Writing Pens free essay sample

Examines pen industry, products, competition, pricing, distribution, marketing, finances and the future. Introduction The increased availability of computers has changed the way that Americans correspond with each other. Written communication was once the primary means of communication between individuals; the telephone changed that as informal communication was increasingly handled by voice rather than the written word. The computer changed the way that words are committed to paper, and, through the use of electronic mail, even eliminates the use of paper. Communications between individuals and organizations is increasingly accomplished without having to handwrite anything, and the result on the writing instrument industry has been significant. But there remains a need for writing instruments to be used when computers and typewriters are not available, and the way in which writing instruments are perceived is also changing. This research explores the..

The eNotes Blog What You Should Name Your Pets, According to FamousAuthors

What You Should Name Your Pets, According to FamousAuthors In a previous installment, we more or less advocated for naming all of your pets â€Å"Toots.† Maybe you took that to heart, or maybe you rather enjoyed the dog names that famous authors have endorsed. Well, we’re back, and this time we’ve expanded the list of recommended pet names from famous authors to include cats, birds, and horses. If you’re lucky enough to put all these suggested names to use, then, well, we’re honestly a little jealous. If you’re looking for a name for your new animal companion, try some of these on for size. 1. Pluto   Inspired by: Edgar Allan Poes â€Å"The Black Cat† If you’ve got a black cat and are a fan of mythology, think about the name Pluto. It’s dark, edgy, and has just the perfect hint of â€Å"the Underworld.† Just stop there, though, and please don’t follow in the narrator’s other deranged footsteps. 2. Bambino   Inspired by: Mark Twains  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, â€Å"The Celebrated Jumping Frog,† and many others Famed for his love of cats, Mark Twain owned many throughout his life. One of the most famous was a cat named Tammany, who liked to sit in pool table pockets and bat the pool ball around. If you’ve got a more mischievous cat, Twain also had a cat named Bambino who escaped from his home- but was reunited with his worried owner soon enough. 3. Cheshire Inspired by: Lewis Carrolls  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Is your kitty bolting around the house for no clear reason? Do you sometimes catch freaky glimpses of glowing eyes in the dark, only to realize they belong to a purring feline? If that’s the case, Cheshire might be the right name for your playful companion. 4. Poll Inspired by: Daniel Defoes  Robinson Crusoe During Crusoe’s decades-long stay on an island, one of his only companions is Poll, a parrot who’s the best conversation partner Crusoe’s got until Friday shows up. Note here that you ought to pronounce it as â€Å"Paul†- just think â€Å"Polly.† As one of the first English-language novels, Poll is definitely one of the oldest popular pet names in existence. 5. Huginn Muninn Inspired by: Neil Gaimans Norse Mythology If you’ve got a pair of birds chirping at you, consider Huginn and Muninn, the companions to chief Norse god Odin. According to legend, they fly all around the world to report information to Odin, so they’d be a good choice for smart birds who’re always finding their way out of their enclosures or reporting your movements to your enemies. 6. Rocinante Inspired by: Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote If you’re the new owner to a horse in his twilight years, think about Don Quixote’s Rocinante. Though he’s past his prime, just like his owner, Rocinante is loyal and steadfast to the errant Don Quixote, providing a much-needed source of stability in an otherwise ludicrous endeavor. 7. Gunpowder Daredevil   Inspired by: Washington Irving, â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow† Where would the Headless Horseman be without his horse? Though we never learn that horse’s name, we do learn the names of Ichabod Crane’s and Brom Bones’s: Gunpowder and Daredevil, showing Irving’s flair for dramatic names. 8. Silver Blaze Inspired by: Sir Arthur Conan Doyles â€Å"The Adventures of Silver Blaze† in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes A great race horse is missing and his jockey murdered, and Sherlock Holmes and John Watson have arrived to unravel the case. If you’ve got a fast and spirited horse, Silver Blaze might be the name you’ve been waiting for all along. We hope you enjoyed our second installment of literary pet inspiration. As our library grows, we’ll likely find even more amazing names for our furry friends. Keep an eye out for more in the future! Have you named your pets after a famous character or author? Send us a picture and their name in the comments below!

Writing with an Informative Aim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing with an Informative Aim - Essay Example Most people that are already working and have hectic schedules, prefer taking online courses in addition to their daily routines of going to work, getting back home, and not being able to find enough time to devote to manually taking classes. There are a number of merits of taking such online courses. Most people can choose from a vast variety of programs and degrees, make easy online payments, and start their course whenever they want. They do not have to wait for a session to commence or worry about setting aside enough time to attend classes which might lead to wastage of important time in commute. Everything becomes flexible for people that wish to sit at their own leisurely hours and attend these classes as and when they wish to, within a given time frame however. Most of the times, the costs of attending these online courses are also lesser as compared to the fee structure one would have to pay to attend a proper school and attend lectures day after day. People can thus easily balance their jobs as well as class timings and have a number of options open to them when they get back to working after completing their degrees. Many a times, older people feel awkward in taking classes where the maximum population consists of a young crowd.

