Research findings analysis and interpretation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1930 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Logistics Essay Type Dissertation Level High school Did you like this example? CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH FINDINGS: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter attempts to analyse questionnaire findings regarding customer satisfaction with the two land transport companies involved in the present study: a publicly-owned company (referred to as Company A) and a privately-owned company (referred to as Company B). Satisfaction rates of customers of both companies are also compared against each other in Chapter Five to illustrate which company provides more satisfactory services to its customers. Seventy questionnaires were distributed to the passengers of Company A and sixty to the passengers of Company B. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Research findings analysis and interpretation" essay for you Create order Fifty questionnaires were completed by passengers of each company and returned to the researcher. This gives response rates of 71.4% and 83.3%, respectively. These return rates are acceptable response rates. Passengers who declined to participates either they claimed that they were not interested in the survey, whereas some other claimed they did not have the time to complete the questionnaire. 4.2 FACTORS MOTIVATING CUSTOMERS TO DEAL WITH THE COMPANY A Responses to the factors that have motivated the customers of this company are presented in Table 4.1 and illustrated in Figures 4.1 to 4.3. Factors motivating customers are divided into three groups: Reliability and Customer Service (RCS) factors (eight factors), Convenience and Accessibility (CA) factors (nine factors) and On-Board Services (OBS) (five factors). Responses to the eighteen statements are illustrated in Table 4.1. To facilitate data analysis, responses to the Strongly Agree and Agree groups were combined and presented in Figures 4.1 to 4.3 as SA/A. Similarly, for the Disagree and Strongly Disagree groups were combined as DA/SDA. The No View responses (NV) were left as it is. Table 4.1 indicates that between 4% and 20.0% of responding passengers declined to express their views. This indicates their indifference to the questionnaire items. Table 4.1. Reasons for choosing to travel with Company A Variables SA A NV DA SDA CA Convenient reservation and ticketing 76.0 16.0 8.0 0.0 0.0 CA Prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing 44.0 40.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 CA Good checking-in service 44.0 44.0 12.0 0.0 0.0 CA Frequent journey programme 40.0 40.0 20.0 0.0 0.0 CA Convenient journey schedule 36.0 48.0 12.0 4.0 0.0 CA Seat allocation 28.0 56.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Courtesy of employees 28.0 56.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Employees willingness to help passengers 36.0 48.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Employees knowledge to answer passengers questions 40.0 48.0 8.0 4.0 0.0 RCS Passengers are given personal attention 44.0 40.0 8.0 4.0 4.0 RCS Neat appearance of employees 40.0 44.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Safety of Driving 44.0 44.0 8.0 0.0 4.0 RCS Sincere interest in solving problems 36.0 44.0 16.0 4.0 0.0 RCS On-time performance 36.0 48.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 OBS Seat comfort 40.0 40.0 12.0 8.0 0.0 OBS Meal service 48.0 32.0 8.0 12.0 0.0 OBS On-Board entertainment services 40.0 44.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 OBS Up-to-date coach and on-board facility 40.0 44.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 CA = Convenience and Accessibility RCS = Reliability and Customer Service OBS = On-Board Services 4.2.1 SATISFACTION WITH CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY FACTORS Passengers (thereafter referred to as respondents) were asked to express their agreement or disagreement with the six items relating to convenience and accessibility factors: Convenient reservation and ticketing (Item No. 1), Prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing (Item No. 2), Good checking-in service ((Item No. 3), Frequent journey programme (Item No. 4), Convenient journey schedule (Item No. 5), and Seat allocation (Item No. 6) (see Table 4.1, Figure 4.1). Patterns of their responses are analysed below. It is noted in Table 4.1 and Figure 4.1 that 92.0% of the respondents were satisfied (strongly agreed/agreed, SA/A) with the reservation and ticketing procedures undertaken by the company (Item No. 1). Only a small minority of respondents showed their indifference to this item, whereas none of them disagreed with it. The majority of the respondents (88.0%) were satisfied (SA/A) with check in service (Item No. 3) (Table 4.1, Figure 4.1), and a minority (12.0%) did not ex press their views, but none of the respondents were dissatisfied with this service. In terms of prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing (Item No. 2), convenient journey schedule (Item No. 5), and seat allocation (Item No. 6) (Table 4.1, Figure 4.1), 84.0% of the respondents were satisfied with these three items, and only 4.0% of the respondents were dissatisfied with convenient journey schedule (Item No. 5). 4.2.2 SATISFACTION WITH RELIABILITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with eight items concerning reliability and customer service factors. The majority of respondents (88% of the sample) indicated that they were satisfied with employees knowledge to answer passengers questions (Item No. 9), and with safety of driving (Item No. 12). Only 4.0% of the respondents were dissatisfied with these services and 8.0% of them indicated their indifference. With regard to courtesy of employees (Item No. 7), employees willingness to help passengers (Item No. 8), passengers are given personal attention (Item No. 10), Neat appearance of employees (Item No. 11) and on-time performance (Item No. 14), the majority of respondents were satisfied (SA/A) with these items. However, between 8.0% and 16.0% of the respondents expressed their indifference to these items, and only 4.0% to 8.0% of them were dissatisfied with some of these items, as indicated in Table 4.1 and Figure 4.2. With regar d to the item: sincere interest in solving problems (Item No. 13), 80.0% of the respondents were satisfied with it, and 16.0% of them expressed their indifference, whereas only 40.0% of them disagreed with it. 4.2.3 SATISFACTION WITH ON-BOARD SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with four items concerning on-board service factors. Table 4.2 and Figure 4.4 clearly show that 84.0% of the respondents were satisfied with on-board entertainment service (Item No. 17) and up-to-date coach and on-board facilities. However, 12.0% of them were dissatisfied and 4.0% expressed their indifference. Figure 4.3 also illustrates that 80.0% of the respondents were satisfied with the seat comfort (Item No. 15) and meal service (Item No. 16). However, 8.0% and 12.0% of the respondents were dissatisfied with Items No. 14 and 15, respectively, and 12.0% and 8.0% of them expressed their indifference with these two items, respectively. It can be noted that more respondents were dissatisfied with these four services than with the other items in other two dimensions. 