Saturday, December 28, 2019

The Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven - 900 Words

Ludwig van Beethoven All throughout music history lived many composers that have impacted not only the societies in which they have lived in, but modern-day society as well. These particular composers have given many societies the chance to listen, feel and express themselves through music and instruments that were invented centuries ago that still remain essential components of music today. One example of a composer that changed the music world drastically was a man by the name of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was born the year of 1770 in Bonn, Germany and lived during the end of the Classical period and the beginning of the Romantic period of Western art as a famous composer and pianist. As a creator of many symphonies, sonatas, and even an opera, Beethoven proved himself to be a musical genius that still is considered one of the most influential musical composers of all time. In his early years, Beethoven was never close to his father being that he was drunk more than he was mak ing music. Ludwig van Beethoven spent the better half of his childhood around his grandfather, Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven, who was also a musician and taught him many things pertaining to music that Beethoven would cherish and apply it to his works for the rest of his life. He spent much of his time being forced to play instruments by his drunk father and attending extra lessons during any free time he may have had. Beethoven’s very first recital was during the year 1778 called, â€Å"LittleShow MoreRelatedThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1600 Words   |  7 PagesLudwig van Beethoven is known for much of his musical accomplishments. One of his most famous is that he is deaf and yet one of the best musical composers of the classical and romanic area. Beethoven has always been one of my personal favorite composers. When I grew up and started taking piano, Beethoven s Fur Elise was my first large classical piece. Ever since that point on I insisted that when we were i n Germany we see his home, and that we did. In this essay I will be explaining Ludwigs YouthRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1408 Words   |  6 PagesLudwig van Beethoven When I was 7 years old, my parents signed me up for music school. I did not want to go to music school, but they wanted me just to try. In first class we were just listening classical music and it really sounded boring. But when Beethoven’s fifth symphony came on, I fell in love with classical music and I wanted to study it even more. My sister was also in musical school and she played piano and when I came back from school, I was begging her to play me some of Beethoven’s piecesRead MoreMusic: Ludwig Van Beethoven1670 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Music is might not be the universal language but it plays an important role in human culture as well as the society. Music is not only provide entertainment but it is also a tool for a composer and listeners to release emotion. The best well-known for his inspiring power and expressiveness music is Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a musical genius whose composed some of the most influential pieces of music ever written. During t he Classical period, Beethoven’s compositions were the expression as oneRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1701 Words   |  7 Pages2014 Music 173 Research Paper Ludwig van Beethoven Music has been around a long time and is a big part of America’s history. There are many styles of music such as, Rap, RB, Jazz, Classical, Oldies and so on. There has been many great composers throughout the years, these people are legends that will stand for ever such as, Beethoven, George Frideric Handel, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The one artist that I’m going to write about in this paper is the one and only Ludwig vanRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1739 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the course of history there has never been a more influential, creative and versatile composer as Ludwig Van Beethoven. If not for his ability to expand the way in which music is created, played and heard, current music would lack the polyphonic sound that is needed in order to create texture and depth. Beethoven is believed to be purely a classical composer. However, to the contrary he can also be considered purely romantic. His compositions consisted of a form that was never heard beforeRead MoreLudwig Van Beethoven : An Impact On Music733 Words   |  3 PagesLudwig Van Beethoven No other composer or musical artist has made as big of an impact on music as Ludwig Van Beethoven. He influenced many other composers, and made some of the most beautiful pieces that are still played today. It is truly amazing that he was able to master his craft and become questionably the greatest composer that has ever lived, despite having a condition that would seem to make composing music impossible. Beethoven, being born so long ago, does not have an exact recordedRead MoreLudwig Van Beethoven And Western Music1262 Words   |  6 Pages Beethoven is perhaps the most famous musician of all time. Ever since his death in 1827, he has been a principal figure in the history of Western Music. His influence later on was so enormous to other composers, that it actually intimidated them. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770, to a family of musicians at the royal court of Cologne. His name descended from his grandfather, who settled in Bonn in 1732. Both his father and grandfather were professional musicians who performed at the courtRead MoreMusic Composer Beethoven. Ludwig Van Beethoven Was One980 Words   |  4 PagesMusic Composer Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the most famous German composers who played a huge role in pioneering the transition of music from the classical era to the Romantic era. His work in concerto, symphony, sonata, and quartet is considered instrumental in expanding both the scope and reach of music. He also came up with a new way of combining vocals and instruments. Beethoven struggled with auditory decline for most of his life, and was nearly deaf toward the end. InterestinglyRead MoreLudwig Van Beethoven, The Man Who Changed Music1003 Words   |  5 PagesBailey Selwitschka’s NEWSLETTER December 4, 2015 Ludwig Van Beethoven, The man who changed music Biography Ever since childhood, Beethoven has loved music. He claims that his father used to teach him, at a young age, every day and night upon returning home. Beethoven reigns from a house of seven children, though sadly, only three boys survived, of whom Beethoven was the eldest. Beethoven’s father was a renowned musician atRead MoreLudwig Van Beethoven And His Influence On Classical Music1402 Words   |  6 PagesLudwig van Beethoven is a revered figure in the history of classical music in today’s world. Born in Bonn, Germany, he underwent strict guidance from his father who aspired to mold him into the next generation â€Å"Mozart.† Sailing through the tides of social, political and cultural revolution, Beethoven became a renowned composer and rose in ranks in the history of classical music. Although succumbed to deafness in his later years, Beethoven had left behind a phenomenon legacy which took the stage

Friday, December 20, 2019

Theory X And Y Theories - 1385 Words

M Indira Ananda 4005168 Individual Assignment Theory X and Y are theories founded by Douglas McGregor, a professor from MIT Sloan School of Management, which are inscribed in his book, â€Å"The Human Side of Enterprise† in 1960. This essay will explain about the theories used in human resources, which according to McGregor are vital in the success of one’s company. Theory X is the theory who assume people to dislike work or just want to work if they received orders from superiors. While the theory Y assumes people love to work and will do the job without waiting for orders from a superior and always wanted to do the best for the manager. Both of these theories describe about motivation of human and role of management behaviour. The theories assemble the factors of production, including human resources for the economic benefit of the firm, organisational communication and organisational development. In this essay we will discuss in detail about theory X and Y, and application to individual and corporate. First is theory X. In theory X, people very lazy to work and just work if they like the job or received commands from their manager and want to earn wage without working to much. The characteristic of theory X can be anti social, does not thank or praise, does not participate, unconcerned about staff welfare, or morale, takes criticism badly and likely to retaliate if from below or peer group. From this result we know that management believes that workers need to beShow MoreRelatedThe Theory X And Theory Y985 Words   |  4 PagesDouglas McGregor, a social psychologist in the 1960’s, developed two theories for workplace employees (Theory X and Theory Y, 1996-2016). Theory X describes employees as unmotivated, irresponsible, they need to be controlled, and they dislike working. Theory Y describes employees as responsible, enthusiastic, motivated, and imaginative. As an employee, not in a Management position, I can say I appreciate a manager who follows the Theory Y descript ion. Since I feel that way as an employee, I will striveRead MoreTheory X, Theory Y1389 Words   |  6 PagesTheory X, Theory Y by Douglas McGregor is a motivation theory. Douglas McGregor is a social psychologist and applied two sets of assumptions to the organizational structure called Theory X and Theory Y. His theory is based on managerial views of human beings. In his book, The Human Side of Enterprise, he outlined a new role for managers. He stated that managers should assist subordinates in reaching their full potential, rather than commanding and controlling. Theory X is negative and Theory Y canRead MoreTheory X and Y1382 Words   |  6 Pagesdouglas mcgregor - theory x y Douglas McGregor s XY Theory, managing an X Theory boss, and William Ouchi s Theory Z Douglas McGregor, an American social psychologist, proposed his famous X-Y theory in his 1960 book The Human Side Of Enterprise . Theory x and theory y are still referred to commonly in the field of management and motivation, and whilst more recent studies have questioned the rigidity of the model, Mcgregor s X-Y Theory remains a valid basic principle from which to develop positiveRead MoreNursing Administration Theory X, Y and Z978 Words   |  4 PagesTHEORY X, Y AND Z IN NURSING ADMINISTRATION According to Mc Gregor, the traditional manager in a bureaucracy operates on a set of assumptions about human nature and human behaviour, which was called as Theory X. Accordingly, his assumptions are the following: (1) the average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it, if he can, when possible; (2) Because of dislike of a work, most people must be coaxed, controlled, directed, threatened with punishment to get throughRead MoreThe Theory X And Theory Y Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pagessatisfaction from performing their duties well. Such employees are innately motivated (Douglas McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y, 2015). Other employees are never proud of their work. They simply work because they believe that they cannot survive without their jobs. Such employees are externally motivated (they require an outside force to compel them to perform their duties) (Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding Team Member Motivation, 2016). These ideas about employee behavi or and much more have beenRead MoreThe Theory X And Theory Y871 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction to the Topic Through reading and studying the textbook and the websites - from the course materials - I have gained greater understanding and appreciation for leadership’s relation to trust, the managerial viewpoints behind Theory X and Theory Y, and the relationship of types of power to leadership within organizational development. The thread will contain three major sections, in which I will define, examine, and analyze the three concepts and evaluate their importance to organizationsRead MoreTheory X and Theory Y2017 Words   |  9 Pages McGregor (1960) described two views on human motivation: Theory X and Y. Theory X, the more conventional one, holds the view that people are in themselves not intrinsically motivated to work and even attempt to avoid it, that people have no ambition, are resistant to change, are not particularly intelligent and that people only work for money and security. Management’s objective is to direct employees efforts, motivating them, controlling them and modifying their behavior to ensure that they behaveRead MoreTheory X and Y901 Words   |  4 Pagesknow that this is sometimes referred to as a theory X approach, and you know that a more participative management approach is called theory Y. However, you have not taken the management course that covers these topics. Using the library and Internet resources, you are to write a 500–750-word research paper that compares theory X to theory Y in terms of management styles. Specifically, you are to include the following requirements: Explain each theory. Create a chart that shows the pros and consRead MoreMcGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y800 Words   |  4 PagesMcGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y Introduction Human beings have been studied systematically and objectively for many years to determine if they are resistant to work or self-governing. In addition, managers who tend to utilize McGregor’s Theory X generally receive poor results from their employees. This report essay will address McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y in contrasts to include how these theories benefit the criminal justice system. The sections that will be discussed are: Theory X, Theory Y,Read MoreEssay on Theory X and Theory Y1295 Words   |  6 PagesTheory X and Theory Y, developed by Douglas McGregor, grew out of opposition towards classical management methods. Classical management theorists, such as Fredrick Taylor, focused on scientific training and efficiency and did not account for personal and behavioral issues, such as management styles or job satisfaction. McGregor saw these deficiencies in the classical school of management which lead him to develop a theory of management that would facto r the importance of the individual worker. If

