Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Developing And Managing A Comprehensive Compliance Program

Developing and managing a comprehensive compliance program for a not-for-profit entity Over the last few years, the not for profit organizations have suffer from serious criticism and strict scrutiny due to certain different issues. The most disturbing issues were related to the accounting, ethics standards and how they are able to develop and maintain comprehensive compliance programs. It turns out that developing and managing comprehensive compliance for not for profit entity is not easy and simple. In fact, a lot of force demands that the not for profit entities create compliance programs that are similar to those in for profit organizations. Some not for profit entities have tried to create these programs, but research shows that†¦show more content†¦While the managers may select a number of employees to shape the framework, it is their responsibility to make the program to work. The good thing about involving leaders is that they help in the making of decisions thereby removing a case of poorly formulated compliance programs. Furthermore, it ensur es that the leader focus on the programs while considering the mission and objectives of the not for profit organization. Research shows that a comprehensive compliance program begins with the leaders. Ideally, it is the style of leaders being the example for others to follow (McKinney, 2015). Besides, sometimes employees may not take the compliance program seriously if the leaders (managers) are not involved. Apart from leadership, creating comprehensive compliance program demands proper integration into the mission of the organization. This then means that one compliance program cannot work in two different not for profit organization. Besides, using compliance programs that are not in line with the not for profit organization has been the cause of the rising record in unethical and failing programs. If a program is not well integrated in with the organization’s mission, there is a high possibility for its failure. Ideally, integration of the complaisance program helps in the allocation of appropriate resources. This means that during the integration, allShow MoreRelatedIn His Capacity As An Executive In The Firm, Mr. Harvey1565 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopment and implementation of a successful DBE Contracting, Employment and Community Outreach Program, which acclaimed partnerships with businesses and community organizations to achieve contracting and hiring goals set forth by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA). He has also been intimately involved with the creation and management of DC Water and Sewer Authority’s Employment Program, which entails the establishment of four (4) Job Centers focused on local hiring. 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Monday, December 23, 2019

Essay The Berdache of Early American Conquest - 3448 Words

The Berdache of Early American Conquest Methodological Introduction This paper attempts to link the facet of queer theory that explains gender and sexuality as culturally constructed identities, with the presence of the berdache in the New World at the time of the Spanish conquest. By analyzing the construction of gender and sexuality among the native peoples, in contrast to the ideologies of the Spanish, I found a clash arose which explained, in some sense, the incompatibility of the two cultures. The differences between the two cultures gender construction established support for the very unnatural or inessential nature of gender, sexuality, and the body as a means of self-identity. By realizing the issue of power and†¦show more content†¦The clash of gender identity existing between these two cultures led to misrepresentations of the natives by the Spaniards. It is also necessary, before diving into the concepts of this paper, that I elucidate the terms which I will be using, as they are easily confused. Gender, in the context of this paper will describe the sets of culturally prescribed behaviors, actions, and functions assigned to a particular sex. Sex, when used as an adjective, will refer to the biological or chromosomal physical identity which separates males from females. Sexuality, like gender, will be used to define individuals on the basis of their cultural/social role within society, but not as an unchangeable feature of a persons identity. It is important to distinguish the meaning of these terms because as they are commonly used, they are usually considered synonyms in some way. By separating and elucidating their meanings, I hope to further press the queer theorist argument that gender and identity within ones sexuality are deeply imbedded in social influences. The Berdache of Early American Conquest The Spanish encountered many things upon treading their first steps onto the soil of a new and mysterious continent. The natives were a group so foreign, the Spaniards questioned whether they were even human. This experience of contact, then conquest and colonization introduced

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Productivity Quality Profitability in research Free Essays

Operations Research (O. R. ) has been termed The Science of Better. We will write a custom essay sample on Productivity Quality Profitability in research or any similar topic only for you Order Now The term Operations Research (OR) describes the discipline that is focused on the application of information technology for informed decision-making. In other words, OR represents the study of optimal resource allocation A problem in the real world is modeled, usually in mathematical terms, then mathematical techniques, together with data analysis and computational algorithms, are applied, in order to find ways to do the job better. The word Operations derives from the many successful applications of O. R. To military operations in the sass. But, since then, most O. R. Applications have been to peaceful activities, especially to business management, of which planning industrial production, and scheduling airlines, and other transportation, have been prominent. The name Management Science denotes the same discipline, with some emphasis on business management. Practitioners of Operations Management will find many of these techniques relevant. The areas of Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Decision Sciences, and Manufacturing Management deal with similar applications. The goal of OR is to provide rational bases for decision making by seeking to understand and structure employ situations, and to utilize this understanding to predict system behavior and improve system performance. Much of the actual work is conducted by using analytical and numerical techniques to develop and manipulate mathematical models of organizational systems that are composed of people, machines, and procedures. OR’s role in both, the public and the private sectors is increasing rapidly. In general, OR addresses a wide variety of issues in transportation, inventory planning, production planning, communication operations, computer operations, financial assets, risk management, revenue management, and any other fields where improving business productivity is paramount. In the public sector, OR studies may focus on energy policy, defense, health care, water resource planning, design and operation of urban emergency systems, or criminal justice. To reiterate, OR reflects an analytical method of problem solving and decision-making that is useful in the management of organizations. In OR, problems are (1 ) decomposed into basic components and (2) solved via mathematical analysis. Some of the analytical methods used in OR include mathematical logic, simulation, network analysis, queuing theory, and game theory. The actual OR process can in general be described via three steps. (1) A set of potential solutions to a problem is identified and developed (the set may be rather large). (2) The alternatives derived in the first step are analyzed, and reduced to a smaller set of solutions (the solutions have to be feasible and workable). 3) The alternatives derived in the second step are subjected to simulated implementation and, if feasible, exposed to an actual analysis in a real-world environment. It has to be pointed out that in the final step, psychology and management sciences often play a rather important role. Generally speaking OR improves the effectiveness and the efficiency of an institute the term operations in OR may Suggests that the manufacturing applicat ion Category represents the Original home of OR. That is not quite accurate, as the name originated from military operations, not business operations. Nevertheless, it is a true statement that OR’s successes in contemporary business pervade manufacturing and service operations, logistics, distribution, transportation, and telecommunication. The myriad applications include scheduling, routing, workflow improvements, elimination of bottlenecks, inventory control, business process re- engineering, site selection, or facility and general operational planning. Revenue and supply chain management reflect two growing applications that are distinguished by their use of several OR methods to cover several functions. Revenue management entails first to accurately forecasting the demand, and secondly to adjust the price Structure over time to more profitably allocate fixed capacity. Supply chain decisions describe the who, what, when, and where abstractions from purchasing and transporting raw materials and parts, through manufacturing actual products and goods, and anally distributing and delivering the items to the customers. The prime management goal here may be to reduce overall cost while processing customer orders more efficiently than before. The power of utilizing OR methods allows examining this rather complex and convoluted chain in a comprehensive manner, and to search among a vast number of combinations for the resource optimization and allocation strategy that seem most effective, and hence beneficial to the operation. Businesses and organizations frequently face challenging operational problems whose SUCCessfUl solution requires certain expertise in applied autistic, optimization, stochastic modeling, or a combination of these areas. To illustrate, a company may need to design a sampling plan in order to meet specific quality control objectives. In a manufacturing environment, operations that compete for the same resources must be scheduled in a way that deadlines are not violated. The manager of a supermarket must determine how many checkout lines to keep open at various times during the day and evening so that shoppers are not unnecessarily delayed. The area of operations research that concentrates on real-world operational problems is called production systems. Production systems problems may arise in settings that include, but are not limited to, manufacturing, telecommunications, health-care delivery, facility location and layout, and staffing. The area of production systems presents special challenges for operations researchers. Production problems are operations research problems, hence solving them requires a solid foundation in operations research fundamentals. Additionally, the solution of production systems problems frequently draws on expertise in more than one of the primary areas of operations research, implying that the successful production researcher cannot be One-dimensional. Furthermore, production systems problems cannot be solved without an in- depth understanding of the real problem, since invoking assumptions that simplify the mathematical structure of the problem may lead to an elegant solution for the wrong problem. Common sense and practical insight are common attributes of successful production planners. At the current time, the field of OR is extremely dynamic and ever evolving. To name a few of the contemporary (primary) research projects, current work in OR seeks to develop software for material flow analysis and design of flexible manufacturing facilities using pattern recognition and graph theory algorithms. Further, approaches for the design of re-configurable manufacturing systems and progressive automation of discrete manufacturing systems are under development. Additional OR projects focus on the industrial deployment of computer-based methods for assembly line balancing, business process reengineering, capacity planning, pull scheduling, and setup reduction, primarily through the integration of the philosophies of the Theory of Constraints and Lean Manufacturing. Quality in Research Companies need to compete both by bringing new products to the market and by improving existing products and processes. These two aspects constitute the rationale underlying this master’s programmed. However, in addition to the factors discussed, we think that there should also be additional focus on the quality of operations research and the dissemination process of findings from such research. This has tremendous implications for the importance of operations research technology transfer to the national level. Broadly defined, this field deals with the efficient design and operation of systems, usually seeking to determine an optimal or effective utilization and allocation of scarce resources. The tools of OR lie in the mathematical doodling and analysis of physical or economic systems, and its scope of application arises in varied walks of life, in the areas of business, industry, government, and national defense. As stiffer competition and lower resilience to business shock make companies and industries walk a tight line that separates success from failure, the emphasis of this field on both long-term (strategic) and short-term (tactical) efficiency and cost effectiveness are increasingly promoting its use in widely diverse areas. Although the importance of quality in research might seem obvious, we have found that quality and methodological rigor are often lacking. To identify proven strategies aimed at improving routine immunization services in developing countries, we recently conducted a literature review assessing both results and methodological rigor. The lack of quality and rigor for most studies and the overall paucity of well-conducted published studies was striking, especially in light of the longstanding Expanded Programmed on Immunization (PEP) and the widely recognized importance and cost- effectiveness. Also some of the broader issues, innovations and implications across a spectrum of disciplines which co-inhabit the same ecosystem. The history has been presented as the paradigm of detonation management, defined as the use of technological, quantitative methods, and decision making techniques in order to make business decisions based on data and analyses rather than solely on intuition. The history of this paradigm has been presented as a series of periods, each of which have unique characteristics, whilst simultaneously being part of an overall evolution. Using the themes that are particularly prevalent in the analytics period, examples of possible research directions for the OR community have also been presented. Above all the analysis demonstrates that OR does not exist entirely in isolation; the community must embrace and engage with the wider concerns of the ecosystem and paradigm or risk declining into obscurity. With other academic and practitioner communities engaging with analytics and increasing research in these areas, OR is in danger of being left behind. Whilst arguments may be made that such research directions risk diluting the OR ‘brand’, the original conception of the discipline was to use the most relevant methods available to solve business problems, a tradition such research falls firmly within. Many businesses are currently uncertain of how the economic recession will affect demand for their services and products. For global permeate Norse Kooks, this IS a familiar situation. Over the past decade, the company has experienced declining demand for its products as electronic media have replaced newsprint publications. As it struggles to survive, the company has been forced to make some difficult decisions, including closing paper production lines and entire mills. As decision makers become more involved in implementing Total Quality Management, questions are raised about which management practices would be emphasized. In this exploratory investigation of the relationship of specific quality management practices to quality performance, a framework Was constructed. It focuses on both core quality management practices and on the infrastructure that creates an environment supportive of their use. In addition, it incorporates two measures of quality performance and their role in establishing and sustaining a competitive advantage. Path analysis was used to the management, with multiple regression analysis determining the path coefficients, which were decomposed into their various effects. Weak linkages were eliminated. The trimmed model indicated that perceived quality market outcomes were primarily related to statistical control/feedback and the product design process, while the internal measure of percent that passed final inspection without requiring rework was strongly related to process flow management and to statistical control/feedback, to a lesser extent. Both measures of quality performance were related to competitive advantage. Important infrastructure components included top management support and workforce management. Supplier relationships and work attitudes were also related to some of the core quality practices and quality performance measures. The driving idea behind OR is to collaborate with clients to design and improve operations, make better decisions, solve problems, and advance managerial functions including policy formulation, planning, forecasting, and performance measurement. The goal of OR is to develop information to provide valuable insight and guidance. By utilizing OR methods, the objective is to apply to any given project the most appropriate scientific techniques selected from mathematics, any of the sciences including the social and management sciences, and any branch of engineering, respectively. The work normally entails collecting and analyzing data, creating and testing mathematical models, proposing approaches not previously considered, interpreting information, making recommendations, and aiding at implementing the initiatives that result from the study. Moreover, utilizing OR methods allow to develop and implement software, systems, services, and products related to a client’s methods and applications. The systems may include strategic decision-support systems, which play a vital role in many organizations today. Profitability in Research profitability is a prime concern in all organizations. Operations management uses various tools and strategies to try and improve if not maximize profitability. Operations management, which encompasses supply chain management and logistics, deals with how well some function is performed. This research analyzes the specific strategy of production mix efficiency and what mediating effect it has on the relationship between operations management and financial profitability. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the relationship between he three constructs. This research found that operations management alone does not have a positive impact on profitability. However, the strategy of production mix efficiency has a positive mediating effect on profit, which provides a potential answer to firms trying to increase profits through operations. Analyzing a strategy of operations management for the purposes of increasing profitability. The strategy of production mix efficiency looks at factors involved in the process of producing goods. Some variables here are the number of items each firm makes and the time and costs involved in ACH. The study is a logistical aspects of business. The purpose of this paper is to provide operation managers and firms with an in-depth understanding of what factors have a more direct impact on profitability. Operations management is concerned with all areas that affect the company on a daily basis. According to Jaggy (1992), one of the goals of operations management is to achieve profit minimization. In order to achieve this, there are various factors that can be utilized. A few of these strategies are production mix efficiency, product route efficiency, and resource commitment. This research analyses production mix efficiency. Counting (1996) describes a situation in which a management process that is not optimized will result in less than optimal results. Such results lead to solid and hazardous waste, as well as increasing operational costs. This forward supply chain issue creates a desire and need for a well-organized and robust reverse logistics System. Supply chain disruptions pose an increasingly significant risk to supply chains Synergy demands these forward and reverse systems be linked for effective communication and scheduling purposes. Typically, supply chains will consist f an independent system for the reverse chain however, it will work hand in hand with the forward chain. Without such integration, Stock (1992) notes that several problems may arise because firms do not understand they can positively affect the environment through reduction and recycling of waste. Industries are in the habit of utilizing virgin materials rather than recycled ones. Lastly, there exists a perception that recycled materials are inferior to virgin ones. It is important with regard to profitability to make the most of the materials a firm has. This is achieved by using the materials the firm has to produce the optimal mix of products to achieve maximum profitability. How to cite Productivity Quality Profitability in research, Essays

