Principles of the Effective Marketing Services in the US Essay

Principles of the Effective Marketing Services in the US - Essay Example Marketing team aids the management to identify and fill the gaps in various steps, improve organizational strengths, and work on the weakness to eliminate them thereby positioning us to take a real advantage of opportunities and equip Medi-stim with the methods to defend against potential risks. Effective marketing services will add to Medi-stim’s success by inducing better returns for the hospitals, growing the client base, expanding the market share in the Americas and increase the hospital/patient satisfaction rates all of them would turn out to have a positive impact on bottom-line of Medi-stim USA’s revenue. In a nutshell, the need is for a brilliant team which can foster new ideas based on the market condition, steer a constructive debate with the management to facilitate the sale and lastly invokes inclusive actions from the management to facilitate all-round growth in market share. The Return on Investment in $, the network and also goodwill is discussed in this report. Numbers derived in this report are hypothetically forecasted based on q4 2009 results. Medi-stim is a 30 MNOK company which has marked its presence in the field of cardiovascular surgery with its intra-operative quality control equipment. The company has made its presence felt in Europe with divisions in Norway and Germany, in Asia and in the Americas with sales operation headed from Minneapolis. Americas are its second largest market with around 20% of the total sales. This paper gives a thought into the need of a marketing team to aid the sales team in the USA. Various reasons supporting the school of thought is put forward with appropriate example. The paper closes with a recommendation to the board of directors of Medi-stim to have a high-quality marketing team and initiate the process for further study.

Babette’s Feast and the Power of Art Essay Example for Free

Babette’s Feast and the Power of Art Essay When all deadlines are met and time is out in my favor, one can usually find me sitting comfortably on the couch with a bowl of popcorn on one hand and a remote control on the other. Watching movies has always been one of my favorite leisure. Although I try to see films from different parts of the world as much as I can, perhaps like the many others who belong in my generation, Hollywood movies are always top of the list. Seldom do I find fascination with other international productions especially European ones. They are slow-paced, often more serious and â€Å"less entertaining† than those produced in Hollywood. However, watching the Danish film â€Å"Babette’s Feast† made me reconsider and view European films with a different lens – one with a little more appreciation and interest. While the slow pacing is inherent to this kind of cinema, they also present a different style and meat altogether, leaving more room for its audience to think rather than just instant gratification offered by most American movies. This is very evident in Babette’s Feast. In its subtlety and simplicity, together with the use of brilliant metaphors and symbolisms, it was able to uncover the transforming power of art with beauty and sophistication. Babette’s Feast tells the story of two pious sisters whose lives were changed by their French servant, who was apparently an unspoken artist, Babette. One of the images that constantly reappear all throughout the movie, especially in the beginning, is the image of the dried fish. This symbolizes the life of Martina and Philippa and perhaps even those in the community who was devoted to the preaching of their father that to attain salvation, one must deprive himself all physical or worldly pleasures including food. They lived a life of unhealthy simplicity and unreasonable meagerness. Their simple and puritan way of living is so extreme that it has become dreary and ironically â€Å"lifeless†, like a dried fish in contrast to the delectable meal of Babette in the end. Another powerful symbolism is Babette’s washing of the window from the outside. It speaks to me as if Babette was trying to show the sisters what they have been missing for the longest time. Their world and their lives are similar to the dirty windows Babette were washing – dark and clouded by their austere beliefs. Because of the hyperbolic focus on spirituality, they were blinded from the beauty and joy of the outside world, from the other things that life has to offer including the love from men they rejected when they were young. Through Babette’s feast, which they initially refuted as they believed it was sinful, the sisters were opened to a new world from which they were hiding, to a reality where â€Å"righteousness and bliss [..] kiss†, where the spirit and the flesh are both nourished and nurtured without choosing or isolating one from the other. This reconciliation is symbolized by the candlelight snuffed out in the end. Aside from Babette’s art which is the sumptuous food she prepared very well, another integral element that played a significant role in the transformation of the sisters and the other members of the congregation is the character of General Loewenhielm, one of the sisters’ ex lover. If the sisters lived a deprived life, a deprivation not of accident but of choice, the general was at the other end of the spectrum. He symbolizes everything the sisters were not – luxurious and powerful. He enjoyed a life of abundance and glory. Because of this background, the general honestly and wholeheartedly enjoyed the feast while the others remained skeptical, refusing to surrender to their delight of the food. It was also the general who had this realization that there is joy both from bodily and spiritual nourishment, as he was dumfounded to partake in such kind of dinner in an unexpected place, considering it then as a grace and blessing from the heavens. All in all, Babette as an artist was successful. Like a masterpiece that brings joy to its audience, her feast was able to transform and bring love and happiness on the table, to the people who received her art. And this is what is meant by her statement, â€Å"an artist is never poor.† Her talent, which was able to transcend the material, and her ability to do her very best, is her wealth. Indeed, art has a very strong power to transform. Not only did Babette’s art transformed the characters in the story but the movie itself, as a form of art, was able to transform its viewers, me included. It may not be able to provide the â€Å"fun† from the thrilling and idealistic yet shallow plot of Hollywood movies but it was able to deliver something deeper and more delicate, something worthy of admiration and appreciation.