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Challenges In Marketing Consumer Behaviours- MyAssignment Help!

Questions: 1. The key challenges that companies facing in twenty-first-century to reaching their consumers? 2. The actions that a marketer need to take to ensure that they are attractive to consumers? Answers: Introduction This report contains the details of what challenges companies facing in the twenty-first century and how to solve them and how they can ensure that they are attractive to the consumers. The middle portion of the report describes the price determination of a product for small business and the last part of these report shows how the shops are engaged in a completion to satisfy their customer. According to a category of products a list show how the different shop giving services to their customers and how their decoration and attitudes make shopping a pleasure rather than feeling bothered. 1. The key challenges that companies facing in twenty-first-century to reaching their consumers: In this century companies facing many problems to reaching their consumers, here the key challenges are discussed below- Capital: The main key challenge is capital or the financial strength of the companies. In this century, the main thing that every company needs to reach their consumers is capital or money. Many companies failed to apply their planned strategies to reach their consumers due to lack of money or financial power. Ex: Diary companies facing this problem due to their lack of capital (Blinov, 2015). Lack of knowledge or skills: Due to lack of knowledge or skills, the companies failed to find out the needs of the consumers. To reach the consumers companies should have the knowledge about needs of consumers and the financial status of the market. Ex: Lack of knowledge about the consumers need the Microsoft Company fails to reach consumers in their mobile phone business (Biederman, 2013). Time: Time is equaled to money and this is true. Time is essential for the companies to manage their time intelligently. To plan every event in advance and ensure that everything will be done on time it is very important for achieving the business goal. Ex: In fishing business the companies have facing this problem cause they are dealing with a product which has the durability for few hours. Lack of direction and planning: This problem arises because of not making a detailed business plan. The companies are excited to setting up their own business that they failed to make a proper plan for reaching the consumers. Ex: New small start-up companies facing this problem (Blinov, 2015). Information and Data: To reach the consumers companies need to produce the product or serve the services as per consumers choice or needs. To understand the needs and choices of the consumer, the companies must have the information of the present market need or wants of the consumers and the marketing data of the product company dealing with. Ex: The small companies faced this problem due to the small set up and the lack of the sources which are quite expensive. Out of the above-mentioned problems companies facing many more problems to reach to their consumers like poor marketing plan, poor structure of company, lack of skilled workers etc (Costa, 2001) 2. The actions that a marketer need to take to ensure that they are attractive to consumers. To ensure that company are attractive marketers need do some strategies or need to follow some process like making new business policies, solve the financial problem by making some suitable plan for business or finding a financial source. At first, the marketers need to collect the information about the consumers needs and choices. Then the marketers will be able to reach to consumers by fulfilling their needs and wants. Marketers need to advertise their products so that consumers can know about the products and the good side of it. Then the consumers will buy the product. Without knowing about the product, consumers cannot buy the product (Danes and Mullikin, 2012). Marketers need to improve the packaging of the product and make the cover of the product more attractive by using colorful covers and adding a catchy line. This will attract the consumers and make an exception of the product in the market. Marketers can sell their products with the minimum profit for a period of time in which consumers started to buy the product because of the low price of the product of the same category. Determination of the price of the product of a small business: The small businesses always face a common problem which is a determination of the price of the product. To determine the price of the product the firm firstly need to collect the data of the similar products. Data likes how many similar products are available in the market and how many products are available in the same market where the product will be a sale. The product of same categories costs how much in the market and how many products are available on the market in the same price. How many rival firms are present in the market with the same type of product (Gerson, 2005). For determine the price of product firm need to compare the price of same types of products available in the market. The firm needs to charge a similar price for other similar products available in the same market otherwise consumers will not buy the product due to the higher price of the product (Haley, 2012). In the time of price determination of a product, the firm should consider the class of the targeted consumers. They are a rich or middle class or poor from the financial point. If the targeted consumers are rich then the company can fix a higher price for the product but if the majority of the targeted consumers belong from the middle class or from the poor class then firm have to fix a lower price for the product. At the time of fixing the price of a product a small firm should consider the distance to the market from the production area if both places are in a large distance then the firm need to bear more carriage to send the products to the market and this will increase the cost of the product and if firm needs to bear a less carriage then they can fix a lower price for the product. In the time of setting a price of the product, the firm needs to charge a price including a normal profit. Normal profit helps to increase the sale of the product. By earning a the normal profit a small business can run a long term business(Hill and Power, 2013) To charge a price for the product the firm should consider the purchasing power of the consumers and how much they can purchase. If the purchasing power of the consumers is high then the product will the firm be able to sell more products. Also, if the purchasing power of consumers is high then firm easily set a higher price for the product they want to sell in the market. If the government already fixed a price for the-the type of product firm producing then firm should maintain that pricing level. The firm cannot fix a price above the government mentioned price level otherwise the government will ban the sale of that product. In the time of price determination of a product firm also consider the demand for the product. If the demand for the product is higher than the supply then a firm can fix a higher price for the product (KhaderMoh et.al., 2013) On last Sunday visited the ABC Shopping Centre and visited numbers of cloth shops. There have so many clothes shops like Debenhams, River Island, Marks and Spencer, Lee and many more (Nnamseh, 2015). First I entered in River Island shop and get a nice welcome from a shopkeeper. A big poster of 40% sale on new arrivals attracts my vision first and I started to find new arrivals. A shopkeeper came I asked me what kind of clothes I like and gave me the details about the new arrivals. The shop was well decorated with different colors of lights. From there bought a shirt at 40% discount and get an additional discount for being the 100th number of customer of the day and this added a little smile on my face. After that, I found a shop very colorful and clean named Debenhams. I was amazed at their decoration. One shopkeeper welcomes me and asked about my choices and showed me a catalog. This shop has several types of jeans, jacket, full sleeve shirts, and a new type of trousers. They are of fering a shirt fully free of cost with the purchase of two pants. A shopkeeper helped me to choose the color which suits me more. All shopkeepers were well dressed and their behavior was so gentle. From there I availed their Buy 2 Get One free offer. After that I entered in Marks and Spencer, there everyone was well dressed (Raustiala and Sprigman, 2012). This shop was also very nicely decorated. After entering the shop get a welcome by their shopkeeper. This shop was filled with varieties of clothes in every category. They have a different section for different categories. The shop was very clean and nice music was soothing the environment of the shop (Scarborough, 2014). A shopkeeper showed me the different type of jackets. This store has digital catalog board where you can search for different types of clothes of different brands. They were offering 50% off on clothes of Autograph brand, 45% on Indigo Collection and offering 30% on Best of British. There was an offer of Buy@1 Ge t@1 Free on a collection of Twiggy (Schenck, 2012). That shop giving an additional 5% discount for their card holders. The shopkeeper helped me to collect the dresses which I selected from the digital catalog, their way of talking and body language was very gentle. I bought a dress from that shop and they gifted me a pen with my dress. Which three shops I visited on last Sunday they all were very nice and every shop was well decorated. But among them, I like the shop of Marks and Spencer most for their good decoration on every section. Their shopkeepers were well dressed and so gentle in handling their customers also their digital catalog system helps me to find my choices of clothes from a huge number of collections. Debenhams was well decorated but the shopkeepers were not dressed well but they are very gentle with their customers and helpful too. I liked their additional discount for being their 100th customer for the day. River Island was also well decorated and was very colorful and their shopkeepers were also well dressed and they very nicely handle their customers. A major goal of marketing is to maximize the customer satisfaction and these shops are very good in satisfying their customers. Their good decoration and the gentle behavior of every shopkeeper help to satisfy the customers. Conclusion In the first part of this report, we can see the challenges that companies facing in the twenty-first century and what actions marketers took to ensure they are attractive to the consumers. The second portion of the report shows the price determination factors for a product in a small business.Lastly, the report shows that how the location, decorations of shops, attitudes of shopkeepers are helping them to sell the product and maximize their profit. References Biederman, R. (n.d.). Songwriter's market 2013. Blinov, A. (2015). ECOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS. Business Strategies, (3), p.1. Costa, E. (2001). Global e-commerce strategies for small businesses. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Danes, J., and Lindsey Mullikin, J. (2012). Expected product price as a function of factors of price sensitivity. Journal of Product Brand Management, 21(4), pp.293-300. Gerson, D. (2005). Choosing small, choosing smart. Washington, DC: NALP. Haley, A. (2012). 2012 songwriter's market. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writers Digest Books. Hill, B., and Power, D. (2013). The pocket small business owner's guide to business plans. York, NY: Allworth Press. KhaderMoh.ALmasri, A., M. Alsaraireh, J. and M. K worse, D. (2013). The Effect of Strategic Business Objectives Alignment with Information Management on Enhancing Small Organization Performance. International Journal of Computer Applications, 72(3), pp.24-29. Nnamseh, M. and Akpan, S. (2015). Revitalising Small Business Growth Strategies: Exploring the Risk-Benefit of Strategic Management Approaches. IBR, 8(7). Raustiala, K. and Sprigman, C. (2012). The knockoff economy. Oxford [U.K.]: Oxford University Press. Scarborough, N. (2014). Essentials of entrepreneurship and small business management. Boston: Pearson. Schenck, B. (2012). Small business marketing kit for dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Literature Review The Work Environment

