Friday, November 29, 2019

Soyinka uses a variety of different forms of satire to exaggerate and mock the morals, which the rulers of Nigeria had in the early 1990s Essay Example For Students

Soyinka uses a variety of different forms of satire to exaggerate and mock the morals, which the rulers of Nigeria had in the early 1990s Essay Soyinka uses a variety of different forms of satire to exaggerate and mock the morals, which the rulers of Nigeria had in the early 1990s. This use of satire is consistent throughout the play, and is shown in different ways. Unnecessary violence, manipulation and self à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" interest are involved in the play; these morals are related to greed, power and ceasing opportunities. These morals are portrayed though the use of satirical techniques such as irony, exaggeration and unreasonable logic. The characters in the play also resemble the characters in the Shakespeares play, Macbeth. Unnecessary violence is used throughout the play, this violence mainly occurs amongst the rulers. Violence in this play can be questioned by morals because the violence is not justified. Much of the violence that occurs in the play is conducted to gain power. But power can be acquired in other forms instead of violence, but instead the leaders decide to use force. This violence occurs primarily because of the military rule they were under previous to Basha. We see that Basha has taken part in the killing of many leaders in the past, and this killing does not stop once he has becomes the king of Guatu. We will write a custom essay on Soyinka uses a variety of different forms of satire to exaggerate and mock the morals, which the rulers of Nigeria had in the early 1990s specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The theme of violence and unnecessary killing is shown through a number of satiric methods, exaggeration, unreasonable logic and the shift in perspectives of different people. Exaggeration is used in the play to point out the fact that the rulers will go to any extent to gain power. Basha says when he sees me eliminate them one after another and with ghastly tortures of first pulling out fingernails and sending him fingers and toes on birthdays of his children. He says this to Maariya after she has questioned him about Potipoos trust in him. This violence is not required and just exaggerates the brutality that goes through Bashas mind. Another scene that we see unnecessary is when Basha is trying to get bank representatives to give Basha an open cheque; the representative says that he does not have the authority to sign an open cheque. Basha says, I see. Shove this fool into open pit. Although Basha may not understand the position of the representatives, he still does not take the time to listen to their explanation, and instead answers will pure violence. This exaggerates the corruption and ignorance of the leaders during the early 1900s in Nigeria. Soyinka uses the satiric device of unreasonable logic through Basha in the play; this is to exaggerate the amount of fear and stupidity that the leaders of Nigeria had at the time. Basha says, I tell him you send me the note to get me to cause rebellion and unrest and I strangle you myself. I carry your dead body to cabinet meeting in my strong arms with tears dripping down my face and drenching my ribbons and medals and I say to Potipoo, look, I love my wife but I love my commander in chief moreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The supreme council break into standing ovation Previous to this, Maariya forged a letter to the Commander in Chief Potipoo. Basha uses unreasonable logic here to solve his current situation. Basha could have gone through with this plan if Maariya didnt explain to him what she was doing. This thought of violence is inappropriate for a leader, which shows the terrible quality of leadership that Guatu was under. Here, Basha is willing to sacrifice the life of his wife just so he wont be demoted. Manipulation is used in the play to show how easy it is for someone to take over the country. .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 , .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .postImageUrl , .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 , .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:hover , .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:visited , .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:active { border:0!important; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:active , .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578 .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf94600baae9c070f0d9fe2777a7de578:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne"s The Scarlet Letter EssayIn king Baabu, the people around him, mainly Maariya, are constantly dominating Basha. Manipulation is a factor that has to be considered when discussing morals; Maariya has a good opportunity to control the country through Basha. She does not care if Basha is hurt or harmed in the process, she simply wants control. Basha is being controlled and is used as a shield between Maariya and the citizens, which can be considered morally wrong. Exaggeration and irony have been used to show the manipulation through out the play. This use of manipulation can also be seen in Shakespeare play of Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth. She drives him towards the throne, sometimes against his own will. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan who was the king of Scotland; Macbeth as a result then becomes the king of Scotland. We can almost see a replica of this event in King Baabu when Maariya convinces Basha to drive Potipoo out of power. In both these plays we see a dominant female who gets into power through their spouse. If their plan fails then she would not be blamed for it, instead their spouse would. Maariya uses Basha as a shield to get into power, without taking the risk of paying the penalty. Exaggeration is used to show the ignorance of Basha in the play, it also shows the greed for power that people around Basha have. In Act 1 Scene 5, Basha is talking to the crowd and Tikim is telling Basha what to say because the crowd perceives Basha as another military ruler. Tikim says tell them Basha Bash is dead this is so that the crowd can understand that Basha will run the country as a democracy rather than a military rule. Basha says, What you say? I standing here before you and you tell me Basha Bash is dead? This irritates Tikim as Basha is so ignorant and cannot see that he is figuratively speaking. This shows the audience the type of leaders that Nigeria had at the time. Irony is commonly used in the play to show how Basha is being manipulated, and how he has no idea about what is happening around him. I agree to share the allocation for fertilizers with Potipoo. Fifty à ¢Ã¢â €š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" fifty we make deal. If this works, I can take back my fifty and keep the entire hundred. Basha says this to Maariya after she has fully explained the plan, which is to eliminate Potipoo. This is ironic because if the plan does work then it will be Maariya that will be taking the entire hundred as she is in control. In this situation Maariya has created a plan to drive Potipoo out of leadership, but if the plan fails then Maariya will not be taking the blame, it will be Basha that will be taking the blame. She uses Basha as a shield, and as he is stupid enough to follow the lead of Maariya, she will have no problems. Another occurrence where we see Maariya take control is when Basha is just about to talk to the citizens of Guatu. Maariya is dressed in full traditional attire and Basha is dressed in military gear. She says TK Tikim will you shut him up and get him to aspire to some dignity. This is ironic as Basha is the person that is supposes to be in charge, but Maariya is the one that is dressed more appropriate; this is to send a good image of herself to the citizens of Guatu. Form these scenes we can come to understand the mentality of the people who were supporting the leader, they all want to get into power by any means necessary. And because Basha doesnt understand what is going on, it leaves him very vulnerable to manipulation. .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 , .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .postImageUrl , .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 , .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:hover , .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:visited , .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:active { border:0!important; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:active , .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576 .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1807262063b29e051b4e50f158809576:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Elizabeth Proctor EssayBasha is very materialistic, and this is obvious in the play. He says, What this dry chest know about war chest? he is referring to Maaryias breasts, and explaining to Tikim and Maaryia that she is no longer attractive. And that he wants to have many wives like King David and King Solomon. This conversation is also ironic, as Maaryia probably understands more about the war chest than Basha. She understands the value that the war chest contains and knows how to use it to the countries advantage instead of using it for personal pleasure. The plays show the level of selfishness that the leaders had, and it is exaggerated in King Baabu. In many occasions Basha talks about how he is hungry after a significant event has occurred. Basha says time not to stop this nuisance of rumbling stomach. This is after he has thrown two bank representatives into the pit. The fact that Basha says this after the event shows us what he has been thinking during his conversations with these bank representatives. By doing this Soyinka makes the audience understand the priorities of the leaders at the time, in a humorous way. Another instance where we see the selfishness of Basha is when he takes the rhinoceros horn and grinds it into powder. The rhinoceros horn could have been sold as ivory, but instead he grinds it up, and uses it as Viagra. Maaryia says we need the foreign exchange but you keep grinding them to powder to give yourself cheap erection. Here he priorities his own pleasure over the countries financial problems. Maariya says you dont become great by mixing sex with power, and in the end this rhinoceros powder kills him as it is poisoned. This just proves Maariyas statement to be true. These satiric techniques are what highlight the morals of the play, it sends out the morals to the audience in a comical way. The use of satire gives the audience a clear understanding of what was happening in Nigeria in the early 1990s. Presenting the scenes in a comical way will allow the audience to truly understand what was happening from a primary source, Soyinka. Morals in this play are an important part, as the play has to convey the message of what was happening, such as the unnecessary violence, death, corruption and greed.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Women During the Great Depression essays

