Analysis and Evaluation of the Relationship Between Nora

Analysis and Exploration of the relationship between Nora and Torvald as portrayed in A Doll’s House As a reader, the relationship between Torvald and Nora seemed really interesting to me. While it appears one way on the surface, it is very different essentially. I chose to study this because I think, there is a great deal to explore in order to try and understand the marital dynamic between Nora and Torvald.There are so many things that go into why a relationship is theone that it is but I will focus on three very influential aspects in the book– the Victorian gender roles, societal expectations and the idea of image, as well as the individual personalities and beliefs both the spouses held. In assessing the relationship which Torvald and Nora share, it is most significant that we consider the Victorian gender roles at the time. In a time such as that one, both Torvald and Nora would be pressured and bred to mold themselves according to these gender rules.When you†™re raised a certain way and it is ingrained in you that you are expected to be a certain way, you will. Additionally, they would also expect their spouse to do the same. In Victorian times, there were two clear roles that a man and woman were supposed to play in a marriage. Essentially, the man was responsible for protecting, guarding and most of all, ensuring financial security for his wife. This can be observed in A Dollshouse several times. A blatant example is how Nora receives all her spending money from Torvald.Like a child, she receives allowances and sums of money to take care of the household expenses as well as for herself. To exemplify, I extracted an interaction between the couple that takes place when Torvald presents Nora with a sum of money. â€Å" Nora: Torvald, Thank you! This’ll keep me going for a long time! Torvald: Well, you must see that it does. † As a husband, Torvald also restricts her from doing things which he thinks aren’t good for her but she likes to do and these can be as trivial as eating macaroons.To quote Torvald, when he’s questioning Nora about whether or not she’s eaten macaroons and she denies the accusation, Torvald says â€Å"No, I know you wouldn’t, besides you’ve given me your word†. This little instance goes a long way in portraying his role in the relationship as someone who controls her and who is supposed to determine her actions. Another instance when Torvald acts according to his gender role is when he feels he needs to guide Nora to teach her how to dance for the Tarantella.And not only does he do that, but he revels in this role. When Nora presents a facade of desperately needing Torvald’s help to dance the tarantella, he says â€Å"This evening, I’ll be wholly and entirely at your service- you poor, helpless creature†. This leads me to talk about a womans role in the Victorian society and how it influences Nora in her relationship with her husband. If a husband was expected to provide for his wife, similarly, a woman was supposed to live it in gratitude and forever indebted to him.She was to abide by his standards and keep the house comfortable for him and essentially, be in his service all the time. This can really be observed in A Dolls House where Nora is constantly trying to be the ideal wife to Torvald. In Act 2 of the play, we can quote Nora saying to Kristina- â€Å"Sh! Here’s Torvald coming back. Look, go in and sit with the children for a bit- Torvald cant bear to see dressmaking. † She’s perpetually trying to appear a certain way, but to her own husband in her own home.When she’s undergoing hardships like when she was working because when they were in debt or when she’s distraught, she never lets him realize it. As a reader, one can observe this when Nora is describing to Kristina how she could not tell Torvald of her loan and says â€Å" [Torvald] would be terrib ly hurt and humiliated if he thought he owed anything to me. It’d spoil everything between is, and our lovely happy home would never be the same again†. This was also something that was expected of women in the era in that their personal struggles weren’t ever really shared with their husbands.This may seem really odd to us but at the time it may be because marriages in itself seldom took place because two people were in love, but because it was more of an arrangement for both of them to adhere to standards put up by society. So while Nora and Torvald do appear to be in love in its true form, we have to remember as readers, that he does keep in mind her background, her father’s past and this is because these things really mattered when choosing a spouse. He would never let it go. Even when they are having a completely irrelevant and pleasant discussion, Torvald finds a way to incorporate the unpleasant past of her family. Just like your father- always on t he look out for all the money you can get, but the moment you have it, it seems to slip through your fingers and you never know what becomes of it. Well, I must take you as you are- it’s in your blood. † This brings me to the second aspect that I studied which was holding up an image to society and adhering to its standards. This played a huge role in their relationship many times during the play so we can begin to understand how much it affected their marriage. The concept of â€Å"what will people think† arises so many times.The most notable occurrence demonstrating this is towards the end of the play when Torvald finds out about Nora’s lie and rather than trying to keep their relationship together out of genuine affection for Nora and him truly not wanting her to leave because he loves her, he wants her to stay and put up a facade as a married couple just so they still appear that way to society. This is really when we can see what their marriage really means to him. More than anything , it was something to show to society and perhaps this is why they always felt the need to be the ideal couple.It demonstrated his willingness to brush their problems under the rug to maintain an image to society. And doing this isn’t the way any healthy relationship should be, so from this we can conclude that his motive was elsewhere. And he says this too. â€Å"From now on, forget happiness. Now its about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance. † The marriage in itself meant less to him than appearance which really drives a reader to consider again how he interacted with his wife and the genuineness of their marriage as a whole.The idea of loving a woman like Nora was more important to Torvald than actually giving her the love she deserved and this is indicated when Nora says â€Å"You’ve never loved me, you’ve only found it pleasant to be in love with me. † Also, the idea of maintaining an image for s ociety comes in when Nora wants to kill herself instead of telling the truth about her debt. She doesn’t want society to look down upon her and her family, she doesn’t want Torvald to be looked down upon so she feels that is the only way out.And this shows how strongly she feels about society as opposed to herself and her husband as individuals. But Torvald seems to have a really determined moral compass. He feels strongly about crimes, lying and debt . He expresses this in act 1 when he says â€Å"Nora, you know what I think about that sort of thing. No debts, no borrowing. There’s something constrained, something ugly even, about a home that’s founded on borrowing and debt. You and I have managed to keep clear up till now and we shall still do so for the little time that is left. † Torvald makes sure that his wn views are heard in his relationship, which in this case only acted as a catalyst to Nora’s breakdown because she was doing and li stening to two different things. Lastly, I wanted to study Torvald and Nora’s own individual personalities and beliefs which probably play the most important role in their marriage. What else can explain the need for Nora to tell little lies like eating macaroons behind Torvald’s back or her strong notion to kill herself when she’s in debt and does not want it to affect her current family. Torvald’s aversion to debt and views about Nora’s family also come out in the same way.In a way , maybe their respective upbringings played a role in how they acted in their marriage. Nora was brought up being repressed, her father wanted to her to act a certain way and always ensured that his opinions were her opinions. From there she was married and experienced almost the same thing. And this constant repression and control over her life, indicated when Nora says â€Å"I’ve been your doll wife here, just as at home I was papa’s doll child†, might be what subconsciously drives her to do things like eat macroons and feel the need to hide such a thing such as a debt from her husband.Even in her initial conversation with Mrs. Lindt, she almost describes the whole experience of the secret loan as something exciting because for her it is that different because of what her life has always been. When Kristina inquires whether Nora obtained her large sum of money through the lottery, Nora responds â€Å"A lottery! Pooh-where would be the glory in that ? † In the same way, Nora experiences how her father was a victim of society when he was dishonest and committed a crime.. Just remember the wicked things they put in the paper about Papa- how cruelly they slandered him. † She doesn’t want the same thing to happen to her own family and this drives her to react the way that she does- because like anyone else her childhood affects her even in her adulthood Incidentally, Torvald’s strong opinions also infl uence their relationship in that she feels the need to hide things because she knows how he feels about them and he doesn’t make it appear as though he’d understand.His opinions were supposed to be hers and his beliefs were supposed to be Nora’s. † You arranged everything to suit your own tastes† says Nora in the third act,† and so I came to have the same tastes as yours.. or I pretended to. I’m not quite sure which. † His strong hatred towards loans and bad deeds are two examples of the same. The most important idea of their individual views is Torvald’s physical attraction and lust for Nora in that it really limits the depth of their relationship.She loves him for all the right reasons and genuinely accepted him as a husband and would sacrifice anything for him, even her life. The way he interacts with her though, is always a more superficial manner pertaining to her beauty and physical appearance rather than as a person. In their most intense moments of interaction we experience before he finds the letter, he speaks to her through a veil of desire and lust â€Å"When I watched you swaying and becokoning in the tarantella, it set my blood on fire till I couldn’t bear it any longer That’s why I brought you home so early. Rather than treating her on a human level, he objectifies her and treats her as a possession or incidentally, a doll – not his partner or equal. â€Å"How fascinating you are, you lovely little thing†¦ Maynt I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me- that’s all my very own† Nora is something Torvald feels like he’s proud to own, rather than as a person on her own. Which is really what she struggles with in the end, herself as a person.How he talked to her and how he belittled her , how she was treated that way almost her whole life influenced the outcome of the play in that she finally realizes that s he’s her own person, not a counterpart to any man. â€Å" You’ve committed a grievous sin against me; its your fault I’ve made nothing of my life. †. This demonstrates Nora’s final revelation in the climax of the play. To conclude, id like to mention that a great deal goes into their marriage and how it ended in the play. But by studying a few aspects it gave me a better understanding as to why they were a certain way.

