The gothic horror genre Essays

The gothic horror genre Essays The gothic horror genre Paper The gothic horror genre Paper Immediately before Jonathan makes the discovery of Draculas resting place, there are some very intense Gothic description that builds up until the incident of horror. Jonathan describes, the stairs were dark at the bottom there was a dark, tunnel-like passage through which came a deathly, sickly odour which gives the reader feelings of tenseness. Gothic descriptions tend to be, deathly, dark and dreary. Draculas eyes were open and stony, but without the glassiness of death the lips were as red as ever I fled from the place. This describes Dracula as dead and alive, the living dead. There is suggestion that Frankensteins Monster is also the living dead. With his watery eyes that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. This describing the living monster sounds as if it describing a dead man. As something major is going to happen tension is often built up via intense description and pathetic fallacy. The wind came now with fiercer and more bitter sweeps. As the weather is worsening so is the situation. Pathetic fallacy is also used often in this way in Frankenstein too. The rain pattered dismally against the pains and my candle was nearly burnt out. The dismal rain sets a dismal atmosphere. The mention of the candle almost burnt out suggests that something dire is about to happen. There is often supernatural description in gothic horror novels. In Dracula Lucy is described as being like a nightmare of Lucy the pointed teeth, the bloodstained, voluptuous mouth the whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucys sweet purity This is typical of the Gothic horror genre. The idea of vampires is super natural and is Gothic in itself. Again, the descriptions become ever more intense, leading up to horror. The horror here is the act of releasing Lucys spirit from the possessed body. As the stake is hammered into the heart The Thing in the coffin writhed The body shook and quivered and twisted in wild contortions while the blood from the pierced heart welled and spurted up around it. This again demonstrates the Gothic tradition and the horror that is connected to it. The blood here symbolises anger, hate and passion. The demon is fighting to stay within the body and so is writhing and twisting in frustration. Lucy is no longer a human being. The men have now realised that her mind and soul no longer exist. She has been reduced to an it. When the monster in Frankenstein is first brought to life Victor sees I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open. The unnatural colour of the eyes suggests that the monster is supernatural. This also brings fear to the reader as he may be seen as dangerous. In Dracula religion is used as a literacy device. Whilst in Transylvania, Jonathan speaks of how the local people offer him gifts, such as a crucifix. This shows the close tie of the Holy cross, linked into their supernatural beliefs. The old woman says that, It is the eve of St. Georges Day [and] when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway This suggests that she is scared for Jonathan. With her fear, she offers him a crucifix, as do travellers later on. Mina Harkers incident is an obvious show of religion used. After Dracula has bitten her, she reaches a period of depression. Mina shows her self-hatred to be a mixture of religion, shock and horror. Mina feels that she is now Unclean, Unclean!.. I am now his worst enemy referring to her husband. She feels that now Dracula has bitten her, she is a Vampire also and that she should be killed. Van Helsing attempts to protect Mina against any further attack. He touches a piece of sacred wafer on her forehead. There was a fearful scream As he had placed the wafer on Minas forehead, it had seared it had burned into the flesh as though it had been a piece of white-hot metal. This suggests that there is evil and super natural presence within Mina and religion is able to harm or even defeat it. Van Helsing acknowledges that Mina may have to bear that mark till God Himself sees fit, as He most surely shall, on the Judgement Day to redress all wrongs when that red scar shall pass away and leave your forehead as pure as the heart we know. This suggests that Minas scar is seen as the mark of evil. There is an indication that When she dies all her evil shall be dismissed she shall be judged by god on her pure self only not Draculas curse. The characters here believe that their faith in God shall save them. Religion seems to be a safety net for the vulnerable and for those who are exposed to danger. It reflects the Gothic feeling to the novel and so contrasts good and evil, which seems to be a significant theme, particularly towards the end of the novel. Religion is not such an important theme used by Mary Shelley, though her characters make exclamations that mention such things as God in times of fear or shock. Frankenstein often refers to his creation as a Devil or a Demon. This is ironic because it was he who created the monster, and it was he who performed the ghastly task of putting it together, so does that not make him the devil and the monster but a pure human. Frankenstein says that his brother, William now sleeps with his angel mother! which is a biblical image. This shows the horror and grief that is felt by Frankenstein and his family as it emphasises Williams purity and innocence. Frankenstein realises that he has, inadvertently caused Williams death. His unnatural and unholy creation has murdered a sweet and innocent child. A significant theme that Shelley uses to a great extent is science. As Frankensteins chosen occupation is within the scientific field, themes arising from this, cover a majority of the novel. Towards the beginning of the novel, Frankenstein is a student. His first mention of a creation, he says that, The raising of ghosts and devils was a promise liberally accorded by my favourite authors showing his observation of the matter. It seems to be Frankensteins study of others and determination that makes his ideas to be horrific. He is a well-educated young man, who feels that he must prove himself, but he does not realise the implications of this. Frankenstein speaks of his ancient philosophers as one would of a God. Punctuation and the language that is used is a very important device. This is shown significantly in Dracula with Jonathans feelings of shock. He says, There lay the count, but looking as if his youth had been half renewed, on the lips were gouts of fresh blood, which trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran over the chin and neck. This is exceptionally long sentence. This suggests Jonathan is making a hurried description because he is breathless, confused and in shock. He only half believes what he has seen. He later exclaims that he is, alone in the castle with those awful women. Faugh! They are devils of the pit! Goodbye, all! Mina! conveying his desperate situation to the reader. Stoker uses exclamation marks in order to portray Jonathans shock, these create a certain abruptness to the text, thus shocking the reader. Commas and semi-colons are used here. These suggest to the reader sharp intakes of breath, hence indicating shock and fear. There is also repetition of the word and this seems to add to the description, therefore the situation feels more intense. Frankenstein seems to be a novel that deals with morals, conventions and the significance of human beings as a whole. Where as Dracula is deals more with humans as individuals. Two very different styles are used in Dracula and Frankenstein. Although both convey what is essentially known as Gothic horror, they are two very different stories and they set out to suggest very different morals through the themes that are used. Despite the fact that each author suggests different morals, they do both touch on the importance and meaning of human life. The novels were both written in a time where people were questioning their place in the world. The two monsters portrayed within the novels perhaps reflect society during that period. I enjoyed both novels especially Dracula due to the unique way the novel had been structured. Both novels shared similar moral messages though Frankenstein was probably more clear than that that of Draculas.

