Representations of Either Male or Female Characters Essay

In the films I studied, (A clockwork Orange, From Russia with love, Carry on camping and a Hard days night) women are represented in similar ways but in very different circumstances. Firstly in A Clockwork Orange, women are seen as an objectified sexual obsession to the male gang. In almost every seen of the film women are presented in one way shape or form for example in the bar with the erotic, female shaped tables or the posters of women on the walls in Alex’s room. On the topic Kubrick has previously said â€Å"In the film, women are the ultimate harbingers of sexual desire, and it is only them who can suppress it. This power leaves the male ‘Droogs’ inwardly feeling threatened, which in part leads to cowardly rape.† I feel this quote explains the representation of females in the film perfectly as Alex, a man who feels he has great power over the rest of society, is surrounded by women and is always met with his sexual desire for them; Although the idea of sex in A Clockwork Orange is not an expression of love or intimacy, but rather an exhibition of power and violence. In this case Alex feels that to remain ‘powerful’ over everyone else he needs to use women as a object to satisfy his growing needs for power. In From Russia with Love, women are again seen as a object and are infamously named ‘the Bond Girls’ showing how in the larger scale there roles are minor compared to the ‘amazing’ Mr Bond. The opening title to the film shows barely clothed belly dancers dancing and parading there bodies to the Bond theme tune, showing how there bodies are more important then the woman herself. Throughout the film it is apparent that women are only good for a number of tasks: giving massages to the male characters, belly dancing and for casual sex and even then its when the man wants and not the woman. Despite this, in the film the female lead Tatiana played by Daniela Bianchi, shows woman’s slowly growing power and independence, for example Tatiana smoking representing the freedom that she perhaps now felt, although she is sitting down and Bond is standing over her, clearly in a position of more power. It is felt that the woman in the film are constantly being overlooked by men for example Tatiana killing the villain, which in normal circumstances would make her the ‘hero’ in the film, but this is undermined by the way Bond immediately takes the gun off her, as though it does not belong with her or she is not safe with it. In the film A Hard Days Night whenever the The Beatles perform, the members of the band are all distinguished as four individual, male characters. This massively contrasts with the role of women in the film, as there have been no main female characters; women are either portrayed as screaming, uncontrollable girls or again as sex objects. The idea behind this shows that women have no individuality in the film and are really only there to worship, flirt or to sexually satisfy the boys in the band. Finally the idea of women being perceived as objects is again mirrored in the final film Carry On camping, where the women are seen as objects for the men to flirt with and pursue in a sexual manner. Although Carry on camping differs from the previous films as there are several female characters which are seen to have hierarchy over certain male characters. For example the character Harriet Potter had the power in the relationship and often bossed her husband around in a comical manner. Overall in all the films it is obvious that women are often being represented as objects to satisfy mens needs and don’t serve a real purpose in any of the films and if they do it is only in a comical manner to retrieve laughter from the audience.

Jean Piaget

The history of psychology dates back to the ancient Greeks, Callahan and India. There are even some records of psychology dating back to ancient Egypt. Psychology is the study of the human mind and it's functions. It used to be a branch of philosophy, but in the asses it developed into an independent science, when Wilhelm Wound founded the first laboratory dedicated to psychology. In the ancient times, psychology had to do with evil spirits and souls, which remedies were incinerations and curses. Right now, In modern times, we know that psychology has nothing to do with that, but with the rain and the way it works.Jean Pigged was born In Nucleus, Switzerland in 1896. He did his license and PhD on biology at the university of his hometown. It was his background on biology, and his interest on epistemology (the theory of knowledge), that made him want to find out how the mind comes to know knowledge, objects and concepts, which then lead him to study the development of children, especi ally his own. He observed, talked and listen to them, as well as other children, while he performed exercises to test his theories, studies that he then published and helped IM create his theory.Piglet's theory is called Intellectual Development, it is based on the maturation of the human. It was divided into four stages. These stages happen in between the ages of O and 15 years old. The first stage that happens between the age of O and 2, it is called Seismometer Stage. Children start to differentiate themselves from objects and knows more about himself and where he is. Also a key think kids learn Is that if parents or any object Is outside of his sight It will continue to exist.Pre-operational stage comes around 2-7 years of age, the most important thing happening in this stage is that children learn how to use language and by using this skill they represent objects by words or images. Children begin to use symbols to represent objects, also they don't have a sense of time and are influenced by fantasy and think others fantasize like them. Concrete Operational is the stage happening while the child is 7 to 12 years old. During this age children get more comfortable with themselves, and develop an ability to think and make judgment about important things.In this stage It Is common that children ask many questions and would like to explain things to their parents. The last stage of Piglet's theory is called Formal Operational Stage, in this stage teenagers are Individual and know how to make complete Judgment by themselves. Teenagers are capable or reasoning and will be more open and have a wide range of ideas because they can consider many possibilities and see from different perspectives Jean Piglets theory of intellectual development Is very similar but at the same time very different than Erikson theory.Piglet's theory is based on maturation and what children and adults hint and develop while growing up, while Erikson theory is more about what you feel and who you are as a person and the people you interact with. The theories are similar at only the beginning, in the first stage when they talk about tact and how the children develop feelings with the persons they love. And finally another similarity Is that all the stages last till death. In Piglet's theory you stop developing at age 16, childhood, allotted and elderly.The two theories are different in many ways but both have the same base idea, you could say that Jean and Erik had the same Houghton, but then developed a different concept for finishing their theories. Pigged is one of the most important psychologists of the modern times, and with out a doubt, the most important child psychologist. He is very well recognized around the world for his theory on child development as well as the series of books he has written on it. Jean Piglet's theory is more about maturation, rather than Erosion's, that is more about what a person is feeling throughout his or her whole life.His theory has four stages which are: The seismometer stage (0-2 years), the Pre-operational stage (2-7 ears), the concrete operational stage (7-12) and the formal operational stage (12 and above). Teenagers who are 12 and above have a wider range of ideas and they have judgment. Erickson theory has stages begin from the moment in which a person is born, to the moment in which a person dies. He explains how your life can change if a stage in your life isn't satisfactory. Usually, a teenager isn't mature enough until he or she has reached an age above 12. Jean Piaget The history of psychology dates back to the ancient Greeks, Callahan and India. There are even some records of psychology dating back to ancient Egypt. Psychology is the study of the human mind and it's functions. It used to be a branch of philosophy, but in the asses it developed into an independent science, when Wilhelm Wound founded the first laboratory dedicated to psychology. In the ancient times, psychology had to do with evil spirits and souls, which remedies were incinerations and curses. Right now, In modern times, we know that psychology has nothing to do with that, but with the rain and the way it works.Jean Pigged was born In Nucleus, Switzerland in 1896. He did his license and PhD on biology at the university of his hometown. It was his background on biology, and his interest on epistemology (the theory of knowledge), that made him want to find out how the mind comes to know knowledge, objects and concepts, which then lead him to study the development of children, especi ally his own. He observed, talked and listen to them, as well as other children, while he performed exercises to test his theories, studies that he then published and helped IM create his theory.Piglet's theory is called Intellectual Development, it is based on the maturation of the human. It was divided into four stages. These stages happen in between the ages of O and 15 years old. The first stage that happens between the age of O and 2, it is called Seismometer Stage. Children start to differentiate themselves from objects and knows more about himself and where he is. Also a key think kids learn Is that if parents or any object Is outside of his sight It will continue to exist.Pre-operational stage comes around 2-7 years of age, the most important thing happening in this stage is that children learn how to use language and by using this skill they represent objects by words or images. Children begin to use symbols to represent objects, also they don't have a sense of time and are influenced by fantasy and think others fantasize like them. Concrete Operational is the stage happening while the child is 7 to 12 years old. During this age children get more comfortable with themselves, and develop an ability to think and make judgment about important things.In this stage It Is common that children ask many questions and would like to explain things to their parents. The last stage of Piglet's theory is called Formal Operational Stage, in this stage teenagers are Individual and know how to make complete Judgment by themselves. Teenagers are capable or reasoning and will be more open and have a wide range of ideas because they can consider many possibilities and see from different perspectives Jean Piglets theory of intellectual development Is very similar but at the same time very different than Erikson theory.Piglet's theory is based on maturation and what children and adults hint and develop while growing up, while Erikson theory is more about what you feel and who you are as a person and the people you interact with. The theories are similar at only the beginning, in the first stage when they talk about tact and how the children develop feelings with the persons they love. And finally another similarity Is that all the stages last till death. In Piglet's theory you stop developing at age 16, childhood, allotted and elderly.The two theories are different in many ways but both have the same base idea, you could say that Jean and Erik had the same Houghton, but then developed a different concept for finishing their theories. Pigged is one of the most important psychologists of the modern times, and with out a doubt, the most important child psychologist. He is very well recognized around the world for his theory on child development as well as the series of books he has written on it. Jean Piglet's theory is more about maturation, rather than Erosion's, that is more about what a person is feeling throughout his or her whole life.His theory has four stages which are: The seismometer stage (0-2 years), the Pre-operational stage (2-7 ears), the concrete operational stage (7-12) and the formal operational stage (12 and above). Teenagers who are 12 and above have a wider range of ideas and they have judgment. Erickson theory has stages begin from the moment in which a person is born, to the moment in which a person dies. He explains how your life can change if a stage in your life isn't satisfactory. Usually, a teenager isn't mature enough until he or she has reached an age above 12.