Germany Under Wilhelm II and Russia Under Nicholas II

Germany Under Wilhelm II and Russia Under Nicholas II Was the Russian state under Nicholas II more or less stable than the German  Reich under Wilhelm II? Seen from their end-points — for Russia, from the November 1917 Revolution, the abdication and execution of the Tsar, the bloodshed of millions; for Germany, from defeat and the humiliation of the Versailles Treaty — it is tempting to reply to the present question that Nicholas II and Wilhelm II left their countries in near equal depths of chaos, destruction, and disorder. Russia in 1918 witnessed the overthrow of a centuries-old monarchy, class-system and way of life, and found it replaced with a Bolshevik revolution, a wholly different power structure and system of governance  ­Ã¢â‚¬â€ and thus it is hard to imagine a more tumultuous reign than that presided over by Nicholas II. At the outset of his reign in 1894 he was undoubtedly confronted with the immense problem of effecting the vast reforms promised to ordinary Russians following the emancipation of the serfs, and it is likely that this awesome task would have resulted in tremendous instability for Russia no matter who she was ruled by. Nonetheless, Nicholas II and the various dumas he worked beside, undoubtedly exasperated and intensified the wave of potentially destabilizing forces facing Russia in these years. Nicholas II’s own temper and impatience led to the dissolution of two dumas and thus to prolonged political uncertainty for the country; the intransigence of certain conservative elements as well as the perceived weakness of several of his prime ministers further compounded this uncertainty. From 1900 onwards the various central institutions of Russian life — Church, monarchy, parliament — were eroded and exposed to ever greater change and danger — culminating in the carnage and collapse of 1917. In Germany there was no such perception of a gradual erosion of institutions and gathering crisis; rather she was shaken into disarray by the final four calamitous years of the Great War. Upon taking the throne in 1888, Wilhelm II found Germany in better con dition than Nicholas’ Russia; the euphoria and pride arising from national unification in 1870 flowed around Germany right until 1914 and 1915; her institutions were thought to be strong, stable and even invulnerable. Still, within four years of 1914, she had been visited by an equal if not greater destruction and instability than Russia. Russia was destitute in 1918, but at least she was victorious and could hope for some continuation of her cultural way of life. Germany however had been defeated and so was in 1918 the thrall of the victorious powers and so could be shaped and moulded be them as they pleased. The general levels of stability of Germany under Wilhelm II and Russia under Nicholas II can be partially measured by comparing the stability of their political institutions. In both instances (Nicholas’ relationship with the Duma and Wilhelm’s with the Reichstag), the story is one of the deterioration of the authority of the monarchy and its ceding of power to political or military bodies (1). Nicholas’ relationship with the dumas was antagonistic from the beginning of his reign in 1884. The First Duma, following the emancipation of the serfs in the 1870s, was composed of a majority of Kadets, and this composition necessarily led to a hostile reaction between the Kadets and the Tsar — something clearly leading to national internal instability (2). Nicholas II found his Prime Minister Sergei Witte competent and able and this relationship promised a dilution of the dispute between the Tsar and the Duma; nonetheless, this relationship began to wane when Nich olas’ wife, Alexandra, showed distrust of Witte, thus precipitating Nicholas’ dissolution of the First Duma (3). This dissolution was outwardly characterized by a friction of personality between Witte and Alexandra; inwardly, it pointed to the immense problems the Russian Prime Minister faced in implementing the promised political and social reforms. The extreme nature and proportions of these reforms, overturning centuries of Russian aristocratic government, would shake the stability of any country; in Russia the problem was compounded by its vast population and geography. Tsar Nicholas’ task of effecting political reform in Russia was thus in many ways more difficult than Wilhelm’s: for instance, Russia was decades behind Germany in its development and this led to greater instability in its pursuit of equality. Russians might have anticipated greater stability from the Second Duma; in reality it turned out to be as problem-plagued and ineffective as the First Duma — and eventually its ineffectiveness precipitated the great crisis and abdication of 1917 (4). The Prime Minister of the Second Duma, Pyotr Stolypin, perceiving these problems, dissolved the parliament, and sought to manipulate its electoral nature to possess a more conservative composition and thus for the new Duma to be controlled by the liberal-conservative Octobrist Party of Alexander Guchov (4). Despite his conservative leaning, Stolypin, like Witte before him, initially looked like he might effect some of the long-promised reforms; he planned, for instance, to provide loans to the lower classes to let them purchase land, and thus forge an agricultural class faithful to the Tsar (4). Had such plans succeeded then they would undoubtedly brought greater stability to the Russian state; in the event the opposite came about : Stolypin’s proposed reforms were opposed by ultra-conservatives close to the Tsar, and events reached a low when Stolypin was assassinated by Dmitry Bogov in Kiev in September 1911. All in all, the huge difficulties of effecting Russia’s urgently needed reforms proved too great for successive Russian prime ministers; these failures in turn led to a deterioration of the relationship between the Tsar and the Duma, and thus to profound political and social instability for the Russian state. The relationship between Wilhelm II and the Reichstag was similarly blighted, though this conflict and division was, in itself, less destabilizing than in Tsarist Russia (5). In Germany the Emperor’s dispute with the Reichstag and the instability it precipitated was the result of clash of personality: between his own and that of his Chancellor, the formidable Otto von Bismarck. At Wilhelm’s succession of the throne in June 1888 Germany was in a nervous euphoria about the unification that she had engendered in the previous decade; a great deal remained to be done, but Germany’s reforms had always been those concerning the of unification of its various states, and not the reformation of social classes as in Russia (6). Wilhelm II had no intention of being a passive or nominal monarch: he wanted to ‘rule as well as reign’ as one historian has put it (6). This intention antagonised Chancellor Bismarck, who cared for no interference from the monarch. This dispute finally led to Wilhelm II dismissing Bismarck in 1890, and thus, due to the monarch’s impatience and petulance, an abandonment of Bismarck’s prudent and wise policies for the government of Germany. Wilhelm installed Leo Graf von Caprivi, Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Shillingsfurst, Prince Bernhard von Bulow, and Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg as a series of successors to Bismarck; each of them being polar opposites to the former chancellor — they were rather obsequious puppets to the Kaiser’s will. Wilhelm’s decision to remove Bismarck had thus weakened Germany significantly and increased its vulnerability and instability; not only had the hero of unification been cruelly deposed, but his prodigious powers of statesmanship and the order those skills brought to Germany, had been replaced by those of the Kaiser: a man whose character was irascible and volatile and thus of the worst possible kind to handle the inflammable events that would pin nacle in 1914. The relative stability of Wilhelm’s Germany and Nicholas’ Russia may also be discussed in the context of their contribution to and handling of the Great War of 1914-1918. Anticipating somewhat the conclusion to this essay, the following may be said of the two monarchs respective attitudes to war and the instability these wrought: Nicholas II’s reign is characterized by reluctance to enter the conflict, Wilhelm’s by the precipitation of it. A historian might expect thus that Nicholas II, being more prudent and indisposed to war, might have thus secured greater internal stability for Russia than the bellicose Germany of Wilhelm, which one would have expected to suffer the vicissitudes and fluxes of war. Nonetheless, paradoxically, despite quite different attitudes to the conflict both Germany and Russia were to endure similar levels of turmoil and upheaval in its wake: Russia subjected to Revolution and anarchy and Germany the humiliation and disintegration of the Versailles Treaty. Wilhelm’s contribution to the instability of 1914-1918 can best be described in terms of his personal character: he did not avidly crave war — even once describing it as a ‘most unimaginable thing’ (7) — but rather aided it by his injudicious foreign policy decisions, blunders, and errors. Wilhelm II lent his authority and power to the German generals and to others who ardently sought the conflict. His minor precipitative blunders included his support for Germany’s massive increase in naval power, his telegram (8) that congratulated President Kruger for the success of the Jameson Raid against the British, and his July 1900 address encouraging German forces to support to Boxer Rebellion. Most disastrous and inflammatory of all was the Kaiser’s involvement in the Daily Telegraph Affair of 1908 (9). In this interview the Kaiser’s mistimed and inappropriate comments angered not only Britain, but also Japan, Russia, France and other c ounties also. In the years immediately preceding 1914 Bismarck conscientiously abandoned Bismarck’s former successful foreign policy of ostracizing France from the other major international powers and instead invoked sympathy for France by appearing to challenge her rule in Morocco. All in all, Bismarck’s personal leadership of Germany during the years 1900-1914, whether deliberately or unintentionally, did much to antagonise Germany’s international neighbours and so to eventually precipitate the profound instability that arose from World War I and its aftermath. Wilhelm’s naivety and impatience, coupled with the bellicosity of his generals, eroded many the positive reforms and strong institutions established by Bismarck during and after unification; this erosion left Germany improperly balanced and leaning precariously in the direction of crippling international warfare. But the instability that arose for Russia during and after the Great War was due not to Russia’s seeking such a conflict but from her fragmented and dithering response to it. Nicholas II was a main source of this indecision and his inadequate leadership, compounded by the largely failed implementation of reforms in previous years, led to the collapse of the monarchy and abdication of the Tsar, and thus a deeply distressing and turbulent period for Russia. In the wake of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, by Gavrilo Princip of the Serbian Black Hand organization, Russia and the Tsar were forced into a very awkward position. Russia had for several years advocated support for the Pan-Slav movement and had signed treaties with Serbia guaranteeing her protection; on the other hand, as the Will Nicky correspondence (10) shows, Nicholas II sought to avoid war at all costs — fearing the devastation it would bring to himself and to the nation. In the event, Russia w as truly devastated by the war: her armies were destroyed en mass, the monarchy fell and millions of Russians died from fighting, disease, hunger and drought. The 1917 November Revolution led to civil war, further bloodshed, misery and suffering and to the installation of a wholly new political regime. A greater state of instability can hardly be imagined! In the final analysis, the question as to which of Tsar Nicholas II’s Russia and Willhelm II’s Germany knew greater stability depends upon whether a historian looks at these periods from their respective beginnings or their ends. The Germany that Wilhelm inherited in 1894 was certainly more stable than that received by Nicholas in 1884. But a powerful argument can be made to say that despite the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia was nonetheless possessed of greater stability than Germany. This argument is given strength if one looks at events after 1918: Communism gave Russia seventy years of stable government and administration — irregardless of whether one endorses such a governance or not; Germany, on the other hand, was to endure the vicissitudes of Weimar, ten years of the Nazi regime and finally the ultimate instability of World War II.   BIBLIOGRAPHY Academic Books, Journals Articles (1) Roberts, John. The Penguin History of the World. (3rd Ed.) Penguin, London,  2003, pp. 707-717. (2) Perry, John P Pleshakov, Constantine. The Flight of the Romanovs. Oxford  University Press, Oxford, 1999, pp. 209. (3) Alexandrov, Victor. The End of the Romanovs. London, 1966. (4) Pares, Bernard. The Fall of the Russian Monarchy. London, 1939, pp. 44-48.. (5) Van der Kiste, John. Kaiser Wilhelm II: Germany’s Last Emperor. Sutton  Publishing, Stroud, 1999, pp101-103. (6) Rohl, John C. G. The Kaiser’s Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900. Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 133. (7) Macdonogh, Giles. The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II. St. Martin’s Press,  New York, 2001, pp. 301. (8) Massie, Robert K. Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the Coming of the Great   War. New York, Random House, 1991, pp. 108. (9) The interview of the Emperor Wilhelm II on October 28, 1908. London Daily  Telegraph, October 28, 1908. (10) The Kaisers letters to the Tsar, copied from the government archives in Petrograd, and brought from Russia by Isaac Don Levine, ed., with an introduction by N.F. Grant. London, Hodder and Soughton Ltd, 1920