In Writing, Tone Is the Authors Attitude

In Writing, Tone Is the Authors Attitude In Writing, Tone Is the Author’s Attitude In Writing, Tone Is the Author’s Attitude By Mark Nichol In written composition, tone is often defined as what the author (rather than the reader) feels about the subject. (What the reader feels about it, by contrast, is referred to as the mood.) Tone is also sometimes confused with voice, which can be explained as the author’s personality expressed in writing. Tone is established when the author answers a few basic questions about the purpose of the writing: Why am I writing this? Who am I writing it to? What do I want the readers to learn, understand, or think about? Tone depends on these and other questions. In expository, or informative, writing, tone should be clear and concise, confident but courteous. The writing level should be sophisticated but not pretentious, based on the reader’s familiarity with or expertise in the topic, and should carry an undertone of cordiality, respect, and, especially in business writing, an engagement in cooperation and mutual benefit. Expository writing shares with journalistic writing an emphasis on details in order of priority, so writers should not only organize their compositions to reflect what they believe is most important for readers to know but also use phrasing and formatting that cues readers about the most pertinent information words like first, primary, major, and â€Å"most important,† and special type like italics or boldface, but employ both techniques with restraint. In creative writing, tone is more subjective, but it also requires focus on communication. The genre often determines the tone thrillers use tight, lean phrasing, romances (hearty adventures as well as adventures of the heart) tend to be more effusive and expressive, comedies more buoyant, and so on. Some writing guides suggest that if you’re unsure about what tone to adopt for fiction, you visualize the book as a film doesn’t everybody do that anyway these days? and imagine what emotions or feelings its musical soundtrack would convey. Tone is delivered in the form of syntax and usage, in imagery and symbolism, allusion and metaphor, and other literary tools and techniques, but that shouldn’t imply that developing tone is a technical enterprise that involves a checklist. Just as with mastering your writing voice (while being flexible enough to adapt it to a particular project), adopting a certain tone depends on these and many other qualitative factors. Tone can also be compared to differing attitudes of human behavior the difference, for instance, in how you behave at work, at church, at a party, and so on. Tone and voice are two features of writing that go hand in hand to create the style for a piece of writing. The attitude and the personality two other ways to describe these qualities could also be said to blend into a flavor of writing. Whatever analogy you use, make a conscious decision about tone based on the purpose, the audience, and the desired outcome of your work. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OUGrammatical Case in English

LA Cuisine Marketing Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LA Cuisine Marketing Report - Coursework Example It has a wide range of meals to suite all individuals and workouts. The main offering that the restaurant make includes protein booster for body builders, slim fat meals for people who intend to lose weight, high crab meal for those taking endurance training, and low meals for the one who want to acquire a lean body and muscle. The restaurants will offer the customers with advice on the best meals that fit their workout. The restaurants will offer three meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Loudon, Stevens, and Bruce, 2004). a. Marketing plan overview Marketing refers to a method of determining the value for ones products or services and taking the appropriate procedure to communicate the information to customers. Before deciding on the price that one will offer in the market, a reasonable analysis should be conducted on the target group or customers. LA Cuisine has clearly identified the target group and analyzed their needs. The restaurants will, therefore, make substantial returns d ue to proper selection of a unique opportunity (Loudon, Stevens, and Bruce, 2004). The researcher who will have the responsibility of marketing the restaurants should put into consideration The Four Ps. These include product, price, place, and promotion. For the researcher to emerge with the best marketing method that LA Cuisine should adopt, they should concentrate emerging with an appropriate marketing plan. Products refer to the commodities that the entity will offer. Price is the charges that the management will be implementing for every commodity or service. Place is the location of the entity where the business will take place. Promotion refers to the various strategies that the business will offer to help people find about the product. Where the researcher concentrates on the above, LA Cuisine will be successful to dominate the market of serving their customers with the best services (Website marketing plan, 2012). Marketing objectives The objectives set out the goals that th e business wants to achieve in the course of the marketing process. LA Cuisine should aim at attaining various objectives that will lead to success and comprise of both corporate and functional objectives. Corporate objectives are the one that concern the business as a whole, while functional objectives are the objectives for various marketing activities. For a business to be successful, the objectives should conform to the SMART criteria below (McDonald, and Wilson, 2011). 1. Specific- the objectives should state exactly what should be achieved. 2. Measurable- the objectives should be flexible in a manner that the management can measure them. It should be possible for the management to determine if they achieve their objective. 3. Achievable- the various laid out objectives should be realistic. They should conform to the resources of the entity. 4. Relevant- the objectives should have material relevance to the staff who have the responsibility of achieving them. 5. Time Bound- the management should set the objectives with a time-frame in mind. This will ensure that the management sets realistic and attainable deadlines for various objectives. LA Cuisine should follow the above criteria to achieve the set objectives. With a strict adherence to the above criteria, the company will derive fruitful results in achieving the stipulated results. Marketing ethics This is a field that deals with the various moral principles that govern regulation and