Project Network Design Essay

The best network design to ensure the security of Corporation Techs internal access while retaining public Web site availability consists of several layers of defense in order to protect the corporation’s data and provide accessibility to employees and the public. The private-public network edge is considered particularly vulnerable to intrusions, because the Internet is a publicly accessible network and falls under the management purview of multiple network operators. For these reasons, the Internet is considered an untrusted network. So are wireless LANs, which-without the proper security measures in place-can be hijacked from outside the corporation when radio signals penetrate interior walls and spill outdoors. The network infrastructure is the first line of defense between the Internet and public facing web servers. Firewalls provide the first line of defense in network security infrastructures. They accomplish this by comparing corporate policies about users’ netw ork access rights to the connection information surrounding each access attempt. User policies and connection information must match up, or the firewall does not grant access to network resources; this helps avert break-ins. Network firewalls keep communications between internal network segments in check so that internal employees cannot access network and data resources that corporate policy dictates are off-limits to them. By partitioning the corporate intranet with firewalls, departments within an organization are offered additional defenses against threats originating from other departments. In computer networks, a DMZ (demilitarized zone) is a computer host or small network inserted as a â€Å"neutral zone† between a company’s private network and the outside public network. It prevents outside users from getting direct access to a server that has company data. A DMZ is an optional and more secure approach to a firewall and effectively acts as a proxy server as well. Security is the  heart of internetworking. The world has moved from an Internet of implicit trust to an Internet of pervasive distrust. In network security, no packet can be trusted; all packets must earn that trust through a network device’s ability to inspect and enforce policy. Clear text (unencrypted data) services represent a great weakness in networks. Clear text services transmit all information or packets, including user names and passwords, in unencrypted format. Services such as file transfer protocol (FTP), email, telnet and basic HTTP authentication all transmit communications in clear text. A hacker with a sniffer could easily capture user names and passwords from the network without anyone’s knowledge and gain administrator access to the system. Clear text services should be avoided; instead secure services that encrypt communications, such as Secure Shell (SSH) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL), should be used. The use of routers and switches will allow for network segmentation and help defend against sniffing Corporation Tech may want to have their own web or email server that is accessible to Internet users without having to go to the expense and complexity of building a DMZ or other network for the sole purpose of hosting these services. At the same time they may want to host their own server instead of outsourcing to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or hosting company. Corporation Tech can use NAT (Network Address Translation) to direct inbound traffic that matches pre-defined protocols to a specific server on the internal or private LAN. This would allow Corporation Tech to have a single fixed public IP address to the Internet and use private IP addresses for the web and email server on the LAN. Network Diagram and Vulnerabilities Network infrastructure using Class C network address 192.168.1.0. The Main Servers using Virtual Machine software was configured with a static IP address of 192.168.50.1. This server controls DHCP, DNS and Active Directory. The Web Server is located outside the network in the DMZ. Internal network is configured on separate VLAN’s to separate department traffic and manage data access. Cisco Internal firewall was installed and configured to manage the internal network on the LAN. The Cisco firewall 2 implemented to manage remote traffic entering the LAN. This provides layered  security to the network. Several ports have been identified as vulnerabilities in the Corporation Techs network that allowed information to be transferred via clear text and as such they have been closed. Additional ports that could be used for gaming, streaming and Peer to Peer have been blocked or closed to reduce unauthorized access to the network. All ports known to be used for malicious purposes have been closed as a matter of best practices. All standard ports that do not have specific applications requiring access have been closed. The ports listed below are standard ports that have been blocked to minimize unauthorized packet transfer of clear text: Port 21 – FTP Port 23 -Telnet Port 110 – POP3 Port 80 – Basic HTTP Hardening Practices Develop a baseline Close all unused Ports Redirect traffic to secure ports example HTTPS (443) or higher Configure Firewall to allow or deny secure traffic Install IDS and IPS Review monitor logs on the network and compare to baseline for any intrusions Policies Develop and Implement network Acceptable User policy (AUP) which must be signed before using the network Assign Permissions and Rights Password Policy must be in place on all devices and enforce End Users must be trained about the different threats faced on the network Back Up must be done weekly and notify users Maintain Bandwidth speed and monitor peak hours Network Security realignment done using Class C network address 192.168.1.0. The Servers was configured on network address 192.168.1.216 static and 192.168.1.218 for simplicity. DHCP, DNS and Active Directory were install and configured on one of the server. The second server was use for the Application. Both PC’s were also configured on the same network address 192.168.1.0 for easy management on the switch. The switch was configured with 192.168.1.200 static IP address. Router network address was changed to  avoid conflicting addresses and easy management. Cisco Internal firewall 1 was installed and configured to manage the internal network on the LAN. The Cisco firewall 2 implemented to manage remote traffic entering the LAN. This provides layered security to the network. References Cisco. (n.d.). (Cicso) Retrieved 10 26, 2014, from Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/asa-5500-series-next-generation-firewalls/index.html HP Support document – HP Support Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay/?sp4ts.oid=412144&spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay&spf_p.prp_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-navigationalState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c02480766-2%257CdocLocale%253D%257CcalledBy%253D&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken HP Support document – HP Support Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=bps53634&ac.admitted=1413144875821.876444892.199480143 Network Access Control. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 26, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Access_Control Pascucci, M. (2013, Au gust 06). Security Management at the Speed of Business. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from algosec.com: http://blog.algosec.com/2013/08/the-ideal-network-security-perimeter-design-part-1-of-3.html Vaughan-Nichols, S. (2013, January 30). How to fix the UPnP security holes | ZDNet. Retrieved from http://www.zdnet.com/how-to-fix-the-upnp-security-holes-7000010584/ Wodrich, M. (2009, November 10). Vulnerability in Web Services on Devices (WSD) API – Security Research & Defense – Site Home – TechNet Blogs. Retrieved from http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2009/11/10/vulnerability-in-web-services-on-devices-wsd-api.aspx

History of African Americans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of African Americans - Research Paper Example Jim Crow Law was the name given to anti black laws in USA. These laws were discriminatory and racist in nature clearly defining white superiority over African Americans. It was basically a racial caste system followed in southern states after American civil war, till mid of 1960s. It was a complete social system based on injustice, inequality, prejudice, race and hate against African Americans. The Jim Crow laws badly affected social, economic and moral fiber of African Americans society especially in southern states. The African Americans were treated inhumanly since they were not allowed to share churches, hospitals, buses, rail wagons, schools, housing and even burial places. American Government implemented these laws and Supreme Court supported the Government. Common beliefs spread by whites were that whites were made superior by God and African Americans are meant to serve them. Till this day racism against African Americans has affected this community since African Americans ar e unable to compete with whites as a community, although exceptions are there.Plessy V.Furgoson decision by Supreme Court in May 1896 set the stage for legitimization of anti black laws in southern states like Louisiana. The court supported the theme that â€Å"equal but separate† public facilities for African Americans and whites can be maintained within jurisdiction of states and racial segregation is not the violation of US constitution. Basis of case was traveling of African Americans and whites in the same wagons of railway. Implication of this decision has been a long term white-black segregation and more anti black legislations in USA. On the contrary US Supreme Court gave a decision in 1954 setting stage to eliminate anti black laws. The court decided that state laws which allow separate public schools for African Americans and whites are unconstitutional. Both decisions of court were historic in nature where first decision helped to establish racism while the second helped to abolish racism.Besides Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, Grace Towns Hamilton was a great black leader who struggled tirelessly for civil liberties in America. She was the first black woman elected to Georgia General Assembly (Georgiaencyclopedia.org 2004). She represented her district for 18 Years continuously in Atlanta. She was an African American woman born on 10th February 1907 and died in 1992.  

Critically evaluate the effects of resistance training and Essay

Critically evaluate the effects of resistance training and cardiovascular training on osteoporosis - Essay Example Engelke, K., Kemmler, W., Lauber, D., Beeskow, C., Pintag, R., & Kalendar, W. A. (2006). Exercise maintains bone density at spine and hip EFOPS: a 3-year longitudinal study in early postmenopausal women. Osteoporosis international, 17 (1), 133-142. (Primary Source – From MedLine/MedScape Database) Iwamoto, J., Takeda, T., & Ichimura, S. (2001). Effect of exercise training and detraining on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Journal of orthopaedic science, 6 (2), 128-132. (Primary Source – From MedLine/MedScape Database) Layne, J. E., & Nelson, M. E. (1999). The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density: a review. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 31 (1), 25-30. (Secondary Source - From MedLine/MedScape Database). Lin, J. T., & Lane, J. M. (2008). Nonpharmacologic Management of Osteoporosis to Minimize Fracture Risk. Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology, 4 (1), 20-25. (Secondary Source - From MedLine/MedScape Database). Notomi, T., Okazaki, Y., Okimoto, N., Saitoh, S., Nakamura, T., & Suzuki, M. (2000). A comparison of resistance and aerobic training for mass, strength and turnover of bone in growing rats. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 83 (6), 469-474. (Primary Source – From MedLine/MedScape Database) Ringe, J. (2000). Osteoporosis in Men. In David Hosking and Johann Ringe (Eds.), TREATMENT OF METABOLIC BONE DISEASE: MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND DRUG THERAPY (pp. 203-218). London: Martin Dunitz Ltd. (Secondary Source – From Local British Council Library) Ravn, P. (2000). Osteoporosis: Primary Prevention. In David Hosking and Johann Ringe (Eds.), TREATMENT OF METABOLIC BONE DISEASE: MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND DRUG THERAPY (pp. 123-142). London: Martin Dunitz Ltd. (Secondary Source – From Local British Council Library) The search for suitable literature consisted of going through the journals available at the local British Council Library. None were found. The next was

Victims of Terrorism, Hate Crimes & Racial Profiling Assignment

Victims of Terrorism, Hate Crimes & Racial Profiling - Assignment Example However, there have been attempts to end racial profiling in the United States. Question one: Terrorism is a systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. Domestic terrorism refers to illegal use of force or violence committed by a person or group against a person to intimidate them for political or social objectives. The US considers terrorist attacks domestic if they are carried out by its citizens who are not acting on behalf of a foreign power (Doerner, 2012). Investigations of domestic violence are carried out in accordance with The Attorney General guidelines on general crimes and Domestic Terrorism Investigations. The establishment of terrorism as a crime that can be committed domestically became a law in the year 2001 when President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act. Domestic terrorism is a major concern in the United States. In fact, domestic terrorism has currently hit the highest point of the cycle in the United States but most of the cases are simple at tacks committed by lone actors. However, the implications of the crimes is as those of jihadist and Iranian attacks (Peek, 2011). Recently there was an attack on Oak Creek, which was termed as a case of domestic terrorism where seven people were shot and killed. The US local law enforcement agencies have played a key role in dealing with the many threats of the modern world. The police in the United States are involved in mitigating and defeating terrorism in the United States. This is because the police agencies have acquired technology and ideas on how to offer effective defense and conquer offence. According to Peek (2011), they work with communities in order to achieve this goal. Therefore, the establishment of terrorism as a crime that can be committed domestically has changed policing in a number of ways. It has broadened the ideas and knowledge of the Department of Homeland Security who work together with police, intelligence and immigration agencies to fight terrorism (Doern er, 2012). Question One A: Policing in the US has changed with the establishment of terrorism as a crime that can be committed domestically. As mentioned above, police play a major role in mitigating and overcoming terrorism in the United States. Local agencies in the country have the knowledge and technology to create counter networks and to work on effective defenses and offenses. This has been possible due to expansion on knowledge concerning the concept of terrorism and what entails it. Through multijurisdictional efforts, police can determine whether individuals or enterprises are an active threat that calls for inquiry or enforcement action (Peek, 2011). The agencies are transparent, flexible and adaptable enough to join forces with one another. They develop more important and credulous unions and create strategies that capitalize on law enforcement resources. Most significantly, they work with societies to counter the acts of terrorism. Policing is therefore a convergent tact ic that battles crime and disorder while creating unfriendly environments for terrorists. For instance, after terrorist events in 2011, police organizations have strengthened their efforts against terrorism (Peek, 2011). The Justice Departments’ federal Bureau of Investigations which is the leading agency dealing with matters of terrorism and the Department of Homeland Security and the local agencies have strongly been involved in the fight against terrorism. The police have been able to attack

