Tuesday, November 26, 2019

7 Best Books for a Literature Response Paper

7 Best Books for a Literature Response Paper 7 Best Books for a Literature Response Paper A literary response paper is designed to give your opinion on how a literary piece makes you feel or think. It is your opinion; however, it needs to be based on the facts. You will need to make sure that you really have some considerations about what you are writing. In order to master this essay style, you will need to choose a really good literary piece to produce a decent paper. If you get to choose the topic, which most of the time you do, then you should check out one of these books: Jonathan Franzen’s â€Å"Freedom† This story is about a love triangle between college mates. It is a great choice for a literary response paper because you can make an argument about whether the love is more important than the friendship. Which one is more significant to you and which one is more important for the book characters? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"This Side of Paradise† This one actually works perfect for a college literary response essay. It is about a Princeton student who is very privileged. Upon his graduation, he starts to get a look for what life is really about. He has lived a sheltered life and now he has to start taking care of himself. How is the real world going to be different from the sheltered life? What happens when he finally has to start taking responsibility for his journey and his decisions? Fydor Dostoyevsky’s â€Å"Crime and Punishment† Even if you don’t choose this piece to write on, don’t miss the chance to read it. It is a well-known novel about a man who kills a pawnbroker and then works really hard to justify what he did. It is a beautiful book with so much to write about in a literary response essay. It will challenge your views on your place in society and on the laws and morality. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby† However, this may be a tad overused, we couldn’t choose the best seven books without including this one. You could write about a million of literary response essays on this novel without batting an eye. One of the strongest ideas is how Gatsby goes above and beyond building his entire life and persona for Daisy, who doesn’t seem to notice nor really care. He will never get back all of the time he wasted trying to become the person that he thought Daisy would want. We can never get back the past and life is destined to change over time. Embrace the change and learn to love it as much as you loved the things that have happened in the past. It is a brilliant read and a perfect piece for this type of paper. John Milton’s â€Å"Paradise Lost† When you are looking for a little entertainment when creating your paper, this is the ideal pick. There are many topics to discuss. Lucifer, an angel who is arrogant and fell from grace, tempted Adam and Eve into sin. Everyone knows this sequence of events. John Milton lets you take a look at Lucifer’s side of the story. There are so many issues that you can use for your argument. William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies† We couldn’t forget this novel. It is about a group of boys who are stuck on an uninhabited island. They have no supervision and create a small, yet divided community. The book captures the essence of being a good leader. This is one of the major themes and you can use this book to discuss whether or not leadership is important. Harper Lee’s â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† This book is about a girl who grows up learning much about life and the unkindness that comes to the weak, the young, and even to those with different color of skin. As she gets older she learns that these really don’t have anything to do with the type of person that you are. She learns that it is a man’s soul that really matters. Imagine all of the possible topics that you can discuss within this story. These seven books are perfect for this assignment. They are full of controversial thoughts that you can use to write a solid paper on. Plus, we are sure you will enjoy the reads as well.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Inspirational Quotes for Student Speeches

Inspirational Quotes for Student Speeches Most high school students will get to experience giving speeches in front of their fellow students. Typically, a speech component is included in at least one of the English classes that students are required to take. Many students will also make speeches outside of class. They might be running for a leadership position in student council or in an individual club. They might need to give a speech as part of an extracurricular activity or to try and win a scholarship. The lucky few will stand in front of their own graduating class and deliver a speech meant to inspire and motivate their friends and classmates for the future. The purpose of this page is to provide key quotes that can inspire you and those around you to achieve to the highest degree. Hopefully, these quotes can form an excellent basis for graduation and other speeches. If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. ~Thomas Edison Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~Thomas EdisonEdison and his workshop patented 1,093 inventions including the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, kinetoscope, nickel-iron batteries, along with key parts of the movie camera.More Quotes from Thomas Edison Hitch your wagon to a star. ~Ralph Waldo EmersonEmerson led the transcendentalist movement during the middle of the 1800s. His published works include essays, lectures, and poems.More Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldnt call it genius. ~MichelangeloMichelangelo was an artist who lived from 1475 to 1564. His most famous works include the sculptures of David and the Pieta along with the painting of the Sistine Chapels ceiling. The ceiling itself took four years.More Quotes from Michelangelo I know God will not give me anything I cant handle. I just wish that He didnt trust me so much. ~Mother TeresaMother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun who spent most of her life serving the poorest of the poor in India. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.More Quotes from Mother Teresa All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them. ~Walt DisneyDisney was an among other things an animator, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He earned over 22 Academy Awards for his works. He also founded both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida.More Quotes from Walt Disney Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont matter and those who matter dont mind. ~Dr. SeussDr. Seuss was the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel whose childrens books have affected so many people over the years. His works include The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Cat in the Hat.More Quotes from Dr. Seuss Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts. ~Winston ChurchillChurchill served as the British Prime Minister between 1941-1945 and 1951-1955. His leadership during World War II cannot be overemphasized.More Quotes from Winston Churchill If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. ~Henry David ThoreauThoreau joined Emerson as a leading transcendentalist. His most famous works include Walden and Civil Disobedience.More Quotes from Henry David Thoreau The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ~Eleanor RooseveltRoosevelt was First Lady of the United States between the years 1933 and 1945. She had a huge impact on domestic and international policy.More Quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. ~Johann Wolfgang von GoetheGoethe was a German writer who lived between 1749-1832. He is best known for his work entitled Faust.More Quotes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Oliver Wendell HolmesThis quote has been attributed to Holmes who was an American jurist. However, there is some question about its origin and some believe it was first said by Henry Stanley Haskins.More Quotes from Oliver Wendell Holmes Courage is doing what youre afraid to do. There can be no courage unless youre scared. ~Eddie RickenbackerRickenbacker was a Medal of Honor winner and World War I flying ace. He had 26 victories during the war.More Quotes from Eddie Rickenbacker There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. ~Albert EinsteinEinstein was a theoretical physicist who came up with the Theory of Relativity.More Quotes from Albert Einstein Quit now, youll never make it. If you disregard this advice, youll be halfway there. ~David ZuckerZucker is an American film producer and director whose movies include Airplane!, Ruthless People, and The Naked Gun.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