Translating culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Translating culture - Essay Example Globalization is an overwhelming global trend drawing both positive and negative influences. One of the significant impacts of globalization on cultural identity lies in the spread of multinational corporations. This has been a significant driver of consumer culture and standardization of products and values.2 Globalization has been significant in propagating economic opportunity, elevating human rights, and enhancing access to information, technology, and goods and services to the people. Globalization has had a remarkable influence on the viability of locally made products and the people who take part in producing them.3 Local culture can be analyzed in terms of three dimensions. The first dimension relates to human relationship to nature and to life while the second dimension relates to symbols and rituals that aid people in structuring social relationships and building communities. Lastly, culture infers quest for ultimate meaning that avails goals and motivations. People make cu lture, and culture, in turn, makes people. Cultures keep on changing, and evolving, and the elements within any cultural identity reflect consumer choices. Nevertheless, globalization may accelerate cultural change and lead to a quick dilution of local cultural identity.4 From a socio-cultural perspective, globalization has a permeating effect on building of relationships between and among people.5 Prior to the emergence of globalization, most cultures were local, autonomous, distinct, and well-defined. The previous robust and culturally sustaining experiences, connections and reinforced local cultural identity have been destabilized. In this case, identity can be perceived in terms of gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, and nationality. In the contemporary world, people’s lives are perpetually being modified by contradictory trends of globalization and identity. Cultural identity and globalization are correlated and interconnected phenomena. Globalization is a critical s ource of transformation of new and modern ideas, development of human capital and information. Globalization has enhanced contacts between people with their values, ideas, and ways of life. Globalization diffuses cultural traits from one society to another. Culture is altered by other cultures that it comes into contact with through diffusion, commercial or political relations. Globalization has been associated with free flow of information, rapid advancement in technology and communication. Similarly, there has been phenomenal growth in the transportation sector, leading to the world becoming a â€Å"global village.† The new global culture signifies a â€Å"deterritorializing† character of globalization and eventual emergence of a borderless world. This aspect is blamed for diminishing the consequence of locality in cultural experience.6 Globalization has eased the way in which people can take part or integrate into another country’s cultural, economic, and pol itical life. The dominance of capitalism geared towards selling as much as possible to maximize profit has contributed significantly to the weakening of local cultures. The hyper commoditization stems from massive advertisement campaigns carried out to disseminate information concerning the products. Consumer

Integration Discussions to Include in Learning Portfolio Essay Example for Free

Integration Discussions to Include in Learning Portfolio Essay The term communication was derived from the Latin ‘communis’ meaning â€Å"to share† that is, sharing of concepts and ideas, feelings and emotion. In a literal sense however, communication means to inform to tell, to show, or to spread information (Singh, Amrik, Yadav, Seema 2003, p. 1). Communication is vital to any organization as it constitute the life of the entire organization while culture is the essence of an organization. When the management becomes concern on results and outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes, the management becomes concern only on employees’ productivity but not with their welfare. Business organization should be people oriented and its written communication or its policies must be clearly and rightly enforce and should not hinder employees from enhancing their full productivity potential. Maydan (2003) pointed out that organizations, as entities, â€Å"are also embedded in cultures, and organizing is a communication process† (p. 1). In a sense, organizational culture and policies it self are both part of communication. Thus, poor policies and policies that are poorly enforced both affects the organizational performance as well as the organizational life of business organization. It means that the employees’ effectiveness is affected by poor implementation of policies such as limiting employee’s communication with other employees in other departments and also employees’ access to management because it effectively isolate them from people they perceive as source of moral strength and information. It also effectively weakens their productivity. It is widely accepted that team work provides a better working relationship in any business organization. Here the degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals enhances the employees’ effectiveness and productivity. This is clearly illustrated in the game of basketball. Teams that play as a team have higher chances of winning. Team work also creates fun as working together for a common cause â€Å"creates group spirit, lightens up the atmosphere, and reduces tensions and conflicts (Dinsmore Cabanis-Brewin, 2006). Team work is an example of effective communication. How the problem of communication could be avoided There are perhaps a number ways to avoid the problem of communication. Management should allow employees some freedom to communicate freely with other employees on matters relating to their jobs. Having a delivery person to convey messages to other department in the same business organization delays important communications that are may be vital for the company’s growth. Business companies should be people oriented than profit oriented by focusing more on their employees welfare. It is true that even losers can turn into winners when they properly motivated. Employees gain more confidence and satisfaction through increased self-esteem and pride in their organization. In this way, employees can enjoy their work and they will become more productive in return. Aside from allowing employees some freedom to communicate, the management should also encourage its employees to innovate and take risk rather control them forced them to do more work. Gryskiewicz (1993) aptly stated that risk taking does not mean â€Å"taking a blind chance† rather it is a decision to implement â€Å"a well-reasoned idea where benefits would far outweigh the loss, should that occur† (p. 119). The problem of communication can be avoided if the management would be more people oriented. That is, if the management allows their employees to make some mistakes but at low cost, and to let them try their ideas. Attention to detail and aggressiveness When companies pay attention to details and become more demanding to their employees to come up with better results, the more pressures they imposed on their employees to exhibit precision, analytical skills, and attention to details. However, this is counter productive because this does not encourage employees to be innovative or risk takers. The company should not create an organizational climate of fear rather; it should strive to create a climate of trust. That means, allowing employees to even commit mistakes and to let them acknowledge such mistakes. Paying attention to details however is not bad; indeed it is important that company management should pay attention to details though this does not guarantee success. Details of transactions, of goals and objectives, and of business strategy to be implemented are important for the management to aware of. But when it comes to committing mistakes and risk taking, the management should display trust and confidence in their employees. Aggressiveness on the other hand is an important character of any employee. People who are aggressive are competitive and achieved more. It is far desirable than easy going attitude. Being aggressive is a positive quality as it will get one ahead of others who are not aggressive. Going back to a game of basketball, a team who is more aggressive is likely to win the game. But aggressiveness is not always viewed as positive and beneficial quality. Many people tend to view aggressiveness as the tendency to actively oppose someone else’s position or viewpoint. But viewed in the context of competitiveness, aggressiveness is positive quality that can help employees achieved more. Reference Dinsmore, P. C. Cabanis-Brewin, J. (2006) The AMA Handbook of Project Management USA: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn Gryskiewicz, S. S. (1993) Discovering Creativity USA: Center for Creative Leadership Maydan, A. (2003) Understanding Organizations Through Culture and Structure USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Sing, Amrik, Yadav Seema (2003) Business Communication India: Anmol Publication PVT. LTD