Women During the Great Depression essays The 1920s was a time of optimism and energy, with a booming American economy that showed no signs of slowing, and no one realized that it was a bubble about to burst. The stock market crash came on "Black Tuesday," October 29, 1929, when panicking investors sold an unprecedented 16.4 million shares of stock. The collapse touched every part of the economy. Factories closed. Businesses failed. Five thousand banks collapsed, wiping out the life savings of 9 million families. Many lost their homes. One in every three workers was either unemployed or on short hours and reduced wages. "While crops rotted in the fields...people starved in the cities. People wore threadbare clothing, while bales of cotton stood unsold. Thousands of shoe workers were laid off, while people walked the streets in cardboard shoes." Elected president in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt restored some hope and confidence in people. But despite his efforts to revive the economy through the New Deal, the Great Depress ion continued year after year. Only the mobilization of resources because of World War II pulled the United States out of its slump, and the economy finally regained its 1929 levels in 1941. But the Great Depression would never be forgotten by those who witnessed it, those who lived through such hard times. With reduced wages and irregular employment, many families could no longer earn enough money having only their husbands working. Increasingly, women had to work outside their homes to help support their families. In 1930 about a quarter of the female population was in the labor force and the number of married women working increased by 52 percent in the 1930s. In general, women workers were paid low wages and had to work very long hours. The public was very hostile to female workers, especially married ones. Many rejected the idea of women working because they believed that women took away jobs from men and that a woman's place w ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Operations Management, ABC & Co Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operations Management, ABC & Co - Case Study Example They were expecting a vehicle of standard quality. When the first manufactured vehicle came into the market, customers were informed through a massive advertisement through television, newspapers and magazines and it made a great business. After launch of the 1st manufactured car, the company decided to introduce new models of the car every year by making amendments in form of colors, gears, wheels, design of wheels, head lights, improved quality of the silencer, etc. the company did not feel any need to make a heavy advertisement of these changes but an advertisement in few magazines. The reason behind this policy was the trust of the customers who they have gained through their performance. Moreover there was not so much important changed model of the car that it should be advertised at large scale. The company is committed to the quality products and quality services. The company emphasizes over the safety of environment and surroundings. The plants of the company have been established according to the modern technology to recycle the waste and prohibition of smoke and chemicals to the environment. The vehicles sold by the company contains slogan of environment safety as well the manuals of the vehicles contain directions for provision from environmental pollution. The customers of the company are spread all over the world as the company started its services by importing the cars from different regions of the world for different regions. Mainly the customers of the company fall into two categories: 1- The customers buying the imported vehicles. 2- The customers purchasing the company's own vehicles The customers of 1st category are the older clients who purchasing the vehicles of any kind from the company. They never switch towards the other companies in seek of different vehicles as they order their required vehicles through theior orders. They can be categorized as loyal customers. The company focuses to sustain them as loyal customers are much important for any company. They bring more customers for the company as well they describe their demands and suggest beneficial recommendations for the company. The second category customers are temporary purchasing vehicles. They are attracted by new models and low prices. But they can switch to other companies as ell for bargain. The company is trying to gain their trust at such level that they also fall in the category of loyal customers. CHALLENGES: The company has been facing many challenges in the past. The management has been dealing with these challenges very well. The current challenges faced by the company are: to provide services in 5 more countries to manufacture two wheel vehicles for developing regions of the world to provide their

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Everythings a arguement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Everythings a arguement - Essay Example Let me put some logic into your puny gullible minds. First, what is ugly? To make the definition easier for your brains, ugly means â€Å"not pleasant to look at1†. If these stepmothers are actually as ugly as their creators (Hans Christian Andersen and Brothers Grimm are definitely no GQ models2), rich men would never decide to marry them. Rich? Yes. The stepmothers are supposedly after your heroines inheritance, right? Attractive? They must be, or they would never be called â€Å"beauties† worth of royal attention. All these facts just push my point further3. Get real! Do you really believe that Prince Charles during his younger years would marry somebody like Susan Boyle4 --- a poor, hideous nobody? Yea, Prince Charles is not an eye-candy5, but instead of this he is f---ing rich. Second, what is evil? It is quite elementary, Watson6! Evil is the opposite of good. Then so, what is good? Heroes and heroines are good. Yea, I agree to a certain extent (Robin Hood, or anyone else?7). So, thank you for helping me arrive at my point that if heroines are good, they must be known for doing good deeds to people. What exactly did Snow White, Cinderella, and the rest of these women did to be called heroines? All of them are melanin-deprived. Let us take Snow White as an example. She lacks courage. Escaping the huntsman is out of the mans kindness and not out of Snow Whites fighting skills. She even broke into the house of the seven little men who were all taken by her beauty. Sure, she offered her domestic services in exchange for a place to stay. And what about her almost getting killed by poison because of her moronic trust on an ugly stranger who gave her a fruit? This has nothing in common with heroism. Well, she survived several attempts at her life. She had to survive from pure luck and from the perversion of the handsome lord who happened to pass by and used a chance to dmonstrate his necrophilia8. What about Cinderella? Her dissatisfaction