MGT 305-ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MGT 305-ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR - Essay Example The widespread issue among all of them is that they are accountable for supporting, motivating, guiding, organizing, teaching, instructing, inspiring a group of people. In general these individuals are referred to as or considered as leaders inside their specific area of functioning. The phrase leadership merely implies the means of persuading a group of people & directing them on the way to the achievement of a universal purpose. The organization where I used to work had a business of Herbal Products. The firm largely dealt with balm for muscle aches & joint pains, tonics for immunity building, lotions & body-oil for supple & soft skin & many such goods for the day-to-day application by the customers. The business followed a unified arrangement of centralized & decentralized framework. The different unit worked on a decentralized style where there was no specialty & everybody knew the job of the other individual. Job Rotation was being experienced as a standard rule. Significance of Organization Structure The contribution to the efficient functioning of organization by its organization structure can be explained as: - Clear-cut Authority Relationships: The responsibility and authority is allocated by the Organization structure. The members of an organization are helped to know their role and relate it to other roles by organizational structure. - Pattern of Communication: the patterns of coordination and communication are provided by the Organization structure. Communication between people is facilitated by Organization structure through grouping of people and activities. - Location of Decision Centre: the locations of centers for decision making in the organization are determined by Organization structure. - Proper Balancing: the emphasizing on group activities’ coordination and creation of the proper balance between them is done by the organizational structure. Higher priority is given to more critical aspect for the success of the enterprise in the o rganization. - Encouraging Growth: Flexible framework is proved to the organization for creating growth opportunities and meeting the challenges by the structure of the organization. - Making use of Technological Improvements: the organizational structure is capable of modification in the existing pattern of responsibilities of the authorities. The on the whole operation of the organization was dependent on the structure of situational leadership style. This approach is based on the outlook of people towards the job entrusted to them & their reaction towards the performance of a leader (greeks.cofc.edu. n.d.). The idea of situational leadership is reliant on the key rudiments of task behavior & relationship behavior. The relationship behavior implies the quantity of social & emotional hold provided by the leader. It point toward the flow of communication involving the followers & leader. Task behavior implies the guidance & direction offered by the leader. It is extremely work- focu sed & puts emphasis on the proficient achievement of the goals. In the situational leadership style, 4 essential situations have been recognized by the leadership professionals that are dependent on relationship behavior on one axis & task behavior on the other axis of the grid. The following diagram reveals the illustration of a situational leadership structure- These styles stand for the management approach that completely depends on the condition faced by the firm. In case of the company

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

See the attachment for the title, because is to big Essay

See the attachment for the title, because is to big - Essay Example the use of another; a confidence respecting property reposed in one person, who is termed the trustee, for the benefit of another, who is called the cestui que trust. Law of equity and trust confers the provision regarding the trust. It laid down several duties and responsibilities for the trustees. Moreover there are provisions like co-ownership, proprietary estoppels, fiduciary relationship etc. Apart from this, one of the prominent feature of trust is, it can be raised from either trust deed/covenant as said before or by the Will, i.e. a testamentary trust is a trust created by a Will or a codicil to a Will. A testament is a Will. of or includes land and the trustees of such a trust are trustees of land. Any description of trust includes an implied resulting or constructive trust and a bare trust. (1) An implied trust is based on the presumed intention of the parties at the time the property is acquired by the resulting trustee. That is the point at which the contributors beneficial interests crystallise. The beneficial shares are unaffected by subsequent conduct. This scope of implied trust has been rightly explained in Cowcher v Cowcher (2). Moreover a trust can be defined as a "land" which includes land of any tenure and property divided either vertically or horizontal (as in the case of a block of flats) and easements, but does not include an undivided share in land. (3)Now we shall scrutinize how far the scope of trust of land and its various ingredients will help to analyze the issues brought up in the given problem. Co-ownership (4) is where a person is entitled to hold land together with others who have simultaneous interests at the same time they are said to hold concurrently. Where ever there is co ownership there will be a trust of land. There are 2 types of co-ownership --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So in this case Ayesha can claim her share in the property as she is

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Landlady by Roald Dahl Essay Example for Free