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Biological Psychology

Question: Discuss about theBiological Psychology. Answer: Introduction Neurobiology of language refers to the study of neurological brain mechanisms that regulate language comprehension and production of language. On the other hand, language comprehension refers to process by which the brain understands what people speak and write. Language comprehension is important biological psychology since it hold and defines the capabilities, process, skills and the required knowledge to understand spoken and written language (John, 2007). The controversy arose in the language acquisition process during language comprehension. Many theorists indicate that acquisition of language arises from abstract sense of impression. Regel, S. and Friederici, A. (2011) study implies that language acquisition is through sensory processing of brain during language comprehension. Behavioral theorist in contrast shows that acquisition arises through successful use of signs. The aim of this essay is to provide critical study of brain comprehension of non-literal language. Non-literal or figurative language broadly refers to the psychological imaging of non-literal expression such as idioms, metaphors and proverbs. The critical aspect of non-literal language comprehension involve semantic phenomenon. According to John, C. (2007), left angular in the middle and frontal gyri that is directly related to dorsomedial prefrontal is the part involve in processing of non-literal expression. There are clear differences in brain processing of literal and non-literal languages expression. Non literal expressions are processed in the left brain hemisphere in contrast to literal language that is processed right brain hemisphere. Processing of spatial information is directly similar to processing of non-literal expression in the left brain hemisphere. Processing of spatial information involve recording of expressions and information that pertains to someones environment and this is similar to the processing of non-literal expression that take place in the left hemis phere of brain (Brandon 2008). There are several studies that have been carried out to understand the brain structure as used in comprehension of non-literal language. David, M. (2002) study methods such as standardized neuropsychological test and electrophysiology have been used to study brain structures used in comprehension of non-literal languages. Neuroimaging methods are grouped into functional imagine and structural imagine methods. Structural imaging studies the brain structures with respect to study of diseases like tumor or brain injury. Functional neuroimaging on the other hand, is used to determine the different brain parts with their relationship to comprehension of figurative expressions. Research by Mark T, et al (2005), functional imaging therefore, seeks to diagnose diseases such as brain lesions and cognitive psychology. Some of the functional neuroimaging methods include electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and behavioral studies (Mark et al 2005).Critical examination of brain imaging methods gives understanding of brain functions and brain lesions. Neuroimaging methods have both advantages and disadvantages. David, M. (2002) evaluated electroencephalography (EEG) method to monitors and record images of brain electrical activities caused by ionic current during language expression processing at certain time duration. According Hagoort (2003), ever-related potential (ERP) can be used to study responses that are connected to brain processing and functioning in relationship to neural processing of language expressions. Firstly electroencephalography has advantages that include are ability to visualize brain activities directly during processes through direct study of brain electrical changes. According to Edward and Oksana (2014), the most important disadvantage of EEG is the difficulty in determining the source of electrical activities in brain processes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging is method used to measure brain processing of language expression through detection of blood flow changes. fMRI therefore shows functional changes that occurs in the psychological brain activities leading to understanding of non-literal expressions. Research by Poldrack, A. (2008) shows that fMRI also is advantageous due to the fact that it does not use X-rays when scanning the brain processes and therefore safer to use as compares to other neuroimaging technologies. The clear disadvantage of fMRI according Haller, S. and Bartsch, A. (2009) is expensive and fact that it capture image linearly when patient is still Positron emission tomography (PET) is another imaging method that provides images of metabolic processes of the brain. This implies that PET provides three dimensional scan images during diagnosis of brain disease that are causing impairment of brain processes. Research by Roivainen, A. et al (2004), shows that PET provides advantage in biochemical examination of patients brain and diseases detection that are related to brain functioning and non-literal expressions. According to Health Quality (2010), disadvantage of PET is the possibility of radioactive risk during imaging procedures. Brandon (2008), neuroimaging methods have significant differences and similarity with behavioral study of brain. Neuroimaging applies various brain methods to study and image functions or structures of brain. Behavioral brain study the other side, applies different biological principles to study psychological brain processes. Kaan, E. (2007) stated that neuroimaging methods such as EEG, fMRI and PET enable visualization of non-literal expressions comprehension and the impairment of these brain process directly increasing chance to view brain lesion. In contrast, behavioral studies concentrate on neurons, hormones and other biological processes that occur in brain as evidence for non-literal language impairments. Both neuroimaging method and behavioral study of brain lesions consider neurological activities to provide evidence of abnormalities in brain comprehension of expressions. Neuroimaging study neural activities that occur when brain comprehend figurative language similar to beh avioral study that reveal biological process in neurons (Health Quality 2010). Positron emission tomography according to Heinke, W. and Schwarzbauer, C. (2002) functions with radioactive tracers chemicals introduced into bloodstream. This implies that positron radioisotopes that are labeled radioactive atoms, the radiotracer compound follow blood to the brain. The patient has radioactive injected into bloodstream that can be risk for expectant mothers and other patients. A similar study by Dixon and Adam et al (2015), indicate that breastfeeding mothers and pregnant mothers are not suitable for PET scanning since babies and infants are highly responsive to radiations. Townsend, D. and Bailey, L. (2005) also conducted research on PET and indicated that during natural radioactive decay, point to the possibility of radioactive exposure. Some patients are allergic to radiotracers and may risk the patients health. Under some instances radiotracers are introduced into a vein (IV) or the radioactive material is breathed in through the nose. On weighing the various neuroimaging approaches, fMRI proves to be the approach I will use for this type of research is neuroimaging method particularly fMRI technique. Firstly, fMRI is safe to use since it does not use X-rays to capture images as compared to other neuroimaging methods. This is particularly important for studying non-literal language that requires image view without radioactive rays. Rjntjes et al 2012 study shows that fMRI is suitable for patients such as breastfeeding and pregnant women due to the minimal use of radiation. Thirdly, it is easy to visualize processes taking place in the brain hemisphere since the methods can capture images deep inside the body depending on the blood flow. In conclusion, non-literal language comprehension occurs in the brain during neuron processing. Many studies have been done to understand brain structures and functions with respect to processing of both literal and figurative languages. Behavioral study and neuroimaging methods offer the best alternative ways to study and understand neural pathways followed by language expression. Brain imaging methods offers opportunity to visualize the brain neural processing activities when the brain comprehends figurative language. EEG, PET and fMRI are some of the neuroimaging methods used in brain research. Finally, PET is a brain scaning technology that can expose patient to radiation thereby posing risk to use in expectant and breastfeeding mothers. Reference Brandon K (2008), Brain scanner and what you are. Wired News. CondeNet. Dixon, A. and Adam A et al (2015), Grainger Allisons diagnostic radiology. Philadelphia, AP: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. David, M. (2002), The origin of EEG. International society for the history of neuroscience (ISHN). Edward, F. and Oksana, Z, (2014), In Electroencephalography. Journal of the neuroscience 24(4): 275-287 Hagoort P, (2003), ERP effects of combining syntactic and semantic violations. Journal of cognitive neuroscience 15(5): 883-887. Health Quality (2010), Neuroimaging for lesions. Ontario health technology assessment series 10(23): 1-57 Haller, S. and Bartsch, A. (2009), Pitfalls in fMRI. European Radiology 19(1): 258-2707 John, C (2007), Introduction to Spoken Language Processing. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Heinke, W. and Schwarzbauer, C. (2002), In vivo imaging of anaesthetic action in humans: Approaches with positron emission topography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). British Journal of Anaesthesia, 89(1), 112. Kaan, E. (2007), Eventà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ related potentials and language processing: A brief overview. Language and Linguistics Compass, 1(6), 571-591. Mark T, et al (2005), cognitive psychology: A student handbook. Taylor Francis. Retrieved 20-12-2012. Poldrack, A. (2008), The role of fMRI in neuroscience. Current opinion on neurobiology 18 (3): 22-7. Regel, S., and Friederici, A. (2011), Isn't it ironic: An electrophysiological exploration of figurative language processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23(2), 277-293. Rjntjes, M. et al (2012), Functional neuroimaging. Bradleys clinical practice in neurology. Philadelphia, AP: Elsevier Saunders. Roivainen, A. et al (2004), Using PET. Journal of neuroscience medicine 45 (6): 72-9 Townsend, D. and Bailey, L. (2005), PET: Basic Science. Secaucus, New York: Springer-Verlag.