Monday, November 18, 2019

Cultural Relativity and Exploring Global Gender Ideals Essay

Cultural Relativity and Exploring Global Gender Ideals - Essay Example Apart from the primary data I collected as an interviewer myself, the essay also contains some secondary research that espouses the notion that gender varies from culture to culture. For my interview, I contacted a Pakistani woman, Fareedah, who lived in my friend’s neighborhood; I felt that because she was from a different country than mine, she could offer me a chance to compare and contrast how men and women behave in our own societies. According to Fareedah, â€Å"it is the job of the men to support the family, the women are supposed to value their household chores and domestic responsibilities over everything else. I know many women who have had to give up their jobs after they got married and had babies.† Whereas in Pakistan society apparently it is not seen as appropriate for women to work, in other societies women are expected and often encouraged to join the work sector. For instance in Taiwan, because of â€Å"expanding demand for women’s labor, female labor force participation rates in Taiwan climbed from 32.6% in 1966 to 46.1% in 2001,† (Hu & Kamo, 105). Also, what immediately came to my mind when Fareedah stated that women are not expected to join the workforce in her society, was World War II when women in Britain were asked to join arms and ammunitions factories, and drive agricultural machinery. Fareedah also claimed that â€Å"I think women are just naturally inclined towards looking after the children and doing housework,† and also â€Å"men are made by nature to be more concerned about everyone around them, like a big lion who has to protect his pride! You should see the men from our North West Frontier Province, they are like kings, ruling and taking responsibility of their own little settlements.† ... naturally inclined towards looking after the children and doing housework,† and also â€Å"men are made by nature to be more concerned about everyone around them, like a big lion who has to protect his pride! You should see the men from our North West Frontier Province, they are like kings, ruling and taking responsibility of their own little settlements.† This echoes with what Ortner and Whitetaker claim about life in non-Western societies; â€Å"women are seen as tending toward more involvement with private and particularistic concerns, benefitting themselves and perhaps their children, without a regard for larger social consequences, whereas men are seen as having a more universalistic orientation, as being concerned with the welfare of the social whole,† (Ortner and Whitehead,7). Fareedah also said â€Å"my own daughter has a job in America; she is working as a teacher. She is very happy. But were we back at home, I would have been scolded for allowing my dau ghter to work, and she would also be reprimanded.† Questioning Fareedah about the attitudes towards relatives in her society, she said â€Å"I think people are very close to one another, and all the sisters, brothers, cousins, uncles, grandparents etc. are connected to one another in such a way that they all exert influence on each other.† She also said that â€Å"there is no way you can do something without seeking the advice or permission of your relatives, there is nothing you can do that your family cannot find out. So well-knit and integrated the society is!† Kamo and Hu claim that â€Å"like in many East Asian societies, the extended family is a preferred arraignment in Taiwan,† and that â€Å"73% of them (respondents aged 65 or older) actually lived that way,† (Hu & Kamo, 107). Asking Fareedah about her

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Competitive Forces And Value Chain Models Information Technology Essay