Wesels Night - The True Test in Faith :: Elie Wesel

All around the world people lose their faith in God for many different reason, either they or a love one has been diagnose with and deadly disease or an unexpected death occur in there family, they need somebody to blame, so most of them God. In Elie Wisel novel "Night" Elie explain how his faith in God was tested throughout the book, as he was force to leave his home, separated from his family, observe how many was being killed all around him, and witness children being thrown into huge ditches of fire, alive! Elie felt abandon, betrayed, and deceive, the God that he knew was an loving and giving God, it was then he started to doubt his existence. The unexplainable events that occur forever change Elie feelings for God. As Elie try hardly to hold on to his faith, his life was flashing right before his eyes, leaving his home to live in the ghetto, then as his and other lives was getting back normal they was then force out the ghetto, to either be put to death or live in an Concentration Camps, “Not far from us, flames huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there. A Truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes… children thrown into flames. (Is it any wonder that ever since then, sleep tends to elude me?)" Everything around Elie was happen very fast, he couldn't believe it, on how a benevolent God could be part of such depravity, "Why did I pray?... Why did I live? Why did I breathe?" Elie prayed because he believe, he live and breathe to worship thee Almighty. The holocaust forces Elie to ask horrible question, question that doubted God’s ability. It became clear to Elie that God di dn’t have any intention to help, so why should Elie Pray before God, “How could I say to him: Blessed be Thou Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our Brothers end up in the furnaces?