Global Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Marketing Strategy - Essay Example The induction and diffusion of the effects of globalization in various parts of the world has been fast forwarded in a tremendous manner by the easy availability of high speed internet connectivity in every corner of the world. The easy availability of information in the various forms of virtual media like the online media forums, social networking sites and blogs have significantly contributed to the faster dispersion of the effects related to globalization. This has brought into play, a significant and constant process of change in the macro and micro environmental factors related to the development of business opportunities in the established as well as the developing economies of the world. As a positive impact of globalization, there has been a significant increase in the opening up of economies around the world. As a result of opening up of economies of various emerging and developing countries, new markets are emerging from various corners of the globe. The steady rise in the opening up of new markets around the world is leading to a tremendous increase in competition in the global marketplace. Talking on this note, it can be said that the process of opening up of markets around the world is allowing organizations located in various parts and corners of the world to look for opportunities related to market expansion by applying various strategy-based methodologies and action plans. This approach of entering new markets, by various international firms, is leading to the rise of business practices in the domain and arena of international business practices. Theoretical framework: International business Talking about international business, if we wish to define it, it can be said that the international business or international trade comprises of various business activities that are undertaken by business organizations around the world to develop new markets for the purpose of gaining significant growth opportunities by catering to the demands arising from the new markets. In an effort to do so, the international firms focus on the process related to generating, communicating, delivering as well as capturing of value for the customers of the new markets while customizing the product or service features as per their needs and requirements (Dlabay & Scott, 2011, p. 8). The concept of international business is also highly applicable and relevant in the case of various business firms who look forward to tapping significant amount of business opportunities by providing their services and products to various remotely located clients and customers who dwell in different countries. In the context of various business to business scenarios, international business represents the process of conduction of business between various business organizations through the mass conduction of import and export of goods and services. For the process of conduction of international business, opening up of economies as well as setting up of various investment f riendly policies and tax laws in the new and developing economies is very essential. It is highly important to mention in this case that the flexibility in multiple government outlined policies and regular evaluation

Probability Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Probability Games - Essay Example The coin flip has only two probable outcomes, that is, either it is heads or tails. One flipped the coin twenty times and got a result of eleven heads and nine tails. Although flipping a coin is said to have an equal chance of coming up on either side, one’s experience did not have such a result. This may be due to the fact that the experiment was only made twenty times. According to frequentists, â€Å"the probability of getting a heads is 1/2, not because there are two equally likely outcomes but because repeated series of large numbers of trials demonstrate that the empirical frequency converges to the limit 1/2 as the number of trials goes to infinity† (Edurite.com, n.d.). ` When one played the dice roll, one realized that the outcomes are much more than the coin flip because each die has six sides. The other die has also six sides; thus, rolling the two dice at the same time would mean that there are greater possible outcomes. It is therefore harder to predict the results of the dice roll than the coin flip. The method that will be difficult for children to understand is the theoretical method because it is difficult to imagine it. Experimental probabilities are easier to understand because they can see it clearly, such as the coin flipping. For children, using formulas to determine the probabilities is quite a challenge. Through the games that one played, one learned that in determining probabilities, it is important that one knows what the likely outcomes of the experiment are. One also learned that some outcomes may have equal likely outcomes while others may be mutually exclusive events (Homepages.ius.edu, n.d.). There are also some events which may be non-mutually exclusive, which means that some events may have common outcomes (Homepages.ius.edu, n.d.). The study of probabilities is very relevant to decision making. Although, the experiment that one performed by playing the coin flip and the dice roll may not be so important,