The Landlady by Roald Dahl Essay Slightly shocked from the answer to the question just asked, Billy took another sip of his tea frantically trying to think of something to say. Placing the cup of Tea onto the coaster he took a gasp complementing on the tea, the landlady smiling as he did so. And then without warning he just blurted a question out, So why the others not joining us from upstairs. The landlady took a grin and answered his question well Gregory and Christopher, have not been feeling well recently, so I have been looking after them, they are ever so polite much like you. The way she said it made it sound like she was there mother! Giving a giant yarn, Billy stood up and stretched. I am awfully sorry but best be off to bed now, I have a long day tomorrow. I bet you do, she smirked. All of a sudden she began to lift up he heavy skirt show off her stockings and in the side was a giant curved knife, Billy stood back in shock. She stood up with the knife, the blade reflecting the wall light. What you doing with that? Billy squeaked. All of sudden she launched like a speeding bullet, and with lightening reactions Billy chucked his burning turning in the landladys eyes. Billy ran for his life and at the same time he could hear the landladys frantic screams as he climbed the landing stairs, racing up to his room. He closed the door and locking it behind him. Silently he moved swiftly to his briefcase, and started cramming all his possession into it. And then he heard a thuder of the landlady charging up the stairs like a possessed elephant, he hid behind the door And has he looked over he saw an old mop, not been used for years he took hold of it, Dust left a heavy trail behind it, And waited behind the door he could hear her breathing heavy and droopy like she was ready to swipe someones head off! He heard the lock click and the door swung open hitting him in the face, slightly dazed but still conscious Billy saw the landlady walk in knife first, he didnt give her anytime to think he swung the mop and smashed the landlady around the head she fell to the ground like a sac of spuds. Billy looked closer at the sick and twisted face of the evil witch, Billy had never knocked anyone out before the sudden sensation made him feel proud but hed never guess in a million years he would knock out a fifty-year-old woman! Billy eyes caught hold of the ring of keys around her belt, discreetly he unclipped them, grabbed his case and walked out of the room again locking it (permanently) behind him. Dazzled and tired of the ordeal Billy put his briefcase down and sat on it, looking at the 3rd floor stairs in mystery. Then he remembered what the landlady had said about Gregory and Christopher who was upstairs because they werent feeling very well, if she had tried to knife him, Imagine what she has done to them! With his decision made Billy started to climb the gloomy stairs. Dust was on the railing he wiped it off as he went up. When he got to the top he found himself gazing at two rooms, he decided to take the one closeted on the right. Billy edge open the door a dirt musty smell Hit is face it smelled like vinegar. He walked in and looked around the room in confusion Billy wasnt expecting what he was going to find in here. The room was exactly like his except of the horrendous smell, and as he look at the bed he noticed it was occupied! Hello Billy shouted, it was as silent as it were when he comes in shot to the bed and slowly lifted the covers 2 dead bodies were laid there. It made Billy nearly be sick in his mouth, they defiantly not feeling well he thought! No sain human being could have done this, he thought to himself. The bodies were like to pickles. Billy stared at the crackling fire in the room. Thing of nothing but hate for the landlady. Malice and hate built up inside. And with no warning or control Billy threw a burning hot ember glowing log from the fire to the bed of stuffed men. Within minutes the bed was completely on fire the smell of burning flesh was touching his nostrils, Black smoke was collecting on the ceiling Billy decided to take his exit. Billy closed the door behind him the heat of the handle scolding his hands; he walked down the landing stairs hammering his feet down every step. When he reached the bottom it appeared the landlady had awoken and was screaming at the top of her voice Smoke, smoke wheres it coming from What ever you have done you will regret it, you will regret this Billy Wilkins! Hey hag!, its weaver get it right. Billy stormed down the rest of the stairs with a satisfied grin on his face. He entered the front room, and walked next to the fire were she had revealed the knife at him. He spread the fire out around the front room with the smell of the smoke going thicker and thicker. Billy exited the creepy BB locking it behind him, then chucking the keys in the bin. Billy watched the burning inferno until he felt the tiredness reach him again, and went to go and find the bell and dragon. 50 years later. It had been 50 years to the day that Billy had that terrible encounter with landlady but he can still remember what had happened yesterday, it had left a mental scar on his mind. Billy was on his way to bath of all places for the last meeting before his official retirement suddenly the train stopped and the announcer announced that they where at bath. Billy got off the train and like he had done 50 years ago made his way down the path that had led him to such a cruel place. He walked down the empty street many of the houses were bordered up and rusting away, allot had changed in 50 years Billy thought to himself. Then he got to the place of the terrible BB and has Billy looked up the building had been rebuilt exactly has it had fallen he walked across the road to get a better look at it. Then a young man was walking down street a lot like he had done all them years ago he look at the sign and knocked on the door. The door swivelled open straight away, and with a horror Billys past there stood the un aged unchanged, Landlady! Shivers crawled up Billys legs as she greeted the young man. It was like a Ghost from Billys past that wont go away, the young man walked in and as he passed in Billy saw the landlady licking her lips, and slamming the door!