Analysis of Dynacorp Case Essay

The strategic design lens assumes organizations are deliberate, goal-achieving entities. In this view, managers can achieve organizational goals by understanding the fundamentals of design and fitting design to strategy, as well as to the larger organizational environment. In this paper, I discuss the five major elements of strategy – environmental fit, strategic intent, strategic grouping, strategic linking, and alignment – and identify two specific elements as causes of the problems Dynacorp is experiencing with its redesign. These elements are strategic linking and alignment. Fit with the Environment In the 1980s, Dynacorp was an excellent fit with the environment; it produced high-quality, innovation products. As result, its customers were happy to wait months or even a year for the company to bring out a new product and to â€Å"do some of their own applications work and figure out how to integrate Dynacorp’s products with the rest of their operations†. In the 1990s, however, the company lost the technological advantage it had maintained over the competition. According to Carl Greystone, executive vice president of the U. S. Cus-tomer Operations Group, â€Å"Both foreign and domestic competitors have been cutting into our market share, and our gross margins are way down,†. Indeed, Dynacorp was finding that many of its customers needed more than hardware, but want-ed ‘complete solutions’ to problems. Customers were â€Å"looking for systems solutions, more cus-tomized software, and more value-added services†. Dynacorp’s senior managers recognized that the firm’s existing functional structure was seriously inhibiting the organization from creating effective cross-functional responses to its external environment. Strategic Intent Dynacorp’s senior management thus moved to redefine the firm’s strategic intent, a no-tion that Ancona et al. define as â€Å"setting the strategy or mandate of the organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Instead of continuing to think of itself as a company merely selling hardware, the firm reorganized with the intention of providing customers with the integrated solutions they were demanding, and, where necessary, to do all this on a global basis. Strategic Grouping To implement its strategic intent, Dynacorp executives first had to make decisions about how to regroup tasks and functions. According to Ancona et al. , strategic grouping is a process of deciding â€Å"how the necessary activities are to be allocated into jobs, department, divisions, and other units, and how people are assigned to each†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The textbook describes five possible methods by which grouping of functions can be organized: activity; output; user, customer, or geography; matrix; and business process. At Dynacorp, the decision was made to move away from grouping by activity. Instead, the development, manufacturing, and marketing functions were grouped together into an output-oriented set of â€Å"‘end-to-end’ business units† in which all the functions would be ex-pected to contribute to the success of a product or a family of products or services. Within the sales area, executives decided to group by geography (U. S. , Europe, Latin America/Asia, with each of these areas further subdivided into regions) rather than to create multiple sales forces for each business unit. â€Å"Since products overlapped,† the interviewer was told, â€Å"the purchasers of different products were frequently the same people, and the cost inherent in replicating the field structure several times was prohibitive,†. Within each sales region, management created account teams with each team focusing on customers within market segments and industries. Greystone asserts that such a restructuring will result in industry specialists, rather than salespersons who were only knowledgeable about particular products. Greystone seemed optimistic: â€Å"You see, we feel that by targeting our investments toward growth of sales in specific industries and developing solutions to fit their needs, we’ll rebuild our market share and increase margins,† Strategic Linking Ancona et al. describe strategic linking as both formal and informal processes and posi-tions that would integrate units and subunits which are interdependent in tasks. The text identifies a wide array of linking mechanisms, including formal reporting structures, liaison roles, permanent or temporary cross-unit groups, integrator roles, information technology systems, and planning processes. Strategic linking at Dynacorp was to be accomplished, in the first instance, by linking development, manufacturing, and marketing within each Business Unit through a change in the formal reporting structure. Carl Greystone expressed his conviction that a â€Å"tremendous amount of progress† has been made since these changes were instituted and that his personnel are â€Å"thinking about the business in new terms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even Greystone, however, was forced to admit that his group had been â€Å"consistently behind plan in both revenue and profit† for the past year and a half and that the â€Å"Business Unit presidents have expressed some frustration with the performance of his group. †Martha Pauley, a Branch Manager in Greystone’s division who supervised six teams that â€Å"handle financial institutions, insurance, and education in the Northeast Region,† was considerably quite disillusioned about the absence of effective cross-functional relations between sales and the Business Units. Specifically, Pauley was finding it difficult to compete because of business decisions in which she had been given no role. She had several complaints: â€Å"Our prices are still higher than our competitors’, and technical support services are way too slow. The new plant in Indonesia was supposed to help bring prices down, but they’re having problems getting the factory up and running. Since I have no control over unit manufacturing costs or the availability of technical support resources, I can’t help the team’s effectiveness in these areas†. A second way in which strategic linking was to be accomplished was to establish multi-function Account Teams focused on â€Å"selling customized solutions based on integrating our products, rather than on selling fancy hardware. †These permanent cross-unit groups were comprised of â€Å"account managers, product specialists, solution consultants, service technicians, customer administration specialists, and systems specialists. † Describing the actual functioning of these new teams to the interviewer, Martha Pauley confessed that â€Å"everyone has been so busy trying to understand their new responsibilities while still keeping up with our customers that we have communicated only through e-mail messages. We haven’t had time for the off site meeting that I had planned. Anyway, we’re still getting modifications on the job guidelines from the staff group. † The time pressures reported by Pauley were evident when she takes the interviewer into a meeting of one account team; there, they found â€Å"about half† of the members missing because of other obligations. As the meeting progressed, it also became apparent that this account team was struggling to meet its goals. The team had just been outbid for a contract with a Boston bank because its competitor had been able to offer â€Å"lower prices and a much more comprehensive package† . With regard to planning as a means of strategic linking, there too Pauley’s teams were struggling. Pauley admitted to the interviewer that she â€Å"hadn’t had a chance to develop a cohe-sive sales plan to show you†. Alignment The last of the strategic design processes is alignment: â€Å"that is, assessing the implica-tions of strategic grouping and linking patterns for the rest of the organization’s structures and processes, and making changes to ensure that the grouping and linking patterns can be implemented effectively†. suggest that each of the following be considered as elements of alignment: organizational performance measurement systems, individual rewards and incentives, resource allocation, human resource development, and informal systems and processes. One obvious alignment problem in this case concerns individual rewards and incen-tives. Ben Walker, VP of the Northeast Region, notes that the new reward system compensates branch managers in sales and product managers in the Business Units on â€Å"performance against revenue and margin goals,† but Walker worries that â€Å"no one in these jobs has the skills to be a team player. † Soon thereafter, Martha Pauley complained to the interviewer about precisely this problem. Although she shared revenue goals for her teams with the product team’s general managers in the Business Units, her own performance was being hampered by the fact that â€Å"different product team leaders in the Business Units are pushing different types of sales, depending on their particular product lines. † Something similar was happening to Pauley’s Account Teams, whose sales performance depended, in part, on their ability to get adequate Technical Support to their clients, yet they had no control over this support unit. Dynacorp’s turnaround also was being hurt by the company’s failure to give appropriate support to human resources development. Ben Walker is convinced that the company has â€Å"too many people who know how to sell products but not solutions† and projects that â€Å"at least 25 percent of the current staff needs to be replaced. † Right now we have the customer teams functioning under new guidelines that force them to collect information on customer needs and develop solutions. But too many team members are still operating under the old attitude that the equipment sells itself and the customers will do the work of integrating our products into their operations. The notion of helping the customer from initial call through implementation and use of the system is still quite alien to many of our people. The fact that Sales Team Member 2 soon was seen expressing a desire for more customers who want â€Å"standard off-the-shelf equipment† suggests that Walker’s concerns have merit. And Martha Pauley, to her credit, does not hide the fact that her teams lack training. â€Å"You see,† Pauley says, â€Å"moving from a product salesperson to a provider of solutions in a big change. It involves knowledge of the industry and the company, the full line of products, our various software applications, and concepts of systems integration. Exactly who handles all the pieces of a sale like this is still unclear†. Finally, there is some evidence of dissatisfaction with Dynacorp’s resource allocation practices, given the perceived high cost of manufacturing and the problems with Technical Support. As we have seen, at least one account team is having difficulty competing on price; and Martha Pauley complains that Dynacorp’s prices â€Å"are still higher than our competitors’, and technical support services are way too slow†.   Dynacorp appears to have done a good job of analyzing its fit with the environment and crafting a strategy that is likely to be responsive to that environment. The strategic groupings are well-suited to the strategic intent, positioning Dynacorp to be a geographically-focused, industry-specific organization that is organized to bring cross-functional talent to bear on the service as well as hardware needs of its customers. Dynacorp fails, however, to give adequate attention to strategic linking processes. There is evidence of a lack of planning, particularly as it involves product and branch managers and their staffs, apparently resulting in a lack of widespread commitment at all levels of the organization to the new mission. There also are problems of coordination between branch managers in sales and the Business Units and between the Account Teams and the Technology Specialists. Finally, the new cross-functional sales teams have had little opportunity to work out their methods of operation. Dynacorp also fails to give adequate attention to alignment. Individual reward systems and incentives work at cross-purposes with unit goals, and manufacturing costs are too high for sales teams to compete effectively. Finally, there is almost a complete absence of training—both for product and branch managers and for the various functional specialists who are now expected to work as members of teams. The senior managers at Dynacorp have made impressive efforts to respond to their highly competitive environment. However, unless careful attention is given to the strategic linking and alignment processes, this organizational redesign effort is destined to fail.