Friday, November 29, 2019

A short commentary on Roland Barthes Mother Courage Blind Essay Example

A short commentary on Roland Barthes Mother Courage Blind Essay There are many men who altered time in creating a different world for everybody else. Some took it for worst, while others changed it for the better. Most of these men were all soldiers of a certain rank or leaders of nations, nonetheless of what they represented or what they done, they all have the same similarities. These men were all leaders. Bertold Brecht was a front-runner of literature, the originator of what we call epic theatre and he was an artistic leader with all of the qualities that was needed to originate this new theatre. Walter Benjamin describes Brechts epic theatre as â€Å"[1]appealing to an interesting group of people who do not think without reason† in his essay [2]â€Å"What is Epic Theatre† in his illuminations. I will use this as the stronghold to my essay on Roland Barthes Mother Courage Blind and how Bertold Brecht influenced him. Brecht sets Mother Courage Blind and Her Children during the thirty years war, a war that went on for thirty years without reason, in many cases without a reason for the people living during the war. A war that the poor and working class lost what they did not see while the higher classes won with their losses. We will write a custom essay sample on A short commentary on Roland Barthes Mother Courage Blind specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A short commentary on Roland Barthes Mother Courage Blind specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A short commentary on Roland Barthes Mother Courage Blind specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Brecht writes this play during 1939, the time where Fascism and Nazism were on a rise and Nazi occupied Germany had just taken over their neighbors Poland. Brecht being a Marxist himself, I could imagine that he used the setting of this play as a left wing political act against the governments of the time. However one may argue that Brecht was himself a businessman, exploring the environment in his play by targeting the people who would be interested, but I very much doubt this was his intention. Brecht was a man of great culture, creativity and a sense of humor who influenced many of his time and still does now. What Brecht’s implies in this play is how great powers, in this sense the European powers use war as a profit venture. This is one of the main reasons which Mother Courage Blind attracted Roland Barthes. Barthes seemed to love the idea of Brecht displaying this act with his epic theatre and not preaching his thoughts through religion or politics as he states in his essay that Brecht â€Å"unites his crucial intention to a true theatre, so that the proposition’s evidence results not from sermon or argument but from the theatrical act itself† [3]. Barthes suggests that Mother Courage is suffering because she is blind to her own senseless acts, but this is what Bertold Brecht actually wants the audience to think as he later goes on to explain in the essay how â€Å"we are once mother courage and we are those who explain her;†[4]Barthes appreciates how Brecht’s intelligence in his theatre takes a hold of the audience and makes them lost in Mother Courage which then the audience is brought into her blindness without acknowledging the greatness of the theatre which has a enormous impact on the individual in the audience. Even though Brecht’s Mother Courage is an opportunist and a very inspiring character, it does not take much to see that she is simply a product of her environment and that the character is solely playing the part of a victim to make the audience feel for her struggles, which is what I believe Barthes meant by â€Å"we are all once Mother Courage[5]† by Brecht creating this character, it allows the audience to get in and get close with Mother Courage, feeling her emotions and what she is going through. As I have explained before, this play was written in 1939, which means most of the audience had already witnessed the First World War and the Second World War while Brecht was touring Europe. In a way Brecht seems to create this character so the audience could see themselves in Mother Courage and not make the same mistakes as her, because he only allows them to get close enough to judge her and nothing more. I trust if Walter Benjamin was alive to witness Mother Courage Blind and her Children in theatre, and if he were to write a critic’s essay about it, it would be the very similar to Roland Barthes version. The two men had a lot of similarities and I consider that if it was not for the tragic loss of Walter Benjamin, the two would have been very good friends. While reading Barthes Mother Courage I could sense a certain charismatic male. He explains what he see’s as the only way and does not take in account any other opinions and expects for the reader to understand him and only understand his opinion. Barthes seems obsessed with the â€Å"double vision: of the social evil and its remedies[6]† which is seen in Mother Courage Blind and her Children. The social evil the modern day is drugs, alcohol and violence. These are all things that are frowned upon and the remedies to life that change people. The social remedies in Mother Courage Blind are basically the characters blindness. All things could be made better if Mother Courage actually steps back and looks, but what Barthes does not consider while writing his essay is what he would have done if he were himself in Mother Courage’s shoes himself? Throw in the fact that all Mother Courage knows is war, where as the audience obviously knows that there is an end to the thirty years war, she sadly doesn’t. Brecht Mother Courage has a very important quote towards the end of the play â€Å" hope I can pull this wagon by myself. gotta manage. Not much in it, now. Gotta get back in business†[7] this is the scene just after Mother Courage leaves her late daughter to be buried by the peasants. This quote could show that people are in need of psychological and materialistic support as she looses her daughter but her only concern is getting her business back running again which is what I believe Barthes emphasizes on about his social evil. Although it could be argued that this is all she knows and this is all she’s know all her life. Although I see that Brecht is trying to show how the small people, also known as the working class does not have a say in what happens and all they’ve got to do is get on with what ever is thrown at them, Barthes argues this matter and suggest that if people saw their own stupidity, they will realize their mistakes and change for the better. Most of Barthes drama works after this had resemblance to what Bertold Brecht had created with his epic theatre. After the war, Barthes helped establish a magazine called â€Å"theatre populaire† I believe his main intention in this magazine was to assault the commercial drama of his days yet no one had really created theatre that will attack both social and political issues in the same play. But in 1954 Barthes came across Mother Courage Blind and Her Children while Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble was in France. This is where Barthes saw what he had longed to see from his university days after he had founded a theatre group which performed Greek plays. In Brecht he had found a theatre that brings together both Marxism and aesthetics in the same play. This was the start of a critic being unleashed into the world with the influence of a great leader in his own field.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Tropical Rainforests - Harbors of Diversity

