Components of Science Planning Essay

There are five essential components of scientific inquiry teaching that introduce students to many important aspects of science while helping them to develop a clearer and deeper knowledge of some particular science concept and/or process. Research has demonstrated that student involvement in the inquiry process provides a much needed connection and ownership of scientific investigations that will lead to a deeper conceptual knowledge about the content. Inquiry can be labeled as â€Å"partial† or â€Å"full† and refers to the proportion of a sequence of learning experiences that is inquiry-based. For example, when a textbook doesn’t engage students with a question, but begins with an experiment, an essential element of inquiry is missing and the inquiry is said to be partial. Also, inquiry is partial if a teacher chooses to demonstrate how something works rather than have the students explore it on their own and develop questions and explanations. What is important is that at least some of the components of inquiry are present within classroom hands-on experiences and hands-on does not necessarily guarantee inquiry. If all five elements of classroom inquiry are present, the inquiry is said to be full, however each component may vary depending on amount of structure a teacher builds into an activity or the extent to which students initiate and design an investigation. How does a teacher decide how much guidance to provide in an inquiry-based activity? The key element is in the intended outcomes. Whether the teacher wants the students to learn a particular concept, acquire certain inquiry abilities, or develop understandings about scientific inquiry influences the nature of the inquiry. In some instances partial inquiry may be more appropriate than a full inquiry-based experience. Teachers need to make meaningful decisions about how to best deliver the curriculum. The Five Essential Components to Inquiry 1. Learners are engaged by scientifically oriented questions. Scientists may pose two types of questions. They may propose â€Å"why† questions such as â€Å"Why do objects fall toward the Earth?† or â€Å"Why do humans have chambered hearts?† Many of these types of questions can’t be addressed by science. Then there are the â€Å"how† questions such as â€Å"How does sunlight help plant grow?† or â€Å"How are crystals formed?† which can. Students may ask â€Å"why† questions that can be turned into â€Å"how† questions and thus lend themselves to scientific inquiry. The initial question can originate from the learner or the teacher. Purposeful questions can be answered by students’ observations and scientific knowledge they obtain from reliable sources. Skillful teachers help students focus their questions so that they can experience both interesting and productive investigations. Teachers can provide opportunities that invite student questions by demonstrating a phenomenon or having them engage in an open investigation. Sometimes, questions will develop from students’ observations. Other times, the teacher provides the question. Either way, questions must be able to be investigated in a classroom setting. Teachers will likely have to modify student questions into ones that can be answered by students with the resources available, while being mindful of the curriculum. 2. Learners give priority to evidence, allowing them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically-oriented questions. Science uses empirical evidence as the basis for explanations about how the natural world works. Importance is placed on getting accurate data and from observations. To make observations, scientists take measurements in natural settings, or in laboratories. The accuracy of the evidence collected is verified by checking measurements, repeating the observations, or gathering different kinds of data related to the same phenomenon. Evidence collected is then subject to questioning and further investigations. Within the classroom setting, students should follow similar guidelines during their laboratory experiences. 3. Learners formulate explanations form evidence to address scientifically oriented questions. Scientific explanations should be based on reason. They provide causes for effects and establish relationships based on evidence and logical argument and must be consistent with the observations and evidence collected. Explanations are ways to learn what is unfamiliar by relating what is observed to what is already known. For science, this means building upon the existing knowledge base. For students, this means building new ideas upon their current prior knowledge and understandings. 4. Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding. Evaluation, and possible elimination or revision of explanations, is one feature that distinguishes scientific from other forms of inquiry and subsequent explanations. Examples of questions one may ask are: â€Å"Does the evidence support the proposed explanations?†, or â€Å"Can other reasonable explanations be derived for the evidence?† An essential component of this characteristic is ensuring that students make the connection between their results and scientific knowledge. 5. Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations. Scientists communicate their results in such a way that their results can be reproduced. This requires clear articulation of the question, procedures, evidence, proposed explanation, and review of alternative explanations. Having students share their explanations provides others the opportunity to ask questions, examine evidence, identify faulty reasoning, point out statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggest alternative explanations for the same observations. As a result of this communication, students can resolve contradictions and solidify an empirically based argument.

o what extent is Measure For Measure a conventional comedy?

Measure For Measure, to all intents and purposes, is not a comedy akin to Much Ado About Nothing or As You Like It. However, I believe it is still a comedy for the simple reason it does not have enough defining features of a tragedy – but most certainly heralds the end of Shakespeare’s comedic run. Traditional Shakespearean comedy includes aspects such as marriage, dramatic irony and largely inconsequential acts by the ‘villain(s)’ of the play. In Measure For Measure we see all three. Marriage is both a resolution and a punishment in this play. Claudio and Juliet are to be wed by the end of the play, finally able to continue their relationship – this is a classic happily ever after sort of ending that the audience were hoping for if not expecting. However, this is the only marriage we as the audience are certain is due to love. The other two, possibly three, are the results of the Duke’s doing – Angelo is to marry his jilted lover and Lucio is to marry a whore. The Duke himself asks for Isabel’s hand in marriage but it is an unresolved aspect of the play. Nevertheless, these are still marriages so do meet my expectations. There is heavy use of wit in this play, the Duke and Lucio often are the source though there are other gibes, for instance Escalus remarking that Pompey in a ‘beastly’ way is Pompey the Great. This pokes fun at the Roman Republic political and military leader Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus – a small yet very witty, very select joke. Deception and disguise are key elements in this play – The Duke’s concealment of himself via the persona of Friar Lodowick, Mariana fooling Angelo into thinking she is Isabel and the use of Ragozine’s head for Claudio’s. These rely on heavy coincidence for the most part which justifies them as comedic features – extending the disbelief. Interestingly, Ragozine is the only death of the play. His total insignificance however means that the audience has no emotional or moral attachment to him and thus he is forgotten somewhat quickly – he is more of a plot device than a character. Indeed, Ragozine’ head, not Ragozine himself is the key part of his involvement. This lack of meaningful death means that death and tragedy are not on the minds of the audience. This also links in with forgiveness – the other pirate, Barnadine, is pardoned by a reinstated Duke regardless of his prior actions and Isabel effectively forgives Angelo, for the sake of helping Mariana yet still forgiveness nonetheless. There are also no reprimands for Escalus for the way he spoke to the Duke under disguise as Friar Lodowick – mainly because Escalus is not a main character. However, the Duke does not forgive Lucio – though his predicament is a humourous one so does not require the soft touch of reconciliation. As touched upon above, the punishments at the end are somewhat unorthodox and fairly incongruous – marriage as a punishment is both an amusing commentary by Shakespeare and soft. For instance, Lucio at first is told that he is set to die, then the tension is released when it is revealed he will not and will instead be married (released tension for the audience at least). During the final scene, all is unravelled and Claudio is reunited with Isabel – this reunification of family is a key feature of Shakespeare’s comedy, seen before in Twelth Night most famously. As mentioned above, Pompey provides humour for the audience and is the fool of the play. Though he is not the only fool. There is Elbow as well and even Lucio to an extent is a fool. In accordance with this, Measure For Measure has the largest portion of fools in its character list of any comedy – perhaps this is balance out the darkness that hangs over most of the play. Regardless, they are still fools and fools are allies of comedy. Lucio as a fool is a brilliant case as almost every scene he is involved with after the inital visit to Angelo is between him and the Duke disguised as the Friar. There is a huge amount of dramatic irony wherein Lucio slanders the Duke unknowingly to the Duke – the audience knows what a terrible mistake he’s making that it’s such delicious irony but the things he says are extremely slanderous, making it all the more amusing for the audience knowing that eventually Lucio will get his comeuppance. Dramatic irony is a classic expectation I'd have of comedy. However, it is understandable why Measure For Measure causes such debate. It was definitely not the same exact genre as Comedy Of Errors with its farcical and outrageous tone. Measure For Measure is an extremely dark play. Its main themes are vice, power and judgement – these are not easily identified as comedic features. There is also no safe place like other comedies have – the entire city of Vienna is under the rule of Angelo and none can hide from him. In this play there is no change in where the characters are like in A Midsummer Night's Dream where they flee the city and enter a wood. Interestingly Angelo wrestles with his conscience through a series of soliliquies, which are supposedly more resemblant of a tragedy. Hamlet has one of the most famous Shakespeare soliloquies – but I'd argue that Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing has soliliquies and Much Ado is a far brighter play. In conclusion, Measure For Measure should be described as a tragicomedy, as it is not definitively either comedy or tragedy. But in terms of comedy or tragedy alone, it is more a comedy than a tragedy and meets my expectations of such far more due to the more numerous comedic features listed above.