Effective Operations Management At Ryanair

Effective Operations Management At Ryanair To be successful in an increasingly competitive environment, organisations must be more adaptive and innovative than ever before in providing a superior quality service. This paper will consider the role of operations management with the organisation and ways in which successful operations management can contribute to meeting organisational objectives. It is essential the organisations address issues of quality and resource utilisation to reduce costs and provide superior customer service with the intention of increasing sales and creating a competitive advantage. This paper will discuss how organisations can create a quality culture through TQM, and diagnose problems and areas for improvement using quality tools such as Lean and Six Sigma. The final section of this paper will discuss how organisations can plan for the successful implementation of TQM, highlighting the need for a quality management team, adequate management and resource availability, and consultation and communication with its workforce. Task 1: The strategic objectives of operational management The role played by effective operations management at Ryanair This section will discuss the role played by effective operations management at Ryanair; Europes largest low cost airline. Effective operations management is the systematic direction and control of five functions (management, procurement, transformation, customer services and distribution) that transform input resources into finished goods or services offering superior customer satisfaction (Slack, 1999). Within this transformation process (Figure 1), the role of effective operations management is to improve resource utilisation, thus reducing costs, whilst also providing improved quality and customer service which increases revenue (Slack and Lewis, 2002). Figure 1: Transformation process Operations management at Ryanair aims to optimise resource utilisation through the careful management of employees, technology, raw materials and money in order to increase productivity. For example, flight staff at Ryanair are trained to improve their productivity and keep aircraft turnaround times to a minimum (Slack et al, 2007). This increase in productivity allows Ryanair aircrafts to make more flights each day, significantly increasing turnover. In addition to this, another role of operations management at Ryanair is to ensure superior customer satisfaction. This is achieved through improving the flexibility, quality and consistency of its service and continually driving down costs. For example, through providing a no-frills basic service on-board its aircrafts, Ryanair can ensure superior satisfaction through driving down costs (Slack et al, 2007). The role played by effective operations management at Ryanair is to maximise resource utilisation and ensure superior customer service. Although operations management at Ryanair is extremely successful at these two roles, it could be recommended that they continue to ensure effective operation management through maintaining a precise understanding of customer requirements and monitoring environmental change that may affect these requirements. Ryanairs strategic objectives Ryanairs strategic objectives set out its mission and aims as well as defining how it is going to compete within its market (Slack and Lewis, 2002). Ryanairs strategic objectives will be categorised in terms of its goal (market leadership), target customers and offer (distinctive positioning), operating system (to sustain its low cost position), values and distinctive competence. Ryanairs fundamental goal is to establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service (Ryanair, 2009). Gaining and maintaining market leadership is advantageous in allowing Ryanair to increase its publicity due to leadership status, increase its economies of scale and further reduce costs. Another main strategic objective of Ryanair is to clearly identify its target market segments in order to position its strategy to satisfy particular customer requirements. Ryanair identifies its target customers as fare-conscious leisure and business travellers (Ryanair, 2009). In addition this, Ryanairs strategy is to create a superior offer tailed to its target customer requirements. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies (Ryanair, 2009). Ryanairs strategy is also to clearly define its company values of low price, value for money and efficiency and to further utilise its distinctive competence of being creative at driving down cost. This distinctive competence is effective because it can be transferrable to other services; it provides a benefit to the customer and is unique to Ryanair. In summary, Ryanairs strategic objectives are to become Europes largest airline operator through offering low-cost, reliable service to both business and leisure users. Ryanair aims to achieve this through clear company values of low price, value for money and efficiency and its distinctive competence of being creative at driving down costs. In order to fulfil these strategic objectives, Ryanair must ensure that its operational objectives are focussed on ensuring superior customer satisfaction and effective resource utilisation. The success of Ryanairs operations objectives in meeting strategic objectives This part of the assignment shows how Ryanairs operations objectives contribute effectively to achieving its strategic objectives. Operations objectives are decisions which shape the capabilities of an operation and their long-term contribution to strategic objectives, through the reconciliation of market requirements with resource utilisation (Slack and Lewis, 2002). The success of Ryanairs operations objectives in meeting strategic objectives is achieved through its focus on ensuring superior customer satisfaction and through rigorous redesigning of systems and processes to enhance resource utilisation. Superior customer service is achieved by Ryanairs operations management through obtaining a clear understanding of the characteristics and requirements of their target customers. Ryanair understands the importance of a low-cost, reliable and safe airline service to its customers. Ryanair sells tickets directly to customers through its internet site keeping prices low and providing customers with the flexibility to buy tickets whenever and wherever they choose (Ryanair, 2010). In addition to this, Ryanair also keeps aircraft turnaround times to a minimum allowing more flights to take off per day and increasing the availability of flights to customers (Slack et al, 2007). Operations management at Ryanair also aims to improve resource utilisation and to continuously drive down cost. Ryanair, for example, uses standardised aircrafts and parts to allow for large orders from a single aircraft supplier increasing their economies of scale. In addition to this, Ryanair schedules flights to smaller secondary airports allowing money to be saved in airport fees (Slack et al, 2007). These twin operational objectives are so well balanced that they enable Ryanair to successfully achieve its strategic objectives. Through ensuring superior customer satisfaction, Ryanair is able to maintain a clear definition of its offer and also fulfil its goal to become Europes largest budget airline through increasing its customer demand. In addition to this, continuous improvement to resource utilisation allows Ryanair to gain and maintain competitive advantage through its distinctive competence of being creative at driving down costs and values of providing a low price and efficient service. Ryanairs operations objectives are extremely successful in meeting strategic objectives through its clear focus on ensuring superior customer satisfaction and rigorous redesigning of systems and processes. It could be recommended that Ryanair further builds upon this success through the implementation of a Total Quality Management (TQM) system aimed at integrating practical quality control techniques with organisational cultures conductive to the continuous improvement of quality (RDI, 2008). TQM systems at Ryanair will be further discussed in the next section. Task 2: Appropriate Systems 2.1 Systems to ensure the quality of products This section will discuss the use of two fundamental quality systems, Six Sigma and Lean. These two processes implement different methodology to achieve a similar goal: an offer of superior quality through the careful consideration of customer requirements and removal of defects and waste. Six Sigma Six Sigma is a data-driven discipline aimed to improve the quality of operational processes by listening to customer requirements and identifying and removing the causes of defects and variability (General Electric Company, 2009). Organisations that implement Six Sigma correctly achieve significant benefits that contribute to competitive advantage and to changing the culture in an organisation from reactive problem solving to proactive problem prevention (Six Sigma Group, 2010). An organisation such as Ryanair could use Six Sigma to ensure quality through the implementation of the Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control method throughout the organisation. Customer requirements must be defined and measures should be made against core business processes to determine possible shortfalls. Potential gaps between current performance and goals must be analysed, and then innovative solutions using technology and discipline can be implemented and controlled (iSixSigma, 2010). Lean Lean is a production practice aimed at maximising customer value while minimising waste (Lean Enterprise Institute, 2009). Ryanair could incorporate Lean to help optimise the flow of the transformation system to ensure superior customer value and minimise waste. This could be achieved through determining customer requirements and eliminating stages of the transformation system that do not contribute towards meeting these requirements. This process should be repeated until perfect value is created with no waste (Lean Enterprise Institute, 2009). Unlike Six sigma which focuses on individual systems, Lean is effective at ensuring quality through addressing the transformation system as a whole. This also allows simpler information management and allows for faster responses to changing customer requirements. 