Tropical Rainforests - Harbors of Diversity Biodiversity is a term biologists and ecologists use to describe natural biotic variety. The numbers of animal and plant species plus the richness of gene pools and living ecosystems all make for sustained, healthy, and diverse ecosystems. Plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, bacteria, and fungi all live together with non-living elements like soil, water, and air to make a functioning ecosystem. A healthy tropical rainforest is the worlds most spectacular example of a living, functioning ecosystem and the ultimate example of biodiversity. Just How Diverse are Tropical Rainforests? Rainforests have been around a long time, even on a geological scale. Some existing rainforests have evolved over 65 million years. This time-enhanced stability has in the past allowed these forests greater opportunities for biological perfection. Future tropical rainforest stability is now not so certain as human populations have exploded, rainforest products are in demand, and countries struggle to balance the environmental issues with the needs of citizens living off these products. Rainforests by their very nature harbor the greatest biological gene pool in the world. The gene is a basic building block of living things and every species is evolved by various combinations of these blocks. The tropical rainforest has nurtured this pool for millions of years to become the exclusive home for 170,000 of the worlds 250,000 known plant species. What Is Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity? Tropical rainforests support higher land area units (acres or hectares) of biodiversity when compared to temperate or arid forest ecosystems. There are some educated guesses by experts that tropical rainforests on our planet contain about 50% of the world’s terrestrial plant and animal species. The most common estimate of the size of total rainforests amount to approximately 6% of the world’s land area.   While tropical rainforests around the world have many similarities in their climates and soil composition, each regional rainforest is unique. You will not find precisely the same species living in all the tropical rainforests around the world. For example, the species in African tropical rainforests are not the same as the species living in the tropical rainforests of Central America. However, the different species play similar roles within their specific regional rainforest. Biodiversity can be measured on three levels. The National Wildlife Federation lists these levers as:1) Species diversity - being  the sheer variety of living things, from microscopic bacteria and fungi to towering redwoods and enormous blue whales.  2)  Ecosystem diversity  - being tropical rainforests, deserts, swamps, tundra, and everything in between.  3)  Genetic diversity  - being the variety of genes within a single species, which give rise to the variations that cause species to evolve and adapt over time. Two Fantastic Rainforest/Temperate Forest Comparisons To comprehend just how marvelous this biodiversity is, you have to make a comparison or two: One study in a Brazilian rainforest found 487 tree species growing on a single hectare (2.5 acres), while the US and Canada combined only have 700 species on millions of acres.There are approximately 320 butterfly species in all of Europe. Just one park in a Peruvian rainforest, The Manu National Park, has 1300 species. Top Biodiverse Rainforest Countries: According to Rhett Butler at Mongabay.com, the following ten countries are home to the most biodiverse tropical rainforests on Earth. The United States is included only because of Hawaiis protected forests. The countries in order of diversity are: BrazilColombiaIndonesiaChinaMexicoSouth AfricaVenezuelaEcuadorPeruUnited States

Friday, November 22, 2019

Film Report Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Film Report - Movie Review Example Its theme revolves around an unconventional form of love, in which the other person involved does not see his mysterious admirer. At first, the audience cannot see romance as a theme in the movie because the film opened with the unveiling of a monument only to find out that the Tramp is relaxingly cradled in its arms, plus his pants got hooked by the monument’s sword when he was asked to leave. The audience can see the theme when Tramp saw the blind woman selling flowers in a corner. It was conceived that he liked the woman the first time he met her. In emphasizing the theme, the film used Tramp’s gaze and fondness for the blind woman that obviously tell the audience he likes her at the first encounter. 2) What were the choices made by the main characters and what were the consequences of those choices? First, Tramp’s helping of a drunk millionaire when he was about to commit suicide in a river resulted to a newly-formed friendship. Because of that, Tramp was abl e to see the millionaire’s house and was offered a drink, aside from the friendship. Moreover, the Tramp was also able to find out the condition of the blind woman he met on the street when he decided to find her. As a result of the growing affection he has for the woman, the Tramp decided to help finance her costly eye operation, and even pay for their rent. The Tramp decided to be a street cleaner and a boxer. He was not successful, though, in winning the fight. Accidentally, he met with his millionaire friend in a street. His friend, likewise, decided to help his friend, and gave him the money he needed. Despite the odds (thieves sent his millionaire friend to sleep while they were talking in the living room), the Tramp was able to give the money to the blind woman, and she had her operation successfully. In the end, the cured woman acknowledged the Tramp when they met for the first time after he was imprisoned. The woman accepted the Tramp when she first saw him, and the Tramp’s love was also requited. 3) What three or four sequences are most important in the film? Why? First, it was during the time when the Tramp met the blind woman in the street, and immediately falls in love with her. It gave him someone to look forward to. Second, when he tried to stop the drunk millionaire from committing suicide. That started their friendship, even though the millionaire is hostile when he is not drunk. Their friendship paved way for his access to various parties, and even driving the millionaire’s car. Third, the Tramp’s surprise visit to the blind woman’s house made him know her condition and the need for a costly eye operation. It was because of knowing her situation that made him determined to help her. His friendship with the millionaire also helped the blind woman to be cured through his money given to him. Because of their acquaintance also, he was imprisoned and spent his life in jail for stealing the millionaire’s mo ney (apparently, the millionaire did not remember anything after the thieves hit him on the head). The final sequence was when the Tramp and the cured woman finally met, and their love was proven in the end. 4) Did the ?lm surprise you with anything unusual in its story, style, technique, or implications? The film

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

What are the limits of international cooperation Essay

What are the limits of international cooperation - Essay Example Naturally, this is a naive approach to world relations and one that cannot be reasonably expected to exist at any level as the parties that are integrating with one another are ultimately self interested and seek to maximize their own good at each and every juncture (Chandy & Kharas, 2011). Ultimately, as this analysis will argue, there are distinct limits of expectation that should be established with respect to the way in which international cooperation will be exhibited. As a means of providing relevant situational examples for this, several of the key exhibitions of the limitations and constraints to international cooperation will be elaborated upon and referenced within this brief analysis. In this way, it is the hope of this author that after integrating with a further understanding of what constitutes the bounds of international cooperation, the reader might come to a more informed understanding of how international cooperation is exhibited within the current model and how one might expect it to be exhibited within the near future in any number f different inter-state interactions that may take place. Looking back into the not so distant past, it is the understanding of this author that two distinct indicators of international cooperation can be found to exist. These are the needs and expectations/demand for sovereignty as well as the continual and a surge of need for the propagation of self interest. With regards to the latter, this is one of the terms and understandings that most closely define international relations on any particular level. Likewise, with regards to the former, this is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of state behavior as it lies at the core of almost each and every action that is state engages in (Zaum, 2010). Nonetheless, even though these two concepts are heavily leveraged with respect to international relations, they are none the less salient to a more complete understanding of international cooperation. For instance, if one t akes the case of the Marshall plan, instituted by the United States at the close of World War II as a means of rebuilding a war-ravaged Europe, the self interests of this particular program was with regards to developing a resilient and robust series of economies within Western Europe that could stand up to the growing threat that the Soviet Union posed in the East (Hogan, 1989). Likewise, the cooperation that was noted between these nations and the United States was with respect to the fact that this program did not infringe upon self-interest or sovereignty to a large enough degree for the recipient nations to refuse such aid (Tinsley, 2007). In such a way, both determinants of the rubric lain out above have been met and thus international cooperation is something that can be expected to have taken place in this particular situation. Likewise, as history has proven, this is indeed the result and can be attested to in a variety of other somewhat similar situations. Similar situatio ns to the one described above are not only relegated to history, rather the determinant of sovereignty and self interest of both parties continues to define the exhibition of international

Monday, November 18, 2019

Cakes Health Effects on Humans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cakes Health Effects on Humans - Essay Example Sugar is a substance easy to abuse but when one is aware of the health effects, the decision requires a re-thinking. Seslar (p.67) discovered that sugar presents a very tempting likelihood of abuse and it often leads to addiction. Sadly, as the abuse keeps taking place so does health deterioration. Consequently, in the end, the person has too much sugar in the body hence leading to some health concerns. Apart from rendering one’s teeth less useful, cakes tend to have other preservatives that have been found to be a health risk to many. Howard and Wylie-Rosett (p.24) noted that due to lack of monitoring, many cakes are made with little regard for health thus posing a real health risk. Unfortunately, not many people take time to investigate some of the purported ingredients. Even though many cakes are portrayed as ones reach with all the necessities the body requires, the opposite is the truth in many cases. Sugar is a necessity to the body but moderation has to be practiced or else memory capability will decline significantly. It was noted that too much consumption of foods with excessive sugar could lead to decreased memory (Avena, Pedro and Bartley p.24). Normally, this occurs because many, if not all, of the cakes consumed, are cooked containing significant amounts of sugar. Worse still, the consumers of these cakes take them in large quantities thus increasing the amount in the body. Whereas this paper is not necessarily demonizing cakes, it is the manufacturers’ tendency to focus on money that makes the situation worse. On the other hand, the consumers escalate the situation by consuming without control. Even though health concerns have been raised about the cakes, it is imperative to state that wheat, an ingredient of cakes, plays an essential role in humans’ health.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Creole language

