Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Americans Are Now Living In a Society That Rivals Orwells...
Today it is possible for the government to monitor anything and everything we do or say, and even to track the places we go. In George Orwellââ¬â¢s 1984, Winston Smith lives in the dystopian society called Oceana. This book was written by George Orwell, and thus gave way to the term an Orwellian society (a society that can be compared to the societies of both 1984 and Animal Farm). This society is usually the result of an attempt to become a utopia which ultimately has gone terribly wrong. With the advancement of modern technology, America is being turned into an Orwellian society. While the technology we have is more advanced than what was seen in 1984, it can be reasoned that the services and devices, not present in 1984, would be heavilyâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦It has been discovered that the major cellular provider Verizon, has made a contract with the NSA stating that at the end of each day the company Verizon must give all cellular records collected that day to the NSA . This transaction however is not expressed to the customers of Verizon. This is a breach in trust between the customers of Version and the company itself. The NSA program, uncovered by the former CIA agent and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, is called Prism. Snowden, while working for the NSA disclosed this information by leaking this classified information to a web site called The Guardian. The fact that the information was classified means that the NSA had no intention of telling the citizens of the USA about its ability to monitor and record this great amount of data. This program while legally not able to record the conversation in the of a phone call can detect and record the number who is making the call, the number being called, the duration of the call, and, if necessary, the cellular tower used to send the call. This is intruding upon a huge portion of what most people consider personal, private data. (The Guardian) One of the bestselling portable device brands is Ap ple. Every Apple product made after the year 2000, other than the iPod Shuffle, has the ability to connect to the internet. With the ability to connect to the internet comes the liability of being monitored by theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Living in George Orwells 1984-Today3839 Words à |à 16 PagesLiving in George Orwells 1984-Today George Orwells horrendous yet prophetic vision of the future in his novel, 1984 has come and gone. In this nightmarish novel, Oceania, where the story takes place, is the perfect depiction of Negative Utopia in which the government is in total control of their citizens. They control every aspect of their life. From the smallest things as the clothes their citizen wore on a daily basis to the person they were allowed to marry to their thoughts. FreedomRead MoreEssay on The Need for Brutality in A Clockwork Orange 4668 Words à |à 19 PagesOrange: A play with music), and the pithy epithet now graces the cover of the novels most recent American printing. Yet, through it all, the author maintains that he took no pleasure in documenting Alexs brutality and even invented Nadsat in an effort to make the violence symbolic (Burgess, Contemporary Literary Criticism 38). He never seeks to justify Alexs actions and believes that his crimes must be checked and punished in a properly run societ y (Burgess, Contemporary Literary Criticism 38)Read MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words à |à 922 Pagesmachine Level 3: ââ¬ËGet the structure and systems right so that all is in balanceââ¬â¢ Level 4: ââ¬ËThe machine is alive! ââ¬â well, almostââ¬â¢ How modernist organization theory underpins conventional understandings of the relationship between organizations and society Is bureaucracy immoral? Form fits function: how modernist organizational theory challenges the relationship between individuals, groups and the organization through bureaucracy and hierarchy The virtuous bureaucracy Modernist themes in organizational
Monday, December 16, 2019
Custom Van Free Essays
Custom Vans, Inc. , specializes in converting standard vans into campers. Depending on the amount of work and customizing to be done, the customizing could cost less than $1,000 to more than $5,000. We will write a custom essay sample on Custom Van or any similar topic only for you Order Now In less than four years, Tony Rizzo was able to expand his small operation in Gary, Indiana, to other major outlets in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Detroit. Innovation was the major factor in Tonyââ¬â¢s success in converting a small van shop into one of the largest and most profitable custom van operations in the Midwest. Tony seemed to have a special ability to design and develop unique features and devices that were always in high demand by van owners. An example was Shower-Rific, which was developed by Tony only six months after Custom Vans, Inc. , was started. These small showers were completely self-contained, and they could be placed in almost any type of van and in a number of different locations within a van. Shower-Rific was made of fiberglass and contained towel racks, built-in soap and shampoo holders, and a unique plastic door. Each Shower-Rific took 2 gallons of fiberglass and 3 hours of labor to manufacture. Most of the Shower-Rifics were manufactured in Gary in the same warehouse where Custom Vans, Inc. , was founded. The manufacturing plant in Gary could produce 300 Shower-Rifics in a month, but this capacity never seemed to be enough. Custom Van shops in all locations were complaining about not getting enough Shower Rifics, and because Minneapolis was farther away from Gary than the other locations, Tony was always inclined to ship Shower-Rifics to the other locations before Minneapolis. This infuriated the manager of Custom Vans at Minneapolis, and after many heated discussions, Tony decided to start another manufacturing plant for Shower-Rifics at Fort Wayne, Indiana. The manufacturing plant at Fort Wayne could produce 150 Shower-Rifics per month. The manufacturing plant at Fort Wayne was still not able to meet current demand for Shower-Rifics, and Tony knew that the demand for his unique camper shower would grow rapidly in the next year. After consulting with his lawyer and banker, Tony concluded that he should open two new manufacturing plants as soon as possible. Each plant would have the same capacity as the Fort Wayne manufacturing plant. An initial investigation into possible manufacturing locations was made, and Tony decided that the two new plants should be located in Detroit, Michigan; Rockford, Illinois; or Madison, Wisconsin. Tony knew that selecting the best location for the two new manufacturing plants would be difficult. Transportation costs and demands for the various locations should be important considerations. The Chicago shop was managed by Bill Burch. This Custom Van shop was one of the first established by Tony, and it continued to outperform the other locations. The manufacturing plant at Gary was supplying 200 Shower-Rifics each month, although Bill knew that the demand for the showers in Chicago was 300 units. The transportation cost per unit from Gary was $10, and although the transportation cost from Fort Wayne was double that amount, Bill was always pleading with Tony to get an additional 50 units from the Fort Wayne manufacturer. The two additional manufacturing plants would certainly be able to supply Bill with the additional 100 showers he needed. The transportation costs would, of course, vary, depending on which two locations Tony picked. The transportation cost per shower would be $30 from Detroit, $5 from Rockford, and $10 from Madison. Wilma Jackson, manager of the Custom Van shop in Milwaukee, was the most upset about not getting an adequate supply of showers. She had a demand for 100 units, and at the present time, she was only getting half of this demand from the Fort Wayne manufacturing plant. She could not understand why Tony didnââ¬â¢t ship her all 100 units from Gary. The transportation cost per unit from Gary was only $20, while the transportation cost from Fort Wayne was $30. Wilma was hoping that Tony would select Madison for one of the manufacturing locations. She would be able to get all of the showers needed, and the transportation cost per unit would only be $5. If not Madison, a new plant in Rockford would be able to supply her total needs, but the transportation cost per unit would be twice as much as it would be from Madison. Because the transportation cost per unit from Detroit would be $40, Wilma speculated that even if Detroit became one of the new plants, she would not be getting any units from Detroit. Custom Vans, Inc. , of Minneapolis was managed by Tom Poanski. He was getting 100 showers from the Gary plant. Demand was 150 units. Tom faced the highest transportation costs of all locations. The transportation cost from Gary was $40 per unit. It would cost $10 more if showers were sent from the Fort Wayne location. Tom was hoping that Detroit would not be one of the new plants, as the transportation cost would be $60 per unit. Rockford and Madison would have a cost of $30 and $25, respectively, to ship one shower to Minneapolis. The Detroit shopââ¬â¢s position was similar to Milwaukeeââ¬â¢sââ¬âonly getting half of the demand each month. The 100 units that Detroit did receive came directly from the Fort Wayne plant. The transportation cost was only $15 per unit from Fort Wayne, whereas it was $25 from Gary. Dick Lopez, manager of Custom Vans, Inc. , of Detroit, placed the probability of having one of the new plants in Detroit fairly high. The factory would be located across town, and the transportation cost would be only $5 per unit. He could get 150 showers from the new plant in Detroit and the other 50 showers from Fort Wayne. Even if Detroit was not selected, the other two locations were not intolerable. Rockford had a transportation cost per unit of $35, and Madison had a transportation cost of $40. Tony pondered the dilemma of locating the two new plants for several weeks before deciding to call a meeting of all the managers of the van shops. The decision was complicated, but the objective was clearââ¬âto minimize total costs. The meeting was held in Gary, and everyone was present except Wilma. Tony: Thank you for coming. As you know, I have decided to open up two new plants at Rockford, Madison, or Detroit. The two locations, of course, will change our shipping practices, and I sincerely hope that they will supply you with the Shower-Rifics that you have been wanting. I know you could have sold more units, and I want you to know that I am sorry for this situation. Dick: Tony, I have given this situation a lot of consideration, and I feel strongly that at least one of the new plants should be located in Detroit. As you know, I am now only getting half of the showers that I need. My brother, Leon, is very interested in running the plant, and I know he would do a good job. Tom: Dick, I am sure that Leon could do a good job, and I know how difficult it has been since the recent layoffs by the auto industry. Nevertheless, we should be considering total costs and not personalities. I believe that the new plants should be located in Madison and Rockford. I am farther away from the other plants than any other shop, and these locations would significantly reduce transportation costs. Dick: That may be true, but there are other factors. Detroit has one of the largest suppliers of fiberglass, and I have checked prices. A new plant in Detroit would be able to purchase fiberglass for $2 per gallon less than any of the other existing or proposed plants. Tom: At Madison, we have an excellent labor force. This is due primarily to the large number of students attending the University of Madison. These students are hard workers, and they will work for $1 less per hour than the other locations that we are considering. Bill: Calm down, you two. It is obvious that we will not be able to satisfy everyone in locating the new plants. Therefore, I would like to suggest that we vote on the two best locations. Tony: I donââ¬â¢t think that voting would be a good idea. Wilma was not able to attend, and we should be looking at all of these factors together in some type of logical fashion. How to cite Custom Van, Papers
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Compare Clash of Titans Movie free essay sample