Beer Commerical Essay

When you cork off the top of a Guinness beer you inhale the smell of unroasted malted Marley. The smell and taste you experience gives you sense of satisfaction. The video persuades you that the types of individuals that drink this beer are ones who care and respect others. Individuals that believe that â€Å"The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character. † The introduction is the most important feature of this commercial. Because there is no dialog, the visuals are what tell the story. The commercial begins with the song playing right on cue of the ball missing the goal. If you notice, the video is in slow motion at this point. When the ball comes down and is rebounded the camera is repositioned on the guys rolling down the court to symbolize how strenuous these guys are working. Their dedication is displayed not only by the looks on their faces when the camera is zoomed in, but by the sweat dripping aimlessly down their brows. Consequently, the announcer comes on and states dedication when one of the men fall down in the wheelchair trying to retrieve the ball but instantly gets back up to get back in the game This is not only emotionally appealing to the audience because they are playing the diligent game of basketball, but because these guys have to work even harder due to the fact that they are paraplegics. The final goal is made and all but one of the guys gets up from their wheelchair which visualizes the devotion these guys demonstrate to the one guy who actually is handicap. Once again this an attempt from the creators of this commercial to emotionally appeal to its audience by representing the loyalty of playing basketball in the most unbiased way possible to a paraplegic friend. The music in the background plays an important role in this commercial. The Cinematic Orchestra – To Build a Home is very inspirational to the visuals to this commercial. The tempo perfectly aligns with the events in this storyline. It begins with this slow tempo to signify the sadness in the events but then climaxes when the goal is made and shows that not everyone in this video is actually in a wheelchair and it finalizes when the tempo becomes lowered and constant symbolizing a calm and collectiveness that we are all the same despite our differences. Guinness consumers alone are not the only intended audience of this commercial. This was meant to appeal to younger and older audiences. The younger audiences benefit from the choice of music which is The Cinematic Orchestra. The older audiences benefit from a beer commercial. This commercial is very simple. Its intent is not for you to focus on the fact that paraplegics have it harder in life, or the intensity from the sport of basketball. It’s merely about the three main principles these individuals exhibit. It’s about the Dedication, Loyalty, and Friendship. This character is defined as the type of people who drink Guinness Beer.

Nursing care study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Nursing care study - Essay Example A description of the condition and symptoms that brought Mrs Davies to the surgical ward from Mrs Davies own perspective will be provided. This information was obtained by asking Mrs Davies and her family relevant questions.The main body of the care study will discuss the nursing assessment and holistic care of Mrs Davies. Although Mrs Davies was continually assessed throughout her stay on the ward, two main problems associated with abdominoplasty will be concentrated upon from the initial assessment, they are mobility and pain and will discussed throughout with reference to appropriate literature and evidence. A conclusion will be drawn with regards to the information discussed in the body of the essay. This will be to provide an overview of the evidence based practice employed in the nursing care of the patient. Prior to beginning this care study verbal consent was obtained from the patient and family, and objectives to doing the study were explained to them. In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, â€Å"The code of professional conduct† (NMC, 2008) patient confidentiality will be maintained throughout and a pseudonym will be use protect the patients identity therefore throughout this study the patient will be known as Mrs Davies. A 45 year old lady Mrs. Davies is happily married to Mr Davies they have been married for 25 years. They and have 3 daughters; the oldest one is married and lives in London with her family while the other two live with her. She works as a cook supervisor in a secondary school while her husband is a carpenter and has his own business and works from home. However, Mrs Davies mentioned that she did enjoy swimming and walking 2-3 times a week. Over the last 10 years, she has gained a tremendous amount of weight. She gained 15 kilograms of weight in that time which now puts her in to the obese category this is evident from the fact that her current

Multinational Corporation Expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Multinational Corporation Expansion - Essay Example The international finance dimension of political risks and foreign exchange encompass all the foreign exchange and political regulation put by a country to foreign investors. Almost every country has unique political and foreign exchange risks. By venturing into Ugandan market, PWC would be exposing itself to risks associated with this country. It would also be exposed to opportunities that arise due to both the regulation of foreign exchange and other political regulations. Uganda is a country that has few foreign exchange restrictions and does not charge very high interest rates to external investors. Therefore, this would be a potential opportunity for PWC in its attempt to venture into this market. However, this country is very politically unstable and its elections are always accompanied by violence. Therefore, its economy fluctuates from time to time, which can raise a potential risk to PWC. The market imperfection dimension of international finance encompasses legal restrictions, transaction/ transportation costs, information asymmetry, and discriminatory taxation (Eun & Resnick, 2007). This increases the cost of operation or even complicates the operations of the international organizations. Uganda has very few legal restrictions and discriminatory taxation and therefore this would act as a potential opportunity for PWC in its attempt to venture into this Ugandan market. However, Uganda is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the East African region. As a result, it has under-developed infrastructure and very few transactional services. Therefore, PWC might encounter high transactional/transportation cost as well as the unavailability of transactional/ transportation services. Expanded opportunity set dimension of international finance is the location of production in any country or region to maximize performance and raise funds (Eun & Resnick, 2007). In

Discharge for Whistleblower Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discharge for Whistleblower Activity - Essay Example However, Broom and Miller chose not to follow standard procedure and instead of going to the accused employee’s immediate supervisor, they went the medication consultant at the facility. Their reasoning was based on the fact that the accused employee had a close personal friendship with her immediate supervisor, Sarah Dutton. The act that Broom and Miller carried out went against protocol. Because these two employees did not follow the proper chain of command and protocol in choosing to file their complaint, this only gave their employer’s legal position more support.   2. Because Broom and Miller were subject to the employment-at-will doctrine, even if they had been members of a bargaining unit that was connected with union representation, it still would not have provided any advantage to their case.  The reality is that these employees could not be protected under a collective bargaining agreement because Oklahoma common law  gives the right to employees to discharge an at-will employee at any time of their choosing. Broom and Miller attempted to argue their case by citing the three statutory laws that they thought supported their actions. These three laws were the Nursing Home Care Act, the Residential Care Act, and the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. This first statutory law governed safeguards and procedures for the storage, safekeeping, monitoring, dispensing, and destruction of patient prescription drugs. The employer argued that this only covered nursing homes within the state and that the employer’s company is legall y a residential care facility and cannot be included in the law. The second statutory law does apply to the employer’s facility because the employer admitted so. However, the employer argued that the language in this law were general and did not cover the Oklahoma employment-at-will doctrine. Finally, the third law makes it a criminal offense to steal controlled and dangerous substances, but Broom and Miller did not make a specific argument to justify their claims. Reaffirming what was said in the previous question, Broom and Miller failed to follow the proper procedures when filing their complaint.