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Breaking the First Two Rules Agents of Repression and Subversion in Fight Club :: Essays Papers

Breaking the First Two Rules Agents of Repression and Subversion in Fight Club "The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club. The second rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club" (48). The first two rules governing the underground fighting rings of Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club serve as more than an attempt to maintain the secrecy of the illegal clubs. The explicit definitions of what the novel's characters can and cannot think and talk about set the stage for the story's examination of the repressive forces of society and the psychological consequences of the ever-present cultural 'no.' The nameless narrator who creates the fight clubs exists in such a state of cultural insulation and repression that the only sublimation of his unconscious desires he finds possible is the projection of the mental struggle between his conscious and unconscious minds into the physical world. This projection starts with physical combat between the two members of the split subject, but eventually gives way to the complete seizure of contr ol by the unconscious half - Tyler Durden - whenever the narrator's conscious half-falls asleep. This drastic realization of Freud's theory on satisfying unconscious desires in the dream state does indeed break the narrator out of the suffocating comfort of his normative social roles. However, as the narrator's unconscious mind gains increasing control over his daily activities, its destructive tendencies begin to destroy not only everything that the narrator hates about his life, but also everything that he discovers makes life worth living. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator finds little meaning in his life. Completely disillusioned with his job, his love life, and most of all himself, the narrator summarizes his role in consumerist America in the bleakest terms: "Pull a lever. Push a button. You don't understand any of it, and then you just die" (12). In the narrator's perception, materialist priorities have "people chasing cars and clothes they don't need†¦jobs they hate" (149), and have led him to a point at which he realizes he is "a thirty-year old boy" (51) living in a condo he describes as "a filing cabinet for widows and young professionals" (41). Following all the steps prescribed by society-going to college, getting a job, becoming self-supportive-has led to a dead end for the narrator, prompting him to reflect, "I hated my life. I was tired and bored†¦[and] couldn't see any way to change things" (172).

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Case Study of “Bookoff, Amazon Japan, and the Japanese Retail Bookselling Industry”