compare and contrast the film,à Clash of the Titans, to the story of Perseus. Andromeda and Perseus Essay : The Story begins with Andromeda and Perseus. There are many Similarities and differences between what happens in the movie ââ¬Å"Clash of the Titansâ⬠and the actual myth about Andromeda and Perseus. The three main similarities between the movie and the myth are that in both, Perseus is helped to defeat Medusa, Perseus threw Medusaââ¬â¢s eye, and in both the movie and the myth Andromedaââ¬â¢s mom compares her to someone.The three main differences are Medusa has three sisters in the myth and not in the movie, also in the movie the Djjng and warriors help Perseus and in the myth Athena and Hernia help Perseus to defeat Medusa. Also, In the movie Perseus threw the witches eye on the ground and in the myth he throws it in the lake. In the movie Andromedaââ¬â¢s mom compares her to herself and Nereidââ¬â¢s and in the myth she Compares Andromeda to aphride. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Clash of Titans Movie or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are many comparisons between the movie ââ¬Å"Clash of the Titansâ⬠â⬠and the myth about Andromeda and Perseus.The three main comparisons, are both in the movie and the myth Perseus is helped to defeat Medusa but in the movie and the myth the people who help Perseus are not the same. Also, another similarity is that Perseus threw the witches eye in the story, but in the movie and the myth he throws her eye in different places. Lastly in both the movie and the myth Andromedaââ¬â¢s mom compares her to someone, but in the movie and the myth the person Andromeda is compared to is a different person.There are also many contrasts between the movie ââ¬Å" Clash of the Titansâ⬠and the myth about Andromeda and Perseus. The three main contrast are that Medusa has three sisters in the myth but not in the movie. Also, In the movie the Djjng à and warriors help Perseus defeat Medusa, and in the myth Athena and Hernia helped Perseus defeat Medusa. Also, in the movie Perseus threw thee witches eye on the ground and in the myth he throws it in the lake, so it cannot be retrieved back.Lastly in the movie Andromedaââ¬â¢s mom compares her to Aphride and in the myth she compares her to herself and Nereidââ¬â¢s. The movie and the myth both have many things in common and both have many differences. The story of Andromeda and Perseus, takes place in Argolis. The story is about how there lives became a story about gods and the conflict about when the people worship and pray, it helps the gods, gain power. When people have fear it helps Haitiââ¬â¢s, gain power. In conclusion, there are many things that you can compare and contrast between, the story about Andromeda and Perseus, in the movie ââ¬Å"Clash of the Titansâ⬠, and the actual myth. The three main comparisons are Someone helped defeat Medusa, à Perseus threw the witches eye, and à Andromedaââ¬â¢s mom compared her to. The three main Contrast are the different people that helped Perseus defeat Medusa , where did Perseus throw the witches eye, and who did Andromedaââ¬â¢s mom compare her to.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
The Role of Technology in Linking the HRM with Organization Goals and Vision
Table of Contents Strategic HRM Role of Technology in Serving HRM Human Resource Information System Company Example Writerââ¬â¢s Opinion Conclusion Reference List Strategic HRM The integration of information technology into the HR development leads to newer capacities for an organization. This includes a definition of the information interface among staffs, an exchange of their contributions and their participation in virtual enterprises (Wang 2005).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Technology in Linking the HRM with Organization Goals and Vision specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rapid organizational restructuring needs are calling for new ways of HRM to stimulate administrative change. Technology enables HRM to focus more on value addition in its activities for full realization of the businessââ¬â¢s strategy (Wang 2005). Gong and Chow (2010) show that for technology-intensive industries, know ledge and skills embodied in human capital directly raise productivity. Their research supports the need to integrate technological innovation and HRM to achieve directorial performance. Organizations existing in performance-oriented cultures prefer formal procedures within the HR department. These include standardized selection methods, systematic performance appraisals, official job evaluations and formal recruitment channels (Panayotopoulou, Galanaki Papalexandris 2010). Companies in such a culture will readily adopt technology to enhance their HRM. Adoption of technology in HRM practices depends on the success of HRIS, HRM department sizes and the resources used to train employees to increase a firmââ¬â¢s performance (Panayotopoulou, Galanaki Papalexandris 2010). Institutes operating in knowledge-intensive industries require technological innovation, which is critical for responding to constant changes in market conditions. They need to acquire new knowledge, and have to ex ploit all their resources and capabilities. The organizationââ¬â¢s human-resource accumulates and embodies much of the knowledge required to remain competitive. For these firms, it is crucial to advance their HRM capability to improve their technological uniqueness (Gong Chow 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Role of Technology in Serving HRM The role of HRM is to nature long-term social capital in the organization. Technology employed by the HRM should ensure that trust and sense of reciprocity exists to maintain networking for unrestricted capital progression. Technology could serve two purposes in HRM, and the conceivable outcomes depend on the overall aim of the business. First, it can make it possible to increase the work hours in a day. Second, it can transform traditional work environments and make them flexible, thus liberating employees (Porter Kakabadse 2 006). Technology allows HRM to enhance its personnel strategy. Here, HR practices facilitate employee high performance values, teamwork attitude and leadership skills. In addition, the HR department enhances cross-functional and cross-cultural competencies to bring a greater compatibility in the work teams within the organization. Technological processes assist HRM, in this case, by facilitating or availing the use of virtual team networks and an electronic human-resource distributive design (Wang 2005). The present information era produces a continuous urgency to generate and transport data in easier forms (Chandra 2009). This leads to an increase in the expectations for employees to use the data faster. Businesses having a short-term goal of increasing shareholder value focus on lean and mean structures. The structures reward workers who have extra job hours and are always connected to the work environment through information and communication technology (Porter Kakabadse 2006). Human Resource Information System Electronic-HRM (e-HRM) is a universal term refereeing to the integration methods of HRM and IT to create value for employees and managers (Panayotopoulou, Galanaki Papalexandris 2010). There are front-end and back-end e-HRM systems.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Technology in Linking the HRM with Organization Goals and Vision specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The former connect different actors in the organization. They are web-based and include HR portals, self-service systems and interactive voice response systems. They form the core category of e-HRM. On the other hand, back-end systems include HR data warehouses and HR modules of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). These are used to store, process and retrieve data. The back-end e-HRM is also termed as Human Resource Information System (HRIS) (Panayotopoulou, Galanaki Papalexandris 2010) Human Resource Informa tion Systems (HRIS) offer seemingly endless possibilities for integration. Over the years, the HRIS market has grown between large and small businesses. HRIS software vendors are offering flexile, low cost, generic software, which make it possible for small organizations to implement HRIS. However, full-scale implementation of the system remains in the prevalence of large establishments (Ball 2001). HRIS information helps the administration to reduce costs and time (Chandra 2009). Additionally, it aids analytical decision-making in the institute. HRIS sophistication occurs when it encompasses recruitment and selection, training and development, or HR planning and information management. Newer establishments prefer low-cost options of HRIS and where possible, settle on in-house database development options (Ball 2001). The greatest benefit of HRIS comes when the system supports decision-making rather than administrative tasks. To realize additional benefits, companies choose to purch ase additional modules to add to their installations. Overall, most HRIS additions involve capacities to manage time and attendance (Ball 2001).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Company Example Gamma is an example of an international company using HRIS. It employs 3000 health care professionals and made major changes to its HRIS to provide support and service to its senior management. The company reduced costs and met its quality expectations. This was possible after focusing on three key areas of quality performance, IT infrastructure and management of information (Rodger et al. 1998). The HRIS is the core of HR function at Gamma. Before the reengineering, the HRIS was a patchwork of applications offering basic database functions. It has become a collaboration tool for solutions in decision-making. The innovative HRIS enables human resource developers to play a tactical role in the institute. It offers data conversion to new HR software and an improvement to report validations. It could offer file layout options for both old and new data, depending on the needs of the user. It has better support for open-ended comments and contains fields to capture inform ation by employee, department, position and facility affiliation. As a result, there is no need for separate databases. The HRIS offers an integrated and sophisticated method of understanding internal customers and staffs (Rodger et al. 1998). It links information systems at Gamma using information technology. Writerââ¬â¢s Opinion Researching and writing the essay on the role of technology in linking HRM with organization goals was, eye opening in various ways. Previously, I knew little about the importance of a HRIS in simplifying information flow from one department to another. Findings on the research demonstrate that the quality of the HRIS is as important as the system itself. I realized this when looking at the case of Gamma, discussed above. As far as human capital goes, having a vibrant HRM system ensures the organizations goals and visions remain within reach. Refusing to adopt technology to streamline and enhance the capacities of HRM, leads to an erosion of the company ââ¬â¢s competitive advantage. The subject of this essay allowed me to understand the importance of organizationââ¬â¢s vision in leading the implementation of HRIS. The benefits of HRIS to an organization are immense. I think even small companies should embrace comprehensive HRIS to improve their HRM and human capital. Conclusion The collaboration offered by HRIS enhances knowledge-related performance of an institution. Adoption of technology into HR practices also allows the firm to become adaptive and responsive to environmental changes (Gong Chow 2010). The adoption of HRIS depends on the technological readiness of the establishment and its environment. Increasing the size of the business permits the adoption of high-tech innovations to increase process automation and efficiency. Moreover, high-performing organizations place more emphasis on putting resources to support HRM policies, and they are more likely to embrace HRIS. The diverse ways of implementing HRIS and its inf luence and dependence on company leadership made this essay interesting to research and write. Reference List Ball, KS 2001, ââ¬ËThe use of human resource information systems: a surveyââ¬â¢, Personnel Review, vol 30, no. 6, pp. 677-693, via EBSCOhost database. Chandra, RP 2009, ââ¬ËRole of HRIS in improving mordern HR operationsââ¬â¢, Advances in management, vol 2, no. 12, pp. 21-24, via Emerald Insight database. Gong, Y Chow, I 2010, ââ¬ËThe linkage of HRM and knowledge-related performance in Chinaââ¬â¢s technology-intensive industriesââ¬â¢, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol 21, no. 8, pp. 1289-1306, via EBSCOhost database. Panayotopoulou, L, Galanaki, E Papalexandris, N 2010, ââ¬ËAdoption of electronic systems in HRM: Is national background of the firm relevant?ââ¬â¢, New Technology, Work and Empowerment, vol 25, no. 3, pp. 253-269, via EBSCOhost database. Porter, G Kakabadse, NK 2006, ââ¬ËHRM perspectives on addiction to technology and workââ¬â¢, Journal of Management Development, vol 25, no. 6, pp. 535-560, via Emerald Insight database. Rodger, JA, Pendharkar, PC, Paper, DJ Molnar, P 1998, ââ¬ËReengineering the human resource information system at Gammaââ¬â¢, Facilities, vol 16, no. 12/13, pp. 361-365, via Emerald Insight database. Wang, Z 2005, ââ¬ËOrganizational effectiveness through technology innovation and HRM strategiesââ¬â¢, International Journal of Manpower, vol 26, no. 6, pp. 481-487, via EBSCOhost database. This essay on The Role of Technology in Linking the HRM with Organization Goals and Vision was written and submitted by user Anthony Medina to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
IKEA Expansion Strategies