4.3 FACTORS MOTIVATING CUSTOMERS TO DEAL WITH THE COMPANY B Responses to the factors that have motivated the customers of this company are presented in Table 4.21 and illustrated in Figures 4.4 to 4.4. Table 4.1 indicates that between 20% and 40.0% of the responding passengers declined to express their views. This indicates their indifference to the questionnaire items. 4.2.1 SATISFACTION WITH CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY FACTORS Data presented in Table 4.2 and illustrated in Figure 4.4 show that 76.0% of the respondents were satisfied (strongly agreed/agreed, SA/A) with the reservation and ticketing procedures undertaken by the company (Item No. 1). However, the remaining 24.0% of the respondents expressed their indifference to this item, whereas none of them disagreed with it. Around two-thirds of the respondents (68.0%) were satisfied (SA/A) with prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing, whereas the remaining 32.0% of the respondents did not express their views, and none of the respondents were dissatisfied with this service (Table 4.2, Figure 4.4). With regard to the remaining four items (good checking-in service, Item No. 3; Frequent journey programme, Item No. 4; Convenient journey schedule, Item No. 5; seat allocation, Item No. 6), 60.0% of the respondents were satisfied with these services. The remaining 40.0% of the respondents either expressed their indifference to these items, or were dissatisfied with them (Table 4.2, Figure 4.4). Table 4.2. Reasons for choosing to travel with Company A Variables SA A NV DA SDA CA Convenient reservation and ticketing 36.0 40.0 24.0 0.0 0.0 CA Prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing 28.0 40.0 32.0 0.0 0.0 CA Good checking-in service 20.0 40.0 40.0 0.0 0.0 CA Frequent journey programme 16.0 44.0 32.0 8.0 0.0 CA Convenient journey schedule 20.0 40.0 32.0 4.0 4.0 CA Seat allocation 24.0 36.0 28.0 4.0 8.0 RCS Courtesy of employees 16.0 46.0 30.0 4.0 4.0 RCS Employees willingness to help passengers 20.0 42.0 26.0 8.0 4.0 RCS Employees knowledge to answer passengers questions 16.0 42.0 32.0 4.0 6.0 RCS Passengers are given personal attention 18.0 34.0 38.0 6.0 4.0 RCS Neat appearance of employees 20.0 44.0 20.0 8.0 8.0 RCS Safety of Driving 10.0 42.0 24.0 12.0 12.0 RCS Sincere interest in solving problems 12.0 40.0 32.0 12.0 4.0 RCS On-time performance 16.0 30.0 36.0 12.0 8.0 OBS Seat comfort 20.0 28.0 32.0 16.0 4.0 OBS Meal service 16.0 12.0 40.0 20.0 12.0 OBS On-Board entertainment services 12.0 24.0 44.0 12.0 8.0 OBS Up-to-date coach and on-board facility 16.0 44.0 24.0 4.0 12.0 CA = Convenience and Accessibility RCS = Reliability and Customer Service OBS = On-Board Services 4.3.2 SATISFACTION WITH RELIABILITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with eight items concerning reliability and customer service factors. About two-thirds of the respondents (64.0% of the sample) indicated that they were satisfied with employees neat appearance (Item No. 11) (Table 4.2, Figure 4.5). One-fifth (20.0%) and 16.0% of the respondents expressed their indifference or dissatisfaction with this item. Most respondents (62.0% of the sample) were satisfied with the courtesy of the employees and employees willingness to help passengers. However, many of them either expressed their indifference, or were dissatisfied with these services. Less than three-fifths (58.0%) of the were satisfied with employees knowledge to answer passengers questions (Item No. 9), and 32.0% of them expressed their indifference and 10.0% of them were dissatisfied. Around half of the respondents (52.0% of the sample) were satisfied with passengers are given personal attention (item no. 10), safety of driving (item no. 13), and sincere interest in solving problems (item no. 14). The remaining half either expressed their indifference or, to a lesser extent, was dissatisfied with these items. However, only 46.0% of the respondents were satisfied with on time performance (Item No. 14), and the remaining 54.0% of them either expressed their indifference or were dissatisfied with this item. 4.3.3 SATISFACTION WITH ON-BOARD SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the four items relating to onboard service factors (Item No. 18) (Table 4.2, Figure 4.6). Figure 4.6 indicated that about two-thirds of the respondents (68.0% of the respondents) were satisfied with up-to-date coaches and on-board facilities, whereas the remaining respondents either did not express their views (16.0% of the sample) or were dissatisfied with this item. Data presented in Table 4.2 and Figure 4.6 clearly indicate that less than half of the respondents were satisfied with seat comfort (Item No. 15) (48.0%), meal service (Item No. 16) (38.0%), and on-board entertainment services (item No. 17) (44.0%). The remaining respondents (62.0% to 52.0% of the sample) either did not express their view or were dissatisfied with these items. On the whole, it can be said that more respondents either showed their indifference to these three items (30.0% to 36.0% of the sample) or were dissatisfied with them (20.0% to 32.0% of the sample). 4.3 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS The demographic characteristics of the respondents from both companies, Company A, and Company B are analysed and compared in this section. Figure 4.7 clearly demonstrates that the majority of respondents of both companies (88.0%) were young between 21 and 50 year old. This is not surprising given that these ages represent people who are more active and more mobile than in other age groups. Forty-six respondents (92.0% of the sample) of Company A were Libyan nationals and the remaining four (8.0% of the sample) were Arab nationals. As for Company B, all fifty passengers were Libyan nationals. In terms of gender, thirty (60.0% of the sample) of Company A respondents were males, and the remaining twenty (40.0% of the sample) were females. As for Company B, twenty-six respondents (52.0% of the sample) were males and the remaining twenty-four (48.0% of the sample) were females. It can be argued that females represented a high proportion of the total number of respondents. As r egards their income, Figure 4.8 clearly demonstrates that the majority of respondents of Company A (72.0% of the sample) and Company B (88.0% of the sample) were on the high salary scale of between Libyan Dinars (LD) 201 and over LD350. People with these high salaries, in the Libyan context, are those who can afford to travel more than lower paid people. With regard to their occupation, the majority of respondents of both companies were managers, employees of a company, or government employees (Figure 4.9). Respondents referring to themselves as professional or students were not represented in Company B sample. Most Company A respondents (60.0% of the sample) have been working for periods of 3 to more than 6 years, and 64.0% of Company B respondents were also working for that period of time. The remaining respondents have been working from less than one year to three years. As for their qualifications, Figure 4.10 indicates that the majority of respondents were highly qualifie d educationally. Most of the respondents of both companies held Diplomas and Bachelors Degrees. In the following chapter, the rate of satisfaction with the eighteen questionnaire items indicated by the respondents of Company A and Company B will be compared and contrasted against each other. Research conclusions will be drawn out and recommendations for both companies and for future research are also outlined in the following chapter. Figure 4.10. Distribution of respondents according to their qualifications.

Influences on Social Mobility in The Kite Runner by Khaled...