Understanding Challenges In The Third Sector Essay - 3

Understanding Challenges In The Third Sector - Essay Example Now besides donations, the organization charges for its services from people who can afford to pay, which enables them to look after poor and destitute people. Large businesses and corporations donate generously to such organizations in the form of cash and kind. They help with the purchase of equipment, construction and contribute whatever is needed for extraordinary circumstances. The public also trust charitable organization and appreciates the work that they are doing. The public also donates in their individual capacities according to what they can afford. Besides cash and kind, many people voluntarily give their time to these organizations, which spares the organization from spending money to hire people for performing these tasks. People also organize walks and other special events such as musical programs, shows or organize dinners for raising funds. All proceeds are all donated to charitable organizations such as St. Elizabeth to meet all its expenses. What I think is that to be successful, charitable organizations need a local as well as an international perspective. The local chapter addresses and looks after communal issues, while their global perspective, reputation and image is looked after by the international wing. In this technological age, the international image is as important as the local image and reputation of the organization. The global recession has left more people without jobs and needing help from charitable organizations. Cost of Medicare have more than tripled in the last decade, and even people who are earning well might not be able to afford medical expenses for their dependents, especially those requiring special care. With the economy in such a bad condition and people without jobs, it is not possible to raise adequate funds from local communities. Charitable organizations have to look outside their localities and sometimes even outside their countries for support for their charitable work. . I know for a fact

Brent Crude Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brent Crude Oil - Essay Example There exist specific factors that cause this sharp decline in the oil price (Menton, 2015). The strength of the American dollar is a key driver for the steady decline of the oil prices. The current global market has been under tremendous competition with the United States dollar being a key determinant of majority of the things. With the strong US dollar, the average price and value of majority of the commodities fall. This has greatly affected crude oil, whose price has been constantly declining. With global prices of commodities quoted in reference to the dollar, the prices trend lower in the economic times where the dollar is strong (Menton, 2015). The U.S currency surge experienced in the second quarter of 2014 saw a culminated decline in major leading product and commodity indices. negative impact Of OPEC Oil output in the US due to oil prices registering low price sales by the end of the year would be another contributing factor. The marginal oil barrel output derived from unconventional sources like shale would be highly affected by the existing low global prices of crude oil. Drilling of oil wells has been on a steady decline based on the high costs incurred and the constant low prices registered in the global market making the industry unprofitable (Menton, 2015). There is a global oversupply of crude oil. The supply has exceeded the demand of the product with its 2015 oil production speculated at 9.35 M barrels per day. It also goes into history that the existing oil reserves and repositories increased to the highest numbers ever registered since 80 years ago. The commercial inventories of crude oil in the United States rose by a margin of 4.5M barrels compared to the registered levels of the previous week (Menton, 2015). The figures make it the highest level of crude oil inventories registered in the year 2015. The existing nuclear deal with Iran is viewed as a major element that soils the oil prices further down in the United

Reflection of Conflict 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection of Conflict 1 - Essay Example In this regard, I aimed to work together with my classmate in the pursuit of dream of quality education. In addition, I applied strategic maneuvering as a tool for agreement. In that, I neglected my self-interest and considered my classmates concerns for taking my seat. I felt the approach would work out because we shared a common desire of listening to the lectures without interruption. I also valued an approach that maintains level of self-awareness and respect for others. Therefore, the two communication skills `preserved our regard, admiration, and facilitated my decision to avoid conflict by mutual agreement to sit in adjacent positions. I will use a similar strategy if I find myself in comparable conflicts. B. Conflict over the table could cause more harm to our relationship. Hence, I identified the reasons for the conflict in order to help strategize mutual mitigation approaches. The approach also facilitated my self-awareness and helped me define my goal. Moreover, I differentiated between listening for thoughts and listening for my feelings. I was able to clearly identify my roles and develop sympathy for my classmate. Thus, these approaches enabled me to consider my inner feelings and enabled me to develop respect for my friend. The final decision and the found peace resulted from a detailed inner analysis as shown. All the parts of my approach successfully worked out because I realized I was mean to my classmate. I realized that we both deserved to sit in the front table given that our pursuit entailed listening to the lectures. The back position never favored any of us and it was unkind character to insist that my classmate occupy an uncomfortable table. The decision not to report the problem also enhanced our trust and the care for each other. I realized that education is a collective role and we require the assistance and support of friends

Capital Projects and Strategic Direction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital Projects and Strategic Direction - Essay Example (Bender & Ward, 2002) A typical process to evaluate a project involves assessing its net present value by discounting the future cash flows of a firm with appropriate discount rate and deducting the resulting amount from the total capital outlay spent on the project. If the net present value of the project is positive it adds value to the firm and if it is negative, it could not add value to the firm. The value addition proposition of the capital projects is therefore their net present value. If the net present value is positive, it adds value to the firm and the shareholders. Positive NPV of the project therefore is considered as the key criteria for adding value to the firm. If NPV of the capital project is negative, it is assumed that it will not add value to the firm and hence could not maximize the value of the firm or the value for the shareholders. Major capital projects with positive NPV help the organization’s stock prices to increase by such projects give a signal to the investors that the firm is adding more capacity to it and expanding its markets. Expansion through new capital projects therefore also allow the firms to increase the future cash flow generation of the firm and hence increase their share prices also.