Agricutural extension Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Agricutural extension - Research Paper Example Agricultural extension refers to the acts of impacting critical agronomic techniques and skills to the rural farmers in a participatory manner, with a goal of improving the overall performance of farmers (White, 2012). The process of agricultural extension generally involves conveying of essential and practical information to the farmers. The data usually includes ways of using improved seeds, pesticides and fertilizer. Agricultural extension education started in the early 1800. Immediately after American Revolution, many agricultural societies began to operate. One of the main societies was formed by John Skinner, who encouraged American farmers to start reporting on their successes and methods they used to solve various problems they encountered in their daily farming activities. This served as a platform for many American farmers. They exchanged ideas on how to enhance their farming skills using the platform (White, 2012). In the early 1910, USA agricultural sector in collaboratio n with agricultural colleges started to provide agricultural extension services to the rural farmers. With the use of the free extension services, farmers were able to increase wheat production in the country by nearly 40 % (White, 2012). This helped America to contain the food shortage problem that came as a result of the world war one and two. During the famous severe depression, agricultural extension services, mainly concentrated on improving the farm management skills of individual farmers. They engaged in a programme of teaching farmers how to sell their products at favorable prices. They also offered women basic skills on how to ensure they obtain proper nutrition for each household (White, 2012). They offered free services to women on how to improve their home poultry production, house gardening and also carrying out food canning to avoid wastages Incase of surplus production. Traditional agricultural extension services concentrated more on improving production at the househ old level as opposed to the present extensions. The extension mainly dealt with production and marketing of agricultural products. With new rules and policy changes, extension education for the next twenty five years will be so much different with what was offered in the past. Instead of focusing on rural farmers only, the agricultural education extension will deal with more broad issues affecting peoples life’s both in urban and rural areas (Rice, 2012). With economic and environmental dynamics, the extension education will dwell on how to help individuals learn new methods of obtaining income through encouraging them to adopt auxiliary enterprises. The extension will focus on helping farmers to improve their marketing strategies, management skills and also efficiency (Rice, 2012). This will ensure that farmers are able to deliver effectively. The new extension services will also deal with training farmers on how to take care of health, safety and consumer issues of the agri cultural products. Customers are with age becoming more health alert. This calls for distribution of high quality and safe products. Farmers need to be taught how to produce safe agricultural products for their health safety and others. With this in mind, the new extension services will focus on teaching customers how to implement safe biofortification processes so as to ensure their products are safe for consumption (Rice, 2012). Critical issues Agricultural extension has continued to live in the process of change globally. With the support of international agencies, governments are struggling to avail both financial and structural reforms to ensure extension services are improved and accessible to the targeted farmers. With all this support from the government, the agricultural extension will be focusing on all the key issues affecting the daily health of the people of America and the nation future as a whole. It will intensively dwell on ways to; ensure healthy human population, public improvement and development of agricultural

Is European Union undermining the sovereignty of its individual member Essay

Is European Union undermining the sovereignty of its individual member states - Essay Example The next case that further emphasized upon the sovereignty principle was Case 11/70 Internanationale Handelsgesellschaft GmbH3, whereby it was stated that even where the case was in respect of fundamental rules that had been established by way of the German Constitution, Community law would prevail over such national laws and rules. Another important case which can be cited in respect of the powers of the courts of the member states to respect the sovereignty of Community Law is Case 106/77 Simmenthal SpA (No.2)4 whereby it was stated that even a court of first instance were under a duty to set aside provisions of national law which were incompatible with Community law. Furthermore, there was no need to wait for the national law to be amended in accordance with the EC law and so the national law could be set aside where it was in conflict with a directly applicable or effective provision of the EC law. The duty to respect sovereignty of EC law was extended to administrative agency wh ich was dealing with a national insurance scheme who were said to have powers to set aside conflicting provision. (Case C-118/00 Larsy v. INASTI)5. It is important to mention here that even thought by virtue of the powers being given to courts and administrative agencies the national measure is held to be inapplicable, the Member State is still held to be under a continuing obligation to repeal the conflicting provisions. The Courts in Case 167/73 Commission v. France (French Merchant Seamen)6 for the sake of legal certainty expressly stated the Member States are under an obligation to repeal the offending or contradicting national provision or rule. A step forward in respect of this can be seen from the fact that even if there is not sufficient certainty as to whether a person has a Community law claim, the supremacy doctrine specifies that the national court should set aside the provisions that may prevent anyone from acquiring the full benefit of Community law, even if this is es tablished later in time. The concept can be seen to have been applied in Case C-213/89 R v. Secretary of State for Transport, ex parte Factortame Ltd and others7 which was a case on Spanish fishermen who claimed that the UK Act prevented them from fishing in British water and therefore was in contradiction and breach of EC Treaty Articles. The fishermen sought interim relief in this respect; however, the problem that arose in this respect was that the courts in UK were not empowered to grant an injunction against the State, thereby suspending an Act of Parliament. The problem in this case was the if interim relief was not provided the Spanish fishermen would have been driven out of business and might have suffered huge losses and therefore a subsequent judgment would not in any way serve their purpose. The ECJ held that the act of Parliament must be set aside and subsequently the House of Lords granted an injunction. There has been a strong reaction by the national courts in respect of the concept of direct effect and supremacy which has been developed by the Court of Justice. The important point that needs to be looked into when determining the way how the EC law enters the Member State is dependent on the fact as to whether the member state is monist or a