2.2 The use of TQM and ISO 9000 to monitor quality to a satisfactory level Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO 9000 have a mutual focus on ensuring quality through the promotion of customer satisfaction and process improvement. Whereas ISO 9000 is a tool used to regulate quality, TQM can be understood as the overarching philosophy within which ISO 90000 should be implemented. TQM TQM is a management philosophy that aims to empower all organisational functions with the responsibility of ensuring quality (ISO, 2010). This is achieved through developing and reworking systems to optimise resource utilisation, prevent errors and ultimately achieve superior customer satisfaction (Chartered Quality Institute, 2010). TQM aims to deliver quality and value above and beyond customer expectations through several key principles. Firstly, employees throughout the TQM organisation must be united within a customer-focussed culture to share ideas and facilitate innovation (Oakland, 2003 p3 ff). There must also be continuous improvements of systems and processes to increase resource utilisation and prevent errors before they occur. Finally, information must be shared throughout all levels of the organisation to ensure that the quality culture is embedded and maintained (Oakland, 2003 p3 ff). ISO 9000 ISO 9000 is a tool which can be used within a TQM culture to regulate and ensure quality. It is a systematic approach to managing the organisations processes so that they consistently turn out products that meet and exceed customer expectations (ISO, 2010). ISO 9000 is able to ensure quality to a satisfactory level through the implementation of quality management guidelines. Firstly, the organisation must ensure that a clear customer focus is established and processes are assessed as to how successful they are contributing to the customer focus. All outputs are monitored for defects, and new systems are implemented to prevent future defects. Continuous improvements are made to the quality system to ensure continued development (ISO, 2010). TQM and ISO 9000 are essential systems to ensure quality. Organisations must be aware, however, that in order to maintain a level of superior quality, TQM and ISO 9000 must not be treated as add-on functions with little attention given to the required changes in organisation and culture. 2.3 Quality Culture in the United Kingdom and Bulgaria This element of the paper sets out to define the term quality culture and then compares the view of quality between the United Kingdom and Bulgaria. Quality culture is an organisational value system that results in an environment that is conducive to the establishment and continual improvement of quality (Noronha, 1999). An organisation that develops and maintains a quality culture will differ significantly from an organisation with a traditional culture. Its attitude towards customers, problem-solving approach, supplier relationships and performance improvement approach will be geared towards creating superior customer value and increased resource utilisation as means of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. For the successful introduction and implementation of a quality culture such as TQM, a quality culture must be developed to increase the success and likeliness of the systems acceptance throughout the organisation. This can be achieved through maintaining an awareness of quality as a key cultural issue, empowering employees and encouraging self-development, and rewarding behaviours that nurture and maintain a quality culture (Noronha, 1999). The view of quality in the UK and Bulgaria The view of quality in the UK has been shaped considerably by the values and principles brought about by quality management systems such as TQM, ISO 9000 and Lean etc. There is a great emphasis on achieving quality through the refinement of systems and processes tailored to deliver superior customer satisfaction and efficient resource utilisation (Noronha, 1999). Becoming part of the economic union in 2007, Bulgaria has had little exposure to quality management systems and quality culture that have been adopted by many organisations across Europe. The view of quality in organisations in Bulgaria was based purely on traditional values rather than hygiene, inspection of product, systems and TQM. Although there are clear differences in the view of quality internationally, there are also considerable differences between the views of quality nationally. The key issue, however, is the degree to which an organisation is able to understand and address quality issues. By way of conclusion a further point of interest prompted by this question is that while comparing quality culture between countries it is apparent that the same issue can be levelled at individual companies. Slack references the differences between companies in individual countries by distinguishing between pioneer, adaptive and follower categories of business and different approaches to quality culture Task 3: Organisational Performance Problems and opportunities for quality improvement In order to establish a need for quality improvement, BTB should conduct an appraisal of internal and external factors to gain an understanding of potential shortfalls in the quality of products and services, and resource utilisation. For an external review, an appraisal of the stakeholder market can be undertaken providing valuable information about customer requirements and stakeholder perceptions of the current quality of the operation. This type of appraisal can be undertaken through market sensing customer needs and requirements, and conducting surveys to obtain customer feedback on service and product quality. In addition to this, benchmarking can be undertaken to compare the performance of the company with that of its competitors within its own and other markets. BTB can also undertake an internal review to reveal information about potential gap between where the company is performing now and where they want to be in the future. This gap analysis can be undertaken to identify the adequacy of the systems currently in place to engage with customers and the channels in place to facilitate communication and information sharing. Organisational performance improvement programme Executive Summary This report will show how, through the introduction of TQM, improvements will be made to significantly raise productivity and reduce waste. As a consequence of these improvements sales throughput will have the potential to dramatically increase, significantly enhancing the organisations ability to gain and maintain competitive advantage. Introduction BTB Brew Technology (BTB) is an international manufacturing business specialising in buying, refurbishing, and selling industrial processing equipment and factories. BTBs strategy is to increase sales throughput by 10% through making dramatic improvements to customer service and resource utilisation. BTB has been advised to implement TQM as a means of achieving this goal. The importance of TQM Many organisations have found that the key to competitive success lies in maximising product and service quality (Kano, 1993). TQM is an effective means of allowing BTB to improve customer service through improving quality and resource utilisation. It is a structured system that will encompass all levels of an organisation to provide products and services that consistently meet and exceed customer expectations (Noronha, 1999). The importance of an implementation plan The implementation process of TQM will require a substantial change in BTBs organisation and management philosophy. Simply understanding TQM is not enough to create a management system required to sustain a TQM culture. It is essential