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir lives in a nice home in Kabul, Afghanistan, with his father. They have two servants, Ali and his son, Hassan. Ali and Hassan are Hazaras, which is an ethnic minority. Hassan is often teased and harassed by a group of boys, one in particular named Assef, who wishes to get rid of all Hazaras in the future. One day an incident happens between Hassan and Assef that changes Amir’s relationship with Hassan forever, bringing Amir to ultimately cause Ali and Hassan to leave their home. When Afghanistan’s king is overthrown things start to change and take a turn for the worst. Eventually Amir and his father must leave Kabul and the move away to America where many Afghani’s have also fled to. Amir and†¦show more content†¦Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a cardboard box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, runni ng kites. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low-set ears, a boy with a Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile.Never mind any of those things. Because history isnt easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing†(Hosseini 25). Therefore ethnicity and religion intertwine. This shows that those are just labels to categorize people, but really mean nothing because we as people are much more equal than people try to make the world out to be. Since Hassan had to live with this label his entire life it kept him from a better life, a better living situation, and it would have eliminated much of the harassment he faced from characters like Assef. Even though ethnicity and race play a major role in The KiteRunner, there is also an obvious distinction in social class. Social clas s is a large group of people who rank closely to each other in terms of wealth, power, and prestige (Henslin 237). There seemed to only be those that were wealthy and those that were poor. Whenever it came to the point of Afghanistan’s government falling apart, those that were wealthy

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Free Essays

Usually suicide is the last measure a human being would take when he or she sees no way out of a situation. Willy Loman, the protagonist of the drama Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, appears to be attempting suicide several times before he succeeds at the end of the play. His family does not seem to understand what is driving him into suicide until very late, as there seem to be several reasons. We will write a custom essay sample on Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller or any similar topic only for you Order Now Behind the word success Willy Loman does not seem to see anything more than material possession. Self-fulfillment is nothing else than earning a lot of money to provide a good standard of living for one’s family. This ironically is Willy’s ideology, even though he is a salesman with a low salary who can barely pay the upcoming installments. Willy’s view of the world is based to a large extent based on two men. His brother Ben, who made a fortune by finding diamonds in the jungle, and an old salesman called David Singleman, the salesman he aspires to become. Willy desperately tries to believe that he is a success, something he always tried to tell his sons. But of course at the age of sixty-three, near retirement, he has to realize that he cannot achieve what he was longing for. He starts going back into his past and seeing his brother Ben, who he thinks has all the answers. His life lies in ruins in front of him and he starts realizing that according to his ideology he is a failure. Materialistic things are everything that count for him is how it seems. Therefore he cannot see what he has in his wife and two sons, who stand behind him by the end of the play. The idea that his life insurance money could help his son to set up his business prevails for him. He had always wanted his sons, especially Biff, the elder one of them, to be successes. At the age of thirty-four, though, Biff has still not settled down, as he wants to be a success in the eyes of his father but on the other hand realizes that he is best at working with his hands. This of course would mean not making much money but would probably give him a feeling of self-fulfillment. By the end of the play Biff realizes exactly this but is not able to make Willy drop his views. These views prevent Willy from doing what he also shows talent in, which is construction working. Only materialistic things are what count in a man’s life. As Willy slowly seems to comprehend how much he failed, according to his narrowed views, a process begins in him, which many of the other characters would describe as confusion. It is much more than that, though, he looses his touch with reality and gives up his will to live. On his long journeys in his car he deliberately tries to crash and at home he connects a plastic attachment to the gas pipe in his cellar in order to suffocate himself. This not only shows that he has given up but also that his family is not enough reason for him to continue his life. This cannot be explained simply by saying he does not love them but it is that he thinks he is unworthy of living with them when he cannot provide them with money. Therefore his line of thinking continues with the idea that in his death he can give them a lot more financial support than he could in his life time. Following his logic this is to say that he is a much better husband and father, dead than alive. In the play there is a rather optimistic part, where the future of the Loman family seems rather good. Willy is about to see his boss for a non-traveling position and his sons have the plan to open a sports article retailing business. All of these hopes for a better future get crushed at once and the way to Willy’s suicide is free. In a last vision of Ben, Willy sees a new hope at least for his sons in his life insurance money and therefore his death. Ben encourages him in this unspoken intention Willy takes the last step and drives into the next tree. Willy Loman, husband and father is driven to his suicide by a perverted version of the American dream. His view of success and self-realization has reduced to a materialistic meaning. All he can see is his failure in providing his family with a good financial situation. His real failure, though, is not to see what he has in his family and what else he can give them besides money. How to cite Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Papers Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Free Essays â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, by Arthur Miller, is the perfect play for you to revitalize your career, as it contains an outstanding and memorable character that is understandable and somewhat realistic the audience. There are also several themes thoughout the play that the audience can connect to. The play is also heavy in symbolism that relates these themes with the characters. We will write a custom essay sample on Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller or any similar topic only for you Order Now By bringing all these elements into a masterful performance, you should have newspapers and critics alike marveling at your performance and swaying the public image of yourself from negitive to positive.Mr. Sheen, you will be playing Willy Loman. Willy is a salesman who, at one time in his life, used to be well liked and well known, but is now a troubled and misguided man, as seen in the following text: WILLY. â€Å"†¦ And then all of a sudden I’m goin’ off the road! I’m telling ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody. So I went on again – and five minutes later I’m dreamin again, and I nearly – (He presses two fingers against his eyes. ) I have such thoughts, I have such strange thoughts. 