, p.449). As a mid-sized company, Winston must work extremely hard to ensure they remain cost competitive against larger retail marketing firms. To do so, Winston needs to utilize a design that is â€Å"simple and easy to manage† (Hellriegel & Slocum, 201, p. 449). One way major way Winston does this is by keeping their employee count low. Account Managers handle several accounts at once, decreasing the need for a large number of employees on this level. Also Winston uses part-time independent contractors in the field instead of full-time staff to make the payroll process simpler as it does not include tax or benefit deductions. The final environmental factor that influences organizational design is customers. At Winston the customers are the retail companies that hire them to do a wide variety of marketing tasks such as merchandising, brand promotions, environmental design, etc. To develop and maintain accounts with valuable clients and remain competitive, Winston offers personalized services with an eye for detail. As mentioned in paragraphs above, Winston works hard to ensure that overhead remains low so that they can offer competitive pricing. References Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. (2011). Organizational behavior: 2011 custom edition (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Krivis, J. (2006). Can we call a truce? Ten tips for negotiating workplace conflicts. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 33(3), 31-35. doi:10.1002/ert.20115 Supplier Relationships.(2012). Retrieved September 7, 2012 from http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82658.html

4 Actual Concepts In American Society Essay

Explain at least 4 actual concepts that you see in our American Society today that were mentioned in 1984.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Orwell’s groundbreaking dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, may or may not have been composed as a futuristic novel, portending political and sociological phenomena. Whether or not Orwell intended his novel to predict future trends or simply illuminate existing realities, a number of the political concepts portrayed in the novel have real-life connotations even in a democratic society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nineteen Eighty-Four, telescreens exist in every household and also in public areas. Additionally, hidden microphones and cameras are spread out through the public and private domains to catch any potential enemies of the state. In contemporary America, video cameras have been installed in public areas: notably in inner-cities and also in the suburbs.   An article by Lynn Marotta examines the ver-increasing number of public surveillance and the seemingly public ambivalence about such tactics: What started as a simple way to monitor security around the perimeter of public places has evolved to a point where anyone can install a hidden video camera and monitor that video from anywhere in the world directly over the Internet. In addition, the integration of traffic cameras, and face recognition software give law enforcement the ability to track and identify virtually anyone without us even knowing it. See more: Beowulf essay essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Marotta).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Orwell also posits the concept of â€Å"doublethink† in Nineteen Eighty-Four. â€Å"Doublethink† is the ability to hold contradictory beliefs simultaneously, to forget facts which contradict this ability. â€Å"Doublethink† is one of many examples in Nineteen Eighty-Four which demonstrate the power language has over thought and belief systems. American culture is rife with examples of â€Å"doublethink;† perhaps the most notable contemporary example is the widespread and contradictory beliefs in America’s military power, with the nation’s population able to â€Å"believe† simultaneously that America is the world’s greatest iltarty power, worthy of invading and occupying foreign countries and policing the world, and ye we are told again and again how vulnerable we are and how dangerous are our enemies: North korea, Iran, and radical Islam to name a few.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another Orwellian concept: â€Å"the Two Minute Hate† showed the enemies of the Party on a huge video screen with all manner of perversion and aggression, set to inspire terror among the population of Oceania. The American counterpart to the â€Å"two Minute Hate† can witnessed on any channel’s nightly news when individuals such as the Iranian President or the â€Å"insurgent leader† Al Sadr are shown as menacing threats to the American way of life and also as the progenitors of the Iraqi war, when it was actually the U.S. who invaded and has brought terror and ruin to the Iraqi state and population. Nineteen Eighty-Four posits language as a key aspect of thought manipulation. Nowhere is this idea more explicit than in Orwell’s concept of â€Å"newspeak.† This is language reduced to remove any sense of liberation or specificity in speech or thought. An example of newspeak at work in contemporary America is the sue of the term â€Å"collateral; damage† to describe the killing of thousands of civilians during the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2) Oedipus was doomed from birth. Trace backe this fate of Oedipus to the origin of the tragedy and arrive at the ulimate end to the family tragedy in Antigone. The fact the Oedipus was born illegitimately – that he was a bastard – forms the central theme for the ultimate tragedy in Oedipus Rex. When Oedipus begins his quest to the Oracle of English Delphi to confirm his parentage, the Oracle relates a same prophecy: that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. Later, when Oedipus kills an unarmed man who demands that Oedipus give way of the road, this man is in fact King Laius, Oedipus’ father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After Oedipus dispatches the Sphinx he is given the throne of Thebes and weds Jocasta, a widow who is in fact his mother. Shortly afterward, Thebes falls into a state of pollution and degeneracy. A soothsayer tells oedipus that he is the cause of the city’s misfortunes. When oedipus finally realizes that origins of his birth: that he is the son of Laius and Jocasta, his world comes tumbling down. Jocasta, his mother and wife hangs herself in the closet, in the chamber where they had been sexually intimate. In response, Oedipus blinds himself by forcing her brooch pins into his eyes. The origin of the tragedy is in Oedipus seeking the truth of his birth; the origin of tragedy is in his illegitimacy. ((3) Macbeth was only as evil as his motivating forces. Explain fully the fate and the two most important motivating forces of Macbeth and his downfall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most important motivating factors for Macbeth’s downfall emerge from his will to power and his attempt to twist fate into a direction he chooses. Specifically, the will to power is embodied by his wife, lady Macbeth, and fate is embodied by the three witches who prophesied both his rise and fall to and from the throne.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With his wife’s intrigue and cajoling, as well as the prophecy of the three witches, Macbeth believes himself fated to occupy the throne of Scotland. However, in order to embrace what he believes is his good-fate, Macbeth must commit murder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When Lady Macbeth approaches Macbeth with her intent to kill King Duncan, Macbeth displays some trepidation about doing so; however his wife’s persuasiveness enables him to go through with what he realizes is an immoral act. After the murder, when Macbeth’s conscience plagues him, Lady Macbeth enjoins him to act normally and lay his conscience aside as she has done. Macbeth’s ultimate downfall rises from his own conscience and his ambivalent embracing of his newly stolen powers as King.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Macbeth’s sanity splinters, Lady Macbeth also begins to be haunted by her own conscience.. She hallucinates spots of blood on her hands and washes them, saying, â€Å"out, out damn spot.† Macbeth’s downfall is spurred by the deterioration of his wife’s sanity as it was Lady Macbeth’s hitherto resolve which empowered Macbeth to act so rashly in the first place. Macbeth’s fall is due directly to his pursuit of ambition and power, which are given birth by the witches’ prophecy and his wife’s explicit ambitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Only at the end does Macbeth realize his true mistake as he â€Å"struts and frets his hour upon the stage.† Here, he acknowledges that he has been at best an actor of fate’s script, and at worse, a mere puppet to his wife’s ambitions or a kind of â€Å"prop† for fate itself to play out a never-ending lesson of morality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macbeth’s true life has bene put aside to enact this ‘role† which occasioned murder and insanity an the downfall of Kings. His ambitions and the commission of murder have caught up with and surpassed his original vision of fate; now, as the play reaches its tragic conclusion, the true purpose of his ambitions and crimes are shown, not as a will to power, but as a will toward learning the lessons of ambition and crime. Rather than a King, his life and ambitions are show to be a mere pawn in fate’s endless drama.    Work Cited Marotta, Lynn Surveillance cameras and privacy concerns — is the invasion of public privacy worth it?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Video Surveillance Guide, 2006.   http://www.video-surveillance-guide.com/surveillance-cameras-and-privacy.htm