that BTB develops a strategic TQM implementation plan that is developed, directed, and supported by management, and implemented throughout all levels of organisation. Strategic approach to project management Edwards and Hodgson (2004) state that TQM implementation is most successful when the four stages of (a) providing a vision (b) management action, (c) increasing employee participation and awareness, and (d) business alignment, are undertaken. This suggests that a successful implementation strategy must begin with creating vision towards quality which is communicated throughout the organisation. Management must show their commitment to the vision and motivate and empower employees to make quality their priority. Business systems and processed must then be modified to achieve customer satisfaction and recourse utilisation. Recommendations As a means of ensuring a successful and smooth implementation it is recommended that BTB formulates a project management team who will be responsible for developing and carrying through the strategic implementation plan. Strategic Implementation Plan Figure 1: Stages of TQM implementation The implementation plan consists of three stages: developing a case for change, piloting TQM, and implementation. Developing a strategy for change In this stage, BTB should aim to gain a thorough understanding of what should be expected from the introduction of TQM and the implications of introducing it. Upper management at BTB will need to develop a clear belief of the benefits of TQM to generate the momentum to start and maintain the implementation. This could be achieved through conducting benchmarking visits to superior performing organisations and studying TQM literature. After establishing a belief and need for TQM, the organisation must unite with a commitment to customer satisfaction; communicating the vision and bringing together employees within a quality culture. To communicate and lead this vision, BTB will need to bring together a quality management team who will be the driving force behind the implementation process. The quality management team will firstly need to communicate the quality vision and ensure that all employees understand and are committed to the organisations direction. This could be achieved through establishing a company quality policy, incorporating a statement of vision, goals and principles which is communicated to all employees. The quality management team must also start to build trust amongst employees, providing reassurance about jobs and roles, and communicating the benefit of TQM. Employees must also be motivated with a new sense of direction, receiving encouragement and rewards when commitment to the new culture is displayed. Preparation for the piloting stage must also be conducted, ensuring that there is appropriate resource allocation and support for TQM. Guidance must also be given by the quality management team to help clarify the role of each level of management, and establish systems and activities for interdepartmental problem solving. Finally, the quality management team must begin to identify and develop an appropriate action plan for TQM implementation; producing a Gantt chart which clearly illustrates the work breakdown structure of the project. They must, take into consideration the deadline for implementation, time to deliver and install new equipment and systems, length of training programmes, and potential obstacles which may be faced such as shortage of capital, and delays from suppliers. It is important that buffer periods are also factored into the time plan which will help to compensate for unexpected problems. Piloting TQM The piloting stage will provide BTB with a learning base from which management can begin to analyse the breadth of TQM requirements including, time, resources, and management focus. The number and sequence of team activities undertaken at the piloting stage should reflect the nature and strategy of the action plan devised by the quality management team. BTB should begin by testing its original production systems to assess efficiency and ability to ensure quality. Quality tools such as ISO 9000 and Lean production can be used to provide guidelines on system performance and address ways of increasing efficiency. BTB should make adjustments to all systems assessed as falling below standard. This can be achieved through buying new and more efficient production equipment, and though re-designing the transformation system to facilitate superior quality. Training initiatives must be implemented to all levels of the organisation. Line managers must be trained to become facilitators of continuous improvement, coaching new methods, and leading empowered employees. Employees should be trained to understand the importance of the customer and learn ways in which quality can be managed within their roles. Employees must also be trained to improve their communication skills to help facilitate information sharing throughout the organisation. It is also recommended that rewards and recognition are given to employees to reinforce commitment and adaption to new roles. For example, BTB may increase feedback given to employees by line managers and executives to reward commitment to quality and efficiency. In addition to this BTB may consider paying bonuses to reward positive appraisal feedback. Information and lessons learned from the pilot project must be used by management and the quality management team to make changes and revisions the original action plan, developing it into a structured and comprehensive multi-year implementation plan. It is at this point that BTB can make the commitment to implement TQM. Implementation In this stage, BTB should be concerned with securing the increased participation, shared responsibility, knowledge, skills and capabilities developed from the previous two stages. Training initiatives must be continued to improve communication channels throughout the organisation. For example, new IT systems could be installed to provide a new company instant messaging system allowing information to be sent instantaneously between departments. Employees should be trained on how to use these new systems and the importance of information sharing as a means of achieving a common goal. In addition to this, employees must continue to be kept regularly informed of business performance and development. Face-to-face meetings should be frequently scheduled with line managers, informing employees on factors such as individual and team successes to maintain motivation and commitment. It is recommended that BTB also forms strategic partnerships with suppliers and customers who have developed quality cultures and place value on efficiency and superior customer satisfaction. Strategic partnership will be beneficial to BTB in allowing them to form mutual relationships with other companies they are likely to work with, making sure that orders arrive on time, to right quality and the right price. BTB should now be in a position to exploit its internal improvement capability and use it to effectively re-focus its efforts on improving processes to deliver superior customer satisfaction. It should, for example, now focus on re-organisation to customer and market-driven process management. Conclusion The success of TQM implementation is a function of many variables (both controllable and uncontrollable), which are unique to the particular company situation. Effective project management determines the success or failure of the implementation project. BTB should aim to tailor its approach to exploit its unique strengths and focus on its particular weaknesses. It would be beneficial for BTB to look into more tactical approaches to TQM implementation; however this is beyond the scope of this assignment. Recommendations It is recommended that BTB focuses on a small defined set of improvement priorities that align with its business goals and objectives, and that should therefore be realistically achievable. These include the employment of an effective quality steering group who are effectively managed and resourced, and the set-up of a piloting project to help benchmark and appraise performance. The culmination and fulfilment of these objectives should then result in a structured TQM implementation plan customised to the specific needs of BTB. Assignment Conclusion To be successful in an increasingly competitive environment, organisations must be more adaptive and innovative than ever before in providing a superior quality service. It is essential the organisations address issues of quality and resource utilisation to reduce costs and provide superior customer service with the intention of increasing sales and creating a competitive advantage. Organisations must look towards transforming their culture into a quality culture through TQM, whilst implementing quality tools such as Lean and Six Sigma to diagnose areas of improvement. For organisations to remain competitive, they must continue to invest time and resources in the development of their transformation systems.

Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Essay -- Papers

Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is a play about the way we blind ourselves to painful truths that we can’t bear to see. Physical sight and blindness are used throughout the play, often ironically, as a metaphor for mental sight and blindness. The play ends with the hero Oedipus literally blinding himself to avoid seeing the result of his terrible fate. But as the play demonstrates, Oedipus, the man who killed his father and impregnated his mother, has been blind all along, and is partly responsible for his own blindness. When the play opens, the people of the town are asking Oedipus for help. A curse has been cast upon the city and the only way to remove it, is to find the murderer of the last king, Laios. Oedipus then makes a promise to the people that he will find the guilty and punish them. Oedipus can physically see, but his mental blindness inhibits him from seeing the truth of his life. During the course of the day he has been given many clues to realize the truth about himself. Such that his name is Oedipus and â€Å"Oedipus† means swollen foot, and...

The Importance of Gender Representations in Spanish Cinema

The different works of art – from paintings to literary pieces – present prevailing themes in the society. They act as small fragments of a comprehensive historical narrative. These fragments, though fictional, are still able to reflect true scenarios, real life stories from which they are based upon. To a certain extent, films serve the same purpose as any work of art – they present the artist’s feelings, thoughts, and reflections on whatever is happening in the society at the time of its creation. The different elements in any film – the social setting and the gender representations do not only bring life to its plot. Rather, these thematic elements of the film contribute fully on its general appeal and overall impact to its audiences. In this paper however, the researcher will only focus on one of these elements – gender representation. Putting a specific focus on this study, this paper will only explore the importance of these representations in Spanish cinema. To perform this purpose, common gender representations in some Spanish films will be revealed in relation to: how it reflects the prevalent issues in Spanish society; how it adds to the film’s appeal to local audiences; and how it provides an imagination of Spanish identities to local and international movie goers. 1st Assumption: Gender representations grant the films the ability to reflect the prevailing issues in the Spanish Society In the past few years, domestic violence has been a prevalent social problem in Spanish communities. Reports show that there is a high count of women who are suffering from the violence and physical abuse posed by their husbands and partners. Based on the report of Emma Daly in Christian Science Monitor, the Spanish society is suffering from a â€Å"machismo culture† where women are treated as inferior to men. (Daly, 1998) In relation to this important social issue, many films also carry domestic violence as significant thematic components in their plots. In such films, women are portrayed as the victims of their husbands’ consummation of their masculinity in a largely patriarch society that equates women to second-class citizens. Solo mia (2001) is one of the films which reflect this social issue. The movie puts into film a typical story that takes place not only in Spain but also in many societies where a once loving and tender relationship goes wrong. As shown in the movie, the relationship gradually transforms into a tale of obsession which prompts the husband to repeatedly subject his wife to domestic violence. (Saenz, 2009) The same social issue envelopes the film â€Å"Princesas† (2005) and El Bola (2000). In the first film, a prostitute suffers from the violence introduced by her lover while in the latter shows that children can also become victims of what is known in Spain as â€Å"Terrorismo Familiar†. Basically, Spanish cinema reflects not just the fact that domestic violence prevails in the real Spanish community. Rather, gender representations in the film also show that such type of violence affects women of all ages, and in different social classes. With the men presented mostly as the perpetrator of the violence, the films further shows that men in Spain often act adversely against the inferior women. nd Assumption: Gender representation increases the film’s appeal to local audiences by reinforcing nationalism and providing greater grounds for linkage and identification. Since Spanish cinema reflects prevalent values, ideas, and practices in the Spanish community, it gives the film a more localized appeal. The tendency to magnify one’s identification with t heir culture further increases the movies’ appeal to the local moviegoers. Basically, most of the Spanish films pose a generic thematic distinction from the mainstream Hollywood movies. While most Hollywood movies take the themes of liberal women who are posed as office workers and even successful professionals, most Spanish movies reflect on the importance of motherhood – a local theme that is common in many traditional patriarchal societies. Solas is one of the most famous films that glorify maternity as the only way for a woman to achieve real fulfillment and happiness. The film revolves around the story of Rosa and her daughter Maria. The two, both victims of domestic violence, are reunited after several years of being apart. Rosa has become a passive victim to her husband’s abuse but Maria refuses to surrender to the despotism and instead, decides to live in the city. However, Maria inevitably ends up in the same situation as that of her mother – being physically and emotionally abused by her boyfriend. To a certain degree, the portrayal of motherhood in the story works in two contrasting ways. Rosa retains the profile of the typical mother. She is portrayed as the submissive and self sacrificing woman who is willing to endure overwhelming hardships – the abuse of her husband – in order to potentially â€Å"save† her family from falling apart. However, she fails as Maria separates herself from the threat that her father poses. Fortunately, in line with Rosa’s angelic qualities as a mother, she is able to â€Å"save† her