1774) The â€Å"strange thoughts† that Willy continues to have thoughout the play are glimpses into his psychological thought process. To combat his unhappiness in himself and his family, Willy frequently reminiscences the past using soliloquies and illusions, imagining times where he felt content, appreciated, and successful. This will help the audience understand the trials you are undergoing as the play continues to unfold before the audience’s eyes. While it is normal to recall good times in our lives, it is not healthy to focus on them for too long. Willy basically lives in the past, which unables him not to be able to function in the present. The past has already occured, and you need to help the audience realize that there is nothing that you can do to change it. He even goes as far as to having conversations with imaginary people, showing his deteriorating mental health. Willy’s admiration of Dave Singleman’s (asuccess shows his obsession with being well liked: WILLY. And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people? (1807) Willy wants people remember and love him to substitute his neediness to be loved in a way his family love does not. Willy chooses to ignore the fact that Dave is still working at the age of eighty-four, and is probably experiencing the same frus trations and financial worries Willy does himself. Willy is frustrated with himself and his two sons whom he sees nothing but failure in, and tries to commit suicide several times. His wife, Linda, works to cheer him up, but is unsuccessful in doing so. Willy’s two sons, Biff and Happy, also try to improve Willy’s morale by attempting to win their father’s affection by getting better jobs with better pay. They, too, are unsuccessful, and Willy kills himself at the end of the play. To Willy Loman, the falsity of the American Dream is the dominant theme of Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. In early memories, you possesses a solid family that is happy and secure.However, no matter how much you wants to remember his families past as all-American and blissful, he is unable to rewrite his past. Willy represents the primary victim of this dream. As with most men working in the middle class, Willy struggles to provide financial security for his family and dreams about making himself a huge financial success. The failure of the American dream is present, and makes the audience question his/her commitment to their own false dreams. Another major theme of the play is the lost opportunities that each of the characters face and regret.Willy also regrets the opportunities that have passed by Biff, whom he believes to have the capability to be a great man. This is helped understood by the symbolism throughout the play. Symbolism in this play is very important, as it helps relate the themes to the characters. The seed Willy buys to plant his garden help to symbolize Willy’s desire for a fresh start in life. Willy’s desperate actions to attempt to grow the seeds relates to the unhappiness he goes through realizing his family has not â€Å"grown† into the thriving, nourished family he always dreamed of. Willy states: WILLY. Nothing’s planted.I don’t have a thing in the ground. (1827) Suggesting he is talking about his own sons and their future, his failure in being well known and well liked, and preoccupation with material success. The planting of the seeds can also show Willy’s desire to leave something that is tangible for his family and others to show the worth of his labor. Maybe you could reflect on the legacy you would like to leave as you dive into the role. All these elements help create this play into just what your career need in order to help improve your currently low image where it belongs.Many critics believe your cocaine nd hooker addiction is the suicide of your career, so you would be able to relate to Willy’s situation. You can relate to his unhappiness and character flaws as you have some yourself. Seeing as how you just recently divorced your wife, you could easily mold the tone and emotion needed to play this character. A moderate amount of people can relate to the struggles that Willy has undergone and can relate it to their lives 1. Miller, Arthur. â€Å"Death Of A Salesman. † Literature: An Introduction to Fiction,Poetry,Drama, And Writing. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 1773-835. Print. How to cite Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Papers

Mary Kay free essay sample

The program, which originally awarded the use of compact size Oldsmobile Firenzas to eligible beauty consultants, was modeled after the company’s acclaimed pink Cadillac program, introduced in 1969, for which only director-level consultants were eligible. The pink Buick program, Mary Kay’s third program, was also reserved for sales directors, but was based on less difficult performance criteria than the Cadillac program. Under all three car programs, Mary Kay awarded the use of a new car to eligible beauty consultants who sustained the required sales and recruiting levels for the designated number of months. Winners maintained the use of their cars for two years as long as they continued to meet the required sales volumes on a monthly basis. The company bore all the costs associated with leasing the new General Motors cars from ARI Leasing, insuring the cars, and then selling the used ones as consultants returned them. No The car programs had proven to be very effective motivators, helping company sales through a period of market stagnancy in the mid1980s. Over time, however, the cost of running the programs had escalated substantially. The cost of the VIP program in particular had skyrocketed in the late 1980s, with the number of leased cars approaching 3,000 in early 1989. In addition, there were approximately 1,000 Cadillacs and 1,000 Buicks in force in 1989. The number of car winners as a percentage of the total number of beauty consultants had doubled from 1.25% in 1986 to 2. 5% by yearend 1988. Do Mary Kay’s management now faced the difficult challenge of containing further program cost increases without upsetting the powerful incentive system that was the firm’s primary source of growth and success. In addition to reducing total car program costs (especially VIP costs) as a percentage of sales, management was interested in redirecting the dollars behind other elements of its incentive compensation plan for greater cost effectiveness. Also, management wanted to provide reward and recognition for a range of performance levels that was broad enough to meet the varying career interests of current and prospective beauty consultants. Hilary Weston prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Robert Simons as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. 1 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc. was an international manufacturer and distributor of premium skin care, hair care, and body care products. Mary Kay products were not available through retail stores. In 1988, its products were sold throughout the United States exclusively by a network of over 175,000 independent (self-employed) women who ranged in status from beauty consultants to national sales directors. (Mary Kay also sold internationally in seven countries. ) This sales force met directly with customers in their homes and offices to demonstrate and sell Mary Kay products. The firm’s 1,436 company employees worked out of its Dallas headquarters and manufacturing facility and its five regional distribution centers. In 1988, the company’s 25th anniversary, Mary Kay Cosmetics achieved record sales of $406 million, up 26% from $326 million in 1987. The original mission of company founder Mary Kay Ash had been to be a â€Å"teachingoriented† organization that provided women with exceptional opportunities for professional achievement, economic success, recognition, personal development, and independence. The organization had remained true  to this goal, but had expanded its mission during the 1980s to include greater emphasis on consumer needs, product innovation, and quality. As revised in 1987, the Mary Kay Mission was â€Å"To achieve preeminence in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of personal care products by providing personalized service, value, convenience and innovative solutions to consumer needs through our independent sales force. † Company Philosophy The â€Å"Consultant’s Guide† book provided to new beauty consultants stated the firm’s philosophy as follows: tC From the beginning, the Company has grown based upon the same philosophy: every person associated with the Company, from Chairman Emeritus to the newest recruit, lives by the Golden Rule, â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you† and the priorities of God first, family second, and career third. In describing the company’s commitment to the independent sales force, Chairman Rogers asserted, â€Å"Every aspect of the Mary Kay system is aimed at promoting a successful career for the beauty consultants. It’s through her succeeding that we all succeed. We’re committed to total customer satisfaction; and to the customer, a beauty consultant is Mary Kay. † No A director of sales development explained the relationship between the company and its sales force: There are five things that all consultants seek. We refer to them as STORM: Satisfaction with a task well done (self-worth); Teamwork (a sense of belonging); Opportunity (to succeed); Recognition; and Money. These five needs are being met through various aspects of our business. Do Company Ownership and Structure In 1984, after several years of extraordinary growth, a decline of 14% in sales and 8% in earnings had triggered a sharp drop in the corporation’s share price. In December 1985, in response to both the depressed share price and to their own desire to manage for the long term rather than for quarterly earnings, Chairman Mary Kay and her son, Richard Rogers (president and CEO at the time), led a management leveraged buyout for a price of approximately $315 million. Mary Kay and Richard also wished to avoid the impact that public financial reporting could have on sales force 2 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) 190-103 op yo rP os t attitudes during a sales and stock price