The Universal Credit Program: Project Management

Management This report is addressed to the Universal Credit Project Board. Number of words: 1582 Executive Summary The Universal Credit Programme has failed in many eyes because of a lack of good project management. I researched the reasons of the lack of good project management and come to some good conclusions on the following subjects: 1. Project Initiation The programme was underestimated and the goals where to optimistic, the effects of the project initiation are clearly linked back of the complications which appeared later on the project.For example the project has changed project manager 5 times because of a lack of transparency. The lack of transparency can be linked back to setting to many goals in the project initiation. The project should have research the details better on making an IT programme this big. 2. Project organisation and structure The programme has been approached with an agile method, a lot like scrum-method. The biggest mistake that was made is the lack of u se of an agile project framework. It is logical that a programme from this size always includes Waterfall project management'.But in the Universal Credit programme the waterfall-managing ethod was counterworking the agile approach that was used. The project also lacks of a good stakeholders communication department, the communication with the stakeholders has been a big problem with the Universal Credit programme. More details about these conclusions can be found in the rest of the report. Introduction to the report For the course Project Management (344SAM) I am asked to write an report addressed to the Universal Credit Project Board. This is regarding the bad publicity the project has gotten lately from the press.The case study consists of an article form Brian Wernham where he claims that the Universal Credit Program has suffered from bad Project Management and a â€Å"lack of transparency'. In my research I will only use the information available till 5 September 2013, because this is the date when the report was published. In my research I will be focussing on the following 2 subjects: 1. Project initiation Brief background on project For this project I will be do research on the project management of the Universal Credit Programme.This program is developed to make a single monthly payment instead of all sorts separately benefits and tax credit top-ups payments. This rogram includes a ‘subsidy to work, people will be encouraged to work this way. To establish this project there must be a solid and reliable IT system. A lot of calculations have to been made and a lot of external influences must be taken in account. I'm going to research: What where the project goals, scope, organisation, business case, constraints? Which organisation and structure has been used?At the end of the report I will write my conclusions and recommendations. Project Initiation When the project was initiated at the end of 2012, there was a lot criticism on the project. This w as mainly because of a lack of transparency; people didn't really know what the programme meant. 1 1(The Ethical Deficit of the Proposed Universal Credit, Harley Dean, 2012, The Political Quarterly, Vol. 83, No. 2) The project initiation can be divided in 5 segments, which I will describe separately.Project Goals They are a lot of project goals for the universal credits programme: Good outcomes for claimants, Improved health (mental health especially), Increase the overall level of competencies and qualifications. Get more people from welfare into work. Reduce the amount of people getting homeless. And there are a lot of smaller goals stated in the report. They want to aim to process 95% of new housing benefits within 1 5 days. Also all the claims will merely be online processed. 3 Scope Entrepreneurial Council Board, Corporate Strategy and Governance Board.Project Organisation The project organisation consists of: 1 . Project Manager 2. Administrative employee 3. Trainee's for staf f 4. Online development 5. Communications and marketing 6. WMT The Entrepreneurial Council Board and WMT monitor the project. Business case There is no business case in the Project initiation document (PID). Constraints The PID says: â€Å"The current financial constraint being placed on the Council means we need to be creative about how we continue to deliver our services† 2 The budget and the quality are fixed. l will discuss this part in part 2. ) 2 (Project Initiation document. rtf, Alan Robinson, 2012, https:// knowledgenub. local. gov. uk/) 3 (Project Initation document (PID), Ali Ghanimi (project manager), John Magness (Project sponsor), August 2012, https://knowledgehub. local. gov. uk/) Criticism on the project initiation I will criticise all the parts of the project initiation separately. The project has a lot of goals and sub-goals. This (as seen in the future) will lead to a lack of transparency because there can't be send out one universal project goal.Also becau se of this high amount of goals there will be a lack of focus within the own organisation and even at the project manager. Project organisation The project organisation is monitored by the WMT itself; it could be useful to have influences from external parties. Also as seen in the future the complexity of the IT- part of this program is underestimated in this report. There should be more focus on how this IT-part is going to be set up and what kind of recourses are needed to chieve this. There is stated that no detailed business case is required.As shown in the future it would have been useful if they have done this part more detailed. The report would have set more directions for the programme as a whole. The price and quality are going to be fixed, getting the price fixed for an programme this size will require a lot of research in advance of the programme starting. This will take a lot of time and money and will exceed the 100million maximum development money that was agreed of i n 2012 by the council office. 4 The universal credit has spent over 425 million pound on the development ofUniversal Credit, this could have been prevented by focussing more on the use of project management frameworks and a detailed business case which is supported with reliable research. 1 1 (Universal Credit, Incremental IT, Brian Wernham,2013, Course work briefing 344SAM, moodie) project INITIATION DOCUMENT (Pid) Project organisation and structure As seen in the previous part the project used ‘an agile development approach'. The costs and quality were fixed in advance. This is to ensure that the final product is really going to work.The development method, scrum, has been used, this is a flexible way of developing a roduct. The scrum was used without the use of a project management framework such as the Dynamic Systems Development. The programming was done by the scrum-like approach but as seen in section one of this report; this project has a lot of ‘big picture goal s'; these goals fixed and are mainly in the Waterfall' world. The board wanted a big up front design, which is crossing the scrum-like programming approach which is changing it's goals and methods in an much higher speed.This big picture is counterworking the programmers. Below a illustration how the water-scrum-fall model works. In the Universal Credit System the ‘scrum' didn't have a change to be agile, once they went in a direction it was impossible to â€Å"swim back†. 2 1 (Water-scrum-fall model, Cristian Mesaros, Marketing Manager ,2013, www. iquestgroup. com/en/iquest-news/water-scrum-fall-model-life-sciences') 2 (Universal Credit, Incremental IT, Brian Wernham,2013, Course work briefing 344SAM, moodle) The Overall governance structure is shown in the image below.It must be said that the project manager has been replaced 5 times in over a year of this programme running, how is this possible? The lack of transparency from day 1 has resulted in nclear targets. The project has been monitored by the WMT, this monitoring should have been more in collaborating with the lower-level mangers who where working with a way more flexible approach. Also is there a lack of a good stakeholders communication department, the communication with the stakeholders has been very bad and should have gotten more attention. (Preparing for Universal credit, London Borough of Lewisham local authority led pilot, August 2012, https://knowledgenub. local. gov. uk/) Conclusions The Universal Credit System is a project that has cost 4 times what was counted on. How is this possible and where can we put the blame? I'm going to give my conclusions on this research in 2 departments: Project Initiation The project had too much goals, which has lead to haziness for the overall The project has a lot of goals and sub-goals. This (as seen in the future) will lead to a lack of transparency because there cant be send out one universal project goal.Also money that was agreed of in 20 12 by the council office. Project organisation and structure The project has changed 5 times of project manager because of a lack of transparency, intern and extern. Credit programme. I think the board underestimated he complexity ot this programme; overall the Universal Credit programme should have used project management a lot more. Recommendations Below a list of recommendations I make on what could have done better on the Universal Credit programme: Divide the programme in separate parts, with separate goals.

Overview Of E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Overview Of E-commerce - Essay Example Many giant businesses are using e-marketing for quite sometimes now and many have been programmed with other automated businesses since 1990s. For example, at GE’s Aircraft division, the customer could order an aircraft part, get invoice and initiate delivery all within 45 minutes. However, such sophisticated systems require dedicated communication lines and expensive hardware. These costs have been cut to a great extent with the invention of internet. Generally, B2B exchanges can be sub-divided into three main categories. Consortia are primarily a collaboration of vendors dealing with a particular industry e.g. the consortium of Global Food Exchange. Private Marketplaces on the other hand are run by a single organization and is aided by its key suppliers. Wallmart and Dell are examples of Private Marketplace. ... , industry consortium is typically a Vertical market owned by the industry which allows buyers to procure services and goods from restricted participants. The aim of the industry consortium is to generate steady association with the industry with a view to establish a long term affiliation through contractual procurement. These industry consortium tend to bring together all the supply chains within the industry which in-turn bringing the profits back to the industry. The industry consortia provides a number of facilities e.g. systematic procurement process, auctions, pricing and RFQs mechanisms for profitability of the industry. Q 72 What is channel conflict? Give an example of how channel conflict can be avoided or lessened. Ans Channel conflict is a term used to describe the expulsion of channel partners e.g. suppliers or distributors from supply chain by a company to reach out for the customer directly. This may be achieved through the use of internet via e-commerce or through gen eral marketing. E-commerce provides a simple and economic solution for the businesses to directly contact their consumers and sell their brands without intermediaries. However, this simple solution also brings with it a great challenge. The customers can also interact with one another through internet and exchange ideas regarding product quality and price. This scenario forces the companies to fix a competitive price of the product or service without compromising on the quality. Over production by a company can also result in channel conflict. Similarly, newer editions of the products in the market, trend changes and wholesalers insolvency also cause channel conflict. Therefore, the stock clearance strategy of a company is of utmost importance for avoidance of channel conflict. There are

