Self Reference Criterion And Subculture Groups Cultural Studies Essay

Self Reference Criterion And Subculture Groups Cultural Studies Essay One of the keys to success mentioned Cateora (2001) to achieve a successful international marketing is to adapt to environmental differences between a market and another. (Cateora, 2001). He defines the self-reference criterion (SRC) as a reference unaware of our own cultural values, experiences and knowledge as the basis for our decisions. The SRC hampers the ability to assess a foreign market in its true dimension. The self-reference criterion (SRC) is especially operating in the customs business. If you do not understand the customs of our foreign counterparts, are more likely to assessment behavior of these people in terms of what is acceptable to us. It is important to note that one of the most important strategies for success in international negotiations is to consider cross-cultural analysis in such a way as to isolate the influences of benchmark employment or self-reference criterion when making decisions, since it is essential to understand culture of the foreign market in order to avoid cultural shock and errors when you start a negotiation on the basis of adaptation to the environment in which it operates, and, moreover ethnocentrism which limits our ability to accept cultural differences and therefore reduces the opportunity to develop effective international marketing programs. In conclusion, when formulating and developing an international marketing program must consider the possible occurrence of these barriers as determinants of decision making. To avoid disappointment for entering and remaining in foreign markets, it is important to have respect for cultural differences in each of the markets of different countries and it is really important to know the history, traditions and trends of potential markets for generate a truly global conscience and implement strategies with ethical trend in each of them. The key to adapting is to maintain ones culture but to develop a  ¬ entendimien and a willingness to accommodate the differences. A successful marketing professional knows that China is important to give opinions without overwhelming arguments, criticism, even when requested, may cause the host lose face. In Germany it is considered impolite to use first names unless one is specifically invited to do so, you should always address a person as Herr (Mr), Frau (Mrs.) or Fraulein (Miss) with your name. In Brazil should not be offended by the propensity to touch the person with whom he converses. This custom is not a violation of personal space but the Brazilian form of greeting or emphasize one aspect to or gesture of goodwill and friendship. For the employer you want to export as the international marketer and specialist in international trade must have a type of vision to observe and detect the different elements that may be important in the development of its function. These views consist of: The vision of company, which is to take into account the capacities, objectives and interests of the company. The national vision that involves taking into account the positioning, the possibilities and trade agreements and government and private support of the country of the offered. The vision for the country of the target market is to take into account the realities, barriers of values, culture, norms and customs of trade and business of the country that addresses the export effort. The overall vision is to consider the general situation and sectoral trends, technology and international marketing in addition to the regionalization and globalization processes of international norms established by entities such as the OMG and the ICC Adjusted for differences requires putting aside our own cultural values. James E. Lee proposed that the natural self-reference criterion the unconscious reference to our cultural values is the root of most international business problems. However, recognize and admit this, it is often quite difficult. (Negocios Internacionales, Michael R. Czinkota, Ilkka A. Ronkainen, Michael H. Moffett, 7th Edition, Pag 60) By ignoring important cultural aspects, it can fall into the self-reference criterion, for example the unconscious reference to cultural values. Thus, it has been the cause of countless problems in international business and more, when it came to high-context. Avoid ethnocentrism as well, which is to consider their own culture as superiors to others (Czincota and Ronkainen, 1996)   There are many dangers of the self reference criterion: Failure to explore the need to take precautions Do not measure the differences between the cultures of different countries. Having an offensive answer with the host response The steps for Cross Cultura Analisys: To clarify the problem of home business To clarify the problem of the foreign Separate the SRC, examining in detail a complicated problem Determine the problem without the SRC The progress of a global awareness Different cultures must be tolerated To know and accept different cultures, making working with others whose culture is different. Have a knowledge of different global cultures, such as history, social and political problems. Focus on global awareness Selecting managers with global knowledge Having relationships with people who are from other countries or nationalities Cultural diversity within the company executives Acoording to Usunier and Lee J. in the book Marketing across Cultures, Perceive the French about other cultures are: The Germans: Pretentious and offhand. Fashionable, womanizing, frivolous, fickle, well-mannered, resourceful. The British: Nationalistic, chauvinistic, intransigent, centralist, dependent on the state, polite but not open minded, humourless, short tempered. The Americans: Chauvinistic, well mannered, combination of good food and good conversation, curious about foreing people, pretentious, talkative, pleasant, intelligent. ETHNOCENTRISM Properties of ethnocentrism may include the following tendencies: (1) to distinguish different groups; (2) to perceive events in terms of their own group interests (economic, political and social); (3) to see one group as the center of the universe and consider your lifestyle superior to all others; (4) to distrust other groups and negligible; (5) to see one group as superior, strong and honest;   The phenomenon of ethnocentrism is a danger to global marketing. Ethnocentrism is not to buy a foreign product not because it more expensive or lower quality, but the fact of being ones own country. People affected by this fact tend to think that the product of your country is always better. Immoral even consider buying things from abroad. It is curious that in other countries, like Spain, the opposite happens: if a foreign product looks better. An Italian designer suit seems more elegant than a national costume. The effects of ethnocentrism on the process of marketing and sales can sales practices to coexist rational and irrational due to marketing consumer ethnocentricity (Walle, 1986). The central role of personal provide satisfaction and customer service quality may be adversely affected by wider influence of marketing in the development and communication of identity corporate (Thomas and Hill, 1999). Likewise, ethnocentrism can also affect negatively to the transfer of technology from countries with economies of third world developed nations, due to the ethnocentric and stereotyped behavior on the part of developed economy, this is particularly true in technology transfer social, for example, in the area of organizational development (Bourgeois and Boltvinik, 1981). Consumer ethnocentrism is related to the country effect origin, either as an independent concept (Herchen, 1992), or considering it, from academic point of view, a further element of the concept of country of origin on the explains how the patriotic feelings affect attitudes toward products and purchase intentions (Han, 1988; Hadjimarcou, Hu and Bruning, 1993, Good and Huddleston, 1995; Huddleston, Good and Stoel, 2001)   SUB CULTURAL GROUPS Internationalization Strategies Ethnocentrism: Oriented to the country of origin. The company has focused its sales targets in the local market will eventually be sold in other markets only if you experience any order. Consider export as a sideline, giving priority to domestic operations. There is no change in the commercial mixture. Polycentric: Oriented to the country of destination Each country is considered as an independent reality, planning and marketing strategies are defined according to the needs of this market .