Turkey's membership of EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Turkey's membership of EU - Essay Example This of course leaves the very prominent case of the nation of Turkey. Although not technically a part of â€Å"Europe† proper, Turkey has been highly desirous of EU membership for quite some time now and has been a valuable trading partner as well as maintaining a definitively close political and economic connection with both France and Germany; arguably the two most prominent members of the European Union. Within this context and considering this particular reality, this analysis will seek to discuss some of the major issues that currently serve as an impediment to this taking place as well as analyzing some of the key factors that serve to encourage the inclusion of Turkey as a future member of the European Union. Firstly, from the geographic standpoint, those that argue against Turkish inclusion in the European Union would be quick to point out that 97% of the entire nation of Turkey is not within the continent of Europe (Simpson, 2013). However, as history has noted time and again, Turkey serves as a valuable bridge between Europe and Asia/Mid-East and the inclusion of such a partner would definitively strengthen the ties that these regions could express in terms of trade and economic resilience. Secondly, from the perspective of economics, those that are against Turkish inclusion in the European Union might point to the fact that the GDP of the average Turkish citizen is nearly ? of what the GDP of the average EU citizen enjoys (Jameson, 2013). However, the fact of the matter is that Turkey’s economy has experienced stellar and rapid growth over the past few decades and stands in a very good position to overtake some of the EU’s weaker members in terms of GDP output per citizen within the next several years. Thirdly, from the political standpoint, naysayers would argue that the politics of Turkey are not advanced enough as compared to the mature European style democracies that are invariably evidenced within the other member states of the EU (Hancock, 2012). Although it is true that the nation of Turkey does not have a long history of democratic process as compared to the nations of Europe, it has managed to strike a pluralistic balance between elements of Islamic forces, the military, and a league of social democrats; exhibiting the very epitome of what a democracy should promote – understandings and cooperation between disparate groups of people. Ultimately, if given the chance to decide whether or not Turkey should be admitted into the European Union, it would be the decision of this author that this should indeed take place. The rational for this is nuanced. Firstly, it is clear that Europe has lost a great deal of skilled and unskilled manufacturing jobs over the past several decades to the developing nations in Asia and elsewhere. As a result of this, inclusion of a nation that is currently rapidly industrializing will bolster the overall economic strength that Europe can bring to bear on the intern ational level. Secondly, whereas the population of â€Å"old Europe† has continued to decline, and is on course for even further decline in the future, Turkey’s influx of 140 million people could help remedy the coming collapse of European productivity with regards to gaps in the labor market that are certain to take place. Finally, with regards to the political ramifications of

Strategic Research Project Essay Example for Free

Strategic Research Project Essay This paper is about a strategic overview of Medtronic Inc. Medtronic is a global leader in medical technology- alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for people with chronic conditions around the world. Medtronic conducts business in more than 120 countries developing and manufacturing a variety of products and therapies with emphasis on providing a complete continuum of care to diagnose, prevent and monitor chronic conditions. Mission Statement The mission statement of Medtronic Inc. is to contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments or appliances that alleviate pain, restore health and extend life. It is evident that Medtronic is meeting their mission statement. Medtronic is providing doctors with new therapy procedures through their research and development. Medtronic is able to design and modify medical devices that assist and meet the needs of physicians around the world. In addition, Medtronic is conducting business in more than 120 countries and focused on preserving the lives of individuals with medical needs and plagued with chronic health conditions. Medtronic’s mission statement is firmly preserved in all of its employees around the world that want to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.† It is apparent that Medtronic has not lost focus as to their purpose by the assistance to nearly 6 million people benefiting from therapies each year. Porter’s analysis of competition for Medtronic Inc. Rivalry among competitors Medtronic Inc. participates in the development, manufacture and marketing of medical devices. There are very few competitors in this field that include Johnson Johnson, Guidant Corp., St Jude and Boston Scientific Group. Medical devices that are developed cost a considerable amount of money and if they have to be recalled these costs have to be absorbed. These recalls are viewed by competitors as an opportunity to move in a particular direction in medical device development. Because of the threats from competitors and their debatable actions dispute resolutions often transfer  to court rooms for litigation to determine rights to patents. This often leads to the delay in product development and an increase in costs associated court determinations. Potential entry of new competitors There are several obstacles that competitors will have to overcome in in the development, manufacture and marketing of medical devices. First, The Food and Drug Administration regulations are very specific and detailed. A competitor attempting FDA approval should expect a lengthy approval process. Once an approval is obtained they are not covered against product recalls that can cost a lot of money. Furthermore, recalls can tarnish the reputation of the company leading to a loss in consumer confidence. Secondly, the design and manufacture of medical products will require a solid understanding of the management of high end technologies. Next, competitors entering the market will spend a lot of money in the Research and Development in an economy where few companies willing to invest. Potential development of substitutes products Medical devices are considered a minimally invasive form of treatment and are considered a substitute for more invasive treatment procedures used in the past. Medtronic has several departments all working on product lines and are susceptible to other companies developing similar devices with the same purpose. This drives certain secureness when new procedures and equipment are developed preventing a competitor from knowledge and profit. Bargaining power of suppliers Just as the electronic industry, medical device makers send their work to a growing industry of contract manufacturers. These manufacturers do not have a lot of bargaining power due to the low customization of their work. The device makers do not rely on one manufacturer and can easily find another. This tactic enables device makers to deal with speed-to-market and the cost associated with closing plants and laying off employees. There is not an estimated increase to the bargaining power of the suppliers because new companies are not likely to develop products overseas due to the trouble in changing contracts to foreign manufactures. Bargaining power of consumers Some hospitals organize and group together to lower costs. These enables more bargaining power over the suppliers due to their collective size. This causes competitors have also to deal with the final payers that are sometimes the insurance company that try to minimize their costs and influence the type of patient care. Even if the buyers are not directly the doctors, the suppliers have to target them since they are advisers providing influence to the decision process. This gives tremendous bargaining power over the suppliers of medical devices enabling better competition and ability to absorb the pressures of the t healthcare system. Intensive Strategy of Medtronic Medtronic has seven main divisions and combines operations into a single operating segment. Market Penetration Medtronic’s market penetration in solidified in the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management division where it is the world’s leading supplier of pacemakers. In addition, Medtronic’s holds over 50% Implantable Cardiac Rhythm Devices (ICD) Market share which contributes to 25% of Medtronic’s overall sales. Market Development Medtronic is continually moving toward innovation through their pursuit to develop markets in areas of healthcare distribution and treatments. They are have collaborative partnerships, product development and are pilots of new business models in several developing countries. Eli Lilly Company have partnered together in the field of Drug Delivery systems. Together they are working to develop treatments for Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. They are engineering implantable pumps that allow the delivery of drugs directly to a targeted area of the brain bypassing the blood-brain barrier that restricts drug therapy for these diseases. Medtronic is also collaborating with Ford Motor Company to develop and integrate medical technology with the Sync in-car system. This mobile health monitoring system will monitor chronic heart conditions, diabetes and transmit alerts if a driver health puts them in danger. Medtronic is also leading numerous cities and hospitals in India increasing patient access to cardiac therapy and improve awareness through health promotions. Through these initiatives Medtronic has assisted in the developed a tiered service and financing  program provides affordable health care. Product Development Medtronic has always led the way with many technologies and product lines, as shown with the first pacemaker in 1957. Medtronic has adopted policy that phases out its own products to make way for newer developments. Medtronic has a solid process of innovation improving their own products. This is accomplished by utilizing computer aided design systems that allow for an 80% reduction in the time required model complex designs and a 90% reduction in required production time. Medtronic’s product development reaches into marketing approaches in the areas of technical support, customer education initiatives and product line expansion and bundling. Collectively, this provides the motivation of lowering costs for product and process improvement. SWOT Analysis of Medtronic Inc. Medtronic engaged in engineering a range of medical devices and therapies. They have a large portfolio that is used to enhance its influence and market share. However, current and future health care policy changes may have a negative effect on the company. STRENGTH| WEAKNESSES| Diverse portfolio protecting risks- Strong Focus on RD capabilities- Product Innovation- Global presence with stable revenues| Issues with manufactured products and recalls reduce credibility of company| OPPORTUNITIES| THREATS| Global acquisitions prospects- Growth in emerging markets- Future product lines increase revenue and market share- positive demographics’ toward healthcare spending| Intense industrial competition in medical devices that affect share of market- Non-compliance with rules relating to reimbursement and regulation of healthcare services- Changing healthcare policies have negative affect on company| Strengths As a result of having a diverse product portfolio, Medtronic has a diversified stream of revenues and not heavily dependent on one particular business. For instance, during FY2011, the cardiac rhythm disease  management contributed 31.4% of the total revenues of the company, spinal (21.4%), cardiovascular (19.5%), neuromodulator (10.0%), diabetes (8.5%), surgical technologies (6.5%). Weakness In July 2011, Medtronic recalled its SynchroMed II implantable infusion pump because it had reduced battery performance. This recall if not corrected could lead life threatening withdraw symptoms to patients with these pumps. Opportunities Medtronic has a good track record of acquisitions. In January 2011, the company acquired Ardian, a privately-held company engaged in developing catheter-based therapies to treat hypertension and related conditions. This acquisition augmented Medtronics existing interventional therapies. Emerging markets are set to become the chronic disease centers of the world. By 2015, China and India will be the largest cardiac markets, and by 2017, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in India will increase to more than 60 million cases from 28 million cases in 2007. To exploit the growth opportunities in these markets, Medtronic is expanding its presence by building distribution, training, education, and other healthcare infrastructure needed to ensure greater access to its products and therapies. Threats Medtronic is competitive in more than 120 countries around the world and encounters opposition from various product lines and markets that similar products are sold. Major competitors from Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical, Johnson Johnson, and Abbott Laboratories add pressure to areas of product reliability, performance, quality, and price. US Department of Health and Human Services along with foreign governments regulate the devices produced and health services provided by Medtronic to ensure the cost and quality. Recent US health care legislation and policy changes re aimed at controlling costs and limit the amount that Medtronic can charge for medical devices and therapies. This is evident when,  President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act imposing new taxes on medical device makers. Conclusion Medtronic is a world leader in medical technology- alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for people with chronic conditions. Medtronic with its relentless pursuit to bring affordable healthcare through therapy and medical devices should continue with current strategies. Over the next five years, it is beneficial for Medtronic to further explore emerging markets bringing innovative ideas to healthcare officials. Continuance in research and development will continue to reform traditional healthcare with micro-sized implant devices. Continued mission focus to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life† will further propel Medtronic as a medical development leader.