Question: Discuss about theLiterature Reviewfor the Work Environment. Answer: Introduction In new trend is taking shape in the business world as innovation spaces are already changing the landscape. In the last ten years, the world has experienced a considerable growth in co-working spaces, innovation centres, incubators, research institutes, and start up spaces (Wagner Watch 2017). However, people have missed the innovation spaces that are manifested in physical aspects because of the broader cultural, economic, and demographic forces. The ambition to remain the market leader has pushed many leading corporations to adopt a creative experimentation in designing their working environment. Companies are measuring whether designing their workspaces is helping or hurting their performance. Based on the published work of Weber, Magnolfi, and Lindsay (2016), workspaces could be offering a new competitive edge to the businesses. Every company is in a hurry to redesign its workspaces such as Telenor, Google, and Samsung are among the companies that have redesigned their working e nvironment to create the best working atmosphere that can maximize productivity. This mini-literature review confirms the level of attraction that this topic has received from architecture and other companies worldwide. Brief Summary In this article, Weber et al. (2016) have acknowledged the significance of the new workspaces that encourages collaboration by increasing personal interaction through innovation. These scholars have identified the major companies that are leading the park in redesigning their workspaces in hope of improving employee performance. According to these scholars, the companies would never achieve their goals by compelling works to sit behind the monitors. The new designs enhance collaboration and innovation. However, the core question is whether the executives can prove that the new designs work. For example, Google is establishing a new campus to maximize performance, Facebook building a single mile-long room for is employees, while Samsung is introducing new workspaces just to motivate employees. Despite all these efforts, nobody is sure of the effectiveness of these initiatives. The new deigns embraced by some companies like Facebook is a threat to employees privacy, the power of proxim ity, and the significance of virtual working environment. It has thus raised the issues of Density, proximity, and social nature relating to the working environment. Working Environment The Digital Offices The world is becoming digital and companies are already taking the initiative to adapt to these changes. Reeve (2016) has identified that the new dispensation has compelled companies to compete on the perspective of innovation and creativity. Since employees are the most important internal clients of an organization, it is important to consider their needs and expectations. For example, allowing them to work from home or outside the offices would justify their ability to work independently. Ferrazzi (2014) maintains that virtual teams have ensured the workers operate in a flexible working environment. The employees can use the opportunity to manage their lives and work flexibly. However, getting virtual teams has proved a nightmare in the society because most people value face-to-face interaction as important. Nonetheless, the new technology promotes collaboration as dispersed teams have outperformed that those working in offices. According to Fayard and Weeks (2011), the use of virt ual teams has improved organizations performance and employee productivity by about 43 percent. The main problem revolves around creating a virtual team because the managers must consider various factors. However, research has indicted that experience can help managers to navigate collaborative environment and overcome challenges by putting together the right team, technology, touch points and leadership (Botsman Rogers 2011). It involves following the simple high-return rules that maximize productivity. Reeve (2016) believes that virtual teams are perfect and would always meet deadlines. Virtual Proximity The virtual environment ensures the employees are physically separated. It bars the employees from enjoying the nonworking activities such as accessing the restrooms because it separates them. Research has indicated that the virtual working environment in the new workspaces can thrive in an environment that promotes awareness, voluntary engagement, and the rules or occasions for engagement. Fayard and Weeks (2011) held that physical workspaces have incessantly stimulated interactions thus promoting awareness among them. It also creates a sense of teamwork. To this effect, Reeve (2016) believes that a virtual environment should also convey or embrace similar situation where workers experience a sense of interaction and awareness. This involves the use of various software applications such as instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and Skype. The modern managers have never underestimated the significance of these factors and have allowed employees to use smartphones and desktops or other mobile devices to complete their tasks. Some team leaders have requested their members to customize Skype mood messaging or IM status thus discourage informal interactions. Promoting knowledge management system is essential because it reduces time wastage. In fact, it provides the environment where discussion forums and virtual teams can operate. Conversely, the new technology has created a chicken-and-egg problem because promoting an online social environment is impossible without a core group (Cappelli Keller 2013). It has created a sense of proximity that has further proved for many virtual team members. For instance, in educational programs, lecturers have used various technologies such as interactive whiteboards and video links to reach out to their students. Nonetheless, the managers must ensure they protect virtual privacy (Lange 2011). For instance, when employees understand that their bosses are monitoring them through electronic exchanges, they would be reluctant to engage in the virtual conversation. Coworking The knowledge economy has provided opportunity for workers to interpret data online. The new workspaces have given a cold bath to the physical spaces by promoting online networking among the employees (Reed 2007). Without a doubt, a collaborative production is always the best approach to maximize the opportunities available in the environment. Therefore, embracing a network-based processes prove significant to sustainable production as explained by Moriset (2014). The social media has promoted corporation and networking among the workers. In fact, the companies can organize audio conferencing to manage the workers beyond the proximity (Musterd Murie 2011). This new development is evident in freelancing where workers complete tasks online and adhere to the laid down rules of the game (Florida 2002). Therefore, creativity and collaboration have ensured the employees maximize their performance thus triggering economic growth as determined by Pratt (2008). Grugulis and Stoyanova (2012) highlighted the significance of the technology in the promoting urban economies. Productivity The new workspace design is increasing the performance of employees. According to Giang (2014), workers must avoid sitting pretty in offices to maximize their performance. Waber, Magnolfi, and Lindsay (2014) have affirmed that the new path that involves unique workspaces, designing agile environment provide solutions to the problems they experience. The new design promotes creativity, collaboration, and productivity. The modern office must maximize the impact of technology and sustainability. To Giang (2014), the infrastructural solution maximizes human performance, potential, and productivity. But what could productivity mean for the organization? The productivity of employees is beyond sitting at the desk but focuses on solving problems and creating ideas collaboratively. The businesses should also design spaces that nobody has to sit in a designed spot. In fact, the social hub has connected co-workers thus promoting working environments. According to Giang (2014), an agile design ensures the employee feel comfortable and can balance work and life. An agile working environment also increases the movement of employees based on choice and the assignment. This implies that people or workers have the choice, power and more control. However, the issues emerging from such an agile working environment agreement as the worker should work on strategies to control destructions (Giang 2014). Studies have also shown that sitting for so long is harmful to ones health. To this effect, an individual should be concerned about the employees health as explained by Johns and Gratton (2013). Therefore, the solution would be based on adjusting the desk that has been proved to be healthier thus make people feel alert (Guang 2014). Conclusion The increasing customer base and global workforce has made the employees to consider working beyond their office spaces. This has made the working environment complex thus increasing the aspects of collaboration and teamwork. The new workspace designs seem to promote productivity and performance. In this era of innovation, the physical offices are becoming scarce and companies have to respond. In fact, the physical office spaces increase the operating costs that many companies are turning to virtual working environment to maximize their performance. With the technology and internet, managers are opting for digital working spaces to remain relevant and minimize costs. The large conglomerates are taking the leads, but managing virtual teams proves difficult. Bibliography Botsman, R. Rogers, R. 2011, Whats mine is yours: how collaborative consumption is changing the way we live. Collins, New York. Cappelli, P. Keller, J.R. 2013, Classifying work in the new economy, The Academy of Management Review, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 1-22. Fayard, A-L. Weeks, J. (2011) Who moved my cube, Harvard Business Review, July/August. (Available at https://hbr.org/2011/07/who-moved-my-cube) Ferrazzi, K. (2014) Getting virtual teams right, Harvard Business Review, Dec. (available at https://hbr.org/2014/12/getting-virtual-teams-right) Florida, R. (2002) The rise of the creative class. Basic Books, New York. Giang, V. (2014), Workspace design trends to increase your productivity, FastCompany, Sep 7, (available at https://www.fastcompany.com/3032792/6-workspace-designs-trends-to-increase-your-productivity) Grugulis, I. Stoyanova, D. 2012 Social capital and networks in film and TV: Jobs for the boys? Organization Studies, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 1311-1331. Johns, T. Gratton, L. 2013, The third wave of virtual work, Harvard Business Review, Jan/Feb: 1-9. Lange, B. 2011, Rescaling governance in Berlins creative economy, Culture Unbound, vol. 3, pp. 187-208. Moriset, B. 2014, Building new places of the creative economy. The rise of coworking spaces, Proceedings of the 2nd Geography of Innovation, International Conference 2014, Utrecht University, Utrecht (The Netherlands). Musterd, S. Murie, A. (Eds.). 2011, Making competitive cities. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. Pratt, A. 2008, Creative cities: the cultural industries and the creative class, Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, vol. 90, no. 2, pp. 107-117. Reed, B. 2007, Co-working: the ultimate in teleworking flexibility, Network World. (Available at https://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/102307-coworking.html) Reeves, G. 2016, Comparative analysis between digital offices and traditional office spaces, Propel, Dec 6. (https://propelbusinessworks.com/guest-blogs/comparative-analysis-digital-offices-traditional-office-spaces/). Spinuzzi, C. 2012, Working alone together: coworking as emergent collaborative activity, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 399-441. Waber, B., Magnolfi, J., Lindsay, G. 2016, Workspaces that move people. In W. Lazonick, The definitive management ideas of the year from Harvard Business Review (pp.139-151). Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, Mass. Waber, B., Magnolfi, J., Lindsay, G. 2014, Workspaces that move people, Harvard Business Review, vol. 92, no. 10, pp. 68-77. Wagner, J. Watch, D. (2017) Innovation spaces: the new design of work, April. (available at https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cs_20170404_innovation_spaces_pdf.pdf)