community responsibilities :: essays research papers

Do you believe that our community should have leaders, or do you believe that everybody should be truly equal in our environment? The United States is living in an environment where there is a small group of leaders that make decisions for everyone else. When you hear somebody say they are going to make decisions for you, you might be thinking you would have to tale that decision no matter what. Well, that’s wrong, there is still an opportunity on weather you have to take the decision or not. There are votes, when you vote you either agree of disagree with any decisions. If there were more people that disagree than there were people that agree, then you were left with what you wanted. You still had the opportunity to choose what you wanted. Being with a group of leaders to make decisions for a society doesn’t necessarily mean that you would have to take the decision. No matter what you still have the chance to decide. A group of people needs to be over others to help g uide and make decisions because with no leader everything would be out of control, everybody’s decisions would not be heard, and a group with no leader would never be efficient. A group of people needs a leader because without a leader everybody would be out of control and nobody would be able to deal with them. Without a leader not everything would be controlled. Anybody in a society with no leader would not know what he or she is doing. They won’t know what doing because there is not one decision maker that has good reasons for those decisions. Groups of people would gather around making chaos about everything. Some people make chaos and act wild because they don’t have a leader to till them what is right and wrong. People would be wild because they wouldn’t be controlled and it is impossible to get a big group of people together at the same time to be dealed with. Being out of control is not the only problem with being equal, but everybody’s decisions would not be heard. Without having a leader not everybody’s decisions or opinions would be heard. A group of people or society always needs a leader so everybody’s decisions would be heard. Without a leader there would not be much communication. If a person comes up with a good decision or idea that person would not be able to let the whole society know about his or her ideas. community responsibilities :: essays research papers Do you believe that our community should have leaders, or do you believe that everybody should be truly equal in our environment? The United States is living in an environment where there is a small group of leaders that make decisions for everyone else. When you hear somebody say they are going to make decisions for you, you might be thinking you would have to tale that decision no matter what. Well, that’s wrong, there is still an opportunity on weather you have to take the decision or not. There are votes, when you vote you either agree of disagree with any decisions. If there were more people that disagree than there were people that agree, then you were left with what you wanted. You still had the opportunity to choose what you wanted. Being with a group of leaders to make decisions for a society doesn’t necessarily mean that you would have to take the decision. No matter what you still have the chance to decide. A group of people needs to be over others to help g uide and make decisions because with no leader everything would be out of control, everybody’s decisions would not be heard, and a group with no leader would never be efficient. A group of people needs a leader because without a leader everybody would be out of control and nobody would be able to deal with them. Without a leader not everything would be controlled. Anybody in a society with no leader would not know what he or she is doing. They won’t know what doing because there is not one decision maker that has good reasons for those decisions. Groups of people would gather around making chaos about everything. Some people make chaos and act wild because they don’t have a leader to till them what is right and wrong. People would be wild because they wouldn’t be controlled and it is impossible to get a big group of people together at the same time to be dealed with. Being out of control is not the only problem with being equal, but everybody’s decisions would not be heard. Without having a leader not everybody’s decisions or opinions would be heard. A group of people or society always needs a leader so everybody’s decisions would be heard. Without a leader there would not be much communication. If a person comes up with a good decision or idea that person would not be able to let the whole society know about his or her ideas.

Is Money Ruining Football Essay

Is money ruining football? One of the most talked about topics in football. Some fans think that it is a wonderful thing, a dream come true however others seem to disagree. Is all of this money in modern day football ruining it? From all this money football seems to become a victim of its own success. One main part of this money being in football is due to a lot of clubs having foreign ownership.It all came about in 2003 when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea FC and since then he has put in hundreds-upon-hundreds of millions of his own money into the club Chelsea have since won nine major trophies including three Premier League titles and most recently the UEFA Champions League. Proof that wealth can indeed buy honours in the world of football. Since then half of the 20 Premier League clubs are now owned by foreigner investors. Those clubs are: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, QPR, Reading, Southampton and Sunderland.Perhaps the most spectacular of them all is politician and member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Manchester City. Since he has bought the club in 2008 he has spent over ? 425 of his own money to buy first team players for the club. The highest fee that has ever been paid for a footballer is ? 80 million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid, this is a major difference to what the highest fee in 1928 the highest amount paid for a player was ? 10,000.The maximum wage has was also only ? 12 a week and players got a ? 650 bonus if they stayed at the club for 5 years whereas nowadays the most paid players is on ? 250,000 pound a week. This colossal money being spent to attract a footballer to a club doesn’t necessarily mean that the player is any better than another; it purely is just saying that the club has more money than the others. This is having a negative effect on football as now players are playing for the money and now not the club that they are playing for.It is also very unfair on competition in the same league meaning the richer team has an advantage as they can pay crazy amounts to get a player but a lower team can spend very little meaning the competition on less competitive. So if your club has more money it then attracts players who are better known where less known clubs have to settle on lower wages meaning that the players that they buy will be on a much less wage than those of a higher team. One big problem hat money has is the risk of the football club going bust. The most recognisable of those clubs currently in major financial trouble is former Premier League club Portsmouth, now of League One. The club is currently in administration and runs the risk of being non existant. This has come from the club overspending on players and the wages the players been given far too much than what they realistically should be on. Last season Premier League clubs shared a staggering ? 68 million in tel evision revenue, if the Premier League were to introduce a ‘safety pot’ of money (? 9. 68 million) for football league and Conference clubs so that in severe cases clubs can apply for grants to stop them going into administration/save clubs from going bust. Having an owner with millions to spend isn’t always as good as it sounds since it runs the risk of your club vanishing forever. One of the major things though is the rise in ticket prices.Football used to be called the working class sport but now it is an expensive pastime and something that the average working class man struggles to afford. This is shown at St. James’ Park when in 1992/9 3 you were able to get an adult season ticket for around ? 122 but nowadays the average season ticket is around ? 500 which shows how expensive football is now getting and that in 20 years there has been a 150 percent rise in prices.It seems that football is now slowly changing from a working class sport to a sport for those who are wealthier. The only solution to stop money from continuing to ruin football is by Uefa the governing body of football to try and do something about it by introducing salary caps or by putting in place transfer caps so only certain amounts of money can be spent in the transfer market and this would have an effect on agent fees, sponsorship and TV deals which would then ticket prices could be lowered and that clubs could still turn a profit.Another thing is putting a limit on how many foreign players you can have in your team which would mean more home-grown players would be in the team and then less wages would be spent and transfer prices to attract players from overseas and this would mean teams would need to spend more money on youth academies rather than looking all over the world for players to spend ridiculous amounts of money on. Football is no longer turning into a sport, it is a business that is now worth millions and millions of pounds and this is taking the game to its knees. By Reece Paterson.