Double-Consciousness Under the White Gaze Essay Example for Free

Double-Consciousness Under the White Gaze Essay The theme of double-consciousness was first defined by Du Bois in The Souls of the Black Folk. He put the term â€Å"double-consciousness† in a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at ones self through the eyes of others, of measuring ones soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. (Du Bois) It is obvious that the protagonist as well as several lesser characters in Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks suffer from this distressing double-consciousness, especially Maud Martha. Maud Martha realized that she was not the cherished one because of her darker skin color at an very early age, thus â€Å"to be cherished was the dearest wish of the heart of Maud Martha Brown†. ( Brooks 1650) In her own family, her beloved father preferred her sister Helen because Helen was lighter; At school her schoolmates also liked Helen and ignored her; When she grew into womanhood and got married, her husband Paul also showed a partiality to lighter women. Martha’s father, classmates and husband acted this way because as black people they themselves were treated as inferior creatures all the time by white Americans. Under this white gaze, the value that the black was inferior was accepted and internalized by the gazed over time. This internalizing also happened to Martha as she struggled all the way to build up her subjectivity. That accounts for her inferiority about her appearance and jealous of Helen her prettier. When a white schoolmate Charles came to visit Martha, she should feel â€Å"a sort of gratitude. † (Brooks 1653) According to Michel Foucault, the gaze is actually imposed upon people by themselves even though it looks like that it is imposed from something superior upon everyone. No need for weapons, physical violence or prohibition, it takes only a surveillant gaze to humble anyone, to make them the overseers of themselves. Luckily, Martha was a woman with artistic sensibility. Although living an ordinary life in a racist world, still she can find beauty and dignity in her life. When she spared the mouse, she experienced a new cleanness in her because â€Å"she had not destroyed. In the center of that simple restraint was—creation. She had created a piece of life. It was wonderful. †(Brooks 1667) This is a prelude revealing that her subjectivity was budding. Later when she gave birth to a daughter, her subjectivity was much improved by this motherhood—she did create a new life who was totally dependent on her at that time. At the beauty salon, she was shocked that the salon owner Mrs. Johnson just put up with a white saleswoman’s humiliation of referring them as â€Å"niggers†. It is not difficult to associate to what happened when Martha went to millinery with this. She decided against the hat even though the owner promised to cut price, and this lack of manners was attributed to her skin color by the salesgirl. â€Å"Black—oh,black† Her subjectivity is helpful yet not strong enough to fight everything. When Paul was laid off she went to work as a house maid in the Burns-Coopers’, she experienced that white gaze even more violently because the white woman Mrs. Coopers showed obvious contempt towards her. At this moment, she suddenly realized what her husband had suffered all the time in his working environment. Feeling this humiliation, she quitted the job the next day. She understood better about the struggles and frustrations caused by the white American now, even though she could not do much about it. She was always sensitive to the exclusion of the Negro in a white world, yet even cannot explain to her little girl why a store Santa Claus did not like her- or even smile at her—a wishful blindness. No matter what, Martha never gave up her love for life. At the end of the novella, Martha’s brother was back from the wars alive and well which made her sense the beauty of life again. She went such a long way fighting the confliction in her life, the problem of double identity and double-consciousness, and found her equanimity finally. So she would think that â€Å"At a moment like this one was ready for anything, was not afraid of anything†¦.. At a moment like this, one could even think of death with a sharp exhilaration, feel that death was a part of life; that life was good and death would be good too. † This reconciliation can be considered as Martha’s triumph of the struggle. In a word, Maud Martha captures the essence of Black life with regard to their double-consciousness under the white gaze, and Brooks recognizes the beauty and strength that lies within each of us. References: The Souls of the Black Folk, Du Bois, W. E. B. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison , Michel Foucault Maud Martha, Gwendolyn Gwendolyn.