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Comparison of Strategic Planning and Strategic Management

Strategic planning refers to the process of analyzing a business environment in order to develop strategies that facilitate attainment of goals and objectives. It includes creation of an organization’s mission, vision, and goals and objectives. It also involves strengthening operations and setting priorities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Strategic Planning and Strategic Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, strategic management refers to the process through which an organization utilizes available resources in order to achieve goals and objectives. It includes specific strategies and activities that are used to attain goals. A critical aspect of strategic management is the determination of how an organization intends to achieve its goals. For example, developing clearly defined ways of achieving specific objectives is an aspect of strategic management. Both tools a re used together, and are important for the growth of an organization. Strategic planning and strategic management are similar in many ways. First, they aim to improve the future welfare of an organization. Strategic planning defines an organization’s goals and strategic management implements strategies in order to attain the goals. Second, they are managerial tools that are used to create successful organizations. Managers use them to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Third, they are used to increase organizational output and performance. One tool cannot attain its goals without the input of the other. Therefore, they play complementary roles that serve a common purpose. Fourth, they are used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an organization and thus help to position it in the market. For that reason, managers use both tools to strengthen the market presence of their organizations by creating sustainable competitive advantage. Successful companies use st rategic planning and strategic management to propel their organizations to success. It is important to understand how they are applied to fulfill different organizational needs. Differences between the two management tools originate from their roles, scope, and effectiveness. Strategic planning involves setting goals and objectives that an organization intends to achieve. In contrast, strategic management involves implementation of processes that help to attain goals and objectives. Strategic management has a wide scope. It incorporates both formulation and implementation of strategies.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, it includes evaluation of strategies in order to determine whether they are effective or ineffective. On the contrary, the scope of strategic planning is narrow. It only involves formulation of strategies and development of goals and objectives. Th e effectiveness of the two management tools differs. Strategic planning is most successful when the stability of an organization’s internal and external environment is certain, and its future predictable. In contrast, strategic management is most successful when the future of an organization is unpredictable. It is effective in situations that require managers to respond to unpredictable future occurrences. In conclusion, strategic planning and strategic management are tools used by managers and leaders to attain organizational success. They are similar because they aim to improve performance and output, prepare organizations for the future, and discover their strengths and weaknesses for better market placement. They are different because their scope, effectiveness, and methods vary. Strategic planning involves setting goals and objectives, and is most successful when an organization’s stability is certain. In contrast, strategic management involves implementation and evaluation of processes that facilitate attainment organizational goals. It is most effective when the future of an organization is unpredictable. The two management tools are used together because they have a common goal even though they play different roles and apply different methods. This essay on Comparison of Strategic Planning and Strategic Management was written and submitted by user Colleen Wing to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Summary One Essays

Summary One Essays Summary One Essay Summary One Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Summary One The article â€Å"Elements of Strategic Planning and Management in Municipal Government: Status after Two Decades† explores the application of planning and management procedures in municipal governing entities that have populations of over 25,000. A survey was carried out to determine the relevance of strategic planning in municipalities. Strategic planning and management in municipal governments is crucial since it creates efficiency in these systems. Government policy requires municipal governments to employ the use of strategic planning and management approach to maximize efficiency. However, research shows that the application of strategic planning is not always easy to achieve. The article’s point of discovery begins from the determination of what strategic planning is its purpose in municipalities, and its use among other factors. Strategic planning is used to uphold a desirable balance between an organization and the environment within which it operates over a long period. Strategic planning works only when planned action is effectively linked to implementation. A survey given to municipal managers revealed that out of 512 managers only 44 percent employed strategic planning. However, the 44 percent reported that not all strategic plans were implemented. Strategic plan is effective when relevant stakeholders are involved with 60 percent of the local governments that responded affirming that citizens, politicians and other stakeholders were involved in strategic planning processes. Another important factor in strategic planning is the elements used on creating a strategic plan. The respondents of the survey indicated that the most frequently used elements of strategic planning were development of goals and objectives, vision for the future, which was followed by a review of organizational mission goals and finally developing action plans. Implementation of strategic planning requires applying strategic management practices that are divided into four levels. These levels tie into how planning allocates resources, how the municipalities manage their performance and the processes involved in measuring their performance. The results of the survey indicated that strategic planning had helped municipal governments to operate their cities more effectively therefore achieving beneficial result for the municipalities. Summary Two The article â€Å"Effects of Economic Development Strategies in Local Municipalities† by Robbie Waters through survey explore the effects of economic development planning in municipalities that employ them. It has been suggested that economic development planning can be the solution to all the problems facing a community. Literature in economics reveals that effective economic development planning is believed to reduce unemployment rates. In this regard, job creation for the community drives cities to practice economic development strategies and policies. To determine the effectiveness of economic development plans, the article compares the status of cities that employ economic polices to those that do not. This is done by comparing unemployment rates over a five-year period. A survey conducted by International City/Council Management in 1999 and 2004 on chief administration officer in US cities with over 10000 and counties with a population of over 50000 reveal that localities that have written down economic development plans, on an average achieve a reduction in employment rate by 0.76 percentage points. It was also determined that areas with written business strategies had experienced a higher level of unemployment than areas without this form of planning by a 1.16 percentage points. Depending on the model used, the statistical significance is dramatically changed affecting the unemployment rates in the cities. The main aim of economic development planning remains to be growing economically sustainable communities that will create employment opportunities. However, the results acquired from the survey suggest that economic development plans need to be revised to suit the needs of the community. Therefore, the results raise questions as to the relevance of economic development planning in local governments. The results achieved in the survey also suggest that local governments do not employ strategic applications in implementing their economic plans. The evidence also brings into question the commitment of municipal authorities in implementing their plans for the cities they run. In view of the questions raised, future research should aim disambiguating the results and include more parameters that will make to enrich the research and settle the questions that have arisen in research. Summary Three Competing and Cooperating across State Borders in Economic Development: A Call for ‘‘Coopertition’’ by Jon Lombard and John Morris discuss the importance of cooperation of local and state government in economic development. Successful economic development is expected to provide tangible benefits for members of the community within a state or locality. This is seen by the ability for these entities to attract business. Competition however has moved from regional competition to national and international proportions. The essay proposes that competition and cooperation are not opposing forces but rather necessary ingredients to economic success. Considering the relevance of the two, the term coopertition is formed to describe the dual nature of government incentives in aiding economic development. Competition in the past among states for economic developments has been seen to create winners and losers. However, governments have come to the realization that the competition is beneficial to all involved when resources are pulled. Therefore, economic development necessitates a competitive element. Coopertition is an essential part of economic development that seeks to make use of the advantages inherent by cooperating with other governments. It is important to note that coopertition results in the creation of a new economic unit that is not only bigger and better, but also offers its participants a resource base that is unmatched by smaller entities that are competing. The Federal system in America creates a distinction in the political realm with well-defined borders. The hierarchical political structures in the government create levels of competing entities within this structure. From the national level, we derive the states vertically. However, competition exists in the horizontal layer where we have the states competing for economic development. This is the stage at which coopertition for economic development is at its best. The use of cooperation in developing economies has served the well in the United States. Local governments work together in an aim to maximize on benefits imagined in economic development. To achieve the necessity of coopertition, states may make informal agreements or understandings or even interstate compacts. Interstate compacts, however, are not popular because of the formality that goes with creating such an arrangement. Therefore, this is not the right approach to coopertition. In conclusion, the nature of economic development provides rich ground for study. It is evident that the individual forces in competition do not have as many benefits as coopertition does. Individualism undermines economic development. In this sense, it is necessary to explore the benefits of coopertition in enhancing cross-border economic success.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Thesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thesis - Essay Example est footballers of all time is currently the president of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).1Further, football has become a big business game, and all of the English Premier League clubs are currently listed on the London Stock Exchange. By purchasing popular players from different parts of the world, especially Asia, and by holding their training camps in different parts of the world, i.e., effectively touring, clubs are using strategic marketing, thereby creating a significant source of income. This is due to the large population and the rapid development in economic terms of countries to which they are marketing (Ashton-Jones et al., 2008:a). For example, the first appearance of Chinese Lie Tie and Sun Jihai in the English Premier League was broadcast in more than 700 million Chinese homes (Desbordes, 2006, p. 7). On the other hand, leisure activities have been proven to be â€Å"a normal good;† i.e., the demand for leisure increases with increasing income. Research has also shown that the residents of the wealthiest countries spend more time engaging in leisure activities, such as football (Houston and Wilson, 2002).2 Contemporary indication shows that economic prosperity may lead to sporting success than the other way around. Recent evidence indicates that after 1996 since the Bosman ruling, the success in football is dominated by the England ´s richest four teams (i.e. Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea) called â€Å"the big four†. The dominance of these teams since 1996 has led to think that economic prosperity may lead to sporting success in football. Thus, whether economic prosperity leads to sporting success in the case of football or vice versa is unclear and needs to be proved empirically. This is needed to find out the contributing factors for the widening splits between richer and poorer football clubs. This can be considered as a type of inequality between haves and have-nots in football market. This inequality is now

