Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay --

Over the years, much has been written about the two novels, both positive and negative. For example, Ben Clarke of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about Orwell, and asserts that although mainly acclaimed for his non-fiction works, Orwell’s fiction writing had significant value, and was generally under-rated (Clarke). Orwell’s only novel to receive critical acclaim was Nineteen Eighty-four. Even this novel, when studied, is considered for its historical significance rather than its literary contribution (Clarke). Clarke also suggests that Orwell’s female characters reflect Orwell’s views of masculinity and femininity. Though he recognizes the limited choices that women had in society, he shows showed little originality in their portrayal (Clarke). Certainly Julia, in Nineteen Eighty-Four is portrayed as a woman engaging in sexual relationships with Party members more out of boredom than from any real disagreement with the poli tics of the Party. She depicted as being accepting of the status quo, and follows Winston’s lead in his rebellious activities. This is similar to the way that women in Orwell’s time period were viewed, as passive but supportive components in society. The restrictive bounds on society trigger rebellion by the major characters in both novels. By restricting the knowledge and information available, the governments in both novels maintain tight control on their citizens. In Nineteen Eighty-four, the public is manipulated by propaganda to believe what the Party wants it to believe. There are laws against even thinking of anything that creates individuality or harms the Party in any way, labelled by Orwell as â€Å"thoughtcrime†. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concea... ..., Winston’s search for the truth drives him to rebel in small ways initially. Driven to create something that will not be re-written at the whim of the Party, he writes in an illicitly obtained diary to a nameless future reader from â€Å"a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone† (Orwell 28). His next step on the path to rebellion is to begin a forbidden sexual relationship with a woman he works with. He has longed for a relationship where he is free to love without the purpose of procreation. Even more important to him, however, is that his actions undermine the Party. When Julia, his girlfriend, tells him that he has done this "Hundreds of times -well, scores of times†, Winston is not upset; instead, he is thrilled because that means there were many others who are â€Å"corrupt to the bones† and were also rebelling against the Party (Orwell 112). Essay -- Over the years, much has been written about the two novels, both positive and negative. For example, Ben Clarke of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about Orwell, and asserts that although mainly acclaimed for his non-fiction works, Orwell’s fiction writing had significant value, and was generally under-rated (Clarke). Orwell’s only novel to receive critical acclaim was Nineteen Eighty-four. Even this novel, when studied, is considered for its historical significance rather than its literary contribution (Clarke). Clarke also suggests that Orwell’s female characters reflect Orwell’s views of masculinity and femininity. Though he recognizes the limited choices that women had in society, he shows showed little originality in their portrayal (Clarke). Certainly Julia, in Nineteen Eighty-Four is portrayed as a woman engaging in sexual relationships with Party members more out of boredom than from any real disagreement with the poli tics of the Party. She depicted as being accepting of the status quo, and follows Winston’s lead in his rebellious activities. This is similar to the way that women in Orwell’s time period were viewed, as passive but supportive components in society. The restrictive bounds on society trigger rebellion by the major characters in both novels. By restricting the knowledge and information available, the governments in both novels maintain tight control on their citizens. In Nineteen Eighty-four, the public is manipulated by propaganda to believe what the Party wants it to believe. There are laws against even thinking of anything that creates individuality or harms the Party in any way, labelled by Orwell as â€Å"thoughtcrime†. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concea... ..., Winston’s search for the truth drives him to rebel in small ways initially. Driven to create something that will not be re-written at the whim of the Party, he writes in an illicitly obtained diary to a nameless future reader from â€Å"a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone† (Orwell 28). His next step on the path to rebellion is to begin a forbidden sexual relationship with a woman he works with. He has longed for a relationship where he is free to love without the purpose of procreation. Even more important to him, however, is that his actions undermine the Party. When Julia, his girlfriend, tells him that he has done this "Hundreds of times -well, scores of times†, Winston is not upset; instead, he is thrilled because that means there were many others who are â€Å"corrupt to the bones† and were also rebelling against the Party (Orwell 112).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Literary Criticism of Matthew Lewis’ Novel, The Monk Essay -- Monk