History of the Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe

istory of the Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe In the year 1531, early in the month of December a miracle happened in Tepeyacac, it was said that the miracle illustrious Virgin, Blessed Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady, appeared to a man named Juan Diego. He was a humble Indian who lived in Quahutitlan but was from Tlatilolco. The way the author narrates the beginning of the story is really good. He uses a really sincere tone that makes the story look real and really respectful attitude. The author has a sincere way of telling the story.He knows how to engage every scene with another one and the setting he describes makes this story so real that the readers get involved really easily on this story. Many readers become part of the story through their imagination and this is a wonderful gift someone can have because being able to feel the story like part of your real life is not easy. He keeps on telling the story and this part is gorgeous. He describes the land and it see ms that it looks like wonderland. It is so marvelous and this place is where Juan is going through.It was a Saturday morning when he was on his way to divine worship based on his custom, when he starts hearing birds singing. The way these birds sing was so beautiful that he thought he was dreaming. He was so amaze about what was happening to him. He makes an exact description of all the setting of this story; imagine every single thing that he was saying. It was stunning. He mentions that she was shining as the sun and that all around her was so bright, all of these are the things that really matters in a story, all the emphasis he puts on it makes it really reliable.I really enjoy this part because I feel like if I was in the story, like if I was looking at the flowers and the sun. All the sounds of the birds and the wind were really fantastic and help to imagine how was the land where he was because he even explains that the sounds were coming from the top of the hill, he was grea tly rejoiced with all these beautiful sounds that make a wonderful song, suddenly he heard a sweet voice saying: â€Å"Juan†, he was so scared and confuse because he was hearing a lot of different noises and even this voice mentions his name so he did not dare to climb to the mountain.He was just standing looking to the top where he was hearing all these things. He finally decided to climb the hill. He wanted to know who was calling him and why or for what. When he reached the hill he saw on the very top of the hill a beautiful lady. All around her was shining like the sun, there were stones, caves everything was so bright and even the rainbow clothed the land so that the cactus and all other plants that grew there seem like precious gold, Juan Diego was really excited about it, but at the same time he was wondering why that lady did was calling him.As it is mentioned before the author does a really good narrative of this story by describing all the scenes with a wonderful se tting. When he finally got to the top of the hill and talked to this wonderful lady. He was surprised about her and the things that she was telling to him because she talked to him like she loved him. This is one of the parts that should recall because in here the author has a tone he is using is like nostalgia but at the same time he tries to describe how the virgin was talking to Juan like when a mother talks to her son or daughter.This entire scene was nice, as the author mention Juan felt that this lady loved him, and sure she did because she even says â€Å"You must know, and be very certain in your heart, my son, that I am truly the eternal Virgin, holy Mother of the True God†. With this quote we can see how the author tries to sensitize the reader to get the idea that she really loves him and that she is a good person. The author wants us to know how the virgin was a really nice lady. Then they finally started talking and the virgin told Juan what she wanted from him, what she expected him to do, and what she wanted was a church on that hill, exactly where she was.She wanted a church in where she could show and may make known and give all her love, her mercy, help and protection. She said she was his and everybody else truth his merciful mother who call upon her. In this scene she is explaining Juan why she wanted a church. He tells him to go to the Episcopal Palace of the Bishop of Mexico and tell them what he just saw and what she just told him. She really desired a church in that place so she command Juan Diego to go and tell them to build her one.He need it to have a lot of confidence on himself in order to convince everybody in the palace of what he was saying, or at least to convince the Bishop. I think that the narrator is really involved in the story but not as a character. The author uses a really good setting because he even portrays real life events and that is what it makes the readers to be involved and interested on the reading. His religion is catholic because of the way he talks about what the virgin want it and what is she going to do with the church.She wants to be built there; he is very reliable and even thought he is just the narrator he is doing a good job on transmitting all what the virgin says along the story. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a very famous character on the catholic religion and this is a really important fact that helps the author because he is not using non-fictional characters instead he is talking about a really known image. She is known as a nice lady, as a sweet lady who helps everyone and who does miraculous and that you can pray her for something and she will conceive almost whatever you want.This is what it makes the story reliable and interesting. Juan Diego went to the palace to talk to the Bishop. He was kind of afraid because he was just a humble Indian and he knew that the Bishop would probably not believe him about what he was going to say, but even though he went there and after so much trouble he went through in order to talk to the Bishop at the end he did and tell him all that he had saw and heard. The Bishop was listening at him carefully and respectfully but at the end the Bishop just tell him to come back other day in where they can talk about it.Juan Diego left sadly and went to see the virgin and explain her everything that had happen on the palace. When the author talks about the way the people in the palace treated Juan he seems to be ironic, because he is saying that Juan was on his way to the palace so that the Bishop could listen to him and do what the virgin wanted to, but we all knew that this would not be able to happen at once, even the author knew that nobody will believe Juan about what he was about tell them. He does not lose his empathy and he tries to keep the story on an interesting point so the readers do not lose track of the story.Juan Diego very sad went back to see the virgin and this time the virgin tell him that he needed to go back to the palace and tell them again what she wanted to. She told him to try to convince him, to try to use the same words that she was telling him so they can believe him. He hope the Bishop to believe him and he said to the virgin not to worry about it that he would find the way to convince him no matter what and he promise her he will come back with good news. In this paragraph the author has a nostalgic tone.He want the readers to be sensitive to what Juan was going through and all the things that he need it to do so they could believe him, but this is also a moral because this is showing us not to give up on whatever we want to do or to obtain if we keep on trying and no matter how many times you try. If you never lose the hope you will obtain what you want, sooner or later but you will have it. Nothing is worthless, if you do it with faith and if you really try hard. This is when god tests you, to see how much you will try to obtain something and if you are really wor king hard on what you want.The author makes a really good writing when the Virgin tells Juan to go back and tell the Bishop what she want it, he tries to makes us feel as part of the story, because what the Virgin said to him was so nice but at the same time nostalgic. Even Juan says that he thinks he is not the appropriate person to do this. He says that still he will try convinced the Bishop no matter what. This part is kind of repetitive, but I guess is the way the story happened and also to make emphasis on the fact that it was not easy for the Juan to accomplish what the virgin wanted him to do.We probably all wonder why the virgin select him to do that, but well we will find out later on the reading. The next day he went there again and the same thing happened, he took forever to get to talk to the Bishop and when he finally did, he told him the same thing. This time one thing change, now he was interested on: when did he saw the Virgin, where and how does she looks like. All of these questions Juan Diego were able to answer him, so he did and with no trouble told him everything that he was seen and heard. The Bishop could not believe what was happening and did not know if he should believe or not.As it was mentioned before all these part of the reading was becoming kind of repetitive. The Bishop was really amazed of what he had heard. He command three of his servants to follow Juan on his way back. He said he was going to talk to the Virgin again, so he need it to be sure that he was not lying. The setting of this part of the story is really good because the author describes how Juan went back home and how those servants were following him but suddenly they lost him. They went back to the palace and said to the Bishop that he was a liar that they did not saw anything wrong.That was not the truth they just wanted to cover themselves because they lost him. As the story keeps on going, the author tries to keeps us engage on the reading. He does an amazing description of each scene that is just becoming more interesting and interesting each time. Sometimes you are reading a story but something happens that you lose the path of the story, and this can become boring and tedious. After that he went back home and found an uncle who was staying there very sick he was burning in fever. He did not know what to do, he call a doctor and the Dr. ame to look at him. He gave him medicine, but he was so sick that noting help him. Bernardino who was his uncle name told Juan to go to Tlatilolco and bring a priest. He wanted to confess; he said that He WAS About to pass away. Juan was so sad and went to look for the priest, on his way to Tlatilolco he did not know which way to go. If he goes straight he would saw the Virgin and she wanted him to go and see the Bishop. Since he was on a hurry to get the priest, he went through a different path, but what he did not know was that the Virgin could see him wherever he went.When he was walking the virgin a sk him: Where are you going this is not the path you follow always, he was so embarrassed that he tell her what was going on about his uncle and everything. The Virgin told him not to worry about it that he was cure already and that now he need it to go and talk to the Bishop. This scene was a moral because it shows us that whatever you do you, god will always know it and in this case the virgin knew everything what Juan Diego did. This teaches us that no matter where we are god will always take care of us. Always try to follow the right path of your life.Sometimes you think that doing other stuff will make you popular or whatever but this is not truth, all bad things will always come up. Finally he went again to see the Bishop. This time he had an evidence of what he was saying and that was what the Bishop wanted. There were these beautiful flowers on his mantle and as soon he shows it to the Bishop they fall on the floor and a suddenly appeared the most pure image of the Virgin. I t was so real that everybody in there knelt down and gazed with wonder. This setting seems real and he always portrays a lot of real life events.