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Social Impact of Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Impact of Technology - Essay Example and deforestation as a result of this insatiable need for paper (which resulted in environmental degradation) were sky high not to mention the untidiness associated with littered paper all over. With the age of computers however, people could now store a lot of information on tiny microchips that would have otherwise taken up truck-loads of papers in the ancient world. Computers have in this way single handedly saved our environments (Hintz & Hintz, 1983). World economies have also flourished because of these machines. Because of computers, there is now faster communication, better service delivery and exchange of currency through a plethora of network services and e-mails. Lucrative business engagements can now be initiated via Skype, for instance, or simply by sending mail at the click of a button. In addition, operational costs have been significantly reduced and businesses spend much less on communication unlike the old days when messengers had to be expensively hired and paid (Knowles, 1976). Education has been made much easier too. Almost all information and books are now found in the internet unlike in the past where learners had to contend with the mental drawbacks or visiting distant and paying for library fees and tuition to acquire basic information. One can now access almost all information from the comfort of their homes and send and receive feedback on various issues from other students without much hassle. Computers have in addition, improved the quality of education now offered in the modern school. Teachers are now free to focus on student development unlike in the past when one, for example, had to rush through a lecture in order to go and manually calculate scores for end-session evaluations and so on (Hintz & Hintz, 1983). Perhaps one of the grey areas concerning this fantastic innovation concerns its influence on relationships and morals where it can present both positive and wildly negative impacts. In as much as computers have allowed

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Distinctions between male and female serial killers Assignment

Distinctions between male and female serial killers - Assignment Example To date, there is scanty data on the female serial killers and how the differ from male serial killers (Wolfgang, 2007). By definition, a serial killer is anyone who has killed at least three people over time in separate incidents and in a civilian context. This means, the killing done by terrorists or military personnel in their duty does not constitute serial killer but rather that health care worker or parent who kills their victims. At first, it is hard to draw a line between the male and female serial killer but a closer look shows some difference between these two groups. In contrast to female pattern serial killer, the profiles of the male who kill have been studied extensively. Some of the early researchers such as Guttmacher & Wolfgang (1960) concluded that most serial killers were typically black who mostly killed in response to some argument or physical confrontation. The most male serial killer has tended to kill outside their homes perhaps in a bar or the streets and used knives and guns to overcome their victims. The victim of the women, seem a little different. Unlike male serial killer, most of the women serial killer victims are family members, friends or acquaintances. Male serial killers have tended to inflict damages in addition to causing death to their victims and engage in some form of torture before they kill their victim. They have shown some tendency to use hands-on skills when killing their victims using blunt objects, knives, and hands as part of the processing of killing the victim and power domination as part of the motivation behind killing. This is very unlike female serial killers. The female serial killers never use force or power to overcome their victims. Mostly, the known female serial killers have been known to murder their victim using poisons such paralyze their victims (Keeney & Heide, 2004). Male serial killers have also been identified to use stalking behaviors whereby the trail their victims keenly observing