- The distribution is done with equipment sales channels and target market .- Participate in the national market but in a disorganized and unplanned .- Usual medium enterprises or those with some experience in foreign markets .- It is expensive to establish the structure and oil business management, emerging problems of coordination and Control. Region Centric: Oriented to the region, is establishing a strategic plan for the entire region. A regional sales target, market coverage program is organized and planned sales. Geocentric: global orientation. SUBCULTURE The subculture is a distinct group within a culture. Its members can meet for various reasons, such as age, ethnicity, sexual identity, musical tastes or aesthetics, among others. It is usual that the subculture defines itself in opposition to the dominant culture. There are times; however, that such opposition is not radical. The members of a subculture often share a similar appearance that identifies them as a particular hairstyle (the ridge in the case of the punks) or the color of the clothes (black for Goths or emos). Within a subculture usually speak a particular dialect or uncommon terms used in other groups. The emergence of a subculture is established by the existence of shared symbols. This distinguishes the simple groups of people who meet common tastes of subcultures. In the mentioned case of the goth subculture, its members appeal to the black clothes and white makeup to convey their skepticism and lack of hope for the development of mankind Cultural subgroup is the denomination to define those groups of individuals who share common goals and ways of representation communes. Sub cultural analysis to segment the market to reach the needs, motivations, perceptions and attitudes that are shared by members of a particular subculture group. A subculture is a distinct cultural group that exists as an identifiable area within a larger and more complex society. Its members have beliefs, values and customs that set them apart from other members of the same society. The main sub-cultural categories are: nationality, race, religion, geographic location, age, sex and education. EXAMPLES OF SUBCULTURES EMO The origin of the word emo itself is confusing, most people associate it with the word emotional from the 90s. More recently, the word emo was seen as a contraction of emotional hardcore or emocore, which were popular designations music genre. The term emo has also been used in recent years on the Internet by different field, especially to those who seem emotionally unstable. Others use the term emo to describe a feeling of depression. In English the term emo is also used as an abbreviation for the word emotive meaning affective or emotional. Floggers Flogger is known as a trendy teenager from Argentina, which is closely related to Fotolog.com, a website where you upload photos and where users can comment on them. It has become very popular among young people, to become almost a habit or lifestyle. Flogger The word comes from flog, short for Fotolog. The popularity of a photoblog is based on the number of signatures (comments) daily photos and their friends / favorites. The photos uploaded in their respective fotologs often self-portraits. GOTHIC This is a movement in several countries. It started in the UK between the late 70s and mid 80s in the gothic rock scene, a derivation of the Post-Punk. His aesthetic and cultural inclinations come mainly from the influences of horror literature, horror films, and to a lesser extent, the BDSM culture. The goth subculture shared aesthetic tastes, musical and cultural common ground. Although Gothic music encompasses several sub-genres and styles, all share a tendency to look and sound dark or dark. Styles of dress within the subculture, taking influences from death rock, punk, androgynous style, and even the Renaissance style of dress, but goths are aesthetics, which focuses on black. Gothic THE PUNK This is born in the UK since the early 70s where a stream of young people in Britain and other industrialized countries felt that the rock had gone from being a means of expression for young people, to a mere marketing tool and showcase to the grandeur of the musicians of the time, pushing the music of ordinary people. Punk emerged as a mockery to the rigidity of the conventions that concealed forms of social oppression. Philosophy punk can be summarized as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Do it yourself, have it your way. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rejecting the dogma and not to seek a single truth. challenge and contradict everything à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Do not operate according to the fashion and media manipulation in addition to being against consumerism. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Think for yourself. Skinheads The skinheads are skinheads or groups considered to be Nazis. They advocate the ideology of German leader Adolf Hitler and say they want to rid society of what they call scum, although this will have recourse to violent methods they know as clean-up squads. The Rastafarian These comes from Jamaica, is linked to the liberation of black people, looking for the earthly paradise in this case would ethiopia, so their characteristic colors, green, yellow and red, the rasta culrtura more than a movement is a religion provided when carrying off the bottom of the letter, not consuming meat, and based on pure marijuana consumption, on the grounds that the Bible mentions that God has created all the plants for use by men, also stops at state of flight to achieve a better meditation. SEGMENTATION AND SUBCULTURES Culture is defined largely consumer behavior of a given society. However, within a culture more homogeneous subgroups coexist with a common customs and values. Distinguish consumers in each subculture facilitates the positioning of brands and products aimed at a culture. Segmentation in subcultures is based on a socio-cultural and demographic factors were clearly identifiable. Marketers must be aware of how sub-cultural influences interact, not just segmented by a unique subculture. The classification of subcultures is usually done on the basis of national origin, age, religion, sex and lifestyle. However, this type of segmentation is valid provided that belonged to one of these subgroups involving behavioral patterns and identifiable characteristics, since the fact of being black or white, yuppie or a housewife, may not be a factor significant for the purchase of certain products. If subculture is identified as the group of adolescents between 14 and 18, is because they have a different behavior than for people between 25 and 32, for example. In Spain, the development of advertising campaigns are often differentiated mainly by age, gender and lifestyle, rather than racial influences, for although the number of immigrants is increasing, especially from the early 90s, a group is not so ingrained as, for instance, Hispanics or African American. The choice of conditioning (shape, appearance, color) cannot ignore the symbolic meanings associated with the cultural environment. An example: Nestlà © launched a dairy preparation characterized by containing active bifid us and a rich supply of calcium. It differs by the higher calcium content and pleasant taste. And in Latin countries the gratification of taste is a key factor for the food products sector. If your taste or texture is not good, the product will not succeed. That makes it especially attractive given a subculture from the perspective of marketing is the fact that it represents a segment of consumers with unique shopping habits, which involves a significant purchasing power for the company. If cultures differ, and if consumers behave differently, marketing strategies must also adapt to different environments can be identified. In this sense, be regarded as cultural adaptations in market research and strategies of the marketing mix, product, price, distribution and communication. In any social group differences in manifest behavior patterns for marketers this fact offers advantages and disadvantages. Disadvantages as identify a greater number of differences in a society should lead to the segmentation process to continue to spread to other possible groups that show homogeneous patterns or cultural features, design marketing activities appropriate to each segment or any of them, and increase business costs arising from the differentiation. Advantages precisely because the market segmentation us to potential target sites which may constitute or niches where the company can rest, defend, or be strong. In a society there are groups that are usually values and cultural homogeneous, but that differ from other groups, all members of the macro cultural group. What is important for the marketing manager is to realize this potential cultural variety, and then follow a process similar to the following: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Analyze cultural diversity in a particular social group. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify the types existing subcultures according to nationality, race, religion or geography. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Analyze the main cultural and behavioral differences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Study the profiles of each group for demographic, psychographic and behavioral. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Evaluate the potential of each subculture as target market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Determine the implications for marketing and its key variables. In the light of new trends that have been imposed in the marketing, seen as a social process, there has been a school of thought supported by the relativistic paradigm. The culture has begun to be seen as the background which shows the consumption patterns and also some products which have acquired a symbolism not imagined before (Lindridge and Dibb, 2003). As a result, beyond instrumentalist considerations, sociological, social, mutually beneficial exchange, strategic, administrative, and engineering (Pà ¡ramo, 2004) has emerged strongly in recent decades on the world of academics and researchers, a tendency to view marketing as part of a particular culture (Douglas and Isherwood, 1979; Arnould and Wallendorf, 1994; Pà ¡ramo, 2000a, 2000b). This trend has upset the paradigm of a country regarded as a synonym of the same culture (Rao, 1997), since societies are constituted largely by subcultures that correspond to the existing human groups. In fact, for over 20 years marketing has witnessed a continuing growth of interest in the study of cultural differences between ethnic groups and its implications for marketing and this has forced him to resort to ethnicity and culture as criteria segmentation.

Study On Professional Development For Strategic Managers Education Essay

Study On Professional Development For Strategic Managers Education Essay There are some certain management and leadership skills which are necessary for the growth of any business organization. Both personal and professional skills should remain healthy for the healthy organization like problem solving, decision making and planning etc. in today business environment a leader or a manager must be have some certain qualities which are helpful in order to perform his role. As behavioural theories assume that leader can be made rather than born. So there are the certain skills which differentiate a leader from the others. A successful organization is the one which look after their employees and does something for their carrier development because this is the way through an organization achieve its goals. Personal skills evaluation: Everyone has ability to do something all it need to do is to identify what we have and how we can utilize it in positive sense , these are some common personal skills which are going to be discussed. . 1.1.1 TIME MANAGEMNET: This is the important personal skill through which it is able to do the things efficiently here it need to identify that at what time what we should do or what we should not .for example During the last week my target was to manage my college and my job together which I hardly able to manage it. Yes it is true that I was able to manage my time as for as job is concern and I went to college in time but other target was not achieved which was about the working on assignment thats all about the time management to use the time wisely , managing queries and analyzing the time properly , assessing the day that how much time you giving for your tasks and how can you safe your time by doing the things in time and we can also log the things as well. Find the answers of your questions and try to get the end result by solving these problems. Analyzing time spent to improve productivity This is the skill which we need to be focused to analyze the time where you actually going to spend and how we are dividing the tasks according to the time and to achieve our goal just analyze that are we giving the right time on right thing? and if this is the right thing which we are focusing is it possible that if we spend some more time on right issue, we can increase the productivity for example in Tesco when I work in my section pickles, oil and spices I always start work from oil because more heavy stuff is in that section and comparatively much easier to finish and spices take more time and cower a small section so I quickly do the other job which is more important and much easier to do. 1.1.2 Setting smart objectives: Smart objective are those which are specific, particular on certain task Set the realistic objective which are achievable, on right time make the measureable decision. Objectives are the plan for which you have to fight to achieve a certain goal we might have a many objective like my goal is to get MBA degree its my goal but to achieve a goal I have to set smart objectives which should be realistic, achievable and measureable like what is the thing which I am going to do? Specific: specific means the concern of any selected topic and when we talk about specific always questions coming in our mind that why, how and for who I am going to do this. Realistic: It is not necessary that realistic must be achievable but realistic is something that at least you have the resources to do that task for example its realistic to get the MBA degree foe me but in case I dont have the sources than I am not able to get degree like money is the main source. Measureable: its important for us to measure the task because if we cant measure it we cant do it. Measurement is the tool which we use for comparison. 1.1.3 Prioritising work task: prioritising is the process in which u priorities the tasks according to your mind so simply its a skill which u learn from yourself assess your priorities and then work on them for exp my priority at the time is to get MBA degree not to focus on job because through job I just pay the rent of my flat all I need to do just focus on my study because that is the priority for me right now but with the passage of time priorities change as time to time for exp if I got married at that time or I am having a baby than my priorities will be to feed my family instead of the study. So its so important to analyze and prioritize your work. This is human nature that once you start some new work it looks tough but as long as u keeps going with it you will find it quite easy. So try to find out the priority in the work and keep focus on that to get the desired result. For example I am doing to many tasks in the day I use internet after college, face book, I use to talk to my friends and I play football as well now I have to think that how much time I am going to spend on these tasks and what is my priority and how much time I am giving to my priority work and what changes I need to bring out in order to prioritise my work. 1.1.4 Problem solving and decision making: A problem is an unacceptable condition which is unusual. If you cant find the problem you cant sort the problem. So this is clear that to sort out the problem always we need to know that what the actual problem is and in response to find out the problem we need to develop the skill to make the right decision at right time. We should have the ability to find out the problem and then check what should be the solution and after that take the decision. Decision making is not easy because you always have a fear to make decision you can only make the decision when you know that what the actual problem is. We should able to developed skills of calculated risk in problem solving. 