Mattel Responds to Ethical Challenges Essay Example for Free

Mattel Responds to Ethical Challenges Essay Mattel, Inc. is a global leader in designing and manufacturing toys and family products. Well-known for brands such as Barbie, Fisher-Price, Disney, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tyco, Cabbage Patch Kids, and board games, the company boasts nearly $5.9 billion in annual revenue. Headquartered in El Segundo, California, with offices across the world, Mattel markets its products in over 150 nations. It all started in a California garage workshop when Ruth and Elliot Handler and Matt Matson founded Mattel in 1945. The company started out making picture frames, but the founders soon recognized the profitability of the toy industry and switched their emphasis to toys. Mattel became a publicly owned company in 1960, with sales exceeding $100 million by 1965. Over the next forty years, Mattel went on to become the world’s largest toy company in terms of revenue. In spite of its overall success, Mattel has had its share of losses over its history. During the mid to late 1990s, Mattel lost millions to declining sales and bad business acquisitions. In January 1997, Jill Barad took over as Mattel’s CEO. Barad’s management-style was characterized as strict and her tenure at the helm proved challenging for many employees. While Barad had been successful in building the Barbie brand to $2 billion by the end of the 20th century, growth slowed in the early 21st. Declining sales at outlets such as Toys ‘R’ Us marked the start of some difficulties for the retailer, responsibilities for which Barad accepted and resigned in 2000. Robert Eckert replaced Barad as CEO. Aiming to turn things around, Eckert sold unprofitable units and cut hundreds of jobs. In 2000, under Eckert, Mattel was granted the highly sought-after licensing agreement for products related to the Harry Potter series of books and movies. The company continued to flourish and build its reputation, even earning the Corporate Responsibility Award from UNICEF in 2003. Mattel released its first Annual Corporate Responsibility Report the following year. In 2011 Mattel was recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For for the fourth consecutive year. MATTEL’S CORE PRODUCTS BARBIE AND AMERICAN GIRL Among its many lines of popular toy products, Mattel is famous for owning top girls’ brands. In 1959, Mattel introduced a product that would change its future forever: the Barbie doll. One of the founders, Ruth Handler, had noticed how her daughter loved playing with paper cutout dolls. She decided to create a doll based on an adult rather than on a baby. Barbie took off to become one of Mattel’s critical product lines and the number one girls’ brand in the world. Since her introduction, Mattel has sold more than 1 billion Barbie dolls in over 150 countries. The Barbie line today This material was developed by Debbie Thorne, John Fraedrich, O.C. Ferrell, and Jennifer Jackson, with the editorial assistance of Jennifer Sawayda under the direction of O.C. Ferrell and Linda Ferrell. It is provided for the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at the University of New Mexico and is intended for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of administrative, ethical, or legal decisions by management. Users of this material are prohibited from claiming this material as their own, emailing it to others, or placing it on the Internet. Please call O.C. Ferrell at 505-277-3468 for more information. (2011) Includes dolls, accessories, Barbie software, and a broad assortment of licensed products such as books, apparel, food, home furnishings, home electronics, and movies. To supplement the Barbie line, in 1998 Mattel acquired a popular younger type of doll. Mattel announced it would pay $700 million to Pleasant Co. for its high-end American Girl collection. American Girl dolls are sold with books about their lives, which take place during important periods of US history. The American Girls brand includes several book series, accessories, clothing for dolls and girls, and a magazine that ranks in the top ten American children’s magazines. HOT WHEELS Hot Wheels roared into the toy world in 1968. More than thirty years later, the brand is hotter than ever and includes high-end collectibles, NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and Formula One models for adults, high-performance cars, track sets, and play sets for children of all ages. The brand is connected with racing circuits worldwide. More than 15 million boys aged five to 15 are avid collectors, each owning forty-one cars on average. Two Hot Wheels cars are sold every second of every day. The brand began with cars designed to run on a track and has evolved into a â€Å"lifestyle† brand with licensed Hot Wheels shirts, caps, lunch boxes, backpacks, and more. Together, Hot Wheels and Barbie generate 45 percent of Mattel’s revenue and 65 percent of its profits. CABBAGE PATCH KIDS Since the introduction of mass-produced Cabbage Patch Kids in 1982, more than 90 million dolls have been sold worldwide. In 1994, Mattel took over selling these beloved dolls after purchasing production rights from Hasbro. In 1996, Mattel created a new line of Cabbage Patch doll, called Snacktime Kids, which was expected to meet with immense success. The Snacktime Kids had moving mouths that enabled children to â€Å"feed† them plastic snacks. However, the product backfired. The toy had no on/off switch and reports of children  getting their fingers or hair caught in the dolls’ mouths surfaced during the 1996 holiday season. Mattel voluntarily pulled the dolls from store shelves by January 1997, and offered consumers a cash refund of $40 on returned dolls. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission applauded Mattel’s handling of the Snacktime Kids situation. Mattel effectively managed a situation that could easily have created bad publicity or a crisis situati on. Mattel stopped producing Cabbage Patch Kids in 2000. MATTEL’S COMMITMENT TO ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Mattel’s core products and business environment create many ethical issues. Because the company’s products are designed primarily for children, it must be sensitive to social concerns about children’s rights. It must also be aware that the international environment often complicates business transactions. Different legal systems and cultural expectations about business can create ethical conflicts. Finally, the use of technology may present ethical dilemmas, especially regarding consumer privacy. Mattel has recognized these potential issues and taken steps to strengthen its commitment to business ethics. The company also purports to take a stand on social responsibility, encouraging its employees and consumers to do the same. PRIVACY AND MARKETING TECHNOLOGY One issue Mattel has tried to address repeatedly is that of privacy and online technology. Advances in technology have created special marketing issues for Mattel. The company recognizes that, because it markets to children, it must communicate with parents regarding its corporate marketing strategy. Mattel has taken steps to inform both children and adults about its philosophy regarding Internet-based marketing tools, such as the Hot Wheels website. This website contains a lengthy online privacy policy, part of which is excerpted below: Mattel, Inc. and its family of companies (â€Å"Mattel†) are committed to  protecting your online privacy when visiting a website operated by us. We do not collect and keep any personal information online from you unless you volunteer it and you are 13 or older. We also do not collect and keep personal information online from children under the age of 13 without consent of a parent or legal guardian, except in limited circumstances authorized by law and described in this policy. By assuring parents that their children’s privacy will be respected, Mattel demonstrates that it takes its responsibility of marketing to children seriously. EXPECTATIONS OF MATTEL’S BUSINESS PARTNERS Mattel, Inc. is also making a serious commitment to business ethics in its dealings with other industries. In late 1997, the company completed its first full ethics audit of each of its manufacturing sites as well as the facilities of its primary contractors. The audit revealed that the company was not using any child labor or forced labor, a problem plaguing other overseas manufacturers. However, several contractors were found to be in violation of Mattel’s safety and human rights standards and were asked to change their operations or risk losing Mattel’s business. The company now conducts an independent monitoring council audit in manufacturing facilities every three years. In an effort to continue its strong record on human rights and related ethical standards, Mattel instituted a code of conduct entitled Global Manufacturing Principles in 1997. One of these principles requires all Mattel-owned and contracted manufacturing facilities to favor business partners committed to ethical standards comparable with those of Mattel. Other principles relate to safety, wages, and adherence to local laws. Mattel’s audits and subsequent code of conduct were designed as preventative, not punitive measures. The company is dedicated to creating and encouraging responsible business practices throughout the world. 1 Mattel, Inc., Online Privacy Policy, http://www.hotwheels.com/privacy-policy (accessed August 23, 2011). Mattel also claims to be committed to its workforce. As one company consultant noted, â€Å"Mattel is committed to improving the skill level of workers [so that they] will experience increased opportunities and productivity.† This statement reflects Mattel’s concern for relationships between and with employees and business partners. The company’s code is a signal to potential partners, customers, and other stakeholders that Mattel has made a commitment to fostering and upholding ethical values. LEGAL AND ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES Mattel prefers to partner with businesses similarly committed to high ethical standards. At a minimum, partners must comply with the local and national laws of the countries in which they operate. In addition, all partners must respect the intellectual property of the company, and support Mattel in the protection of assets such as patents, trademarks, or copyrights. They are also responsible for product safety and quality, protecting the environment, customs, evaluation and monitoring, and compliance. Mattel’s business partners must have high standards for product safety and quality, adhering to practices that meet Mattel’s safety and quality standards. In recent years, however, safety standards have been seriously violated, which will be discussed in more detail later. Also, because of the global nature of Mattel’s business and its history of leadership in this area, the company insists that business partners strictly adhere to local and international customs laws. Partners must also comply with all import and export regulations. To assist in compliance with standards, Mattel insists that all manufacturing facilities provide the following: 1 Full access for on-site inspections by Mattel or parties designated by Mattel 2 Full access to those records that will enable Mattel to determine compliance with its principles 3 An annual statement of compliance with Mattel’s Global Manufacturing Principles, signed by an officer of the manufacturer or manufacturing facility2 With the creation of the Mattel Independent Monitoring Council (MIMCO), Mattel became the first global consumer products company to apply such a system to facilities and core contractors worldwide. The company seeks to maintain an independent monitoring system that provides checks and balances to help ensure that standards are met. If certain aspects of Mattel’s manufacturing Principles are not being met, Mattel will try to work with them to help them fix their problems. New partners will not be hired unless they meet Mattel’s standards. If corrective action is advised but not taken, Mattel will terminate its relationship with the partner in question. Overall, Mattel is committed to both business success and ethical standards, and it recognizes that it is part of a continuous improvement process. 2 â€Å"Mattel’s Commitment to Ethics,† eBusiness Ethics, http://www.e-businessethics.com/mattel9.htm (accessed August 23, 2011). MATTEL CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION Mattel takes its social responsibilities very seriously. Through the Mattel Children’s Foundation, established in 1978, the company promotes philanthropy and community involvement among its employees and makes charitable investments to better the lives of children in need. Funding priorities have included building a new Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), sustaining the Mattel Family Learning Program, and promoting giving among Mattel employees. In November 1998, Mattel donated a multiyear, $25 million gift to the UCLA Children’s Hospital. The gift was meant to support the existing hospital and provide for a new state-of-the-art facility. In honor of Mattel’s donation, the hospital was renamed Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. The Mattel Family Learning Program utilizes computer learning labs as a way to advance children’s basic skills. Now numbering more than eighty throughout the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, and Mexico, the labs offer software and technology designed to help children with special needs or limited English proficiency. Mattel employees are also encouraged to participate in a wide range of volunteer activities as part of â€Å"Mattel Volunteers: Happy to Help.† Employees serving on boards of local nonprofit organizations or helping with ongoing nonprofit programs are eligible to apply for volunteer grants supporting their organizations. Mattel employees contributing to higher education or to nonprofit organizations serving children in need are eligible to have their personal donations matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000 annually. INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING PRINCIPLES As a U.S.-based multinational company owning and operating facilities and contracting worldwide, Mattel’s Global Manufacturing Principles reflect not only its need to conduct manufacturing responsibly, but to respect the cultural, ethical, and philosophical differences of the countries in which it operates. These Principles set uniform standards across Mattel manufacturers and attempt to benefit both employees and consumers. Mattel’s Principles cover issues such as wages, work hours, child labor, forced labor, discrimination, freedom of association, and working conditions. Workers must be paid at least minimum wage or a wage that meets  local industry standards (whichever is greater). No one under the age of 16 or the local age limit (whichever is higher) may be allowed to work for Mattel facilities. Mattel refuses to work with facilities that use forced or prison labor, or to use these types of labor itself. Additionally, Mattel does not tolerate discrimination. The company states that an individual should be hired and employed based on his or her ability—not on individual characteristics or beliefs. Mattel recognizes all employees’ rights to choose to associate with organizations or associations without interference. Regarding working conditions, all Mattel facilities and its business partners must provide safe working environments for their employees. ISSUES WITH OVERSEAS MANUFACTURING Despite Mattel’s best efforts, not all overseas manufacturers have faithfully adhered to its high standards. Mattel has come under scrutiny over its sale of unsafe products. In September 2007, Mattel announced recalls of toys containing lead paint. The problem surfaced when a European retailer discovered lead paint on a toy. An estimated 10 million individual toys produced in China were affected. Mattel quickly stopped production at Lee Der, the company officially producing the recalled toys, after it was discovered that Lee Der had purchased lead-tainted paint to be used on the toys. Mattel blamed the fiasco on the manufacturers’ desire to save money in the face of increasing prices. â€Å"In the last three or five years, youve seen labor prices more than double, raw material prices double or triple,† CEO Eckert said in an interview, â€Å"and I think that theres a lot of pressure on guys that are working at the margin to try to save money. The situation began when Early Light Industrial Co., a subcontractor for Mattel owned by Hong Kong toy tycoon Choi Chee Ming, subcontracted the painting of parts of CARS toys to another China-based vendor. The vendor, named Hong Li Da, decided to source paint from a non-authorized third-party supplier—a violation of Mattel’s requirement to use paint supplied directly by Early Light. The products were found to contain â€Å"impermissible levels of lead.† On August 2, 2007, it was announced that another of Early Lights subcontractors, Lee Der Industrial Co., used the same lead paint found on Cars products. China immediately suspended the companys export license. Afterward, Mattel pinpointed three paint suppliers working for Lee Der—Dongxin, Zhongxin, and Mingdai. This paint was used by Lee Der to produce Mattels line of Fisher-Price products. It is said that Lee Der purchased the paint from Mingdai due to an intimate friendship between the two company’s owners. On August 11, 2007, Zhang Shuhong, operator of Lee Der, hung himself after paying his 5,000 staff members. Later that month, Mattel was forced to recall several more toys because of powerful magnets in the toys that could come loose and pose a choking hazard for young children. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other inside the child’s stomach, causing potentially fatal complications. Over 21 million Mattel toys were recalled in all, and parents filed several lawsuits claiming that these Mattel products harmed their children. At first, Mattel blamed Chinese subcontractors for the huge toys recalls, but the company later accepted a portion of the blame for its troubles, while maintaining that Chinese manufacturers were largely at fault. The Chinese view the situation quite differently. As reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency, the spokesman for Chinas General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine said, â€Å"Mattel should improve its product design and supervision over product quality. Chinese original equipment manufacturers were doing the job just as importers requested, and the toys conformed to the U.S. regulations and standards at the time of the production. Mattel also faced criticism from many of its consumers, who believed Mattel was denying culpability by placing much of the blame on China. Mattel was later awarded the 2007 â€Å"Bad Product† Award by Consumers International. How did this crisis occur under the watch of a company praised for its ethics and high safety standards? Although Mattel had investigated its contractors, it did not audit the entire supply chain, including subcontractors. These  oversights left room for these violations to occur. Mattel has also moved to enforce a rule that subcontractors cannot hire suppliers two or three tiers down. In a statement, Mattel says it has spent more than 50,000 hours investigating its vendors and testing its toys. Mattel also announced a three-point plan. This plan aims to tighten Mattel’s control of production, discover and prevent the unauthorized use of subcontractors, and test the products itself rather than depending on contractors. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT’S REACTION Chinese officials eventually did admit the government’s failure to properly protect the public. The Chinese government promised to tighten supervision of exported products, but effective supervision is challenging in such a large country that is so burdened with corruption. In January 2008, the Chinese government launched a four-month-long nationwide product quality campaign, offering intensive training courses to domestic toy manufacturers to help them brush up on their knowledge of international product standards and safety awareness. As a result of the crackdown, the State Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced that it had revoked the licenses of more than 600 Chinese toy makers. As of 2008, the State Administration for Commerce and Industry (SACI) released a report claiming that 87.5 percent of China’s newly manufactured toys met quality requirements. While this represents an improvement, the temptation to cut corners remains strong in a country that uses price, not quality, as its main competitive advantage. Where there is demand, there will be people trying to turn a quick profit. MATTEL VERSUS FORMER EMPLOYEE AND MGA In 2004, Mattel became embroiled in a bitter intellectual property rights battle with former employee Carter Bryant and MGA Entertainment Inc. over rights to MGA’s popular Bratz dolls. Carter Bryant, an on-again/off-again Mattel employee, designed the Bratz dolls and pitched them to MGA. A few months after the pitch, Bryant left  Mattel to work at MGA, which began producing Bratz in 2001. In 2002, Mattel launched an investigation into whether Bryant had designed the Bratz dolls while employed with Mattel. After two years of investigation, Mattel sued Bryant. A year later MGA fired off a suit of its own, claiming that Mattel was creating Barbies with looks similar to those of Bratz in an effort to eliminate the competition. Mattel answered by expanding its own suit to include MGA and its CEO, Isaac Larian. For decades, Barbie has reigned supreme on the doll market. However, Bratz dolls have given Barbie a run for her money. In 2005, four years after the brand’s debut, Bratz sales were at $2 billion. At the same time, Barbie was suffering from declining sales. In 2008 Barbie’s gross sales fell by 6 percent. Many analysts believe that Barbie has reached the maturity stage of its product life cycle. Four years after the initial suit was filed, Bryant settled with Mattel under an undisclosed set of terms. In July 2008, a jury deemed MGA and its CEO liable for what it termed â€Å"intentional interference† regarding Bryant’s contract with Mattel. In August 2008, Mattel received damages in the range of $100 million. Although Mattel first requested damages of $1.8 billion, the company is pleased with the principle behind the victory. In December 2008, Mattel appeared to win another victory when a California judge banned MGA from issuing or selling any more Bratz dolls. However, the tide soon turned on Mattel’s victory. In July 2010, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the ruling. Eventually, the case came down to whether Mattel owned Bryant’s ideas under the contract he had with the comapny. In April 2011, a California federal jury rejected Mattel’s claims to ownership. In another blow to Mattel, the jury also ruled that the company had stolen trade secrets from MGA. According to the allegations, Mattel employees used fake business cards to get into MGA showrooms during toy fairs. Mattel was ordered to pay $85 million in liabilities, plus an additional $225 million in damages and legal fees. MGA CEO Isaac Larian has  also announced that he will file an antitrust case against Mattel. Mattel continues to claim that Bryant violated his contract when he was working for the company . MATTEL LOOKS TOWARD THE FUTURE Like all major companies, Mattel has weathered its share of storms. The company has faced a series of difficult and potentially crippling challenges, including the recent verdict against the company in the Bratz lawsuit. During the wave of toy recalls, some analysts suggested that the company’s reputation was battered beyond repair. Mattel, however, has refused to go quietly. Although the company admits to poorly handling recent affairs, it is attempting to rectify its mistakes and to prevent future mistakes as well. With the economic future of the United States uncertain, Mattel may be in for slow growth for some time to come. Mattel is hard at work restoring goodwill and faith in its brands, even as it continues to be plagued with residual distrust over the lead paint scandal and its alleged theft of trade secrets. Reputations are hard won and easily lost, but Mattel appears to be steadfast in its commitment to restoring its reputation. QUESTIONS 1. Do manufacturers of products for children have special obligations to consumers and society? If so, what are these responsibilities? 2. How effective has Mattel been at encouraging ethical and legal conduct by its manufacturers? What changes and additions would you make to the company’s Global Manufacturing Principles? 3. To what extent is Mattel responsible for issues related to its production of toys in China? How might Mattel have avoided these issues? 9 Sources: Lisa Bannon and Carlta Vitzhum, â€Å"One-Toy-Fits-All: How Industry Learned to Love the Global Kid,† Wall Street Journal, Apr. 30, 2003, http://online.wsj.com. Adam Bryant, â€Å"Mattel CEO Jill Barad and a Toyshop That Doesn’t Forget to Play,† New York Times, Oct. 11, 1998. Bill Duryea, â€Å"Barbie-holics: They’re Devoted to the Doll,† St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 7, 1998. Rachel Engers, â€Å"Mattel Board Members Buy $30 Million in Stock: Insider Focus,† Bloomberg.com, Dec. 22, 2000. Mattel, Inc., Hot Wheels web site, http://www.hotwheels.com. â€Å"Independent Monitoring Council Completes Audits of Mattel Manufacturing Facilities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand,† Mattel, press release, Nov. 15, 2002, www.shareholder.com/mattel/news/20021115-95295.cfm. â€Å"Investors and Media,† â€Å"Mattel Children’s Foundation,† and â€Å"Mattel Independent Monitoring Council,† Mattel, http://www.mattel.com/about_us (all accessed Apr. 30, 2003). â€Å"Mattel and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Announce Voluntary Refund Program for Cabbage Patch Kids Snacktime Kids Dolls,† U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, Release No. 97-055, Jan. 6, 1997. â€Å"Mattel, Inc., Launches Global Code of Conduct Intended to Improve Workplace, Workers’ Standard of Living,† Canada NewsWire, Nov. 21, 1997. â€Å"Mattel, Inc., Online Privacy Policy,† Mattel http://www.hotwheels.com/policy.asp (accessed Apr. 30, 2003). 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The Notebook Essay Example for Free