The Creole language The Creole language that will be considered during this essay will be Mauritian Creole. Mauritius is found of the African continent, in the south west of the Indian ocean. This island was visited by the Portuguese in the early 16th Century, and by the Dutch in the 17th Century. They were the ones whom first permanently settled there, however due to certain conditions on the island, such as the weather conditions which they could not adapt to, caused them to leave some years later. At this time, the French were ruling the island near Mauritius, which is called la Reunion, and therefore saw this as an advantage and took control of Mauritius in the 18th Century, and as a result it was under the French rule. The French started importing slaves from different areas, such as East and West Africa, India and Madagascar and grew in numbers quite rapidly. They settled on the island using a Creole as a means of communication. Due to the increase in the numbers of slaves, the European population diminished, which caused the Creole language to expand. Some time later during the Napoleon war Britain took over, which meant that English became the language of the government and also education. However, French was still the language used in other domains, but Creole was used the most. At the moment the population of Mauritius is around 1.2 million, whom all speak the Creole language, even though it has been known that English is the official language. In A.Richards book, he states that English is not the preferred language regardless of the fact that it has a colonial past on the island and that â€Å"beyond school and work it is rarely used.†He adds that, â€Å"the official language of Mauritius is English, although most Mauritians are more comfortable speaking French. The language of the people, however, is Creole.†(A.Richards, R.Ellis, D.Shuurman P21) Although Creole is spoken by the majority of its inhabitants, â€Å"people who want to climb the social ladder† are now choosing French or English. â€Å"This fact proves again the sociological content of pidgins and creoles. In most areas they are spoken by the lower classes and abandoned as soon as a person aspires to a higher position in society.†(M.K Adler P54) In actual fact, the pidgins of Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean areas all have â€Å"connections with each other through European colonisation and the slavery system.†(M.Sebba P169) Firstly the term ‘Creole will be taken into consideration, in order to get a better understanding of what will be explained. â€Å"This term has been appropriated by linguists to describe a particular group of languages spoken not only by Black populations in and around the Caribbean, but in many other locations world-wide.†(H.Nwenmely P15) When people from different origins came together, the only way they could communicate would be with simple vocabulary and grammar. Therefore, pidgin as a language was used, until it was expanding and therefore resulting in Creole which, â€Å"results fulfils all the communication needs of its speakers but, while the vocabulary is drawn from the dominant language, the structures which it uses are often very different, and, in many cases, derive from the subordinate languages.†(H.Nwenmely P16) Let us examine the connection between Creole and pidgin language. It can be said that there exists a strong link between Creole and pidgin because if the original language that is spoken by the native speakers is a pidgin, it has been nativised. In other words, it has become a creole language. â€Å"The idea that creole languages are nativised pidgins emerged during the late sixties and developed in the seventies.†(C.Lefebvre P14) Usually, a Creole becomes more complex and refined than a pidgin, which then results in â€Å"its vocabulary expands, its grammar stabilises and its pronunciation becomes more fixed†. (M.K Adler P14) According to C.Lefebvre, â€Å"Creoles can emerge rapidly, in this case in one generation†(P15) Pidgins are known to be more of a second language, in other words a language which is learnt throughout generations, whilst Creole is developed by children as a native language. Therefore, pidgins are â€Å"contact languages without native speak ers,†whilst Creoles are â€Å"contact languages with native speakers.†(M.Sebba P169) Nevertheless we need to remember that even though pidgins and creoles are different, they both ‘share structural features such as grammatical simplicity and small vocabularies when compared with their lexifiers. (M.Sebba P168) In general, Mauritian Creole is an easy language to be learnt as â€Å"there are no grammatical rules†andâ€Å"English, French and Indian words can be adapted by â€Å"Creolising† them.†(A.Richards, R.Ellis, D.Shuurman P21) Therefore, the speaker can utilise the language to communicate in a non-structured way, whereby the style of speaking, vocabulary, syntax, phonology or grammatical structures can be as good and as acceptable as any other language, as it is also â€Å"not formalized and as such does not have a dictionary.† (http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Mauritian:Creole.htm) One main linguistic feature which can be examined in the Mauritian Creole, is the lexifier. â€Å" Where a single language is identified as the source of the majority of the lexicon of a pidgin or creole, it is known as the lexifier†¦the lexifier often equates with the European colonisers language where there is one.†(M.Sebba P25) This language contains many words from the French language, but according to Sebba, she states that â€Å"Baker (1972) notes that more than 150 words are derived from English, more than 50 from Indian languages and several from Malagasy and Chinese.†(M.Sebba P144). It is possible to say that many words clearly origin from the French words but in the Creole lexicon, for example the French ‘le, la, l is usually connected with the noun it affects. Moreover in French, articles are frequently joined with the preposition ‘de. However, in Mauritian Creole, the sound which is produced can undoubtedly be reflected into a single word. E xamples of this could be ‘le pied in French, which in English means foot, becomes ‘lipye in Mauritian Creole. Furthermore, de leau meaning water in English, becomes ‘dilo in Mauritian Creole. As we can see, the articles which exist in the French language, ‘le and ‘la becomes part of the actual word itself. Nevertheless, some words that exist have completely changed their meanings. One example would be â€Å"gayh†, which means â€Å"to have something† in Mauritian, which originally comes from the French word â€Å"gagner†, meaning â€Å"to win something.† Phonology is another aspect which can be examined. This term can be described as the study of sounds, and in this case, the study of the sound system of Mauritian Creole. Phonology can be linked with the organs of speech (palates, alveolar ridge) and how it is used, and also it can mean the features of sound, for example accents and intonation. The sound system for Mauritian Creole is very similar to French, however it still has some obvious differences. This can be said as â€Å"the Creole does not have some of the more deeper and rounded consonants that the French does. For example, manger (eat) in Creole is written manzer and is spoken the same as the French, with the exception that the more rounded g sound in the French is flattened to sound like the s in the English word vision.†(http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Mauritian:Creole.htm) Another aspect which can be recognised is the rounded vowels which exist, such as â€Å"U† and â€Å"EU† that are pronounced as â€Å"I†, â€Å"U†, â€Å"E† and â€Å"O†, which in French are usually pronounced as â€Å"U† and â€Å"EU†. Another striking example would be â€Å"among the many phonological regularities in the derivation of Mauritian Creole words from French is the following tidy principle: French nasal vowels remain nasal†¦but when the French is followed by a word final voiced plosive (d, b, or g) the final plosive is dropped, the MC vowel is denasalised†and â€Å"m,n and ng becomes a sharply pronounced consonant.†(Seuren P100-101) The Mauritian orthography also generally follows French, but some silent letters are not taken into account, which cuts the number of ways in which the same word can be spelt. The vocabulary, in other words, the words or phrases used in Mauritian Creole is interesting to examine. M.Vaughan investigates the languages slave roots. According to her, the linguist and folklorist Charles Baissac reports how Creole uses â€Å"guetter† (to look for) instead of â€Å"regarder† (look). Similarly, â€Å"roder† (to prowl) means â€Å"chercher† (to search in French). Nouns are also important in Mauritian Creole as they do not change when they are pluralised. As a consequence, whether a noun is singular or plural can only be verified by the context. For example, the word â€Å"ban† is put before the noun in order to change the sentence to the plural form, â€Å"ban dimoune† meaning those people, whilst â€Å"dimoune† on its own would mean people. Even though the French â€Å"un/une† is equivalent to the Mauritian â€Å"en†, the way in which it can be used is different. In Creole the article â€Å"la† is used, however it is placed after the noun it changes. In French you would say, â€Å"un chat†, â€Å"le chat†, â€Å"les chats†, whilst in Mauritian you would say â€Å"en chat†, â€Å"chats-la†, ban-chats.† Whether or not the pronoun is the subject, object, possessive, male or female, there is only one word which is used to describe these. This word is â€Å"li†, which can be used to describe he, she, him, her, it or hers. There are also words which are used in sentences to indicate the tenses. For past tense, the word â€Å"ti† is used before the action, â€Å"fin† is used to mark the perfect tense, and â€Å"va† for future. The syntax of Mauritian Creole, especially the use of their question words is also interesting to note, which DeGraff explains in his book. The way in which Creole contrasts with both the English and French language is that it does not have a â€Å"subject-auxiliary inversion in connection with wh-movement.†(DeGraff P78) For example, if we directly translate the phrase â€Å"ki u ule fer dinmen?†, it would be â€Å"what you want make tomorrow?†, and in idiomatic English, â€Å"what do you want to do tomorrow?†(P78) Another example would be, â€Å"kan nu ti fer fet la?†, directly meaning â€Å"when we TNS make party DET?†and in idiomatic English, â€Å"when did we have the party?†(P78) DeGraff continues to comment that â€Å"most question words are created in Mauritian Creole by prefixing ‘ki to nouns of time, place, way and so on, which are drawn from the French lexicon.†(DeGraff P78) He then follows on by explaining †Å"such a bio morphemic way of forming wh-words appears to be typical for Creole languages.†(DeGraff P78) On the other hand, while it seems that some structural elements of Mauritian Creole are typical of creoles in general, it is important to note that Mauritian Creole is not entirely typical of Creole languages. We can take H.Wekkers opinion on this when he comments that typically â€Å"creolization is best described as a gradual process of language formation, involving a period of bilingualism in which substrate features will be transmitted.†(Wekker,H P140) He also discusses about â€Å"abrupt creolization†as a way for development when there is â€Å"extremely limited access†to the main language, but that this manner of development of a Creole language is â€Å"the exception rather than the rule.†(P141) However, we can consider that according to some theorists, Mauritian Creole is a perfect example of this kind of abrupt creolisation, whereby the language is a â€Å"radical creole.† (DeGraff P77). As a matter of fact in Sebbas book, she discusses how in 1773, it was stated in a newspaper advertisement how a lost slave did not understand the Creole language. This therefore indicates that twenty two years after the slaves were first imported to Mauritius, â€Å"an identifiable local language had developed,†(Sebba P142) which caused the slaves difficulty in comprehending. Without a doubt, this means that it can be said that this language is not essentially typical of the Creole languages in general as Mauritian Creole seemed to have developed very quickly and not necessarily derived from a pidgin language. Baker and Corne also suggest this in their book, as they believe that Mauritian Creole originated on the island of Mauritius between the years of 1727 and 1738, without ever having any connections with the pidgin languages. Moreover, they suggest that it was the slave children who created the Mauritian Creole, as when they were born in Mauritius, they outnumbered the white settlers. On the other hand of this suggestion, R ichard says â€Å"it evolved from the pidgin used by the French masters of the 18th Century to communicate with their slaves or their masters who invented the Creole language.†(A.Richards, R.Ellis, D.Shuurman P21) Therefore there is an argument which concerns to whether or not it was the slaves or their masters whom created and developed the Mauritian Creole. The fact that Mauritian Creole lacks the pidgin language, it makes it unusual and according to Wekker, it is therefore quite an â€Å"exceptional† language. (Wekker P141)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

munchausen :: essays research papers

The Analysis of Baron Munchausen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book Signs of Life, the author Linda Seger writes about heroes, and their typical characteristics, that for the most part have always been the same throughout history. Even the word hero is already put in the male tense, suggesting there that most heroes have been and will be males. For the most part Seger’s points are well taken and are backed up mostly by every heroic story I’ve ever read or seen before in my life. The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen definitely pushes the typical hero envelope, but even still, Seger’s idea of typical hero characteristics shown through in most of this crazy Monty Python type film. Seger explains from the beginning of her article that the hero usually, â€Å"begins as a nonhero; innocent, young, simple or humble† (Signs of Life; 318). This observation one finds to be false when it comes to the Baron. She goes on to write in her second point that something happens to heroes â€Å"that sets the story in motion† (Signs of Life; 319). Well how can this point be proven wrong if something didn’t get the hero started he would then cease to be hero wouldn’t they. In her third point Seger reports that the hero doesn’t really want to leave where they are, even when they’ve already been asked once. She states that the hero usually, â€Å"receives a double call to adventure† (Signs of Life; 319). Asking the hero once for the sake of 2 others isn’t enough, it’s only when it becomes personal the hero takes action. In most journeys the hero â€Å"usually receives help† (Signs of Life; 319) and typically gets it mostly from â€Å"unusual sources† (Signs of Life; 319). You’ll find that most everything the entire movie of Baron Munchausen is unusual and that the hero himself is just as unusual as the person or moon he is talking to. The final point that I have chosen to analyze from Seger’s writing in Signs of Life, comes from her fifth point. She explains that once the hero is ready to begin the hero â€Å"moves into a special world where he or she will change from the ordinary to the extraordinary† (Signs of Life; 319). This is usually the first plot point that sets the story in motion or in our case the Baron on his way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea from Seger that the hero â€Å"usually begins as a nonhero† (Signs of Life; 318) doesn’t hold true to this story at all.