1.2 Professional skills: Personal skills are interrelated to the personal skills because through personal skills a person is able to develop his professional skill for example effective communication and good listening is a personal skill by using these skills in any organization you are able to polish your skills like if you have a good communication skill you are able to let the people understand what you are saying and if you are a good listener than you can easily understand what your bosses are expecting from you. Now we it will be discussed about some professional skills and analyze how these skills are linked to the personal skills. 1.2.1 Coaching skills: This is the skill which a person develops through experience and courses and it is widely used in the organizations to get the required task up to the mark. Coaches are introduced to make the employees skilful for example a area supervisor in the Carlisle security is working as a coach who is always there to train the security staff and guide them what they should do and what they are not suppose to do and in which conditions what steps they need to take and how to tackle with the difficult situations. According to Elizabeth Morgan It is vital for every business and professional organization to increase the knowledge and skills of their employees. They should strive to enhance the quality of performance, to ensure an improvement on the personal and professional front. (Elizabeth Morgan 2008) Now the question is how a person is been able to develop his coaching skills here it need to be understand the need of the personal skills as the good coach has definitely having a good communicational skill and he will be a good time manger and he should must have a stress management skill. It is not necessary that a person who has great coaching skills must be good in practical situation because this is a skill which he has for example in sports an boxing coach might not be a boxing champion but he is able to make the other person a champion. 1.2.2 Leadership skills: Leadership, a critical management skill, is the ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal. There are some characteristics which make a person a successful leader. A leader is the one who can work in an environment which he can manage himself and others in a stress environment. Now again we see the personal skills stress management and using the time effectively .obviously a leader should have the skill of communication though he can communicate his team in an effective way and should be able to solve the problems when it occurs. There is the example of Tesco where we see what the role of team leader is and why he is the team leader. The reason behind it that he is the team leader because he use to work in every department in Tesco and he is able to motivate the other guys to do the right things at right time and if some time a sales assistant doesnt not know where he had to put the stuff in shelf he will be there and able to guide in seconds that this thing should go to that place so again its been seen that leadership requires a good personal skills. 1.2.3 Multitasking skills: Multitasking means, doing more than one task at the same time. This is the skill which is interrelated to the time management as if someone doing more tasks at same time it means he is going to save his time by that way. Normally the term multitasking is used in computer language because computer is able to process many programs at same time. this is the skill which a person develop with the experience for example if someone doing a office job and he is taking prints from the computer which takes time than in that time he is able to utilize it as he may can check his emails during that time and by checking his mails he is able to use the telephone to make important calls. Here we took a example of the concierge officer in Bryant court which is the reception of the residential flats. The officer is doing the multitasking by keeping eye on CCTV cameras operating phones and communicating with the residents at the same time. 1.2.4 Presentation skills: Presentations skills are achieved through the knowledge, confidence, communication and good learning skills. Presentation means to express your or the company views in front of the people without having any fear. Presentation skill is necessary to present but practise makes it perfect and when you do the practise it mean you are working on your personal skill to achieve professional skill. In Tesco section manger and senior night manager use to give presentation on every Monday to keep the staff up to date and telling them the company target and the role of staff. Now its been analyzed that professional skills are achieved through the practise of good personal skills. Presentation training is useful to develop presentation skills but nothing replaces practice. Effective presentations have targeted, simple, clear and repeated messages. (Roger lever 2009) Conclusion: Through this assignment its been seen that how personal skills are important to develop professional skills so both of these skills are interrelated to each other and a person uses both these skills to get the organization goal. TASK TWO: Personal development To assess my skills, I carried out a survey by giving evaluation forms to my class mates. We made a group of five members and each person rated my skills. With the help of their views I put these ratings in a suitable form. The assessment given by them is presented in the Appendices table and the final rating based on their feedback and my personal assessment is presented below. Rating of Management and Leadership Skills SKILLS RATING Very good 1 Satisfactory 2 Need to improve 3 Bad 4 Learning styles: It is been realised that we learn in different ways and learning styles. Honey and Mumford identified four different characters with quite different learning styles Activist, The Pragmatist, The Reflection the Theorist. Based on a questionnaire survey carried in the classroom, I learned that my predominant learning style is Pragmatist. I realise that pragmatist learning style has better impact in my learning activities. As I carried out a self-confidence survey and the result is presented below Self Confidence Analysis Situations Reasons Ways to Improve Worries of future makes me upset Because I think too much that what will happen to me. To overcome this I should set a proper plan about my future and then have to focus on that plan. I do not learn from my mistakes. Because I always ignore what happened and why was it happened. I should make a note about the failures in a personal diary in order to do avoid in future. I always upset if I cannot get success Because I am getting disheartened from my failures. I should have the courage to face the reality. Some time communication effect my confidence Because my native language is not English. I should develop my language skills I feel myself nerviest when I cannot present what I want. Because when I select a wrong topic of presentation. I should focus on what I want to do Improper dressing makes me feel lack of confidence. Because due to this I cant concentrate on my work. To overcome this always should dress up properly AT the start of presentation I feel lack of confidence Because I always ignore the preparation of introduction. To overcome this makes a proper intro of any presentation in order to reduce the lack of confidence in the start. Assertiveness Analysis This survey is based on questionnaire and I identified that my behavioral style is assertive as I raised my voice if someone do not listen to me but I also listened to them properly and try to make my point clear Weaknesses Ways to Improve If someone does not get my point I might lose my temper. I try to convince other with the solid points In case I am unable to understand a problem. I try my best to think before I speak Sometime when I disagree to someone I do not give them response. I am trying to improve my convincing skills Presentation Analysis Weaknesses Ways to Improve Because of preparation I use to take less sleep before last night of presentation. I should have enough sleep after preparation I have less confidence weather I could make it I should not be worried about it and speak without any pressure In some situations I forget some points during the