Case Study of â€Å"Bookoff, Amazon Japan, and the Japanese Retail Bookselling Industry† 1. The reasons for the profitability of large Japanese retail booksellers relatively poor and their scale relatively small. One reason for this is that there is no significant industry consolidation has occurred, so there is no dominant bookseller, because there is a unique formal institution which is price-fixing system that makes it illegal for larger and potentially more efficient competitors to use price competition to drive out small competitors. Laws have allowed publishers to fix the price of new books, music, and newspapers in the bookselling industry, this means retailers are unable to compete on price. For a long time, sales has been in stagnation, even worse, the steady increase of costs over time has reduced the profitability of both large chains and small stores. Also because of the undifferentiated book in multiple book stores, the only way to compete is on price, but this is illegal, and also the entry to this industry is low, small entrants can enter this industry easily ,this lead to the scale relatively small. . The benefits for individual companies and the industry to participate in Saihan system and the costs. Under Saihan system, for individual companies, they sell books, musics, magazines at fixed price, the competition is not fierce and they can almost earn average profit of this industry, because there is no need to compete on price, this can make them more cautious of their diversity of products, so they w ould provide as more product as they can, which could increase customer loyalty if customers could always find what they want. Another benefit is that Saihan system encourages new tittles to publish, this enables individual company to bring many new books in their stores to attract customer. While the costs of this system for individual companies are becoming bigger, they have to spend large amount of money to process the new titles while they are making less profit on them. Because of fixed price, all the stores are providing undifferentiated books and also the less competition makes individual companies much less efficient. As the industry is under price fixing system, first benefit is that this system combined with Consignment sale system which allows retailers and wholesalers to return unsold books to the publisher free of charge, leading publishers and wholesalers prefer to supply larger retailers first, which drives small retailers out of business. Another benefit is that this system maintains market stability, the price is not volatile and the industry can grow steadily. On the other hand, costs are, as the industry entry is not high, many small book stores being set up in Japan, with the large number of stores, every company is earning lower profit but they can not compete on price. Because of the rigidity of price, customer would like to buy cheaper imported books and CDs and also buy second-hand books, online books, and also rental books instead of buying a new book, these substitutes are now threatening the industry and also hamper the growth of the industry. . Industry-, resource-, and institutional based views to explain the success of Bookoff and Amazon Japan. †¢ Industry-based view From industry-based view, rivalry among competitor in Japanese industry is characterized by large numbers of relatively small booksellers, as they are all selling products at the same prices, the rivals in the industry are similar in size, influence and product offering, so the competition with this saturated industry is vigorous. As the entry barriers of this industry is relatively low, some incumbents enjoys economies of scales, only large retailers are earning higher profits, small operations are being driven out of this industry, the profitability of the industry is not so attractive, so, potential entrants are few. In the area of book distribution channel, the competition is very low, as Nippon Shuppan Hanbai and Tohan control between 70% and 90% of the book wholesale market. They prefer to supply larger retailers first, because they don’t need to worry much about returned books under Consignment Sale System. So the small number of suppliers and they provide the newest and most popular books shape the strong bargaining power The buyers of this industry now can choose to use internet to entertain, this causes the overall drop in book sales in Japan, and the number of retailers in the industry is very big, so they can choose between different stores without any switching costs, and they are all facing undifferentiated books, so the bargaining powers of buyers in the industry is very enhanced. The substitutes are posing big threat of this industry, e-book and cell phone novel are convenient and less expensive compared to existing hard copy books and customers virtually incur no costs when switching from hard copy books to e-books, cell phone novels. So the substitutes are a big threat for this industry. For Bookoff, the strategy Bookoff deployed is low-cost leadership, it uses a loophole in the Saihan system to offer lower prices by opening used-book stores, because used books are an exemption to the Saihan system. Bookoff uses its new technologies to clean book covers and grind down dog-eared pages to make a used book look practically new, and the rehabilitated books are at new book quality, so, it offers the same value of a product at a lower price compared with its rivals, the technology it is using is an entry barrier for other competitors and potential entrants. While the suppliers of Bookoff are those used book holders, their bargaining power is much lower since it buys books form the suppliers at 10% of its list price. In addition, Bookoff focuses on the used book and differentiates itself by shaping the new recycle industry, the students can feel frugal and environmentally conscious without suffering a drop-off in the quality of books when buying new-used ones, and new-used book store such as Bookoff is also an acceptable compromise for the still image-conscious, but increasingly thrifty, Japanese consumer. For Amazon Japan, first, it uses product differentiation strategy to provide a wide variety of products besides book. It offers music, DVDs, videos, software, gaming and even kitchen appliances. By offering the wide range of products, Amazon Japan differentiates itself by offering larger selection of products. Also, it differs itself by allowing customers to read excerpts and passages from books before they purchase them. Low cost leadership strategy is also deployed to compete with existing competitors by offering free shipping which put Amazon on par with its bricks and mortar competitors but give it an advantage over other online stores. †¢ Resource-based view. Bookoff has several new technologies as tangible resource and has intangible resource as reputation for offering new used books. These new technologies can add value to those used books, Boooff can clean book covers and grind down dog-eared pages to make a used book look practically new. And the value-adding activity is very firm-specific, so, the technology resource is vey valuable. As Bookoff’s new valuable technology is a rare resource and capability, other competitor has no access to it, so it has the potential to provide continue competitive advantage. And because the new championed technology probably has been registered as patent by Bookoff, the imitation of this capability is almost impossible. The organization of Bookoff is unlike most bureaucracy-laden Japanese companies, it franchises all its stores, and the owners and employees are encouraged to act like entrepreneurs, and this feature of organization of Boooff gives its competitive advantage that its competitors don’t have. For Amazon Japan, when the bookselling activity is not value-adding in Japan, it turns to offer a wide variety of products besides books such as electronics, toys, and sporting good, etc. Because of this innovation resource, Amazon Japan always keeps increasing its product lineup to provide value to consumers. Another question is that this innovation of Amazon Japan is not rare, it can be easily imitated by its competitors, and thus, this competitive advantage is just contemporary for Amazon Japan, but other competitors can only imitate its product line, they probably are not as innovative as Amazon Japan. †¢ Institution-based view Institution is the humanly devised constraints that structure human interaction, the institution in Japan is quite unique compared with that in American. The Saihan system, a formal institution, this law prevents these bookseller competing on price. For Bookoff, this institution doesn’t constrain its competitive advantage, it uses low-cost leadership to compete with its competitors, there is a loophole in the Saihan system, because it is a used-book stores, so, it is an exemption to the Saihan system, then, it can lower its prices which can be much lower than its competitors. Further more, it accommodate to the changed informal institution in Japan that the Japanese consumer’s image-conscious, but thrifty culture, and it also cater for the Japanese young people’s taste that it is new-used book stores, the young generation are much more environmentally conscious. For Amazon Japan, it uses a clever methods to bypass the Saihan system to offer free shipping to customers which put its products at lower prices than its competitors that do not offer this service, and its also opened Amazon Marketpalce, this allows Amazon to indirectly sell books and music at prices below Saihan-mandated prices as third-party uses, where those third-party users are not bound by Saihan system. In addition, Amazon uses a points system for customers to accumulate points to redeem for a gift certificate, this also by pass the Saihan system to lower the price of its products. Because of the informal institution of Japan, people in Japan are fear of fraud to use credit care for online purchase, in order to cater for this unique culture, Amazon Japan started a service to allow its customer to make payments at any convenience stores and ATMs throughout the country, enabling customers to avoid the risk of online fraud. And Amazon Japan also accommodate the Japanese customers’ tradition of standing and reading to provide â€Å"look inside† option to allow customer to read excerpts and passages from books before they purchase them. 4. What will happen if the Saihan system dissolves? After the dissolve of Saihan system, all the competitors in Japan can then compete on price, a lot of small stores will not hold because they lack economies of scale and will be driven out of the bookselling industry, the industry structure will have fundamental change. The competition will be fierce, significant industry consolidation will occur and the industry will probably be dominant by giant companies. The suppliers’ competition will also be intensified, so, it will be important to have good supplier intimacy, buyer will have access to much lower prices of books. 5. If I were a board member of Barnes& Noble or Borders, I would approve a proposal to open a series of book stores in Japan, because the success of Amazon Japan and Bookoff has indicated that Saihan system can be easily by-passed, we can follow the success of Amazon Japan to offer free shipping and provide a wide selection for our customers, because the capabilities Amazon Japan are not hard to imitate, we have our own human resources to even build even better facilities than Amazon Japan, based on out resources in American, I believe we can success in Japan, if the Saihan System dissolves, we can still proceed to Japanese market, because after Saihan System dissolves, the competition in Japan will be very fierce, a lot of small operation will be driven out of business, we can then buy these small business and integrate them into our business operation. And we have economies of scale, we believe we can offer lower prices if price war begins in Japan. References 1. Peng, M (2009) Bookof f, Amazon, and the Japanese retail bookselling industy, Global Strategy, 2e, 387-395.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

