Destruction with Total Control Essay

In the book Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell shows the thesis to be that totalitarianism is destructive. He shows this by the rather unfortunate setting which has been put this way because the lack of concern. The conflict with the characters shows how a place being led by totalitarianism will unravel even what were at some point the closest relationships. Also with the plot development, eventually the government will destroy everything, including your brain throughout threats and torture. One of the first things it starts off with is the physical being of the city, the setting of the novel. Winston notices how the apartments could use a lot of work and they need constant fixing such as;â€Å"The plastered flakes fell constantly from ceilings and walls, the pipes burst in every hard frost† (22). The government could care less about what the city looks like and peoples wellbeing so most of the average people have to deal with problems like that with their homes. Winston mentions â€Å"On each landing, opposite the lift shaft the poster with the enormous face gazed on the wall†¦Big Brother is watching you, caption beneath it ran† (1-2). This is showing the complete take over by the frightful posters being plastered everywhere making sure everyone knows they aren’t safe. The city was filled with telescreens that would watch their every move, â€Å"It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any place within range of a telescreen† (65). The telescreens made it so that people had no place to think freely because there were practically no places where you weren’t under constant surveillance. Which is how totalitarianism destroys the setting in the novel. The destruction of relationships though conflict plays a big role in the book. Mr. Parsons, Winston’s neighbour, talks about his daughter who â€Å"Heard what [he] was saying and nipped off to the patrols the next day† (245). He was sleep talking about bringing Big Brother down, because his daughter had been taught to be a spy she reported him, not even thinking of the fact that she was getting rid of her own father. After Winston was being tortured because of the thought crime he committed and O’Brian was sent to change his ways â€Å"O’Brian drew back the lever on the dial. The wave of pain receded almost as quickly as it had come† (257). Even though he had been in the brotherhood with him O’Brian still betrayed Winston because he knew if he didn’t he would be the one enduring all of the pain. Winston and Julia were very close, in love even, but when asked after the torture â€Å"he had confessed in the most trivial detail everythin g that happened at their meetings† (286). Instead of being a good person he completely turned against her because of what the government had done to him. Showing how with totalitarianism comes the destruction of relationships. The plot really ties the whole idea that eventually after destroying everything else the totalitarian government will destroy the mind. They twist words to make it seems as though they are always right and even if it’s not true make it seem like you’re in the wrong. â€Å"Shall I tell you why we have brought you here? To cure you! Make you sain!† (265). Even though Winston had the right idea to betray Big Brother O’Brian makes him think he’s not mentally well for doing so. The government made sure that the mental change would be permanent â€Å"What happens to you here is forever†¦We shall crush you down to the point from which there is no coming back† (266). Giving you no way to change your mind after if you did not agree, making it as though they had complete control over you. Finally after Winston had been though all of the physical and mental tortures, what he said he would rather die than do, he did. He finally said â€Å"he had won the battle over himself. He loved Big Brother† (311). This proved they had completely destroyed and remade his brain, breaking down all of his morals and changing his outlooks on life. All proving how the destruction of your brain is inevitable with a totalitarian society. Throughout exploring some key traits of the book such as the dreadful setting which could only have put people in a bad mood. All of the conflicts with the characters putting them through so much torture and mind control to teach them to betray practically anyone other than Big Brother. As well as the plot of the destruction of the mind and how to accomplish that, Orwell proves his thesis to be that totalitarianism is destructive. From the outside in eventually you will be destroyed.

Macbeth English CW Essay

Malcolm calls Macbeth and Lady Macbeth ‘this dead butcher and his fiend like queen,’ (Act 5, Scene 9, Line 36). Do you think that Lady Macbeth has any redeeming qualities? In this essay I will try to show that Lady Macbeth, although she is evil, does have some redeeming qualities. I think that Lady Macbeth does have redeeming qualities and that she shows these at different points throughout the play. I think that we can see Lady Macbeth as a different person because we see what happens at points when Malcolm doesn’t. We know that Lady Macbeth was not responsible for the killing of Banquo and The thane of Fife’s wife and children. However, there is ambiguity over the question of whether Lady Macbeth is a witch or not. In these times a witch could have been identified by her ability to predict the future, fly, sail in sieves, bring on night in daytime and their ‘damned spot’. This is a supposed red mark on a witch’s body from where the devil has supposedly sucked blood. In act 1, scene 5 she says: ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty’ This suggests that she wants evil spirits to take over to allow her to do what needs to happen. This makes us think that she may be a witch. In Elizabethan times people were quite scared of witches and King James, the king at the time, was especially fascinated by witches. In act 1, scene 5 Lady Macbeth seems very pleased to receive Macbeth’s letter but we see her say that she doesn’t think that Macbeth will be brave enough to murder Duncan for the crown. We also see that she is ambitious and ruthless when she says: ‘And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round,’ But she appears to be ambitious for her husband and not for herself. I think that this is a redeeming quality as she just wants to help her husband, as she doesn’t think he will go through with it because he is not tough enough. This seems fiend like as to suggest to kill a king is awful, made even worse by the fact that he will be sleeping and unarmed. A soldier would only consider killing and armed man, in battle morally right but to kill a guest is morally wrong. This is also regicide, and Shakespeare was taking a big risk putting such a controversial thing into one of his plays. I think that Lady Macbeth might horrify the audience with her language here especially when she says: ‘Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal.’ I think that the audience would have been particularly shocked with the words ‘metaphysical aid’ as these are supernatural forces. I think that the audience would have been shocked further when Lady Macbeth says: ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty’ Here Lady Macbeth calls to the evil spirits and asks them to full her with cruelty. This would have suggested that she either was a witch or wanted to become a witch. For the audience at this time this would have been horrifying. The words that Shakespeare uses suggest that Lady Macbeth’s head is full of thoughts of becoming queen, especially when she says, ‘crown’. Also the alliteration in the phrase, ‘to the toe topfull’, stresses the ‘t’ sounds and stresses the syllables of ‘topfull’. Then Shakespeare uses soft ‘s’ sounds, which sound like hissing, suggest Lady Macbeth’s association with evil. The association with evil comes from the story of Adam and Eve. In the Bible Adam and Eve are tempted by a snake to take an apple from the tree. This snake was in fact the devil and this therefore associates a snake (or hissing sounds) with the devil and evil. I don’t think that Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is conventional for the time as she seems to have a more male role. She seems stronger than Macbeth and in a way seems to have a power over him. She hasn’t even spoken to him yet and she has already decided what the plan of action is going to be in order for him to become king. In Act 1, Scene 6, we see Lady Macbeth welcoming Duncan to her house. In this scene she plays the role of the hostess and seems to be extremely evil in this scene. We have just seen her telling Macbeth about the plan to kill Duncan and now she is being really nice to Duncan. This will cause the audience to dislike her as we can see that she is obviously not a very nice person. This shows her as being really two faced and insincere towards Duncan. She is being, as she tells Macbeth to be later on, the innocent flower but the serpent underneath. In Act 1, Scene 7, we see Macbeth talking to himself and saying that he has no motives or good reasons to kill Duncan. But then Lady Macbeth comes in and uses blackmail and she taunts him to get him to go through with this, and to get her own way. ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.’ This suggest that Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth is a coward and therefore not a man. This is fiend like as she is blackmailing Macbeth into doing it. She is telling him he is not a man, and to be unmanned was a bad thing in Elizabethan times. Lady Macbeth, therefore, looks like she is very responsible for Duncan’s death as it wouldn’t have even happened if Lady Macbeth hadn’t persuaded Macbeth to do it. In this scene Macbeth appears to be weak and not the dominant person in this relationship. Also she doesn’t appear to show any recognition that what she is doing is so wrong. I think that Lady Macbeth would shock the audience when she says that she would rather kill her own child than break such a promise as this one. ‘†¦I have given suck and know How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This also shoes Lady Macbeth’s fiend like qualities. This statement would have shocked the audience greatly. She says that she would kill her own baby while it was smiling at her while she was breast feeding it if she had sworn to do so. This is a shocking statement and I think it would have shocked anyone. This truly shows how evil she is. This statement also raises another point of ambiguity. Lady Macbeth says, ‘I have given suck†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This suggests that she has had a baby but there appears to be no child now. This raises the question of where the child is or if it is even alive. In Act 2, Scene 2 Lady Macbeth appears to have a few redeeming qualities. The fact that she has had to have a drink because she isn’t feeling brave is a redeeming quality. Also the fact that her thought are flicking around shows her tension and suggests that she is not as impenetrably ruthless as she seems. ‘†¦He is about it. The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores.’ This is another redeeming quality as it may shows her feeling guilty. Also when she says: ‘†¦Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t.’ This shows that she does have compassion as she couldn’t kill someone who looked like her father. Also in this scene when Macbeth comes back from killing Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a frantic, disjointed conversation while Macbeth is holding the daggers. This conversation last for thirty seven lines and it is only on the last line that Lady Macbeth realises that Macbeth is still holding the daggers. This shows how panic stricken they are and how neither is thinking clearly. This is a redeeming quality as this suggests that Lady Macbeth feels guilty and worried. In Act 2, Scene 3, Lady Macbeth faints when she hears that Duncan has been murdered. This is ambiguous as we don’t know if she is actually fainting or whether she is trying to cover up the situation. However this point is ambiguous as there are a number of reasons for why she might have fainted. She could be surprised (or even dismayed) that Macbeth is acting on his own or she might be shocked at Macbeth’s rashness when he kills the guards. Another point is that she might genuinely be upset at Macbeth’s gory description, as she said that Duncan reminded her of her father. The story which is probably more likely is that she is trying to draw attention away from the fact that Macbeth killed the guards to stop him from looking so guilty. This shows how evil she is. She doesn’t want people to focus on it too much and she also doesn’t want to be blamed. In Act 3, Scene 2, we see that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have drifted apart ad become more distant. Macbeth has become more independent as well. We see this when we see that Macbeth has made plans to kill Banquo, but Lady Macbeth is not involved. This is a redeeming quality as we see that Lady Macbeth has nothing to do with this murder, only they murder of Duncan which was to help her husband anyway. She seems to be affected by this as she asks him what will happen, ‘What’s to be done?’, but Macbeth won’t tell her. In Act 3, Scene 4, we see the banquet held by Macbeth. Lady Macbeth seems to be different at the start of this scene as Macbeth says, ‘our hostess keeps her state’. These suggest that Lady Macbeth is sitting quietly, away from everyone else. This shows that she is not acting like the conventional hostess. This also ambiguous and suggests that Lady Macbeth may have begun to lose her mind already or she may be feeling isolated as she and Macbeth have drift apart. This could also shows that she is feeling guilty which is a redeeming quality. However, as soon as Macbeth leaves the feast Lady Macbeth goes after him to remind him that he mustn’t leave and that he needs to go and be the host. When Macbeth starts to see Banquo and behave weirdly, Lady Macbeth covers up for him but tells him to stop being stupid and entertain the guests. ‘You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting With most admired disorder.’ Here she is scorning Macbeth for ruining the banquet and drawing attention to himself. Lady Macbeth does not seem to feel guilty in this scene but she does seem afraid. I don’t think that she shows signs of feeling in this scene as she still blackmails and taunts Macbeth to get him to sit down and act as though everything is normal. Act 5, Scene 1 is the last scene that we see with Lady Macbeth in it. I think that Shakespeare uses the sleepwalking in this scene so that all can be revealed by Lady Macbeth to another character. I think that in this scene we begin to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth and I think that she has some redeeming qualities in this scene. One is that she acknowledges that she has done something wrong. ‘What will these hands ne’er be clean?’ This shows that she thinks she has blood on her hands and she wants then to be clean. She obviously feels guilty as she is having nightmares about it all. Also in this scene Lady Macbeth begins to speak in prose. Shakespeare always makes his main characters speak in verse but Lady Macbeth no longer speaks in verse. This shows that she is mad and is no longer important to the play. Also I think another redeeming quality is that she seems to feel responsible for all the deaths throughout the play, even tough she was only really responsible for one of the deaths, Duncan’s. I think that in this scene we begin to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth and like her a bit more. This scene shows that she does have redeeming qualities and that she isn’t completely evil. I don’t think that lady Macbeth is a ‘fiend like queen’. I think she is evil but has many redeeming qualities which make her seem a lot better as you go through the play. I also think that the fact that we see more of Lady Macbeth than Malcolm does mean we have the opportunity to see these redeeming qualities whereas Malcolm might not. I think that the moral of this play is don’t kill the king. It is not honourable or good and it will come back to haunt you.