IKEA Expansion Strategies IKEA was established in 1943 by its founder, Ingvar Kampard when he was just 17 years old. During its early days, the company mainly supplied fish, Christmas magazines and a variety of farm seeds. In 1948, Kampard started to sell household furniture (Back 2). During this era, elegant furniture was expensive.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on IKEA Expansion Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, young individuals usually inherited old furniture from their relatives since it was expensive to buy new ones given their minimal salaries. As a result, Kampard focused on selling high quality furniture that meets the needs, desires, and expectations of his target market at an affordable price. This strategy proved to be effective in the business operations as IKEA increased its market share in Sweden. Due to the viability of the business, the firm expanded its operations in Western Europe, America, and Asia (Bac k 2). At the present moment, IKEA is the leading furniture retailer in the world. It has over 300 outlets in 35 countries in the world. However, to achieve all this success, the companyââ¬â¢s operations have been based on basic plans and strategies that have ensured that its operations are sustainable and profitable in the short run and in the long run. IKEAââ¬â¢s operations are based on its basic principle that aims at producing high quality furniture at the lowest price possible (Back 3). With this strategy, IKEA has been able to stand at a competitive edge over rival firms in almost every market that it enters into the world. In the USA for example, IKEA faced stiff competition from companies such as Wal-Mart and Costco that had low quality that were sold at low prices. On the other hand, companies such as Ethan Allen that sold high quality products at a high price (Back 3). To stand at a competitive edge, IKEA sold high quality products that meet the needs and desires of i ts target market at a low price. This strategy enabled the company to maintain its loyal and satisfied customers hence increasing its market share as well as its profitability. Success of IKEA Strategies IKEA success was also determined through its market analysis strategies. The company had a clear understanding of its target market, its purchasing power, and its tastes and preferences. Throughout its operation, IKEA has always been targeting young individuals who are between their 20s and 30s. This target group has a taste of elegance.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, it lacks the purchasing power to achieve this dream. Therefore, to meet the needs of this target group, IKEA has an effective pricing strategy that ensures that the final product is priced at the lowest price possible. The company sources its products from the cheapest manufactures within an d outside their target markets. In its early years, the products that were sold in the Swedish market were manufactured in Poland (Back 5). To reduce the operating costs in the US market, IKEA sourced its products from local suppliers to cut on transportation costs. This move ensures that the final product is not only sold at the lowest price possible but it is also of a superior quality, hence meeting the tastes and preferences of its target market. Modification of IKEA Strategies In the course of its operations, IKEA has modified its strategies to meet the requirements of its target market. For instance, IKEAââ¬â¢s location strategy has changed over time. All IKEA stores are located outside the city enhancing the shopping experience of customers. At the same time, the stores have been divided into different sections with each section containing a range of goods that can meet the specific needs of different customers. With the home assembly strategy, customers can easily carry t heir products and assemble them at the comfort of their homes. Most importantly, the stores are run by highly qualified, skilled, and dedicated individuals (Back 4). It has been the tradition of IKEA to employ young individuals who have the passion of the company rather than experienced individuals from other firms. Through extra-role performance and high quality service delivery, IKEA employees always meet the needs and desires of their customer. As a result, the customers are always satisfied with IKEA products, as well as the services they receive from the company. This has increased the global success that the company is enjoying. IKEAââ¬â¢s Current Strategy The operations of IKEA are based on the transnational strategy (Hill 402). To ensure that its operations are sustainable and profitable in the long run, IKEA has come up with strategies modified its store layout, store location and product line to suit the local market while entering the Chinese market (Back 3). In the pr ocess, the firm has greatly reduced its production hence selling its products at lower prices as compared to its competitors. This move was successful and by 2008, IKEA had 4 stores in China alone. Given the current market conditions, this strategy is effective since it has greatly increased the number of units sold hence increasing its global market share as well as its profitability.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on IKEA Expansion Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Future Changes All businesses operate in a dynamic environment. Therefore, IKEA will have to modify its operations to keep up with market trends. For instance, the firm needs to enhance the application of internet technology to enhance its internal and external operations. IT will enable the firm to monitor its inventory and staff in an effective and effective and efficient manner. IT will also increase its profitability through online sales. Wi th the help of social media, the firm can enhance its relationship with its customers hence having a better understanding of their tastes and preferences. Through research and development, the firm can come up with better products, effective marketing and pricing mechanisms and better management systems. Back, Alison. IKEA: Furniture Retailer to the World. PDF file. Web. Hill, Charles. Global Business Today. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Compliance cars are only produced to meet California mandate.
Compliance cars are only produced to meet California mandate. Letââ¬â¢s say youââ¬â¢re a Honda fan. Your father bought Hondas and you naturally followed. Now letââ¬â¢s say that you are interested in an electric vehicle (EV), and you know Honda has an electric version of the Fit hatchback. But, unless you live in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York or Oregon you canââ¬â¢t just waltz into your local Honda dealer for a test drive. Hereââ¬â¢s why. A California Mandate Yes, the Left Coast is the reason that some electric vehicles are only available in a few states, and in some cases just one or two states. In 2012, the California Air Resource Board (CARB) mandated that automakers that sell at least 60,000 vehicles a year in the state - Chrysler (now Fiat Chrysler), Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota - must sell zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) using the formula of 0.79 percent of their total California sales. Next year the number is bumped to three percent. Under the regulation, failure to meet the numbers would result in losing the ability to sell any vehicle in California. Thus, the Chevrolet Spark EV, Ford Focus EV, Fiat 500e, Honda Fit EV and Toyota RAV4 EV were born. They are called compliance cars because they are designed and engineered specifically to comply with the CARB requirements and allow the automakers to continue selling cars in the state. à Of the six biggest car companies, Nissan avoided the ââ¬Å"compliance carâ⬠moniker with its Leaf electric vehicle that debuted in late 2011. It not only meets the CARB sales number requirements, but it also exceeds it. Plus, the Leaf is the top selling battery-electric powered vehicle across the U.S. Tesla is relieved from the CARB mandate, even though it sells roughly 1,000 Model S electric cars per month in the U.S., because of its small overall California sales numbers. Other States Sign On Under federal law, other states are allowed to adopt Californiaââ¬â¢s emissions rules even if they are more strict than federal regulations. At this point, the District of Columbia and ten states have signed on to follow the Golden Stateââ¬â¢s lead with ZEV requirements of their own. They are Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Now you know why Honda Fit EV availability is limited to seven states. And the other compliance cars? Chevroletââ¬â¢s Spark EV and the Fiat 500e are both available in California and Oregon. The Toyota RAV4 EV, the lone electric sport-utility vehicle, is a California-only availability. RAV4 production will cease sometime this year as Toyota is betting on fuel cell vehicles. Lastly, sales of Fordââ¬â¢s Focus EV started in California but can be purchased at select dealers in 48 states. Oh, by the way, if you do live in a state where the Fit EV is available, you canââ¬â¢t buy one. Honda, for some reason, will only lease the car. And, like Toyota, Honda believes future ZEVs will be hydrogen fuel cell powered and will discontinue the compliance Fit EV next year. But Wait, Thereââ¬â¢s More As you might suspect, thereââ¬â¢s more to this ZEV mandate thing than just engineering and hopefully selling enough compliance vehicles to satisfy CARB regulators. Since itââ¬â¢s not likely that Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, and Toyota can sell enough vehicles to meet the quotas, there is a way for these automakers to stay in the good graces of the state. Under the regulations, a certain number of credits are earned by every automaker for each zero emission vehicle they make. A ZEV is not limited to vehicles that use an electric-drive powertrain and rechargeable batteries. Included are electric-drive vehicles that employ a fuel cell to produce electricity onboard from compressed hydrogen gas fuel in an electrochemical process. A lesser credit amount is also given to plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles based on the amount of electric power provided. To date, the biggest winner in this credit derby is Tesla. How so? Well, credits awarded can be sold to carmakers that didnââ¬â¢t earn enough credits selling their compliance cars. Tesla has collected a very large number of ZEV credits, and in turn, has sold them for a very handsome sum of money. Buying these credits has allowed GM, Fiat Chrysler, and the others to continue to sell conventionally-fueled vehicles in the state. More Compliance Cars to Come In 2017, new requirements will be implemented. In addition to the six car companies affected by the current plan, BMW, Hyundai and its Kia subsidiary, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen along with its Audi unit also will be included under the new rules. But rather than waiting until 2017, these companies are getting a jump start. First out of the gate is BMW with its i3, the lightest and perhaps the quirkiest-looking electric vehicle. You can order one now in every state but expect at least a six-month wait for delivery. Electric vehicles coming later this year with limited distribution are the Kia Soul EV, the B-Class Electric Drive from Mercedes-Benz and the Volkswagen E-Golf. Hyundai is going a different route to meet the CARB mandate with its Tucson Fuel Cell.à It is arriving now at a select few California dealerships and is available with a lease only. There are also two EVs on the market that are not affected by Californiaââ¬â¢s regulations. The Mitsubishi I-MiEV and the Smart Electric Drive have been on sale for a couple of years, although Smart has a small number of U.S. dealerships. And of course, Nissanââ¬â¢s Leaf and Teslaââ¬â¢s Model S are available nationwide. By the end of 2014, even with the addition of the cars from BMW, Mercedes, Kia and Volkswagen, the selection of electric vehicles will be very limited. Unless that is, you reside in California or one of the other states that have joined the CARB movement.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Australian Indigenous Education in Modern Life Essay
Australian Indigenous Education in Modern Life - Essay Example There was also much concern over high unemployment rates in some ethnic communities, largely a result of economic recession and the decline of the manufacturing sector, which had previously provided a substantial portion of migrant jobs (Castles et al., 1986; O'Loughlin and Watson, 1997; VEAC, 1983, 1984). Since the late 1980s, discussions about the apparent success of professional and business migrants have supplanted the discourse of migrant disadvantage. As a result of the Federal government's increasing emphasis on credentials and skills in the migration programme, migrants' human capital endowments have increased, apparently resulting in higher labour force participation rates and better employment outcomes. The government argues that migration is more economically efficient than ever before, with migrants adding to government coffers rather than becoming a drain on the public purse (Ruddock, 2003). Contemporary academic research on migrant employment experiences neatly undersco res governmental discourses on migration policy. It is dominated by studies presenting a 'success story' narrative of recent, mostly highly skilled, migrants achieving increasingly positive outcomes in the Australian labour market. These are generally economic, quantitative studies based on the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA) (Cobb-Clark, 2000, 2001; Cobb-Clark and Chapman, 1999; Richardson et al., 2001, 2002; VandenHeuvel and Wooden, 1999, 2000). The LSIA, commissioned by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), surveyed migrants about their settlement experiences during their first years in Australia. LSIA1 targeted migrants entering Australia between September 1993 and August 1995, surveying them three times: six months (wave 1), 18 months (wave 2) and three and a half years (wave 3) after arrival. LSIA2 targeted migrants entering Australia between September 1999 and August 2000, surveying them twice: six months (wave 1 ) and 18 months (wave 2) after arrival (see DIMIA, 2002, for more information about the LSIA). Weighted data were used in the analyses for this article to offset the attrition rate in the sample over the three waves. These studies continue a dominant tradition within social science research on migration, namely an approach derived from human capital theory. Essentially an 'application of neo-classical economics to labour markets' (Wooden, 1994: 220), human capital theory has become the prevailing wisdom within academic and business circles for explaining the economic success of individuals, firms and nations. Human capital theory emerged in the 1970s in the writings of economists such as Mincer (1974) and Becker (1975) to explain differences in individual earnings. Income was treated as a function of workers' investment in marketable skills, particularly in the form of training. Individuals were seen as making rational choices about investments in education and training that would i ncrease their productivity and thereby deliver suitable returns to them once evaluated on the market (see Blaug, 1976: 830). Applied to immigrants, as Wooden (1994: 220) notes, the theory proposes that 'differences in pay, occupational status, probability of employment, and so forth, between immigrants and natives reflect differences in the average