daughter from leading a devastating lifestyle through her captivating and unrestrained love and care. Following these implications, motherhood is presented in the story as a self-denying role which women must embrace not only to provide a certain sense of accomplishment but also to gain the ability to â€Å"save† people whom they care for. Motherhood is also presented as a Spanish woman’s way toward salvation and recovery as depicted in Maria’s character. Maria’s relationship with his boyfriend reflected a destructive scenario which led to her alcoholism. However, as Maria became pregnant, that signaled her positive transformation from an angry and hostile character to another motherly figure that’s kind, passionate, loving, and forgiving. In essence, Maria’s motherhood became her escape from the destructive factors that formerly consumed her life. Such gender representation embedded in the plot of the movie allows the local audiences – particularly women – to relate to characters and watch the film. 3rd Assumption: Gender representation in Spanish films offers both local and international audiences with an imagination of Spanish identities Gender representation forms a significant part of the local Spanish cultures and traditions. As films carry gender representation which is reflective of a distinct cultural identity, they then achieve significance as cultural accounts. The fact that the movies provide both local and international audiences with an idea of what comprises a real Spanish community qualifies them as relevant educational and enriching artifacts. In addition to that, these artifacts not only promote an imagination of Spanish identities. Rather, the Spanish movies also help people of other cultures in learning, appreciating, and understanding Spanish culture. For example, in the film â€Å"Coma agua para chocalate (1992) or ‘Like water for chocolate’†, the gender representations mirror how important must both men and women adhere to old superstitions and traditions. The film shows that marriage and love are restricted by old Spanish traditions as a young couple – Pedro and Tita – could not get married simply because Tita’s oldest sister has to get married first and because Tita had to first fulfill her domestic roles and â€Å"responsibilities† to her mother. Gender representation in La casa de los espiritus (1993) or â€Å"The House of the Spirits† also offers a glimpse at Spanish culture. This film shows the importance of social class as a local rags-to-riches patriarch does everything to prevent his daughter from marriage a lower class worker who fights for socialism. The same theme inspires the film, The Dog in the Manger (1995). In the movie, a Countess falls in love with his secretary. However, social status stands on their way. Furthermore, this gap in social position increasingly widens as the Countess, as a woman is expected to be submissive to societal expectations. Conclusions Gender representations become important elements to Spanish cinema mainly because they reflect prevailing issues and themes in a natural Spanish community. As these themes are reflected and portrayed, the films gain the local audience’s attention through the formation of linkages and character identification. Gender representations embedded in the plot also qualify the films as cultural artifacts that offer audiences with a glimpse of Spanish culture. On the whole, gender representation promotes the appreciation of not just Spanish movies, but of the Spanish culture as well. Through the gender roles promoted in the films, both local and international audiences learn how Spanish culture must be understood and appreciated.

SSD Administration

SSD Administration The Top 5 Questions the Social Security Administration Looks at When Determining if Someone is Disabled When applying for Social Security Disability (SSD) many get overwhelmed by the complexity of the paperwork and the time it takes to wade through it. Millions of Americans apply for disability benefits each year and many get denied the first time around.Most ask the question, â€Å"How does the Social Security Administration decide If I am disabled?†Ã‚  The SSD Administration uses a step-by-step process including these five questions when deciding if someone is disabled:Are you working? If you are working and averaging more than what Social Security deems to be substantial gainful activity (for 2018 this amount is $1,180 per month for non-blind individuals and $1,970 for those who are blind), you usually will not be considered disabled. If you are not working, or your earnings fall below substantial income, then the administration will send your application to the Disability Determination Services office to review your condition(s) under the criteria below.Is your condition â⠂¬Å"severe†? In order for your condition to be considered severe it must interfere with basic work-related activities. If the administration finds that your conditions are severe, then they will move to the next step to evaluate your condition(s).Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions? The SS Administration keeps an updated list of medical conditions that are considered severe, often qualifying you as disabled. If your condition is not listed or does not qualify under the established criteria, the administration will then decide if your condition is of equal severity to a medical condition listed. If your condition(s) neither meet or medically equal one of the listed impairments, the evaluation continues to the next step.Can you do the work you did previously? The SS administration looks at the work you were doing over the last 15 years, and if your medical condition interferes with your ability to continue doing this type of work.Can you do any other type of work? If you are unable to do your previous work the SS administration will look to see if you are able to adjust to another work type.To learn more about the top 5 questions click here.If you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  disability benefits  they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental or cognitive impairment  call Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at  800-949- 2900.Let Michigan’s leading social security disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.  Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence.