International operation management The WritePass Journal

International operation management INTRODUCTION International operation management INTRODUCTIONTASK 1APPLICATION OF THEORIES AND STRATEGIESCOST ANALYSIS OF CURRENT OPERATIONSOPERATION MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN PRODUCT DESIGN OPERATIONSMODULE 2QUALITY MANAGEMENTTASK 3CONCLUSIONBIBLIOGRAPHYRelated INTRODUCTION IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in the year 1943. It started as a small town Swedish furniture company that was founded on the principles low prices and good quality. This simple idea was able to transform the organization along with strategic management and excellent decision making. It now has over 250 stores and a presence in 30 countries. IKEA has become an international giant with whom local furniture companies have to struggle against. The fundamentals of the organization did not change drastically with expansion however the organization did adapt to the culture and practices in the host countries. The strategy was simple, give the people lower price compared to the peers, allow them to check the quality, do no compromise on the quality, save on costs from every possible angle and make them feel happy about the purchases they made (10 Keys to IKEA’s Low Prices, 2009). This made their brand strong and helped in vertical and horizontal integration and expansion. IKEA maintained strong ties to its home country. Its colors are a representation of the Swedish flag and its name is the initials of its founders name along with the initials of the town he was born in. The organization has used policies that have baffled researchers and lead to various analyst studying its reasons for success. TASK 1 APPLICATION OF THEORIES AND STRATEGIES When IKEA was first created, its owner had the vision of making it an international giant. He had started international meetings and proceeded for a quick expansion strategy of the organization. No other furniture company has had such an exponential growth in only a few years. First, it expanded from a small town to chains all over Sweden. This was not an easy task. The organization had no means of managing so many stores however through the excellent entrepreneurship of its founder, his strategy and global vision, the organization grew strong. The stores’ main concern would be to find ways in which they could decrease costs. They started with lowering electricity costs during day time by opening windows; they used energy saving lights and did not have a large profit margin in the start. They then expanded to Germany, France and other European nations. Once they expanded to other countries, they maintained the same policies and store strategies in every store. This was done th rough impeccable management practices, which further helped the organization open stores in other continents. IKEA’s business model became famous and the store called for publicity. Their process analysis and operational strategies are unique. All of their decisions have been successful and their management of inventory, staff and stores is one of the best in the world. IKEA used to purchase raw materials from manufacturers but after it expanded internationally, it started its own production company. This resulted in saving costs as well as making new designs reach the stores faster with the least amount of compromise on quality (Ikea: How the Swedish retailer became a global cult brand, 2005). They started economies of scale by starting a production company near its stores. These companies were generally located in areas where labor was cheap and it would be cheaper to ship the goods. They also used a very different style of marketing technique which concentrated on making people happy and reaching out on their base emotions. Most of the stores which sold products at lower prices were considered to have cheap quality like Wal-Mart; therefore IKEA had to use a lot of advertising to put the simple message across that the quality was not compromised in the deal. They did so by hosting customer parties, sending free samples, giving huge discounts and maintaining a happy customer care service. This increased their goodwill. They also took active participation in local events and helped the community, increasing their goodwill and sales. IKEA believed in constant innovation which is one of the reasons for its strong presence. It comes up with furniture pieces that are classic and as well as new. This adds to its brand presence along with rotation of furniture so that the customers are never viewing the same thing each time they visit. Another strategy that IKEA came out with was to keep huge inventories in its stores. This would mean more space and more wastage as well as high inventory management costs however compared to the costs of maintaining the stores, the predicted sales were higher. This made them even more famous because they were the only store which was capable of holding huge inventories allowing customers to buy any product by jus t entering the store. They managed to do so by holding flat line products. These products would them have to be assembled by the customer hence they were made in an easy to assemble manner. By holding flat ling products, the organization could store millions of product. These strategies enabled them to increase their market share (Ikea Components is Setting practical Business Targets, 2011). COST ANALYSIS OF CURRENT OPERATIONS IKEA is a privately held organization. It has seen an increase in costs over the last couple of years and is struggling to survive given the recent global recession and low sales turnover. Although its new and innovative strategies have increased sales and helped them earn profits, the margin of profits and the sales turnover has decreased along with increase in the cost of raw materials and operations. An increase in sales from Euro 21534 million in 2008 to a Euro 21846 million in 2009 is considered slow however considering the marking conditions, it is above its peers. IKEA needs to find more ways to cut costs in order to generate healthier results. It has started doing so by creating solar powered lamps etc and using solar power and saving on electricity. Its costs increased from Euro 7078 million in 2008 to Euro 7198 million in 2009. Reducing its costs will also be another challenging for the organization (Process Analysis Model, n.d.) OPERATION MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN PRODUCT DESIGN OPERATIONS IKEA is strongly linked to its product and organization design. The process from which production starts until it reaches the stores and makes sales is very commendable for an international giant like IKEA. Although the operation process has been commendable there are still a few loopholes in the process. The main problem concerning IKEA is its inventory storage. Warehousing costs are on the high. The organization cannot afford to store thousands of products for each different store. This would not only mean high cost of storage but also wastages in products. Once the product gets old, it needs to be replaced by other more innovative products. This makes the lifecycle of the furniture short and increases the wastages that the organization will have to incur. Currently IKEA ships the unwanted goods to other stores where it might have a high demand however this not only adds to the risks of no sale but also increases the cost of shipping. Since it produces flat line furniture, the place taken up is not a lot but the store has expanded into all departments of housing and office furniture hence has to bear a high cost of storage. A good option available to the organization is to display goods in the store and ship the goods later to the customers through mail. This would help in preventing storage costs, cost to keep inventory management and save on any kind of wastages. The organization can also concentrate on re using the unsold furniture into other products. Since the organization owns its own production company, it can re use the unsold pieces of furniture and make other innovative products. Currently it does not pay too much attention into re using and re cycling however if it wants to keep costs low it needs to consider this alternativ e (SWOT Analysis and Sustainable Business Planning, 2011). Another Operation management issue with IKEA is that the organization is extremely large. It not only needs to concentrate on maintaining the current stores but also on expansion into other countries. IKEAs expansion into India and other developing countries is on the hold. It has been extremely conservative in its approach to expansion and trying to be overly cautious. A good example is its indecision over opening stores in China. Once the company decided that China would be a good market, its management was scared to take the risk of entering a market where consumers were traditional and other furniture retails offered cheaper products. However, the expansion went very well and China has been a very good turnover for the organization. The government too was pleased with IKEA. Hence IKEAs management needs to take more risks and consider global expansion while maintaining the quality of products and service given and lowering costs. By using process model analysis on the organizations approach to its day to day operations, the following flow chart was developed. A process flow chart is required in order to recreate the design of the organization and understand the process in a simplified manner. The flow chart contains these symbols and meaning: Flowchart The above flowchart shows that there is a lot of time that is wasted in the transportation of the goods as well as in inspection of the products. Waste recovery has not been given a lot of attention as required and time spent on planning needs to be increased in order to develop products that lead the furniture market. Analysis models using classifier analysis, location analysis, cost and duration analysis and resource analysis have shown that the organization has been using all possible forms of increasing business however there is more scope and a lot it can do to improve its current standards. It does not utilize its resources like space for storage, marketing for customers and training employees for better customer satisfaction and higher sales. It is very conservative in its approach to location and store openings and production company locations. It needs to get more aggressive in order to build a stronger more stable and more profitable brand. The overall design of the organization is excellent with importance given on lowering costs; the only problems are inventory management and cautious expansion. MODULE 2 QUALITY MANAGEMENT IKEAs simple business strategy of low prices has created a lot of trouble for the organization. By lowering prices, the quality of products offered lowered and although the organization has been thriving to maintain its quality it has sometimes been unable to meet international standards. The products are also a little below quality but their quest for lowering prices has also affected their quality of service offered. Customer care does not get proper attention and the workers do not have the time or resources for proper international training (Levine, 2010). The organization is barely scrapping through with the quality required which has adversely affected the business. The sales have gone down and prospective sales from elite consumers have seen a sharp decline. Another noticing factor on quality management is the advertising campaigns that the organization holds. They are unable to research well on the market because of being very cost conscious and have therefore missed out on their target customers in their marketing plan. Because IKEA is an international brand, it not only has to consider international policies but in order to do well in the host country, the organization also needs to pay special attention to the customs and traditions of the host country. It has been failing to do so correctly resulting in profits dwindling below expectations in certain regions and countries like the United States (Levine, 2010). IKEA is a privately held organization, hence information on IKEA is difficult to attain. IKEA follows a very difficult return service with delays and sometimes refusal to take back the goods purchased by consumers. This reflects back on their credibility and goodwill. For any organization that works directly with customers, service needs to be impeccable especially for an international organization like IKEA however IKEA has not been very good with its quality management approach. The organization has however taken a lot of steps to maintain its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and taken many steps to make a difference in the host country. IKEA can take many steps to improve quality. The organization can adopt TQM (Total Quality Management) in its operations in order to ensure quality. It needs to spend money on its processes however the returns it could possibly earn are potentially higher than the costs. The organization needs to adopt a six sigma approach to management and strategically increase the quality of products and service provided. This should increase collectively in all the stores. It has been seen that most of the sales come from EU nations which makes up of about 50% of its sales with only 5% coming from North America. This is a potentially untapped market and IKEA needs to improve quality and assure the consumers of its products and quality so as to increase its potential in not only the markets it already has a presence in but also the markets in which it plans to open stores. IKEA can use the theories for quality improvement in order to manage the quality. Management stresses on the following important principles and theories for quality improvement that IKEA can use to its advantage. 