Competitive Forces And Value Chain Models Information Technology Essay In order for a company to survive in its area of business it must be superior compared to its competitors and therefore strive for competitive advantage. According to Bocij et al (2006 pg 57) competitive advantage is when a organisation or business strives to be the market leader in the area they offer their business or service. Competitive advantage can be achieved by a organisation in a variety of ways such as implementing some of the following techniques; restructuring the business, processes to reduce overheads, offer extra services to existing customers as well as looking for new customers and always looking at the changes in the internal and external environment and respond to changes that may affect the businesses profitability. By implementing some of these techniques this will allow the organisation to increase its profitability and increase its market share. For a company to be achieving competitive advantage the organisation can be analysed in two ways. These two ways are Porters Five Forces and The Value Chain Model. Both of these analysis techniques look at different aspects of the business. In this case Panasonic will be analysed using both of these techniques. According to Laudon and Laudon (2005 pg 102) Michael Porter developed the five forces in 1979. Michael Porter says there are five forces that influence the competitive advantage of a firm. The five forces that that Michael Porter has come up with looks at what influence the external environment (macro environment) has a affect on the internal environment (micro environment). These are the five forces that Michael Porter came up with: Traditional competitors every business has a share in the market they specialise in. with this share of the market the organisation develops their brand and identity and devise new ways of offering extra services that other businesses in their market do not offer. This will attract new customers so and the extra cost of this will be past on to existing customers. New market entrants this is when a organisation or a individual person is able to set up and offer a service or product that will have a large customer base that is able generate profitability for offering a service or product. Substitute products these are alternative products that are available on the market that people may be inclined to use as these products are cheaper compared to others. Customers a organisations profitability is determined how it keeps hold of existing customers and how it attracts new customers. The customer holds the key power of determining how successful a organisation is as customers can easily switch to another brand if the current organisation does not match or beat the price of the product or service they are receiving. Suppliers the supplier has a big impact on how the end product is marketed as the organisation is able to offer its product to the end customer at a competitive price compared to its rivals. So if a organisation has more than one supplier the organisation can have more control over the pricing of the product, replenishment and availability. Above: shows Porters Five forces that affect the stability of a organisation and what are responsible for any actions that may be taken to keep the organisation at a competitive advantage and keep it in profitability. The five forces are Traditional rivals , Customers , Suppliers , New market entrants and Substitute products. (Essentials of Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2005 pg 103) Value Chain Model Laudon and Laudon (1995 pg 53) the Value Chain Model was developed by Michael Porter in 1985. The Value Chain Model highlights specific activities within the business where competitive strategies can be applied and where information systems are likely to have a strategic impact. The Value Chain Model identifies precise, critical leverage points where a organisation can use information technology most effectively to increase its competitive advantage within its market share. The increase in the market share will allow the organisation to become more profitable, reduce operating costs and improve communication within the organisation internally and externally. The Value Chain Models looks at a organisation as basic set of chain activities that add a margin of value to a firms products or services. These activities are categorised in to two activities. These activities are known as Primary and support activities. Primary activities Laudon and Laudon (1995 pg 54) says the primary activities of a organisation are related to the production and distribution of the final product or service that a organisation provides. Primary activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and service. Inbound logistics includes the receiving and storing of materials ready to distribute to the appropriate department for the end product to be mage. Operations create to the materials in to the final product. Once the product has been created outbound logistics distributes the made products to the correct sorting point. Once the product has been sorted and stored sales and marketing promote the organisations products and sell them when they receive orders for them. The service activity makes sure that the organisations products are repaired (when needed) and are maintained to make sure any future problems (if any) cause the minimal amount of disruption. Support activities Laudon and Laudon (1995 pg 54) to make sure that the Primary actives are delivered to the highest standard support activities are in place to make sure the infrastructure is functioning. Support activities include administration and management, human resources, technology and procurement. Administration and management is in charge of how the organisation functions on a day to day basis and is in charge of how the organisation is structured. Human resources take care of the welfare and benefits of the employees within the organisation in terms hiring, training and retaining its employees. Technology allows the organisation to improve the production of goods and procurement supports by purchasing inputs. Above: shows Porters Value Chain showing the primary and secondary activities of a organisation and which department adds value to the organisation.(Essentials of Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2005 pg 96) Porters Five forces: Panasonic analysis Traditional competitors Since Panasonic was founded in 1918 it has steadily become the largest Japanese electronics maker. Panasonic owner Konosuke Matsushita first started the company selling lamps for bicycles and then diverse to sell other electronic products. Later in 1961 after being rebranded under different names the Panasonic brand was formed in 1961 when it started the produce televisions (TVs ) for the American market. From than it has become one of the most competitive and leading companies for research and development in the electronic sector. As the competiveness in the electronic sector is so reliant on technology it is important for a organizations to innovate new ideas in to products. Panasonic is based in North America, Asia and Europe. As mentioned before Panasonic has found success on the TV industry. The global sales figures for Plasma TV s show that Panasonic ( 40.7%) is the leading supplier in terms of shipping volume around the world closely followed by Samsun g on (33.7%), LG on (23.3 %) and other brands accommodated for the (2%). (HDV TEST ,2011) New market entrants There is no threat of any other brand entering the market and become dominant. This is due to the barrier entry system of some one entering the market with a product or service. These two barriers are known as high barrier and low barrier entry products / services. High barrier service / products is for high end products or services for example if somebody wanted to open a new bank the interested party will have to go through tough regulation and be approved and regulated by a outside firm for example FSA to make sure they are operating within the guidelines set by the government. The other barrier is known as low entry barrier markets. This entry barrier is for a low entry product or service. A example of this is if somebody wanted to open a corner shop little government regulation is needed and there is little set up costs. Along with the barrier entry system the new entrant must have the technology know how that will allow them to develop their products furthe r. Substitute products The threat from substitute products is fairly low as people are more inclined to use brands that they are familiar with so if they wanted to switch brands for a alternative cheap brand the costs are low but they can be high if they wanted to switch to a much alternative brand such as Sony which is generally seen more expensive. Technology can also be a factor for example now people can watch TV on mobile phones and laptops. Another example is when Sony In 2005 Panasonic has reacted well to change and development in technology this was seen when Sony, Panasonic and Philips launched Bluray technology against the HD DVDs that were launched by Toshiba, Microsoft and Hitachi. Much of the success of the format was dependent on which retailers favoured and marketed products their products. Customers Panasonic is a international brand and is recognisable all over the world. It has posted respectable results. In 2010 Panasonic posted the following sales Japan 54% Asia 23% , North America 12 % and Europe 11% .(These figures accommodate for Panasonic products only). As technology evolves Panasonic has kept up with the pace for example 3D films produced by Hollywood such as Avatar has enabled Panasonic to develop their 3D LCD TV that enabled them to obtain (50.5%) of the market share from 230,000 units sold all around the world. Samsung came second with a 3D market share of 41.7%, followed by LG with less than 10% at the end of 2010.(HDV TEST ,2011)Panasonic has ensured that the end customer is able to understand the end product having a strong relationship with its retailing outlets that sell its products. This is very important because loyal customers that use and buy the Panasonic brand and do not switch to a alternative brand. Consumer demand for electric products is b roken in to two segments. People who will have a more disposable income will go for products with good quality such as high definition and wide screen plasma technology and people who do not have a less disposable tend to stick with less expensive products that are easier to use. Suppliers Panasonic has a intimate relationship with its suppliers. This is due to how the business structure is set up and operates. The Panasonic brand is under the brand of the parent company called Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd under this band there are another 15 subsidiary companies for example SANYO and Technics that specialise in their own department. With each company specialising in their own department Panasonic understands what they can offer to the new product that is being developed. Value Chain model: Panasonic analysis Primary activities / support activities As the Panasonic brand comes under the parent company of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd, when it became a global company it had a decentralized strategy as none of the offices outside of Japan had a centralized database that they could retrieve information from. Altogether Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd had set up 13 major labs in foreign countries -in the US, three in Asia and three in Europe. Many of these labs were established to modify and customize products for the local markets. They also took advantage of locally available technological information and skilled personnel so only catered for the country they operated in instead as a company as a whole. Components that were to be manufactured and used in Panasonic products are internally outsourced to the other brands it owns so the relationship between all of its suppliers is strong. This relationship is also important as Panasonic as a company can relay on that the components needed to make its products are of t he highest standard and there are minimal chance of defects within its products and it a defect occurs they can locate the problem quickly and solve the problem causing minimal negativity about the products. The distributors who sell Panasonic are well educated and informed by Panasonic to make sure that their product stands out when the end customer is purchasing the end product. Provide a critical analysis of how Panasonics information management problems affect its business performance and ability to execute its strategy. Panasonics information problems affected its business performance and ability to execute its strategy. Panasonic was enjoying the number of successes factors however this success did not take in to the account on what Panasonic was spending on its administration costs. A information system would have allowed Panasonic to access and centralize its information so it could be easily retrieved when needed. A information System (IS) is defined by Avison and Fitzgerald (2003 pg 20)is when a organisation collects and stores key business processes on a single database and saved on a computer network and information can be accessed and data can be manipulated to create a series of reports and queries. This