Business analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business analysis - Research Paper Example The market prices for paper and other wood products have been fluctuating with the ever-changing supply. To be able to succeed under the stressful market conditions, Domtar Corporation has had to set its goals clearly and come up with strategies of achieving these goals. This paper discusses how the recent economic trends have influenced Domtar business, the strategies that Domtar management has used as well as those it can use to adapt to the changing market. Additionally, the paper will focus on the tactics that Domtar has implemented and others that it can implement to adjust to the changing market in addition to the role that the Domtar Corporation human resource department has played in enabling Domtar adapt. How Recent Economic Trends Are Influencing Domtar Business Like any other industry, the paper industry has also been gravely affected by the recent frequent economic crisis that has hit the global economy. One of the direct effects of the global economic crisis has been a c onsiderable decline in the price of Domtar shares. The economic crisis has affected the market prices of not just the paper but also the cost of obtaining machineries and fuels to run Domtar’s factories. Additionally, factor such as global warming that have become a great concern have affected Domtar due to its reliance on forest for raw materials. The need to sustain the environment has led to limitation on the tree harvesting making the raw material expensive and less available. Additionally, forest products tend to be seasonal which might not coincidence with high market prices. What is more, forest products, inclusive of the paper and pulp are global and tend to be affected by fluctuations in the value of United States dollar. Over the last few years, the dollar has been depreciating greatly which has negatively affected the Domtar earnings. The fluctuations have affected even the prices of raw materials hence affecting Domtar’s operating margins negatively. Anothe r factor that has changed in the paper market is the decline in the demand for paper products as well as pulp (Domtar, 2011; Clancy, 2004). Other factors have affected the Domtar market for its products include, poor conditions in the credit market in its core operational area which are Canada and U.S. Likewise, the frequent windstorm and hurricanes slow down the shipment of Domtar paper and other products. Additionally, there have been increased taxes particularly in United States, which is also one of the major markets of Domtar. The increased taxes have negatively affected the Domtar income earnings. The increasing costs of fuels such as petroleum and coal have increased the transport costs. Additionally, Domtar is frequently affected by the ever-changing currency exchanges, especially those involving the Canadian Dollar and the U.S. dollar (Domtar, 2011). Strategies That Domtar Has Used to Adapt to Changing Market Over the last two decades, more paper companies have started comp eting with Domtar for market in the North America where it had previously enjoyed little competition. To curb competition, Domtar mainly relies on producing highly specialized, quality, and customized products that enables it to thrive in the competitive market. Additionally, Domtar relies on its wide market as compared to other paper companies. Domtar’s paper products are competitively priced. Additionally, they keep analyzing the changing market requirements that characterize the paper industry through their website. After

African American Study Terms Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

African American Study Terms - Assignment Example The miseducation of the Negro is a book that was authored by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The core idea of the book was that African Americans of Dr. Woodson’s era were not being taught in American schools but were being conditioned and indoctrinated. He claimed that this caused them to become dependent and not seek greater things for themselves Authenticity Black Studies Black studies are an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to the study of the history, politics, and culture of Black Americans. If taken in a broader context, it also studies the culture of the entire African diaspora. Sankofa/Recovery Sankofa is a word in the Akan language which is common in Ghana. It translates as â€Å"reach back and take it†. It is represented either by a bird with its head turned back or in the shape of a stylized heart. It's often associated with the saying that it’s not wrong to go back and reclaim what you have forgotten. Erasure Erasure is a novel by Percival Everett about race and writing. The novel’s plot is about how the publishing industry is biased towards African- American writers and at times criticizes them for not writing ‘black enough’.

The study of evidence of Degenerative Joint Disease in Essay

The study of evidence of Degenerative Joint Disease in archaeologically-retrieved human skeletons can reveal much about the nature of earlier societies. Discuss - Essay Example of activities the society held important, but again, this does not necessarily reflect the daily activities of the people, tending to focus instead upon ceremonial events. Perhaps a greater clue as to the daily activities, social structures and other lifestyle features of earlier populations can be found within the bones of the people themselves. By studying archaeologically-retrieved human skeletons for evidence of degenerative joint disease, much can be determined about the common activities of the people under investigation. Degenerative joint disease is also known as osteoarthritis, DJD or osteoarthrosis. It is a form of arthritis that is characterized by a degeneration, or breaking down, of the cartilage in the joints. In conjunction with this break down, there is usually an accompanying overgrowth of bone, a narrowing of the joint space, a hardening of the bone within the joint surfaces and a creeping deformity in the joints themselves (Burnett, 2005). While the disease can strike in several places, most commonly in the hands, fingers, knees, hips and spine, the cartilage of the joints breaks down faster when the joint is in more constant use. â€Å"Over many years and with activity and use of a joint, the cartilage may become frayed, injured, torn and may even wear away entirely. When this occurs, the bone surface on one side of the joint tends to rub or glide against the bone on the opposite side of the joint, providing a less elastic joint surface, and generating higher contact pressures at the e nd of the bone† (Burnett, 2005). With these kinds of major changes happening in the joints during the individual’s lifetime, it is easily understood that the disease would leave recognizable and permanent features upon the skeletons. Because this form of arthritis is the most common bone disease experienced by human beings and it can reach highly severe levels, restricting or removing activities from daily life, the presence of disease in ancient

Homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homework - Assignment Example 4. What are some reasons you will use to prove your thesis? How will they be proven? will you compare contrast, look at cause/effect, evaluate the worth, define something in a new way, etc? (you can create an informal list here) 1) Web 2.0 promotes interaction and this process leads to student content creation and sharing. Sharing of quality ideas can lead to greater learning. This can be proven through studies that provide evidence for this relationship. 3) Web 2.0 supports critical and reflective participation as long as structured guidelines are provided and instructors place high value on critical thinking and use of scholarly references to support claims and ideas. This can be proven through studies that provide evidence for this relationship. In the first essay, we only worked with Lanier and Keen, but in your second essay youll be required to utilize the sources youve found for your annotated bibliography. Now that you have multiple viewpoints on your topic, its important to cover the issues of fairness and objectivity when working with outside sources.   *Fairness: I expect all of you to represent each authors point of view accurately and fairly--this means not changing the context in which ones words were said or changing the meaning. There should be no unfair distortions. *Objectivity: When you argue for your thesis, youre out to prove your point. However, this doesnt mean that you need to attack every viewpoint you disagree with. Each body paragraph that contains a source, whether or not you disagree with the source, should be represented objectively. This means introduce all sources in the same manner, then when you engage with the source in your analysis, you can obviously not only express your opinion but also prove it.   If we want to convince others to believe in our claims, we should respond to the strongest arguments of our opponents. In addition, objectivity is important because we

Why be moral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Why be moral - Essay Example It does need to be noted that Nietzsche refers to the common masses as ‘herd’. They are a herd in the sense that they rather chose to live according to collective instincts, instead of living their life in accordance with a questioning and doubting intellect. Hence, the herd morality, which is so dear to the masses, encourages people to deny individuality and diversity, in favor of a forced notion of equality supported by a misunderstood concept of democracy. Nietzsche criticizes this herd morality because it tends to value such things and ethics, which actually have no value, just because the majority happens to uphold them. As per Nietzsche, this herd morality forces a social, moral and ethical conformity, instead of nurturing human individuality and human greatness. A realistic and viable sense of morality requires an individual to be willing to suffer, to reject the comfort and security provided by the herd membership, in favor of a painful and questioning conscience. However, instead of embracing the loneliness and insecurity accompanying a questioning intellect, the people in the contemporary Europe opt for a false sense of ‘well being’ that comes with being a member of a herd. This turns people into cowards, who chose to be submissive and meek, instead of choosing to be brave by welcoming all the self-doubt and self-criticism that comes when one approaches ethical issues from a fresh perspective. As per Nietzsche, thi s herd mentality is very clever in the sense that it subjugates the instincts and emotions of the masses in return for a cheap sense of stability and collectiveness. It plays on the fears of the people to prevent them for attaining their higher self. According to Nietzsche, this herd morality is indeed inferior to a higher morality that allows the humans to achieve their full potential and growth. This higher morality is not

Critically evaluate the impact of social media on the business world Essay - 1

Critically evaluate the impact of social media on the business world and our life - Essay Example This has made social media have a great impact on the business world and our individual life. Within the corporate world, social media is gaining popularity where it is being used in regular operations of many companies; this is mainly because it provides a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the world of the mouth, where people are connected on a global scale. Corporate messages on social media channels to reach new customers are conveyed, this is done through broadcast of positive feedback regarding the corporate message and its products. With this message, social media ensure that customers are retained hence building a positive customer loyalty. Additionally, dissatisfied customers are also reached directly within their own social media environment where the company embarks on finding better and more innovative ways of improving the product or service that they offer in the market outside (Bakardjieva and Gaden, 2011). Social media are relatively low-cost channels, which a company can use to market and advertise its products to millions of consumers. A good example is using Facebook a company just need to create a page within it where people shall need to like the page and have information which the company intends them to get in their computers, tablets or even phone. This has seen companies have million likes, which means more people are embracing this platform making the company enjoy cheap advertising platform. Social media also acts as a customer relation management too, mainly for companies which are selling products and services. Brand networking has become a way to capitalize on social trends, which is also a rich marketing tool. A company can maximize its return on marketing dollars by reaching out to potential customers via social media than making reliance on the high cost televised advertisement. Social media also allows a company to listen to a competitor message. Alternatively, this makes the listening company have strategies and