presentations. I should note down on a piece of paper I feel hesitation while walking in front of people during presentation To overcome this one thing I have to make sure in my mind that I am perfectly all right from all aspects. In some cases I do not have enough material To overcome this always selects a right topic of presentation. At the start of presentation I feel lack of confidence. To overcome this makes a proper intro of any presentation in order to reduce the lack of confidence in the start. I believe under these circumstances, I can learn best in the following ways: I learn better from proven good practice, using the examples and the expertise of others. I like to face the problem with different approaches. I dislike situations where there is nothing to learn Pragmatist situation quite helpful for me. I always work when I have been forced to do job in time The short discussions or less detailed tasks make me unhappy. So I cant get benefit easily. I am expecting to make practical decisions. By presenting myself as practical person because I like to solve problems. I enjoy experimenting to improve techniques. I like frequently come up with the answer to a problem. I have only interest in theories is to see if the work in practice. Swot analysis helps us to analyze our strength and weakness and how we can create the opportunities for us and realizing the threat which are we facing at that time. In reference to the strengths the skills that I am good at are the following. This style shows that how a person utilize his personal skills and get benefit from these skills. Time management skill Supervision Customer service Adaptable skill Decision making ability Conflict Management skill. Coaching skill Weaknesses For an Effective leader I need to polish my skills. I feel some weaknesses to achieve my set targets of the business as a leader of the team. In following areas I think, I must have to improve in order to become an effective manager. Presentation Communication Self confidence Group discussion Planning Motivating Stress management Opportunities: By working on the skills which I already have it is possible that opportunities can be created and after solving out my problem making issue I will be able to make effective decision for myself and my team, it will decrease the failure rate and increase the confidence. After engaging in these activities a person is able to develop his future and carrier. Threats: There is always a aspect of threat which can never be denied ,being a leader a person should have the ability to realize that which threats are there which make a person worry and uncomfortable. The common threats which a leader faces are there. De motivation by top management policy Recession period Lack of knowledge Lack of qualification Self respect Misuse of power Personal Development Plan: Through the skill audit its been realised that which are the skills I need to improve and through which skills I am able to achieve my goal. In the following table I have developed a plan for myself and analyse that what should I do to improve my skills and how can I achieve my targets. Learning and Development needs Aims to learn and achieving goal Which actions need to be taken including resources need to achieve goals Date for achievement/review Presentation skill By developing these skills, I can present myself effectively in front of my senior management and other members of team which can increase the companys efficiency and productivity. It will help me in almost every field of life to achieve what I want to tell others. I should attend seminars, workshops and events Participating team meetings and group discussions. Concentrate on learning resources like tapes, videos and others. Whenever there is opportunity to speak I should go for that. Practising . 25-03-2011 Communicatin skill (English) English is an international language which is recognized all over the world and a person feel more confident and comfortable when he uses to speak foreigners and communicate in an effective way. This can support the personal objective and help to get company objective as well By convincing the people And introducing the business strategy. More Conversation and discussions in English By joining language classes and speaking freely to my mates can develop my skill I should go to the seminars I should watch English movies and other programs on TV. I should read English novels, poetry and other books to increase my vocabulary. I should prepare presentations in English to build my confidence to learn English quickly. 30-03-2011 Coaching Counselling Coaching and counselling is a leadership style which is used to make the employee productive for the organization and polish the skills. By counselling my subordinates I will be much closer to them and can sort the issues related to work which are really affecting their performance. Practical work Career and development training Learning from the teachers and senior management on work More discussion with colleagues and managers. Analyzing what to do and when it need to do Minimizing the work load and need to develop more human interaction. 15-04-2011 Planning Planning is the major key of the success weather a person or for the organization. Through proper planning person can achieve his targets which can help a lot in his progress. I need to identify the major objectives of my life and need to focus on these targets. Finding solution to achieve the targets I should analyze that my objective should be time based and realistic Proper planning to achieve my targets and should start work from today rather than tomorrow. As for as business point of view I should make a proper plan by arranging meetings with the seniors and stakeholders. I should attend conferences and read the survey reports. 20-04-2011 Outcomes of Personal Development Plan against personal objective: Through the skill audit it is been identified that which are things which I need to work on and improve and which are the strength that I am having. Secondly a plan is developed to overcome the efficiencies and to improve my skills. This is my personal objective to improve my capability in language skills but it cannot be achieved until it is not been planned to learn it. It needs to develop a plan that how this objective can be achieved and which are the resources I have, what are my strength and using my strength how I can overcome my efficiency. It can be put the time limits which indicates that within the specific period this goal must be achieved for example my target is to learn the communication skill before I leave this country. Personal objectives are so important in life because there is the purpose to spend the life. Without any purpose of life it becomes useless to live. Every one plans according to its ability to think and work on it but it really does matter how do you think and what you are going to do. Personal development plan is a suitable written form of the person thinking that what does a person want in life and how does he plan to achieve the target. It gives you the time to think and analyze the multiple solutions of the problem and work on them according to the plan like my objective in next three month is to learn presentation skills and it is analyzed that which are the ways through it can be achieved and how to deal with the time wasting and more focus to get the objective. Impact of own learning against the achievement of strategic goals: This is the more effective way to achieve the goal to write down the plan and then focus on your target. All we need to do to identify the objective and realize which is important for us and which is not. It helps us in learning by focus on the working document. Thing which it need to keep in mind is that the objective should be realistic and achievable and it should be clear that what are the strength of a person to achieve his goal and which are the area he need to work on . It does work in a great way as I set a goal for myself that till next three months I will improve my communication skills and I start work on this target by reading newspaper and books, communicating with my friends and colleagues. I have started to watch English movies on TV which did not do before. After a week it is realized that it does work as I feel much comfortable than before. Till the review date I feel most of the job will be done and there will be the difference. I personally learn that there are many things in life which we do not give the importance but a little thing can make the difference as I plan to achieve my goal I realize that it does not take too much time and efforts to achieve the targets. I will definitely implement it in my life by setting objectives in my life and there I will set the time limit to achieve it in time. Once I will get the objective of learning skills I will set more objectives. Appendix No. Skill Person A Person B Person C Person D Result Mode 1 Communication 2 3 2 2 2,3 2 planning 3 2 2 3 2,3 3 coaching 2 4 3 4 2,3,4 4 Presentation 3 2 2 3 2,3,2 5 Motivation 2 2 1 3 1,2,3 6 Time Management 1 2 2 2 1,2 7 Group discussion 2 2 3 3 2,3 8 Decision Making 4 3 4 3 3,4 9 Self Confidence 3 2 2 3 2,3 10 Technical Ability 2 3 3 2 2,3 11 Stress Management 2 4 3 4 2,3,4 12 Conflict Management 3 3 2 3 2,3