English Literature - High school 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

English Literature - High school 1 - Essay Example However, the latter’s love for hunting has surpassed one’s expectations. General Zaroff’s unique hunting style has made him very selfish, egotistic, and inhumane: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ Every day I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry with which I can match my wits.† The aforementioned internal conflicts are somehow in contrast with how General Zaroff poised himself from the beginning up to the end of the story. He showed no remorse feelings or sign of conscience with what he has been doing. Always the hunter but never the prey, the General’s character is unique of its kind. As a young boy, his selfishness and inhumanness grew day by day as he was able to hone his marksmanship, mercilessly killing all animals that come in harm’s way. By being egotistic (or narcissistic), he never valued life, much less human life. And knowing that he is a gifted hunter, he never showed importance to anyone; thus everyone and everything within his eye s ight is disposable – like his pack of dogs and his loyal servant Ivan. These internal conflicts are put to an end when, with great pride from General Zaroff, he is defeated by Rainsford: â€Å"The general made one of his deepest bows. â€Å"I see,† he said. â€Å"Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford. . . .† Unlike General Zaroff, Sanger Rainsford shows compassion for hunting. He condones cold-blooded murder and value human life. But because he is a prisoner of General Zaroff, Rainsford became fearful, angry, and indignant. He is fearful for his life, knowing that his existence on the island is ticking day in and out. He is also angry with the hunting style of General Zaroff, as mentioned in the story: â€Å"Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists. The gen eral was playing with him! The general was saving him for another day's sport! The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.† And because he never knew how it was to become the prey, Rainsford is indignant with the General’s treatment of him – being a mouse trapped in an island of terror. Through his quick wit and vast experience in hunting, Rainsford is able to resolve these internal conflicts by defeating General Zaroff: â€Å"He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided.† 2. Setting provides much more than just the backdrop for the action of a story. In addition to giving the time and place, setting establishes the atmosphere/mood and influences the characters. Setting also affects readers emotions, for example, a story set in a dank and foul dungeon instantly lowers our sprits. Choose one of the short stories from the list below and analyze how the story's setting contributes to the stor y and affects the reader (be sure to indicate which story you chose). The short story â€Å"Thank You, M'am† by Langston Hughes is set late in the evening, along the dark, dimly-lit streets of an unnamed city. The streets are already quiet, with very few people and automobiles pass by. It seems that the neighborhood has been quite tired from the day’s work. It wants to rest from all the shouting and blowing of horns during its waking hours. And like its setting, the story’s main character, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, is also tired, almost dragging herself to walk by the streets. She is carrying her purse like she was

Curriculum Trends Paper [Education] Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Curriculum Trends Paper [Education] - Essay Example Consequently, the academia across the world, especially the educational curriculum needs to undergo far-reaching transformation so that our children can effectively meet the needs of the changing times. The compulsions of the present times require versatility in the work ideology and functioning, thus making it imperative that new skills and strategic paradigms are evolved to meet the emerging challenges with efficiency and unmatched proficiency. The process of globalization and advancing technology which has brought about huge plethora of issues, need to be incorporated in the curricula. Education serves as the most effective platform to introduce changes within the social fabric of countries across the world. The graph shows the two years comparative of completion and persistence of post secondary students (graph 1, appendix) UNESCO has observed that â€Å"the diversity, complexity, and changing nature of basic learning needs of children, youth and adults necessitate broadening and constantly redefining the scope of basic education† (UNESCO, 1995). Four major factors have been identified that have major impact on the society and the incorporation of strategic flexibility i n the curricula is expected to facilitate the wide ranging ramifications of these factors. In the next ten years, the curriculum is expected to incorporate the following changes within its strategic goals and objectives. Globalization has brought together people from different cultures, religion, nation and races. The need to evolve common values and collective goals for societies so that people from diverse fields comprising different race, religion, color and culture may coexist in relative harmony and mutual cooperation has become imperative. The table indicates gender wise ethnic diversity in United State (table 1, appendix). Huntington reflects that â€Å"the great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural†(Huntington, 1993). Some of the negative

The SWOT and the PESTLE Analysis of Morrison Plc Essay - 1

The SWOT and the PESTLE Analysis of Morrison Plc - Essay Example This paper illustrates that expanding the network of new stores is a unique opportunity for Morrison and the current discount policy and other incentives from competitors to the retail customers are the biggest threat to the company. In the PESTLE analysis, tax imbalance puts the unfavorable effect on Morrison’s performance. Inflation offers similar challenges. Socially, Morrison has signed ethical audit agreement and technologically it has replaced manual system with machines. Legally, it may face litigation cost whereas environmentally it has received an award for reducing carbon footprint. Organisations face numerous internal and external threats. For assessing and understanding the type and level of their impact on their financial performance, different macro analysis tools are used including the SWOT and the PESTLE analysis. The SWOT analysis is mostly used for assessing both internal and external capabilities and challenges in which strengths and weaknesses evaluate the internal capabilities whereas the opportunities and threats are used for investigating the external factors which directly or indirectly affect the financial and operational performance of organizations. Similarly, the PESTLE analysis is a typical external environment tool which is fundamentally used to highlight those factors which have the capability to affect the organizations. in this regard, it is important to point out that the PESTLE analysis reflects only those factors which are beyond the control of organizations and they are only required to adjust their strategic marketing for avoiding or gaining advantage from the effects of external factors. In this regard, Morrison has different internal strengths and weaknesses and there are some threats along with opportunities for the organizations. In the following parts of this report, first Morrison’s background is provided in which some basic information for the company has been given. It is followed by the SWOT analysis in which Morrison’s existing competence level has been evaluated. Subsequently, before the conclusion and recommendations part, the PESTLE analysis has been carried out.