Literary Criticism of Matthew Lewis’ Novel, The Monk Elliot B. Gose's essay "The Monk," from Imagination Indulged: The Irrational in the Nineteenth-Century Novel, is a psychological survey of Matthew Lewis' novel The Monk. Gose uses Freud's and Jung's psychological theories in his analysis of The Monk's author and characters. To understand Gose's ideas, we must first contextualize his conception of Freud's and Jung's theories. According to Gose: According to Freud we must look behind conscious daydreaming, as well as behind unconscious sleep dreaming, for keys to the unsatisfied primitive desires of the self. According to Jung, when investigating such fantasy, we sometimes find ourselves in the presence of a vision that transcends the bounds of the immediate self and its limitations (216). Gose believes that The Monk is the artistic work that led to the writing of Wuthering Heights and Bleak House , though Lewis' novel comprises flawed components that separate it from the other novels' artistic greatness. Additionally, he finds the qualifications Chase set for a romance novel in The Monk ; Lewis' novel is set in the past, the characters are two-dimensional, the characters serve mainly for plot function, and the plot events are unrealistic. Gose expresses concern in analyzing Lewis, due to the lack of information about his childhood, so Gose analyses Lewis only from sources he deems valid, such as a collection of Lewis' letters. He sights the separation of Lewis' parents as a traceable indication of an event leading to Lewis' split psyche. Lewis lived with his father only. from the age of six, and followed his father's educational wishes. Then, as a young man, Lewis entered the Civil Service influenced by his mother'... ...] manages to seduce him" (217). What does he mean by Matilda "manages?" Is Ambrosio not a active participant of the seduction? Gose is taking guilt off Ambrosio's shoulders that rightfully belongs there. Gose does not even allude to the word "homosexual" in the passages about Ambrosio's attraction to Rosario and the devil. The transgendered theory was outdated in 1972 when Gose wrote this essay, but he still describes Ambrosio's homosexual tendencies as "confused sexual identity" (217). Whose sexual identity is Ambrosio confused about, his own or his lovers'? Works Cited Barterian, Gerald R., and Denise Evans, eds. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Vol. 62. Gale Research: Detroit, 1998. (original source: Gose, Elliot B. Jr. "The Monk" Imagination Indulged: The Irrational in the Nineteenth-Century Novel. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1972, pp. 27- 40.)

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Challenges of Strategic Management

Strategic Management 313 News Critique – Topic 1 – The Challenges of Strategic Management *Mishal Ibrahim Mohamed *Didi 12928039 1. News item sources Gross, D. 2010. Major new app store to take on Apple, others. http://www. cnn. com/2010/TECH/02/15/app. store/index. html? iref=allsearch (accessed March 6, 2010). Kincaid, J. 2010. The Wholesale Applications Community Sounds Like A Disaster In The Making. http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/15/AR2010021502209. html (accessed March 6, 2010). Mobile firms unite to offer applications. http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/technology/8515813. stm (accessed March 6, 2010). Schenker, J. L. 2010. Mobile Industry Strikes Back at Google and Apple. http://www. businessweek. com/blogs/europeinsight/archives/2010/02/mobile_industry. html (accessed March 6, 2010). 2. Summary On February 15th 2010, the world's largest 24+ companies that deal with telecommunications have announced that they are tying up with each other to form what they call the Wholesale Applications Community (Gross 2010). This strategy is aimed at creating a unified open platform to create applications to work on any phone, including any carrier and any operation system (OS) that they are using (Kincaid 2010). As we know, Apple dominates the app market with more than 3 billion downloads in 18 months (_Mobile firms unite to offer applications 2010). The operators realised that their current strategy of creating individual applications for each of their phones was not able to come even close to the market share and the competitive advantage that Apple's App store has (Gross 2010). They realized that if they combined their efforts with each other they would be able to serve 3 billion customers collectively (Schenker 2010). Currently all most all third party developers have all been developing for Apple's App Store which amounts to about 140, 000 applications and almost completely ignoring the rest of the market (Schenker 2010). The Wholesale Applications Community's plan is to balance this market by bringing these developers towards them since they would be serving a bigger market collectively (Schenker 2010). They aim to have this common standard by a maximum of 12 months (Mobile irms unite to offer applications _2010). *3. Links* to topic This news critique links to Topic 1 – The challenges of strategic Management in many ways. Firstly the topic talks about what a strategy is and what achieving competitive advantage means. Apple in this case has achieved competitive advantage using its App Store. It has dominated the market for a long time with its app lications which other companies were not able to imitate as efficiently (Gross 2010). Secondly, the topic talks about how there are intended strategies and emergent strategies and the implementation of these strategies. Since Apple had such a market dominance, the original strategy for the other companies were to make applications and application stores by themselves but as the market changed they decided to improvise and implement a new strategy which was to work with each other to make a universal application store that would work on all their phones (Schenker 2010). The aim of this strategy as explained in the summary was to even the market and reduce the competitive advantage that Apple had over the rest (_Mobile firms unite to offer applications _2010). 4. What can be learnt There is a lot of things that can be learnt from this. For one, it shows the importance of implementing strategies and the power of achieving competitive advantage. The article said that Apple's App Store had 3 billion downloads in 18 months because of how brilliant their app store was compared to the rest of the competition (_Mobile firms unite to offer applications _2010). What was also learnt was that no one strategy would work forever and that strategies need to be consistently changing based on the environment around the company as well as what the competition is doing. If the other telecommunication companies just stood still with their old strategy then it is most likely that Apple would gain even more competitive advantage over them. They adapted and changed their strategies to match the market and compete. 5. Future developments There is a strong debate in whether this would be successful or not. Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association is extremely excited about this since he feels that it will be the start of an equal market with much more innovation (Gross 2010). Andy Rubin, Google VP of engineering, on the other hand believes that this is merely a dream and is extremely sceptical that it would work since he believes that the market place is too fragmented and also the specifications of each phone is too varied to create a singular format (Kincaid 2010). I personally think that this is both good and bad. I do agree that this would create more innovation and ultimately more value for the customers since finally competition would be created in the application market, but at the same time I do notice certain problems. For example if they are creating applications that would work on any phone then I feel it is likely that we might start seeing too much similarity in phones. The sizes of phones would be almost the same, the screen size would be almost the same and so forth. Nothing would be more unique than the other and it is likely that the companies may argue with each other on what the final design should be. Then again if these application are made in such a way that it could fit any size then there should not be much of a problem. In conclusion, I guess time will tell how effective this strategy will be for the mobile phone market.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management Essay