Group and Team Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group and Team Behavior - Essay Example Being the largest employer of the United States with almost 1.4 million workforces together with 600,000 worldwide, Wal-Mart plays an exemplary role as a high performance organization, comprising self directed teams (Thomson, 2009). The benefits that such teams bring to the organization are manifold. Workers get themselves involved in duties like scheduling work activities, ordering materials, collaborating with cross functional teams, like IBM, to introduce product innovations and making assessments. It enables employees to feel challenged as they develop a strong sense of identity with the organization. Minimum supervision is provided, therefore members are jointly held accountable for any conflict situation (Daft, 2007, p.298). Better training of cashiers and monitoring the utilization process help to increase productivity rates up to 10-12% (Johnson & Bradford, 2002). In order to support and encourage these teams, Wal-Mart has been able to create a sound corporate culture. In its organizational strategy, employees start to receive training from the orientation day following weekly meetings. Managers’ performance in the organization is assessed on the basis of their ability to comprehend culture. Those employees who show a firm dedication to the company are rewarded (Hart, 2006, p.389-390). Wal-Mart has devised a system that deals with creating promotion opportunities. Without yielding any gender discrimination, the organization has developed a formal mentoring program that encourages minorities and women who wish to seek managerial positions (Hart, 2006, p.389). In the year 2003, an Office of Diversity was established, by Wal-Mart, to provide diversity training to all managerial levels of workforce. Company officers were held accountable to ensure individuals are meeting set goals with the penalty that the company bonuses might be

Symbol of Shame Essay Example for Free

Symbol of Shame Essay Symbolism in literature is the hidden meaning in a piece of work. It is used to represent moral and/ or religious values and beliefs. As time goes on in the world, society and what makes up society changes. In today’s sense, pride is based on the individualism that one has developed. The diversity in today’s society allows for many different beliefs and social concepts. Looking back to the early years when Puritanism was an ongoing religion with many followers, tradition along with strict biblical standards were everything; but now many things have changed. The reality of change is seen in the book, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorn whereby as society changes so to does the perception of all symbolism. The metaphorical meaning of the scarlet letter changes from this symbol of shame to a powerful symbol of identity to Hester; the transformation shows the changes Hester experiences in her life. These changes bring Hester power, power to stand for who she is, power to overcome the humiliation and pain. She then finds herself able, able of becoming herself, to become a representation of an individual with a strong sense of self-empowerment. The symbolism behind the scarlet letter changes throughout the novel. Initially the letter symbolizes the sin of adultery, the crime, the punishment, the humiliation that Hester has to endure because of the strict beliefs of the puritan society. This uncivil punishment causes Hester this â€Å"dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon the token; the spot never grew callous; it seemed, on the contrary, to grow more sensitive with daily torture. (Hawthorne, 74) At the beginning of the novel the A causes Hester much â€Å"dreadful agony† and â€Å"torture. It causes her torture to live with this permanent mark of sin on her. The A is the symbol of her pure â€Å"agony† and suffering. A change of heart comes; Hester alters its meaning through the hard work she does in the town. Society begins to recognize that the scarlet letter has now begun to represent not sin, but holiness and righteousness instead of the unforgiving sin and â€Å"dreadful agony. † Some people now began to think that the letter stands for Able since Hester is such an able, individualistic and, powerful woman. This change in the A is caused by the perception that people have: this change enables Hester to stand up for herself to be an â€Å"Able† woman. It has the effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom. It imparted to the wearer a kind of sacredness, which enabled her to walk securely amid all peril, had she fallen among thieves, it would have kept her safe (135). The A is now a representation for sacredness and holiness. For Hawthorne to go from saying that the letter represents sin to representing holiness is a large step but is capable because of the strength and individual power Hester has gained thought the novel. For Hester the letter was meant for punishment but brought Hester sacredness, it brought Hester power, redemption and glory. The puritan society in the book Scarlet Letter is portrayed as a place of unchanging tradition and strict rules based upon religion. Those who went against society were punished strictly and looked down upon by the towns’ people. As time went on, those strict punishments turned into a source of identity to those who committed these cases of sin. The changes over taking the society are changing the metaphorical meaning of the scarlet letter, the â€Å"letter [first] was a representation of stigma in which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, [but then] became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (206). The transformation of the scarlet letter from this â€Å"scornfulness and bitterness† to this sense of something to be sorrowed over something, to awe over, shows the metaphorical transformation of Hester. From at first Hester being this representation of sin and Hester seeing the letter as a symbol of unjust humiliation; to where Hester takes control of her own identity, and in doing so becomes an example for others to follow by. She is not the example of sin that was once set upon her, but now an example of redemption and self-empowerment. The power of individualism allowed for Hester to become her own representation of self- power and control. The transformation of the scarlet letter from this repulsion of sin to this case of respect metaphorically represents Hester’s own changes from her embarrassment and anger to her sense of redemption. The scarlet letter has a metaphorical representation of Hester’s actual self. The reality of change is seen in the book whereby as society changes so to does the perception of all symbolism. These changes allow for Hester to become herself, it enables Hester to have this sense of pride instead of embarrassment and agony. The metaphorical meaning of the scarlet letter changes from this symbol of shame to a powerful symbol of identity to Hester; the transformation shows the changes Hester experiences in her life. Along with time comes change, not always in a good sense but it’s what one makes of the situation to where it becomes good or bad. Hester first is in agony and feels as if she is getting tortured, but then becomes determined; she finds that in order to get free of this pain she must become powerful. She is not the example of sin that once caused her pain, but now she is an example of redemption and self-empowerment. You can always find something good in life no matter the situation, you just have to make change, look at the positive and turn anything negative into redemption. Look past at what you’ve done and strive yourself to become better.