Congo: The Novel and the Movie :: Art

Congo: The Novel and the Movie Congo was an astounding bestseller novel. It was a great fictional novel that took place in the depths of the Congo rainforest. The novel was later made into a movie. Both the novel and the movie were good, however, I prefer the novel. It just seemed like a more entertaining piece than the movie. This movie was based much upon the novel, but had many alternatives and a completely different ending than the novel. The first difference between the novel and the movie was the press conference that was held on behalf of Amy the gorilla. In the novel, this press conference never took place. In the novel, the press conference was held to settle a legal debate on whether or not Peter Elliot was abusing Amy and whether or not Amy should be released from Peter’s studies and experiments. However, in the movie, there was no reason stated as to why the press conference was being held. Another difference was the way that Peter and Dr. Ross met. In the novel, Dr. Ross called Peter and invited him to go on an expedition to the Congo with herself and her team. After receiving this call, Peter was begging Dr. Ross to include him on her travels. However, in the movie, Dr. Ross met up with Peter at the airport and Peter was already packed and ready to leave for his own expedition. He had no intention of taking Ross along, but he found himself with insufficient funds to pay for the trip. This pushed Peter to invite Ross along if she was to pay for the remainder of the trip’s expenses. The airplane in the novel belongs to Dr. Ross’ company Earth Resources Technology. In the movie, however, she works for TraviComm. A man named Travis is still in charge of the company in both the novel and the movie. Travis forces Dr. Ross on this mission in the movie, but in the novel, Travis finds it his last hope to send Dr. Ross. He has no initial intention to send her because he feels that she is incapable of the expedition. Dr. Ross and her team encounter a setback when they cannot fly their second plane. The cause for this in the movie is that while at the airport, the African President’s car is blown up. On the other hand, in the novel, the second plane is bugged and Amy is kidnapped.

Fading Christian Relevancy Exposed by Sallie McFague Essay -- Religion

My first encounter with Sallie McFague’s article was jarring: her eco-feminist metaphorical approach to theology is somewhat unexpected to those unfamiliar with Religious Studies. Yet I suppose I have misjudged much of this field of study by unfairly coming to expect either wholly traditional or wholly radical claims. McFague’s approach, however, seems relatively moderate and reasonable in all its assertions, and its neo-Derridian deconstruction had my inner cultural analyst bursting with excitement. Aching to break away from the patriarchical tyranny of classical Christian theology, she is committed to a drastic reconstruction of traditional Christian dogma. At first I wondered as to her motives: was this deconstruction fueled by a second-wave feminist desire to overthrow patriarchy, or the wishes of a tree-hugging ecologist on a mission to save the natural world (as suggested by her book’s title, Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age)? Apparently neither. It is after the first few paragraphs that McFague brings clear relevancy to her writing. She argues that the common interpretation of Jesus’ resurrection serves to negate God’s omnipresence. Traditionally it is understood that the resurrection represents a â€Å"personal, bodily translation into another world† (259) though which one can join the Savior. Thus while awaiting a later holistic reunion with God, one’s earthly, bodily present is in â€Å"between-time†, in limbo, lacking God in space and time. Thus McFague fears such an interpretation for its indirect implications: God, then, is not ‘omnipresent’ – He is only par tially, selectively present. (260) She proposes, then, that the resurrection tale no longer be held as a mythology of transcendence, but rather as a â€Å"promise of G... ...e need for metaphorical theology. The particular appeal of McFague’s style is, then, not necessarily her argument nor her logic: rather it is her open-minded approach to such controversial matters. For as McFague herself would openly admit, â€Å"there are, of course, different understandings on what is ‘better’† (265). Notes: [1] I particular enjoyed McFague’s observation that â€Å"a model is a metaphor with ‘staying power’† (278) as I have often wondered at what point a religious metaphor, such as ‘God as Father’, becomes accepted enough that it becomes used in the vernacular. [2] McFague’s ‘metaphorical theology’ very much reminds me of George Carlin’s attempts to rejuvenate an outdated Jesus in Dogma. McFague, like Carlin’s Cardinal Glick, is trying to ‘re-package’ and ‘sell’ faith (or rather, The â€Å"Buddy Jesus†) by preventing a need, and relevancy, for religion.

Heart Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Every man, or woman --to be politically and socially acceptable-- has buried, within himself, beneath centuries of societal norms and restrictions, a dark side, a savage side. When a man is taken out of society, and left to create his own norms, he must rediscover those primordial instincts which have sustained his species since the beginning of its existence. Survival of the fittest, physically and intellectually, cliqued as it may be, is the foundation of these archaic yet prevalent instincts. Persons who dominate one or many through mental or physical prowess develop a sense of superiority. This feeling, if fostered by the environment, and intensified to the extreme, produces a sense of having god-like powers. A man believing himself to be a or the God is seen, by the society from which he was taken out of, as a monster. Since monsters can not be allowed to roam the civilized world, someone must be sent to destroy it. To find the monster, the person selected must take the same pat h as the monster. This path is a journey into one’s own mind, soul, or true-self. The person on this path will never see evil so singularly personified as in the face looking back at him. In taking this path, the person runs the risk of becoming the very thing he is trying to destroy. In Joseph Conrad’s macabre story Heart of Darkness, the protagonist represents the person selected to seek out and destroy the monster. Conrad uses many techniques to bring the reader into the darkness: archetype, symbolism, and foreshadowing. The theme of this classic tale is succinctly made through the words of the western philosopher Nietzsche; when fighting monsters the person fighting should be careful not to become one, and when looking into a void the person must be aware that the void also looks into him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The readers are first introduced to the protagonist, Marlow, as he is being commissioned --by the “Company';-- to hunt down the monster, Kurtz, who is considered by some to be the main character. Marlow, a boat captain, almost nomadic in his need to travel, is also a man of simple morals, simple to the point of religious, the most prevalent commandment seen in his character is “thou shall not lie.'; Marlow, after spending a little time in London, embarks on his journey. The purpose of this journey is to find Kurtz, a man who is also employed by the “Company'; --which is in the ivory business, and has its greedy hand spread over Africa like a malignant tumor (Gatten).