1. Develop customer focus in each step of the process and train employees to provide the best customer satisfaction. IKEA depends on its consumers and it needs to prove to the consumers that they can depend on IKEA as well. Customer focus is very important internally as well as externally in the workings of the organization. 2. Leadership. The international size of the organization makes it difficult for them to manage and lead the process. Leadership is required for each different store and all the leaders need to have a similar set of rules, aims and objectives. This can be done by training each leader of the store together. With the values that needs to be used in the organization. 3. Process based quality management. One theory of quality management states that if each process in the organization deals with the optimum use of resources and time, the overall outlook of the organization will be much different. 4. Decision making approach of the organization needs to change. The management needs to realize that they can no longer be over cautious in their approach if they want to gather all the market share and potential sales if they continue being conservative. They need information that is correct and they need to work slowly because of their mere size but they also need to take an aggressive role in this slow recession filled economy in order to survive and compete. 5. Continual improvement in quality. Quality management is not a onetime approach, the organization has to imbibe it into its day to day workings, control the quality and give feedback on the improvements done. The constant feedbacks would be supplied along with the advantages that the organization achieved due to the process of quality management. IKEA can also use the Crosby theory of quality management which stresses on zero errors, prevention of errors, quality being an adherence to requirement and quality as being a price paid for non conformity. It sets goals for lower period of days so that the results would show, it requires total commitment from the upper management, encouragement to the employees, training given accordingly, creating incentives for high sales, determining the costs for quality etc. TASK 3 IKEA being the world’s leading furniture retailer does not utilize its capacity or use capacity management to its advantage. It uses Data Core Virtual Storage Solutions globally considering its size. The new version uses auto provisioning which is allocation of products to its demand, auto failover which is mirroring and using high availability in its products and snapshot functions which means creating backup for all the information that is feed from all its stores worldwide. The software is the latest and expected to improve the management of inventory. Before the implantation of the software, IKEA struggled with its supply chain management. It sometimes had over supplied products and sometimes there was a lag in products which diminished demand. Since it is not an internet based supplier, it needs to keep a good amount of product as reserves. It needs to create a balance between oversupply and under supply so as to reduce wastages. IKEA has tried to take advantage of the te chnological improvements to sort out its supply chain management. The organization had earlier used JDA system in 2006 to solve its problems in supply chain management (IKEA Services, 2011). For an organization like IKEA the primary concern in capacity management are as follows: 1. It needs a technology that can forecast with a great level of accuracy based on past results and future market environment the market demand and supply movements. This forecasting accuracy will help the organization improve its functions and save millions of dollars in shipping, storage and recycling. 2. It needs an approach that improves the sales forecasts and predicts consumer behavior. The predictions need to be translated into sales figures so that the organization can plan on expansion and innovation. All the departments in the organization are interrelated and using capacity management to its highest level could help create more potential from the other departments as well. 3. Another area where IKEA needs to focus on is the anticipation of problems before they occur. A large organization is prone to have problems in its supply chain management and capacity management however if it is in a position to predict the changes and challenges well ahead of time, it can be better prepared for the threat or even to a certain extent help prevent it. This is an integral part of management function through which the organization can gain further market share and capital. 4. Transportation and logistics methods need to be simplified with each consignment being traceable so that the management can better predict the product whereabouts and avoid loss in transportation. With the rise in fuel costs the management needs to carefully lay out its supply chain management as well as logistics problems. With over 12000 products and 250 stores in 30 countries the organization needs better capacity management solutions (Supply Chain Management, 2006). IKEA store layout is in the form of a maze. The consumers need to walk through different custom rooms build to give them an idea of the product they might like. The stores are therefore multi layered with additional space given for storage. This has proven to be a good thing because this marketing strategy makes the customers view all the products and increases sales. It does however have the following disadvantages: It wastes a lot of its store space It confuses the customers who find it difficult to return to the product they liked before It irritates consumers who are looking for a particular product and have to go through the entire store for it and it wastes a lot of time which consumers do not prefer. However, this marketing strategy is important but it can be improved upon to avoid the above hindrance.   There are many other store formats that the organization can select from instead of its free flow layout. An image of the store layouts is mentioned below. Therefore IKEA can select a grid layout or a spine layout to avoid confusion. Having different layout on each store can also be helpful and avoid any wastage of space. Since the organization has 20000 products they need to be displayed in an arranged format with utmost importance given to layout so that they appear attractive for the customers to buy. The lighting also should be set up in a way that enhances the qualities of the products. The benefits of having a store layout are that it helps the customers organize their wants. It has been proven in countless studies that a good display of the products makes the customers more inclined to buy the products. This means that a layout can make or break a sale hence needs attention from the upper management (Waters, 2011). CONCLUSION IKEA has a great future ahead. It needs to take an aggressive role in this market because its sales are now stagnant and costs are on a rise. It has used the best method for inventory management along with supply chain management it can further expand its dominance over the other furniture retailers by becoming a public company instead of staying private and add additional funds to its disposal. The has been orthodox and conservative in its approach to management so far but it needs to change its policies into being more innovative not only in the products it makes but also in the strategies it follows. The company has great potential and a business plan that matches no other organization in the world. It size and its success by far have been commendable. It company also needs to change into being more web based which would reduce the cost of transportation and logistics. It has a lot of potential and a goodwill that precedes every country it decides to open a store in, however marketing is also an important feature IKEA needs to look into. Its current marketing strategies were effective in an expanding economy where people where ready to spend however in this current recession the only way IKEA can make more sales is through advertising its fundamental business objective; low cost. It needs to cash into the recession and increase sales by lowering prices and making its products quality checked. IKEA also has a lot of improvement to do in the customer care area where it is lacking behind due to its policy to lower costs. The organization needs to train its employee so that they are more efficient and better equipped to make a sale. To conclude I would like to add that IKEA has great potential not only in its existing countries but other countries where it does not have any stores. It needs to tap into the sales before some other organization does. BIBLIOGRAPHY 10 Keys to IKEA’s Low Prices. (2009). Personalizing the IKEA experience. [Online] ikeafans.com/ikea/ikea-why-ikea/10-keys-to-ikeas-low-prices.html [last accessed April 02, 2011] Ikea Components is Setting practical Business Targets. (2011). Business Management. [Online] bme.eu.com/article/Ikea-Components-is-setting-practical-business-targets/ [last accessed April 02, 2011] IKEA Services. (2011). IKEA. [Online] prnewswire.com/news-releases/ikeathe-worlds-leading-home-furnishings-retailerdeploys-datacore-virtual-storage-solutions-globally-55257702.html [last accessed April 02, 2011] Ikea: How the Swedish retailer became a global cult brand. (2005). BusinessWeek. [Online] businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_46/b3959001.htm [last accessed April 02, 2011] Levine, R.R. (2010). Theories in total quality management. [Online] brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/72443.aspx [last accessed April 02, 2011] Process Analysis Model. (n.d.). IBM. [Online] http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/dmndhelp/v6rxmx/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.btools.help.modeler.doc/doc/concepts/analysis/processmodelanalysis.html   [last accessed April 02, 2011] Supply Chain Management. (2006). Ikea revamps supply chain strategy with JDA. [Online] logisticsit.com/absolutenm/templates/article-supplychain.aspx?articleid=2544zoneid=5   [last accessed April 02, 2011] SWOT Analysis and Sustainable Business Planning. (2011). The Times 100. [Online] thetimes100.co.uk/case-studyswot-analysis-and-sustainable-business-planning110-368-5.php [last accessed April 02, 2011] Waters, S. (2011). Types of store layouts. [Online] http://retail.about.com/od/storedesign/ss/store_layouts.htm [last accessed April 02, 2011]