The introduction of the Tesco Supermarket

The introduction of the Tesco Supermarket Tesco started as a one-man business in Londons East End. Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen, son of a Polish Jewish tailor. He sold groceries in the markets of the East End from 1919. The Tesco brand first appeared in 1924. The name derived after Jack Cohen bought a large shipment of tea from T.E. Stockwell (formerly Messrs Torring and Stockwell of Mincing Lane), he made new labels by using the first three letters of the suppliers name and the first two letters of his surname forming the word TESCO. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, and London. The firm was floated on the London Stock Exchange on 23 December 1947. The first Tesco self-service store opened in 1948 in St Albans and is still trading in 2006 as a Tesco Metro store.The first Tesco supermarket was opened in 1956 in a converted cinema in Maldon, Essex. Tescos first superstore was opened in 1968 in Crawley, West Sussex. The group began selling petrol in 1974 and its annual turnover reached one billion pounds in 1979. Also In 1975 Tesco opened one of its first Hypermarkets in Irlam. The first Hypermarket under the Extra name opened in 1997. EXPANSION: In 1994, the company took over the Scottish supermarket chain William Low. Tesco successfully fought off Sainsburys for control of the Dundee-based firm, which operated 57 stores north of the border, paving the way for Tesco to expand its weak presence in Scotland. To the present day, Tesco has based its Scottish headquarters at the former Wm. Low offices in Dundee. From small beginnings in Scotland Inverness was recently branded as Tescotown, since an estimated 50p in every  £1 spent on food is believed to be spent in the three Tesco stores within the city. (Nationally, it is estimated that 1 in every  £8 is the proportion spent) It introduced a loyalty card branded Clubcard in 1995 and later an Internet shopping service. During the 1990s it expanded into Central Europe, Ireland and East Asia. In July 2001 it became involved in internet grocery retailing in the USA when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks. In October 2003 it launched a UK telecoms division, comprising of mobile and home phone services, to complement its existing internet service provider business. In August 2004, it also launched a broadband service. NATURE, SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT NATURE: Tesco opened its first store in Edgware, North London in 1929.It is founded by John Cohen and T. E. Stockwell. Tesco mainly used strategies to build customer loyalty. It reached the  £billion pound turnover in 1979.It became the first UK business to reach  £2 billion pound and became the largest retailer in UK. STRATEGY: According to Johnson and Scholes strategy is defined as the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term; which achieves advantage for the organisation through it configuration of resources within a changing enviroment,to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Tescos growth over the last two or three decades has involved a transformation of its strategy and image. Its initial success was based on the Pile it high, sell it cheap approach of the founder Jack Cohen. The disadvantage of this was that the stores had a poor image with middle-class customers. In the late 1970s Tescos brand image was so negative that consultants advised the company to change the name of its stores. It did not accept this advice, yet by early 2005 it was the largest retailer in the United Kingdom, with a 29.0% share of the grocery market according to retail analysts TNS Super Panel, compared to the 16.8% share of ASDA and 15.6% share of third-placed SainsburyHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SainsburysHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsburyss, which had been the market leader until it was overtaken by Tesco in 1995. Key to success: Focus on customers. Focus heavily on value for money. Finest and low price. Core UK business. Non-food business. Retailing services. International Expansion. SCOPE According to Mintzberg and Quinn there are five definitions if strategy Strategy as a plan Strategy as a pattern Strategy as a position Strategy as a perspective Strategy as a ploy Tescos growth over the last two or three decades has involved a transformation of its strategy and image. Its initial success was based on the Pile it high, sell it cheap approach of the founder Jack Cohen. Levels of planning Planning of strategy in any organisation is categorised into three levels: Top level planning: this is done by the top management and is termed as strategic planning. It is a long range planning and is linked to long range goals. Second level planning: This is carried out by senior executives and is termed as tactical planning. The plans are devised to achieve the organisations main objectives. The long-range plans of the organisation are segmented and are oriented to functions and departments. Third level planning: This is the concern of the departmental managers and supervisors and is called activity planning or operational planning. It is confined to short term activities and also individual assignments and establishes performance of the organisation. Corporate strategy: It is concerned with the overall purpose and scope of the business to meet stake holder expectations. It is often expressed as mission statement of the organisation. The companys mission statement reads, Our core purpose is, To create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty. We deliver this through our values, No-one tries harder for customers, and Treat people how we like to be treated'. The underlying aim is of course to make higher profits, but there is a clear focus on customer service at the top level of the company. Business strategy: It is concerned with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. Tescos business strategy is to Expand overseas Maintain a strong uk business Expand into non-food merchandise Operational strategy: It is concerned with the operations to deliver the corporate and business strategy of the organisation. Tesco has its every little helps strategy to make both its employees and customers happy while achieving the organisational goals. PURPOSE Tesco adopts its strategy with a core purpose to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty. This is expressed as two key values. No one tries harder for customers Treat people as we like to be treated. Tesco positions all its resources with a purpose to satisfy this strategy while achieving its organisational goals. PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT While the corporate strategy of an organisation sets the objectives for different businesses; business strategy deals with individual sections of the overall business and the operational strategy directs and determines each function of the organisation. The process of business strategy of Tesco can be outlined as: Stating and understanding The Companys vision. Stating and understanding The Companys mission. Analysing the business environment. Crafting and evaluation of strategy. Implementation, monitoring and control. VISION Tescos vision can be clearly understood in the statement of its CEO Terry Leahy we have got only 5% of the non-food market in Britain, we have got only 6% of the convenience market and we have got only 2-3% of the banking market In all these examples we could be much bigger. This statement clearly presents the idea where Tesco wants to be in the future. MISSION A mission statement spells out the central purpose and shared values of a business organisation. Mission of Tesco is To create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty which is delivered through two key values no one tries harder for customers and treat people how they like to be treated. ANALYSIS OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT For the formulation of strategy, it is necessary to analyse the organisational environment. These would include political, economic, social and technological factors. According to Johnson and Scholes: Managers face difficulties in trying to understand the environment. First, the environment encapsulates many different influences; the difficulty is making sense of this diversity in a way which can contribute to strategic decision making. A simple analysis of the business environment so Tesco involves three aspects: Analysing Internal capabilities and resources(core competencies) Analysing external environment by PEST Analysis Analysing the competitive environment by Porters five forces Core Competencies Core competences relate to those resources and capabilities if the firm which enable to Attain a competitive edge in the market According to Johnson and Scholes core competencies create and sustain the ability to meet the critical success factors of particular customer groups better than other providers in ways that are difficult to imitate. Tesco identifies core competencies by three factors: Creation of new products and services which provides potential access to a wide variety of markets. Skill which makes a significant contribution to the perceived customer benefits of the end product. competitive unique skills which are difficult for competitors to imitate PEST ANALYSIS The external environment of an organisation is analysed by PEST analysis. It helps to identify the key changes that are taking place around the organisation and which influence it in the future. A PEST Analysis looks at Political Factors Economic factors Social factors Technological factors The following is the PEST Analysis for Tesco Political Factors Risks of potential competition commission enquiry GM- Food EU competition Law Economic Factors Intensive price competition between the large supermarkets Cost of products keep falling because of strengthening buying power Socio cultural factors Organic foods and drink Customer concerns about GM food, allergies and additives Animal welfare policies Environmental policies and practices Technological Factors Radio Frequency identity technology in operation of its supply chain Radio barcode technology for tagging cases. Self service check-out system. PORTERS FIVE FORCES Porters five forces are used to analyse the external environment of an organisation and to determine the attractiveness of the market. The five forces are: The bargaining power of customers The bargaining power of suppliers The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products The intensity of competitive rivalry Bargaining power of customers The buying power of customers may influence Tesco to force prices down. This may lead to competition where the other rivals may also bring down the prices. Tesco should maintain the customer loyalty to stop them from drifting to others. Bargaining power of suppliers Demand of suppliers to pay high prices for their goods. Recently, the agitation by the dairy farmers to get high price for milk is an example. But market giants like Tesco has an overwhelming advantage over their suppliers where they dictate the price they pay their suppliers. Threat of new entrants Supermarket chains like Tesco manage the threat of new entrants by imposing barriers to entry. This is achieved by paying high price to suppliers and buying large volumes of goods. This makes Tesco to supply goods at cheaper prices to its customers where it corners the new entrants. Tesco also has the advantage of economies of scale. Threat of substitute products Tesco faces the threat of cutting down the prices of groceries and goods by other giants like Asda and Sainsbury. This may lead to lowering of prices where the buyer gets an advantage. Intensity of competitive rivalry Retail industry is the one where the profit margins are low and the competition is high. According to classical economics, rivalry between companies should drive profits to zero. All the above mentioned factors impact the intensity of competition for Tesco. Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons and others with their expansion plans and strategies are making the competition tough. Their disciplined approach towards prices setting is preventing the destruction in profit war. Environmental evaluation of Tesco The environmental audit is reliant on the monitoring activity undertaken by the organisation. It includes Market intelligence Largest supermarket chain with a market capitalisation of  £26.037bn New strategies for mergers and expansion plans to US Effective and low prices Continuous monitoring and direct information on the sales figures in stores Efficient maintenance of customer loyalty. Technical intelligence RFID technology for supply chain management EPOs and Bar-coding technology Extension of RFID technology for tagging the cases through out the supply chain by 2007. Effective implementation of one in front policy at the tills to satisfy the customers. Acquisition intelligence Decision of receding from the bid to takeover Safeway. Expansion plans for US Other issues Convenience stores according to the needs of the people Decisions regarding the environmental issues Crafting a strategy By considering the above factors Tesco clearly crafted a strategy that keeps it in the leading position in all the aspects: The selected strategy of Tesco is To provide all the customers with excellent value and choice in UK business which is its biggest market and where Tesco enjoys top slot. Having a six element approach to be an international retailer while focusing on satisfaction of needs of the different local customers. KEY FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING STRATEGY The key factors for an organisation are those which exist within an environment and may generate a need for change. These are triggers for change in the organisation. The following is a brief description of the key factors which may lead to strategic change in Tesco. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Macro environmental analysis increases awareness of the relevant environmental changes at managerial level. This enhances strategic planning. Macro environmental analysis further focuses attention on the primary influences of strategic change and provides anticipation to opportunities and carefully develops responses to change. The following are the external environmental factors which pose challenges to Tesco High energy costs High recovery costs Improving position of competitors Risks of the potential competition commission enquiry Growing cautiousness among consumers STAKEHOLDERS Stakeholders can be defined as As those individual actors and parties, organisations and professions and institutions that have a bearing on the behaviour of the organisation as revealed in its policies and actions on the environment. Stakeholders can be divided into two categories; Those view the organisation externally Those have an internal interest External stakeholders for Tesco are competitiors, customers, suppliers, shareholders government departments etc.They judge the efficiency and try to influence its activities. So Tesco always determines the outputs required by the stakeholders. Internal stakeholders for Tesco are the owners, managers and employees. In large companies like Tesco there are thousands of shareholders who have a vested interest in the success of the business. MEDIA Media plays a very important role in an organisations strategy. It works in two ways; Interest in the success of the organisation and its subsequent positive feedback Interest in the proposed developments Tesco notifies well that the influence of effective public relations on the opinions of a wide range of groups will enhance the likelihood of success for its strategy. So it always maintains good relations with the media. Tescos media centre contain the latest news releases, images and briefing notes. Their latest TV ad campaign can also be viewed from their video library. The media people can also access to their media centre for easy access to the latest developments. LEGAL Organisations need to anticipate and prepare themselves for changes in legal procedures. The potential competition commission enquiry and other regulations are important legal factors which can influence retail sector now.Tesco has all the legal resources which enables it to respond to such changes well in advance and as a part of its developing strategy. ETHICAL These are the moral principles that should govern human relations and conduct. These are very important considerations in formulating strategy which involve subjective personal feelings about human behaviour. Tesco identifies as one of the key factors in its strategy and accepts this with enthusiasm and commitment. EDUCATIONAL In the present business scenario, the capacity to transmit knowledge through devices as the internet has become formidable. The most important and interesting aspect of the improvement in education and subsequent growth of knowledge has been the increasing professionalism of workforces in an organisation. Tesco understand this well and implements it in the improvement of skills of its human resources. It conducts training programmes a least two times a year. POLITICAL Political factors generally effect the organisation in two ways. One driven by the government pr by the multinational political initiatives and another concerned with the political shifts within the particular business environment. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS The following are the factors that are instrumental to the internal environment of Tesco. Organisational policy The mission statement of an organisation sets out the purpose of a business The mission statement of an organisation is refined over the time to reflect the developed or enhanced capabilities of the business .The following are the purpose statements for Tesco which gives a clear picture of its policy Scope of an organisations activities is a fundamental element of strategy. Tescos scope relates to the extent of the market into which it sells its products and services. It is already the largest retailer in UK and is planning to expand to US .It has already wide markets in Europe and Asia. A key consideration for a firm is to identify what areas of activity to pursue in its markets. Tesco targets customers of all ages with its products and services ranging from food, household products and retail to insurance and personal finance. An important aspect of strategy is for a company to identify the positions held by their products and services in the market place. Tesco has already built a very strong businesses over the time with very strong market positions. Each and every one of them has huge potential for further growth. Human resources Tesco is the largest private sector employer in UK. Tesco is the largest private sector employer in UK. It employs 250,000 staff alone in the UK and 367,000 staff worldwide. It has 2365 stores all over the world. Tesco employs about 11,000 employees every year. It recruits about 80 to 150 graduates each year to two training schemes one store and one office based. It recruits by in-store advertising, events in local areas. and recommendations From existing employees through an employee referral scheme. These employees are the need for effective communication in the field of management. Financial resources As per the statistics of 2006 Tesco is the fourth largest retailer in the world. Its market capitalisation was  £26.035 billion which was the largest of any retailer based outside the united states. Tesco also has got tremendous property portfolio. It does its own development and owns about 85 of all its assets around the world. And always Tesco invests a lot in its property. According to company authorities over the next five years its property value will be  £5 billion and still be a predominantly freehold property company. All these factors are described as the key factors for Tesco DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC OPTIONS Strategy whether developed for a whole organisation or for an operating department or a team follows the same building process .Its central concern is to create a long-term vision of where we want to be or what we would like to become .Strategy that an organisation adopts should be feasible and practicable. Its pulling power is extremely important to survive in the tough competitive environment where an organisation operates .The art of strategic development involves a set of sophisticated tools to facilitate the process. The following is a brief context of different strategic options for TESCO and their evaluation. PEST ANALYSIS To develop a strategy for an organisation to assure its long-term effectiveness it should carry an analysis about its future. For this PEST Analysis is the best tool. It carries analysis of four or six major factors which can effect the organisation in future .TESCO which is the largest player in retail sector carries PEST Analysis to analyse the external factors which may affect in the future .The following is the PEST Analysis for TESCO: Political and legal considerations Risks of potential commission enquiry TESCO may face the risk of the potential commission enquiry in future which aims to curb the unhealthy competition in the retail sector. GM-Food With increasing awareness in the consumers all over the world TESCO may face the risk with Green peace workers regarding the labelling of genetically modified foods. . EU Competition Law EU Competition Law constituted to regulate monopoly power may impact TESCO and its expansion in the European Union in the near future. Economic considerations Intensive price competition between the large supermarkets Cost of products keep falling because of strengthening buying power Social Factors Organic foods and drink Consumers growing concerns about the organic food and drinks may influence in near future Customer concerns about GM food, allergies and additives With growing cautiousness and discontent about the GM food and use of allergic causing agents and additives in the manufacture of food may show impact Animal welfare policies Animal welfare policies which oppose the testing of the products on animals Environmental policies and practices Green peace workers and changing concerns about environmental issues. Technological Factors Radio Frequency identity technology in operation of its supply chain Use of RFID technology in its supply chain helps TESCO to efficiently carry its operations and maintain its position. Radio barcode Technology for tagging cases. Use of Radio barcode Technology to tag the cases and extending this technique to the entire chain by the end of 2007 will show an impact on operations in TESCO. Self-service checkout system SWOT Analysis IT is a commonly used tool .Its main purpose is to locate the organisation in its operating environment and try to assess its internal and external capabilities and vulnerabilities. SWOT stand for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths are internal and opportunities are environmental. Similarly weaknesses are internal and threats are environmental. The following is the SWOT analysis for TESCO Strengths These are the strengths of TESCO TESCO s Brand name Loyal customers Largest player in the retail sector Well established supply chain Excellent ware housing capability Largest online grocer Great store locations Skilled work force Club card scheme for enhancing customer loyalty. Weaknesses These are the weaknesses of TESCO Vast usage of fossil fuel in transport chain and super market heating systems Lack of integration between departments at certain times Opportunities These are the opportunities where TESCO can explore in future Improving customer relationships Real growth opportunity for grocery retailing in the newly enlarged European Union. Increasing sales through better integration of high street and internet resources Threats These are the threats that might affect TESCO in the future. High energy costs Increasing taxes on retail items Expansion of low cost supermarkets like LIDL. Recovering competitions like Sainsburys and Morrisons. A weakening economy An increase in unemployment PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGIES After establishing the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation and analysing the competitive environment, we have to establish the generic strategy of the organisation. No set of the strategic tools will be complete without a look at Michael porters generic strategies. Porter advocates, Gaining and maintaining competitive advantage The three generic strategies of Porter are Differentiation This is a strategy where the organisation offers a product or service which is unique compared with those of its competitors .This differentiation must be known to at least a segment of the market. Cost Leadership This is a strategy where the organisation enables itself to provide the products or services at a cost less than any other competitive organisation. It is the ability the organisation has to price below competitors if and when it needs so. Focus This is a strategy where the organisation targets its products or services at a given sector of the market with great accuracy and with a depth of capability and knowledge to support its position in the sector. In the retail sector with a very low profit margin the environment is hypercompetitive .TESCO being the largest player adopts the Cost Leadership strategy to challenge its competitors. TESCO has all the capabilities to adapt to this strategy. It develops its internal resources and its core competencies to support this strategy. In addition to these a number of generic strategies have emerged to define the modern organisation .The following is a list of the strategies. Reducing cost base Improving quality Getting closer to the customer Shorter cycle times Strategic partnerships Ability to change fast Of the above mentioned generic strategies, TESCO adopts the following: Reducing cost base To cut down the expenses and to increase productivity and efficiency, TESCO adopts this strategy to face the challenges of price war with its competitors, high property costs a and to provide value based products to the customers. Improving quality TESCO always concentrates on improving quality to rule the existing markets. It adopts new techniques and softwares both in the logistics and in-store operations to consistently serve the customers. Getting closer to the customer Customers are whimsical, customers are fickle, customers are not loyal. The ability to anticipate this fickleness is a strategic strength.TESCO understands this well and introduced club card schemes which helps TESCO to have millions of loyal customers. THE ANSOFF MATRIX This is a classic model in strategy building .Its main purpose is to analyse the organisations approaches to its products and to its market to ensure that an appropriate marketing strategy is being pursued .The following is the An off matrix for TESCO Current products New products Current markets Market penetration Improving services Improving quality Product development Expand own brands like The Finest and TESCO Value. Expansion into non-food sector Adding new products to the existing product line New markets Market development International expansion and globalisation Home shopping Developing small express stores Diversification New services Using the Ansoff matrix in conjunction with the BCG matrix, TESCO conducts a useful review of its strategy to achieve its vision. EVALUATION The BCG matrix The Boston Consulting Group matrix is a valuable tool .Its purpose is to analyse the organisations product portfolio. The definitions used in the BCG matrix are very precisely expressed in terms of the generation and use of cash. This makes this matrix a sharp-edged tool. the following are the definitions used in BCG matrix Stars These are the products that are performing well .They are generating positive cash and they usually require continuous update to maintain their market share. Problems These are the products which are not performing and not generating sufficient cash to maintain them in their markets. Cash cows These are the products which are performing well in markets which are growing slowly or are static. They are probably generating more money that can be profitably invested in them. Dogs They have low market share in markets which are growing slowly or are static. They may be consuming more resources to maintain their availability. They need quick decisions. The following is the BCG matrix for Tesco Market share High low Star On-line shopping Organic foods Loyalty cards Non-grocery items New services Problems On-line shopping with demographic analysis Home delivery of