The Notebook Essay The film The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama set along the coast line of South Carolina in 1946, directed by Nick Cassavetes. This film is an American love story between two young adults, Ally and Noah, which had fallen for each other over a short summer break and was torn apart due to financial differences that were looked down upon by Allys parents. Noah Calhoun, played by Ryan Gosling, is a rural southerner who had fought in world war two after his beloved Ally had left him after their summer romance had come to an abrupt end. This film is set from Noahs point of view many years later after their love had been rekindled while his Ally is in a nursing home suffering from onset Alzheimer’s which is to whom he is reading this love story too. The reason Noah and Allys summer love comes to an end is because Allys parents are these rich, essentially, stuck up people, who are only in Seabrook for summer vacation. To their dismay their daughter falls for this you man, Noah, who is just a commoner in town with not a dime to his name that they consider trash. This is why they pack themselves up with out a moments notice and leave town the next day. Upon Allys departure Noah writes Ally every day for a year, three hundred and sixty-five letters. Noah does not receive, not even one letter, back from Ally due to the fact that her mother takes every single letter that wrote and puts them aside so that Ally would not receive them. A while after Noah lists to be drafted for World War II where he loses his best friend in action. After returning home from war, to Noahs discovery, his father has sold their home to but an abandoned house in town. This was which was Noahs dream to restore this home for Ally; it was something they had talked about during that summer. After not seeing or hearing from Ally for several years Noah crosses paths with her in Charleston where she witnesses her kissing Lon, her current fiance, in a restaurant. Shattered by this seen this is Noahs drive to finish restoring the house, thinking that once Ally realizes what he has done she will come back to him. Amongst doing so with his father’s help, Noahs father passes, which gives him more drive to finish the home in order to bring back the one and only thing he feels he has left. Once finishing the house a picture of the home and Noah are photographed and place in the newspaper, Noah had tried selling the house but no offer was ever good enough when he thought about Ally. Ally is at a bridal shop when her mother shows her the paper where it had talked about her wedding being the biggest event of the year. It is then that Ally opens the paper and sees Noah standing next to the house when she faints. This is when Ally decides to leave and go back to Seabrook to see Noah and the gorgeous home he has restored, which is the seen I have chosen to analyze. Upon Allys arrival Noah is shocked; they spend a couple of days together making dinner enjoying each other’s company. Noah takes her out on the row boat to a place that is filled with these beautiful white birds that look like swans where Ally feeds them. On the way in it starts pouring rain they make it to the dock and Ally starts to run up to the dock to the house while Noah pulls the boat in and she stops and yells Why didnt you write me? It wasn’t over for me! Why didnt you write? Noah pauses, looks at her and says, I wrote you, three hundred and sixty-five letters. I wrote you every day for a year. Ally, You wrote me? Noah, It wasnt over for me either. It still isn’t over. Noah pulls her into kiss her and picks her up and carries her upstairs where they make love. Here I think the rain symbolizes and adds to the drama and emotion that the script is portraying. It allows the emotion to sink in a little deeper and reach the viewers down deep. Also being tha t this scene is outside in a rain storm, it’s gloomy and hazy. I believe that feelings adds to the confusion between Ally and Noah of her not knowing that Noah had written her and Noah not knowing that Ally had not received his letters. The setting allows you to sympathize for the misunderstanding more. This setting is taken as a full shot which allows you to view the landscape around Ally and Noah as well as their entire figure. It allows you to view their body language from a distance standing in the rain and how it affects their wardrobe. The quick close up as Noah pulls her in to kiss her as he picks her up allows the viewers to witness the emotion and passion that Noah and Ally have for one another. The next morning Allys mother shows up, once hearing she returned to Seabrook, she knew exactly where she would be able to find Ally. Her mother knocks on the door and asks Ally to come with her. She takes her to a factory where man is outside working and points to a man. She tells Ally that was her Noah so to speak when she was younger. She tells Ally’s that she knows how she feels because she loves her father but still has never forgotten or lost feelings for this man. She also tells Ally that this is her choice and that she will now respect any decision she makes but to make sure that the decision she makes is the one that will make her happy. They return back to the house and her mother hands her all of her letters and apologized for keeping them from her. She also advised her that Lon, her fiance, was in town. Noah sees all of her with the letters he wrote her several years ago and asks Ally what she is going to do. Ally states that she doesn’t know. Noah becomes frustrated because he is upset that they are back to that same place where their relationship is unknown after the few wonderful days that they have spent together. He tells Ally that she is scared of not having security, meaning money. Ally storms out to her car and says she has to go. Noah tells her Youre bored and you know it. If there wasnt something missing you wouldnt be here. Will you just stay with me? Ally, Why? Look at us we are already fighting. Noah, Thats what we do we fight. You tell me when I am being an asshole and I tell you when you are being a pain in the ass. Ally, So what? Noah, So its not going to be easy. Its going to be really hard; were going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me, everyday. † Noah tells asks here, Do something for me, just picture your life thirty, forty years from now. If its with him then go, go! I lost you once I think I can do it again if I thought it’s what you really wanted. But don’t you take the easy way out! For myself, I think the script has a lot to do with the way someone is going to react or feel about a film. In this scene, the script it so real and raw that everyone can relate to it and understand the emotion behind the feelings. The emotion behind the script is what engages the viewer to understand and keep them connected to want to watch the film and to continue being engaged. That is essentially one of the main ways of getting someone to connect with something, through emotion. Also in this scene they are outside but the camera view is focused on them, up close, personal. There is also not even a subtle back or outside noise which allows you to focus on the script. This scene also contains mostly an eye-level angle which puts the viewers on an equal footing with the Ally and Noah. This is one of the most commonly used angles in films to allow the viewers to feel more comfortable with the characters in the film. This setting being outside with Ally at her car wanting to leave after this romantic reconnection over the past two days I feel also adds drama, because the viewers at this point are not wanting Ally to leave Noah yet again. I believe that the techniques used in this film create such correlated cinematography. It allows you to create such a connection with the characters on such an emotional level. To do so and keep viewers connected and wanting more is what makes a good film. With these camera angles and shots, with the settings that they were in I feel were completed successfully and would not leave any viewer disconnected or un-oriented.