Friday, November 15, 2019

Comparing Theories Of Veblen And Bourdieu Sociology Essay

Comparing Theories Of Veblen And Bourdieu Sociology Essay In Turkey or in the world, we generally come across with the news about shopping line in front of the stores to buy the brand new model of a kind of good. Mostly, report people go to these lines and make interview with the persons waiting on line. For example, again in such a line for the opening day to be first to buy iPhone, a man was interviewed. He was in line to buy the new iPhone. He looked like he was in his 60s and had had a few facelifts. When he was asked, he said this was his second day of waiting in line: The day before he had waited 12 hours and finally got a phone for his daughter. He had returned and spent nine hours to get a phone for him. He said he had the 3G, and wanted to upgrade to a 4G. In society, one establishes a status, not only by what one does or says, but also by purchasing and being seen to possess certain types of car, house, or clothes, or by being seen to live in a certain neighborhood or suburb, shopping in certain stores, going to certain theaters, decorating ones apartment in a certain way, taking certain vacations etc.   All of these are social symbols to which society has attached certain connotations of a superior, different, or normal  status. Conspicuous consumption makes individuals desire to compete to buy the symbolic advantages. Thus, I want to compare Veblens conspicuous consumption concept with Bourdieus cultural capital, habitus and taste concepts. First, I will try to examine Veblens theory of leisure class. Then I will try to examine Bourdieus theory of capitals, taste and habitus. Finally, I compare both thinkers to understand the role of consumption in stratification in society. Veblens Theory of Leisure Class and Conspicuous Consumption: In The Theory of the Leisure Class  (1899), Thorsten Veblen thought up the phrase conspicuous consumption to designate the act of purchasing and using certain goods and services, not in order to survive, but rather to identify oneself to others as having superior wealth and social standing.   These possessions and services are extras that are to some extent wasteful as showed in the example above. They symbolize ones ability to waste whatever one wants. Veblen starts his examination by first demonstrating the pre-historical progression from savage to barbarian culture, and then claiming that the latter stages after barbarian culture to modern cultures characteristics were still seen in the modern capitalist society. Veblens Account of the Development of Society: Peaceable Æ’Â  Predatory Æ’Â  Quasi-Peaceable Industry Æ’Â  Modern Savages Æ’Â   BarbariansÆ’Â   Moderns Changes in society are generated by changes in the material facts of life. The change from peaceable society to predatory society requires enough accumulated stuff to be worth fighting for (tools, weapons, etc). Barbarian civilizations are different from the earlier stages of savage society. With their tendencies to martial and aggressiveness, it results in the appearance of a dominant leisure class. Thus, a new order occurs and that is made possible a new class which can produce beyond the minimum subsistence level. When this happens, a group of people redistribute the outcomes of other group of peoples productive labor in their own sake. Thus, this new class has the ownership of private property. According to Veblen, this creates envy that middle and lower classes desire to the same un-industrious lives. That allows the leisure class to form. Thus the accumulation of possessions is priority number one for the leisure class. The emergence of leisure class coincides with ownership. The motivation behind ownership is emulation. In The Theory of the Leisure Class, he wrote: The motive is emulation-the stimulus of an invidious comparison especially in any community in which class distinctions are quite vague, all canons and reputability and decency and all standards of consumption are traced back by insensible gradations to the usages and thoughts of the highest social and pecuniary class, the wealthy leisure class (p.81). In that sense, it can be claimed that men are led to accumulation of wealth because of pecuniary emulation. Veblen claims that the pecuniary struggle is the driving force behind the development of culture and society. The struggle for wealth (private property) is due to pecuniary emulation. It can be said that it is not a struggle for subsistence. If it were a struggle for subsistence, there would come a definite point after which the reason to gather goods would stop. But there is no such point. Veblen held that consumption is motivated by a desire for social standing as well as for the enjoyment of the goods and services per se: The proximate ground for expenditure in excess of what is required for physical comfort is a desire to live up to the conventional standard of decency (p.81) People compare consumption but not leisure, and that they refer upwards, choosing their work and spending activities in order to be more like a higher income group. He indicates that a major source of this conduct is due to the pressures of invidious comparison, a process of valuation of persons in respect of worth. Veblen defines as a comparison of persons with a view to rating and grading them in respect of relative worth or value (1899: 34). Under modern conditions consumption is a more visible form of display. Individuals should find the ways to show off their wealth in order for invidious comparisons. Veblen pointed out two main ways to do this, conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption. He argues that wasteful conspicuous leisure and consumption were most effective ways of displaying wealth. As a result, strategies of conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption affected the class structure, and soon penetrated among non-leisure classes, leading to lower class people t o engage in conspicuous leisure and consumption. The exigencies of the modern industrial system frequently place individuals and households in juxtaposition between whom there is little contact in any other sense than juxtaposition. Ones neighbors, mechanically speaking, often are socially not ones neighbors, or even acquaintances; and still their transient good opinion has a high degree of utility. The only practicable means of impressing ones pecuniary ability on these unsympathetic observers of ones everyday life is an unremitting demonstration of the ability to pay. (p.71) Conspicuous consumption emphasis pecuniary emulation even more so than leisure, because the working classes engage in wasteful expenditures in an attempt to appear wealthy, even when their employments are not of the leisurely point of view. Overgenerous dress, gluttonous banquets, grand mansions, and iPhones, etc are all examples of conspicuous consumption. Any item that is without a productive function, or that has a price well above what is indicated by its practical utility alone, constitutes a good that is valued predominantly for the social capital that it brings. Take foie gras as an example. Suppose a group of people likes the taste of beef more than the taste of foie gras. Of course, foie gras is much more expensive than beef. It is not that people eat foie gras despite the fact it provides less utility than beef; rather, foie gras provides more utility, because utility is not based on taste alone. So what is providing the utility? The money was spent by this class with little regard for utility. Veblens theory was that people want to buy things because they want to signal wealth, power and taste to others in other words, signals about social status. People would not want to buy something which gave signals of a lower social status; they always want to aim higher. The idea is that you consume like the upper classes in order to be the upper classes, consciously or not. It can be stretched to apply to almost any example of consumption. I agree with the idea that people buy things as a display to others. I think it is also true that people buy things to identify with a particular idea of class or culture. Another aspect of leisure class is that it loses its contact with labor and its characteristic becomes conspicuous exemption from all useful employment. Leisure connotes non-productive consumption of time. Having the information about the past, antiques, ancient languages and sciences to know, horses, dogs, home decoration, these are all indicative of the industry that you do not do a job. Conspicuous leisure has the greatest vogue as a mark of reputability. The consumption of the more desirable things becomes honorable. Luxuries and the comforts of life belong to leisure class. Industrious class should consume only what may be necessary to their subsistence. The consumption of luxuries is a consumption directed to the comfort of the consumer himself and is a mark of the master. Women should consume only for the benefit of their masters. Master man consumes of the best food, drink, weapons, narcotics, shelter, ornaments. This kind of consumption is an evidence of wealth and it becomes honorific. As wealth accumulates the leisure class develops further in function and structure and there arises a differentiation within the class. This differentiation is furthered by the inheritance of wealth and the consequent inheritance of gentility. Veblens explanation of emulation has the root of ownership; in other words once our immediate material needs are met, we buy items for their conspicuous nature, to emulate those in higher earning strata, status. Veblen conceives of status among humans as a stratification system. Ownership became associated to power and dominance, and originated a new sort of social division: that separating owners from non-owners. Veblen asserts Wealth is now itself intrinsically honorable and confers honor on its possessor (Veblen, 1899: 18). Thus the struggle for survival became a struggle for pecuniary respect. In other words, competition for the accumulation of goods envisaged gaining the esteem of the community and enhancing ones reputation. Veblen established an objective relationship between social structure and class lifestyles, cultural values and ultimately, consumption practices. The acquisition of social repute and honour depended upon primarily by the ability to waste economic resources that had been acquired without effort. Some eighty years later, Pierre Bourdieu ([1979] 1984) a French sociologist also examined the relationship between social structure and economic and cultural dimensions of social life. Bourdieu analyzed consumption practices and taste to show how social position and lifestyles are related. In this account, instead of a dominant class culture, one finds class cultures. P. Bourdieu: Habitus, Field, Capital and Taste: Max Weber (1978) discussed the term social class to grasp the idea that, in addition to the economic conditions discussed by Marx, hierarchical social structure are also established and reproduced through styles of life. In that sense, it can be said that societies separate into different groupings based not only on economic conditions, but also on non economic criteria such as morals, culture, and lifestyle, etc. In that sense, it was  ¬Ã‚ rst analyzed in Veblens (1899) theory about the leisure class and Simmels theory of trickle-down status imitation (Coleman, 1983). In Distinction (Bourdieu, 1984), Bourdieu describes how these various capitals operate in the social  ¬Ã‚ elds of consumption. In Distinction, (Bourdieu, 1984) consumption practices and taste engender and maintain social relationships of dominance and submission (Campbell, 2005). Bourdieus views on taste and preferences are more complex than those of Veblens (Guimaras et all, 2010: 8). Despite bearing some similarities with Veblen (1899), Bourdieu built a broader and more complex theory secured with three primary concepts: habitus, capital, and field. The concept that Bourdieu proposed in order to connect his depiction of systemic structuration and his accounts of individual action is habitus (King, 2000). Thus, the habitus may be defined as the mental or cognitive structures through which people deal with the social world; a system of dispositions. The dispositions, produced by the habitus, are passed on through the generations, inculcated from an early age and socially reinforced through education and culture. Habitus refers, in Bourdieus own words, an acquired system of generative schemes objectively adjusted to the particular conditions in which it is constituted. In other words, habitus is thinking and acting in an innate way; is not a set of rules one consciously learns. Therefore, Bourdieu claims that habitus helps to transmit distinct culture of a class and reproduce that culture. It constitutes a component of a field of objective relations, which is independent of the individuals consciousness and will. The objectivity of fields is provided by the distribution of different species of power, which Bourdieu characterizes as economic, cultural, and social capital. Each field corresponds a tacit struggle over these resources. Fields determine relational positions which impose present and future situations on their more or less powerful occupants. A given population may occupy positions in multiple fields. Multiple fields may impose more or less consolidated relations of domination and subordination. (The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology, 2006). It reflects divisions in the class structure, age groups, genders and social classes. A habitus is required a long term occupation of a position within the social world. People who occupy the same position within the social world tend to have similar habitus. Habitus is both produced by the social life and also produces it. It is a structured structure; it involves both the internalization of external structures, and also the externalization of things internal to individual. It is because regularities are inherent in an arbitrary condition; tend to appear as necessary and natural. Bourdieu (1984: 170) states: The habitus is both the generative principle of objectively classifiable judgments and the system of classification (principium divisionis) of these practices. It is in the relationship between the two capacities which define the habitus, the capacity to produce classifiable practices and works, and the capacity to differentiate and appreciate these practices and products (taste), that the represented social world, i.e. the space of life styles, is constituted. Habitus is the way society becomes deposited in persons in the form of lasting dispositions, or trained capacities and structured propensities to think, feel and act in determinant ways, which then guide them (Wacquant, 2005: 316, cited in Navarro 2006: 16). In this sense, life styles are defined as the products of habitus and, perceived in their mutual relations to the systems of the habitus, they become sign systems which are socially considered such as distinguished, vulgar and alike (Bourdieu, 1984: 172). Habitus is not a direct reflection of the conditions of existence of a class, but a sensibility acquired through a life-time and an upbringing in those conditions and the possibilities they include or exclude. Different from Veblen, Bourdieu claims that people acquired a culture of habitus based on both economic and cultural capital instead of Veblens concept of emulation. Thus, whether a person actually has money, skills, education or family, in practice turns out to be secondary to the habitus they have acquired, which may be at odds with the life-style and attitudes, the way of using the body, command of language, friends and contacts, preferences in art and aspirations, etc., which are normally associated with those conditions. Action, in Bourdieus perspective, is a product of class dispositions intersecting with the dynamics and structures of particular fields (Swartz, 1997: 141). To have economic capital is not enough as it does in Veblen, in Bourdieus theory, you should also have the cultural capital for it. Bourdieu attempted to explain the relationship between peoples practices and the context that is institutions, values and rules, in which these practices occur. This attempt led him to the idea of the field, which is a series of contexts which constitute an objective hierarchy and which produce and authorize certain discourses and activities (Webb, 2002: 21-22). Bourdieu classifies two aspects of a field: first of all that people in a specific field have its specific dispositions imposed upon them; and secondly fields can be characterized as area of struggle through which agents and institutions seek to preserve or overturn the existing distribution of capital (Wacquant, 2008: 268). Through capital Bourdieu understands both the material things and the symbolic and culturally significant attributes such as prestige, honour and status, in other words anything that is considered by an agent valuable enough to attempt to obtain it. Bourdieus field theory describes the field as a domain where specific activities are produced. This is to say that each field entails a specific game and specific interests, which are not reducible to the interests and to the game of other fields. Thus, to enter a field is to accept the rules of the game and to share the fields main goals. The notion of field is even more powerful when equated with capitals and habitus. In other words, the habitus is strongly related to ones position in the social structure. Across different studies, Pierre Bourdieu has synthesized Weberian, Marxist, Durkheimian to argue for a theory of social status, and that for which is competition for various types of capital within social  ¬Ã‚ elds. With Weber, Bourdieu based his theory on the idea that culture is a field like the economic world, in which some actors compete to get various types of resources or capital. While in the economic level actors fight over economic capital, in cultural level they contend to apt cultural capital goods and practices that are socially defined as distinctive and hence let individuals an impression of superiority. But Bourdieu points out that the cultural struggle for distinction is connected to the economic distribution of material goods, which it both legitimates and reproduces. An individuals material conditions of subsistence, determined by her economic capital, establish a habitus o r set of dispositions, which in turn produces cultural tastes. Gartman (2002) claims that the right tastes make possible the accumulation of cultural capital, which makes the individual look distinctive and hence justifies the economic capital that determined her cultural tastes to begin with. Consequently, culture is closely related with the economy that Bourdieu considers society as a social field that is the intersection of the economic and cultural fields. The positions in the social field are classes, each defined by its relative balance of economic and cultural capital and its overall volume of the two kinds of capital combined (Bourdieu, 1984: 169-75). Taste is a component of the habitus, thus, given the relationship between tastes and social structure. Bourdieu examines the taste and life-style in relation to social classes and class fractions and he analyses the economic and social determinants of tastes (1984: 101). In this sense, taste is a marker of social class or of class position, because tastes place individuals in relation to other tastes which express social divisions. Such divisions also express social distinction and reflect the struggle for social distinction. Moreover, Taste is an acquired disposition to differentiate and appreciate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to establish and mark differences by a process of distinctionBourdieu (1984: 466). Taste is therefore a way of ensuring social recognition and status. Different from emulation, taste is, nonetheless, also linked to necessity. The existence of an upper class culture and upper class taste does not supersede lower class values and tastes. Instead, he argued that while material need is dominant to the definition of higher-class taste, lower-class taste is born because of necessity. This is to say that lower class taste has restrictions caused by material deprivation. Such restrictions have limited access to cultural objects and practices that are highly valued and constitute the very realm of upper-class taste. As such, Bourdieu stresses that taste is the practical affirmation of difference; it is materialized class culture that unites all those who are the product of similar conditions. What is more, Bourdieu observed that the rich justified and naturalized their economic advantage over others not only by pointing to their bank accounts, but by being the arbiters of taste.   Bourdieu shows us that taste is not stable and peaceful, b ut a means of strategy and competition. Discuss: Comparing Veblen and Bourdieu: When we examine the concept of conspicuous consumption, Veblen stresses the function of it as the status symbols in order to show off ones social standing in the society. He focused on upper and unproductive classes which are not directly involved in economic production activities. Thus, Veblen talked about valued practices of upper classes and emulation by the other classes. To spend lots of money on wasteful products is the result of the conspicuous consumption as being a member of the leisure class. On the other hand, Bourdieu discussed about not only conspicuous consumption but also all kind of consumption. As it is discussed above, according to him, both economic and cultural capitals reinforce the class positions. In that sense, tastes and practices are determined by the position of somebody in social structure. Tastes are related to ones habitus which is related with ones social class. Another issue related to both thinkers is the trickle down and trickle up effect. Trickle down effect is, in its simplest way, emulation of upper class culture or taste by lower class. For example, many lower class people in Turkey have the brand new model of cellular phones although their monthly salary does not afford this kind of consumption. On the other hand, tickle up effect means that there can also be impression from bottom to up. For example, some women from upper class started to wear yemeni or Ã…Å ¸alvar which are signs of lower class culture. However, in Veblen theory, leisure classes use consumption in order to distinguish themselves from both lower classes and new money people. In that sense, they have accumulated culture which upper class people inherent it from the family that they belong to as a way of distinction like taste in Bourdieus theory. Bourdieu claims that lower classes also have taste. However, this taste is different from the upper classes since lower class taste is born out of necessity. Because of this necessity, lower class people, for Bourdieu, do not pay attention some cultural practices such as going to opera or museum, buying books, etc. Different from Veblen wasteful conspicuous consumption, for Bourdieu, lower class people avoid consuming because of necessity. Moreover, as it is in the example of Yemeni, upper classes can move down to popular taste. Another point should be mentioned. In Bourdieus theory, upper classes try to maintain their status as a distinction from the tastes of lower classes. Thus, they turn the popular taste. The artist agrees with the bourgeois in one respect: he prefers naivety to pretentiousness. The essentialist merit of the common people is that they have none of the pretensions to art (or power) which inspire the ambitions of the petit bourgeois. Their indifference tacitly acknowledges the monopoly. That is why, in the mythology of artists and intellectuals, whose outflanking and double-negating strategies sometimes lead them back to popular tastes and opinions, the people so often play a role not unlike that of the peasantry in the conservative ideologies of the declining aristocracy. (Bourdieu, 1984: 62) Thus, in Bourdieu theory, there is a struggle for good taste and bad taste which make people distinct from each other through cultural consumption. In Veblens theory, emulation is the possession of the certain goods but does not lead them to have the knowledge of the goods such as a work of art. On the other hand, upper classes have developed this kind of knowledge. In that point, for Bourdieu, key concept is cultural capital. The positions of individuals in the field are determined by the amount of and relative weight of the capital they posses. Bourdieu discusses 4 types of capitals. Economic capital: the economic resources possessed by an actor. Cultural capital: the various kinds of legitimate knowledge possessed by an actor. Social capital: the extend of the valued social relations possessed by an actor. Symbolic capital: the amount of honor and prestige possessed by an actor. According to Trigg (2001), cultural capital is the accumulated knowledge which is learned trough education and social upbringing. Through the practical applications and implications of taste, people classify objects and also classify themselves. In this frame, culture is a kind of economy, a marketplace that utilizes cultural rather than economic capital. This capital is usually peoples social class origin and educational experience. Thus, cultural capital is correlated to high-status class positions and makes them distinct from other classes. Thus, distinction is a broader notion than Veblens conspicuous consumption. Consequently, instead of a single dominant upper class lifestyle that lower classes try to emulate, in Bourdieu we find different class tastes and lifestyles. To sum up, according to Bourdieu, different consumption practices and the taste behind of them make distinction among classes and create hierarchical social relations. On the other hand, Veblen pointed on wealth and emulation of wealth as a source of distinction. Bourdieu did not concern on wealth as much as Veblen. He emphasized on cultural capital. Veblen used wealth as a source of social stratification with the display of wealth. In Bourdieu, however, the competition for status takes place within the fields. Conclusion: In this paper, my main aim is to compare and contrast the theory of Veblen and Bourdieu by examining of their main concepts such as conspicuous consumption, leisure class, emulation, habitus, field, cultural capital and taste. In that sense, first of all, I discussed Veblens theory which he concerns that consumption is a way of displaying wealth. He uses conspicuous consumption as a way of stratification. He describes emulation to examine the stratification among upper classes and lower classes. Secondly, I try to examine Bourdieus theory by focusing on the book of Distinction. Different from Veblen, he deals with all kinds of consumption and does not focus on wealth as much as Veblen does. He emphasizes the concept of taste in different classes. He uses cultural capital to distinct different classes. Finally, in the last part, I compare both thinkers. Briefly, I found the following ones: When we examine the concept of conspicuous consumption, Veblen stresses the function of it as the status symbols in order to show off ones social standing in the society. Bourdieu discussed about not only conspicuous consumption but also all kind of consumption. In Veblen, emulation moves down words. In Bourdieu, taste moves up and down words. Veblen discussed that accumulated culture is a way of social prestige which distinct upper classes from lower classes and new money. In his theory, he focused on individuals who caused the distinction by conspicuous consumption and social hierarchy. In Bourdieus theory, consumption and taste are involved which they help the reproduction of class structure. Bourdieu studied beyond the individual and pointed out that the habitus creates the class position with the help of accumulated knowledge, aka cultural capital. Taste is a marker of social class in Bourdieu and not just of wealth as Veblen thought. Veblens focused on the significance of economic capital. On the other hand, Bourdieu highlighted on the cultural capital.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Matsushita Electronic Industrial Essay -- essays research papers