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Annotated Reference List Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Annotated Reference List - Assignment Example stated the addictive behaviors are divided into three important categories which include physiological model, disease model and social learning model. Further in the article she writes about the importance of these models in schools. She emphasizes on school prevention programs which are health focused and promotion programs. The author also describes the implementation process of the above stated models in the schools. This article sends a message across to the prospective counselors at schools and those working with the children. It works as a good professional foundation to understand, what addiction is and how the addictive behaviors can be restrained. This is a peer-reviewed journal article written by Gerald A.Juhnke who is understood to be working for the University of Texas at San Antonio in the department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Adult and Higher Education. This article provides an updated analysis on the information on the article contents published in the previous years. This article Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling is published by the American Counseling Association therefore the content in the article remains authentic. The article is primarily directed for the adulthood age group. This article is a literature review based on the previous articles written. New information regarding the authorââ¬â¢s demographics and other details has been analyzed to make it more authentic and reliable source in the library. This article is of interest to me as it helps me to go in to the details of each author who has contributed to this subject. Additionally, because it is a literature review it provides me with critical analysis on the past literature written on the subject. Laux, J. M., Dupuy, P. J., Moe, J. L., Lambert, E., Ventura, L. A., Williamson, C., et al. (2008). The Substance Abuse Counseling Needs of Women in the Criminal. Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling, 29(1), 36-48. The authors of this article are from the
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Far from the madding crowd Essay Example for Free
Far from the madding crowd Essay In Far From the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy examines different types of love. Consider the relationships Bathsheba has with Gabriel, Boldwood and Troy; consider also Troys relationship with Fanny Robin. What conclusions does Thomas Hardy wish us to draw about the nature of love? Support the points you make with close reference to the text. You must also mention the social context of the novel and any relevant literary tradition. Bathsheba is a very vain woman who likes to think very highly of herself, in the first appearance she makes in the novel, she is admiring herself in the mirror. The last word in Chapter 1 is vanity. Hardy has established some of the features of two of the main characters and made us curious about this development of the relationship between Oak and this vain but handsome girl. Bathsheba was not a conventional woman of her time. She was an unusual for a woman of her time because she was very independent. She also refused her first offer of marriage although penniless and living with her aunt. Women at this time relied heavily on marriage. Women at that time often also married for security. Bathsheba is quite teasing with men, for example, when Gabriel Oak holds her hand, she suggests: But I suppose you are thinking you would like to kiss it? You may if you want to. But when Gabriel says, I will. She instantly says, No you wont! This shows that she is teasing, and she can get some men crazy about her. Her relationship with Gabriel has its ups and downs. Gabriel cares for Bathsheba so much but as the novel goes on, Gabriel realizes that there is no chance that he will marry Bathsheba because two other obstructions are in the way, the similarly vain Sergeant Troy and Mr. Boldwood. Bathshebas relationship with Mr. Boldwood is very awkward because, she only sent the valentine letter as a prank. It all started off when Liddy and Bathsheba were writing a Valentine letter to little Teddy Coggan. But Liddy suggests, What fun it would be to send it to the stupid old Boldwood, and how he would wonder! Bathsheba does not agree to the idea at first and says, No, I wont do that. He wouldnt see any humour in it. She was right. But Boldwood takes it so seriously and becomes absolutely obsessed with her, My life is a burden without you, I want you I want you to let me say I love you again and again! When Bathsheba tells him the truth about the Valentines card, Boldwood does not want to and cannot accept the fact that it was a joke and a prank: No, no, no. Dont say thoughtlessness! Make me think it was something more that it was a sort of prophetic instinct the beginning of a feeling that you would like me. Then Troy comes into the novel. During that period of time, there were strict rules governing the etiquette of behaviour about men and women being alone together and they certainly would not publicly touch each other or their clothes. This makes their meeting highly irregular. Bathsheba would be particularly vulnerable in this situation. Troy is similarly vain and teasing like Bathsheba, this enchants her, Thank you for the sight of such a beautiful face! He also often repeats the word, Beauty aimed obviously at Bathsheba. When they depart after their first encounter, she is very happy and feels flattered. She looks in the mirror (as usual) and repeats Troys words, Goodnight beauty! Bathsheba is aware of her beauty, and she feels that if some handsome man in uniform compliments her on her looks, then that is very rewarding for her and it boosts her self-confidence. Also, Troys showmanship with his sword swept Bathsheba off her feet. Also, because Bathsheba would have been very nai ve and inexperienced in the ways of love, she found it very hard to resist Troy. Bathsheba and Troys relationship, was more of a sexual love than a real love: She felt powerless to withstand or deny him. He was altogether too much for her. Another sign of Bathshebas vanity was that, she only married Troy because he had said he saw a more beautiful woman. So, Bathsheba went all the way to Bath just for Troy. But later on in the novel, Troy does not show that same feelings as when they first met. Instead, Troy becomes more involved into Fanny Robin and regrets ever turning her down. The type of love Fanny Robin loves Troy with all her heart; she even walks miles just for him. Many young women in the Victorian times would have eloped to marry soldiers. This was called Scarlet fever. This would be a disgrace to the girl and her family. Hardys aunt Martha was said to have eloped with a soldier When she asks Troy when they will be wed, Troy does not even understand what she is talking about. Fanny asks, When will it be? Troy then asks What? Then Fanny tries to remind Troy, That you promised. Troy again, forgetful, I dont quite recollect Then Fanny desperately says, O you do! Dont speak like that. It weighs me to the earth. It makes me say what ought to be said first by you. Fanny wants to get desperately married, but Troy wants her mainly for sex and for more of a casual relationship. Troy gets very angry and upset when he sees the coffin with Fanny Robin and the baby in it. Tragically, Fanny died of childbirth. The baby was still born. Many deaths occurred due to lack of technology including childbirth. He completely forgets about what he had with Bathsheba and thinks of what he could have had with Fanny. Troys reaction to her death and his disregard for Bathsheba shows he is the type of man who only wants what he cannot have. When Fanny was alive, Troy showed little interest in her predicament. I think that the message Thomas Hardy is trying to get out is that love can only be true, not just for jokes and pranks (the valentines letter. ) Love also has to have two people involved not like Fanny Robin and Troy at the start of the novel. In conclusion, Hardy ended the novel happily, because he knew that is what the readers wanted to read. The story was printed into a monthly magazine and for a Victorian readership; a happy end involved a marriage. Bathsheba was first attracted by Troys good looks and superficial charm and preferred these qualities to the more traditional ones of security and love offered by Oak and Boldwood. But when Fanny dies, Bathsheba finally realizes that Troys is actually a womanizer and he is disloyal. Hardy, himself did not rate marriage very highly as he had an unhappy marriage. So by the end of the novel, Bathsheba becomes more sensitive to others and realizes that she should have accepted Oaks initial proposal, rather than Troys, and that she would have been much happier with Oak.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
The Effect of the Kyoto-Protocol on the Earth Essay -- Environment Fos
The Effect of the Kyoto-Protocol on the Earth In the article ââ¬Å"Global-warming Rules Begin Feb.16â⬠by Traci Watson published in USA Today, Watsonââ¬â¢s explanation is that this protocol on global warming is likely to have a ripple effect on the USA, even though U.S. leaders have bowed out of this treaty to avoid its potential impacts on the economy. It seems to other writers that carbon dioxide may not contribute so much to global warming and that this protocol will have a bad influence upon the economy. On the up side, however, the amount of fossil fuel use in the entire earth will certainly be decreased by the Kyoto Protocol. Consequently, improvement of air quality and environmental preservation in the entire earth should be promoted. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted in 1992 to address global warming and was brought into force in 1994. The third session of the Conference of the Parties to UNFCCC (COP3) was held in Kyoto in 1997, where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. The Protocol stipulates that 38 countries, including developed countries and economies in transition, will reduce their Green House Gases (GHGs) including CO2 respectively to total emissions 5.2% below the 1990 level during the period from 2008 to 2012. For example, reduction below 1990 levels of 8% is required for the EU, 7% for the U.S., 6% for Japan, and 0% for Russia. Even though the protocol was adopted, this treaty can take effect only if it gets approval from countries with an emissions cap whose aggregate 1990ââ¬â¢s emissions is more than 55% of the total CO2 emissions in 1990 of capped parties. The share of the U.S. in 1990 was 36.1%, that of Japan was 8.5% and that of Russia was 17.4%. This treaty had go... ...l basis. Consequently, what I want to suggest is that the rate of fossil fuel use in the entire earth will be decreased by the Kyoto Protocol. It is clear that improvements at least in air quality and environmental preservation in the entire earth are promoted by the plan. Furthermore, there is still the possibility of GHG reductions mitigating global warming. Works Cited Patterson, Tim. â⬠Climate Change.â⬠EnviroTruth.org. 10 April 2002. Tatsuyoshi, Saijo. â⬠The Kyoto Protocol and Global Environmental Strategies of the EU, the U.S. and Japan.â⬠January 2002. < http://www.iser.osaka-u.ac.jp/~saijo/pdffiles/kpjan02.pdf> Watson, Traci. â⬠U.S., Not Part of Kyoto Pact, Will Still Feel its Effects.â⬠USA Today. 24 November 2004.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Brand Community Analysis
Brand Community Analysis As the development of communication technology and global market, the concept of Brand Community was fist defined as ââ¬Ëa specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships among admirers of a brandââ¬â¢ by two social scientists, Albert M. Muniz, JR and Thomas C. Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001). This essay will firstly give a brief overview of brand community, and then point out three main characteristics and further discuss these features of brand community based on the article by Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001) using the supporters of Manchester United Football Club as an example.Brand community is a customer-customer-brand triad. It reflects on a collection of brand-centric social group stressing the use of brand and the relationship formed by emotion between consumers (Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn, 2001). Furthermore, McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig (2002) have extended this model to the extent that brand communit y is actually a customer-centric network and aim to provide customer special brand-related consumption experience. They have also emphasized the concept of brand experience in a community.Any brand experience comes from the interaction among members, and at the same time customers also construct the meaning of the brand in the process of interaction and experience. Subsequently, by the research in the abandoned Apple Newton, Muniz and Schau (2005) found brand community can be regarded to a kind of religious affiliation. Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) is a famous professional football team founded in 1878 in England. It is the best supported in Europe (Rice, 2009) and probably the most popular football club in the world.According to the article by Cass (2007) from Daily Mail, the number of worldwide MUFC supporters was closed to 333 million in 2007. In this case, I assume the fans of MUFC all are the members of the club community and they principally consume match tickets and club-related products. Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001) raised 3 basic characteristics for brand community, like other traditional communities, which respectively were a shared consciousness, rituals and traditions and a sense of moral responsibility. The most important shared consciousness is group awareness.It means there is an implicit relationship between community members and members can be distinct from others. Rituals and traditions is a vital social process. Brand and the meaning of brand community with their history, culture and consciousness can be duplicated and passed on through ritual and traditions. Moral responsibility indicates that community members are responsible for each other. These 3 characteristics show the nature of brand community. For the sense of consciousness, members feel a great relation toward one another is more important than the connection to the brand (Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn, 2001).That is why two main organisations for MUFC supporters in the UK, Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA) and Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), were established to let like-minded people join together and formed local communities. IMUSA has even set up a committee to better represent the interest and voice of supports. Supporters from all around the world can also just easily use web-based communication tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and forums like MUFC fansforum (http://community. manutd. com/forums/) to share updated news and maintain connections.On the other hand, members, ââ¬Ëalso set them apart from others and makes them similar to one anotherââ¬â¢ Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001) claimed, especially try to distinct them from the main competitive brand in the market. This regards to oppositional brand loyalty. In this MUFC case, the oppositional brand is its main rivalry in the Premier league located in the same city ââ¬â Manchester City Football Club (MCFC). Fans from MUFC always differentiate them against MCFC supporters. Members usually said MCFC is built by money, just an upstart and a noisy neighbour.Most of the community members despise this kind of team because they think MUFC has the glories that MCFC lack of and embodies the passion and excitement of the world's most popular sport (Hill and Vincent, 2006). Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001) indicated rituals and traditions focus on sharing consumption experience with the brand. Supporters sing several specific songs during the match regarding to different circumstances to encourage and cheer the team. Those songs have already become a kind of spiritual symbol of the MUFC brand, and therefore will be passed on each time they are sung in matches.Celebrating the history of the brand is crucial for maintaining community and reproducing culture (Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn, 2001). For the MUFC community, the most vital history is the trophies they gained. After MUFC won their 19th English top league title last season, the Barclay s Premiership Trophy Cup was being demonstrated around the world for the whole summer in 2011. This tour is not only presenting the precious trophy cup to supporters but also a promotion of the great history of MUFC to further raise reputation and attract new members.Sharing brand stories is another important means of maintaining and creating community (Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn, 2001). MUFC fans always mention either face to face or on internet about the classic victory of the champion league final in 1999 in Munich. This can be related to viral marketing by which positive image and consciousness of the brand and community can be delivered through word of mouth or improved by the internet network effects. ââ¬ËThe sense of moral responsibility is what produces collective action and contributes to group cohesionââ¬â¢ Muniz and Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001) said.There are two traditional shared missions: intergrading and retaining members and assisting members in the proper use of the br and. Firstly, it is crucial to retain existing members and obtain new ones. The fundamental way for MUFC to save and fascinate supporters is to keep winning. Getting consistent good record and reputation will really help the brand to attract and retain members. MUFC also gives discount to the existing official members to renew their membership and buy season tickets in the following year. Thus members can gain benefit from their loyalty.Secondly, moral responsibility also provides assistant normally in problem solving and shares brand-related information. For instance, members share transport information in away games on fansforum. In conclusion, the notion of brand community has been extended in recent years and become a usual marketing phenomenon. The three key characteristics represent the essence of brand community and each of them has its own manifestation. Due to the improvement of communication way, members of brand community are more convenient to communicate and the brand i s also easier to build connection with customers and create brand communities.Looking to the future, I believe brand community will become a crucial and staple marketing strategy. Reference: Cass, Bob (2007). ââ¬Å"United moving down south as fanbase reaches 333 millionâ⬠. Daily Mail (London: Associated Newspapers); 15 December 2007. Manchester United official fansforum: http://community. manutd. com/forums/t/84281. aspx Manchester United Membership benefit: http://www. manutd. com/en/One-United/Member-Benefits. aspx McAlexander, J H, Schouten , J W, and Koenig , H F. Building brand community[J ] . Journal of Marketing; Jan 2002; 66, 1; ABI/INFORM Global p. 8 Muniz Albert M. Jr. and Thomas C. Oââ¬â¢Guinn (2001), Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research; March 2001; 27, 4; ABI/INFORM Global p. 412 Muniz Albert M. Jr. and Schau, H J. (2005), Religiosity in the Abandoned Apple Newton Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research; Mar 2005; 31, 4; ABI/INFORM Global p. 737 Rice, Simon (6 November 2009). ââ¬Å"Manchester United top of the 25 best supported clubs in Europeâ⬠. The Independent (London: Independent Print). Vincent, John, Hill, John S. (2006) Globalisation and sports branding: the case of Manchester United.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Micromax Info Essay
Regd. Office: 21/14, Naraina Industrial Area, New Delhi-110028. CODE OF CONDUCT FOR DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT, OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF MICROMAX INFORMATICS LTD. MICROMAX INFORMATICS LIMITED is committed to conducting its business in accordance with the applicable laws, rules and regulations and with highest standards of business ethics. This code is intended to provide guidance and help in recognizing and dealing with ethical issues, provide mechanisms to report unethical conduct, and to help foster a culture of honesty and accountability. Each Director, senior manager, officer and employee is expected to comply with the letter and spirit of this code. The Directors, senior management, officers and employees of the Company must not only comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations but should also promote honest and ethical conduct of the business. They must abide by the policies and procedures that govern the conduct of the Companyââ¬â¢s business. Their responsibilities include helping to create and maintain a culture of high ethical standards and commitment to compliance, and to maintain a work environment that encourages the stakeholders to raise concerns to the attention of the management. A present, overall, contents of this Code are in practice, being already followed by the Directors and the Senior Management, however, in compliance with the new Clause 49 of the listing agreement, the Code as set out below, is to take effect from the date, when approved by the Board in its meeting 1. APPLICABILITY: The Code is applicable to all the members of the Board of Directors, Senior Management, Officers and employees of the Company. Senior Management shall include all executives holding the positions of Director (Non-Board Member/s), Sr. Manager, Managers, Asst. Managers and all head of the departments excluding Board of Directors. Such personnel shall hereinafter be treated as members of its core management team. 2. DILIGENCE: The Directors, senior management, officers and employees are to exercise due diligence in attending to their respective duties and obligations in the best interest of the Company. 3. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: The Directors, senior management, officers and employees should be scrupulousà in avoiding ââ¬Ëconflicts of interestââ¬â¢ with the Company. In case there is likely to be a conflict of interest, he/she should make full disclosure of all facts and circumstances thereof to the Board of directors or any Committee / officer nominated for this purpose by the Board and a prior written approval should be obtained. A conflict situation can arise: a. When an employee, officer, senior manager or Director takes action or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively, b. The receipt of improper personal benefits by a member of his or her family as a result of oneââ¬â¢s position in the Company, c. Any outside business activity that detracts an individualââ¬â¢s ability to devote appropriate time and attention to his or her responsibilities with the Company, d. The receipt of non-nominal gifts or excessive entertainment from any person/company with which the Company has current or prospective business dealings, e. Any significant ownership interest in any supplier, customer, development partner or competitor of the Company, f. Any consulting or employment relationship with any supplier, customer, business associate or competitor of the Company. 4. TRANSPARENCY: The Directors and the Senior Management are to ensure that their action/s in the conduct of business are transparent, except where the confidentiality of the business requires otherwise. Such transparency shall be brought through appropriate policies, procedures, and maintaining supporting and proper records. 5. FAIR DEALING: Each director, member of core management team, officer, and employee should deal fairly with customers, suppliers, competitors, and employees of group companies. They should not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of confidential, proprietary or trade secret information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair dealing-practices. 6. HONEST AND ETHICAL CONDUCT: The Directors, senior management, officers and employees shall act in accordance with the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, honesty and ethical conduct not only on Companyââ¬â¢s premises andà offsite but also at company sponsored business, social events as well as any places. They shall act and conduct free from fraud and deception. Their conduct shall conform to the best-accepted professional standards of conduct. 7. CORPORATE OPPORTUNITIES: Directors, senior management, officers and employees owe a duty to the Company to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. Directors, senior management, officers, and employees are expressly prohibited from: a. Taking for themselves personally, opportunities that are discovered through the use of Companyââ¬â¢s property, information, or position, b. Competing directly with the business of the Company or with any business that the Company is considering. Using Companyââ¬â¢s property, information, or position for personal gain. If the Company has finally decided not to pursue an opportunity that relates to the Companyââ¬â¢s business activity, he/she may pursue such activity only after disclosing the same to the Board of directors or the nominated person/committee. 8. BUSINESS INTEGRITY: The Directors and the Senior Management are to ensure that the Company carries out its business as per accepted practices of business integrity, ethical standards, fair play and conduct, honestly, legitimately and as a fair competitor. 9. WORK PLACE: The Directors and the Senior Management are to ensure that there is gender friendly work place, equal opportunities are given to men and women, and there exists good employment practices. 1 0. QUALITY OF PRODUCTS/SERVICES: The Directors and the Senior Management are to endeavor that the products / services of the Company meet the accepted standards of quality including that of ISO 9001 and any other standard/s, and also the specifications of the legal authorities/laws so that customer satisfaction is ensured. Moreover costs are kept reasonable. 11. PROTECTION AND PROPER USE OF COMPANYââ¬â¢S ASSETS: The Directors and the Senior Management are to ensure to protect Companyââ¬â¢s assets and property and the same should be used only for legitimate businessà purposes. 12. CONFIDENTIALITY: The Directors, Senior Management, Officers and Employees shall maintain the confidentiality of confidential information of the Company or that of any customer, supplier or business associate of the Company to which Company has a duty to maintain confidentiality, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. The Confidential information includes all non-public information (including private, proprietary, and other) that might be of use to competitors or harmful to the Company or its associates. The use of confidential information for his/her own advantage or profit is also prohibited. 13. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS: T he Directors, senior management, officers and employees shall comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Transactions, directly or indirectly, involving securities of the Company should not be undertaken without pre-clearance from the Companyââ¬â¢s compliance officer/Company Secretary. Any Director, member of core management team, officer or employee who is unfamiliar or uncertain about the legal rules involving Company business conducted by him/her should consult the legal department of the Company before taking any action that may jeopardize the Company or that individual. 14. RELATIONSHIP WITH CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS: The Directors and the Senior Management are to endeavor that their dealings with the customers are given due importance, value is created and relationship of trust is built. In dealing with suppliers it should be the endeavor that supplies are based on need, quality, service, price, and appropriate terms and conditions. 