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Human factors for engineering - Essay Example The aid of multimedia approaches in controlling and eliminating the unethical cultures in societies makes this project relevant hence the focus of my research. Methodology involving the use of a remote controller to control the multimedia gadgets likes TV, gaming in the home entertainment system. First, break the variety of the tasks in the various multimedia devices into subtasks and then assign each of the subtasks to a controller. When operations run, the checks INS are easily and quickly semi-automatically linked with the subtask buttons. The operation speed then estimated and used to calculate the efficiency of the system. The touch sensitive input interface on the mobile computing device recognizes gestures and movements that touch it. Synchronization index then performs time coding. It looks up and in response selects a word or range of words; thereby, associating a particular time within the media to the choose words (Talukder, Asoke, Roopa, and Hasan Ahmed 34). The method helps in assessing the current state of home entertainment system through close remote monitoring by employing the use of the sensors. Stenograph machines and computer software programs incorporating AutoCAD are usable in the subsequent methodology. The software program translates the phonetic characters while the stenograph machine types in preparation for a graphical and designed output. The output stream is a network of automated translations of ASCII characters stored in a data card attached directly to the stenograph machine by a serial communications link. A thorough analysis and examination of the readings contribute the final engineering design of a unified multimedia entertainment system and a universal control unit. Miller, Michael. Creating a Digital Home Entertainment System with Windows Media Center: [determine Which Media Center Pc to Buy, Connect and

Thoughts upon female Education(1787) Benjamin Rush Essay

Thoughts upon female Education(1787) Benjamin Rush - Essay Example Men of those times were busy on various fronts and could not possibly take up the time to educate their children, or to help them with that. Moreover, in some cases, the men could not look after the affairs of their houses or parts of their businesses, therefore, it was necessary for the womenfolk to rise to the occasion and take up these responsibilities themselves. In a society where female education was frowned upon, it was necessary to make an appeal to such notions for the patriarchs to be willing to impart formal education to the females of their household, whether daughters or sisters. When men thought that educating women would be beneficial to them in the sense that they would be able to delegate duties to their womenfolk, as well as ensure that their sons got the necessary guidance from them as well, they were more agreeable to the idea of female education. Thus, new vistas were open for women to explore. However, Rush did not intend on this education to bring about any change in the status of the women in the post revolutionary society, and this is where the fault in his arguments lies. The purpose of education should not be to subjugate any class or gender of people, or to have them believe wholeheartedly in their subservience to someone else. Education should be an end in itself; women should be educated for the same reasons as men: it is their inherent right in an enlightened and educated society. Education should help them discover themselves and to become more productive and efficient citizens of the world. Women, just like men, should have the opportunity to pursue their educational interests; they should not be confined to certain branches of education to, consequently, become beholden to men. Moreover, education should not be used as a tool for indoctrination, but should open minds to new ideas and aspirations. In conclusion, though Benjamin Rush’s arguments in favor of

Human factors for engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human factors for engineering - Essay Example The aid of multimedia approaches in controlling and eliminating the unethical cultures in societies makes this project relevant hence the focus of my research. Methodology involving the use of a remote controller to control the multimedia gadgets likes TV, gaming in the home entertainment system. First, break the variety of the tasks in the various multimedia devices into subtasks and then assign each of the subtasks to a controller. When operations run, the checks INS are easily and quickly semi-automatically linked with the subtask buttons. The operation speed then estimated and used to calculate the efficiency of the system. The touch sensitive input interface on the mobile computing device recognizes gestures and movements that touch it. Synchronization index then performs time coding. It looks up and in response selects a word or range of words; thereby, associating a particular time within the media to the choose words (Talukder, Asoke, Roopa, and Hasan Ahmed 34). The method helps in assessing the current state of home entertainment system through close remote monitoring by employing the use of the sensors. Stenograph machines and computer software programs incorporating AutoCAD are usable in the subsequent methodology. The software program translates the phonetic characters while the stenograph machine types in preparation for a graphical and designed output. The output stream is a network of automated translations of ASCII characters stored in a data card attached directly to the stenograph machine by a serial communications link. A thorough analysis and examination of the readings contribute the final engineering design of a unified multimedia entertainment system and a universal control unit. Miller, Michael. Creating a Digital Home Entertainment System with Windows Media Center: [determine Which Media Center Pc to Buy, Connect and