The study of behavior through organisational behavior

The study of behavior through organisational behavior Organisational behaviour is actually the study of the behaviour of people working in an organisation. In other word we can say that it is the study and understanding of individual and group behaviour and patterns of structure in order to help in raising organisational successfulness, performance and effectiveness. It is also express as the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals and groups act in work organisation. There is a close relationship between organisational behaviour and management. We are surrounded by organisations everywhere like where we study ,do our activities, do jobs, we use them in any sense mode of communication, etc. We use thousands of organisations on regular intervals. So we can understand how organisations influenced our daily life and how much they are important. It plays a vital role in the lives of us. It is important to know how organisation function and how they exercise to the behaviour of people. It is much more significant to know interrelationship with other variables that together form the whole organisation. The behaviour of people in work organisation is being watched in terms of multi related figures concerning the individual, the group, the organisation and the environment. Achieving the effectiveness or success of an organisation is not an easy task . it can be achieved through the process of management, efforts of members of the organisation, co-ordination and organisational objectives. Relationship between the organisation and the individual is the psychological contract. The nature of expectations has an influence on the relationship between employment and behaviour in work organisation. Now a time a major challenges faces by managers is due to an increasingly global business environment. This increases the need for cross cultural approach to the study of organisational behaviour and the management of people. Because of increasingly international context, managers need to understand the impact of national culture. The management of organisation is not totally dependent on internal factors but it is also influenced by external and environmental factors. For an effective performance of work organisation, it has to respond to challenges, opportunities and limitations presented by external environment. Organisational behaviour is the concept to improve the overall productivity of an organisation by the process of explaining, predicting, maintaining, understanding and changing human behaviour. Management is a pivotal importance of modern society. It is for this reason that, no matter what thinking about management, certainly at university level, is of great relevance to management practice. So apart from the question of whether management claim that it is indispensable is really valid or not, the fact that practically every one believes it is , is what counts. {Mullin (2008)}. The 7s Models of McKinsey Strategy: the plan made to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. Structure: the way the organisation is structured and who reports to whom. Systems: the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done. Shared Values: called super ordinate goals when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. Style: the style of leadership adopted. Staff: the employees and their general capabilities. Skills: the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company. Start with your Shared Values: Are they consistent with your structure, strategy, and systems? If not, what needs to change? How well does each one support the others? Identify where changes need to be made. Do they support one another? If not, what needs to change? As you adjust and align the elements, youll need to use an iterative (and often time consuming) process of making adjustments, and then re-analyzing how that impacts other elements and their alignment. The end result of better performance will be worth it. The McKinsey 7Ss model is one that can be applied to almost any organizational or team effectiveness issue. If something within your organization or team isnt working, chances are there is inconsistency between some of the elements identified by this classic model. Once these inconsistencies are revealed, you can work to align the internal elements to make sure they are all contributing to the shared goals and values. The process of analyzing where you are right now in terms of these elements is worthwhile in and of itself. But by taking this analysis to the next level and determining the ultimate state for each of the factors, you can really move your organization or team forward. In Search of Excellence the eight themes A bias for action, active decision making getting on with it. Close to the customer learning from the people served by the business. Autonomy and entrepreneurship fostering innovation and nurturing champions. Productivity through people treating rank and file employees as a source of quality. Hands-on, value-driven management philosophy that guides everyday practice management showing its commitment. Stick to the knitting stay with the business that you know. Simple form, lean staff some of the best companies have minimal HQ staff. Simultaneous loose-tight properties autonomy in shop-floor activities plus centralised values. Peter and Waterman identified customer satisfaction as one of the important attribute for successful growth of an organization. They suggests organizations should go close to listen and learn from people they serve. Try to provide reliable and quality service. {Mullin (2008)}. Management and leadership are two sides of a coin. Leadership is related to motivation, communication and interpersonal behavior. It influences both individual and organizational performance. Leadership in Management comprises of four basic principles namely commitment, planning, action and evaluation{Mullin (2008)}. Kotter says that successful companies do not wait for leaders to join them. They recruit and select people with leadership potential and train them to develop managerial skills{Mullin (2008)}. However, the style and approach adopted by Foxconn Technology highlight different dimensions and is still successful. Being one of the largest electronics manufacturing services organization in the world , established in 1974 at Taipei, China has 25 factories in 13 countries with 700,000 employees world wide. The organization provides one stop solution from design and manufacturing to logistic, to repair and maintenance. The five key principles of the business model include, speed, quality, technology, flexibility and cost efficiency, which has proven Foxconn sustainability. The eight C core competence include, computers, telecommunication, consumer electronics, channel business, car, digital contents, health care, CSER Investment. The principles of corporate governance values in partnership with customers, suppliers, shareholders and community. It has board of directors , who represent the individual company unit from different countries and two independent directors and Chief Executive Officer. ( Foxconn 2009). The company uses military style . Security guards beat and shout at workers. The lower rank workers are unhappy with management. The labor union is not efficient and effective . They do silly things jobs like booking tickets and are not bothered about rights of workers. Some workers are frustrated because payments are deducted with unfair reasons. Some workers work overtime up to 120 hrs in order to earn a decent living. Foxconn lost 150000 workers in past three months. Employees dont get opportunity to socialize due to over crowding at work place. In a interview with Richest chines Magazine, the companys chief Terry Gou says, he personally works 15 hours a day and expects all of his employees to work as hard as him. The CEO, Gou exhibit extremes of severity and kindness. To quote a example, in a meeting he got disappointed on hearing a unsatisfactory answer from a executive and made him to stand for 10 minutes. At the same time Mr. Gou rewards his employees by paying executive bonus es out of his own pocket. ( Global Times 2010). Recently the Foxconn global high tech industry was in news due to suicides of 13 workers. The reason behind could be extreme pressure. The death of Chao hiung raised doubt of foul play as his body was discovered with four stab wounds .Does he really committed suicide or was beaten by security guards has created an atmosphere of threat amongst workers.( POC 2010). The leadership at Foxconn appears to be autocratic and shows transactional approach. The said approach state that authority is concentrated and centralized with leader. He is sole decision maker and derives policies and the way the task has to be done. The system of reward and punishment is place. Such leadership is unlikely to work in the modern democratic world. Rajan points out that leadership styles are needed to cope with different situations. Goleman reports that most effective executives use a collection of distinct leadership styles, each in the right measure at just the right time {Mullin (2008)}. Management is an art which has scientific base and needs to be practiced in a magical and artistic way keeping in mind the politics around. The view has been supported in the research work. {Mullin (2008)}. The Citigroup Inc. is a major global financial services company based in New York and employees 260, 000 staff around the world. Due to financial industry developments and competitive issues led to massive changes and re-organization at Citigroup leading to mergers and acquisitions. There were 25% lay-of in Information system division and remaining employees were reorganized into a focus work team structure in an effort to keep high performance level ( Innerwork 2010). However it was observed that morale in remaining employees survivors was very low. Employees had very poor trust level with management, fear and uncertainty, lack of communication, poor level of team work, finger pointing, blame fixing, disorganized approach to service the business unit customers ( Innerwork 2010). Realizing the important facts, the Citi group partnered with a consultancy company Inner work to rebuild morale, productivity and customer focus. Inner work company came out with a number of solutions comprising of encouraging department to organize small leadership team, then developed integrated curriculum of self change, Team change, monthly lessons on site to for deep learning ( Innerwork 2010). Results were encouraging at the end of six month training program showing 76% increase in trust level, 32.85% increase in various measure of team effectiveness, 48% increase in open and honest communication, 75% increase in personal power/ability to respond to change, 68% increase in personal emotional mastery, 65% reduction in stress, 75% increase in commitment to the organization. There behavioral change led to 75% reduction in cycle time for software development, 33-50% increase in work team productivity ( Innerwork 2010). The intervention made by Citigroup is theoretically supported by the productivity through people. {Mullin (2008)}. The Foxconn and citigroup case studies attract attention to these two important attributes namely trust and communication required for performance. Citigroups timely intervention in the form training proved beneficial to gather trust between employees and management. The Foxconn need to put attention on transparency in communication and use policies for safety at work place and work hour limitation to avoid stress. Counseling of employees will go long way in transforming the attitude. Considering observations from Foxconn, Citigroup studies and reading various research articles and conclusion drawn by them, the role of human resource management has important role to successful performance of work organization.. The strategic use of human resources will help managers to get true values by optimally using competencies of people. The traditional view of looking at HRM ( Human Resource Management) as a department for planning human resources, recruitment, selection, induction, training, consultation with unions, development of employees, compliance to law requirements, record keeping, statistics, lessoning with government department is all set to change {Mullin (2008)}. Companies today face five critical challenges, like globalization, profitability, technology, retaining intellectual capital and the change coming over in the new millennium. The practice of HRM is getting affected by cultural diversity due to globalization, which necessitates to derive common culture and policies, which can suit changes in structure and strategies can be implemented globally. The major area of relevance to effective performance remain training and development. The basic role of a manager is to direct, develop, encourage and train subordinate people. This can help to improve knowledge, skills and change in attitude. But mind all line managers are their own human resource managers and the HRM function is a shared responsibility among top management, line managers and supervisors. The crucial activity of HRM is to judge performance of people, which can help top management to make key managerial decisions relating to allocation of duties and responsibilities, pay, empowerment and levels of supervision, promotion, training and development and career progression. However it is equally necessary to have performance management system in place with regular monitoring and feed back. The formulation of system which include qualitative or quantitative measures , frequency of monitoring and method of feed back like 360degree or upward feed back need to be discussed with the line mangers , supervisors and top management. Observations drawn from the Foxconn is just efficient but not effective. And the Citigroup case study where in emphasis was led on training indicate the HRM activities do help Organization to perform effectively. Stone from research work has identified six steps for effective management namely, Senior managers are committed to the process. Objectives are clear. Feedback is balance. Progress is reviewed. Development plans are included in the process. Managers have the right skill to support the process. This supports the discussion made about management and the factors which play critical role in effective performance of an organization. With changing nature of modern work organizations a survey undertaken by management today draws attention to the changing relationship between organization and individuals. The dispersed teams across multiple location would often work as virtual teams. The greater empowerment will led to shift of responsibility from organization to individuals. And the role of Management and there by manager will be questioned.