decline. Negative attitudes could easily trigger further sales and recruiting declines. Two years later, in November 1987, Mary Kay assumed the title of chairman emeritus and Rogers, 44, became chairman (retaining his title as CEO). Dick Bartlett, former executive vice president of Marketing, was named president and chief operating officer (COO). Mary Kay management prided itself on its lean internal staff. President Bartlett placed himself at the bottom of the organization, surrounded by staff support functions. Above him were the four operating divisions—Marketing, Sales, RD/Manufacturing, and Distribution—which â€Å"served† the sales force. Bartlett placed Mary Kay’s customer base of 15 to 20 million households at the top of the organizational structure. Bartlett explained the role of his internal organization and how it operated: Our goal is to support the independent sales force of 175,000 beauty consultants, because our sales force is our lifeblood. Our job in supporting the consultants involves a continual effort to update and improve the quality and selection of our products and to refine our facilities and procedures. We also have to anticipate and respond to the consultants’ needs. This all requires creativity and flexibility. tC One of my first challenges as president was to break down departmental fiefdoms. I instituted three types of meetings that bring together managers from different departments. The weekly Sales and Marketing meetings are religiously attended by top management. I never miss those meetings. They’re where the hot topics are raised and discussed. We’ve also created what we call â€Å"CATS†Ã¢â‚¬â€Creative Action Teams. These cross-functional temporary task forces are formed on an ad hoc basis whenever any employees identify a specific problem or opportunity which they think they can take on, especially those affecting quality improvement. The purpose of the CATS is to nurture creativity and keep the organization flexible. We track the progress of all CAT projects at our weekly meetings, and employees are usually recognized for successful completion. The main personal link between the company and the sales force was the group of six regional sales development directors. One of them described his role: Do No The job of the six of us is to bridge the gap between the growing sales organization and the company. We picture ourselves as their voice internally. Each of us covers a geographic region containing 700 to 800 sales directors and 30,000 to 40,000 beauty consultants. We wear a lot of hats—information conduit, administrator, motivator, personal and financial advisor, and so on. Also, there’s an expectation on the part of each consultant that their own personal considerations will be taken into account. Let’s say a woman works all year and misses a director’s goal by $18, we’d destroy her if we didn’t give her a break. We need to be flexible, so we make those kinds of calls. Sales Force Support In addition to personal contact with the field, Mary Kay Cosmetics employed an elaborate set of tools and programs designed to motivate, recognize, and develop its beauty consultants: Communications The company produced a constant flow of written material for the sales force, including a monthly magazine, weekly newsletters, training manuals, and product brochures. It also 3 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t provided video and audiocassettes (for recruiting, training, and motivating), promotional sales aids, and a telephone hot line for advice and answers. Mary Kay also regularly solicited feedback from consultants and customers by conducting surveys and focus groups. The company used this information to improve existing products and packaging and to develop new products and selling tactics. Events Mary Kay sponsored a variety of contests, conferences, and other events for the consultants, which combined all three elements mentioned above—motivation, recognition, and education. The biggest event was the annual seminar, which in 1988 was attended by 25,000 consultants. (The three-day event was divided into four back-to-back identical sessions because of its sheer size. The seminar was open to all consultants and directors; however, registrants paid their own way to attend and participate in the festivities and training sessions. The climax was a gala awards night in which consultants of all levels were honored and rewarded for their achievements before an applauding crowd of thousands. Rewards ranged from ribbons, jewelry, furs, and luxury trips to the crowning of â€Å"queens. † Sale force activities Ongoing support within the beauty consultant networks was another important ingredient in the Mary Kay formula for direct selling. Despite the high level of company support, the vast majority of a consultant’s interaction was with her unit director and the other 30 to 150 consultants in her unit, and not directly with Mary Kay management, which had no formal control over the sales force. 1 tC Because Mary Kay Ash believed that people could be â€Å"praised to success,† the company fostered a sale force culture based on positive reinforcement and recognition. This was achieved through several means. First, the company did no sales force recruiting; the independent consultants personally chose  their own new recruits. This personalized approach increased the likelihood of successful director-consultant relationships. Also, the company provided guidelines to assist the independent sales force in motivating and training its members. For example, the companysuggested Monday unit meetings were the primary forum for the sharing of product information, selling tips, and success stories, as well as group praise. These weekly unit meetings not only served as a support group and training class, but also created peer pressure to succeed. In â€Å"Memo,† the company’s weekly newsletter to directors, and in the Director’s Guide, the company provided directors with many kinds of creative tips and tools for training and developing their units and conducting effective meetings. Do No Recognition and prizes The majority of beauty consultants did not attend the annual seminar or receive cars and other large prizes. All active consultants, however, were motivated to increase their sales and recruiting by a constantly available array of prizes and recognition for incremental progress. Company-sponsored gifts and prizes were offered for achieving sales and recruiting goals and winners’ names were listed in Applause, Mary Kay’s monthly magazine for consultants. In addition, directors, at their own expense and discretion, rewarded their unit members for achieving various milestones. The gifts and prizes handed out by directors to beauty consultants usually took the form of jewelry and other accessories, often with the Mary Kay logo on them, and were usually awarded in front of a group. (Exhibit 3 lists a representative sampling of the type and cost of directors’ gifts to unit members. For example, upon signing up her first recruit, each consultant received a string of imitation pearls and congratulatory applause at her unit’s weekly meeting. At each step in her Mary Kay career, a consultant received additional recognition and status symbols, including â€Å"ladder† pins with varying numbers and types of gems, which indicated her level of 1The signed agreement between an independent beauty consultant and the company stipulated certain basic guidelines that the consultant was required to follow, such as her legal responsibility to represent the company and its products honestly and accurately. Mary Kay Cosmetics, however, had virtually no management control over the independent contractor sales force. 