Civil Rights Movement Was Slow Between 1955-68 Essay Example for Free

Civil Rights Movement Was Slow Between 1955-68 Essay Explain why the civil rights movement was slow between 1955-68 The civil rights movement was slow between 1955-68 for multiple reasons, these being the falling out of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King along with the Civil rights groups splitting and changing their tactics between violent protest or peaceful protest which consequently lead to them being less effective. Also Presidential action could be said to be lacking therefor acts to improve civil rights weren’t passed or were unaffected. One reason that the civil rights movement was slow was due to Eisenhower’s stance on the topic during his presidency (1953-1961). Eisenhower believed that the position of the black people would improve of its own accord over time. In this sense he did not think that it was the government’s job to improve conditions for black people. We can see this form his reaction in regards to Little rock campaign and his reluctance to become involved with it. This is a reason why the civil rights movement was slow because the president was unwilling to pass civil rights laws to change the situation of the blacks due to his belief that it would change in their favour in time. Also because of conflict between Malcolm and King the two main black men that were leading the campaign the African Americans were side tracked, essentially forgetting their main aim; racial equality. Malcolm X was very critical of Martin Luther King calling him the â€Å"Twentieth century Uncle Tom† and banding around rumours that he was being paid by the white government to preach Christian love and forgiveness which was all in aid of preventing the black people from effectively fighting for their freedom. This conflict would not achieve anything for the black power movement because it could potentially divide public opinion. People who supported King may have lost some faith if they believed there could be any truth that he was really working with the white American government, whereas the camp who were following X may have felt a sense of divide between them and the people who liked Kings ideals. The reason why this wasn’t going to help the black power movement is that the African Americans needed to fight together to gain equality but their fight was being split into their fight for this and for who’s leader was strongest. A final reason as to why the progress for civil rights was slow was because the civil right groups split and were no longer co-operating with each other. CORE and the SNCC took a stance closer to that of X’s beliefs. They became more violent unlike the NAACP who stuck to  peaceful protest. The problem that this created the civil rights movement is that they are now sending the government mixed messages and are not helping their cause. Also staging violent protest didn’t seem any way near as effective. Because the government and the media generally seemed weighted to the whites side, violence of black was blown out of proportion and shown as propaganda as to why the blacks shouldn’t have power on equal terms with whites. This would mean that blacks wouldn’t be taking steps on the right direction because they would be setting themselves up for a fall in public opinion, something which needed to be on their side for them to gain equality. In conclusion the civil right gains between 1955-68 were slow due to the fact that there was conflict between the blacks who were fighting over the best way to gain their goal when there focus should have been solely on trying to get this goal. They were side tracked and this proved detrimental giving their reputation further dents, even if there are minor positives amidst the movement along with the fact that the resident weren’t too focused on helping the civil rights movement.