A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCuller

A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCuller Philosophy of the modernism and postmodernism period takes twists and turns at every chance it can. As the world begins to change at a speed previously unseen, people all over the world are confused and scared of what might come next. Though today writers have taken to the internet to show the world their ideas, writers during these periods expressed the emotions human beings felt through many different genres of literature. First a man must help those around him but then the philosophy shifts to a man must help himself to gain meaning in this life. As each man struggles to find a place for himself in the world, each man is also subject to the actions of others. So each man is a master of his own destiny but yet he is also a slave to the whims of others. This knowledge scares men, women and children all over the world. Yet human beings continue to find themselves among the fear. We all find meaning for ourselves yet sometimes questions arise after we find the meaning which defines ou r life. Some questions being: Is this the meaning I wasted my time on? Is this worth all the time I spent alone? In A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCullers these questions pop out to me after reading the tramps so called science of love. The tramp in the story had his heart broken by a woman so severely he believed he could never love again. While the philosophy of love today would suggest otherwise, the tramp wandered the country in isolation, searching for his lost love and searching for love itself. He believes he has discovered the science of love, his own personal philosophy he uses to define his life in the world. He never finds the woman he held to be so dear nor does he find another woman he loves as much as her even after he develops his science of love. The disillusionment the tramp faces after losing his first love tears down the natural beauty of what love really is. Natural not scientific I should say. Science can tell many things and uncover many truths but one thing science has no power over is the ability we have to love freely. This I believe the tramp fails to understand. The tramp tried to fragment love. Thats like trying to tear Mount Everest apart with a rubber mallet. It cant be done. Nor can you apply logic to love. You cannot apply logic to something that contradicts itself as much as love does. Yet the tramp did not realize this as he tried to break down love. The tramp tells the boy he speaks to I meditated on love and reasoned it out. All he reasoned out was how to believe he loved something or someone. He believed love was only one love. According to his science you could love a rock as easily and as deeply as you loved a woman or your child. This is not the case as most would agree. I myself have never loved my iPod or my car as much as I have loved my girlfriends or my family. The tramp failed to realize many things but chief among them was that love comes not from what others can give you to make you happy but rather love exists when your desire to make another happy matchs your own desire to make yourself happy. An inanimate object could never return the love that men chase, so this science of love is base on false beliefs. Another question that comes to mind after reading the story is how can you love an inanimate object as deeply as you could a person and then loss said object? Do you react the same way you would if your parents died? If my iPod breaks (again) you wont see me crying and mourning something that cannot be replaced with a few hundred dollars. While I wont exactly be thrilled to hand out that money, its easier than losing a loved one. Once again the science of love is incorrect. The tramp was isolated from the human world as he traveled the country developing his science. He tried to replace the love he held for this woman with a love for other things. As Thoreau once said There is no remedy for love but to love more. Perhaps this is what the tramp thought as he traveled the country. He could not love the woman who left him anymore so he began to love everything he could in hopes of finding a love just as strong as his first love. Although I could not find his last name a man named Jeffery once said Love never dies, even if you have found a new love, the sweet memory of the past will continue to hunt you for the rest of your life. So no matter what the tramp did the memory of his past love would stay with him forever. He might think about her less and less but she will never truly be gone from his heart. This is true to me because even though I rarely think of her, I can still remember the feeling I got when I held the first girl I ever loved in my arms. Suc h depth of love does not disappear we just become accustomed to the lost. Once again the science of love could not explain the true depth of love. The tramp should have labeled this theory on love as the philosophy of love because thats all it really is. To use the world science is to imply that there are hard facts behind the theory. This work of literature aimed to create a fragmentation and disillusionment of love. The disillusionment came from the shattering of the naivety of what love is. The fragmentation came from the attempt to apply reasoning to something as complex as love. While in the present day most would agree that this science is untrue and full of false perceptions, how it was received in the post modernism period reflects how the world society felt about love. With the rising of all the new sciences and the conflict of World War II, many people around the world were lost and searching for answers. At the rapid rate the world seemed to become engulfed in the war, people everywhere must have questioned when they were going to be swallowed by the war. So at a time of war love was a very precious thing. Yet what was love? For people all across time have had questions about love, and this story attempts to explain what McCullers had to think of love. In conclusion, while this story has a spotty philosophy on love at best, it does open the mind to think a bit about love. Love itself is an experience to have in any life we might imagine for ourselves. We all must understand however that love will strike us however and whenever it so chooses. Love is an emotion and all emotions rise when we least expect them. Logic cannot be applied to emotion. McCullers tried to apply logic to love through this story but like William Shakespeare once said To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days.

The Use And Abuse Of History :: essays research papers

The Use and Abuse of History By Friedrich Nietzsche Forward "Incidentally, I despise everything which merely instructs me without increasing or immediately enlivening my activity." These are Goethe's words. With them, as with a heartfelt expression of Ceterum censeo [I judge otherwise], our consideration of the worth and the worthlessness of history may begin. For this work is to set down why, in the spirit of Goethe's saying, we must seriously despise instruction without vitality, knowledge which enervates activity, and history as an expensive surplus of knowledge and a luxury, because we lack what is still most essential to us and because what is superfluous is hostile to what is essential. To be sure, we need history. But we need it in a manner different from the way in which the spoilt idler in the garden of knowledge uses it, no matter how elegantly he may look down on our coarse and graceless needs and distresses. That is, we need it for life and action, not for a comfortable turning away from life and action or merely for glo ssing over the egotistical life and the cowardly bad act. We wish to use history only insofar as it serves living. But there is a degree of doing history and a valuing of it through which life atrophies and degenerates. To bring this phenomenon to light as a remarkable symptom of our time is every bit as necessary as it may be painful. I have tried to describe a feeling which has often enough tormented me. I take my revenge on this feeling when I expose it to the general public. Perhaps with such a description someone or other will have reason to point out to me that he also knows this particular sensation but that I have not felt it with sufficient purity and naturalness and definitely have not expressed myself with the appropriate certainty and mature experience. Perhaps one or two will respond in this way. However, most people will tell me that this feeling is totally wrong, unnatural, abominable, and absolutely forbidden, that with it, in fact, I have shown myself unworthy of the powerful historical tendency of the times, as it has been, by common knowledge, observed for the past two generations, particularly among the Germans. Whatever the reaction, now that I dare to expose myself with this natural description of my feeling, common decency will be fostered rather than shamed, because I am providing many oppor tunities for a contemporary tendency like the reaction just mentioned to make polite pronouncements.

The Chrysanthemums :: essays research papers

1. The Chrysanthemums On Henry Allen's ranch east of Salinas Elisa plants yellow chrysanthemums as Henry is selling thirty head of cattle to agents of the Western Meat Company. After he and Scotty go to round up the cattle, a tinker shows up. He asks for work which Elisa says she hasn't. He asks for seeds for a lady on his route. Elisa gives him seedlings with instructions, and then she finds work for him which he does professionally. To celebrate the sale Henry drives her to Salinas for dinner at the Cominos Hotel and a movie; they drive past the tinker on the road and she privately weeps. 2. The White Quail Mary has her garden designed before its lot is bought, before she's married. She picks Harry because she thinks the garden will like him. After the house is built and the garden established Harry finds her perfect though untouchable. She doesn't care for his occupation (making loans for cars); it's unfair. She routinely locks him from her tiny bedroom on the garden. He tries the lock and leaves quietly. She refuses to let him have a setter pup since it might damage her garden. After a white quail visits the cement pond she fears a cat will come and asks Harry to put out poison fish. He refuses but will try to hit such a cat with his new air rifle. Next morning he shoots the white quail then tells Mary it was the cat he buried. 3. Flight Mama Torres makes Emilo and Rosy fish when they can. Pepà ©, who is beautiful but lazy, is sent to Monterey for medicine and salt. At Mrs. Rodriguez's he kills a man with his father's black switchblade knife. He returns before dawn, then rides into the high hills as his family bids him, now a man, adios. After a day's riding he sleeps and is awakened by a horse down the trail. He rides another day before his horse is shot out from under him. He exchanges shots and receives a granite splinter wound in his right hand. He runs on for several days and is finally shot dead. 4. The Snake Young marine biologist Dr. Phillips brings a sack of starfish from the tide pool to his laboratory on the cannery street in Monterey. The lab: rattlesnakes, rats, cats; killing a cat. Arrival of a tall, lean woman just as he begins timed work making a starfish embryo series. While she waits he begins embalming the cat. She wants to buy the male rattlesnake which she wants to keep in the lab. Her snakish behavior during the feeding annoys Phillips. The starfish series is ruined. She never comes back. 5. Breakfast A cold pre-dawn, by a country road, I see a tent with a lit campstove.