Monday, November 11, 2019

PEST analysis for banks Essay

The sustainability of DCB Bank agenda has expanded rapidly. It reflects the company’s increasing focus on the wider nature of business and made the stakeholders growing interests in competitive world of business. There is now a great awareness about the global challenges such as climate changes, poverty, scarcity of resources, and demographic shifting. The responses came from the government and from different businesses, as well as the non-profit organization helped DCB Bank made it possible for the sustainability. Economic Analysis The approach to the sustainability program is useful and encourages DCB to be open and transparent to the issues such as the initiatives in further research and development, dialogue with the government and various organizations, and their priorities. DCB Bank enable to broaden their focus on corporate responsibility to prove that they play an essential role in establishing an economic advantage in the country where they operate. Social Analysis The sustainability strategy focuses in their objective to improve the value of the business and their stakeholders. They give importance on the customers and clients such as maintaining the understanding of their needs and promoting the company by measuring satisfaction. It can be only possible by focusing of their global performance by their assurance to develop an innovative solution and enhancing performance. On the other hand, the people working with DCB Bank make a great advantage in the performance of the business. In addition, they attract employees to collect the talent, develop them according to the competent world, and retaining them as much as possible. Technological Analysis DCB uses the means of technology for their business especially in the areas of Agri and Inclusive banking. Their aim to help the people in fight against poverty is possible through their financial system. The technology makes it possible to empower the system and establish a competitive advantage. Pioneering the new ideas, adding the skills and operational excellence are part of the guiding principle of the organization.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Titration

Determination of the Percent Acetic Acid in Vinegar Objectives: (1) To introduce and use the concept of solution geochemistry (2) To specifically use solution geochemistry to determine the percent of acetic acid in vinegar. (3) To prepare a standard solution by the method of titration.Consider the following balanced chemical equations: IPPP + + OH (2) (4) (5) HCI + Noah HASPS + Noah CLC + – HASPS + – Niacin + HO Nassau + OHO acacia + OHO cases + OHO These reactions in water have one feature in common: a hydrogen ion from one impound reacts with a hydroxide ion from the other compound to form water. The compound furnishing the hydrogen ion is called an acid and the one furnishing the hydroxide ion is called a base. The metal ion (the action) of the base and the anion of the acid combine to form a salt. In this context, salt is essentially synonymous with ionic compound.Reactions such as these are called acid-base reactions. The concepts of solution reactions and geochemi stry in this experiment are applicable to any chemical reaction taking place in solution, not Just the acid base reactions indicated here. Geochemistry is the area of chemistry that deals with how much of one compound reacts with another. When compounds are mixed in amounts such that these amounts Just exactly react and none of any reactant is in excess (they are all the limiting reagent), this mixture is said to be a psychometric mixture or that psychometric amounts have been mixed.Observation of the above balanced equations indicates that symptomatically reaction occurs so that the total number of hydrogen ions available in the amount of acid reacting is the same as the total number of hydroxide ions available in the amount of base reacting. Thus in reaction 2) above, one mole (or one molecule) of HASPS (sulfuric acid) can furnish the same number of hydrogen as the number of hydroxides that two mole (or two molecules) of Noah can furnish.Therefore one mole of HASPS reacts with 2 m oles of Noah (or one molecule of HASPS reacts with two molecules of Noah). This type of geochemistry information is obtained from any balanced chemical equation. In a solution the militarily, M, is the number of moles of solute in a liter of solution. Thus where n is the number of moles and V the volume in liters. By equation (6), the number of moles of solute in V liters of a solution of militarily M is Suppose one takes 34. 56 ml off 0. 13 M solution of sulfuric acid (HASPS).If one has a certain volume of sulfuric acid solution, there is one volume of a given Noah solution needed such that equivalent amounts of the two reactants are mixed. Equivalent amounts are the amounts that symptomatically react (that is, none of either reactant is left over). When the amount of Noah (in solution or otherwise) needed for psychometric reaction has been added, this is called the equivalence point. In the laboratory, the determination of the volume (the amount) of Noah required to exact symptoma tically with the sulfuric acid solution is done by a procedure called titration.A burette is used to measure an accurate volume of the sulfuric acid solution into a flask. A few drops of an indicator is added and another burette is used to add the Noah solution to the sulfuric acid solution until there is a visual change in color of the solution (due to the indicator). There is a visual change in color in the solution caused by the indicator, a substance that changes color as close as possible to the point when the psychometric amount of Noah (in this case) has been added. When the solution changes color (the indicator changes color) this is called the endpoint of the titration.The solution should be colorless and change to a pink color (for the phenolphthalein indicator used here) upon the addition of one drop of Noah iterant. The indicator phenolphthalein is pink in basic solutions and colorless in acid solutions. The solution for the titration of sulfuric acid with Noah changes f rom acidic (indicator colorless) to basic (indicator pink) at the endpoint. At the endpoint the solution is slightly basic when the iterant is a base. Other indicators have a different color change but work the same in principle. The endpoint and the equivalence point should be as nearly the same as possible.In general for a sample of an acid which has z acid hydrogen titrated with Noah, the equation using normality, CEQ 38, is unchanged but CEQ 39 becomes CEQ 40 (40) % acid = (1 of For a sample of an acid with acid acid hydrogen titrated with a base with Sybase hydroxide ions, the percent of the acid in the sample is given by (41) (Sybase/acid)(Numb)(mom of Titration are usually used to determine the amount of a substance in a sample of a old or in a solution by determining the volume of iterant that is needed to react with the desired compound.In order to do this, the militarily and/or normality of the iterant solution must be accurately known and the chemical reaction between the m must be known. This concepts and calculations above are not restricted to acid/base reactions and can be used for other types of chemical reactions. The definition of gram equivalent weight may change, however, to keep the requirement that one equivalent react with one equivalent. See the appendix to Experiment 9 for more illustration of this. If one considers the operations above, it will become clear why solutions are used in the laboratory.It would be difficult without using solutions to effect the reaction of the sodium hydroxide (a solid) with the vinegar sample (a liquid) and make accurate measurements in regard to how much sodium hydroxide would be required to react with a given sample of the vinegar. Using solutions makes the process much easier and convenient and is one of the reasons chemists use solutions. It does, however, require that one learn about solution concentrations and how they can relate to reaction geochemistry.In CEQ 32, note that in reaction only one of t he four hydrogen in acetic acid reacts with the Noah to give a salt and water. Not all the hydrogen in compounds will react with the hydroxide of Noah to form water. Those that will are called acid hydrogen and the acid hydrogen are written first in the formula for a compound. Thus the formula for acetic acid is HACHURE indicating that it has one acid hydrogen. The determination of which and how many of the hydrogen are acid hydrogen in a compound must be done experimentally but once this is done, the formula is written so as to indicate this.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

True Beauty - American Beauty And Mythological Undertones essays

True Beauty - American Beauty And Mythological Undertones essays True Beauty American Beauty and Mythological Undertones American Beauty, the winner of five Academy Awards, examines the captivating representation of the American Dream gone askew in the complex 1990s society. American Beauty was released after the dot-com rise and fall that crushed the American dreams of many, yet also gives the viewers a fresh and contemporary vision that is reminiscent of mythology. American Beauty portrays the American nightmare instead of the All-American dream and good life that society is trying to attain. The movie shows how society has achieved many goals but has never been noticed or compensated for our efforts. Beauty looks at how each of the characters is depicted in a complex fashion and how their relationships are multifaceted and often strained as a result of a variety of characteristics and personal attributes. The film exhibits many more complex issues that are left unresolved by the conclusion, including marriage, maternalism, reawakening, and morality. (1). American Beauty is a highly invent ive black comedy. It was a mystery story with a genuine final twist. It was a kalidiscopic journey through American suburbia...It was a series of love stories. It was about imprisonment in the cages we all make for ourselves and our hope-for escape. It was about loneliness. It was about beauty. One thing I was certain of, the script, like its characters, wasnt at all what it first appeared. (2). The main motif of American Beauty is the introduction of the American Dream a pursuit of happiness through material objects. It examines the various characters and how they represent and symbolize the false dream, as exposed through the life and transformation of the main character, Lester Burnham. (3). Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is imprisoned by his job and especially by his life. Lester even claims that ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