usually helps a organisation when it spreads its business dealings around the globe and therefore trades on a international platform which allows the organisation to expand in new markets which in turn will increase the profitability of the company. This is known by the term of Globalisation. (Avison and Fitzgerald 2003 pg 8). This is seen when Panasonic expanded its operations throughout Europe, Asia and North America. This included 15 subsidiaries, 14 manufacturing facilities, and five research and development centres, and seven administrative offices. A Management Information System (MIS) was also needed as this would have combined different sectors of the business and will help it to make different decisions at different levels. A typical system has four processes that work on three levels and have certain characteristics an is used by the appropriate level of management. They only see the data that may affect their area of the organisation they are looking at. A Executive Support Systems (ESS) produces reports and responses to queries a Decision Support Systems (DSS) helps the organisation to make decisions on important decisions that the organisation may face these two systems are used by senior management, a Management Information Systems (MIS) allows the organisation to access past records and view current performance of the organisation this will allow the organisation to find any trends or patterns to make any decisions these decisions are made by middle management and a Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) records transac tions and events these records are seen by operational management. ( Laudon and Laudon 2004 , pg 53) As Panasonic was also experiencing problems managing its data efficiently as product and customer data was inconsistent, duplicate, or incomplete. Different segments of Panasonic used their own data management operations that were isolated or different from other locations within the company. Panasonic also had problems when it launched a new product as each product included photos, product specifications and descriptions, manuals, pricing data and point of sale marketing information. When this information was sent out to the various locations each location adapted this information for the region and country they resided in. this resulted in problems when Panasonic launched a product globally as information about the product had to be condensed to a common set of data for launching the product globally. This problem delayed the launch of new products so competitors seized upon this opportunity to seize infiltrate in to markets did not reach in its first phase of the launch. Analyse the management, organisation, and technology factors that were responsible for the problems identified in the previous question. A IS system is just more than inputting and outputting business processes to consolidate information together. From a business point of view a IS system also looks at other environmental factors within the organisation. From a business perspective a IS system is a organisational and management solution based on information technology to a challenge based on the environment it is in. to understand how a organisation operates and what obstacles it may face a manager must understand the environment it is in a organisation is much more than computers it also has to understand the broader organisation, management and information technology. Above: a diagram showing that information systems are more than just computers. Using Information Systems effectively requires and understanding of the organisation, management and technology. (Essentials of Management Information Systems, Laudon and Laudon 1995 pg 9) Organisation IS systems are a major part of a organisation structure and without this they may not able to exist at all for example a credit reporting firm without this system they will not be able to operate at all. The major elements of a organisation are its people, structure and operating procedures, politics and culture. Formal and large organisations are different as they are divided in to hierarchal structure. This structure is a pyramidal structure with management being at the top middle management in the middle and operational staff at the bottom. There are different types of employees within a organisation and work at different levels. Knowledge workers are people such as engineers and architects who innovate ideas for the organisation. These people work at the top of the organisation, data workers such as secretaries and bookkeepers who work with the middle management and at the bottom level are the production or service workers who work on providing the service or creating the final product. (Laudon and Laudon 1995 , pg 9) Management Managers are responsible for innovating new ideas so that the organisation is always developing new products or delivering new service. The three type of managers are senior management who are responsible for making long term decisions, middle management who are responsible for helping the senior management to make these decisions and operational management to take of day to day running of the organisation and tackle any short term problems. (Laudon and Laudon 1995 , pg 9) Technology IS systems are one of the tools that a organisation uses to deal with change and more importantly it holds the organisation together. This is done through a number of different technologies such as computer hardware that enables the organisation to input, out put and process information throughout the organisation. A example of computer hardware is monitors, keyboards and printers. Computer software is a sequenced programming instruction that allows the hardware to function. Storage technology allows the data to be stored and can be transferred between computers a example of storage technology is disks, tapes and pen drives. Telecommunication technology allows all of the physical hardware to connect together. This also includes out put components such as printers. This allows programs and information to be accessed anywhere within the organisation. (Laudon and Laudon 1995 , pg 9) As Panasonic was not managing its data within the organisation properly. This is shown when the different divisions of Panasonic (Europe, North America and Asia) did not share a single platform as they should have because of the size of the company and the different countries and time zones they were in for example they had inconsistent data on its products and customers. This problem in turn affected the culture of the organisation as each office in each time zone were not working towards the same goal and objective set out by Panasonic instead they were totally focused on their own region on a product launch instead. this resulted in a decrease in operational efficiency and higher costs from the company. This shows that Panasonic did not have any control over the data it possessed and therefore was useless possessing this data as it was not in any logical order to use. The management of Panasonic had changed the CEO in 2006 to a person called Fumio Otstubo. In 2006 Panasonic was operating margin was only 5% and the goal for 2010 was 10%, in the industry where consumers expect the price of new technology to decrease over time. It was impossible to expect to increase profit margin by increasing prices, instead there was a need to reduce costs and increasing sales. To achieve this target he decided on the strategy was reducing the cost and increasing sales. To solve the problem Panasonic decided to collect their data pursue a single vision of truth. This information gathered came through a variety of formats for example fax machines, mail, e-mails and phone calls. How ever using this system also had a risk of inaccuracies and inefficacies. Evaluate how the master data management address these problems and discuss the effectiveness of this solution. Panasonic decided to change the strategy of how it obtained its data from within the company. The strategy that Panasonic was using was the pull model and replace it with a push strategy. These models differ in how data is obtained and affects how a organisation is run. The push model is also known as the build to stock model. In the push model production within the organisation is based on forecast sales it has made. The forecast are guesses and demands for the actual product or service that the organisation is going to provide. (Bocij p et al 2006, pg 170) Above: a diagram showing the push model. Note that the suppliers production is based forecasts throughout the chain except from manufacturer pulls from the supplier. . This goes from the supplier, manufacturer, distributor and retailer. (Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2006 pg 366) , The pull model is also known as the demand driven model or made to order model. A actual product or service is only manufactured once a ordered. The main difference between both of the models is a organisation only makes what they sell, not what they make. (Bocij p et al 2006, pg 170) Above: a diagram showing the pull model. Note that each process is pulled from the customer through each process to the supplier. A product is only made when a customer orders the product to reduce costs in wastage.(Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2006 pg 367) When Panasonic implemented a push model to replace a pull model to interpret and sort data as previously when employees in marketing looked for specific information they had to look in many different locations. Using the push model allowed Panasonic to create a centralized data bank then this sends the requested information to employees in marketing and sales immediately and constantly. Retail partners such as Wal-Mart who are recipients of the data can view the data at all phases of a product rollout. Therefore, specific employees can have better visibility of their products and services. The outcome of this push model is that customers are less likely to become confused while researching Panasonic products. Panasonics Europes data management was upgraded with master-data-management (MDM) software and this was provided from IBMs Web Sphere line. The software enabled Panasonic Europe to gain better control of their data and better streamline the business process. The MDM implementation included the business process analysis, data assessment, data cleansing, and a master data service layer. The MDM allows employees with access to view the companys data and activities throughout the organization. The aim of the MDM was integrate all of the various departments and consolidate them so any information can be accessed from the master file. Within a year and a half, Panasonic Europe was getting products to market faster and spending 50 percent less time creating and maintaining product information. Time-to-market for a product was reduced from five to six months to one to two months. Critically analyse the challenges Panasonic faced when implementing this solution. During the installation stage Panasonic faced some problems when they implemented the new system. When Implementing MDM system it is a multi-step process that includes business process analysis, data assessment, data cleansing, data consolidation and reconciliation, data migration, and development of a master data service layer. The MDM bought together all of the business processes this required information from all of the departments to come together. There was the issue of levels of authenticity of accessing data at different levels. Another problem that Panasonic faced was at its North America that it had to confront a number of countries that spoke different languages and each country had its own currency. Each country would have its own culture and therefore would have contributed more problems for Panasonic. The culture within a organisation or country is defined as being shared values, in written rules an assumptions within the organisation and how the organisation works. This problem was also faced by its European arm had to do when implementing its system. (Laudon and Laudon 2004 , pg 390) Panasonic also faced another problem this was reorganising and consolidating data information for its products for Wal-Mart. Then Panasonic stated to look closer on what information was needed for Wal-Mart and looked at what was adhered by the industry standards. Panasonic decided to look in its legacy systems for this data. Panasonic then turned to IBM to help them to create an interface apparatus to collect the required data for a repository. Bob Schwartz made a strong case to the corporate office in Japan that integrating a data management strategy globally would be a major benefit to the companys infrastructure. This was going to be hard as traditionalists would have resisted change. This is due the culture of fear that is within a organisation when implementing change as employees fear that the way they are working is fine and there is no need for change as new change within the organisation will be a threat to their jobs. Bob Schwartz also realised that Panasonic needed to integrate their new system with MDM technology. Bob Schwartz increased profits by integrating shared data inventory among the vendors such as Best Buy and Circuit City. As a result of them implementing MDM, Panasonic had become more competitive and could produce new products for the global market.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