Is My Writing Any Good

Is My Writing Any Good The following response resulted from someone who wrote me and asked the above question: Is my writing any good? Thats a huge burden to bear . . . to tell a struggling writer whether his/her work is good. What is GOOD anyway? Its so subjective. Books that sold hundreds of thousands of copies dont strike a chord with me. Then Ill read a story I didnt want to make or break this writers self-esteem. Who am I to make that call? So I sent this writer the following response, and thought I would likewise share it with you. Is your writing any good? This isnt a yes or no question. Youd like it to be that simple, but Im wont let you off that easily. I read most of one piece you submitted to me but couldnt read more (my time is limited and very precious to me), and I see an intense desire to write, and I see a storyteller, but I see some newbie flaws to work on. No writer starts off writing well. Nobody. No first draft is good. Nobodys. Even Stephen King has an editor that beats him up. I think the first question is whether or not you want it. Do you want to be a writer? If you do, then it doesnt matter what the writing is now. It matters where you want to take it. You set a course and go there. Read how-to books . . . change your work from what you learn.Attend conferences . . . change your work from what you learn.Join a critique group . . . change your work from what you learn.Enter contests . . . change your work from what you learn. I see dialogue that is a little stilted and some stiff emotion. I see a writer writing for himself instead of the reader. But thats normal when you are striking out, attempting to find your footing. What is it you want to do with your writing? Define that and head in that direction, willing to edit your work as many times as it takes, for as long as it takes to get it right. If you want to publish now, and want to make bank on what youve written now, then it appears you arent into writing for the right reason. Anybody can write. Only a few choose (note I said choose) to write well. And it is indeed a learned craft. So, from all the books you read in the genre you want to write in, you tell me. Is your writing good? If so, submit. If not, learn how to fix it. What do you think?