All Quite on the Western Front

HIST 234 March 21 All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front is narrated by Paul Baumer. Paul was only a nineteen year old fighting in the German army on the French front with some of his classmates: Albert Kropp, the clearest thinker among them; Muller, a physics-inclined academic; and Leer, who wears full beard and lusty nature for girls. Their friends include Tjaden, a skinny 19-year-old locksmith who love to eat; Haie Westhus a large peat-digger, also 19; Deterring, a married peasant; and Stannislaus Katczinsky their wise and crafty 40-year-old leader.Page 3 they all joined the army voluntarily after listening to the stirring patriotic speeches from their teacher, Kantorek. But after experiencing ten weeks of brutal training at the hands of the petty, cruel Corporal Himmelstoss and the unimaginable brutality of life on the front, Paul and his friends have realized that the ideals of nationalism and patriotism for which they enlisted are simply empty line. They no longer believe that war is glorious or honorable, because they live in constant physical terror.At the very beginning of the book Erich Maria Remarque says â€Å"This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war. † Page 0 This novel does not focus on daring stories of bravery, but rather gives a view of the conditions in which the soldiers find themselves. According to the writer â€Å"no one has the vaguest idea what we are in for. The wisest were just poor and simple people.They knew the war to be a misfortune. † page 11 The monotony between battles, the constant threat of artillery fire and bombardments, the young soldiers struggle to find food and the lack of training of young recruits meaning lower chances of survival. In the novel the author writes â€Å"our early life is cut off from the moment we came here and that without our lifting a hand† page 19. The young soldiers would often look back and try to find explanation but never quite succeed, since they consider themselves young and extraordinary vague because they were in the 20’s they only had their parents and maybe a girl, hich was not consider too much influences. Whereas older men have a strong background that cannot be destroy, they linked to various life for example they had a family, wife, children, occupations, interest and a background which was strong, which means that war cannot destroy their memory of family. During the war soldiers spent their time on the front line, in an infantryman and in front line trenches. The working conditions became very predictable since it was spent mostly in the trenches. Soldiers recall the boredom of life in the dreary, lice-ridden, diseases spreading, muddy and dusty trenches.The writer describe s the unsanitary conditions of life at the front as Tjaden, tired of killing lice one by one, scrapes them off his skin into a boot-polish tin. He kills them by heating the tin with a flame. Haie’s lice have red crosses on their heads, and he jokes that he got them at a hospital where they attended the surgeon general. Paul remembers he and his friends were embarrassed to use the general latrines when they were recruits but now they find them a luxury. With Behm’s death, Paul and his classmates lost their innocent trust in authority figures such as Kantorek.Kantorek writes a letter to them filled with the empty phrases of patriotic fervor, calling them â€Å"Iron Youth† and glorifying their heroism. The men reflect that they once idolized Kantorek but now despise him; they blame him for pushing them into the army and exposing them to the horror of war. They would wake up middle of the night by hearing loud booms. According to Paul he believed that they â€Å"ha ve lost their senses of other consideration because they are artificial since only the facts are real and important to them.Page 21 As Paul sits with Kemmerich who knew his leg has been amputated, he tries to cheer him up, but Kemmerich is convinced he will die, Paul has seen friends die before, but growing up with Kemmerich makes life harder, the orderlies were not helpful, and when they return, Kemmerich has died. Paul collects his things and they remove the body to free up the bed for more wounded. As younger soldiers arrived, Paul and his friends feel like mature veterans. Paul believes every company has one or two resourceful people, but Kat, a cobbler by trade, is the smartest he knows. Page 37.Paul is glad to be his friend, and tells a story to illustrate his strength as a leader. For example Kat, bunking in a small, ravaged factory one night, Kat finding straw for the men to sleep on, and when they are hungry with no food, Kat goes off again and returns with bread and horse- flesh without providing an explanation. page 37 It was assumed that Kat's sixth sense help locating food and his special talent. As men return from the fronts, they see the shells shattered and coffins pilled by the dozens, however they made jokes in order to distance themselves from the unpleasant knowledge that coffin are made for them.Their first front was completely demolished by a direct hit and the second only to discover it has been buried. Captured Russian soldiers, who are reduced to picking through the German soldiers’ garbage for food, which means there might not be any food in the garbage. Food is so scarce that everything is eaten. Looking at the Russian soldiers, Paul can scarcely believe that these men with honest peasant faces are the enemy. Since nothing about them suggests that he is fundamentally different from them or that he should have any reason to want to kill them.Many of the Russians are slowly starving, and they are stricken with dysentery in large numbers. But most people simply ignore the prisoners begging, and a few even kick them. When Paul returns to the front, he finds Kat, Muller, Tjaden, and Kropp still alive and uninjured. He shares his potato cakes with them. There is excitement among the ranks: the Kaiser, the emperor of Germany, is coming to see the army. In preparation for his visit, everything is cleaned thoroughly, and all the soldiers are given new clothes.But when the Kaiser arrives, Paul and the others are disappointed to see that he is not a very remarkable man. After he leaves, the new clothes are taken away. Paul and his friends muse that if a certain thirty people in the world had said â€Å"no† to the war, it would not have happened. They conclude that wars are useful only for leaders who want to be in history books. During the Great War millions men lost their lives in one of the greatest acts of barbarity the world has ever seen. The heroism and sacrifice of troops in the trenches is probably wi thout parallel.The pretexts for execution for British soldiers had a common theme: many were suffering shell shock or now recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most of those men were young, defenseless and vulnerable teenagers who had volunteered for duty. Millions of men lost their lives fighting for war and millions of men came home without a leg, an arm, or blind, or deaf, or mentally broken due to the things they had to live through in the trenches. Others had their lives cut short through the effects of poison gas, and injuries due to blast, with collapsed lungs.While others came home whole in body, appearing normal, but with such serious nervous and mental conditions that they could not work, and were confined to mental hospitals for the rest of their lives. It should be noted that most, especially on the Allied side, later believed the war to have been worthless. Technological and military innovations such as poison gas, the machine gun, and trench warfare revolutioni zed combat during World War I, and Remarque effectively dramatizes how these innovations made the war bloodier, longer, and more costly.In almost every case, military innovations make the soldiers’ lives more dangerous, while medical innovations lag increasingly far behind. Kemmerich, for instance, dies from complications from a relatively light wound. Glory and patriotism cease to be rational ideals in the conflict because advanced technology limits the effect that an individual soldier can have on the conflict and alienates him from the consequences of his actions. Life and death thus become meaningless.