People Management, the Mantra for success

Human resource management deals with the overall relationship of the employee with the organization (Cullen, 2011, p. 437). International human resources deal with the same settings but on an international scale. When organizations take on international business they face many challenges and barriers. Setting the bar and being prepared for the negative or having a back up plan enables businesses to function wholeheartedly. Adapting to the cultures nationally, professionally and socially creates aspects issues that need to be addressed when it comes to reaching success.The case at hand with Ravi Singhania and Manju Mohotra shares aspects of business and human resource management that they both took part in to ensure the success of the business: Singhania and Partners. Case Strategy Ravi Singhania is the founder and managing partner of Singhania and Partners. This was one of the largest full service National law firms in India (p 509). Singhania knew that he was going to be a lawyer an d his own firm since a young age. His most important reasons for success in business were the approach that the customer is king and the employees are the biggest assets (p.  510).He capitalized on the demand for legal services created by the liberalization of the Indian economy. In the beginning, a sizable amount of his clients came from overseas clients. This made an impact where he felt that in order to effectively serve clients and gain a competitive advantage, it would be valuable to establish an overseas office thus came the New York City location. With the conscious effort to create and adapt to the lifestyle and customs of America, Singhania interacted with various constituents.Through his interactions with other law firms, he became conversant with the Western style of legal services management, which also had a significant impact on his very own management style (p. 510). He became an expatriate employee in American and gained skills that broaden his own horizons and tho ughts for the betterment of his own company. The case doesn’t make reference to any compensation or family issues that Singhania may have encountered during this time; however the atmosphere of his organization was favorable in both family life and compensation.After being exposed to a different style of management and skills that he could replicate himself, Singhania then opened an office with Mohotra as partner with the assistance and support of his father. This office he opened in New Delhi, India where they didn’t have many competitors. With the partnership, Singhania and Mohotra took on separate and also equal duties to make the partnership work. Their partnership mostly resembled shared management structure and split control management. In the shared management structure, both partners contribute approximately the same number of managers to positions and functional areas (p.  356).In this case, there were only two. The split control structure is similar to the shared management structure in that the partners usually share in strategic decision-making (p. 356). However at a functional level, partners make decisions independently (p. 356). Singhania managed the company legal services aspects while Mohotra took responsibility in managing the overall business and assignment of personnel to various projects based on their competencies and availability. They both handled the marketing activities. Commitment and trust between the two to make the alliance work was great synergy.They both were committed to seeing this thru, consulting one another and ensuring that their employees and customers were happy along the way. The strategy of Singhania and Partners was to foster and create an atmosphere that was healthy and vibrant for employees who would spill this over to clients whom in return would spread to others in form of referrals. Since during this time advertising in India as strictly remanded to the Yellow pages, word of mouth referrals played a big part in their business success. India was a prime spot for outsourcing which opened new avenues for Indian legal professionals.Taking part in legal process outsourcing and focusing on high quality legal workforce helped expand and open doors for the organization. Their growth strategy for the most part was to begin with low value services and gradually move up the value chain by acquiring and exhibiting domain expertise. In doing so, they hired a litigation lawyer in preparation to enter the litigation arena one day, which came soon with Daewoo as a client. This made it possible for the company to move to a larger office and also setup 3 additional offices.They formed affiliations with counsels across several Indian states in order to meet its’ clients needs to interact with one for legal services across the country. This strategy helped the company to grow from 2 lawyers to over 50 lawyers with 8 of them who made partners. IHRM PRACTICES Indian legal services industry had been booming since the countries economic liberalization in the 1990s’ (p. 509). The exponential growth of this industry was accompanied by an acute talent crunch, the ability to hire and retain talent, which became the source of competitive advantage, a mantra for success (p.  509).Law firms’ key capability was the skill, knowledge and capacity of their employees (p. 509). Effective Human Resource management was essential for law firms due to the increasingly competitive labor market required to develop creative approaches to the recruitment and reward of employees. International Human resource Management practices take form in recruitment and selection, training for cross-cultural adaptation, management development effects of international assignments, evaluation and compensation.Singhania and Partners made shire that their organization was a place that had all these principles in order when it came to their employees. Compensation was above average at the com pany for employees. When it came to other firms in the area, their pay scale ranked high. Not only was pay considered, but also company funded events like annual retreat for the employees. Evaluation of the employees brought on growth in their career. They believed in promoting form within according to Merit based system.If someone had the skills and knowledge and displayed them they would be able to benefit when the time was right. Management development effects of international assignments can pose many challenges for managers. In polycentric and regiocentric multinationals, they place hoe country nationals in top-level management or technical positions (p. 463). These home country managers are used to control overseas operations or to transfer technology to host country production sites (p. 463). Singhania displayed this when he opened an office in New York City, New Delhi, and then three additional cities.This shows signs of growth and stability for the company. Training for cro ss-cultural adaptation took place when Singhania went to New York and opened office. During this time he had to gain knowledge of how to adapt and deal with other cultures and nationalities that he was use to. This enabled him to have a broader vision as a global businessman. Mostly Mohotra alone handled the recruitment and selection process. However in order to be able to benefit from the great compensation plan and stress free environment, one had to have extensive knowledge and expertise.Singhania and partners strived to employ and have nothing but the best. They were very selective because their reputation was all they had that would keep them vibrant. One bad experience could ruin them for sure. Retaining employees by keeping them in an intellectually stimulated environment was key. The organization displayed and encouraged motivation, great opportunity to learn, build confidence, and grow within the organization. IMPROVEMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Companies can always use room f or growth, change and improvements in all areas.Singhania and Mohotra discussed that as they reviewed the business and its progress in all areas. Like all alliances the partners must be able to sit down and review, and resolve any issues or conflicts while evaluate if the partnership is still vibrant for both parties. In this aspect thus far, even with the risk of outsourcing at a risky time, they still seemed to be doing well. One area that I would suggest be improved on is the management development. I think the employees would benefit by being offered more training skills, communication and legal courses and on the job training.The areas that are being outsourced can be additional revenue for the company if they had individuals within that were able to handle them. This would cut cost and some liability. Not only would that benefit the company and the employees but also the clients. They have already built a bond with the organization and its personnel, so why have to shuffle off portions of the work to somewhere or someone else that may not have the same theories on customer service as Singhania and Partners.Since bulk of the business comes from referrals and yellow pages, I think having in-house  employees for outsourced jobs would be beneficial to all involved. This is how I feel the change will also impact the industry and the organization. Management is able to successfully improve the current strategy but focusing on the goals of the clients, society and technological changes that may arise. As clients grew and needed a larger variety of services, Singhania and partners offered more expertise. To also meet the stress free environment, which makes for happier employees, they often overstaff projects so that employees are not overworked and have time for family.Focusing on growth strategies for the organization as far as clients, while retaining the employees they have will be key. Making other liaisons across other countries like America, China, or e ven South America would also be useful. Branching off into other societies and cultures, not only would be moving for the organization but also for the employees. It would give some expatriate employees a chance to return home, some a chance to learn and experience something new while climbing the ladder of success.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