Propaganda Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Propaganda - Term Paper Example Firstly, the total can be understood as a function of the effect of the entire message. Lowe’s provided on its handouts the following quote, â€Å"To honor our armed forces, Lowes will be providing customers will complimentary bumper stickers that offer a simple ‘Thank You’ to our troops. A limited quantity of ‘Thank You’ stickers, with an image of the American flag, will be available in-store during the veterans day weekend.† The totality of this message, although simple, has various levels of meaning that help to explain why such a symbol serves as a piece of propaganda (Collins 15). Though further meaning will be extrapolated from each of the words that this statement entails, it is important to weigh the statement from its total meaning. Two main thoughts are therefore passed to the reader. The first of these is that it is their responsibility to honor sacrifice. The second is that Lowe’s is performing this service by virtue of its u nderstanding of the role it plays as a community leader. Secondly, the particular piece of propaganda must be understood with relation to the time that it appeared. Firstly, this understanding of time is with relation to the time of year that the bumper stickers appeared; that of Veteran’s Day. Thus, the powerfully evocative effect is that one understands this particular part of the year/season is important and should necessarily be noted by both shopper and retailer alike. It is worth additionally noted that implied within this form of propaganda is the distinct understanding the sacrifices of the troops that are being â€Å"thanked† allows us to enjoy the American way – capitalism, low prices, and a warehouse full of choices. Although none of this is directly printed, the implied levels of meaning are most certainly extant. Likewise, the element of time relates to some other concurrent

The Proctor & Gamble Company Executive Financial Summary Research Paper

The Proctor & Gamble Company Executive Financial Summary - Research Paper Example The net sales for P&G remained at $79,029 million in the year 2009 whereas its net sales in 2008 were a bit high amounting to $81,748 million. The net sales for the year 2007 remained at $74,832 million. The net income for P&G remained at $13,436 million in the year 2009 whereas its net income in 2008 remained a bit low amounting to $12,075 million. For the year 2007, the net income for the year remained at $10,340 million. Cash generated by Operating Activities for P&G remained at $14,919 million in the year 2009 whereas its Cash generated by Operating Activities in 2008 remained a bit high amounting to $15,008 million. For the year 2007, Cash generated by Operating Activities for the year remained at $13,410 million. Cash used in Investing Activities for P&G remained at $(2,353) million in the year 2009 whereas its Cash used in Investing Activities in 2008 remained a bit high amounting to $(2,549) million. For the year 2007, Cash used in Investing Activities for the year remained at $(2,483) million. Cash generated by Financing Activities for P&G remained at $(10,814) million in the year 2009 whereas its Cash generated by Financing Activities in 2008 remained a bit high amounting to $(14,844) million. For the year 2007, Cash generated by Financing Activities for the year remained at $(12,453) million. P&G - A Company History - 1837-Today. (2012). P&G - A Company History - 1837-Today. Retrieved October 14, 2012, from P&G - A Company History - 1837-Today:

PACS Controller and Image Archive Server Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

PACS Controller and Image Archive Server - Essay Example In fact, the total hospital image management system has been revolutionised with the advent of these systems that began with the use of DICOM image communication software in the clinical radiodiagnostics3. With different providers coming forward and providing these archiving and management systems, the systems across hospitals are becoming increasingly computerised with use of digital optical archives. Although these are expected to ease the image and data acquisition, there could be mechanical troubles on acquisition devices, problems with the schemes of image transmission, problems with retrieval of images, and difficulty in displaying images4. These problems have been reported to be encountered in the early phase of implementation of these systems in some hospitals, currently, the providers like Agfa and Fujifilm provide advanced systems, and these new generation systems are comparatively easier to use. They have been able to accomplish these with the use of improved hardware and software. Despite these, these systems are not free from criticisms since many users have encountered problems with digitizer on one hand and on the other, use of this new and novel system was bugged with paucity of operating processes due to lack of experience5. The greatest advantage was perceived to be the capability to access every archived radiologic image which had been impossible with the traditional flat plate radiographic image acquisition systems due mainly to inability to integrate images with the future investigations6. It has been strongly criticised, however, that the complicated image display system would need improvement since still now, the radiologists regard the conventional image viewing system to be the best. This indicates need for further research into this area to be able to develop and implement systems which are worth wider acceptability7. The important thing to consider is that a PACS would be involved in integration of image and data acquisition, storage, and display subsystems across various digital networks. To begin with most systems utilised DICOM standards in image communication, format, and management. Therefore when different manufacturers developed PACS components, it had to be compatible with the existing standardized DICOM services such as image storage, query, retrieval, and printing8. Essentially PACS systems would ensure a seamless dataflow across networks where compatibility with DICOM systems and necessary image conversions would be one of major requirements for these systems to be implemented. This system was dealt with differently by various PAC systems from different providers through compatibility with different applications, some of which are "diagnostic, review, analysis, and interactive teaching, as well as desktop workstations for surgical simulation, radiation therapy planning and other applic ations9." Therefore, briefly, the system has been designed to work in the following fashion. The radiologists use diagnostic workstations to make a primary diagnosis. This can be

Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Term Paper

Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry - Term Paper Example Adapting a classic piece of literature into film is a sophisticated task.The adapter has duel responsibility. On one side,he or she has to preserve the originality of the classic and on the other,he/she must be able to communicate the real meaning of the piece of literature. Utilizing a verity of techniques Daniel Petrie, the director of the film , A Raisin in the Sun(1961) did not only preserved the originality of the play, but also successfully transferred this classic of Afro American literature into a highly commendable film. Let me first discuss those adaptation techniques briefly. There are seven ways in which an adapter can transpose a play into movie (Desmond and Hawkes, 2006). These are visualizing the set, lighting, casting, musical tones, symbols and motifs, camera angles, and shot length. However, a creative filmmaker would not rely upon just one technique and would employ a variety of tools to make a movie engaging. Daniel Petrie used creative frame composition and shot variation to communicate the strong and shared emotions within the Younger family. Further, he brings the climax of the movie by capturing facial expressions of the characters in a close up. Moreover, he added or omitted various scenes and dialogues during the process of adaptation in order to make the flow of the film . Similarly, he creatively used music to communicate the real feeling of the characters and to move his audience In A Raisin in the Sun, the strong shared emotions and relationship of the black family play an important role to the overall development of the plot. The director communicated this emotional empathy with a creative series of shots and compositions that visually represented the shared emotions. Through the employment of this technical cinematic method, Petrise actually emphasized many important scenes of the play in his film. For instance, in Act Two, Scene One of the written play, for the first time in film, he uses frame composition to share the collectiv e family emotions. In fact this scene communicates a wide range of feelings. When Mama shares her purchase of the house in a better neighborhood, she herself and Ruth seems relieved and satisfied. Contrary to both the women, Walter not only seems angry and despairs but his dream of opening liquor shop seemed sunken. However, on the other hand Mama herself shows fear of the Walter’s possible reaction towards her decision. Screenplay script runs with an array of emotions and the filmmaker successfully expresses those emotions visually. The director utilized camera perfectly to capture those changing emotions on the actors' faces. For example, Walter mood changed from disbelief to dissatisfaction on hearing that the money has been used to buy a house instead of its investment in business. On the contrary, Ruth was extremely happy. But when Mama told them the location of the house, Walter became angry while Ruth’s frame of mind changed from joy to worry. Thus apart from di alogues, film depicts a vast spectrum of emotions through visuals. Petrise choice of using face-close-up is really effective. Petrise uses camera angle to create emotional effects. In Scene Three of Act two, he uses mirror to reflect Walter’s inner conflict . The camera cuts back and forth between Walter and Mr. Lindner. Through this technique, the director not only intensified the emotional meanings of the scene but also reflects Walter’s changing understanding of Mr. Linder offers. Film is a visual media therefore it is always preferable to rely upon emotions for the climax instead of dialogue (Duncan, 2006). Petrie's another smart choice is his exposition of climax through emotions rather than dialogues. These are the emotional moments when Bobo reveals about Willy’s run away along with their investment. This is disturbing news not only for Walter and Bobo, but for all the Youngers. During these critical moments Petrie’s framing Ruth into the scene is an ingenious choice as her reaction on such news is what viewers want to note. Moreover,