4 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) 190-103 op yo rP os t achievement. (See Exhibit 4 for the hierarchy of nonfinancial sales force incentives. Senior Vice President of Sales Bart Bartolacci described the role of recognition as an incentive: As Mary Kay herself would say, â€Å"A $5 ribbon plus $20 worth of recognition is worth more than a $25 prize. † In other words, give them a check, but give it to them on stage. Then they will really respond. I would never take away the recognition element. It would be like putting my head on a chopping block. Some of the women really don’t need the money at all, but the recognition is addictive. In fact, the top people in our sales organization motivate their units through recognition, not expensive prizes. Financial incentives The financial incentives, however, were also considered an indispensable ingredient in the firm’s direct selling strategy. According to management, the power and appeal of Mary Kay’s incentive system were rooted in the carefully designed combination of compensation, advancement opportunity, prize incentives, and recognition. According to the Mary Kay Marketing Plan (i. e. , the incentive compensation and advancement plan), a consultant’s income was determined by a very clear and objective method, based on her selling and recruiting activity. No organizational constraints limited the pace at which a consultant could advance her status and increase her income. In 1988, the highest paid sales director earned over $400,000 and roughly 90 others had six-figure incomes. The company, via its beauty consultants, aggressively advertised the Marketing Plan’s objectivity and unlimited earning potential to attract new recruits. The specific components of the plan were based on the following premise, as explained by Sales Group Executive Vice President Barbara Beasley: tC There are three things we want beauty consultants to do: order products, sell products to customers, and recruit new consultants. Recruiting is really the big source of growth because sales per consultant can rise only so much. That puts a limit on both company growth and consultants’ earning potential. Moreover, because approximately 70% of consultants drop out each year, we need new recruits just to maintain sales. We currently recruit about 10,000 consultants per month and lose 7,000 per month. I know that turnover rate sounds high. But, in fact, our rate is the lowest in the direct-selling industry, and lower than most retailers’ sales staff turnover. No But a good director must sell as well as recruit. Her best source of new recruits is her customer base. Also, her role as leader, teacher, and motivator involves setting an example for her unit members. We also need the sales directors to stay on top of customers’ needs and their reactions to new products because the directors are our strongest tie to the marketplace. Do Although all consultants fell into one of two general categories, nondirectors and directors, there were multiple titles within each group. The financial success of the more senior consultants and of directors depended heavily on their ability to recruit new consultants and on the ongoing performance of their recruits. Exhibit 5 summarizes the compensation for all levels as described below. An entry-level beauty consultant’s income was the difference between the retail value of the products she sold and the wholesale price (usually 50% of suggested retail) at which she bought 5 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t products from Mary Kay. A nondirector consultant also received a 4% to 12% commission2 on the sales of all her personal recruits. Once she had at least five recruits, her title became Team Leader and she could try to qualify for the use of a VIP car. In order to win the use of a VIP car (a red Pontiac Grand Am) and keep it for the entire awarded period of 24 months, a consultant had to reach and maintain three types of targets over that period: (1) team monthly production volume (i. e., wholesale value of all her recruits’ orders); (2) personal monthly wholesale production; and (3) number of active recruits. Each VIP consultant was given a fixed â€Å"allowance† she could draw on to make up for shortages in particular months, so that she would not have to relinquish her car because of one or two bad months. The allowance could be increased (and thereby â€Å"banked†) by performance above the minimum requirements in any given month. Once a consultant became a sales director (the qualifications were again tied to personal and team production and number of recruits), several additional avenues of income opened up to her. In addition to receiving an 8% to 12% commission on her personal recruits’ wholesale orders, she received a 9% to 13% commission on the production of the entire unit she directed, which included her recruits’ recruits. In addition, she received a sliding-scale monthly bonus of $400 to $2,500 if her unit’s total monthly production exceeded $4,000. Thus, if a director’s unit achieved the $4,000 threshold, the compensation system rewarded her doubly for the unit’s performance. Finally, a director also received a $100 to $400 bonus for each month in which her unit of consultants recruited at least three new active consultants. As soon as one of a director’s unit members became a director herself, the former became a senior sales director. In addition to the sources of director compensation, senior directors also received a 4% commission on the monthly production of all their â€Å"offspring† units. If they had eight or more offspring units, the commission increased to 5%. tC A national sales director—the highest position in the Mary Kay independent sales force—did not directly work with nondirector beauty consultants. Her compensation was based on the wholesale production of both her first-line and second-line offspring units. She received a commission of 5% to 8% and 2%, respectively, for the two tiers of units. History of the VIP Car Program No Between 1983 and 1989, Mary Kay’s car programs increased from a base of 1,100 cars on the road to over 5,000 cars. Most of this increase was due to the VIP program, which was introduced in 1984. By mid-1989, VIP cars in force numbered 3,000. The number of VIP car winners had grown rapidly despite increases in program qualification requirements in 1986, 1988, and 1989. Increased VIP participation was accompanied by several external cost trends: The costs to Mary Kay of leasing the cars had increased with interest rates. Automobile insurance premiums had escalated faster than both inflation and prices of Mary Kay products. Do †¢ †¢ General Motors discontinued the Oldsmobile Firenza, reducing the resale value of the one- and two-year-old cars. 2Commissions were based on wholesale orders and the percentage level depended on the number of recruits a consultant had. 6 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) 190-103 The Current Challenge op yo rP os t All of these trends had contributed in driving up the cost of the VIP program. The cost increase was further magnified by the decline in car â€Å"tenure†: an increasing proportion of the consultants who had qualified for VIP cars were unable to maintain the required sales and recruiting levels for the 24month period. As a result, Mary Kay often was forced to reclaim cars that were substantially less than two years old. The newer a car when Mary Kay reclaimed it from a consultant, the greater the disparity between the car’s unamortized book value and the (much lower) resale price that Mary Kay received for it. In short, the company absorbed larger losses on cars that were in service for shorter periods of time. Mary Kay’s top management was seeking a broad solution to the rising costs—and corresponding diminishing returns—of its incentive plan, the VIP car program in particular. According to Richard Wiser, vice president of Financial Planning and Analysis: Over the last several years, we’ve watched the cost of the car programs and of commissions creep up relative to sales. [See Exhibits 6 and 7. ] Car expenses in particular have really jumped up since 1985. In the past, we’ve always gone for incremental cost savings. We took a  negative approach: we simply raised the program qualification requirements when we wanted to reduce the cost of the program. Now, we want to be more creative. We have Finance, Marketing, and Sales all working together to identify innovations that would save money for us but, at the same time, keep the sales force morale up and boost the effectiveness of the incentives. tC We haven’t been getting a bang for our buck from all VIP consultants. Unless they are trying to qualify for directorship, many feel no motivation to increase their sales and recruiting efforts above the level needed to maintain the use of their cars. We’re not tapping their full potential because we’re not rewarding them for achieving it. President Dick Bartlett continued: No Richard is right. In fact, those VIP consultants who really do want additional income and recognition may rush into directorship prematurely. They may qualify before they have a large, strong team base and sufficient experience. That’s bad for everyone. The consultant must fight a frustrating uphill battle to retain her director status. And from our perspective, her unit’s size and performance may deteriorate. A weak director hurts unit morale and development. The problem trickles down: when a weak or negligent consultant loses a customer, it’s a lost sale for Mary Kay. Customers can’t buy our products in retail stores and the customer is not likely to seek out another consultant. Do Bartlett and his management team summarized the objectives of the Marketing Plan modifications they sought: †¢ To improve profit margins by reducing overall beauty consultant compensation (particularly the costs associated with the car programs) as a percent of sales—a ratio that had been escalating yearly. †¢ To enhance the beauty consultants’ career path with more distinct milestones and forms of reward. Bartlett was particularly concerned about two issues that had adversely affected many top-performing VIPs: 7 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t 1. Many had worked extra hard to achieve director status but were ill-prepared for the extra demands of continuing director-level performance. Many had stagnated at a â€Å"maintenance† sales