Matsushita Electronic Industrial Pham Thach Executive summary: Matsushita Electronic Industrial (MEI) is a very successful company in both Japan and the global in the 1970s and 1980s. MEI’s success in this period came from its diversification of productions, dominance domestic market, unique corporate culture, and divisional structure in both domestic and international market. However, in 1987, under new circumstances, such as the change Yen prices, and the pressure of integration of information technologies that need international transfers, sharing, and synergies, MEI’s faced declines in sales and profits because its structure was exposed some weakness. To overcome these problems, MEI should choose Worldwide Product Division Structure. Matsushita Electronic Industrial (MEI) was established in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita to produce a double-end socket in Japan. This company grew rapidly, in 1977 MEI was praised by Fortune as â€Å"the most dazzling corporate success in Japan†, and then ranked 20 on Fortune list of the world’s largest by 1985. In the 1980s, MEI became the world’s largest producer of customer electronics product, and the forth largest electrical and electronics firm in the world with the compounded annual sales growth and annual growth in net profits was 11.6 percent and 14.6 percent, correspondingly. The success of MEI in the 1970s and 1980s is contributed by its global strategy in which, its diversification of productions, dominance domestic market, unique corporate culture, and divisional structure in both domestic and international market. Contributing to MEI’s rapid growth and consistent profitability in the highly competitive world consumer electronics industry in the 1970s and 1980s was its diversification of productions. Originally, MEI only produced double-end sockets, then its list of products was unceasingly expanded. MEI introduced various of products to markets: battery-powered bicycle lamp and an electronic iron (1923), radio (1931), Domestic fans and light bulbs, small motors for domestic appliances, then appliances (1935), black and white TV sets (1952), transistor radios (1957), stereos, tape recorders, air conditioners (1958), driers, and disposal unit (1959), color TVs, dishwashers, electric oven (1960). In term of the numbers of its products, MEI outdistanced its competitors. MEI grew rapidly and gained consistent profitabil... ...mashita initiated Operation Location and Action 86 programs to shift more activities to its vast oversea operation, and shift its business emphasis. However, some subsidiary managers worried that this program could weaken their relationship with headquarters managers and reduce their access to central resources and expertise. Some managers were afraid that by deemphasizing traditional products, the company might lose its competitiveness in its existing market, and its capabilities in responding quickly and flexibly to market changes, change Matsushita’s culture and philosophy, undermined its source of strength. However, under new circumstance, the traditional structure were exposed these flaws mentioned above, and its impact was the decline of MEI sales and profits. To be a firm that was reasonably diversified and, accordingly, originally had domestic structures based on product divisions, MEI could apply Worldwide Product Division Structure. By that, MEI could easier to p ursue the consolidation of value creation activities at key locations necessary for realizing location and experience curve economies, and to transfer of core competencies within a division’s worldwide operation.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Barriers to identifying and Treating Older Adults with Substance abuse Problems