15. SHAREHOLDERS: The Directors and the Senior Management are to ensure that the rights of shareholders are met as per law and good corporate practices, and all efforts are made to provide best services to them. 16. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: The Directors and the Senior Management are to endeavor that the Company be a trusted corporate citizen and, as an integral part of the Society, fulfills its responsibilities and duties to the societies and communities in which ità operates. 17. CODE OF ETHICS FOR CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER: Honesty, integrity and sound judgment of the senior financial officers is fundamental for the success and reputation of Action Construction Equipment Limited. The professional and ethical conduct of the senior financial officers is essential to the proper functioning of the Company. The senior finance officers as well as Directors of the Company shall be bound by the following code of ethics: 1. Act with honesty and integrity, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal, financial and professional relationships, 2. Make full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits or makes periodically, to the shareholders, government authorities, and to the public, 3. Comply with governmental laws, rules, notifications and regulations applicable to the Companyââ¬â¢s business, 4. Disclose to the Board or any committee/officer designated by the Board for this purpose, any material transaction or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to any violations of the code including actual or apparent conflicts with the interests of the company, 5. Promote prompt reporting of violations of the Code of Ethics to the Board of Directors or any person/committee designated for this purpose, as may be necessary, 6. Respect the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of employment unless legally obliged to disclose and ensure that no such confidential information is used for personal advantage/benefit, 7. Maintain the skills necessary and relevant to the Companyââ¬â¢s needs, 8. Act in good faith, responsibility, with due care, competence and diligence without misrepresenting material facts, 9. Refrain from any inappropriate or undue influence of any kind in all dealings with independent auditors, and avoid any actual or apparent conflicts with analysts, 10. Achieve responsible use of and control over all assets and resources employed or entrusted to them, 11. Promote ethical and honest behavior within the Company and its associates, Chief Finance Officer should adhere to both the code of business conduct and the code of ethics of the Company. Violation of the code of ethics will lead to appropriate disciplinary action including dismissal from the services of the Company anyà deviation/waiver from this code can only be affected on the sole and absolute discretionary authority of the Board or any person/committee designated by the Board for this purpose. 18. INTERPRETATION OF CODE: Any question or interpretation under this Code of Ethics and Business Conduct will be handled by the Board or any person /committee authorized by the Board of the Company. The Board of Directors or any designated person/committee has the authority to waive compliance with this Code of business conduct for any Director, member of core management team, officer or employee of the Company. The person-seeking waiver of this Code shall make full disclosure of the particular circumstances to the Board or the designated person/ committee 19. COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE OF CONDUCT: Compliance with this Code of Conduct is an obligation. The Directors and the Senior Management are to ensure that this Code is communicated to, and understood and observed by all employees. The Directors and the Senior Management shall affirm compliance with the Code, on an annual basis. The Board expects employees to bring to their attention, or to that of Senior Management, any breach or suspected breach of this Code. Compliance with this Code is subject to the review by the Board and complemented by the Audit Committee of the Board. Any modification/s, amendment/s, or review of this Code shall be done by the Board.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Andrea Bocelli Essays - Music, Singing, Entertainment, Free Essays
Andrea Bocelli Essays - Music, Singing, Entertainment, Free Essays Andrea Bocelli is well - known around the world for his unique voice and performing with the songs from classical style to pop. Andrea Bocelli was born on September 22, 1958 in the Italian province of Pisa, in Lajatiko , and from an early age was very gift ed with musical talents. In 1970, Andrea won her first singing contest, Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio, performing the song "O sole mio " and 1994 , Bocelli produced his first disc, "Il Mare Calmo Della Sera", which was released, becoming the Golden Disc. Andrea performs Mattinata by Leoncavallo and sings a duet with maestro Pavarotti, " Notte e Piscatore " Morante . He also performs in the finale of Brindisi from La Traviata along with Nancy Gustavson , Georgia, Andreas Vollenweider and Brian Adams. Andrea was awarded many awards, including the Luciano Cirri Prize in Rome for his achievements and as a representative of Italian culture in the world. For the same reason, he is honored with the Caruso Award, as well as the national award for merits in the field of music as the best classical performer, the award in America as the best performer in the world.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
A QA Interview With Film and TV Critic Troy Patterson
A QA Interview With Film and TV Critic Troy Patterson Troy Patterson wears many hats, though hed hate that cliche. Hes a book critic for NP, TV critic at Slate.com and the film critic at Spin magazine. He also written for a host of other publications including The New York Times Book Review, Mens Vogue, Wired, and Entertainment Weekly. Patterson, who calls Brooklyn home, is a wickedly funny and nimble writer who crafts sentences like this one about Jon and Kate Gosselin, the feuding couple at the center of Jon Kate Plus 8: She is a moaning 34-year-old harpy with highlights as wide as mountain-bike tires sporting an asymmetrical haircut suggestive of a wounded stork. He is a sullen 32-year-old layabout whose skate-punk sideburns and gelled forelocks signal boring bad news. And, on the show, both struggle to act half their age. Or read his take on The X Factor: People like to talk about how reality TV attracts exhibitionists. This was literalized last night when a pervert at the Seattle audition dropped his pants, inspiring Paula Abdul to discreetly vomit. If we set him aside, the most memorable rejectees were the geriatric husband-and-wife team of Dan and Venita. They warbled off key through Unchained Melody, wore clothes too transfixingly tacky to rate as vintage, and were mildly lobotomized in manner. If this were a tryout for a dinner-theater adaptation of a David Lynch film, they would have definitely gotten a callback. Heres a QA with Patterson. Q: Tell me a little about your background: A: As a kid and teenager in Richmond, Virginia, I was a big reader Twain, Poe, Hemingway, Vonnegut, Salinger, Judy Blume, detective novels, out-of-town newspapers, Cheerios boxes, whatever. I got hooked on magazines by way of Tom Wolfe and Spy. I went to college at Princeton, where I majored in English Lit and edited the campus weekly. After graduating, I lived in Santa Cruz, California, for a little while, working in a coffee shop and freelancing for the local alt-weekly. Those were the clips I used when I applied for a magazines jobs in New York. I worked at Entertainment Weekly for seven years, where I started as an assistant and later became a book critic and staff writer, and I left EW on my 30th birthday to freelance and to fool around writing fiction. In 2006, I went to Slate, where Im on contract, and subsequently picked up regular gigs reviewing movies for Spin and books for NPR. Q: Where did you learn to write? A: I think that all writers educate themselves through practice, practice, practice. It helps to have good instructors along the way (mine include nursery-school teachers to Toni Morrison) and to hunker down with the usual guidebooks (Strunk White, William Zinsser, etc). Q: Whats a typical workday like for you? A: I dont have a typical workday. Sometimes I write all day, sometimes I write for 90 minutes. Sometimes its all reading and reporting and research. Some days Im running around watching movies or recording podcasts or schmoozing with editors. Then theres keeping up with the news, fending off publicists, replying to hate mail, and staring at the ceiling trying to come up with ideas. Q: What do you most like/dislike about what you do? A: May I quote Dorothy Parker? I hate writing; I love having written. Q: Is it hard being a freelancer? A: You betcha. And success, though dependent on hard work, is also contingent upon pure luck to a ridiculous degree. Q: Any advice to aspiring writers/critics? A: Forget it; go to law school. But if youve got too much passion to resist becoming an arts journalist, then try to learn something about a broad range of history and cultureShakespeare, horror flicks, fashion, philosophy, politics, everything. And dont worry about developing your voice; if you study your elders closely and try to write naturally, itll develop itself.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Interaction design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Interaction design - Assignment Example levant parts of the system are visible by use of suitable affordances that include; buttons, links, dropdown arrows, mouse cursor and highlight on mouse over. The scrollbars provide moving up and down affordances while the icons provide clicking on affordances (Rogers 115). Feedback implies sending information back to the user about what has been done like highlighting and animation and combinations of these. When login button is clicked on a ââ¬Å"depressedâ⬠look is evident .Also constraints provide users with a range of usage possibilities e.g. Date time picker for birthday date. Efficiency on the other hand is evident in status updates and comments. When users write comments and post updates, the feed is immediately brought up to date. As a result the users get the feeling similar to natural result of typing. Facebook responsiveness truly encourages interaction among pals. Facebook has personalisation options that allow users to personalise pages and manage different features of their accounts. This flexibility attracts greater attention from the users and gives a more delighting user experience. Facebook tabbed chat feature gives users firmer sense of control and organization over their chatting actions. This feature also allows the users to perform moreà than one task at the same time and use other Facebook features while chatting. Locus of attention is predominant in Windows with a darkened background. Upon selecting a picture a modal window with a dark background opens. The system is designed to block all the contents in the background, by doing this the users attention is drawn to the picture. The overall effect is to enable the user to view and interact with the picture with little effort. Errors and error recovery mechanism is proper. This help users recognize and diagnose errors. The place for displaying error messages is at the centre and is highlighted to get the users attention. The Error messages indicate what went wrong, where, and what the
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Marketing Plan for Triumph Spares Limited Essay
Marketing Plan for Triumph Spares Limited - Essay Example Our market consist of both the final consumers and the b2b selling. However, it is noted that bulk of our sales are done through b2b channel, and only 20% of our sales is made to small customers through the shop. Therefore, we need to plan a strategy that will help us widen the both sectors and will lead to increase in the profits and revenues.The company has divided its market into two segments:Business Buyers: Here the deals are made with the other business and the company keeps a margin of 50%. This is the segment where the company earns the maximum revenue and almost 80% of its sales are made through this segment. Hence, we need to understand that this segment is most important to us in terms of its size and contribution to the profit. Hence, we need to devise a policy that sustains and grows the revenues earned from this segment. In other words, we can conclude that this is a priority segment for us. We need to look after this segment and need to give it much more importance and attention than the other sector. The sales made in this sector are in bulk and hence we can exploit on economies of scale if we continue to give importance to this sector given the size of this sector.General Public: This is the other market segment; we are currently selling our products to. Here the profit margins are high but the sales volume is very low, so we cannot rely just on this segment. We need to make sure that both the segments are sustained are served together if we need to maximize our profits.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1