Impact of Information Architecture

Impact of Information Architecture In recent years, as the technology is changing to our society, people are more relying on Internet to find out the solutions for their everyday needs. As some instances, online shopping, learning, processing transactions, watching movies and making easy communications are usual activities today for most of the modern people. In between, there is no doubt about that government related issues are important for the residents or locals and foreigners of the country. There is no way to avoid those transactions if the person is visiting or living in a country and those transactions are also time consuming if try to process manually, for the reasons of travel time, waiting time and other unexpected matters (forgetting of important document and etc). So, governments try to provide the most of the transactions to be able to process via online partly for some of the transactions and some completely. But, there are some difficulties for the expect and the persons who are not familiar with internet so, it is really important to be user friendly and having simple layout in order to be able to use easily by both novice and expert user. In this paper, the studies regarding Information Architecture and Design required to consider when we are to going to develop a user-friendly and good-quality website. I chose the Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA) e-government website ww.ica.gov.sg and made justification the site according to my studies regarding information architecture and design concepts especially usability views. Literature Review There are many different views on information architecture with many different areas. Information architecture is the practice of structuring information (knowledge or data) which are structured according to their context in user interaction or larger databases. Rosenfeld expresses the basic concept of IA as the interlinking of three major components: users (who they are, what their information-seeking behaviors and needs are), content (metadata, volume, formats, structure, and organization), and context (business value, business model, culture, politics, resources and resource constraints). Most of the website are developed emphasize on the users requirements and goal. It is essential to consider the information architecture concepts in most of the website in order to let the user with usefulness, usability, efficiency and effectiveness when using the site. While designing the portal site, the first things to think about the target user and user groups and should consider what the user needs, what kind of task are user perform. Moreover, the mental/cognitive aspects should think such as attention (structuring information, use of alert mechanisms and colors,), memory (short-term memory, iconic memory, long-term memory), and the behavioral aspects such as information needs should be well thought-out to match with the usability concepts for the portal website. Furthermore, the interaction design are need to consider in order to let the site is attractive and well-designed especially navigation, search system. Case studies based on ICA website The Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA), e-government site, provides many services and functions including issuing of travel documents and identity cards to Singapore citizens and issuing various immigration passes and permits to foreigners. In this site, e-appointment, registration the IC online, applying the students pass for the foreign student via electronically and more services can be performed via this site. Figure-1 ICA website 1. Focus user group This ICA website targets different user groups such as citizens, permanent residents and visitors of the country (Singapore) and information are placed under the different user groups. 2. User Mental/ Cognitive Aspects 2.1 Perception and Attention In this site, the developer uses the alert mechanisms to grab reader attention for example; there is a flash image in the middle centre of the home page to be attractive to user. As information is presented with ample spaces, and text is legible and distinguishable from the background, so the website can be perceived easier by user. (According to the type of users, patterns are used with consistent text size and different colors to attract the users focus). 2.2 Memory Iconic memory In this portal, the images and icons are used in terms of improvement of iconic memory. Short term memory (working memory) mental processing Information is well categorized to support the user short-term memory. So, the user can emphasize on relevant information and do not need to confuse with non-related information. Long term memory knowledge The design supports the long term memory by the recognition of user with using consistent menus, navigation. 3. Interaction design 3.1 Navigation The navigation system is consistent and the global navigation system, persistent navigation, is provided in the whole transaction process. In figure-2, it helps the user navigate the site to find the areas of interest to them and shows users where they are within the site and how to get other page. Furthermore, local navigation uses the within a specific site section, for example, visitors service, entry visa, visit pass, students pass and birth pass. This portal support, breadcrumbs, horizontal list of labels which shows current site location and the path the user go through within this site, and helps user where on website they are and enable user to go back previous page throughout the hierarchical navigation. Breadcrumbs Contextual Navigation Local NavigationFigure-2 3.2 Search Figure -3 This site provides the powerful search feature for the user to find the information which is more desired information of the users. In figure-3, there is search box to find the information and also provide advanced search with the drop down list lets the user chooses within this site or within all government site. Choosing the latter option will help the user to be able to search among all of the Singapores government websites such as Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower. 3.3 Categorization In ICA site, there are different categorization for user group and the information and services are categorized for each user group. As an example, a permanent resident can find the related information and services under the category of Permanent Residents. 4. Suggestion for improving site Although the ICA website is nice and user-friendly, still there are some features and technologies to comment perfect. I believe the transactions will be more easier if the website support the user account control feature because a user will only need to fill in their personal information for very first time only and will be stored in the database and later the information will be retrieved when the user login and that data will be able to use for the transactions need. Getting updated is really important in the Information Technology. In addition, very latest technologies will not only help the web-site to be looked well but also provides the new and convenient features such as auto-complete function and real-time announcements. Moreover, the network navigation links which are useful other government sites links that may be related to this site should be support in this site. The features described above are not the vital features. However, it is really better to have those features than doesnt have. I believe that implementing those will make the web-site become more and more perfect. Conclusion In conclusion, the government related issues are essential for every country and the government and people turn into use the e-government website for processing their transaction vial online. In between, those websites should have usability and usefulness for both expect and novice user (e.g. ICA website). So, it should be aware to consider the information architecture in designing and developing the website. According to my literature review, I studied a case, ICA website, in the point of usability concepts especially users, the interaction design between user and the system. According to my studies, user can get more satisfaction when using this ICA website than going physically to ICA building and process the transactions manually. I realize that the website will be more usability, effectiveness and efficiency by focusing on my suggestion base on information architecture issues.

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Essay -- Ralph Ellison Invisible Ma

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison The goal of every person is to find their place in society. The journey itself is a hard one, but sometimes unforeseen obstacles make this journey nearly impossible. The book, The Invisible Man, takes us along the journey with a man that has no name. You may think that it is odd not to give the main character of a book a name, but if you think about it, what purpose does a name serve? Isn't is said that a man's actions speak louder than his words? In this story, the man's actions go hand in hand with his words, to make him desired by some, feared and hated by others. The journey begins with the man fighting for his very education. Earning a scholarship meant to physically destroy the competition. It showed that to get an education he had to act the exact opposite of an educated man. He had to rely upon his own primitive brutality to insure his education. He was then mocked by having to recite a speech he was to memorize, which showed the total disrespect the people who were giving the scholarship had for the future students. After getting into school, a simple job turned into an unforeseen disaster that would change his life forever. He was to chauffeur Mr. Norton, a founder of the college he attended. Mr. Norton was a well educated but very ignorant man. He felt that the college was doing all of the good that could be done. He had no idea of the evils that dwelled upon the grounds. Dr. Bledsoe, the head of the college, had arranged for Mr. Norton to go for a tour of the grounds, but didn't expect for him to see â€Å"everything† at the college. Mr. Norton asked to see some of the more unseen areas of the college, so the driver had to oblige him. Their they met a man with an incestuous past. Mr. Norton was dumb founded, he had no idea something like this could happen at his college. This just shows the many evils we come across in our lives that appear like shadows, taking us by total surprise. The phrase, â€Å"Out of sight, out of mind†, seems to hold great relevance. When you choose to ignore the bad things in life you become weak, and when they finally do hit you, you may never recover from the blow. The next destination they reach is the Golden Day, a hotel/brothel which exists because no one bothers to do anything about it. It's a symbol of what happens when problems are not kept in che... ... be a good trait, but it could get you into alot of trouble. A good example of this is how he trusted the Brotherhood to support him and his views. He was a strong character in the sense that through all of the hardships that he had faced throughout his journey he stuck with his ideas. The Invisible Man has many ties with reality in the sense that it shows how cruel and brutal life can be. Our main character worked hard to get into school only to have it taken away from him. The same happened to him when he got a job at the factory. The final and most devastating blow is dealt by the Brotherhood. They took him in as one of their own and made him feel welcome. The made it seem as though they were working for the same goals they he was. Only to betray him in the end and use him for their own misguided wants. This book is similar to the play Hamlet. Both of the main characters are strong yet naive. They both endure many tragedies. Although the ones in Hamlet are closely related to family, they both deceive the main characters to destroy their dreams. The main characters both fight back though, they defend their beliefs viciously never giving in to their enemies.

War and College :: essays research papers

War and College Many of the titles of Ernest Hemingway’s stories are ironic, and can be read on a number of different levels; Soldiers Home is no exception. The story is told of a young man, Harold Krebs, who recently returned form World War I, and has moved back into his parent’s house while he figures out what he to do with life. In reality he has no home, his parent’s middle-class lifestyle used to feel like home, but no longer does. This is actually not an uncommon scenario among young people, especially college students returning to the womb of their childhood again.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Krebs situation is more dramatic than those who have been released off to college. He has not only lived on his own, but been traumatized by life and death situations his parents couldn’t even begin to understand. Hemingway does not divulge why Krebs was the last person from his home town to return from war. Whenever he was in the intervening time, by the time, by the time he Watrous 2 gets home, the novelty of the returning soldiers have found a niche for themselves in the community, but Harold needs a bit longer to get his bearings. The problem has to do with Krebs definition of who he has become. He recognizes he has changed, and this change is played out dramatically against the backdrop of a town where nothing else has changed since high school. This short story is easy to relate to from the perspective of a college student. In relation to going back â€Å"home† is like dealing with all the drama that you endure through high school. It’s especially difficult for me, because my parents moved to another state, so part of my home is unnatural to me. Also the aspects of the same girls, his father still driving the same car and parking it in the same spot is all relative to my situation. There are many reasons for Krebs not being able to adjust to things back in Oklahoma. If you look at what he was doing before the war, you can distinguish the differences from going overseas. Prior to the war he was attending a Methodist school in Kansas and was not out of place then. Its almost symbolic that Hemingway chose Kansas of all places due to the famous saying from the Wizard of Oz â€Å"were not in Kansas anymore;† basically saying that war is like living in whole new world.