Is Use Of Language Restricted To Humans English Language Essay

Is Use Of Language Restricted To Humans English Language Essay Chomsky (1968) claimed that language in specific to humans as only humans possess a language acquisition device to acquire language the universal grammar. It is a hard matter to define what language really is. According to the layman definition by Cambridge University Press (2008), language is a system of communication that consists of sounds, words and grammar. In the past literature, there have been claims that non-human primates like chimpanzees and bonobos are capable of comprehending human language (Benson et al., 2002; Brakke and Savagerumbaugh, 1995). However it is doubtful whether comprehension constitutes a comprehensive use of language. In this essay, we would discuss whether non-human animals are capable of commanding the comprehensive use of language by critically evaluating whether they show some of the design-features of human spoken language in their speech documented in Hockett (1960) and whether they are able to acquire syntax and morphology (Laidrem, 2008). The first design-feature is the vocal-auditory channel, where communication occurs whenever the producer speaks and the receiver hears (Harley, 2001). There are communication systems using other channels, for instance gestures, bee dancing (De Marco, Gurevitz and Menzel, 2008) or the courtship ritual of sticklebacks. Having a vocal-auditory channel enables primates to free up much of their bodies to carry out activities other than communicating language simultaneously. Primate calls and the singing of a western meadowlark possess this design-feature. The second one is arbitrariness, where abstract symbols do not necessarily resemble what they stand for, for instance salt may neither mean salty nor granular (Hockett, 1960; Harley, 2001), except a few onomatopoeic exceptions. It has a shortcoming of being arbitrary, but advantageous in the way that what can be communicated about is limitless. In a semantic communicative system, ties between meaningful message-elements and their meanings can either be arbitrary or non-arbitrary (e.g. salt would mean salt instead of sugar or pepper) there are relatively fixed associations between elements in messages, like words, and recurrent features of our world. The western meadowlark song holds semantic arbitrariness whereas gibbon calls hold a general arbitrariness design-feature. The third one is discreteness, where vocabulary comprises of discrete units and contrasts with the use of sound effects by the vocal gestural way (Harley, 2001). Human vocal organs produce an array of sounds, but in all languages only a relatively small set of ranges of sound is sound, and differences between these ranges are functionally absolute, e.g. pin and bin are different to the ear only at one point. The hearer can either compensate based on context, or fails to understand. However, in some systems there may be effectively continuous scale of degrees to which one may raise his voice as in anger or lower it to signal confidentiality bee-dancing is continuous rather than discrete. Grylliade (e.g. crickets) and tettigoniidae (e.g. bush-crickets) and primate calls carry discreteness. There are a dozen or so distinct gibbon calls, each appropriate vocal response, or vocal part of the whole response, to a recurrent and biologically important type of situation, for instance discove ry of food, detection of predator, etc. The fourth one displacement design-feature is very evident in humans, where we are able to talk about things remote spatially and temporally from where the conversation begins. It seems lacking in vocal signaling of primates, however it does occur in bee-dancing bee dances convey information about how far the food source is (De Marco, Gurevitz and Menzel, 2008). A parrot is unable to demonstrate displacement (Pepperberg, 1987). Monkeys are also limited to chattering and squeaking about immediate threats like snakes in the grass and eagles overhead (Muncer, Malone and Ettlinger, 1982), therefore they also fail the displacement criterion. Concerning traditional transmission design-feature, it refers to the fact language can be taught and learned. In humans, imitation and teaching occur together smoothly. A chimpanzee mother could not teach her infant anything because, although the infant watches her problem-solving skills intentionally, she never returns the infants observation. Similarly, if a vervet monkey gives a leopard call and its recipient, say its offspring, takes countermeasures for python, there is no evidence that monkeys correct errant listeners or that their communication is intentional (Premark, 2004). It was noted that Washoe, another chimpanzee, adopted a younger chimpanzee Loulis as his son. He spontaneously acquired signs from Washoe and was also seen to be taught by Washoe. Although this is a clear indication of what is known as cultural transmission, it is unclear whether it is a language that has been transmitted, or just a sophisticated communication system (Premark, 2004). At first sight Washoe appears to have acquired the use of words and their meanings, and at least some rudimentary syntax-that is, being sensitive to word order in both production and comprehension. However, Washoe did not show learning of functional words like prepositions and inflections, neither was he able to differentiate between different parts of speech like conjunctions, nouns and verbs. Productivity is one of the most important design-features of human spoken language, which refers to the capacity to say things that have never been said or heard before and yet to be understood by other speakers of the same language (Hockett, 1960). One would be able to coin new utterances by incorporating pieces familiar from old utterances and assembling them by patterns of arrangement also familiar in old utterances. In human speech where blending exists, a speaker would hesitate between two words or phrases, both reasonably appropriate to context, a combination of parts of each. It is also involved in slips of tongue which would assist infants in switching from a closed to an open system productivity also known as openness, the ability to invent new messages, where syntax, the grammatical arrangement of sentences, plays an enormous rule (Shostak, 2009). It can be demonstrated using syntax, where in humans, there is a finite number of grammatical rules and a finite number of word s, but humans are able to combine them to produce an infinite number of sentences once they associate the words with particular meanings or concepts, and put them into different orders (Chomsky, 1957; Marshall, 1970). Primate calls constitute a small finite repertory of familiar calls, therefore they are considered having a closed call system and do not demonstrate productivity. According to Hockett (1960), bee dancing shows productivity. However, this is questionable as types of dancing bees do may barely be repertoires. There is a belief that whales and dolphins possess language. However, there is no current evidence suggesting that dolphins employ sequences of sub-units conveying particular messages, which is in the same way we combine words to form sentences to convey messages (Pearce, 2008). In early research by Evans and Bastian (1969), dolphins carried on making sounds even when other dolphins were absent, where communication with each other in carrying out cooperative tasks to obtain fish seems to be explicable by conditioning (Holder, Herman and Kuczaj, 1989). There is no evidence that dolphins can produce even the simplest sentence in language (Pearce, 2008). By now, there is no animal communication system that can satisfy the four properties of syntax identified by Kako (1999) and iteration and recursion properties of language (Hauser et al., 2002). Herman, Richards, and Wolz (1984) taught two bottle-nosed dolphins, Phoenix and Akeakamai, artificial languages. One artificial language was visually based using gestures of the trainers arms and legs, and the other was acoustically based using computer-generated sounds transmitted through underwater speakers. However, this research tested only the animals comprehension of the artificial language, not their ability to produce it. From the point of view of answering our questions on language and animals, it is clearly important to examine both comprehension and production. Even just testing their comprehension, the dolphins syntactic ability was limited, and they showed no evidence of being able to use function words (Kako, 1999). Although others have claimed that chimpanzees could comprehend spoken English, they have failed to present adequate data to substantiate such assertions (Pearce, 2008). In repeated tests since 1977, Sherman and Austin, two chimpanzees, consistently failed comprehension tests of spoken English though they have constantly been exposed to it from infancy. Kanzi, however, was displaying a remarkable comprehension of spoken English, where Kanzi was not being reinforced nor trained to do the experimental task (E. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, et al., 1985). Kanzi is a pygmy chimpanzee, and it is claimed he has made a vital step in spontaneously acquiring the understanding that symbols refer to things in the world. He first acquired symbols by observing the training of his mother on lexigrams devices that produce word sounds when pressed. He was sensitive to word order, and understood verb meanings- he could distinguish between get the rock and take the rock, and between put the hat on your ball and put the ball on your hat. He also formed spontaneous utterances. Petitto (1987, cited in Pearce, 2008) argued that Kanzis understanding of names is not like that of humans. Kako (1999) argued that Kanzi shows no signs of possessing any function words, nor any indication of being able to use morphology: he does not modify his language according to number, as we do when we form plurals. Pepperberg (1987) embarked on an elaborate formal programme of training of her African grey parrot called Alex. After 13 years of training, Alex developed a vocabulary of 80 words including object names, adjectives, and verbs. He could even produce and understand short sequences of words understand concepts of same and different. Alex showed evidence of being able to combine discrete categories and use syntactic categories appropriately, but was unable to relate objects to verbs, and knew very few function words (Kako, 1999). Therefore, Alex had limited linguistic abilities. The last design-feature to be mentioned, the duality of patterning, means that only combinations of meaningless units are meaningful, and this is applicable to both the sound and word level, and word and sentence level (Hockett, 1960). It provides much efficiency and flexibility to human language. When a vocal-auditory system carries a larger and larger number of distinct meaningful elements, they become more similar to one another in sound, where there is a limit for any species to how many distinct stimuli they are capable of distinguishing between, in particular they have to be made under noisy conditions. This design-feature is illustrated by English words tack, cat and act, which are composed of only three basic meaningless sounds in different permutations, yet totally distinct in meaning. Very few animal communicative systems share this design-feature of language none among other hominoids (e.g. apes, monkeys), or maybe humans are the only one (Harley, 2001). To conclude, none of the animals mentioned seemed to be capable of possessing the above mentioned design-features of human spoken language (Hockett, 1960). They were also unable to command the complicated syntax and lexical competences that humans possess. This may be due to humans having large and convoluted brains acting as better storage units for conventions of a complex communicative system as language (Pinker, 1994). Though many animals possess rich symbolic communication systems enabling them to convey messages to other members of the species which would influence behaviour and possess many of Hocketts (1960) design features, they all lack the richness of human language, which is manifested in our ability to limitlessly talk about anything and using syntax. The failure to teach apes to speak is partly due to the fact that their vocal tracts are incapable of producing all sounds of human speech, where according to Duchin (1990, cited in Pearce, 2008), a major constraint on the ability of the chimp to produce sounds of human speech is its tongue which is unable to move to correct positions for creating sounds that are necessary. It is possible that by reducing methodological flaws in language learning paradigms and more investigations of different animals, we would be more informed about whether animals are able to use language comprehensively in the humans do.

Hamlet the Play and the Movie Essay -- Shakespeare Hamlet Compare Cont

Hamlet the Play and the Movie Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story about a king that was murdered by his brother and the prince has been asked by his father?s ghost to avenge his murder. The original story line has been altered a few times since it has been written. The original Hamlet the play and the altered Hamlet the movie are shown differently in many different ways. Hamlet the movie with Mel Gibson shows different things than the play, but there are three major differences between the two. The three major differences are in the way both of the productions start out, differences in the scene that the players put on a play, and differences in the way the productions end. The first difference is in the way the play and the movie begins. The play starts out with guards standing guard at the castle with Horatio, Hamlet?s friend. The guards and Horatio are waiting for the ghost of Old Hamlet to arrive so they can find out why he is there. The ghost does arrive twice but does not speak. The scene ends with the guards and Horatio discussing that they should get Hamlet to try to speak to the ghost. Hamlet the movie starts out differently. It starts out with the funeral for King Hamlet with Gertrude standing beside the coffin. Hamlet sprinkles dust over his father?s dead body. The coffin is then covered and Claudius, Old Hamlet?s brother, places his sword over the coffin and Gertrude cries. The second difference is the way the scene is with the player?s putting o...

Satire in Moliere’s Tartuffe, Voltaire’s Candide, and Swift’s A Modest

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines satire as: â€Å"literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn.† Besides this definition satire can also be seen as the particular literary way of making possible the improvement of humanity and its institutions. In the three works: Moliere’s â€Å"Tartuffe,† Voltaire’s â€Å"Candide,† and Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal† the authors indirectly criticize and ridicule human behavior and characteristics but with the goal for improving these faults rather than just demolishing them.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Moliere’s â€Å"Tartuffe,† although many things and behaviors are satirized, the play focuses mainly on the issue of religious hypocrisy. Whereas Tartuffe is the obvious hypocrite and antagonist who represents those members of society who preach religious piety but do not themselves live by the morals they try to force upon others, Orgon is the complex character through whom this religious hypocrisy is channeled. In the beginning of the play it is hinted that Orgon is perceived as an honorable and respected man by his family and friends, but then through out the play the question raises why he has become such an absurd and unusual person. It seems that Orgon is the type of character who can no longer participate successfully in society and who then retires from society and attacks it. This can also be seen in his mother, Madame Pernelle. Orgon, having reached late middle age, needs to attach himself to a religious person, who beli...