Substance abuse among older adults is a serious social problem. Detection of this problem, according to specialists, is hampered by barriers . This is all the more serious considering the fact that substance abuse is a serious problem among older adults but is seldom addressed because of the barriers. The need to identify and break down the barriers is important because it is important to identify and cure substance abuse patients from older adult age group bracket.This is to consider the implications of such condition to older adults – impairment of senses and mental capabilities; the health danger of mixing alcohol and other substance with medication older adults take; the threat of malnutrition considering the inability of the body to take in food; and lastly, the consideration on overall physiological effects of substance to the aging body which deteriorates because of old age and the everyday wear and tear. This is an important consideration why it is important to identif y the barriers that hinder or hamper the identification and cure of older adults suffering from substance abuse.II. Discussion Many research endeavors and researchers have already ascertained the fact that substance abuse is a problem among older adults who are addicted to different substances like alcohol as well as prescription drugs and illegal drugs. Studies are already available regarding the number of older adults in the society who are suffering from this problem . The complex way of life and how way of life differs from one place to another depending on and based from customs, tradition, cultural characteristics, etc. , has strongly affected many important aspects of life.Many professionals believe that this consideration plays an important role in the condition of the society being unable to identify older adults with substance abuse because of perceived barriers. It is important to know what these barriers are, discuss and analyze them to be able to understand these barrie rs and if possible provide solutions so that these barriers are removed and the health of the people with substance abuse problems be allowed to improve through intervention. What exactly are these barriers that hinder the identification and treatment of older adults with substance abuse problems?A. Psychological barriers Psychological barriers are present in this condition. Older adults tend to have psychological issues leading to their cases of substance abuse, as well as psychological issues when it comes to coming out and seeking help for their problem. Often, they have preconceived notions about how the society will treat them if they openly discuss their problems with substance abuse especially considering the stigma that substance abuse and the society places on the individual. Because of that, they are not overly enthused in seeking help.â€Å"Compared to younger adults, older adults are less likely to seek out and use mental health or substance abuse services . † For example, they might have the tendency to feel that professionals may look at their case as hopeless and useless to cure since they are already old and have only few years to live that intervention would have little effect. Others think that admitting substance abuse at this stage is something that is shameful. There are many other preconceived notions that deter individuals to come forward.More importantly, it is hard for those suffering from substance abuse to admit that they are addicted and for them to accept cure. This is a significant barrier. This is deterrent enough for these people to hide in the shadows. When they do, professionals, who try to seek them out, finds it more and more difficult to do so. Because of this, psychological consideration becomes a significant barrier in identifying and treating older adults with substance abuse problems. This psychological and social condition results to two things which strongly affect the efforts to identify and treat older adults with substance abuse problems.First is the lack of cooperative instincts or tendencies on the part of the individual or his or her close family and friends because of the feared repercussions. Second is the absence of the voluntary action to come forward and instead undertake efforts to further shield this addiction from being detected by professionals. Analysts are already conscious of this problem and barrier and are already suggesting ways to counter this, like the identification of ideal and useful approaches to this. Barriers are identified and later on removed and resolved to help the older adults.â€Å"In addressing alcohol problems or prescription medication misuse in later life, the use of nonjudgmental, motivational approaches can be a key to successfully engaging these patients in-care . † B. Target population Another barrier is the focus on target population. Often, adults, especially older adults, are perceived as individuals who are already capable, in control and are not as prone to substance abuse compared to younger adults who are in the early or middle part of their career, or even underage individuals who are more vulnerable to the temptations of substance abuse.This creates a misguided focus. Professionals and the society often look at a particular demographic alone and often ignores the older adult group in this kind of problem. This focus on traditional target demographics limits. Even blinds, professionals from exploring older adult groups, and the medical community should reevaluate paradigms, break traditional notions and stereotypes and consider the fact that every age group that is capable of accessing and ingesting substance that could lead to abuse can be an ideal target for substance abuse patients.In many research studies as well as in popular culture and mass media, often, the individuals portrayed as suffering from substance abuse are young to middle age adults. Efforts to study and identify substance abuse are often fo cused on selected groups and often not including older adults. C. Screening and social indicators Social indicators also mislead professionals into believing older adults are sober and are not explored for cases of substance abuse. According to professionals, social indicators like substance abuse symptoms seen at work, in the neighborhood, on the road, etc are often not common with older adults.This means older adults aren't the target of complaints for poor performance at work because of substance use and abuse; families and friends seldom complain about older adults in the household suffering from substance abuse, etc. â€Å"Older adult drinkers tend to have fewer social indicators of abuse . † Of course, this is not to mention that there are fewer indicators among this group of people considering how they are grossly outnumbered by the youth and the young adult and how figures involving older adults are overlooked.Those from younger age groups are bigger and appear more s erious, more chronic and more important, which is an incorrect perspective. What also hinders professionals from identifying and treating older adults with substance abuse is the screening process. Professionals believe that the social condition often makes older adults as individuals who are not commonly screened for any physiological or psychological signs of addiction. â€Å"It is second barrier that elders are not routinely screened for alcohol abuse by medical and mental health providers .† There are many reasons as to why this is the case. For example, it is convenient to explore the possibility that screening is often focused on younger individuals who are more vulnerable to substance abuse than older adults, creating a practice wherein older adults are often not subjected to screening. III. Conclusion Substance abuse is a serious problem. This is a kind of problem that is not limited only to young individuals but to adults and the older adults as well, including the e lderly.Evidently, there remains many significant barriers that make it difficult for professionals to identify cases of substance abuse among older adults and enforce medical as well as psychological intervention on the matter. These barriers are not easily broken down. It needs to be identified first and it is often deeply entrenched and deeply buried in the socio cultural practice and way of life of the people. Such barrier becomes formidable and hinders the entry of substance abuse recovery and rehabilitation assistance from professionals.In the end, what is important is not the mere identification of the presence of a barrier or certain barriers. More importantly, it is important to know how these barriers can be broken so that older adults with substance abuse problems are identified and provided with medical attention, care and intervention they needed to get over this kind of mental and physical health problem. On a positive light, it is indeed good to know that somehow, prof essionals are showing new ways and methods to identify substance abuse among older adults , which is significant in fighting off the barriers and allowing identification and intervention to take place.To identify the barriers and more importantly to address them by acting upon it to remove such barriers, it is important that change takes place: change in the perspective and outlook of the medical professionals; change in the perspective and outlook of health care individuals and entities; and most importantly, change in perspective and outlook of the people and the society in general so that identification is easier and the intervention administered faster and more efficiently. References Doweiko, H. E. (2006). Concepts of chemical dependency.California: Cengage. Edelman, C. L. and Mandle, C. L. (2005). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span. Pennsylvania: Elsevier Health Sciences. Hales, R. E. and Yudofsky, S. C. (2004). Essentials of clinical psychiatry. Virginia: American Psyc hiatric Publication. Maddux, J. E. and Winstead, B. A. (2007). Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding. New Jersey: CRC Press. Ries, R. K. , Miller, S. , Fiellin, D. A. and Saitz, R. (2009). Principles of Addiction Medicine. Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Health.