1) Select a technology from 1850 to the present. Describe how it has affected productivity A technology that comes to mind is server virtualization. We use them every day in the government as we work toward going green, lower cost, increasing productivity. Since the migration to the virtual servers we were able to cut paper files by  ¾. We use a digital contract file now instead of a 6 pile folder with hundreds of page. Another reason the army has choosing to go this way is so it can spread the cost of maintenance and repair across several customers with shared servers. This results in a lower price per base. Then there is the Virtual conference, which saves millions of dollar. Now you’re asking how this affect productivity does well with virtual contract files any base has access to them with save on efficiencies, be abilities to collaborate with like minds to gain more knowledge, also to form comradely. 2)Identify the transformation that takes place in a restaurant. In a restaurant you are buying a meal but also the environment and the service. In many cases the value of inputs is measured in financial terms, which is say that organizations aim to make a profit like the Hard Rock Cafà ©. To increase efficiency managers are always seeking ways of producing more with the same level of inputs or producing the same amount with fewer inputs. Some ways to improve the productivity in the service-sector are changing working practices, investing in new technology like the ERP, motivating and inspiring staff more effectively and changing the way items are produced (Heizer & Render, 2005). With the use of ERP restaurants  wastage should be reduced at all stages of the production process. It includes Just in Time production in which items are produced to order rather than in advance (Heizer & Render, 2005). Lean production also includes a technique known as kaizen which aims to use the knowledge of employees to find ways of continuously improving the way things are done (Heizer & Render, 2005). Manages are continually reviewing what they provide better. Given ongoing changes in the competitive environment with new competitors, new demands and new technologies adding value is a dynamic process. Managers need to be looking constantly at the business environment to identify changes that could be of value to them or could possibly harm them. Interestingly any change will have different effects on different organizations. (3) The computer – especially the PC – is believed to be responsible for much of the increased productivity in the 1990s. What do think will be the â€Å"next big thing† to have a major impact on national and global productivity? The â€Å"next big thing† that will have a major impact on the national and global productivity is the advancements in wireless technology. In today’s time there are millions of mobile professionals worldwide due to the major strides that the wireless community has taken. Organizations use wireless technologies to solve every day problems and create an advantage over their companion. Using wireless technologies help them work more productively, by having better customer satisfaction, which means an increase of sales. Organization is finding that wireless has provided more flexibility to configure an office and can improve both the productivity and the moral in the work place. New standards based technologies offer improved methods to authenticate and better secure devices, helping to ensure that only authorized users can gain access to these networks. Which, I see firsthand every day working in a government agency our black berries have CAC reads sled which read our cre dentials before we can view emails. The widespread reliance on networking in business as well as the growth of the internet and online services is strong testimonies to the benefits of data and resources (Wireless Technology). Wireless solutions have advances these benefits by allowing users to access shared information, emails, and different  applications without the constraints of the wired connection. Wireless technologies have also allowed network managers to set up or add to the networks without installing or removing wires. A wireless solution offers productivity, convenience and overall cost saving then the traditional wired networks (Wireless Technology). (4) What is the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO)? Do you see it as primarily good or bad for the U.S? The role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is to oversee trade agreements including a wide range of goods and services trade and supervises all government practices that are directly related to trade, such as tariffs, subsidies, government procurement, and trade-related intellectual property rights (wto.org, 2011). Here are some reasons why the WTO isn’t good for the USA. The WTO acts as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary in matters of world trade. The WTO allows countries to sue each other. This has been primarily used by the wealthy countries to push around the smaller, less developed nations. Under the WTO, the monolithic corporations who benefit the most from free trade can easily push around the smallest and least developed nations. Under the globalized system of free trade we are all living under, all wealth is slowly but surely being transferred into the hands of the very wealthy while the rest of us are left standing around trying to figure out how th e game was rigged. The WTO forces the United States to open its doors to unsafe products. Under the WTO, labor has become a global commodity (Globalism Destroys) (5) Identify one discipline and one technology that you think will contribute in a major way to the future development of OM and describe why they will contribute According to the course text, Operations Management (OM) is described as the set of activities that creates value in the form of goods and services by transforming inputs into outputs. (Heizer & Render, 2005) OM is also a discipline that has applications in several industries including services and manufacturing. The discipline and technology I believe that will  contribute in a major way to the future development of OM is Supply-Chain Management and advances in process technologies. Advances in these areas will ease transactions between businesses thereby facilitating sustaining engineering and improvement for Operations and Management. One way is by using Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) as â€Å"wireless systems that allow a device to read information contained in a wireless device or â€Å"tag† from a distance without making a physical contact or requiring a line of sight between the two(GAO,2005). RFID provides a method to transmit and receive data from one point to another.† RFID is an automatic identification method relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. Reference Heizer, J., & Render, B. (2005). Operations Management. In J. Heizer, & B. Render, Operations Management (pp. 212-213). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. wto.org. (2012, Nov 25). Retrieved 25 November 20121, from World Trade Organization: http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/inbrief_e/inbr00_e Globalism Destroys America: 10 Reasons Why The World Trade Organization Is Bad For The United States Economy, Posted By admin On September 7, 2010 @ 3:09 am In Money Watch | Comments Disabled OM ForumThe Best Things in Life Were Free:On the Technology of Transactions,( 2012, Nov 25), Paul Zipkin (paul.zipkin@duke.edu) GAO, 2005, (2012, Nov 25). http://www.gaorfid.com/ Wireless Technology rev 3, (2012 Nov 28). h20331.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/downloads/Wireless_Technology.pdf