Price of Gasoline :: essays research papers

ANALYZING THE PRICE OF GASOLINE The assignment this week presents a problem where the American Automobile Association (AA) generates a report on gasoline prices that it distributes to newspapers throughout the state. It further states that on February 18, 1999, the AAA called a random sample of fifty-one stations to determine that day’s price of unleaded gasoline. The following data (in dollars) was given in this report: Table 1 - Prices of Unleaded Gasoline at 51 Stations 1.07  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.31  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.18  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.01  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.23  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.09  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.29  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.16  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.08 0.96  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.66  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.21  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.09  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.04  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.01  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.03  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.09  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.11 1.11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.17  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.04  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.09  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.05  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.96  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.32  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.09  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.26  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.11 1.03  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.20  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.21  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.05  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.04  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.97  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.21  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.07  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.17 0.98  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.04  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.03  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.12  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.03  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.18  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.09 1.06  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Create a data array with the gasoline price data A data array is defined as â€Å"data that have been sorted in ascending or descending order† (Shannon, Groebner, Fry, & Smith, 2002, 72). The following section presents the data presented in Table 1 as a data array. Data Array 0.96, 0.96, 0.97, 0.98, 1.01, 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.03, 1.03, 1.03, 1.04, 1.04, 1.04, 1.04, 1.05, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.09, 1.09, 1.09, 1.09, 1.09, 1.10, 1.10, 1.10, 1.10, 1.11, 1.11, 1.11, 1.11, 1.12, 1.16, 1.17, 1.17, 1.18, 1.18, 1.20, 1.21, 1.21, 1.21, 1.23, 1.26, 1.29, 1.31, 1.32, 1.66 Data Analysis Given the data presented in the previous sections, the next few sections use two histograms to estimate the number of prices that are at least $1.15. The first histogram presents the data using five classes and the second uses fifteen. Histogram #1 Data Used in Histogram #1 (5 classes) Range  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.70  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # of Classes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Class Width  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.1400  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bin #  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Classes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Relative Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cumulative Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cumulative Relative Frequency 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.9600 < 1.1000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.53  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.53 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1000 < 1.2400  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  19  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.37  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  46  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.90 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2400 < 1.3800  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.08  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3800 < 1.5200  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5200 < 1.6601  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  51  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.00 Histogram #1 (using 5 Classes) Estimate of the Number of Prices that are at least $1.15 Using the histogram presented in the previous section, the estimate of the number of prices that are at least $1.15 is five. This is because the only values that can be counted fall into bins three, four, and five. Even though bin two may contain values that are above the $1.15 threshold, they can not be counted as they are not guaranteed to be above the stated value. Therefore the formula for the estimate is: Estimate = B3 + B4 + B5, where B3=4, B4=0 and B5=1. Histogram #2 Data Used in Histogram #2 (15 classes) Range  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.70  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # of Classes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Class Width  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.0467  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bin #  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Classes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Relative Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cumulative Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cumulative Relative Frequency 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.9600 < 1.0067  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.08  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.08 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.0067 < 1.0534  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.25  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  17  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.33 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.0534 < 1.1001  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  31  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.61 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1001 < 1.1468  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  36  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.71 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1468 < 1.1935  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  41  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.80 6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.1935 < 1.2402  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  46  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.90 7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2402 < 1.2869  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  47  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.92 8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2869 < 1.3336  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.06  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3336 < 1.3803  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3803 < 1.4270  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.4270 < 1.4737  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 12  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.4737 < 1.5204  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 13  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5204 < 1.5671  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 14  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5671 < 1.6138  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.98 15  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.6138 < 1.6601  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.02  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  51  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.00 Histogram #2 (using 15 Classes) Estimate of the Number of Prices that are at least $1.15 Using the histogram presented in the previous section, the estimate of the number of prices that are at least $1.

Film “Run Lola Run” Essay

â€Å"Cinema that interests me is cinema about opening, unresolved questions and experiments.†- Tom Tykwer. The film Run Lola Run by Tom Tykwer uses distinctively visual features to create a positive effect on an audience’s appreciation of the text. He uses these visual elements to explore three major themes: chance, love and gameplay. Re-occurring motifs, split screen and tripartite structure are all examples of techniques Tykwer has used to create distinctively visual features in his film. Similar to Tykwer’s film Run Lola Run, Wilfred Owen in his poem Dulce et Decorum Est too uses distinctively visual techniques to have a positive effect on an audiences appreciation of his text. Unlike Tykwer, Owen expresses the theme horrors of war through multiple poetic techniques to create images in his reader’s minds. Chance lies at the core of the film where nothing is definitive. In the film Run Lola Run Tykwer expresses the theme chance through multiple techniques such as re-occurring motifs, symbolism and rapid-fire snapshots. Throughout the entire movie, Tykwer has used the motif of spirals to represent chaos and randomness within the text. They are seen at the start of the film when the animated Lola is running; the camera is shown spiraling around Lola as she thinks about whom to ask for the money, the stairway in the introduction and the roulette wheel in the final sequence. This motif pops up to symbolize the films central message that life spirals around continuously and out of control. Endings are new beginnings and beginnings mark the end of that which came prior. Throughout the films three versions of events, rapid-fire snapshots of minor characters are used to pose deeper existential philosophical questions that challenge our perceptions of happenstances, causality and fate. On simple step to the left on Lola’s adventure could differ the lives of a minor character majorly. For example the lady at the start of Lola’s run could quite possibly win the lottery, become a kidnapper or even a Jehovah’s Witness. Tykwer never lets the audience forget that the film is a race against time, clocks are used throughout the film to symbolize time and its impact on life. Lola is constantly looking at the clocks, checking the time making sure she gets the 100 000 marks to Manni in 20 minutes. Lola’s lack of time creates a developed understanding and briefness of life. Tykwer displays distinctively visual features throughout the theme chance to give a positive appreciation of the text. The love story between Lola and Manni is what drives the film. Tyker uses red-hued scenes, split screens and extreme close-ups to clearly portray love throughout this film. The red-hued scenes in between Lola’s runs clearly demonstrate the importance of their love and insecurities as they ask each other â€Å"What would you do if I died† and responding with â€Å"I wouldn’t let you die†. The intimate red tint reinforces the love they share and how love can conquer anything. With the use of a split screen we as a viewer see how they almost read each other’s minds when Lola is running to stop Manni from robbing the store. This portrays a special bond they share even when they are apart. The first two alternate endings end with Lola and Manni dying, we as an audience see a close up of when they are dying showing the reflection of each others face in their dying eyes conveying the refusal to allow each other to die. Tykwer clearly portrays distinctively visual features throughout the theme love to give a positive appreciation of the text. The last important theme throughout the film Run Lola Run is gameplay. Tykwer uses film techniques such as tracking shots, animated sequence and tripartite structure to portray distinctively visual features throughout this theme. The tracking shot of Lola running with her flame red hair streaming behind her is used to visually represent that she is the main player throughout this game and has power and purpose over other characters. Tykwer uses an animated sequence at the beginning of each run to convey game like elements of her life and how out lives too can be played like a game. Tykwer then uses a tripartite structure that offers Lola chances to win. The thesis is the first run where the journey is set up, the antithesis is the second run and is the opposite to the thesis, finally the synthesis is the third run and it is what Lola learns from run one and two that assist her in winning the game. Tykwer uses this technique to express to his audience that there are chances in life to achieve your set goals. From the three major  themes, chance love and gameplay it is evident that Tykwer has effectively used distinctively visual features to create a positive appreciation of his text. The poem Dulce et decorum est starts off in the middle of action, a battle that is not quite finished. Owen begins to describe the conditions these soldiers were in, â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks.† Owen uses a simile to express to his audience the horrible conditions these soldiers were put through. Soldiers at war are usually strong and healthy but Owen erases this image and replaces it with a â€Å"beggar† This conveys that war can cause terrible damage to ones appearance changing it dramatically. In the quote â€Å"Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots† Owen uses a metaphor but also hyperbole in this stanza to convey just how tired they were and weren’t taking any notice of the shells dropping behind them. This reinforces the effects of war has on soldiers and how they feel whilst fighting for your country. In the quote † he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning† Owen illustrates the fact that he is stating clearly, through use of onomatopoeia such as: â€Å"guttering†, â€Å"choking†, and â€Å"drowning† not only show how the man is suffering, but that he is in terrible pain, pain no human being should endure. Owen uses onomatopoeia to visually depict the effect of a gas attack on the human body and how it can cause extreme amounts of pain. This strengthens the idea that war is a horrible thing for the soldiers fighting. This poem is extremely effective as an anti-war poem, making war seem absolutely horrid and revolting, just as the author wanted it to. Similar to Tykwer, Owen too uses distinctively visual techniques to demonstrate particular themes throughout their texts to provide the audience with a positive appreciation of the text. Ultimately, the composers of Run Lola Run and Dulce et Decorum Est use distinctively visual techniques to convey different themes throughout their texts. Tykwer effectively expresses the themes, chance, love and gameplay while Owen conveys the horrors of war through his text. Tykwer communicates his themes through film techniques such as reoccurring motifs, split screen and tripartite structure however Owen articulates his theme through the use  of poetic techniques such as metaphors similes and personification. As both texts deal with chaos in their own way, it might be suggested that the visual techniques can allow us to enter a new realm of reality created by the composer.