dance essays

dance essays I went to the Maurice Durufle/ Gabriel Faure Requiem performance by the UCSB Chamber Choir conducted by Michel Marc Gervais. When I arrived and listened to this music, I felt that this type of music fit its location, a church. In the first half of the performance, the piece that stood out for me was the VIII, Libera me. I decided to pick this one out of all the first half pieces in the Op. 9 because was one of the longer pieces, and wasnt as chant-like as the other eight were. This one was very high-pitched, as well as very low-pitched. The thing I liked most is that the choir often got louder than the organ and baritone. All the other pieces annoyed me because all I heard was the annoying organ. This piece also included a male solo, which sounded quite good. I was impressed with his voice. The ending, however, almost made this piece as bad as the others because it was just the baritone and organ. The sound was obnoxious and irritating. Also, the choir was very in sync w ith one another. In the second half of the piece I chose the Introit et Kyrie. The chorus in this one also sounded in rhythm with one another. Again, the organ seemed to take away from the singers, however at times it actually sounded good. I thought this piece sounded the best when the chorus and organ were low pitched in harmony. I was amazed at how high and loud the voices got during this piece. I also really enjoyed the part when there was the female soloist. The sound was very consonant. I recognized that this piece stopped like it was going to end, an all of a sudden started up again, like the one we listened to in class by Beethoven. It was also a little too long. I thought that this performance would have been a lot better if it showcased the choir more. The organ and baritone were way too loud. It was a shame because the chorus was really good. ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Rubiks Cube - A History of the 1980s Puzzle