level simply to retain their VIP cars. †¢ To make cost reductions elsewhere in the Marketing Plan while preserving sales force morale and motivation. †¢ To minimize the cost to the firm of maintaining low-performing consultants, i. e. , those with very few recruits and no indication of ambitious growth goals. At the conclusion of their interview with the casewriters, the managers reemphasized the extreme sensitivity of beauty consultants’ actions to changes in the Marketing Plan. They cited an example: in 1984, an announced increase in VIP qualification criteria resulted in an enormous â€Å"rush† for VIP status before the effective date of the program change. As a result, the number of VIP car winners temporarily increased dramatically, rather than tapering off as intended. (Refer to Exhibit 6. ) Moreover, many of those consultants who had rushed to obtain cars had relatively low tenure with Mary Kay. So, they did not have the experience and team strength to maintain their VIP status. As a result, they had to forfeit their cars prematurely, which was demoralizing for them and costly for the firm. Do No tC In general, any change in the Marketing Plan that was not well-received by the sales force of over 175,000 beauty consultants could be disastrous to the company: not only would sales drop off in the near term, but the sales force attrition rate could increase and the recruiting rate decrease over the long term. Aware of this danger, management had scheduled the first â€Å"Mary Kay Summit Meeting† and invited all national sales directors (the top of the independent sales organization) to be involved in designing changes in the Marketing Plan. Management wanted to bring to the Summit Meeting their own draft plan as a starting point for discussions with the national sales directors. 8 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t Mary Kay Organizational Structure Do No tC Exhibit 1 190-103 9 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013.

Written Essay About A Separate Peace Example For Students

Written Essay About A Separate Peace A Separate Peace: by John KnowlesDuring World War II in the struggle for peace among nations comes a smaller, but still significant struggle, in a prep school boy becoming a man and waking up to reality. In the book A Separate Peace, the author John Knowles, creates the image of two sixteen-year old boys struggling to keep what little sense of peace they know, even though there is a war going on all around them.Gene Forrester, the narrator of the story also struggles with an inner conflict of his secret resentment of his best friend Phineas (Finny). Phineas struggles with the disbelief that he can never be of any use to the war efforts with a busted leg. Gene Forrester, the main character in the book, returns to his old prep school-Devon- that he attended some fifteen years earlier. While there he remembers the incident that changed his life. In the summer of 1942, Gene and his friends stayed at their prep school for the summer session. His best friend in those days was a boy named Phineas, or Finny. During that time World War II was going on and the sixteen-year old boys were trying to preserve the peace in their lives, before they would be old enough to be drafted into the war-just one year later. One day Finny, the best athlete in the school, came up with the crazy idea to jump out of a tree into a river. All of the seventeen-year olds had accomplished this task because it was a mandatory test for the war. We will write a custom essay on Written About A Separate Peace specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Phineas, naturally was the first sixteen-year old to conquer this feat; so Gene was the second. None of the other boys ever tried the jump. After a while the two made it an almost day-to-day activity. The two boys were a lot alike, but Gene had this underlying resentment of Finny and he felt that Finny was deliberately trying to make him do badly in school because he was constantly dragging Gene along with him to go jump out of the tree. One time Finny decided that he and Gene should do a double jump, since that had never been done before. While up on the limb, Finny is the further out then Gene, and Gene gets this sudden impulse to shake the limb, which sends Finny plummeting into the shallow part of the river, breaking his leg. After the accident, Finny could never play any sports again; merely being able to walk is a blessing. For the duration of the summer session and for part of the regular session, Finny remains at his home to heal his leg. During that time, Gene goes and visits him and confesses to shaking the branch so Finny would loose his balance and fall. Finny does not believe a word of this disturbing revelation and sends Gene away. When Finny does return to Devon, he never brings up Genes off-the-wall confession. Months pass and suddenly the accident is brought up again by a boy named Brinker who believes that there is more to the story than what is being said. (No one else in the school new for a fact that Gene shook the branch on purpose to make Finny fall, they just had empty accusations.) So Brinker set up a sort-of mock court one night and took Gene and Finny there. Finny was seated in the middle of the Assembly Hall and asked to tell what happened. Since Genes confession, Finny refuses to believe it is true and imagines that Gene wasnt even in the tree with him, therefore, he would not be able to place Gene as the guilty one. .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 , .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .postImageUrl , .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 , .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:hover , .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:visited , .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:active { border:0!important; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:active , .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415 .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4595c62414320ac00610fd233ac0e415:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Carpe Diem: The Golden Chance Essay As the story unravels of what really happens, Finny gets fed up and leaves the building saying, I just dont care. Never mind. And then all the boys hear him fall down a flight of stairs, re-breaking his leg. This time though, Finny isnt so lucky and while the doctor is setting the break, some of the bone marrow gets into his bloodstream and immediately stops his heart. When Gene hears of this he does not cry, nor does he ever cry over Finnys death, because when Finny died it was like he died with Finny. At the end of the school year, Gene enlists in the war and joined the Navy. He never killed anyone, though, Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there. Finny was his enemy, not because of something he did to Gene, just because Gene made it that way in his imagination. The central character and narrator of the book, Gene Forrester, goes though a dramatic change. Throughout most of the book Gene is living in a world of resentment that revolves around Finny. After Finnys accident, Gene realizes that Finny was never trying to make Gene do badly in school. This makes Gene feel guilty about shaking the branch and he vows to be there for Finny because he realizes that Fin needs him. At this point Gene is becoming a man by taking responsibility for his actions and trying to do something about it. He still hasnt woken up to reality yet, because he believes that there really isnt a war going on. All this time though there was a more important war going on between Gene and his own disillusions. He let himself believe that there wasnt really a war going on because Finny was always saying things like that. The only reason Finny was saying those things was because he had a busted leg and couldnt contribute to any of the war efforts himself. He wrote to every group that was associated to the war and fighting for the peace, but he always got the same reply saying that they had no use of a person with a crippled leg. Gene finally wakes up to reality when Finny dies. He realizes the way of life that he was living while a Devon, and the type of person that he had become. After Finny died though, Gene discovers that he created a war between himself and Finny that never existed. The author gets his point across and does a very good job at it. The book was very interesting and enlightening. It makes the reader think about their friendships and their life in general. People should not let little things rule their lives. Underlying resentment could build up to something very dangerous and destructive. The reader also learns from this book that there is a big world out there and one needs to become mature enough to fulfill their adulthood duties. The author lastly shows that everyone is fighting their own personal war, but how someone handles it is based on their maturity and their knowledge of knowing the difference between imagination and reality.