The founder of the Turkish Republic is often described as a dictator Essay

The founder of the Turkish Republic is often described as a dictator but was actually more like a latter-day king. (Andrew Ma - Essay Example A modern-day leader strives for greatness. Ataturk was the type of leader who needed to say something, stand by it and achieve it. A modern day leader does not also accept the status quo that he/she found when they took the leadership seat of their country; however, they assume a forward momentum of driving their country forward. This was the kind of leader that Ataturk was. Modern-day kings also argue coherently and cohesively. In addition, it is the aim of this paper to praise Ataturk and not to defame him by referring to him as a dictator as other previous authors have done (Dogan 2003, p. 45; Huntington 2006, p. 34; Alayarian 2008, p. 56; Blythe 2000, p. 1). The paper will first offer a short account/version of his life and achievements, followed by my key purpose of studying the political legacy of Ataturk, as well as why I consider that he is a particularly interesting and rare case of a constructive or kind dictator. His Achievements (Life and Military) Kemal Ataturk was born, in 1881, to a middle-class or average family in Salonica (Thessolaniki, Greece), in the world famous Ottoman Empire. His first name was Mustafa, but it is not known who gave him a second name, Kemal. People argue that it is his teacher due to his excellence, or he/she wanted to differentiate him from Mustafa (Mango 1999, p. 185). Others argue that the name was given to him by Ataturk himself following the release of a famous poem. All through his life, Ataturk gained the more honourific names of Pasha, Bey, Ghazi, as well as three years prior to his death, Ataturk, which stands for â€Å"Father of the Turks.† Critics argue that people can attribute both the young Ataturk’s future military occupation and his modernising changes to the reality that his father had devoted him, at a young age, to the military and also sent him to a contemporarily secular school instead of an Islamic madrassa (Mango 1999, p. 186). Also, Ataturk was enrolled in numerous military schools fro m 1893-1905, and went to be one of the Kingdom’s best young military officers, at the status of Major (Kasaba 2008, p. 45). At times, secretly, Ataturk also took part in revolutionary groups, which wanted to reform the Kingdom. Ataturk effectively defended an Ottoman fortification in Libya all through the 1911-12 Italo-Turkish warfare, which was one of the very few triumphs for the Turks against the advanced Italian forces. In 1912-13, Ataturk acquitted himself commendably once more in a losing battle in the Balkan warfare, where he was appointed to the Gallipoli peninsula, which also would motivate him for his next and more prominent role (Zurcher 1998, p. 33). During the First World War, wherein Ataturk individually opposed neutrality, he was the principal Turkish commander in the Gallipoli war (Mango, 1999, 186). This incompetent and disastrous gamble by Winston Churchill led to a total of over 250,000 deaths on both sides – Ottoman and Australian, British and New Z ealand, respectively. Ataturk fruitfully revolted waves of Allied armies and caused a big defeat on the Allied armies. He also won a crucial victory for the Turkish citizens (Ahma 2003, p. 53). He used the rest of the war to gather tactical triumphs in other regions of the Empire against British and Russian forces, in what were eventually a fated Central Powers and Ottoman war efforts that he had foreseen following a mid-war trip to

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Fruitful occasions.Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fruitful occasions.Project Management - Essay Example The philosophy used in developing the project is based on the traditional (PMBOK Guide) A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. It also incorporates the benefits and pitfalls of different techniques uses to breakdown the work structure and tools used to plan and execute the project. The risk management structure is enforced and in place during the entire project cycle and different strategies are being used to mitigate and manage possible risk. The risk management structure monitors the progress of the project executed and develops strategies to reduce the impact of any future risk on the project as well. The project is based in Bahrain and further implications of productive prospective are included contained in the project scope. 1. Project Overview: Fruitful Occasions is a service that facilitates serving delicious fresh fruit and flowers nationwide for any occasion. It specialises in artistic flower making in combination with fresh fruits, which not only looks pleasan t to eyes but also taste delicious. Customer satisfaction is the key element therefore fresh gourmet chocolate and fruits are utilised in bouquets and gift sets so that it could create a lasting impression for special occasions. Orders can either be customised or placed from catalogue through the website. Customers can select order according to the occasion or random and add to their shopping cart. Payments are accepted through PayPal, Credit and Debit Cards only. Customer’s details are saved in the order form in order to maintain confidentiality of the order. Once the order has been placed, the invoice will be sent to the customer for acknowledgement. With the acceptance of order, a contract will be established between the client and the company. In case of changes in price, first it will be communicated to the customer, if agreed then the order will be preceded (Fruitful Occasions, 2012). This report illustrates the entire project life cycle from execution, planning, schedu ling and controlling the process by usage of resources in finite time to achieve a suitable goal. It will facilitate towards provision of exclusive services in Bahrain, which includes gifts delivery, flowers and fruits bouquets nationwide. The project is time specified and within qualitative and cost constraints (Kerzner, 2009). 2. Characteristics of the Project: It is implemented under the Project Charter, which encompasses the needs and specification of the project within its defined scope. The characteristics of the project are further illustrated below (Kerzner, 2009, pp. 23-27). 2.1 Aims and Objectives: The aim of this project is the execution of flower and fruits gift services in Bahrain, which shall be par excellence of the customers’ demands. The objectives are finite as it aims to reach household and corporate sector. It works on demand and premium delivery services to ordinary delivery services that is attainable and can be measurable in terms of profit and happy cu stomers. 2.2 Scope and Constraints: The scope of the project facilitates to provide premium or excellent quality flowers and fresh delicious fruits to the new market. It will also focus on high customer satisfaction and PR reviews. The funds for the project are within the project scope as executed by the company’s management and board. Lastly, the time is critical and important for the project life cycle therefore it is essential for the project to be completed with the prescribed time limit. 2.3 Stakeholders: The main stakeholder of the project is the company

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Comprehensive Strategic Case Analysis of Real Chocolate Study

Comprehensive Strategic Analysis of Real Chocolate - Case Study Example The company is noted for its perfection in hand made gourmet chocolate made from finest quality ingredients with no artificial preservatives added. This paper presents a strategic analysis of the case real chocolate company using some analytical tools such as the PESTLE framework, Porter's five forces and competitive advantage etc. The paper is structured as follows, in part one using the PESTLE framework the paper analyses the environment in which the company is operating based on the case, the Five forces framework of Porter also help us to beef our analysis. Part two of the paper carries out an internal analysis of the real chocolate company, by using basic financial ratios, the SWOT matrix, to identify its competitive advantage and resources capabilities while part three of the paper now uses Porters generic strategy and the TOWS matrix. In the concluding part of the paper, using the balance scorecard some recommendation are made. PESTEL framework is used here because the analysis is concerned with the Macro-environmental influences which can better be analysed by use of the PESTEL framework. Johnson et al (2006) states that the PESTEL framework is a framework that can be used to categorise the factors that influence the business environment of an organisation into six main types including: Political Influences, Economic influences, Technological influences, Social Influences, Environmental influences, and Legal influences. (See appendix 1). The political environment of the United States was unstable following the period of the case with the then Republican government loosing popularity because of the war in Iraq the tooth for tat with Iran, its neglect of Russian on key international issues. The situation was further made worst by its war for peace captioned "war against terror". Thus, at the time of the case, the poor political climate of the States must have affected the operations of real chocolate company international expansion. In 2006, the political situation of the countries was the beans are grown affected production negatively. Economic factors that affected real chocolate companies from the case, prices vary due to monetary fluctuations, raw materials are sources from other countries, the trade between US and Canada were the stores are based are liable to exchange rate fluctuations. Social factors include growth in population. It was reported in June 2006, that the black pod, frosty pod, and witches' broom di seases could adversely affect the cacao beans if these plant diseases are not controlled. Obesity is becoming a major concern in the USA. In 1986, the Centers for Disease Control reported that just eight states had 10 to 14 percent of the residents obese. Technological factor offers real chocolate company an opportunity of automated production without affecting