Arab-israeli Conflict Essay -- essays research papers fc

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted to divide the Middle Eastern land called Palestine into two independent nations, one Arab and one Jewish. On May 14, 1948, a new nation was born: Israel. The Jews of Israel and the world celebrated with joy and gladness, because for over two thousand years, they had hoped to return to the land of their heritage. (Silverman, 1) However with Jews from all around the world returning to Israel, the Arabs residing in this land were forced into exile. The rebirth of Israel marked the beginning of conflict, violence, and peace treaties between the Arabs and the Jews of the Middle East. Tensions between Jews and Arabs have been present since biblical times in the Middle East. In 132 AD, when Israel was under Roman rule, the Jews revolted and fought for independence. In 135 AD the Romans crushed the Jewish revolt and expelled nearly all of the Jews of Israel. The Romans then renamed Israel-Palestine, so as to remove any connection between the land and the Jewish people. (Tessler, 12) The Jews never forgot their homeland, and prayed three times a day to return to Israel and to the holy city of Jerusalem. In the 7th century, a new religion, Islam, arose in the Middle East. The Muslim Arabs conquered Palestine from the Byzantines and began to settle the land. They built the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem, where they believed Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven to receive parts of the Qur’an. (Goldschmidt, 46) During the early 1500’s, Palestine was captured and put under Turkish rule. During the First World War, the Turkish government placed severe restrictions on Jewish daily life, because the Turks believed that the Jews were plotting with their enemies. In December of 1917, the British army under the command of General Edmund Allenby defeated the Turks and captured Palestine. Four hundred years of Turkish rule had ended. Just six weeks before the annex of Turkey and Palestine, the Jews had learned of a British document called the Balfour Declaration. It was one of the most important documents ever written concerning the Holy Land. It announced th at the British government favored the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and would do all it could to make it happen. Meanwhile throughout the world, but especially in Europe, Jews were persecuted and murdered. In the ... ...b-Israeli conflict. Both sides feel that Israel/Palestine belongs to them. Since the United Nations partition of Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, there have been four major Arab-Israeli wars (1947-49, 1956, 1967, and 1973) and numerous intermittent battles. (Goldschmidt, 280) The Arabs still thirst for revenge, which is denied as the Israelis prevail once again. These issues still rage today and have fueled many armed conflicts between the two developing nations. WORKS CITED: Benvenisti, Meron. INTIMATE ENEMIES. Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land. United States of America: University Of California Press, 1995. Cozic, Charles, P. ISRAEL: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1994. Goldschmidt, Arthur, Jr. A concise History of the MIDDLE EAST. United States of America: Westview Press, 1999. Hiro, Dilip. Sharing The Promised Land: A Tale of Israelis and Palestinians. Canada: Olive Branch Press, 1999. Silverman, Maida. ISRAEL: The Founding Of A Modern Nation. New York, NY: Dial Books of Young Readers, 1998. Tessler, Mark. A HISTORY of the ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT. United States of America: Indiana University Press, 1994.