The Nuremberg Main Trials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Nuremberg Main Trials - Essay Example However, Nuremberg was flawed, to a certain extent, and it is sensible to assume that its imperfections could be the most integral features of it deserving of attention at present. Still, many would believe that there are other features, as well, and that a number of these address undying desires for the triumph of fairness and justice.2 This essay examines the appropriateness of the indictments, the issue of jurisdiction, and general questions of legality with reference to the ‘fair trial principle’ in the Nuremberg main trial. Appropriateness of the Indictments The function of the IMT at Nuremberg was to formally question the ‘main’ German war criminals. IMT had two members from each of the four participating nations, namely, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. These members would shape various paradigms of criminal law and process.3 The IMT mission was instigated in 1945, as soon as the Committee of Chief Counsels of the four p arties to the London Agreement—a declaration that specify the guidelines and law through which the Nuremberg trials were to be carried out-- approved and passed an indictment laying down the criminal acts arraigned against the ‘main’ war criminals.4 The indictment convicted them with four violations: ‘(1) common plan or conspiracy, (2) crimes against peace, (3) war crimes, and (4) crimes against humanity.’5 Common plan or conspiracy The scholars of the Nuremberg Trials claimed that it is crucial to impugn the guiltiest offenders for conniving to pursue the Nazi persecution of the Jews and other acts of violence. Nevertheless, it was not a war misdeed for the nation to perpetrate acts of violence against its own people.6 For that reason, â€Å"[t]he American motives for spinning the dense web of conspiracy to inculpate the Nazi brass is no secret in that the stratagem was essentially intended to procure legal grounds for holding the instigators of th e Nazi movement accountable for the record of ‘domestic’ bestialities against assorted segments of their own population, including the Jewish minority.†7 In view of that, a conspiracy conviction was seen crucial so as to impugn individuals for planning or pursuing a common plan to perpetrate crimes against civilians. The Tribunal took into account the indictment of common plan or conspiracy on the basis of two rationales: first is the blameworthiness of organisations, and second is whether the war criminals had connived to pursue genocide and persecution. The latter rationale was settled under the accusation of ‘crimes against peace’.8 The Tribunal, as regards to the accusation of ‘conspiracy’, simply deemed: In the opinion of the Tribunal, the evidence establishes the common planning to prepare and wage war by certain of the defendants. It is immaterial to consider whether a single conspiracy... has been conclusively proved.9 Moreover, t he Tribunal resolutely strived to lessen the possible perils to minor collaborators or innocent members which could have stemmed from its judgment to charge four organisations of war crimes.10 As claimed by Professor Schwarzenberger, â€Å"

Case on TQM Essay Example for Free

Case on TQM Essay ABSTRACT: Using case study methodology, the authors asked quality managers about their company’s experience with ISO 9000:1994 and total quality management (TQM) implementation. The results show that initially the standard could help some companies reorganize their procedures and define responsibilities and duties. However, managers’ perspectives on its possible effect on company performance are not positive. Only product quality improves after implementation. On the contrary, TQM has improved many aspects of performance, the most influential aspects being those â€Å"soft† dimensions of leadership and human resource management. These aspects were not included in ISO 9000:1994. After analyzing ISO 9000 as a first step toward the TQM implementation, as much of the literature advises, the authors’ findings suggest that managers consider it to be a disturbing element when implemented jointly with TQM. Their study points out that, in practice, there are two parallel quality systems in a company. To get better results, it is important to adapt ISO requirements to facilitate TQM implementation; otherwise, the only advantage of the registration is the â€Å"permission† to selling the market. INTRODUCTION: Over the last decade, ISO 9000 certification has been the subject of many articles. The phenomenon of its quick development led to a belief that it was a great advantage for a company to attain registration. In keeping with this, many researchers tried to identify the impact of ISO 9000 certification on companies’ results and management. An important group of researchers has not found any strong positive relationship between certification and results. However, there is another group of articles that points out an influence of registration on product quality. Apart from any influence derived from implementation, some authors advocated that certification could be a good first step toward a total quality management (TQM) system, raising awareness of quality among workers and a good climate in which to implement it. Regarding this point, implementation of the standard was advised with the aim of implementing TQM in order to obtain maximum benefits from the registration (Brecka, 1994; Meegan and Taylor 1997; Huarng, Horng, and Chen 1999; Hughes, Williams, and Ryall 2000; Sun 2000; Gotzamani and Tsiotras 2002). The question is: Do companies really implement ISO certification with this aim? Is the accepted wisdom that ISO certification could â€Å"help† companies attain a TQM system true? Which aspects of ISO do that? The purpose of this research is to empirically evaluate the real contribution of ISO 9000 toward TQM implementation. METHODOLOGY: Case study methodology is best when the objective is to build theory in preliminary phases of a research study or to add new perspectives to previous research (Yin 1994). Part of this research can be considered as preliminary, because there is still little evidence on how the ISO 9000 and TQM act jointly in management. The objective of the case study is not the statistical generalization, but the analytical one. This methodology tries to generalize from case to theory; it does not attempt to extrapolate facts from sample to population. Relating to the number of cases, the lower number will allow the researcher to obtain more information (Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich 2002). However, a multiple case study increases reliability and external validity. †¢ Predict similar results (literal replication) †¢ Get different results due to predictable reasons The authors chose a multiple case study instead of a single one to increase external validity and reliability. Fourteen companies among the biggest manufacturing companies in Spain were selected for the study. The cases were selected with the condition of being certified at least by the ISO 9000:1994. Three of them were applying TQM and two were recently certified by the new version of ISO 9000:2000. The case study protocol included two questionnaires in order to apply triangulation. One of them was used in the interview with the quality manager. The other questionnaire was to be completed by other managers not associated with the quality area. The authors took into consideration other documents supplied by the company and direct observation through plant visits. Table 1 shows the companies participating in the study and their characteristics. Later in this article, the authors assign a number for each company in order to safeguard confidentiality of responses. The criteria used to select companies were mainly: †¢ Homogeneity of external factors: The authors focused on manufacturing companies since ISO 9000 was initially designed for industrial companies. RESULTS: Effects of TQM on Company Performance: First the authors classified companies according to the degree of implementation of a total quality system. They identified three companies with high levels and experience in TQM the remaining companies had a low degree of TQM implementation. This classification was based on information about TQM dimensions such as customer orientation, work teams for continual improvement, consciousness about quality, quality planning, and so on. Managers of the three TQM companies were asked about the perceived performance improvements as a result of TQM implementation. The three managers agreed that TQM implementation had benefited the company in many ways. Then the authors asked them to position the improvements in a set of performance measurements, explaining why the TQM system had improved every measure. Measurements were obtained from a literature review that relates quality management and performance. The richness of the case study is that the manager is able to explain at the moment of completing the questionnaire the â€Å"why† of each rate and to add evidence to the question. Table 2 shows the results along with some notes from managers. The last column shows the value of the influence on each measure based on the majority of responses (1-2=low, 3=medium, 4-5=high). In the cases where companies’ responses are very different (one of each) there is not enough evidence to affirm that TQM influences that point. According to these managers’ perceptions, TQM influences product quality, customer service, fast response, competitiveness, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and motivation, rate of defects, and stock price. Regarding the customers’ claims, it is important to note that two managers indicated that this point had not improved because customers today are more demanding than before. A similar explanation is valid for warranty costs. One company also pointed out that these costs often come from a wrong use of the product and not from its quality. Exports and innovations were not tested because of the particular characteristics of the companies interviewed Financial measures were difficult to mark. Managers agreed that they would need more information to position themselves, although they perceived that the market in general values the fact that the company has implemented a TQM system and consequently, the stock price rises. After completing the questionnaire, managers were asked to indicate the elements of TQM that are â€Å"more responsible† for company improvements. Following are their responses †¢ Company 1: â€Å"The most important aspect is that everybody in the company, including the cleaning service, the doorman, and the accountant, is conscious and worried about quality. Before, the only people interested in quality were the quality department staff.† †¢ Company 4: â€Å"Personnel motivation and participation. If you get this, then the complete system works.† †¢ Company 12: â€Å"First, the general belief of the importance of quality. Second, the decision to be real leaders. Managers and staff move together towards the same aim.â⠂¬  Effects of ISO 9000 on Company Performance: Quality managers were also asked about the influence that ISO 9000:1994 registration has had on the same aspects of company results that were considered for TQM. They were asked to give a score from 1 to 5 (1=no influence, 5=very strong influence). The global influence that ISO 9000:1994 has had over each variable, evaluated according to the majority of responses, is presented in the final column of Table 3. As can be seen, the only aspect that clearly improved from the date of certification was product quality. One manager said this was because they had to create procedures and reduce variability in the production process because of ISO implementation. All of them agreed that the product was the same as before certification. The only difference was that after ISO implementation it was more controlled. The defect rate had consequently decreased as well. The effect on both customer satisfaction and competitiveness was medium. It is worth explaining that when the quality manager considered that certification could improved these variables, he always explained that â€Å"customer satisfaction† was derived from the accomplishment of a previous requirement from him: to attain certification. Some other managers pointed out that this satisfaction could be due to improvement in claims management. When ISO 9000 was first created, being a certified company was a competitive advantage. Today this advantage has disappeared and it has become a requirement to compete in the market. The effect on customer service was also medium. In this sense, ISO 9000 certification has been useful to organize the claims management system. Each claim must be registered and evaluated. There must exist a procedure to solve claims. Regarding the employees, the ISO 9000 system improved their productivity and their interest in quality problems. Improvement in productivity is again explained by better procedures and work instructions. However, many managers have confessed that employee satisfaction worsened because of the bureaucracy of the system. The documentation needed to sustain the system increased their workload. The remaining variables are not considered to have any impact on results. Note that the financial measures were not influenced by the implementation of the standard. When managers were asked about the main advantages and disadvantages of certification, they agreed that certification is helpful to organize the production system through procedures and work instructions. The paperwork generated was identified as the most negative consequence. After asking if certification was profitable, the majority answered that â€Å"it had to be,† pointing out that nowadays it is a basic requirement. â€Å"If we did not have it, we couldn’t sell,† they affirmed. ISO 9000 and TQM: If data on the companies that had implemented TQM are analyzed, it can be seen that certification had less impact on nearly all results. The first company shows higher marks in some variables. This company was the only one that started the quality journey by implementing ISO 9000 first and then TQM. It would explain the fact that the ISO standard could help managers organize the production process when quality management was at an initial stage. In fact, the manager of this company stated that formalization was useful for learning and for having criteria for future comparisons. The other two managers of companies applying TQM did not find any impact, although they suggested that the certification could help in some cases when companies had problems regarding process management. Finally, as an interesting note, one of the managers was worried about the new version of the standard, ISO 9000:2000. As explained before, managers try to establish minimal requirements in the quality manual to avoid what they believe as disturbances in their normal work. In his opinion, the new version represents a higher level of a quality system, is more demanding, and tries to incorporate some points more in line with the TQM system. It would mean that the auditor should have access to new fields in his or her company, and they would have to allow him or her to interrupt many aspects of the process. It could mean that the company worked less well than before. CONCLUSION: The authors asked quality managers of 14 companies about their experience with both ISO 9000:1994 implementation and TQM. Only three of the 14 companies had implemented TQM. Those companies have had improvements in performance as a result. These were mainly in product quality, customer and employee satisfaction, and competitiveness. When asked about the most important dimensions of TQM for getting these better results, managers agreed on leadership and employee participation. Regarding ISO 9000, the results show that the only clear improvement is in product quality. Managers agree that certification was useful in the initial stages of quality system implementation, mainly because they improved their production process through the development of work procedures, creating an atmosphere in which quality played an important role and defining responsibilities and duties. Initially, ISO 9000 certification was a competitive tool because it was still a novelty. However, today, certification is no longer a competitive advantage, but a prerequisite to play in the market. The authors have detected that companies that are applying TQM have fewer improvements in performance when ISO 9000 was implemented than the others. One of them presents slightly higher values, and, by coincidence, it is the only one that was ISO 9000 registered before implementing TQM. This could give the impression that the standard could be a good first step toward TQM implementation n. However, a more in-depth interview with managers changed the authors’ point of view. The managers point out that the ISO standard can be an obstacle when implemented jointly with a TQM system, interfering in the normal operation of the business and allowing the auditor to â€Å"inspect† too many aspects of the quality system and slowing it down. The solution to this problem provided by some of the Spanish managers interviewed was to completely separate implementation of a TQM system from the ISO 9000 system. Within other business culture contexts, the solution could well be different. Those companies that decided to apply the ISO regulation more strictly introduced all those aspects related to GCT in the manual. Then, the auditor will have a more important role and his or her understanding of what TQM is will be more important in these cases. Therefore, the effect of ISO 9001:2000 on company results will also depend on two factors: 1) the managers’ fulfilment of norms, and 2) the auditors’ understanding of TQM. Differences among countries due to different management cultures will then be a cause of differences in ISO 9001 effects and an interesting topic of analysis. The new version of the standard is closer to a TQM system. In particular, it tries to improve human resource management, customer focus, and leadership. According to managers, and supported by the conclusions of previous authors, the â€Å"soft† variables of TQM are responsible for the improvement in results derived from TQM implementation. It is an opportunity for companies to achieve better performance by applying the new version adequately. This new standard could also be a good first step toward a TQM system. Further research in this sense would be interesting to help managers attain more benefits from certification.