View of humanity ( The Time Machine by H.G. Wells :: essays research papers

H.G. Wells  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Time Machine  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mischel Figusch   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Englisch-LK Jg. 13 The view of humanity in The Time Machine  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essay This essay is about the view of humanity that arises from â€Å"The Time Machine† It includes the TT’s speeches and his theories about how the Eloi and the Morlocks came to be. It also shows that Wells haunts at critical aspects on society. The first hints at Wells political attitude are already noticeable in the beginning of the novel: â€Å"To discover a society†, said I, â€Å"erected on a strictly communistic basis.†(page 10, line 19) By the example of Eloi and Morlocks, he warns of Capitalism and its consequences to mankind. This vision which is presented in â€Å"The Time Machine† shows or rather forecasts the results of the social split between the leisurely wealthy upper class and the working class, especially in the Victorian England. The increasing development of the division between â€Å"upper† and â€Å"lower† class will lead into a big disaster in further future. The intelligence of the human species is going to be at an unthinkable minimum. All achievements in culture, technology and knowledge will be vanished. â€Å"You see I had always anticipated that the people of the year Eight Hundred and Two Thousand odd would be incredibly in front of us in knowledge, art, everything. Then one of them suddenly asked me a question that showed him to be on the intellectual level of one of our five-year-old children-- asked me, in fact, if I had come from the sun in a thunderstorm!† (page 38, line 4 – 11) The reason for this â€Å"devolutionary evolution† is the non-existence of the necessity to learn more, or rather to use the learned or skilled things. Knowledge and accordingly advancement of knowledge hasn’t got a meaning anymore. In one of his former theories, the TT assumes that the Morlocks, the inferior race (at this point in time) which lives in the underworld, are the direct outcome of England’s East-end worker, who already live â€Å"in such artificial conditions as practically to be cut off from the natural surface of the earth.† (page 77, line 17) â€Å"The Time Machine† can be seen as Wells’s socialist warning of what will befall humanity if capitalism continues to exploit worker for the benefits of the rich.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Musical Impact Essay