{Mullin (2008)}. Factors Some more factors to determine the effective performance of work organisation are organisational structure, motivation and reward, objectives/goals/missions, values, team working, diversity. Organisational Structure Organisations always prefers formal structure that is why organisations manage with responsibilities. They create the formal structure which helps the organisation to achieve their desired goals. and most of the times these formal structures set out on paper in the form of organisational charts. The organisations which is based on day to day reality they develops informal structure between the members. Informal structure can be different from that which they set out on paper. In todays world managers need to learn and work with both formal and informal organisational structures. The flexibility should be there in managers than they can realise that the elements of the informal structure may be formalised. When managers take the elements from informal structures and modified them into formal structures then this may lead to high level of motivation for the staff which is involved in that organisation. The structure of an organisation not only affects productivity and economic capacity but also the morale and job satisfaction of its members. The overall successfulness of the organisation is influenced by sound structural design and by the behaviour of people working in that organisation. It is so significant to remember relationship between structure and the realities of organisational behaviour. The organisational structures which supports the retail fashion industry are heavily focused on two main tasks making reliable predictions about design trends and achieving cost reduction in the production process. Unlike other companies who design and order their ranges of clothing in advance, Zara makes only what is selling at the moment. if the designs sells good it increase the production if not then they stop producing it ,the company has not lost much as volume of remaindered items is small. Motivation And Reward The motivation is some driving force within individuals by which they do efforts to achieve some objective in order to fulfil their needs or expectations. When people are motivated and rewarded in the organisation than they put extra efforts to achieve their goals. With the motivation and reward policy adopting in an organisation will helps in effecting the successful performance of work organisation. Mission/Objectives/Goals Organisation never sets the objectives but people in an organisation sets the objectives. They are established by the people either individually or by the number of individual co-opera tingly. Like a group of senior management agree on certain desired course of action that may then announced as an organisational objective. The setting objectives is an integral part of the process of management and necessary aspect in almost each and every organisation. Objectives can be set out either in general terms or it may be in more specific terms. General objectives are ascertained by the top level of management. Specific objectives are given with in span of general objectives and usually have more cleared areas of applications and time limits. The objectives of an organisations are the reasons behind their existence. The objective is something which an organisation is striving to achieve. Just objectives can be controlled but the clear defined objectives will help in communications and also h elp in reducing misunderstandings and provide more explained criteria for obtaining work organisation performance. Organization need to be efficient in doing the right things with utilize the resources in optimum way and should be effective in doing the right things relating to organizational objectives. The output in the form of increased net earnings, delivery of service, good results in focus areas, customer satisfaction, changes adapted according to the demands and expectations of external environment which is ultimately perceived as performance. Values And Team Work Task/work is a team based based activity and teams and groups are an important feature of human behaviour and work organisation. Members have to be co-ordinate to carried out the work. Good team work helps in raising the level of morale and work organisation performance. There is a tendency for teams and groups to be used interchangeably. Whereas all teams are groups , it doesnt essentially follow that all groups are teams. Groups or teams develop their own style of values and norms of behaviour. There are two forms of groups at work one is formal and another is informal. Formal group is the part of the organisation structure . it is deliberately planned and formed by management to do their respective tasks and achieve organisational goals. Informal groups are based on personal relationship and develop irrespective of formal structure. Informal groups are hired to satisfy members psychological and social needs. Groups are created for a number of reasons relating to performance of wor k and social processes. Individuals can form into teams and groups for a number of reasons relating to both work performance and social processes in both sense formal and informal. The managers main concern is that members in that teams and groups should co-ordinate. The factors that effect team cohesiveness can be considered under the broad headings of membership, environment of work, organisational and team development and maturity. There are potential disadvantages of strong, cohesive teams and the manger should attempt to prevent unconstructive intergroup rivalry. However, intergroup conflict may be deliberately promote as a means of building stronger with in team cohesiveness. Self-Managed Teams Organisations are facing hard competition in the global market and are sure to face increasing battles in the future. To position themselves for growth in the coming times, many organizations are making the alteration to an empowered personnel. In an empowering atmosphere, those adjoining to the job are given the duties to make decisions regarding their own work and their own customers. Implementing self-managed teams is a step towards achieving an empowered society. Details the five necessary steps for successful team implementation including: the six-step process for designing teams, adopting team selection systems, addressing new training needs, initiating leadership transitions and changing roles, and rewarding team rather than individual performance. Self-managing teams are also known as self-directing work teams, represent a innovatory approach to the mode work is organised and performed. Instead of organising work based on the traditional Taylor model reducing a process to in dividual steps work becomes restructured around whole processes. There must be interdependence and joint responsibility for outputs if there is to be a self-directed work team. Whereas the traditional system reduces the required skill at every level of work, producing boredom in the bottom-level jobs, the new system integrates the needs of the people with the work to be done and those closest to the jobs help design the job. In the RL Wolfe case study: Implementing Self managed Teams for example, it states how well self created teams are used to create successful organisations and how well it is being implemented throughout the organisation. In 2003 as stated in this case, when RL Wolfe purchased Moon Plastics a small, family-owned custom plastics manufacturer in Corpus Christi Amasi (director of production and Engineering at RL Wolfe) had seen an opportunity to implement self-managed teams at the new plant. He had been interested in self created teams for several years, since taking a business school executive education course on workforce motivation and team structures. Amasi had been intrigued by reports of 30% to 40% improvements in productivity and quality for SDT-run units, when compared with traditional manufacturing facilities, and returns on investment more than three times the industry average. Those reports had come from a variety of industries -food and beverage, consumer goods but Amasi f elt he saw evidence that he could use the SDT model to drive high productivity in a plastic pipe manufacturing plant. High productivity, in his view, was 95% or more of design capacity. Wolfes two other plastic pipe manufacturing plants were running at 65%-70% of design capacity. Amasis first step had been to gain the board of directors approval to approach the worker union and offer a long-sought concession in health care coverage to clear the path for what became known as the Corpus Christi experiment. The new plant would not be unionized; in contrast to Wolfes other two plants. His second step had been to lure 35-year-old Jay Winslow from Wolfes top competitor to become plant manager. Individual Differences and Diversity Diversity challenges many traditional stereotypes and organisation needs to manage diversity ina manner that benefits the well being of all staff members . one of the most important aspects of managing diversity is that of gender equality and the participation of men and women in the work organisation. Conclusion and Recommendation There is multiple of variables which invade on any organisation and which shows the complicated nature of the study of work organisational effectiveness . Organisations needs to be efficient, effective, adaptable and give attention to innovation . One important approach of interdependent organisational variable to organising is McKinsey 7-s framework. Gratton refers six tenets of the democratic leadership organisation in which win-win approach relationship for both the individual and the organisation. The main factor in organisational effectiveness is the successful management of new inventions means innovation and change the concept of the learning organisation. A radical approach to organisational change and restructuring involves a fundamental rethinking of business processes. There is continues demand for managerial development as an internal part of the organisational development . Concentration needs to be given to learning, training, performance review , planning and career pr ogression. Management growth should be seen as a on going process and involves formal programmes of on going professional growth and management accepting responsibility for self growth. There is a wide variety of interconnected individual team, group, organisational and environmental influences on behaviour in work organisation. Work organisation can be analysed in terms of open systems framework, group work, teamwork and leadership. The role of management ,management style and effectiveness, profile of organisational characteristics, contribution of the human resource management (HRM) function ,key areas of performance and results, design of organisation structure, organisational control systems, planned organisation change, organisational culture and climate. A programme of organisation audit involves a review of the operations of the organisation as whole. In addition to anxiety for the current position of the work organisation, concentration should be given to its future growth and success. The driving force behind the successful 21st century work organisation will be its manpower( we people). Learning Outcomes: This assignment really has given me the chance to bring my academic knowledge to practical implementation and thoughts involved in obtaining my views has really broadened my knowledge, skills, horizon and this will further help me in my management career. This report has given me great learning towards organisational behaviour. If in my academic life I will get a chance I will definitely do a deep study in this area either by my some case coursework or dissertation and reading of books in relation to this.