Effect of Management Change | Case Study

Effect of Management Change | Case Study 1.1 BACKGROUND Change has always been with man from creation. Man and plants have evolved and adapted to the environment anytime the need arises. Failure to change, most often than not leads to extinction. The general perception is that changes are made always for the better, but sometimes, it is for the worst. At other times also, there is no need for change. Change is an inevitable phenomenon. A system would have to undergo change at some point in time. The effectiveness of the change to a large extent depends on how it is managed. For an organization to survive, it is necessary for it to continue to adapt to its changing environment. Change is the singular factor that upgrades a system to suit its current environment. Change in management is one typical way of effecting change. Change in management can take the form of privatization, re-shuffling or merging. Most times, old managers leave with their ideologies and new managers come in with new ones. Vodafone Ghana is one company in the Telecommunication Industry which has experienced management change in recent times. Vodafone Ghana, formerly Ghana Telecom, was the national telecommunication company of Ghana. In 2006, it had around 400,000 customers for fixed and mobile telephony and internet services. On 3rd July 2008, the sale of the company for $900m to Vodafone group was announced. After the transaction closed, Vodafone had a 70% stake in the company, while the Ghanaian Government retained a 30% stake. On 16th April 2009, the company was rebranded as Vodafone Ghana. The rebranding, seeks to lead to a stiff competition among the operators in the Ghanaian mobile market. 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT. Changes in almost all organizations are not freely welcomed by the organization members. The reluctance to change is mostly as a result of fear of the unknown. Changes in management in organizations are resisted by staff for lack of knowledge of the impact the change will bring. The impact could be positive or negative. The change will at the tail end affect the performance of the staff and for that matter the organization as a whole. Change in management actually changes the status quo of how things are done. How the change is managed to get everyone along is crucial to the effectiveness of the organization. The performance of the organization is also translated in the response by the organizations external customers, government and regulatory bodies to the change. 1.3 PURPOSE/AIMS The purpose of the study will be to assess the performance of Vodafone Ghana, as there has been change in management. The research will assess the performance of the then Ghana Telecom and its management team for the last two years and do a comparative analysis with the performance of the now Vodafone Ghana and its new set of management team. At the end of the study, the research will find out which of the two management teams led to a higher performance of Vodafone Ghana. 1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study will include the following; To identify the effect of change in management on the performance of Vodafone Ghana. To identify the factors that necessitated the change in management of Vodafone Ghana. To ascertain the challenges of the process (change in management) and how it was managed to ensure that it is on track to achieving the required performance. 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY It is believed that, the results of this study will do the following; Enable internal and external customers to know how the management team of the then Ghana Telecom fared in the last two years of their being as against the first two years of Vodafone Ghana. Inform the current management team of their performance in Ghana as far as Vodafone Ghana is concerned. Serve as a source of secondary data for further research in the area of change in management. 1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS The research question for this study will be: What are the effects of Change in Management on the Performance of Vodafone Ghana? The null hypothesis for the study will be: Ho: change in management does not significantly affect performance. The alternative hypothesis for the study will be: H1: change in management significantly affects performance. 1.7 SCOPE AND ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY The research will be grouped into five chapters. The first chapter is Introduction. The introduction will include an overview of the background of the study, the focal point of the statement of the problem, an explanation of the study, key objectives of the study, the reasons for the study, the question and hypothesis. The second chapter will review literature, that is, the theoretical and the empirical. It will explain relevant theories that relate to the subject area as well as give a description of literature that has been practically observed and validated objectively on the subject matter. It will again explain certain terms in the research. The third chapter will present the methodology. It shall give a general description of the design of the work. It will include population and sampling, instrumentation and statistical analysis. The fourth chapter will be results and discussions, where data collected will be analyzed and findings experimented. The fifth chapter will draw conc lusions and give recommendations. LITERATURE REVIEW It is often said that two heads are better than one. Most often than not, we see individuals coming together to undertake projects that cannot be done individually. One of the most known ways is through organization. An organization according to (Robbins Coulter, 1999) is a deliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purpose. Organizations in trying to accomplish their goals get proper management systems in place. 2.1 THEORETICAL LITERATURE DEFINITION Management is the process of achieving organizational goals by engaging in the four major functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Bartol Martin (1998). Bartol and Martin emphasized on the fact that, it is an ongoing process that begins with planning and ends with controlling. It never ends because the controlling checks if the organization is on the right path as far as the plans (objectives) are concerned and as such, the results serve as input again in the process. Robbins Decenzo (2001) also defined the term management as the process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, through and with other people. Like Bartol and Martin, the process in their definition pointed to the four main functions of management. Thus planning, organizing, leading and controlling. However, they believed that managers should not only be able to engage in the four major functions but managers should be able to do that simultaneously as the functions are interrelated and interdependent. Efficiency in their definition means making best use of the resources available. This brings into play the scarcity of the resource which has numerous uses. It is always prudent to minimize waste as much as possible when using these resources. Minimizing waste in the use of resources will lead to high productivity and efficiency. Effectiveness means choosing the right goals, strategies and tasks in a present condition. In essence, effectiveness is doing the right things while efficiency is doing things right. There are two well known ways of achieving efficiency and effectiveness which are; The organization increasing the output with the same level of input. The organization producing the same output with a reduced input level. Koontz Weihrich (1990) also defined management as a process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals working together in groups efficiently accomplish selected aims. Koontz and Weihrich like Robbins and Decenzo, and Bartol and Martins, believed that managers engage in the main functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. They also believed that management does not necessarily apply to a particular organization but rather, all kinds of organizations. Aside that, they believed that irrespective of the level a manger finds himself he needs to manage. They also underscored efficiency and effectiveness in trying to achieve the set goals. They however, believed that all managers focus on making surplus. This may not be necessarily true as some managers are found managing non-profit making organizations. Most managers in non-profit making organizations normally focus on the well-being and satisfaction of some people rather than making profit. All the stated definitions basically emphasize on management being putting in place the right atmosphere and conditions so that the set goals can be accomplished. All the definitions also highlight the major functions that are performed by managers and the fact that it should be done in an efficient and effective manner. Management is therefore a phenomenon that applies not only to organizations but also the daily lives of individuals. MANAGERS Managers are individuals who are engaged in the combination of the four functions of management to accomplish organizational goals. LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT Managerial jobs in organizations allow for the categorization of managers into three levels. Top Managers: It is the highest level and concerned with creating the organizations goals, overall strategy and operating policies. (Griffin, 1999). According to Rue Byars (2003), Senior management are not involved in the organizations day to day problems, but concentrate on setting the direction of the organization. Jennifer M George (2004), argued that top managers are responsible for the performance of all departments and therefore a cross departmental responsibility. Top managers are responsible for the successes and failures of the organization and most often have their performance scrutinized by the organizations internal and external customers. In Management by Robbins Coulter (1999), top managers are responsible for making organization-wide decisions and policies that affect the organization. Middle Managers: Managers at this level are responsible for the implementations of policies and plan drafted by top management and playing a supervisory role and co-coordinating the activities of the lower-level managers. Griffin (1999). According to Jennifer M. George (2004), middle level managers are responsible for finding the best way to organize human and other resources to achieve the organizational goals. To increase effectiveness, they evaluate the goals that the organization is pursuing and make suggestions to top managers. First Line Managers: The managers at this level are placed at the base of the managerial hierarchy and are often referred to as supervisors. They are responsible for the daily supervision of the non-managerial employees who perform many of the specific activities necessary to produce goods and services. They work in all departments of an organization. Jennifer M. George (2004). Its argued by Griffin (1999), that the common titles held by managers at this level are supervisors, coordination and office managers. These positions are often first held by employees who enter management from the ranks of operating personnel. According to Bartol Martin(1998), first line managers are extremely important to the success of the organization due to the special role of seeing to the day to day activities of the organization. These managers operate at the interface between management and the other work force and due to this can easily find themselves in the middle of conflicting demands. MANAGERIAL SKILLS Due to the validity and difficult nature of a managers job, certain skills are required to successfully carry out the duties and roles of a manager. Research by Robert L. Katz, during the early 1970s identified three essential skills or competencies needed by managers. The importance of these skills varies according to the managers level within the organization. Technical Skills: These are skills that reflect both an understanding of and a proficiency in a specialized field. Bartol Martin (1998). These skills are needed by both first line and middle level managers in their operations. It becomes less important as a manager moves into a higher level of management. However, top managers need some percentage of proficiency. For instance, an accountant must be proficient in the rules and standards of accounting, and be able to help its clients when faced with problems relating to the duties. Robbins Coulter (1999). According to (Bartol Martin, 1998) the technical skills are needed most by first line managers since they are directly involved in the supervision of the technical and professional employees, who are not managers. Middle level managers also need sufficient technical skills to recognize major problems. Top level managers will need some technical skills especially when technology is an important part of the product or service the org anization is offering. Human Skills: These are skills associated with a managers ability to work well with others, both as a member of a group and as a leader who gets things done through others. Bartol Martin (1998). Managers deal with humans and therefore need human skills to function effectively. Robert L. Katz indicated that, human skills are more important at the top level than the lower level. Managers with good human skills are able to get the best out of their people. How to communicate, motivate, lead and inspire enthusiasm and trust are some good human skills that managers should possess. Robbins Coulter (1999). Bartol Martin (1998) argued that human skills are needed by all the three levels of managers, since they deal with humans, and get things done through them. Managers without sufficient human skills are likely to have problems with internal and external customers. Conceptual Skills: These skills are related to the ability to visualize the organization as a whole, discern interrelationships among organizational parts, and understand how the organization fits into the wider context of the industry, community and world. Bartol Martin (1998). Conceptual skills are needed by managers for effective decision making that will positively affect the organization. Robert L. Katz proposed that these skills become more important as a manager moves into top management position. MANAGEMENT SKILLS AT DIFFERENT HIERARCHICAL LEVELS. SOURCE:BARTOL AND MARTIN, 1998 Griffin (1999) states that, the skills needed by a manager to perform activities go beyond the three skills. Four other skills are expected of a manager. They are; Diagnostic skills Communication skills Decision-making skills Time management skills WHAT MANAGERS ACTUALLY DO. Henry Mintzberg, a management scholar observed the activities of several top managers and discovered the work methods of managers as well as the major roles that they play. EXTENDED MODEL OF THE MANAGEMENT PROCESS. Management scholars Steven J. Carroll and Dennis J. Gillen went beyond the four major functions of management. These functions were used to form basis for the establishment of the managerial process. These management gurus upon their review of major studies on managerial work identified several key elements in the management process. There was the addition of work agenda, work methods