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

‘Strategic Hrm and Performance Essay Example for Free

‘Strategic Hrm and Performance Essay The people in an organization are considered to be one of the most valuable resources of today’s firms. Other resources such as brands, products, processes, technological advancement, economies of scale can still provide a competitive advantage but an organisation’s human capital are more vital for its sustainability. The idea that an organisation’s Human Resource can play a strategic role in determining its success has led to the development of a field of research commonly referred to as Strategic Human Resource Management. The understanding of the causal relationship between HR and organisational performance helps HR managers to design policies that will bring forth better operational efficiency to achieve higher organizational performance. The emergence of ‘strategic’ HRM represents a paradigm shift from the traditional HRM models. It is concerned more specifically with the relationship between HRM and the strategic context. (Wood, Holman and Stride, 2006: 100) HR practices are the main tool which an organisation can use to change the pool of human capital as well as an attempt to shift and align organisational behaviours which leads to organisational success. The skills, behaviour and attitudes of employees must fit the strategic needs of the firm in order for it to develop a competitive advantage. However, the singular focus on the strategic interests of an organisation have been criticised by some who suggest that this may be to the detriment of the employees (Van Buren, Greenwood and Sheehan, 2011: 209) There has been a steady growth over the last two decades of research literature around  strategic HRM and according to Gooderham, Parry and Ringdal (2008: 2042), this can be broadly divided into three main kinds of theories Universalistic, Contingency and Configurational. Universalistic theories have an underlying assumption that there is a direct link between some human resource practices and organisational performance across all organisations and under all conditions (Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, and Drake, 2009: 68) and are concerned with ‘best practice’. Contingency theories reject the universal applicability of human resource practices, therefore supposing that the relationship between them and performance will differ depending on various external and internal factors and influences. Configurational theories suggest that the impact of strategic HRM on organisational performance is dependent on the use of an effective combination of interconnected human resource practices. This provides a useful framework for closer examination of the link between theory and practice. Universalistic Theory: In relation to the universalistic theory, the current literature provides much empirical evidence for a direct and linear link between strategic HRM and a positive impact on organisational performance (Boselie, Dietz and Boon, 2005: 67; Combs, Liu, Hall and Ketchen, 2006: 501; Katou and Budhwar, 2006: 1248; Stavrou, Brewster and Charalambous, 2010: 952). In their study of the retail industry, Chuang and Liao (2010: 185) concluded there was a clear link between strategic HRM and performance. They found that human resource practices can facilitate a â€Å"climate of concern† for both customers and employees which subsequently encourages employees to work well with their customers and co-workers which is essential in achieving higher levels of market performance. However the specific ways in which human resource practices impact on organisational outcomes are not always clear and their level of impact has been subject to criticism. Whilst there is strong  evidence to support the view that universal ‘best practices’ provide a strong foundation for strategic HRM, other factors need to be considered in order to achieve a higher level of performance. (Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, and Drake, 2009: 68). Despite the volume of evidence to suggest the contrary, there is also an increasing consensus in the current literature amongst researchers that human resource practices themselves do not directly impact on performance. Instead, it is suggested that they merely influence resources, such as the human capital, or how employees behave, and it is these, rather than the practices themselves, that subsequently lead to performance. (Katou and Budhwar, 2006: 1224). The ability to influence through strong leadership plays an important role in helping employees to be aware of the sets of HR best practices. These best practices need the support of top-level managers to adopt them in the first place, which in turn will greatly influence the buy-in from the rest of the employees in the organization. If these so called ‘best practices’ are mainly from the perspective of top management and shareholders, while there is no room for employees’ voices to be heard, the theoretical aspect of strategic HRM will not work. In their study of performance and strategic HRM in Call Centres across the UK, Wood, Holman and Stride (2006: 120) found very limited support for the human resource-performance relationship and identified inconsistent results across practices and performance. Furthermore, in other research conducted by Hesketh and Fleetwood (2006: 678), they conclude that â€Å"the empirical evidence for the existence of an HRM–performance link is inconclusive†. In real life, companies may need to respond to external pressures which creates problems of treating employees with consistency of treatment, especially over time and may cause problems of retaining good and loyal staff. Simply developing the appropriate HR practices in theory will not be enough because HR advantages also depend on how these practices are implemented on the ground. For example, an organisation that focuses on the well-being of their employees in an economic recession or times of increased competition may be forced to decide between commitment to employees and a need to cut costs, restructure or lay-offs in order to stay solvent. Therefore, looking for a link between HR practices and performance is a futile effort because the main focus needs to be on the relationship between policy, practices, processes, implementation  and performance. This is a huge effort that is not easily and practically achieved in many organisations today. Contingency Theory: In relation to the contingency theory described by Gooderham, Parry and Ringdal (2008: 2042), whereby the relationship between strategic HRM practices and performance is said to vary according to different external and internal factors and contextual variables, there is some support. Internal influences identified in the literature include factors such as technology, structure and size of the organisation and business strategy, and external influences include factors such as the legal, social and political environment (Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, and Drake, 2009: 66). For instance, within Wal-Mart, those in charge of logistics have extremely valuable and unique skills, much more so than the average sales associate. On the other hand, at Nordstrom’s, because customer service is important, sales associate skills are more critical to the strategy than those of the logistics employees. Indeed Godard (2010: 466) argues that a key criticism of the current research around strategic HRM practices is its failure to pay sufficient systematic attention to these variables and to the impact that historical, institutional and socioeconomic conditions may have had on human resource practices over time. Similarly, Hueslid and Becker (2001: 427) suggest that whilst the nature of work and organisations has undergone considerable change over the past two decades, the practice of strategic HRM has changed much less and this failure to adapt and be flexible has a direct impact on how well it works in practice and how much influence it has on organisational performance. Relating to this, Kim (2010: 42) asserts that understanding employees’ expectations for their work environment is fundamental to developing successful human resource practices including expectations around merit awards, promotion and career development opportunities and organisational rules. Critics of the contingency theory approach, however, suggest that whilst the arguments surrounding it build a theoretical foundation that is more solid that that of the universalistic approach, the evidence of its effectiveness in practice does not reach the same level of statistical validity. (Martin-Alcazar, Romero-Fernandez and Sanchez-Gardey, 2005: 636). Configurational Theory: Finally, with regard to the third theory proposed by Gooderham, Parry and Ringdal (2008: 2042), there appears to be a strong evidence base of support in the current literature for configurational theory. This theory suggests that the impact of strategic HRM is dependent on the effective combination of a range of interrelated and multi-dimensional practices that must work well with one another in order to achieve positive performance outcomes. In their study of strategic HRM and organisational development in British manufacturing firms, De Menezes, Wood and Gelade (2010: 468), concur with this and argue that strategic HRM only has the ability to achieve multiple goals and higher organisational performance, when it is fully integrated with other practices. Similarly, Boxall and Purcell (2000: 186) note that too often there remains a marked tendency in organisations to view human resource practices as an end in themselves, rather than as integral to the organisation and they are therefore are not appropriately linked in to one another and to other management practices, which subsequently impacts on how effectively they operate. The role and skills of human resource practitioners has also been the subject of much research in relation to what impact they have in making strategic HRM work in practice. Some commentators suggest that in order for practices to be effective, practitioners need to possess key strategic skills and core abilities including a high level of knowledge about the business and the environment in which it operates, organisational effectiveness skills, and conflict management skills (Ingham, 2010: 32). Furthermore, Van Buren, Greenwood and Sheehan (2011: 210) propose that the duality of roles that human resource practitioners have historically played, as both employer representatives and as employee advocates, has led to complications and may impact on how effective human resource management is in practice. They go on to suggest that human resource managers face pressures to emphasise employer goals, and often this impacts negatively on their role of advocating for employee welfare, and that they are constrained by demands of their managers and the organisational cultures in which they operate. (2011: 211). Related to this, another feature of the current literature is how  human resource practices are implemented and by whom within organisations. The evidence suggests that rather than being seen as a ‘specialist’ role, much of the work around human resource practice is increasingly being delegated to middle managers to implement. Critics of this approach suggest that these managers are not equipped with the essential skills and time needed to effectively implement strategic HRM. Growing workloads and rising expectations of their roles have increased tensions within their position as middle managers, with their perception that they do not have the time or resources to effectively manage their staff (McConville and Holden, 1999: 406). In a study of line manager involvement in human resource practice in the NHS, Currie and Proctor (2001: 53) found that line managers are important to strategic change within the organisation when given discretion to implement human resource strategies within their own teams. However, managers may not place the same value on strategic HRM, and managers are much more reactive than proactive, and are not likely to prioritise human resource issues unless any problems associated with them become critical. Many managers in today’s organisations are more task oriented because of the demands of multi-tasking, while ideally they should be spending most of their time really managing their staff and departments. This may not be entirely their fault because many organisations today are often dominated by cost-benefit analysis and talk a lot about trade-offs rather than the emotional and mental well-being of their employees. Another key feature of the literature is associated with the methodological challenges that exist in assessing to what extent strategic HRM theory works in practice. These challenges arise from the lack of a single agreed definition or list of human resource practices or systems to measure the relationship between strategic HRM and organisational performance (Paauwe, 2009: 136). The absence of this means that performance may only be ascribed to the specific effects of single interventions rather than measured as a whole. It has been recognised that the development and evaluation of a more comprehensive model demonstrating a causal link between strategic HRM and performance is needed. (Huselid and Becker, 2011: 422). Wright and McMahan (2011: 95) propose that there are three key measures that exist whereby the effectiveness of human capital and therefore human resource practices can be  measured. These include: subjective measures such as employee perceptions; proxy measures which are used as alternatives where aspects of practice are difficult to quantify; and direct assessments which involves measuring tangible factors such as levels of academic attainment of employees or productivity. However, they acknowledge that these measures are not necessarily easy to implement and that all pose challenges for those wanting to research and measure the effectiveness of human resource practices. Others argue that any measures of the impact of strategic HRM and human resource practices are at high risk of bias and misinterpretation and any results relating to this should therefore be treated with caution (Gardner and Wright, 2009: 68). Conclusion: The purpose of this paper is not to ignore the importance of Strategic Human Resource Management theories and the benefits it brings to organisations’ competitive advantage. The studies put in by many renowned theorists seemed to show that there is indeed a link between well executed Human Resource policies and strategies with organizational performance: Table 1: Outcomes of research on the link between HR and organizational performance. Source: Michael Armstrong (2006). Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action. Kogan Page. London. p. 73-74 The current research literature provides a very mixed view of how well the theory of strategic HRM works in practice. Whilst some studies provide convincing evidence to point to a direct causal link with strategic HRM and high organisational performance, others provide equally compelling evidence to suggest that there is no link and in some cases, even a negative correlation with good performance. In addition, many studies suggest that there are a wide range of variables which impact on how effectively the theory of strategic HRM translates into practice, and which make it difficult to differentiate the impact of strategic HRM from other management activities, and other factors including internal and external organisational pressures and drivers, the type and size of the organisation, and the skill base and strategic placement of human resource management related roles  within the organisation. It also depends on whether the organisation has the capability and the skilled resources to communicate and implement the HR strategies across all level in the organisation. For example, from top management to department heads or from line managers to service staff as well as interactions between departments and employees. The issue is additionally problematic when combined with the lack of consensus on the measures to be used to assess the impact of strategic HRM on performance. A major challenge for Strategic Human Resource Management in the near future is to is to establish a clear and consistent construct for organisational performance. Despite the strong theoretical grounds for believing that strategic HRM should be beneficial for organisational performance, the evidence in practice is ambiguous. Strategic HRM is a complex and ever evolving process and given the contesting evidence and the lack of agreed metrics, the debate around whether or not strategic HRM works in practice will continue on. One aspect of this debate, however, where there does seem to be consensus, is around the need for further research in this area, and perhaps only with this, can the debate ever be truly settled. Reference List Boselie, P., Dietz, G., and Boon, C. (2005) â€Å"Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance†, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 15 (1), pp. 67–94. Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2000) â€Å"Strategic Human Resource Management: where have we come from and where should we be going?† International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 2 (2), pp. 183-203. Chuang, C.H. and Liao, H. (2010) â€Å"Strategic Human Resource Management in Service Context: Taking Care of Business by Taking Care of Employees and Customers†, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 63, pp. 153-196. Currie, G. and Procter, S. (2001) â€Å"Exploring the Relationship between HR and Middle Managers†, Personnel Review, Vol. 11 (3), pp. 53-69. De Menezes, L.M., Wood, S. and Gelade, G. (2010) â€Å"The integration of human resource and operation management practices and its link with performance: A longitudinal latent class study†, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 28, pp. 455-471. Edgar, F. and Geare, A. (2005). â€Å"HRM practice and employee attitudes: Different measures – different results†, Personnel Review, Vol. 34 (5), pp. 534-549. Godard, J. 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