In society today, music is shown to have an impact on ways of life. People within the society are raised with it in some way. Music is always present in society. It is natural then, to wonder about the origin of music. Music is a special type of sound and noises mixed in together. People create the meanings of these sounds and noises to create their own opinions and emotions of expressing themselves. Many people believed that music is created in the mind for this same reason. That we have the sounds and noises that are heard are within our own human being and along that, it can come once we are born with it. Although, this may not be true, due to the differences in today’s society, there are many aspects that can have a control of the musical taste of a person. One’s musical interests are not based on biology, rather the individual’s environment: community, culture, religion, and geography. First of all a community can effect an individual interest in music. The definition of a community is having the same beliefs, resources, needs and risks. When people tend to share and have the same interest they tend to also have the same interest in music. The term â€Å"community music† finds no more resonating tone than within minority groups working toward social acceptance and assimilation (Hayes 6). As shown in the International Journal we can see people tend to stick together in order to have the same identity and be accepted in the group. Also sharing the same risks and resources will help them have communication within each other, making it be easier on them to be able to relate. An example of this would be people in community, such as in Honduras, they have a lot of different beliefs. For example, in the burials, the community gathers around in order to their last goodbye to the deceased. Then they called upon a band, which in their thoughts mean that they celebrate the life of the deceased. They each sing and walk with the burial service and take them around. This event mentioned, to some may be disrespectful, but to Hondurans is a way to communicate with the dead. It shows that they respect him or her and show him or her that they are celebrating the life they had. Having communication in music brings to a community a better aspect to people and it is also very important for them. Yes, they can be sounds and noises to some, but many do not think that way. Like the people in Honduras, their beliefs are very important and they demonstrate them through music. Therefore, a community could determine a person’s interest in music because a community makes an individual do the same thing as other people. Another example would be, if a person listens to rock and they see that other people listen to it too, than they will would go ahead and hear it to. Secondly, culture is also another factor that influences music preferences on individuals. The culture of someone can affect the way of music choices. The two factors that generate culture will be academic knowledge and manners taught to each person (Yudkin 27). Each culture then possesses on its own musical language. This musical language reflects its own traditions, concerns, and activities; and in order to begin to understand the music of another culture, we need to understand something of the nature of its culture systems and the role the music plays in them (Yadkin 5). This is because many of the cultures have different academics and manners taught to them. An example is the culture would be of the Mandinka of Gambia in Senegal, they have a special musician leader, known as a jali. This leader is very important to the tribe due to that fact that he knows all the prayers and all the history of the tribe (Miller 44). As shown in this example each culture has its own special person and holds music as a special part of the community. The important part here is that a person needs to grow up somewhere. That place holds a significant knowledge making them a part of that culture group. With growing with them they hold a place within the culture. Music brings them all together making them communicate with each other easily and bring them normalcy. When this takes place the individual takes the musical knowledge and incorporates it into their system and beliefs. The beliefs that they incorporated can be seen in their academic areas. The literature, dance, and theater cannot go anywhere and do their expected ideas across without music. Music has to be in these areas in order to function well and be able to get the individuals culture across to the people. For example, dance cannot function without music. It gives the person the beats and the melody in order to create the feeling they want to get across to their audience (Miller 57). Dance also has different meanings in culture. A New Yorker can have a different rhythm than a person from China. This difference can be seen with the music they choose for their arts and their dance. It’s really difficult to be able to be prejudice to others cultures, because every culture is different. Music has that effect on society because it teaches the cultures and meanings of one’s society. The mixture of music to other society is also shown. Many of these arts can be seen throughout the world and from them people learn the differences in music. Music such as Jazz, Blues, and Gospels were produced when Europeans and Africans came together during the late nineteenth and twentieth century’s (Miller 61). Here we can see two cultures mixed in together and this is shown through their mix of their own music. Music can bring together worlds and is all due to its simplicity such as using their melodies and sounds. Music creates a new world for many people. The third factor that can affect the music choices of the individuals is the fact of one’s religion. Many religions do not allowed their followers to hear music from the outside world such hip-hop and rock. As said by Kong, â€Å"its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media the moral barricades are manned by bishops (Kong 104)†. An example of this is Christians and Catholics which have very different opinions regarding music. Christians is the larger group that includes Catholics. Christian women followers are not allowed to wear pants or the followers are not able to hear any type of music because in their regard they are preventing is a sin from them. While Catholic Church allowed their followers to wear their clothing with respect to God and be able to choose the type of music they listen to. As seen the music plays a big role due to the fact that Catholic churches make prayers into songs and sing them with their hearts, believing that God can be able to hear them (Miller kj187). While Christians cannot be able to do the same pray and sing to God due to the banned of music within their own. To many this is not unusual seeing the difference of worship. But once looked inside and see the music playing its role is different because it makes people think about what God thinks and which one he would prefer. If it is just music and prayers, then there is no music at all in its gatherings of worship. This is important because music can be seen playing a role in religions and making individuals having a different taste to the one with a Catholic follower. The religion of a person a can limit the person the knowledge of the evolution of the music outside their group. This can make it hard on them to relate to the others outside the society. The last and important factor that can make a difference in ones interest in music is the geography. Many people as seen can have different views and belief but geography make them have a different taste in music. We hear the melody, but we feel the beat. People in all cultures move their bodies to the rhythms of music, whether drumming, dancing, or rocking an infant (Silver and Trainer 2). This is important because a person in Los Angeles California will not have the same beats and rhythm as a person in London, Great Britain. Each part of the world is bound to have some type of music but the music differentiated in each part of the world. As mentioned in the seven themes of music geography â€Å"specific involvement with location of musical activities, such as the compositions and travels of their composers, rather than broader world distributions of regional delineations mentioned in Theme Two† (Nash and Carney 66). This means that even with culture and communities, music was first put into the field of geography due to the travels of the musicians and the spread of their ideas and tunes. This is important because it not only gives a way for questions to arise such the one that geography is the main factor as to the interest of music in humans. Due to the composers traveling, they spread around the ideas meaning that culture is affected and the belief is shaken with these ideas. The population of the countries is also a big factor because due to the fact that people are mixed together. People with different geography regions tend to have a different viewpoint of the world and music can be included in that. In conclusion this can be said, that these types of points can create music interest such one’s environment: community, culture, religion, and geography. This can be reasonable because people cannot be born with music interests. They are shaped by ones environment. People can have the same music interests if they shared the same belief and the same religion where they live. Music is very common in and around the world. Music is therefore a symbol to society because it represents the life and beliefs of people. Music can have a great impact on the life of people and this is important because this makes society. Music is evidently an important part of the lives of human beings. Music is reflected to our society we are in. The four aspects which are one’s community, culture, religion, and geography can determine each person’s interests in music rather than biological. Other factors can also relate to one’s musical preference, but the four aspects are the ones that are most common. Music is bound to be heard everywhere and without music the world would have hard times understanding things. Music is important to our world because it brings us together and also puts life and excitement. Music will always motivate people and will always be part of our lives. Without music, our society wouldn’t be the same including our feelings and impressions about it. Therefore, music brings happiness to our friends, and families, and all the people around the world.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Tracing Your Family Medical History