The Dangers of Inflation essays

The Dangers of Inflation essays The article Time To Pop The Party, written by Bernard Baumohl, demonstrates that inflation is a inevitable occurrence in our society. Even though the United States economy continues to grow and prosper it still faces the problem of inflation. Some people describe inflation as the decrease in the value of a doller. During a period of inflation the general price rises. In its extreme form inflation can have catastrophic effects on a nation. No matter how much a nation may thrive economically it still must face the problem of inflation. As shown in the article Time To Pop The Party the United States is under going a unprecedented economic time of prosperity. The United States has been increasing its gross domestic product every year for the past eight years, which is the longest in the history of the United States. Consumer spending has increased and unemployment is at a record low. After all this economic success our nation still under goes the problem of inflation. Inflation may be caused by several different reasons. Inflation may be a direct result of goods and services being in great demand and the economy not being able to satisfy this demand which is called down-pull inflation. Another reason for a rise in the level of prices is when the cost of doing buisness is increased which is called cost-push inflation. When the Federal Reserve raises the rates of interest financial markets increase their prices. Inflation can have disastrous effects on any economy as demonstrated in Germany following World War one. The year before the war 4 marks could be exchanged for one doller. But after the war 4,000,000,000,000 marks were neccessary in order to exchanged for one doller. As a result of this drastic inflation the German people needed a barrel full of money to buy a single newspaper. People who depend on fixed incomes are hurt by inflatio ...

Consultant report on how university should fix its admissions system Article

Consultant report on how university should fix its admissions system - Article Example These changes are sook for with hope that they will bring massive improvements to the usability of the admissions webpage. There are several factors and the driving motive behind the undertaking of any activity. This report is however motivated by several concerns about the Trent University website. These are concerns that were raised by the users of this website who were forced to go through a hectic process of applying for a university of their choice through a parent university. This may be a little discouraging to the potential students. Therefore the major objective of this report is to bring to the attention of the authority the concerns raised by various users of the website, to seek address for the concerns raised by the students who apply for admission into variuos faculties within the institution through the university website. The consultant report is also aimed at seeking the address of possible exploring other avenues of altering the user interface so that it can supports of different classes of computer literacy. Another goal of this report is to ultimately help adjust the admissions model through which students seek entrance into the university. This report will cover various areas of concerns especially those that were reported by users and experts to be of great and legitimate concern. This report will therefore include their thoughts on experience with the admissions systems. It will cover the analysis of the system and the major changes that are thought to be great importance to the improvements of this university admissions systems. The report will also incorporate the recommended adjustments to be made to the website as raised by the users. this report will also cover the duration within which the implemention is to be undertaken. The implemetation of this report should be undertaken during the closure period of the university to avoid interruption of the normal

Democracy and Reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Democracy and Reason - Essay Example Though the liberal democratic philosophy has always been supported from a wide assortment of philosophical quarters, realizing liberal democracy in terms of joint rational practice of community in politics has various attractive features. One attractive feature is being a perspective that comes across with the hunch so extensively introduced at the parturition of liberalism i.e. the intuition that the belief in the morals of liberal democracy and reason are not simply historically related but are linked logically in some cardinal ways. Moreover, the philosophy of logical or rational practice appears sufficiently capacious and complex to institute the whole array of values and norms present in liberalism such as equality, liberty, toleration, participation, community and rights instead of singling out and raising one of these values at the cost of rest of others. Thus there lies a possibility that liberal democratic theory can be grounded on a philosophically practicable construct of rational practice, thereby accommodating the interests of the communitarians with the best part of skeptical utilitarian as well as deontological variants of liberalism. The inclination of neo-Platonist to logically explain rationality has endured with full force in the twentieth century. It manifested not only by the widespread utilization of the term logical as a synonym for rational, but also in the propensity to interpret scientific question as applied logic and to construe languages as fallible logical calculi. This excessively idealized and constrained explanation of rationality has gained individuals by inducing the tremendously productive and significant mathematical constituents of science and by prodding all disciplines towards superior clarity and rigor. However it had various unfortunate consequences. It has impaired individuals with polarized lenses in our percepts of language and science, sorting the elements of linguist and scientific rationality that fail to fit in t he confines of rationality. And this application of excessively strict criteria for inclusion has lead to an ever-shrinking band of reason that has pushed progressively extensive domains of human practice and cognition into an unstructured slag heap of purportedly irrational phenomena. Most profound consequences are the distortion of any passable understanding of the significant and genuine function of rationality in Politics. That’s why it is quite essential for present-day political philosophy to discern that the last few decades have messed substantial improvements and alterations in the domains of philosophy that have straight impact upon the discernment of human reason. These modern philosophies were based on such assumptions that seemed to bring forth a pattern of vibrations among the neo-Kantian and utilitarian theories as each of them were not able to tackle the circumstances and situation in an adequate manner. Thus the deadlock existed in the discernment of practica l reason seemed to converge with the ethical quandary of liberal democratic theory converge at this point. The authority of the conniving model of reason has constructed a theory of combined prudence unmanageable if not inconceivable. But the most plausible and attractive way of justifying and understanding the liberal democratic exercises is to interpret them as an effort to substantiate the norms of joint prudence so as to consider liberal democracy in terms of a community of individuals who