Management - Research Paper Example In a clinical setting, the scientific organization approach remains founded on the idea of planning of job to attain effectiveness, consistency, specialization, and generalization. The Bureaucratic approach sees the clinic as section of a wider community organized in structure as one unit. Aims at bringing different units under one roof. Administrative theory emphasizes on the management goals and their achievement in a clinic (Ziegenfuss, 2007). Neoclassical theory stresses on a personââ¬â¢s or team trend and human associations in assessing output. It explains how clinic staff coordinates to bring out the desired results in an organization. The modern theory consists of three approaches, the systems approach, the socio-technical, and the contingency or situational approach. The systems approach considers the clinic like a system made up of a set of connected dependent branches. Socio-technical approach recognizes the clinic as made up of social scheme, technical scheme and its su rrounding. This ensures effective mixing with the surrounding to produce the desired results in a clinic. The contingency approach considers a clinic like institutional scheme connected to the surrounding and that various surroundings need varying institutional associations for efficient functioning of the clinic (Ziegenfuss, 2007). ... Mintzbergââ¬â¢s grouping recognizes (Kelly, 2012): Interpersonal role Informational role Decisional role Interpersonal role In this category, there are three types of interpersonal roles, which include: a. Figurehead: all managers, however, mainly senior managers, remain figure leaders since they participate in figurative and official functions like greeting guests and making dialogues at institutional occasions. The challenge that could remain incurred in this situation is communication barrier and the timing of the communication to suit your audience and make them comfortable. b. Liaison: it entails official and informal within and without contacts; the challenge that could prevail here is the ability to maintain all the contacts and be able to reach them evenly. c. Influencer: comprises of tasks intrinsic in the directing activity, the function of which is to encourage and head. The challenge that may prevail here is lack of enough knowledge and expertise to be able to deal wit h all the team members in the organization as well as keep them motivated and ready to work. Informational role The informational roles of a manager comprise of the following: Monitor- The manager has to view and follow the flow of information and the progress of the staff to ensure that they all conform to the set instructions and act to directives accordingly. The challenges the managers can encounter here are the other staff viewing them as dictators and completely following up their affairs and thus develop hatred towards them. This will affect the performance of the subordinate workers as well as that of the managers hence leading to low output. Disseminator- the managers have the role of spreading information to their subordinates when necessary to
Sunday, October 27, 2019
How And When Children Acquire Language English Language Essay
How And When Children Acquire Language English Language Essay Introduction: The question to consider is how children acquire language and at which stage they could improve their speaking and listening skills. In particular, syntax and vocabulary are the main concern of the language acquisition domain. The task of psycholinguistics is to discover the relationship between language and the human mind (Field: 2003). Many theories, therefore, have emerged in exploring this relationship, which seek to explain the way in which children understand and acquire language. Over the last five decades these theories have offered various ideas and interpretations of the relationship. For example, in Behaviourist theory, which is associated to skinners research into language, language acquisition is considered a collection of habits. It is thought that children learn how to form correct utterances through positive reinforcement from the people around them (Patten and Benati: 2010). Cognitive theory, which is associated with Piaget, is considered a way of discovering how ind ividuals create and use language in their social context (ibid, p71). Interaction theory, related to Bruner, holds that language comes from the interaction between children and their environment (ibid, p99). There are, however, two theories in the relevant acquisition literature which oppose one another and provoke countless debates: Chomskys theory and Tomasellos theory. In Chomskys theory, children biologically possess an innate ability to acquire their language. This ability is mainly specific to language. Whereas, in Tomasellos theory language is acquired through language use by means of social skills, such as, joint attention and general learning mechanisms (Behrene: 2009). This paper seeks to explore these two theories in order to contrast them. The first and second parts of the paper present an overview of the main ideas in the two theories. The third part focuses on their different aspects, including the: poverty of stimulus argument, linguistic creativity, modularity and language specific domain versus domain- general learning mechanisms. The fourth and final part, discusses some weak points in the two theories. Overview of Chomskys (Innatist) theory: In language acquisition domain, Chomskys theory is called an innatist theory, because he proposed that children biologically possess suitable abstract knowledge for the task of first language learning .This abstract knowledge shapes the linguistic system which they learn. In fact, through this innate knowledge children can discover the rules of their language system and reduce hypothesis formation and guessing. (Patten and Benati: 2010). Chomskys main argument is that all human beings are born with an innate knowledge which is particularly designed for language acquisition (ibid). This argument is indeed, opposed to the one that language is a result of the interaction between human beings and the environment or item-usage learning (e.g. Skinner, 1957; Tomasello, 2003). Furthermore, The term Language Acquisition Device (LAD) was coined by Chomsky in this context to refer to such innate knowledge or the little black box (Patten and Benati: 2010).The (LAD) comprises the universal princi ples of all languages, by which children can be kept on track and not confused by all the complex rules of particular languages. When this (LAD) is activated, the child can discover the structure of the language s/he is to learn by matching the innate knowledge of basic grammatical relationships to the structures of the special language in the environment (Lightbown and Spada: 1999). However, since the 1960s, instead of (LAD) universal grammar hypothesis (UG) was introduced by Chomsky. It was given much concern by him instead of, the (LAD), because, in Chomskys view this hypothesis means that there is an innate knowledge source which governs the shape of natural language (Patten and Benati: 2010). It should be noted that the first appearance of Chomskys theory was in 1959 in his critical review of Skinners book Verbal Behavior in 1957. Chomsky in his review pointed out many shortcomings in applying Skinners theories to language acquisition. For example, Skinners experiment using rat boxes is not relevant to language because the behaviour of rats is unlike human behaviour. As a result, Skinner has a mistaken understanding of the nature of language. Furthermore, the environment considered solely as learning mechanism can not be the basis of language acquisition and therefore, mans ability to acquire language must be innate (Aitchison, 2007). Overview of Tomasellos theory (usage-based theory): The account of language acquisition provided by Tomasello comes under the umbrella of usage-based theories. Recently, a new view of language and human linguistic competence has emerged (Tomasello: 2003). This view comes from a set of theories usually called cognitive-functional linguistics, and also called usage -based linguistics in order to emphasize their main ideas that language structure is produced or appears from language use (e.g. Langacker, 1987a ; Croft, 1991; Tomasello, 1995, 2003). It is note worthy that this view stands in direct opposition to Chomskys innatist theory. Because, Tomasello in his theory is mainly concerned with the question of how children get from here to there from the constructions of infant level speech to the abstract constructions of adult thought through one set of processes of acquisition (Tomasello: 2003:3). In Tomasellos theory it is impossible that humans can have been born with a specific collection of communicative behaviours only for language . This collection more probably learned by children during their years from the linguistic conventions used around them. They must possess flexibility in order to learn both the different words and the suitable expressions of each language and the different types of abstract constructional pattern which historically these languages have grammaticized (ibid). Tomasello emphasizes, however, four points in his theory: First, the innate skills which people have are not specific to language but can be used as means for language learning. Second, theory of mind is central to symbol use, because humans can understand symbols while nonhuman do not possess this ability, because they use signal system. Thirdly, word-learning skills include: joint attention, which means the ability that children possess in their first year old whereby they can understand other people as intentional agents and interact socially through an object to which both pay attention; children note this attention to both it and themselves; Intention reading, means the ability to understand the social world around them through imitating adult acts; the construction-learning skills encompassing: analogy and pattern-finding. The latter means the distributional analysis based on statistical information in the primary linguistic data and the ability to form perceptual and conceptual figures of similar objects or situations (Tomasello: 2003). The differences between the two theories: It is noteworthy that the accounts provided by Chomsky and Tomasello comprise many opposed aspects, of which the main ones are as follows: 3.1. Poverty of stimulus argument: The basic argument of the nativist theory is based on Chomskys assumption of the poverty of stimulus (1965).This assumption means that the data provided by the input to which people exposed are not rich enough to account for language acquisition (Patten and Benati:2010). In other words, it means that the language to which children are exposed as their input or the primary linguistic data is solely a set of individual utterances yielding some abstract principles of grammar which seem ambiguous for language acquisition .The best solution he can provide is the universal grammar hypothesis (UG), which means that all humans are born with an innate universal language containing a number of abstract principles which can lead the acquisition process (Tomasello: 2003). Despite the fame of the poverty of stimulus argument in the language acquisition domain and childrens language research, it has certain, if we contrast it with the account provided by Tomasellos usage-based theory. We find that the research into the developmental psychology of language acquisition has provided many arguments which support the richness of stimulus in usage-based theories (e.g Clark2003, Tomasello 2003). In fact, the significance of social pragmatic interaction in language acquisition is evidenced by extensive findings in this domain (Tomasello: 2003). To put it more simple, Tomasello in his theory emphasizes that: There is no poverty of the stimulus when a structured inventory of construction is the adult endpoint (Tomasello: 2003:7). He notes that the hypothesis of an innate universal grammar has two major problems, namely, first, the linking problem and the problem of continuity. The first problem is how children can connect their abstract universal grammar with the particular language which they learn. The second problem deals with the developmental changes in childrens language, for example, how people can understand childrens language during their developmental change if we accept that universal grammar is always the same. It, therefore, seems useful to provide a description or explanation of child language acquisition which ignores any hypothesis of universal grammar which creates these problems (Tomasello: 2003). Accordingly, it is important to note that Chomsky and Tomasello are opposed on the argument of the poverty of stimulus. Tomasellos view, however, seems stronger, because nativists provide no support for their claims. As Pullum and Scholz (2002:47) point out, the poverty of stimulus argument still a waits even a single good supporting example. Moreover, Akhtar (2004) seems to agree with this criticism, in that she indicates that this argument was the basis for a number of nativist claims, yet indeed lack supporting empirical evidences. 3.2. Language is creative: Another difference between Chomsky and Tomasello is the formers belief that language is creative. From Chomsky perspective, creativity in language has three- fold support. First, people possess the ability to understand and produce strange sentences which they have never before heard or spoken (Aitchison: 2007). Second, the creative use of language is free from the external and internal affects of the stimulus control (Chomsky: 1968). Third, the way in which people use the language considered to be coherent and appropriate to the situation (Hegde: 1980). By the way of contrast, we can see that Tomasello does not ignore creativity in language, but he has little concern for it. According to him, it results from the attempt of humans to create categories in their own language (Tomasello: 1995). Chomsky asserts that the creativity in language is something which can not be acquired solely through environmental learning methods (Aitchison: 2007). Tomasello contrastingly asserts that, during a period of time, children obtain the communicative conventions are obtained step by step from the people around them. For example, their social cognitive skills and developing cognition are utilised to internalise these conventions. Childrens basic abilities are used to learn their first words. They create concepts so as to understand adult speech and then to produce suitable new words in their communicative contexts (Tomasello: 1995). It is thought, however, from the contrast between the two views that Chomskys view about the creativity of language has some limitations. For one thing, nativists assert that every utterance we hear and say is completely novel and accepted. This assertion seems to be wrong. The reason is that to accept it we would need to assume that each word or sentence has a separate existence. Moreover, we have to assume that our past language experience is sufficient to provide a clear understanding of the present utterances. But, if these assumptions are accepted, the result will be that human communicative behaviour has no continuity (Hegde: 1980). The second point, on the creativity of language free from the control of stimulus, seems to be weak, because, as discussed above in section (3.1) no evidence has been offered in its support. Furthermore, with regard to the third point, in Chomskys view the way that people use language is coherent and appropriate to the situation. It could be argued that this point is somewhat vague, since Chomsky admits that he can give no clear meaning to the terms appropriateness and coherent in this context (ibid). However, he stresses that the creative aspect of language is common. Humans constantly create novel utterances and many who lack this ability might be brain damaged (Aitchison: 2007). This view would be more popular if it took into account the effect of environmental learning methods in producing our utterances, since the one question that needs to be asked here is, how humans can produce them without communication with their input. 