Tracing Your Family Medical History You know you got your curly red hair from your grandmother, and your prominent nose from your dad. These arent the only things you may have inherited from your family, however. Many medical conditions, including heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, alcoholism and Alzheimers disease have also been shown to be passed down through families. What Is A Family Medical History? A family medical history or medical family tree is a record of important medical information about your relatives, including illnesses and diseases, along with the relationships among the members of your family. A family health or medical history is begun by talking with your immediate family members parents, grandparents and siblings as they provide the most important links to genetic risk. Why is a Family Medical History Important? Some studies say that over 40 percent of the population is at increased genetic risk for a common disease such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Understanding your risk for developing such diseases is an important reason to learn more about your family history. By knowing your risk, you can make informed decisions about prevention and screening, and even participate in genetic-based research aimed at understanding, preventing and curing disease. For example, if your father had colon cancer at age 45, you should probably be screened at an earlier age for colon cancer than age 50, the average age for first-time colon cancer screening. How is a Family Medical History Used? How is a family medical history used? A family medical history helps document familial patterns which may impact your health, such as trends towards specific types of cancer, early heart disease, or even something simple such as skin problems. Compiling a family medical history can help you and your doctor spot these family patterns and use the information to assist with the following: Diagnosing a medical conditionDetermining whether you may benefit from preventive measures to lower your risk of a specific diseaseDeciding what medical tests to runIdentifying other members of your family who are at risk of developing certain diseasesCalculating your risk of certain diseasesCalculating your risk of passing certain conditions to your children What Should Be Included in a Family Medical History? Going back about three generations (to your grandparents or great-grandparents), try to collect details on every direct family member who has died and the cause of death. Also, document the medical conditions of all family members, including the age at which they were first diagnosed, their treatment, and if they ever had surgery. Important medical conditions to document include: CancerHeart diseaseDiabetesAsthmaMental illnessHigh blood pressureStrokeKidney diseaseAlcoholismBirth defectsLearning disabilitiesVision or hearing loss For family members with known medical problems, make notes on their overall health, including if they smoked, were overweight, and their exercise habits. If a family member had cancer, be sure to learn the primary type and not just where it metastasized. If your family members came from a different country, make note of that as well, as some medical conditions have possible ethnic roots. How Should I Document My Family Medical History? Family medical history can be recorded in a similar manner to the traditional family tree, just using standard medical symbols in a pedigree format - squares for men and circles for women. You can either use a standard key, or create your own which specifies what your symbols mean. See Tools for Recording Your Family Medical History for more information, examples, forms and questionnaires. If you find the forms too complicated, just collect the information. Your doctor will still be able to use what you find. Remove any personal names from your work before giving it to your doctor or anyone outside the family. They dont need to know the names, only the relationships among individuals, and you never know where your medical tree might end up! My Family Cant Help Me, Now What? If your parents are deceased or relatives are uncooperative, it may take some real detective work to learn more about your familys medical past. If you cant get access to medical records, try death certificates, obituaries and old family letters. Even old family photos can provide visual clues to diseases such as obesity, skin conditions and osteoporosis. If youre adopted or otherwise cant learn more about your familys health history, be sure to follow standard screening recommendations and see your doctor for a physical on a regular basis. Keep in mind that the format and questions dont have to be perfect. The more information you gather, in whatever format is easiest for you, the more informed youll be about your medical heritage. What you learn could literally save your life!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Assignment Example

Assignment Example Assignment – Book Report/Review Example CONTENT: The president highlighted the key points in the action plan and the way in which the administration proposed to hold BP responsible for the clean up as well as extract compensation and damages from them. The president was clear about the way in which he intended to address the root causes of such incidents and not repeat them. The president also made it clear that this was not the last battle that the US is going to face and that the nation must be prepared to face the challenges in the future as well.INTRODUCTION: Because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology.PARTITION: Tonight I’d like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward:   what we’re doing to clean up the oil, what we’re doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we’re doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again.  CONCLUSION: The oil spill is not the last crisis America w ill face.   This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again.   What sees us through -– what has always seen us through –- is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it.DELIVERY: The strength of the speech was the force with which President Obama made his points. The body language as well as the tone of the speech inspired confidence. The weakness of the speech was it should have been less cerebral.AUDIENCE ANALYSIS AND ADAPTATION: As I mentioned in the last sentence, the speech should have addressed the issue of those segments that make up the majority according to the demographic composition of â€Å"middle America†.OVERALL EVALUATION: The greatest strength of the speech is the oratory and the way in which the speech was composed. In my opinion, there is no apparent weakness.ReferencesRemarks by the President to the Nation on the BP Oil Spill. 15 June 2010. 26 June 2010 .

Monday, November 4, 2019

Talent Management Issues Relevant to the Field of IHRM Assignment

Talent Management Issues Relevant to the Field of IHRM - Assignment Example Therefore, the management must take measures to retain the asset through effective talent management. In this respect, organizations need to prepare their potential employees for the leadership position by exposing them to different business cultures and challenges. The objective of the study is to critically review the article written by Collings & Mellahi (2009) with the title â€Å"Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda†. The study also aims to identify issues related to talent management in relation to the context of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) with reference to the findings from the above-mentioned article. According to Collings and Mellahi (2009), talent management plays a vital role to drive the performance of the organization both at the group level and the individual level1. Talent is directly related to human assets. Performance of the employees contributes towards the accomplishments of the long-term goals and short-term objectives2. Talent management is the procedure to attract productive employees, to identify the right potential possessed by the workforce, to grease their potentials for better results and to take measures for retaining the assets over the long run3. However, organization s should understand that only attracting the employees would not suffice the sustainability and productivity goals; identifying the strengths and then grooming them accordingly is also important4. Talent management methodologies help in analyzing the performance of the employees. As stated by Collings and Mellahi (2009), in the recessionary context maximization of the talent present in the existing employees holds important priority among global organizations.  

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Elements of a total rewards communication program Assignment

Elements of a total rewards communication program - Assignment Example The external force that shall necessitate this action by management is a decrease in demand for the company products. This directly impacts negatively on the company’s revenue thus there shall be no sufficient funds to pay the employees. Inflation can also result to such an action (WorldatWork (Organization), (2007). When general prices increase, the commodity prices shoot up. This implies that the management shall have to spend more funds in purchasing materials, current operating expenses, replenishment of stock, research, marketing and sales expenses increase as well. This consequently reduces the retained earnings of the firm. Stiff competition from competitors and rival firms can result to drastic decrease of sales by the company which will lead to low returns hence reduction of salaries and benefits will be inevitable. The government rules and regulations can be too prohibitive for the company to uphold its echelon of presentation in market. This will also result into reduction in sales revenue hence reduction in the employees’ salaries and benefits (Pauley & Pauley, 2009). The elements of media choices required should be the most appropriate ones that ensure the objectives are achieved. One of the elements that should be employed is the use of graphics and themes which advocate for and complement the mission and values of the organizations. Another element is the use of specific colors, which communicate clear messages to anyone in the public domain. The use of certain words repetitively which philosophically highlight appropriate internal rewards for the employees. Furthermore, there should be internal reward branding that relates closely with the organization objectives, mission and culture. Branding constitutes packaging of benefits, compensation, performance and recognition into symbols. The use of graphics and themes is the hardest to