Argentina Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Argentina is a federal republic in southern South America on the border of Bolivia and Paraguay; on the east by Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile, and on the west by Chile. The country is the biggest country on the south side and is triangular in shape, with the base in the north and the corner at Punta Dungeness, the southeastern tip of the continent. The length of Argentina in a northern to southern direction is about 2,070 mi.. Its biggest width is about 860 mi.. The area of Argentina is 1,073,518 sq mi.. It is the second largest South American country, Brazil ranking first. The capital and largest city is Buenos Aires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Argentina has a lot of mountains, upland areas, and plains. The western boundaries of the country fall entirely within the Andes. The only other highlands of consequence in Argentina is the Sierra de Cà ³rdoba, in the central portion of the country. In the north, the Argentine plains consist of the southern portion of the South American region known as the Gran Chaco. The Pampas plains that include the most productive agricultural sections of the country, extend about 1,000 mi. south from the Gran Chaco. In Patagonia, south of the Pampas, the terrain consists largely of arid, desolate steppes. A famed scenic attraction, the Iguaà §u Falls, is on the CIguau River a tributary of the Paranà ¡. The chief rivers of Argentina are the `Aparan, which splits the north part of the country. In the area between the Rà ­o Salado and the Rà ­o Colorado and in the Chaco region, some large rivers empty into swamps and marshes or disappear into sinks. Temperate climatic conditions prevail throughout most of Argentina, except for a small tropical area in the northeast and the subtropical Chaco in the north. The climate is generally cold in the Andes, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. In the western section of Patagonia winter temperatures average about 0 ° C (32 ° F). In most coastal areas, however, the ocean exerts a moderating influence on temperatures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The traditional wealth of Argentina is in the vast Pampas, which are used for extensive grazing and grain production. However, Argentine mineral resources, esp... ...ay. Colonization of the region was begun in 1535 by the Spanish soldier Pedro de Mendoza. In June 1806, Buenos Aires was attacked by a British fleet under the command of Admiral Home Riggs Popham. The viceroy offered no defense against the attack, which was made without permission by the British government. The British invaders occupied the city but were kicked out by a citizen army the next August.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Revolutionary sentiment in La Plata reached its peak in the period following the deposing of King Ferdinand VII in 1808. The people of Buenos Aires refused to recognize Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, who was then installed on the Spanish throne. On May 25, 1810, they overthrew the viceregal government and installed a provisional governing council in the name of Ferdinand VII. Representatives of the various provinces convened at Tucumà ¡n in March 1816. On the following July 9 the delegates proclaimed independence from Spanish rule and declared the formation of the United Provinces of South America. In March 1949, Perà ³n promulgated a new constitution permitting the president of the republic to succeed himself in office.

Modernist Myth in Suna no Onna’s The Woman in the Dunes Essay -- Movie

Modernist Myth in Suna no Onna’s The Woman in the Dunes The Woman in the Dunes (Suna no Onna, 1964) was directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and based on the novel by Kobo Abe and falls into the camp of modernism. It’s a faithful adaptation and has realistic and expressionistic elements. Because it is a parable and paradoxical, there are many interpretations – in other words, we’re on our own with this one. An entomologist (Niki) is walking in a stark desert-scape. Everything is shot in black and white. There are closeups of bugs and sand. In one shot, a grain of sand takes up the whole screen. Sand is moving and pouring, it’s a living entity, an organism. The sun is a powerful presence. The man sits in a boat that appears skeletal in the sand. At one point, he says, â€Å"All this paperwork to reassure each other.† Right away, we’re introduced to the alienation theme. Society is ordered by numbers and paperwork, it crushes us with efficiency, dehumanizes us. In nature, he realizes society’s deficiencies. This world we all know through personal experience, or by reading Kafka. The bureaucracy, which seems so rational, is brutal in its machine-like efficiency. Two decades later, George Lucas’ Star Wars would refer to this bureaucracy as the Empire. Where does one turn? Where is meaning, where is freedom? Nature, community, love? These are possibilities in the film, but each one has its dangers. Yet, to bring up a contradiction, the protagonist doesn’t mind this world of rationality and efficiency when he is in control. Most likely, he has no problem with his job when he’s back home and not a prisoner but a well-paid worker in the bureaucracy. The last bus has left, so he has to seek shelter in the village. A person in a str... ...tion that is about the art of writing fiction. In Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities Polo describes a host of cities to the Great Khan. But there are TV antennas and airplanes here and there. How can this be? The artist, rather than giving you a transparent view, shows you his creativity, as well as the indivisibility of time. Of modernism, the existential dilemma stands out most sharply. Of postmodernisn, the dispersal of responsibility stands out most sharply. What’s so significant is that the film appears during the early years of postmodernism -- when it was figuring itself out. Works Cited Desser, David. Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988. McDonald, Keiko I. Cinema East: A Critical Study of Major Japanese Films. Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 1983.