Rubiks Cube - A History of the 1980s Puzzle The Rubiks Cube is a cube-shaped puzzle that has nine, smaller squares on each side. When taken out of the box, each side of the cube has all the squares the same color. The goal of the puzzle is to return each side to a solid color after you have turned it a few times. Which seems simple enough- at first. After a few hours, most people who try the Rubiks Cube realize that they  are mesmerized by the puzzle and yet no closer to solving it. The toy, which was first created in 1974 but not released onto the world market until 1980, quickly became a fad  when it hit stores.   Who Created the Rubik's Cube? Ernà ¶ Rubik is the one to praise or to blame, depending on how mad the  Rubiks Cube has driven you. Born on July 13, 1944 in Budapest, Hungary, Rubik combined the divergent talents of his parents (his father was an engineer who designed gliders and his mother was an artist and a poetess) to become both a sculptor and an architect. Fascinated with the concept of space, Rubik spent his free time - while working as a professor at the Academy of Applied Arts and Design in Budapest - designing puzzles that would open his students minds to new ways of thinking about three-dimensional geometry. In the spring of 1974, just shy of his 30th birthday, Rubik envisioned a small cube, with each side constructed of moveable squares. By the fall of 1974, his friends had helped him create the first wooden model of his idea. At first, Rubik just enjoyed watching how the squares moved as he turned one section and then another. However, when he attempted to put the colors back again, he ran into difficulty. Oddly entranced by the challenge, Rubik spent a month turning the cube this way and that way until he finally realigned the colors. When he handed other people the cube and they too had the same fascinated reaction, he realized he might have a toy puzzle on his hands that could really be worth some money. The Rubik's Cube Deputs in Stores In 1975, Rubik made an arrangement with the Hungarian toy-manufacturer Politechnika, who would mass produce the cube. In 1977, the multi-colored cube first appeared in toy stores in Budapest as the Bà ¼và ¶s Kocka (the Magic Cube). Although the Magic Cube was a success in Hungary, getting Hungary, a Communist country, to agree to allow the Magic Cube out to the rest of the world was a bit of a challenge. By 1979, Hungary agreed to share the cube and Rubik signed with the Ideal Toy Corporation. As Ideal Toys prepared to market the Magic Cube to the West, they decided to rename the cube. After considering several names, they settled on calling the toy puzzle Rubiks Cube. The first Rubiks Cubes appeared in Western stores in 1980. A World Obsession Rubiks Cubes instantaneously became an international sensation. Everyone wanted one. It appealed to youngsters as well as adults. There was something  about the little cube that captured everyones full attention. A Rubiks Cube had six sides,  each a different color (traditionally blue, green, orange, red, white, and yellow). Each side of a traditional Rubiks Cube consisted of nine squares, in a three by three grid pattern. Of the 54 squares on the cube, 48 of them could move (the centers on each side were stationary). Rubiks Cubes were simple, elegant, and surprisingly difficult to solve. By 1982, more than 100 million Rubiks Cubes had been sold and most had yet to be solved. Solving the Rubik's Cube While millions of people were stumped, frustrated, and yet still obsessed with their Rubiks Cubes, rumors began to circulate as to how to solve the puzzle. With more than 43 quintillion possible configurations (43,252,003,274,489,856,000 to be exact), hearing that the stationary pieces are the starting point for the solution or solve one side at a time just was not enough information for the layman to solve the Rubiks Cube. In response to the massive demands by the public for a solution, several dozen books were published in the early 1980s, each spouting easy ways to solve your Rubiks Cube. While some Rubiks Cube owners were so frustrated that they began smashing open their cubes for a peek inside (they hoped to discover some inner secret that would help them solve the puzzle), other Rubiks Cube owners were setting speed records. Starting in 1982, the first annual International Rubiks Championships were held in Budapest, where people competed to see who could solve the Rubiks Cube the fastest. These competitions are places for cubers to show off their speed cubing. As of 2015, the current world record is 5.25 seconds, held by Collin Burns of the United States. An Icon Whether a Rubiks Cube fan was a self-solver, speed-cuber, or a smasher, they had all become obsessed with the small, simple-looking puzzle. During the height of its popularity, Rubiks Cubes could be found everywhere - at school, on buses, in movie theaters, and even at work.  The design and colors of Rubiks Cubes also appeared on t-shirts, posters, and board games. In 1983, Rubiks Cube even had its own television show, called Rubik, the Amazing Cube. In this kids show, a talking, flying Rubiks Cube worked with the aid of three children to foil the evil plans of the shows villain. To date, more than 300 million Rubiks Cubes have been sold, making it one of the most popular toys of the 20th century.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Justice and mercy are both fundamental to civilized human life. If we Essay

Justice and mercy are both fundamental to civilized human life. If we are to continue to live in an ordered and supportive world - Essay Example What is even more significant is the fact that justice shall prevail when the chips are down, when the required actions are nothing else but the ones that are reliant on the notion of justice alone. Justice remains a very fundamental part of every society of the world, and this has been proven with research and solid evidence coming to the fore. This paper takes a keen look at the manner in which justice is fundamental to a civilized human life. The first and foremost argument in the wake of supporting justice is based on the fact that justice is central to reaching conclusions which are based on an ethical tangent. This has been proven with research which is implied through the Act IV of King Lear where gods were conscious of justice in the wake of avenging the death of Gloucester through killing. The ethical debate therefore stems from the Act IV of King Lear where emphasis is paid on the justice tangent more than the facet of mercy, which seems like a missing premise. The ethical and moral discussions are being discussed more and more with the changing business dynamics and it would not be wrong to suggest that this is similar to how life’s different situations arise every now and then. ... There would always be the justice element that will save the day for the people. The second argument that is used within the context of this essay and which focuses on the tangent of justice is how it has been a great leveler amongst the people. They look up to the different forms and mannerisms related with justice to seek long term and constructive results. The society believes that justice is the end result of long standing issues and people should be treated in the same light no matter how difficult or trying a circumstance or situation is. The Act IV of King Lear believes in the dictum of justice and hence the manner in which it has been pinpointed within the Act is something that draws its basis from the society itself (Author Unknown, 2005). The balancing act comes within the people when they believe that justice would form the cornerstone of their success as well as that of other people who are doing their bit by being fair and incorporating equality in the society. There see m to be a number of manifestations in line with this discussion of justice being a great leveler amongst people from varied segments of the society. People believe that justice would bring them to a common ground, or a platform which will erase away their worries and tensions, make them stand head to head with the offending party or individual and ask for justice right away. The incorporation of the same however does take a lot of time, which is indeed remarked as a negative within the related scheme of things. The third and final argument here is banking on the discussion of the collective good of the society itself. If the society believes that justice can pour in positive ramifications for all