A Case Of Operation Management At Lotus Cars Commerce Essay

Operation direction is a portion of mundane life that includes the most general undertakings of modus operandi to proper sphere specific undertakings. In instance of companies confronting certain critical bottle cervixs in the smooth and efficient working of an organisation it is better to hold some proper tools to turn to the same. The paper tries to analyze how a company can travel approximately bettering its Operation Management.About the Company-Lotus CarsThe company under survey is Lotus Cars which is a British maker of athleticss and rushing autos. The company is based out of Norflock, England. The company is into doing autos of light weight features. The company has been recently seen negative growing and slack in its net incomes.IntroductionScheme is define as the concentration of a company into its nucleus competences ( by agencies of its hereafter program of action ) in order to derive competitory advantage.Strategy TypesThere are four stairss of scheme that are present in context of a house and its environment. The grade to which each will impact a company ‘s fight will change depending ( netmba, 2010 ) Industrial degree scheme These are the schemes at the degree of the industry like certain authorities related regulations and ordinances. Corporate degree scheme In this instance the scheme happens at the market degree whereby companies look at the overall market conditions and competitory intelligence. Business degree scheme Many organisations are mark with diverseness ( many concerns ) . These Business degree schemes is concern with designation of the markets by which each of the many concerns compete with each other and the size of competition involved. Functional degree scheme aˆ? A company competes in several markets and therefore each map needs to develop a scheme appropriate to each of these markets. Functional schemes concern puting in and developing the necessary capablenesss to convey this about. ( thinkingmanagers, 2010 )Functional Level Strategies within the Context of a FirmA company competes in a figure of market and therefore each undertaking needs to develop a scheme suited to all of these markets. Functional schemes concern invest in and lifting the indispensable capablenesss to transport this about. Functional scheme should be aimed at looking towards deriving a concern stableness section wise or concern units wise. ( 1000ventures.com, 2010 ) As it turns out the corporate scheme is the result of the functional scheme. Thus the former ca n't be achieved without the later as it is the functional scheme that binds the assorted constituents of the corporate scheme.Components of the schemes of a houseDefinition of Operations directionOperation s Management is one of the concern maps that oversee the procedure of planning, forming, co-ordaniting and commanding the procedure that are used in the production of the goods and services. It is one of the direction maps of the organisation and involves the direction of the people procedure, engineering and equipment and many other resources of the organisation. It is one of the nucleus maps of every organisation. ( managementhelp.org, 2010 ) The major function of the operations direction is to change over the inputs of the organisation into the goods and services as per the demands of the client. ( ocw.kfupm.edu.sa, 2010 ) These inputs may be in the signifier of resources ( work force ) , works installation, the procedure ( such as the equipment and machinery ) or in the signifier of stuff ( such as the information and the engineering knowhow ) . The consequences of these inputs are in the signifier of goods and services. The below figure explains the major function that the operations direction dramas. ( gyte.edu.tr, 2010 ) Performance Information feedback Customer feedback Examples of assorted operations direction maps are the motion of the passangers with their baggage from one finish to another and in infirmaries with its resources in the signifier of physicians, nurses, wardboys, operation theatre, etc for transforming a ill individual into a healtier individual. Thus is the the function of the operations direction to pull off and command all the resources of an organisation. Operations direction involves all the procedure from the design to the construct stage in the life rhythm of a merchandise or services. Thus it helps in the designing of the merchandise, make up one's minding on the resource that are required to carry through that design, the routing of the natural stuff, the agenda production of the occupation, decising on the procedure that is to be applied to do the merchandise, make up one's minding on the machinery, the tols and the fixture that are to be required, make up one's minding the layout of the works thereby takin a determination on the installation where the merchandise has to be made, direction of the stock list of all the degrees of the goods produced ( natural stuff ; , work in pogress and the finished goods ) , determination on the reviews and the certification of the good made. Thus in a manner the function of operations direction is to supervise and do certain that all the procedure of the company are adhered to while executing a undertaking. It is the client feedback and the public presentation information that are used as an input by the operation direction section to continually set its inputs thereby thrying to alter the end product as per the demands. Therefore the whole of this transmutation procedure in the operations direction is a really dynamic procedure. It is besides the function of the operation direction to add value to the good and services during the transmutation procedure. Value add-on is the procedure of increasing the overall value of the merchandise ( at the end product phase ) d uring the transmutation procedure. ( from the natural stuff to the merchandise ) Thus the greater the value that hjas been adde more if the productiveness of the organisation. Besides operations direction besides looks at bettering the efficiency of an administration. Efficiency for an administration is to carry through all the procedure good and at the most executable cost. ( scribd.com, 2010 )Model for reflecting Operations scheme issues in corporate determinationsCorporate AimsSelling SchemeHow to merchandises measure up and win orders in the market topographic pointOperation StrategyProcedure ChoiceOperationSchemeInfrastructureGrowthSurvivalNet incomeReturn on invested capitalOther fiscal stepsMerchandise markets and sections Scope Mix Volumes Standardization Vs customization Degree of Invention Leader Vs follower options Monetary value Quality conformity Delivery Speed Dependability Demand additions Color scope Merchandise scope Design Brand image Technical support After-sales support Choice of alternate procedures Tradeoffs embodied in the procedure pick Role of stock list in the procedure constellation Make or purchase Capacity Size timing location Function support Manufacturing planning and control systems Quality confidence and control Manufacturing systems technology Clerical processs Compensation understandings Work structuring Organizational constructionThe procedure for Operations ManagementThe stairss to associate operations to marketing with corporate scheme development are first by specifying the corporate aims. Then the links are required between aims of concern and corporate scheme. Link provides the base for set up clear, strategic manner for a industry and demonstrates all the strategic consciousness and strategic motive necessary to concern accomplishment. Link defines the limitations and symbols the parametric quantity next to which the assorted inputs could be calculated and dependability established. ( mitsloan.mit.edu, 2010 ) The 2nd measure is to find selling schemes to run into these aims and associating them closely to the in agreement corporate aims. The stairss are Market readying and pull off units should to be recognized. Analysis of merchandise markets place mark markets and O.K.ing aims for each The 3rd measure is to reexamine how dissimilar goods run into the standards in their single markets and win orders against rivals.Order Winners and QualifiersDetermining the Order Winners and Qualifiers for a peculiar market Qualifiers are those standard that a company must run into for a clients to even see it as a possible provider. Be every bit good as rivals. Order Winners are those standards that win the order.Basic Characteristics of the Order Winners and QualifiersGeneral statements about markets embody imprecise significances. A requirement for sound corporate scheme development ( that is, understanding by all on what markets the company is and should be in and the features of those markets ) is losing. Again Order victors and qualifiers are both market and clip specific. Usually Companies must separate the degree of importance for single standards for each market. Order victors and qualifiers and their comparative weightings will alter over clip. In the bulk cases, differences exist between the standards needed to maintain gettable clients and those wanted to add to market portion or derive possible clients. ( Stevenson, 2008 ) The following measure is to set up the appropriate procedure of Operations Management to fabricate these merchandises ( procedure pick )Quality as a strategic toolThe strategic significance of excellence excellence has emerge in conditions of strategic importance because of two incorporate factors: – The figures and capableness of new entrants into markets. Lee and Schniederjans ( 1994 ) province: The lone necessary chiropteran for fiscal laterality today and in the twenty-first century is merchandise or service excellence. Very good or category quality provides an company with the lone insurance that it can contend fruitfully whether it is American, European, or Nipponese. 2. The greater sum of pick that clients have Rivalry is fierce in today ‘s concern universe and merchandise quality is going progressively recognized as the first premier concern in many purchase decision. There are legion good publicized instances in which intense competition has been the alteration agent obliging companies to follow more advanced quality systems and entire quality direction to better merchandise quality.Tools of Operations Management that could be used at Lotus CarsThe assorted tools that are effectual in instance of Operations direction areWorld Class JITThe purpose is to extinguish waste such as record so that no has to pay anything for them and give a fast, consistent and stretchable answer to clients ‘ demands at least cost and with minimal dependance on stock list. Now the accent is on working together with providers so that together they can happen ways of enabling providers to fulfill your demands for frequent little batch bringings without the demand for extra stock list.Cardinal Elementss of JITExposing cardinal jobs and so seting them right one time for all, so that they do n't maintain repeating ( in contrast of merely in instance ) Endeavoring for simpleness, because simple procedures are less likely to do jobs and are easier to set right when they do travel incorrect. Reducing fabrication throughput times, efficaciously by utilizing cell fabrication and put up decrease techniques. Bettering supplier public presentation to halt stuff jobs interfering with your ability to fulfill your clients ‘ demand. Bettering quality, because short lead times and lower stocks mean that you no longer have the protection against things traveling incorrect that you have been used to in the yesteryear. Bettering labour flexibleness through cross-training, so that you can exchange people between undertakings to get by with the mundane ups and downs in clients ‘ demands ( Jay H. Heizer, 2001 )Cell ManufacturingIt is the procedure of grouping of fabrication installations into a production cell, in order to bring forth a household of parts which require a similar sequence of procedures. In this manner companies can cut the distance parts have to go during the fabrication procedure to an absolute lower limit.Attacking WasteThe assorted wastes that the company should be looking frontward to cut down are Waste from over production Waste of waiting clip Transportation waste Processing waste Inventory waste Waste of gesture Waste from production defectsReducing Lead TimessReducing lead clip every bit much as 50 % can be really easy. The key is to understand what is go oning, what takes the clip and what causes things to travel incorrect.Entire Quality Management ( TQM )TQM is based on the construct that all the stakeholders of an organisation should work together to accomplish continual betterment in the organisation ‘s civilization, service, procedure and merchandises The overall aim of TQM is client satisfaction through quality merchandises and services. This in bend will take to more demand for merchandises thereby diminishing monetary value and increase hostel growing both for the company and its employees Six basic constructs in TQM Engagement of the direction as the whole construct of TQM is based on continual betterment procedure which requires everybody ‘s engagement Customer centric focal point by listening to them and supplying them with the merchandises and services as per their demands. Engagement of the employment of the company by authorising them with determination doing procedure and delegating them with more duty Increase the quality of the merchandise and services by continual betterment of the procedure A strategic provider partnership based on common apprehension and regard Estimate the public presentation in order to analyse the consequencesBusiness Procedure ReengineeringIt is the agencies of re-engineering the assorted procedure that are being followed in the company thereby increasing the efficiency of the procedure, cut downing the cost and bettering the quality of its end product ( goods and services ) The whole construct of concern rhenium technology is based on inquiring some of the basic questions- ‘ Why are certain procedure in some peculiar manner? ‘ Operations direction is the key to follow the procedure of concern re-engineering in an organisation.Supply concatenation ManagementSupply concatenation direction is the procedure pull offing the flow of the information and the stuff to and from the provider of the natural stuff to the concluding client of the merchandise. The chief aim of the supply concatenation is to do the overall procedure in the organisation more efficient and full cogent evidenceProblems with Operations Managem ent in Lotus CarsThe major jobs with Operations direction are two creases Operationss Executives feel they must: Exercise accomplishment and experience in efficaciously get bying with the exacting and changing demands placed on operations direction Reconcile the trade -offs inherent in these demands as best they can Rarely do they see as an built-in portion of their function the demand to lend suitably to corporate determinations that will impact the demands on operations direction and its ability to supply the necessary market support. How Companies see Operations Management ‘s Contribution Companies besides usually reenforce operations executives ‘ accent on the short term operational facets of operations direction. Companies develop directors within operations direction. ( C. Donald J. Waters, 1999 ) At present Lotus Cars follows the procedure of production which is more based on the Numberss of the autos to be produced ( based on the demand ) . Its providers are required to provide the natural stuff based strictly on the production predictor. But the procedure is able to present merely a certain portion of the cargo of the units on clip.Recommendations for Lotus CarsThe few recommendations that the direction of a company can look into when finding their Operationss direction scheme arePlaningOperationss direction should be treated as a portion of an basic hierarchal concern planning construction which assures a tantrum between developed end and events and those of bigger companies.ProactivenessThe aptitude of a company to anticipate new procedures and engineerings and to set into pattern long term plan to obtain capableness in progress of demandsPattern of actionsThe experiential downpour of determinations or events of a company over a age of clip in 9 classs: capacity, installa tions, procedure engineering, perpendicular integrating, production planning and control, quality systems, organisation, work force, and new merchandise development.Portfolio of operations direction capablenesssThe portfolio of developed capablenesss reflects spirited strengths obsessed by the developed intent and their comparative significance. Generic fabrication capablenesss include: quality, cost, flexibleness, innovativeness and bringing public presentation.Plan of bettermentThe set of structured, time-phased, and evaluated actions which are implemented to better the fabrication capableness of the house. Examples include entire quality direction, group engineering, just-in-time, etc. Program typically involve wide worker engagementPerformance measuringThe systemic agencies by which operation direction is evaluate. Good quality public presentation dimension strategies are allied with strategic company ends so that public presentation which furthers those ends is methodically unbreakable. The recommendation for betterments in Operations Management as per the assorted procedure involved in Lotus Cars are The company can travel in for alternate fabricating units thereby run intoing the existent demand. This will once more assist in the addition in the efficiency and the effectivity of the single units of production. The company can besides look frontward to maintain a safety stock which should once more be about 20 % -50 % of the demand thereby cut downing its chance loss. But this might take to an increased stock list keeping cost. To get the better of this company can travel for the economic order measure based on the lead clip. Again the lower stock list degrees of the plastic polymers ( which have a batch of provider ) can counterbalance for the high cost of the other natural stuff involved in the production of the autos.Supply ChainIn instance of Lotus Cars the supply concatenation plays an of import function in doing its procedure more robust and efficient. Thus it requires proper informations and information flow across the assorted constituents of the value concatenation. This may assist Lotus Cars achieve a streamlined supply web. The major constituents of the supply concatenation in instance of Lotus Cars are its production section ( providers ) , the marketing/sales section ( internal ) and the distributers ( stop merchandises ) . The key to effectual supply concatenation is to organize a strong linkage between these constituents of the value concatenation. In today ‘s universe it should be remembered that it is non the companies that are viing any longer by the supply concatenation that is viing. Thus a good supply web would enable Lotus Cars to cut down the lead clip, cut down cost, and increase the bringing clip and quality of the merchandises. Lotus Cars can make off with its other activities and dressed ore merely on its nucleus competence which is production of Quality autos. The other activities such as distribution and logistics should be outsourced to companies that are specialist in the field. ( Krajewski, 2005 ) . The other option in the instance of the Lotus Cars is to accomplish forward integrating of its supply concatenation by coaction or unifying with its distributer.Tables showcase the suggested country of betterment for Lotus CarsQualityHow a company should see the procedure for effectual operations directionSituation at Lotus CarsQuality ManagementQuality is free It costs money to do quality Quality is controlled Quality is built inSQCQuality at the beginning is emphasized. Inspection at big Scoring, describing and measuring Credence sampling Statistical survey of fluctuations to understand causes Procedure controlTQCWorkers are on the topographic point problem taw Quality personal are responsible for quality jobsTQMPlaning oriented Control orientedStrategic quality directionFocused on broader systems, proactive to chances, large discoveries and little stairss Focused new merchandise development, reactive to jobs, large discoveries merely.Visually commandControl chart, poka-yoka Merely chartsPlant and equipmentHow a company should see the procedure for effectual operations directionSituation at Lotus CarsGroup TechnologyHighly used Loath to utilizeAutomationValued as it facilitates consistent quality Valued as it drives labour out of the merchandiseHouse Keeping5 ‘s ( Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seketsu and Shitsuke ) are used. Relatively untidy and disorganised work topographic point.DisplaiesLight shows to foreground problem topographic point. Not usedTPMPrevention outlook Preventive care Regular. M/c dislocation and tool failure must be eliminated. Corrective outlook Breakdown care Merely after failure. M/c break down is non serious because of stock listProduction SystemHow a company should see the procedure for effectual operations directionSituation at Lotus CarsManufacturing systemMake to order Kanban ( pull system ) Made to stock MRP ( push system )StandardizationCustomized end product Standardized end productSet upsLow set up clip High set up clipLayoutFlexible RigidMaterial Handling systemsFlow: usage of gravitation Less importantInventory SystemHow a company should see the procedure for effectual operations direction` Situation at Lotus CarsWaste decreaseInventory is an evil. It hides jobs that should be allowed to come up. Every attempt must be extended to minimise stock list. Inventory is an plus. It makes production turn overing along. It protects against prognosis mistake, machine interruption down, and late bringings.QueuesOnce in gesture, ever in gesture. Production should be merely in clip, No waiting lines of WIPs WIP are needed to be certain that machine use stays high.Lot SizesKeep cut downing the batch size. The smallest measure is desired for both manufactured and purchased parts. Keep revising the optimal batch size based on some expressionsBuyingHow a company should see the procedure for effectual operations direction Situation at Lotus CarsSmall batch buyinglittle LargeSupplier -buyer propinquityFrequent bringings Few bringingsSupplier choiceLong term Short termFew committed providersSingle beginning Multiple beginningComplimentary concernWork together to maximise the economic systems of carbon monoxide operation Reduce provider power, widen supply base, cut down purchaser power, widen client baseSupplier as interior decoratorLoose specifications, accent on public presentation Rigid specifications. Inventions are non encouragedMerchandise and PriceHow a company should see the procedure for effectual operations directionSituation at Lotus CarsMerchandise designInventions Imitations R & A ; D lacking: merchandise design depends upon what is available instead what the client demands Customer oriented merchandisePricing SchemeBelieve in long term additions, low borders ; sell high volumes at lower monetary value to do high net income. Strive for short term additions, sell at high monetary value to do high net income