and roles fused into the core management functions with a managers knowledge base and key management skills being contributing factors to high performance. WORK METHODS Mintzberg found that in their actual work methods, the managers differed drastically from their popular image as reflective, systematic planners who spend considerable quiet time in their offices poring over formal reports. Bartol Martin (1998). Three of the findings of Mintzberg give the revelation of what high-level managers actually do. UNRELENTING PACE: Managers are very busy people who work from dawn to dusk and are engaged in several activities. BREVITY, VARIETY AND FRAGMENTATION: Managers are very brief in their activities like meetings, attending to telephone calls, addressing the issues subordinates continue to bring to interfere with their work. VERBAL CONTACT AND NETWORKS: Managers prefer verbal communication through either phone conversations or meetings to written communication using memos and formal reports and rely heavily on networks to obtain and transmit information. MANAGERIAL ROLES According to Kreitner (1989), a research was conducted by Henry Mintzberg who concluded on what managers actually do. Mintzberg criticized the traditional functional approach as unrealistic, as they tell little about what managers actually do. Many other authors agree with Mintzberg and believe that the functional approach portrays the management process as far more systematic and rational and less complex than it really is. Mintzberg and his team said that to study managers and to know what they do, it is good to focus on the key roles they play, using a method called structured observation. This method involves recording the activities and correspondence of five top-level executives. Mintzberg identified ten roles he believed are common to managers at all levels. These ten roles are grouped into three categories. They are; Interpersonal Roles: This is the role that involves interpersonal contact with subordinates and peers. Figurehead, Leaders and Liaison are the interpersonal role managers play. Figurehead Role. It represents a symbol of legal authority and involves the performance of certain ceremonial duties like signing documents and receiving visitors. Leader Role. It seeks to motivate workers to get the job properly done Liaison Role. It serves as a link in a horizontal and vertical chain of communication. Informational Role. This is the role that provides information relating to the task. This role is important because information is the lifeblood of organizations, and includes nerves center, dissemination and spokesperson roles. Nerves Centre. It serves as a focal point for non routine information; receiving all type of information. Disseminator. Deals with the transmission of information to subordinates. Spokesperson. Deals with the transmission of selected information to outsiders. Decisional Role. With this role, managers balance competing interests and make choices. It enhances the development and implementation of strategies. The decisional roles are entrepreneurs, disturbance handlers, resource allocators and negotiators. Entrepreneur: Designs and initiates changes in the organization. Disturbance Handler: Takes corrective action in non routine situations. Resource Allocator: Takes decisions on allocation of resources to individuals and units. Negotiators. Participates in negotiation sessions with other parties like vendors and unions to make sure the organizations interest are adequately represented. Jones George (2004) in their book Essentials of Contemporary Management outlined Mintzbergs ten managerial roles. However, information technology has major effects on how managers perform their roles and on the skills they develop to perform the roles effectively. CHANGE The dynamic nature of business organizations naturally brings change. It is imminent for organizations to focus on change with competition increasing both domestically and globally. Companies that were enjoying mono-power are now been faced with competition from all the corners of the world. Bartol Martin (1998) defined change as any alteration in the status quo. They identified innovation to be one of the most applied forms of change. Innovation according to Bartol Martin (1998) is a new idea applied to initiate or improve a process, product or service. Hardly do people (employees) accept management action that endeavors to facilitate change as the existing processes and procedures may be seen consummate. The management of change in an organization has become an area of possible conflicts because of problems of understanding and communication. John Harvey-Jones (1993) stated that, it is impossible to change organizations which do not accept the dangers of their present way of doing things. A managers ability to manage change efficiently in an organization has become an indispensable skill in todays management. FORCES OF CHANGE A variety of forces influence change in an organization. Some of these forces are external whiles others may be developed internally. Recognizing and adapting to internal and external changes can mean the difference between continued success and going out of business. EXTERNAL FORCES All organizations are open systems and they therefore interact with the external environment of which they are part. The following factors may necessitate change: Escalating competition and globalization. Rapid development in new technology and the information age. Increased government regulation pressure. Scarcity of resources. Increased demand for quality. Increased demand for high levels of customer service and satisfaction. INTERNAL FORCES Internal forces for change also develop from a variety of sources. Some of these sources include; Ethical difficulties that arise because of employee behaviors. Decisions that entail changes and innovation. Organizational culture shifts. Reorganization. PROCESS OF CHANGE The process of change is likely to be associated with certain features. Hannagan (2004) in the book, Management Concept and Practices outlined the features as uncertainty about the causes and effect of change, unwillingness to give up existing practices, and awareness of problems in the change process. These characteristics according to Hannagan arose from a natural reaction to; Deny that the change is necessary. Resist any change irrespective of the merits. Avoid changes when they are introduced. Hannagan further suggested that managers should be able to determine the actual causes of change and remain flexible enough in their approach to overcome them in an appropriate manner. In the process of change, it is prudent to consider the degree of interaction between independent variables in the organization. The workers, technology and the organization structure seriously depend on each other and they therefore need to be recognized in the change process. The task of the manager is to direct energy away from feeling of powerlessness and looking backwards and towards seeing the opportunities for the future. This is important because in the process of change, people are likely to be threatened by the future while they need to recognize the dangers in the present position and the opportunities in the new ones. The process may involve denial of the need for change and resistance to it, until the change is able to be explored when opportunities will be discussed and commitment created. Hannagan (2004) outlined that the experience of the feeling of loss can take the following forms; Security: People feel unsecure of their position in the organization and how it will change. Competence: Becoming worried about their ability to carry out new tasks. Relationships: They may feel the familiar contacts will be lost with other employees, with managers and teams and groups. Territory: They may feel uncertain about their work space or job responsibility. Direction: They lose a clear view of where they are going. It is important that the manager reckon that these feelings are part of the transition process. It is the task of management to recognize these sentiments and endeavor to minimize it. This transcends provision of information as workers are not likely to change their behavior simply because they have being told. Change therefore needs to be managed carefully. TRANSITION IN THE CHANGE PROCESS From denial and resistance to exploration and commitment. SOURCE: MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES, 4TH EDITION BY TIM HANNAGAN. CHANGE MANAGEMENT It is obvious that a system that is not functioning well needs to be changed. The effectiveness of the change however to the large extent depends on how it is managed. Change aims at moving organization from the current position to place it in a desirable way in which its objectives can easily be accomplished. For the change to achieve its purpose it need to be managed properly. Hannagan (2004) outlined the various steps; Vision: A process of reminding everybody and clarifying to everybody the direction of the organizations. Strategy: Outline how this is to be achieved through the development of objectives and goals. Monitoring change: Progress is measured in order to observe and encourage change. Different strategies are developed and implemented depending on the stage of the change. At the stage of denial, the manager has to provide information and give time in order to explain the information and advocate action. Also at the resistance stage managers have to accept peoples response and encourage support. In the exploration stage, the manager needs to focus on the priority, train people involved in the planning. In the commitment stage of the process, long-term goals are established with emphasis on building team. SOURCE: MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES, 4TH EDITION BY TIM HANNAGAN PERFORMANCE People run and steer the affairs of organization. People are the main underpinning for goal setting and objectives accomplishment. The performance of an organization thus depends on the sum total of the performance of its members. Pattanayak (2006). Pattanayak believed that the success of an organization will depend on how it accurately measures performance of its workers. He further argued that the performance of an employee is his resultant behaviors on task which can be observed and measured. Performance refers to the contribution made by an individual in the accomplishment of organizational objectives. Pattanayak (2006). The performance of individuals in an organization is the resultant behavior on task which can be observed and evaluated. Normally organizations assess performance by looking at quantity, time of completion, cost involved and most importantly quality. One way of urging people to work in an organization is giving them feedback on the results of their action. It is important that feedback on both success and failures are provided on regular basis. Most organizations use performance appraisal systems or techniques in trying to provide feedback. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Pattanayak (2006) acknowledged that performance appraisal system provides management an opportunity to recall as well as feedback to people as to how they are doing, so that they can correct their mistakes and acquire new skills. Pattanayak defined performance appraisal as all those procedures used to evaluate the personality, the performance, and the potential of its group members. Performance appraisal techniques used could either be formal or informal. INFORMAL PERFORMANCE APPPRAISAL Pattanayak defined informal performance appraisal as a continuous process of feeding back information to the subordinates about how well they are doing their work in the organizations. Pattanayak believed that it is normally conducted on the day-to-day basis. FORMAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Pattanayak argued that formal performance appraisal occurs usually annually on a formalized basis and involves appraise and appraiser in finding answers to the following questions. What performance was set out to be achieved during the period? Has it been achieved? What has been the shortfall and constraints? What are we going to do now? How will we know that we have done it? What kind of feedback can be expected? What assistance can be expected to improve performance? What rewards and opportunities are likely to follow from the performance appraisal? EMPIRICAL LITERATUIRE Change has always been part of organizations. Day in and day out, organization are seen trying to adapt to a changing environment. A study by Agudze, Simon and Sunu on the influence of price on customer loyalty of selected supermarkets in Accra outlined the fact that organizations are affected by change in price. The study revealed that Melcom will lose 42% of its customers if prices should increase (change), at Game it was realised that 62% of their customers will stop buying if prices increase (change), and at Maxmart the survey showed that 50% of their customers will not purchase from the shop if prices should increase. Also on a thesis by Hans-Jà ¼rgen Brà ¼ck on the impact of organisational change management on the success of a Product Lifecycle Management Implementation -an investigation into the Electronics Manufacturing Industry, 59% of the respondents to the eighth questionnaire indicated that productivity is slowed down a little bit in the phase of implementing change, whereas 35% did not realize any negative influence on productivity. However, 6% indicated a significant decrease in productivity. The research also brought out the fact that vision is very important in the change process. The researchers fourth questionnaire focused on vision which half of the respondents indicated that it was very important. Moreover another survey by Natalie L. Petouhoff, PhD, Tamara Chandler, and Beth Montag-Schultz on The Business Impact of Change Management revealed that Organizational Change Management (OCM) programs have significant effect on Returns On Investment (ROI). The survey showed that ROI was 143% percent when an excellent OCM program was implemented. ROI however was 35% when OCM program was poor or there was no OCM program at all. 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN The study will be cross sectional as data collected from the field will be used within a short period of time. The study will take a period of nine months to be completed. The purpose of the study shall be descriptive in nature as a gap will be dealt with and employ both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The qualitative research will be based on knowledge, views, perceptions, observations and opinions of the effect change in management will have on the performance of Vodafone Ghana. The quantitative research shall also be based on the design and issue of questionnaires to customers, top management and employees to solicit for the objectives of the topic that will be expressed in terms of figures for the study. 3.2 POPULATION OF THE STUDY The population of interest for the study shall include all employees and customers at Vodafone Ghana. 3.3 SAMPLE FRAME The sample frame for the study will be all Vodafone customers within the age bracket of 20 to 40 years in Accra and selection of employees at Vodafone Head office at Circle. The reason for the chosen sample is due to the fact that, the study seeks to investigate the performance of Vodafone

Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals

Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals To achieve the personal goals and organisational goals each individual needs a set of certain skills to carry out his / her duties and responsibilities. The improved level of skills the organisation employees have, the more the chances of getting goals and objectives achieved. So for both individual and organisation the personal and professional skills advancement always remains of high importance. The requirement from this assignment is to produce a Personal Development Plan for medium term and demonstrate the steps taken within the plan. Explain methods to improve personal and professional skills to meet organisational and own goals and objectives. Personal and professional skills are those skills which are owned by individuals, personal skills are commonly by nature, but can be developed through certain processes and activities, when an individual use his personal skills for his organisational or professional goals / objectives, then it is referred as professional skill. The most common personal and professional skills are communication skills, management skills, interpersonal relations, innovative skills, analytical problem solving, decision making, social skills, pro activity and much more. Skills development method Skills development methods and techniques are the activities or actions taken by an individual or an organisation to explore the hidden potential of their employees and make their capacity more for performing certain task and activities to achieve the organisational goals and objectives. Through skills development methods and techniques increase the knowledge and skills through a consistent process of learning and education. A professional development program boosts the individuals career, through travel, research, workshops and seminars and by working with professionals who are experienced. People take up a professional development course to build their expertise in business, teaching and nursing and contribute to organizational development. Following are the details of various personal and professional skills development methods use in different organizations to achieve the organizational and individual career goals. Class room Courses / Certificates this method widely used now days at almost all good organisations, to provide their employees the opportunity to enhance their skills and learn the latest knowledge through formal class room courses and they are awarded certificate which may help them in getting better positions in future. Crew Development Program is use by the different multi-national organisations, in which they train their current employees working at operational level in order to take some management position at tactic level or strategic level. For example Mc Donalds, has a very structured program in which they train their crew member for future leadership and management of the company, and is also a very successful one because 40 % of the top 50 mangers of Mc Donalds worldwide join this organisation as crew member. Training and Development is a key method to improve skills of employees, to improve the employees basic skills initially the pre job training is provided and to enhance the capabilities of employees on job training is provided also a series of skill development activities is carried out. Leadership Development Program is an important program in practice in good and well structured organisations. In this program they select the potential employees for taking over the future management positions and then provide them training, and educate them on how to carry out management activities. Social Gatherings is also an important activity through which these companies try to socialise their employees, and provide them opportunity to attend these gatherings alongside with their families to give them insight on how to socialise with different people and for their company they value the most. College / University Placement is the method of skills development in which different organisation arrange different courses for their employees in collaboration with good universities or other degree awarding institutes to cope them with latest knowledge and skills of their field. Award Winning: To have a healthy competitive environment among their employees which may result in the personal and professional skill development, the method of award winning strategy in which the employees producing good results are awarded benefits (both financial and vertical movement in the management hierarchy) is very helpful. For example Mc Donalds have award winning scheme, employees producing better results are awarded benefits as financial, promotions etc. while to provide their employees an opportunity for distance learning they also have e-learning strategy and online resources. Personal Skill Audit Skills audit is a process that can be used to identify the skill gaps for an individual. The outcome is a training and development needs analysis that identifies where training and development programs are needed. Skills audit results in An understanding of the skills required and the gaps the organization currently has. A targeted analysis of development needs. A listing of skills which need development. Information that can be used for dynamic succession planning. Skills Audit Form I have developed the following skills audit form, after completion of this form this provides me clear understanding of my current skills level, my strengths and weaknesses and will definitely help in identification of the Skills Audit Form 1 = wide experience 3 = a little experience 5 = dont know 2 = some experience 4 = no experience Name: Date: Work as part of a team 1 2 3 4 build and develop working relationships with academic staff, peers and colleagues work effectively with others to complete tasks and achieve results empower others to work together as part of a team or group recognise and understand when compromise and accommodating others is necessary interact well with others and work co-operatively as a team member understand how to gain the attention of others in a team or group when required understand how to contribute effectively and co-operatively with others even if they do not share the same ideas and ways of working express self effectively in a group and in one-to-one situations have an understanding of team roles Use your problem solving abilities 1 2 3 4 use an appropriate approach to questioning in order to gain information from which to draw conclusions use an objective approach to relate to others in order to achieve goals make good use of verbal reasoning skills, able to handle complex data and make selective use of information explore more than one solution in order to solve a problem consider the ideas of others to help solve problems manage the process of problem solving over a period of time demonstrate resilience and lateral thinking abilities when applied to problem solving Apply your communication skills, both orally and written, and use ICT 1 2 3 4 5 understand the differences in presenting types of documents, e.g. reports, essays, dissertations, summaries check written work for errors before submission use a range of ICT packages to support work express and convey ideas appropriately and accurately in writing successfully give a presentation or demonstration demonstrate that information being received is understood by using a range of verbal and non-verbal signals understand when people have taken account of your views and you of theirs Reflect upon and review your own personal and career development 1 2 3 4 5 recognise and develop skills and competencies required for learning and future employment develop opportunities for learning activities through current and future roles recognise the importance and value of activities outside the curriculum, e.g. work experience, sports, clubs identify when extra support and help may be useful understand the importance of actively reviewing and maintaining your own development plan in order to set appropriate learning targets maintain positive attitudes to work and understand when a task has not been completed well and identify changes for the future understand how to gain feedback on work or performance Work autonomously and set your own goals 1 2 3 4 5 aspire to and maintain a results-driven approach where appropriate focus on results and performance indicators and use different strategies to achieve targets apply suitable approaches and put in extra effort if required in order to meet tight deadlines work without close supervision and use own initiative identify resources required to complete a set task harness motivation and hard work to assist in the completion of work objectives Plan, monitor and evaluate in order to influence change 1 2 3 4 5 make use of effective planning and preparation in order to anticipate and overcome problems maintain effectiveness in changing environments make appropriate adjustments when undertaking tasks set own goals and review these systematically adjust to meet different work styles work alongside colleagues in different environments Develop time management and organisational skills 1 2 3 4 5 establish a course of action for self and others to achieve goals plan and prepare effectively for assignments, including use of appropriate resources plan day in order to manage time more effectively prioritise own and others work meet set deadlines and understand the process required to meet project outcomes keep track of work schedules and deadlines by applying multi-tasking abilities Creatively apply your academic knowledge in work and non-work related settings 1 2 3 4 5 generate and recognize best practice and apply imaginative ideas to different situations work out a preferred course of action think laterally and encourage others to do so and consider how they approach an unconventional task present complex and unusual ideas to friends and colleagues Understand business environments and other organizations 1 2 3 4 5 understand what is entailed in working in an organization understand the perspectives and expectations of employers, customers, suppliers and employees appreciate business activities such as selling and marketing, budgeting and finance and how these interrelate with one another have an understanding of business issues, such as profit, revenue, productivity, company image have an understanding of own personal budget and awareness of financial trends, e.g. interest rates understand how the significance and impact of an organizations internal politics and business strategy can affect everyday work keep up to date with current affairs affecting businesses

Understanding Crime Essay -- essays research papers

The Unabomber Tracing the steps of the criminal justice system through history one discovers that the main goal is to detain the suspected criminal(s) and restore security to society in general. Since the beginning of the criminal justice system attempts to understand the inner workings of a criminal mind and behavior which cause these deviations from normal thinking or acting have been a complex issue of comprehension. What causes people to exhibit certain behaviors that make them criminals? Why are the minds of criminals so hard to understand? What makes criminals act maliciously towards any aspect of society; whether it is towards people or just ideas upheld by people within society? No one really has a concrete answer to any of these questions. Certainly psychiatrists and psychologist would argue that criminal activity is developed through certain exposure and beliefs or simply the idea that someone is â€Å"crazy.† The Criminal Justice system says that people choose to commit crimes bu t what makes people want to perform these crimes. It all comes down to behavior of an individual and beliefs of that individual. Looking at a more recent case in the criminal justice system, the Unabomber, one needs to understand Theodore Kaczynski for childhood, through schooling, and up to his capture; made possible only by his brother’s aide to the F.B.I. Theodore John Kaczynski was born in a Chicago suburb to Wanda and Theodore Kaczynski on May 22, 1942. Kaczynski’s father taught him how to live and survive outdoors while his mother, Wanda, brought him up reading Scientific American. At a young age Kaczynski became very withdrawn and unresponsive to human contact. Kaczynski skipped two grades and graduated high school in 1958 at the age of 16 where he showed an aptitude for math and making small explosives; the early sings of what he was to become. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in mathematics. After Kaczynski graduated from Harvard he attended the University of Michigan earning a master’s and a Ph.D. in mathematics. Kaczynski life was looking good w hen he received a job at the University of California-Berkeley as a math professor but after only two years of working there he resigned without an explanation. Kaczynski decides to go back to his roots and live with nature in a shack in the woods of Montana. This is the time where Kaczynski life b... ...nature, than mankind would be doomed to be controlled by technology. That was the whole motive behind all the mail bombs in Kaczynski’s mind, that is why most of his targets where related to computers; a relatively new technological advancement. Kaczynski’s choice to rebel against technology and harm those who embraced it helps criminal profilers understand Kaczynski’s mindset and his behavior. The criminal justice system has been evolving throughout the course of history and has learned from its mistakes, but the one thing the system is improving on is understanding a criminal’s behavior and the psychoanalysis of that behavior i.e. why the person committed the crime and what could have caused the criminal to act the way they did. A set of theories has been developed to help people understand the criminal mind but I believe a criminal mind will never be completely understood. Work Cited Anderson, Patrick R, and Donald J Newman. Introduction to Criminal to Justice. New York: Longman Publishing Group, 1998. Will, George. A Close Look at the Kaczynski Trial. 8 Jan. 1998. ABC News. 7 March 2005 Unknown. Ted Kaczynski: Early Life, Education, and Career. Answers.com. 9 March 2005