Parris and Procter Essay

How does Miller use setting and action in Set 1of ‘the Crucible’ to establish atmosphere and set the scene for the events which are to unfold?  This essay recounts the various ways in which Arthur Miller uses setting and action to set the atmosphere for the coming events in ‘the Crucible’. During the 1950’s whilst ‘the Crucible’ was being written a phenomenon called McCarthyism was occurring. McCarthy, who was the US president at the time, was determined to hunt down communists in the USA. He was paranoid about Communists and McCarthyism is the name given to the paranoid behaviour of his government in the hunt for communists. Miller was called in front of the judge and was tried, as were a number of his friends, but Miller was not convicted although others were. This is where Miller’s idea for ‘the Crucible’ originated. The link between McCarthyism and the witch-hunt is persecution, which is a common parallel in both situations. Being based on a true story about a historical witch-hunt creates dramatic tension in that the audience are expecting a play based on fact rather than fiction. The audience at the time would have known that the play was about McCarthyism, and by claiming that the play was based on fact Miller creates excitement in the audience who are prepared for a factual account of McCarthyism. It is notable that Miller was unable to perform his play publicly in the US at the time and it had to be performed in Belgium. By using the Salem witch-hunts Miller introduces the audience to the theme of good and evil. The setting and actions in Set 1 establishes atmosphere in particular for the events that are to unfold in the rest of the play. Set 1 in Act 1 is a small, simple bedroom. Within the room there isn’t much furniture and the room appears to be very cold and inhospitable. The room is brightened up by the description of the morning sunlight streaming in through the window, but the window is described as narrow so dulling the image of the room and limiting the sunlight streaming in through the window. The audience then has an image of a small slit of light entering a room of darkness, which creates a visual drama between light and dark. Similarly, the set in Act 2 is described by Miller as ‘the low, dark and rather long living room of the time.’ Again the Set which is a room in Act 3 is described as ‘solemn, even forbidding. Heavy beams jut out, boards of random widths make up the walls.’ As in set 1 there are two ‘high’ windows with ‘sunlight pouring through’. Finally in set 4 Miller describes the prison cell as ‘in darkness but for the moonlight seeping through the bars.’ The set of act 1 indicates a similar parallel in the set of the scene of John Procter in a prison cell, with the light streaming through. Whilst the audience contemplates whether there is hope of Proctor not being accused of dealing in witchcraft, sunlight streams in to the courtroom from the high windows. This represents a glimmer of hope for John Procter. Proctor’s wife then lies to say that her husband is not a lecher, thinking that she is protecting him, and the audience sees all hope dashed away. Later in Set 4 in the prison cell Miller uses the metaphor of moonlight seeping through the bars to show that not all is lost in despair. In all these sets Miller uses the stylistic device of light coming through windows in dark rooms making the audience think that the whole story will be dark with small glimmers of hope throughout. The use of light and dark in the set draws on a parallel of good and evil, hope and despair, justice and injustice. By allowing darkness rather light to dominate so despair, injustice and evil form the dominant atmosphere. The changing atmosphere in the similar settings leaves the audience un-prepared for what is going to take place next. Set 1, as can be seen by examining the text further, the bedroom is always full of tension and it is never the set for anything calm. Bedrooms are normally where people go to relax and sleep but this bedroom is the place where people go to argue and accuse each other of waywardness. This particular bedroom doesn’t belong to anyone and is described as ‘A small upper bedroom’. Bedrooms are normally personalised and made comfortable for the persons whose room it is but this one is cold and bland. This at once tells the audience that this room will be the centre for grievances and dilemma. The first character the audience meets in Act 1 is Reverend Samuel Parris, who is described as in his middle forties. The audience instantaneously get the impression that Parris is a man easily angered as his first words spoken are â€Å"Out of here!† Here Miller adds the action of Parris â€Å"scrambling to his feet in a fury†, which immediately creates tension. Reverend Parris’ short temper and his desperate manner, which he uses to get what he wants, are seen here. His intense anger comes through again when he is arguing with John Proctor â€Å"Man! Don’t a minister deserve a house†¦.†. Parris’s greed shines through and the audience sees a man out to get what he wants and not what’s best for the Church, which he is meant to serve. The audience also see his pretentiousness â€Å"I am a graduate of Harvard College†. He seems to believe that he is superior to everyone else. The confrontation in set 1 Act 1 set the scene for what is to be a far more serious conflict between Parris and Procter in the courtroom. At this point a different atmosphere is created by the tension. Here again there is an argument between Parris and Procter, but roles are reversed, and Proctor seems to be in control. The tension is also amplified by the way in which Parris speaks â€Å"in deadly fear, to Elizabeth†. Deadly fear is strong language and emphasises to the audience that death is in the air. Set 1 Act 1 also prepares the audience for Act 4 Parris is seen out of character where he is grovelling and begging for Procter to confess to dealing with witchcraft, demonstrating the extent to which Parris will go to get a confession, which the audience knows is false.