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Ethiopian Culture

Ethiopian Culture The people of Ethiopia are very diverse group of people that speak several different languages. Among them are a form of Semitic, Cushitic, or Amharic–which is the official language. English is the most widely spoken foreign language. Ethiopia has many ethnic groups: Oromo, Amhara, Tigreans and 77 other ethnic groups. Many of these groups have their own language as well. The two major religious groups in the country are Christians and Muslims along with traditional African Religions.Ethiopians are very respectful people and will rise out of one’s seat or give up one’s bed for an older friend or family member. Being of modest demeanor and courteous are very important social values in Ethiopia. When meeting new people, Ethiopians often are formal and reserved. Forming relationships takes time and is a process in and of itself. Some issues that need to be addressed are the treatment of women. This is due to women not being treated fairly, and even sometimes poorly. Most women don’t know their rights.The Ethiopian constitution provides for equality , but it is rarely followed because there are no effective mechanisms of enforcement for these protections (Ethiopia Economic Studies, 2000). Also, due to the high number of ethnic groups, many people live in states that are segregated by ethnic group and political affiliation. This may cause issues when people of different cultures work together. Reports show that there is a long history of tension between tribal groups in the region. One such example is between the Nuer and Anuak.Other issues that will factor in while doing business in Ethiopia are: extreme poverty; poor infrastructure, such as transportation; communications and other utility services; restrictions on foreign exchange and poor banking system. Despite this, Ethiopia’s economic growth has surged, averaging 6-7% from 1993-1998 (Ethiopia Economic Studies, 2000). Overall, Ethiopia is a country ripe with o pportunity that can provide a mutual benefit to investors and the local population. Labor is inexpensive nd therefore, our company can afford to hire more people and help our fellow employees out of poverty and still turn a profit. There are many risk involved–considering the ethnic and political tension–but with any potential investment, there are always risks. With knowledge and a great understanding of Ethiopian culture, a good business plan can help smooth out the rough edges of doing business in a foreign country. References: Travel Information. (2009). Ethiopia Country Review, 92-103. Cultural and demographic risks in Ethiopia. (2000). Ethiopia Economic Studies, 84.