Biography of Arthur Miller, Major American Playwright

Biography of Arthur Miller, Major American Playwright Arthur Miller (October 17, 1915–February 10, 2005) is considered one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, having created some of Americas most memorable plays over the course of seven decades. He is the author of Death of a Salesman, which won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize in drama, and The Crucible.  Miller is known for combining social awareness with a concern for his characters’ inner lives. Fast Facts: Arthur Miller Known For: Award-winning American playwrightBorn: October 17, 1915 in New York CityParents: Isidore Miller, Augusta Barnett MillerDied: Feb. 10, 2005 in Roxbury, ConnecticutEducation: University of MichiganProduced Works: All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View From the BridgeAwards and Honors: Pulitzer Prize, two New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Tony AwardsSpouse(s): Mary Slattery, Marilyn Monroe, Inge MorathChildren: Jane Ellen, Robert, Rebecca, DanielNotable Quote: Well, all the plays that I was trying to write were plays that would grab an audience by the throat and not release them, rather than presenting an emotion which you could observe and walk away from. Early Life Arthur Miller was born on October 17, 1915, in Harlem, New York to a family with Polish and Jewish roots. His father Isidore, who came to the U.S. from Austria-Hungary, ran a small coat-manufacturing business. Miller was closer to his mother Augusta Barnett Miller, a native New Yorker who was a teacher and an avid reader of novels. His fathers company was successful until the Great Depression dried up virtually all business opportunities and shaped many of the younger Millers beliefs, including the insecurity of modern life. Despite facing poverty, Miller made the best of his childhood. He was an active young man, in love with football and baseball. When he wasn’t playing outside, Miller enjoyed reading adventure stories. He also kept busy with many boyhood jobs. He often worked alongside his father; other times, he delivered bakery goods and worked as a clerk in an auto parts warehouse. College After working at several jobs to save money for college, in 1934 Miller left the East Coast to attend the University of Michigan, where he was accepted into the school of journalism. He wrote for the student paper and completed his first play,  No Villain, for which he won a university award. It was an impressive beginning for a young playwright who had never studied plays or playwriting. Whats more, he had written his script in just five days. He took several courses with Professor Kenneth Rowe, a playwright. Inspired by Rowes approach to constructing plays, after graduating in 1938, Miller moved back East to begin his career as a playwright. Broadway Miller wrote plays as well as radio dramas. During World War II, his writing career gradually became more successful. (He couldnt serve in the military because of a football injury.) In 1940 he finished The Man Who Had All the Luck, which reached Broadway in 1944 but closed after only four performances and a pile of unfavorable reviews. His next play to reach Broadway came in 1947 with All My Sons, a powerful drama that earned critical and popular praise and Millers first Tony Award, for best author. From that point on, his work was in high demand. Miller set up shop in a small studio that he had built in Roxbury, Connecticut, and wrote Act I of  Death of Salesman  in less than a day. The play,  directed by  Elia Kazan, opened on February 10, 1949, to great acclaim and became an iconic stage work, earning him international recognition. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, the play won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and swept all six of the Tony categories in which it was nominated, including best direction, best author, and best play. Communist Hysteria Since Miller was in the spotlight, he was a prime target for the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), led by Wisconsin  Sen.  Joseph McCarthy. In an age of anti-communism fervor, Miller’s liberal political beliefs seemed threatening to some American politicians, which is unusual in retrospect, considering that the Soviet Union banned his plays. Miller was summoned before the HUAC and was expected to release names of any associates he knew to be communists. Unlike Kazan and other artists, Miller refused to give up any names. â€Å"I don’t believe a man has to become an informer in order to practice his profession freely in the United States,† he said. He was charged with contempt of Congress, a conviction that was later overturned. In response to the hysteria of the time, Miller wrote one of his best plays, The Crucible. It is set during another time of social and political paranoia, the Salem Witch Trials, and is an insightful criticism of the phenomenon. Marilyn Monroe By the 1950s, Miller was the most recognized playwright in the world, but his renown wasn’t only because of his theatrical genius. In 1956, Miller divorced Mary Slattery, his college sweetheart with whom he had had two children, Jane Ellen and Robert. Less than a month later he married actress and Hollywood sex symbol  Marilyn Monroe, whom hed met in 1951 at a Hollywood party. From then on, he was even more in the limelight. Photographers hounded the famous couple and the tabloids were often cruel, puzzling over why the â€Å"world’s most beautiful woman† would marry such a â€Å"homely writer. Author  Norman Mailer  said their marriage represented the union of the Great American Brain and the Great American Body. They were married for five years. Miller wrote little during that period, with the exception of the screenplay for  The Misfits  as a gift for Monroe. The  1961 film,  directed by  John Huston, starred Monroe,  Clark Gable,  and  Montgomery Clift. Around the time the  film was released, Monroe and Miller divorced.  A year after divorcing Monroe (she died the following year), Miller married his third wife, Austrian-born American photographer Inge Morath. Later Years and Death Miller continued to write into his 80s. His later plays didnt attract the same attention or acclaim as his earlier work, though film adaptations of The Crucible and Death of a Salesman kept his fame alive. Much in his later plays dealt with personal experience. His final drama, Finishing the Picture, recalls the turbulent last days of his marriage to Monroe. In 2002, Millers third wife Morath died and he soon was engaged to 34-year-old painter Agnes Barley, but he became ill before they could marry. On February 10, 2005- the 56th anniversary of the Broadway debut of  Death of a Salesman- Miller died of heart failure  at his home in Roxbury, surrounded by Barley, family, and friends. He was 89 years old. Legacy Millers sometimes bleak view of America was shaped by his and his familys experiences during the Great Depression. Many of his plays deal with the ways capitalism affects the lives of everyday Americans. He thought of theater as a way to speak to those Americans: The mission of the theater, after all, is to change, to raise the consciousness of people to their human possibilities, he said. He established the Arthur Miller Foundation to help young artists. After his death, his daughter Rebecca Miller focused his mandate on expanding the arts education program in New York City public schools. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Miller won two New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards for his plays, and a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. He also received the John F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award and was named Jefferson Lecturer for the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2001. Sources Arthur Miller Biography. Notablebiographies.com.Arthur Miller: American Playwright. Encyclopedia Britannica.Arthur Miller Biography. Biography.com.Arthur Miller Foundation.

Homeland Security - Response & Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Homeland Security - Response & Recovery - Essay Example , when to release it?, how to release it?, where to release it?, whom to release it to?, and why to release it?† (Leader for Leaders, 2010). The first step I will take before making any public interviews or communication is to analyze the different stakeholders involved in the specific disaster scenario. This entails the identification and relationship of various stakeholders to the current situation. The second step I will take after identifying the different stakeholders is to determine what specific goals or objectives I have to achieve so the needs of all those involved are addressed. Last but not the least is the third step where an appropriate technique for appraising results is established (Goldschmid, 2011). In a disaster situation, the stakeholders are the general public and the various agencies who are involved in the operation. Having been able to determine those concerned in the disaster scenario, my objective now as the Director of Media Relations is how to communi cate effectively with all of them bearing in mind the factors of communication failure and success. According to Leaders for Leaders (2010) there are five types of communication letdowns that often jeopardize the success of an operation in disaster situations. These communication letdowns or failures which I must avoid are: â€Å"1. ... Therefore the messages given out by the various agencies involved in the operation must be consistent with each other so that the people do not lose faith in officials making the statements. Aside from this a back-up plan must be established when and if the normal communication lines get damaged, which makes it hard for everyone to communicate with each other. A perfect example is the time when Hurricane Hugo devastated South Carolina, where all the communications of relief agencies from various levels of the government were unable to coordinate with each other making the whole relief operation inefficient (Miskel, 2006). The next kind of communication failure is the information released late, where the public is left guessing as to what is really happening and what they should do. In cases of disaster an immediate answer is necessary to prevent the people from taking steps to follow the advises of others whose only interest is to take advantage of the present situation. The third co mmunication failure is paternalistic attitudes where certain facts are withheld. It is essential that people must be given the true facts about the situation and are given the leeway to come up to their own conclusion. By telling the public what they need to know, they are in a better position to decide whether they should or should not be worried about the disaster that happened (Leaders for Leaders, 2010). The fourth communication failure is not countering rumors in real-time. To be able to respond to false information, agencies involved in the recovery operations must monitor the situation as it progresses. This involves being tuned to all information outlets like broadcasts from television and radio