3.3. Modularity: In the areas of linguistics and philosophy of mind, the idea of modularity has raised a great deal of concern (Garfield: 1987). There seems to be another difference between Chomsky and Tomasello, about the modularity of mind in language acquisition. To illustrate, the definition of modularity according to Crystal (1998: 246) is: A term used in recent discussion of language in two slightly different ways. On the one hand, it is proposed, especially in J. A. Fodors The Modularity of Mind, that the mind is modular in the sense that it consists of a number of different systems ( modules) each has its own distinctive properties , such as the language system and the vision system. On the other hand, it is suggested, especially in government-binding theory that language system itself is modular in the sense that it consists of a number of different subsystems which interact in specific ways. The concept of modularity is that the brain is divided into separate parts, an idea to which Chomsky gives much attention (1965).He identifies the language area as a separate faculty of mind, in that language is autonomous in the mind and a separate module in the brain (Aitchison: 2007). Furthermore, he goes on to argue that the human mind is, like other complex biological systems, modular in its internal formation (Chomsky: 1984). The main idea of modularity, according to him, is that the modularity of syntax means that the structures of syntax are not the same as the structures exist in other cognitive (Chomsky: 1968 cited in Tomasello: 1995). By the way of contrast, we can see that Tomasello does not agree that language is a separated module in the brain, because, by his reasoning, in order to have a perfect grammatical theory the syntactic abilities should be combined into cognition and not like an autonomous sub-system (Parisse: 2005). To sum up, Chomskys view is a modular view in which there are different sub-parts in the mind each one possessing special characteristics. Tomasello, however, take the non-modular view that there are general principles employed in all cognitive domains which control the mind (Archibald: 1993). However, to return to the account of modularity provided by Chomsky, one of the difficulties with this account is the claim that syntactic structures are not like the structures which exist in other cognitive domains. This seems to be wrong, because it gives the idea that the syntax module is innate, yet if we give the example of the game of chess, we find that it possesses a number of unique structures, such as, the images of a knight fork or queen-a side attack- in human cognition. But there is no need to presume that this uniqueness chess- playing form needs an innate mental form (Bates et al. 1991). Moreover, the structures of cognitive thought which adults utilise in order to play the game of chess come through a process in which people employ general cognitive processes to face their problems in their social interaction which they may have had in learning to play a constructed game (Tomasello:1995). Hence, it is thought that Chomskys view seems to be weak because it is difficult to specify which part of the brain is responsible for language. As Bates asserts, it still far from knowing perfectly which parts of the brain are responsible for language (Bates in press, cited in, Tomasello 1995). 3.4. Language- specific versus domain- general learning mechanisms: Another point of difference between Chomsky and Tomasello concerns the way in which children acquire language. is another different point between Chomsky and Tomasello. The difference lies in the contention over whether language should be a specific domain or a domain general learning mechanism. A specific domain in this context means a domain specific to language, whilst, domain general refers to learning mechanisms which are not specific to language, yet applied generally. From Chomskys perspective, since, human beings are able to learn language and animals are not, this ability is considered genetically inherited (Aitchison: 2007). Nativist theory, in fact, hypothesises that children are born with universal grammar (UG), a set of innate principles and parameters. This possession helps children to learn language without making errors as they learn (Conroy and Thornton: 2005). Therefore, this assumes that children possess a pre- existing domain- specific innate form which specifies the form of their language knowledge. Moreover, in language learning in particular, syntax children obtain ability without exposure to adequate stimulus (Chomsky; 1986, Pinker; 1994). However, Tomasello believes that it is false to suppose that children have genetically endowed grammar (Tomasello: 2003). To his mind, children in order to learn their language employ item-based learning integrated with some general learning mechanisms that are used in other cognitive domains , such as, analogy (Conroy and Thornton: 2005). Moreover, in Tomasellos view the properties of language structure come from joint attention figures and not from innate language specific mechanisms (Segalowitz: 2001). As a result, Tomasello significantly did not ignore language universals; however, to him they not universals of form or a special type of syntax or linguistic symbols but are instead, the universals of human communication and cognition. For example, human beings use language in similar social contexts in order to provide solutions in language for communicative tasks, such as, describing specific entities (Tomasello: 2003). Consequently, Chomskys view that language has a specific-do main is weak , because languages differ in their grammatical relations, of subject and object, for example, Acehnese, an Indonesian language, and Tagalog, a Philippine language, do not possess these grammatical relations ( Tomasello:1995). 4. Some weakness in both theories: Tomasello, then, introduced a new model of usage-based theories in language acquisition in which he paid attention to a main set of skills, namely, intention reading, joint attention and pattern-finding skills. These skills are general skills utilised also in other types of cognition and not in language alone. Furthermore, although they are innate, they are not like the universal grammar (UG) invented by Chomsky, because they are not specific to language (Tomasello, 2003). But Tomasellos account seems to entail some limitations. It is thought that he does not provide a clear explanation for the fact that these skills are sufficient for language acquisition. As Wilson (2006:138) points out: Tomasellos central claim is that joint attention and intention reading are foundational and prerequisite for language acquisition. It does seems reasonable to assume that they are necessary for language development, but the big question is, are they sufficient? Can they entirely account for all of the complexities of language à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ from parsing speech stream to the emergence of complex grammatical structures? Hollich et al. (2000), on the other hand, seems to agree with this criticism, because they assert that Tomasellos theory, which is one of the social constructivist theories, does not possess a complete or sufficient explanation for the fact that children can produce increasingly inserted sentences in their utterances. Moreover, the problem with these theories is that they still offer no clarification of childrens ability to discover the relationships between language units. In contrast to this, Chomskys theory is considered one of the famous theories in the language acquisition domain. It has indeed, affected the entire literature language acquisition, because of the controversy surrounding it. Yet this theory too attracts a number of criticisms. In this section, we focus on four critical points made against this theory. A major criticism concerns the universal grammar hypothesis (UG) which has been discussed above. Although (UG) aroused widespread interest in language acquisition debates, it is thought, that it is based solely on abstract thinking and lacks empirical support. As Kadarisman (2007a) points out, the concept of universal grammar must be without meaning unless it has empirical evidence. But, without adequate explanations, it seems to be more a slogan than a scientific effort. Moreover, due to its abstraction, (UG) neglects the local importance of language used in the cultural context (Becker: 1995). Second, Chomskys theory is criticised for relying on logical arguments only. As Palmer (2000) indicates, Chomskys nativist claims remain are still the same as they have been fir the past two decades. Because his claims are based on logical arguments instead of, direct evidences or reasonable interpretations, his argum ents have no external support. Tomasello seems, agree with Palmer in this criticism because he states that Chomsky in his account relies strongly on logical arguments, not using the scientific study of human behaviour and cognition (Tomasello: 1995). Third, it is criticised because it can not be tested. This creates some contention around Chomskys account. The reason is that his theory has no clear cut procedures which could be examined. To put it more simple, Chomsky considered theory-construction in linguistics as similar to theory- construction in the physical sciences, particular, physics. Yet, there is a deference between these two domains, because, the mathematical model in physics depends on physical phenomena and is testable, whereas, Chomskys model relies on subjective judgments made by individual native speakers who may disagree with each other. Consequently, it can not be tested (Moor and Carling: 1987). Fourth, Chomskys theory is criticised in terms of its ideas, if considered as philosophical ideas, for instance the adoption of such innatist ideas as, the universal grammar (UG) hypothesis which is based on the hypothesis of an innate language faculty. Subsequently, many linguists (e.g. Hegde, 1980; Moore and Claring, 1987) have strongly criticised these ideas. For example, Hegde asserts that the concept of a nativist theory is merely part of an ancient philosophical idea. Furthermore, Moore and carling believe that Chomskian linguistics are linked by these ideas to philosophy, in particular, epistemology, the part of philosophy concerned with knowledge theories. Conclusion: The domain of language acquisition possesses a varied collection of theories. Their main concern is to discover the way in which people, in particular children, can acquire language. The accounts given by Chomsky and Tomasello can be critically contrasted, as seen above. They obviously stand on two opposite sides. In Chomskys theory, children are born with an innate ability by which they acquire their language, whereas, in Tomasellos theory, language is acquired through language use and not by biologically innate ability. Furthermore, the innate abilities which children have are not specific to language. However, the main aspects which have been contrasted in this paper comprised: first, the poverty of stimulus argument, in which, according to Chomsky, the input is not sufficient to acquire language, while, from Tomasellos perspective there is no poverty of stimulus; second, Language to Chomsky is creative, because it is free from the control of stimulus while in Tomasellos view lang uage results from the attempt of humans to create categories in language; third, modularity, Chomskys assertion that the mind is separated into sub-parts, whereas Tomasello believes, that general principles control the mind; and fourth, Language- specific versus domain- general learning mechanisms; either there are universals specific to language, as in (UG) hypothesis of Chomsky or, as Tomasello states universals is not specific to language but apply to all human communication and cognition. Hence, we can conclude that Chomskys account strongly relies on the hypothesis of universal grammar (UG) to support his view on the poverty of stimulus argument, creativity of language, modularity and the language- specific domain. It should be noted that the universal grammar hypothesis (UG) brought a great deal of debate among scholars of language acquisition, even though one of its limitations is that it has no empirical evidence to support it. Tomasellos account, conversely, depends on general skills in language acquisition, such as, joint attention, intention reading and pattern finding skills. Yet he did not provide adequate explanation to convince us that these are sufficient for language acquisition.
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