China's Importance to the Global economy Research Paper

China's Importance to the Global economy - Research Paper Example China is the world's second largest economy if we see by both nominal GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and PPP (Purchasing Power Parity)(New York Post, 2010). It is even the permanent member of UNSC (United Nation Security Council). China has been title as the global super power by a number of academic (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2010) military analyst (Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: The Air War College, Air University. p. 33.) and public policy and economics analysts. However, its outputs contribute widely to the world; its demands for raw materials are massive that may poke environmental threat. Despite, China benefiting higher economic growth rate its domestic consumption remain low, as a result higher national saving rate and more overseas investments results. China will move on to become the world’s second largest economic nation in the years to come.    Factors Contributing to China’s Current Status China's rapid growth cannot be term as an accide nt. Behind its success lie the application of right policies from the side of the economic theory and even practically. Decision to Join WTO China's growing economy resulted in a very significant role in global economy. Its decision to be a part of WTO has not only supported its country towards success but also contributed to the worldwide economic development. The practical importance of this success is evident. This year China will probably account for whole of net economic growth worldwide. China's GDP growth would be 8.0% or above. Its economy will grow by 7.9% year-on-year probably in the second quarter and would accelerate. Urban investment rise by 34%, retail sales by 15%. China’s success result explicably because of the normal economic factors. China makes use of series of mutually and interconnected reinforcing policies. Price Control Measures China has very strictly enforced price control measures. It has kept the value of its currency (Yuan) at an artificially low level. Division of Labor Firstly, the economy has a high proportion of exports. Every economist after the great Adam Smith has recognized the vitality of division of labor in acceleration the level of productivity, and division of labor in a modern economy is essentially international. An increasing level of imports and exports are the increasing way of participating in such a division of labor. Economies of Scale The application of division of labor also results in economies of scale for China. The investopedia defines economies of scale as â€Å"The rise in  efficiency of production  as the quantity of goods  being produced accelerates.  Typically, a country that achieves economies of scale benefits from lowering of the average cost per unit through the increase in production units this results fixed costs are shared over an accelerated number of goods.† High Level of Investment Second is China's greater level of investment. Latest econometric research reveal conclu sively that, after division of labor, the largest factor in economic growth results from the rate of increase of fixed investment. This covers not only the developing economy such as China but also even the developed economies. Mr., Dale Jorgenson, the world's leading proficient on the productivity growth notes, "Investment in physical assets is the most essential source of economic growth in G7 nations. The contribution of input capital exceeds that of the total factor

Monday, October 7, 2019

Leadership--Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership--Decision Making - Essay Example Their effectiveness is impeded by what a number of scholars see as an avoidance of risk encouraged in the initial period of their profession. Moreover, military leaders usually fail to completely or appropriately recognize the global or diplomatic consequences of their decisions. Military leaders could have influential memories of pleasures, anxieties, failures, or triumphs that they experienced. In most instances, these emotions were beneficial to them. They have their own interests at risk in the decisions they make and the actions they take. If these judgments influence only them, their emotions will aid them in arriving at the appropriate solution. However, when their own interests go against their duties, their decision can be lopsided. Introduction The negative ramifications of taking risks or committing errors alongside lack of awareness about military and political circumstances usually results in wrong decisions. Incorrect decisions can imply strategic failure. Wrong decisio ns by military leaders are not only caused by risk aversion or fear of mistakes, but also by emotional factors. ... This paper will discuss how risk aversion and emotion negatively affect military leaders’ judgment or decision making process. Strategic Decision Making The mission of ambitious strategic military leader at present will be to gain the skill of integrating productively, maybe even combine, the function of strategic diplomatic decision maker with the function of strategic military decision maker (Flowers, 2004). According to Friedman, â€Å"connectivity is productivity†¦ connection enables, disconnection enables† (Granger, 2002, 38); strategic leaders should build settings of regional security by facilitating the formation of democratic mechanisms of the relationship between the military and civilians (Granger, 2002). Hence, as the bound between the military leader and the policymaker becomes more and more intricate, strategic leaders should concentrate on building matching capabilities and an awareness of both their independent and collective duties in the process o f making decisions (Taylor & Rosenbach, 2000) for national security. Risk Evaluation, Assumption, and Aversion Groups of US military leaders are burgeoning without being empowered and with inadequate knowledge of how to evaluate and afterwards be equipped to assume risks for the realization of a military goal (Flowers, 2004). Hence, there is a weakening of the important principle which strengthens every military unit, that is, the audacity to take risks. Risk is defined by FM 100-14 as â€Å"the probability and severity of a potential loss that may result from hazards due to the presence of an enemy, an adversary, or some other hazardous condition† (Granger, 2002, 38). Risk assessment, assumption, and aversion,