Chronic Crisis Management in Malaysia Revisited Essays - Free Essays

Chronic Crisis Management in Malaysia Revisited Essays - Free Essays Chronic Crisis Management in Malaysia Revisited Introduction For the first time, Fontaine (2012) raised the issue of chronic crisis management in Malaysia. His initial study was inspired by an article in the Harvard Business Review by Bohn (2000) called "Stop Fighting Fires." Th e term "fighting fires" refers to a problem in many organisation where the corporate culture involves hiding problems rather than solving them. Although these problems temporarily "disappear" from top management's radar screen, it often resurfaces months later. Since 2012, the business environment has arguably become more complex and more unpredictable. This study, using the same instrument, aims to survey Malaysian managers in 2016 to make a comparison with the results collected in 2011 and published in 2012. The First Study The first study was based on an instrument developed by Fontaine (2012). Most of the text of Fontaine (2012) explored the constructs that made up the core of the instrument. Apart from the initial study by Bohn (2000), other studies that influenced the design of the instrument include constructs borrowed from Goldratt and Cox (1984) ("local measures of performances versus systemic measures of performance"), Perlow and Williams (2003) ("silence due to time constraint ") , Lapre and Van Wassenhove (2002) ("low conceptual learning and low operational learning") among others. Summarising the vast literature on this subject, Bohn (2000, p.84) explains that in successful organisations, " they don't tackle a problem unless they are committed to finding its root cause and finding a valid solution. They perform triage. They set realistic deadlines. Perhaps more im portant, they don't reward fire- fighting ." By contrast, unsuccessful organisati ons, top management talks about problem-solving but rewards hiding problems. Subordinates know that and act accordingly. To appreciate the significance of Bohn (2002), one has to read the account of the trials and tribulati ons at Ford Motor Company. Hoffman (2012) explains how internal fire-fighting led Ford to the edge of bankruptcy in 2006. It was the timely appointment of Alan Mulally as chief executive officer (2006 to 2014) that saved the company. He instantly killed the culture of hiding problems by rewarding executives that highlighted problems to his attention. Within a few weeks, senior leaders at Ford knew that it was more pleasing to the CEO to solve problems rather than hide them , so that is what they did. The initial survey included the answers of 150 respondents. Table 1 shows that fire-fighting (i.e. chronic crisis management) is the norm in Malaysian organisations. By and large, the fact that individuals were assessed for doing their job rather than solving systemic problems was the main contributing factors. This survey was really just an initial enquiry into the problems that plagues organisations worldwide (according to the literature) and Malaysia in particular (according to the survey). Obvious limitations to this study was the relatively low number of respondents and the lack of follow-up studies. Table 1 : Results of the first survey Question Average Standard Deviation 1 Fire- fighting in my organisation is normal 4.13 1.06 2 In my organisation, we are assessed on local measures of performance 4.08 1.22 3 To do my work, I depend on other people to do their part 3.74 1.44 4 In my organisation, the responsibility for change is given to teams, not individuals 3.72 1.39 5 Some of the policies in my organisation make it difficult for people to be effective 3.69 1.28 6 Many teams in my organisation do not function as smoothly as they should 3.38 1.31 7 My organisation only allows top down change 3.36 1.39 8 Most people in my organisation resist change 3.22 1.36 9 People in my organisation are expected to stay silent 2.97 1.42 10 In my organisation, many people don't know what their goal is 2.89 1.48 11 If I use my initiative to start bottom up change, I will be punished by others 2.74 1.31 12 In my organisation, there is not enough time to think about doing things properly 2.76 1.39 Source: Fontaine (2012) New Theoretical Developments Since 2012, there are new developments in the literature that are worth highlighting. First, the rise of complexity. Second, the rise of big data. Third, the problem of riba . The

What was architecturally innovative about the Pantheon in Rome Essay

What was architecturally innovative about the Pantheon in Rome - Essay Example The Pantheon is a building in Rome,Italy that whose design and construction was under the directorship of Marcus Agrippa who was a friend and commander during the reign of Augustus. It was constructed as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome,and it was rebuilt in 117-138 AD by Hadrian after it was razed to the ground during a war. The building is circular with a front entrance portico made up of eight large Corinthian columns made of granite. There are another two groups of four behind that are all under pediment. There is a vestibule, rectangular in shape that links the porch to the cupola that is beneath a coffered concrete auditorium. The dome has a central opening to the sky called the oculus, and it is the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Fig 1: Pantheon, Rome. This paper seeks to highlight on what is architecturally about the Pantheon in Rome by discussing various features and aspects of the building. The version of the Pantheon seen today was built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian at around 123AD, which fused the technical, religious and architectural inheritance of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman culture (Baldwin, 2004). The Emperor’s emphasis on perfection of the heavens is reflected in other buildings built by him and in its self-similar use of geometry and proportions. The notion regarding the nature of the universe being spherical is more Greek than it is Roman with the portico and the pediment also being of Greek influence. The coppice of columns leading into the temple is evocative of the hall of columns or hypostyle found in Egyptian temples (Baker, 2008). The interior of the Pantheon called the rotunda is accessed through a pair of bronze doors, with the vertical and horizontal diameter of the interior space being 43.2 meters. This is exemplary of the Romans’ emphasis on the notion of perfection in the sphere but also the heavens, and this sense of geometric perfection permeates the entire structure (MacDonald , 2002). The Pantheon is composed of two compartments namely the rotunda and the portico, with portico comprising of 16 large columns at the opening of the building. The columns are under a pediment with a phrase across it that reads; MÂ ·AGRIPPAÂ ·LÂ ·FÂ ·COSÂ ·TERTIUMÂ ·FECIT. This translates to Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this building when consul for the third time. The walls are three storeys high and up to 6.2 meters thick with arches built into the brickwork to distribute the weight and achieve the height and strength required to support the dome (Baldwin, 2004). The thick walls are necessary to support and act as a buttress against the dome’s colossal stress. Inside the pantheon, the perimeter wall opens into seven niches that once contained statures of several deities a reference to the structure’s name, which means many gods. The floors are covered with beautiful tiles, which are an example of opus sectile roman mosaics that are used in the rest of the building enhancing the building’s decoration in amazing colours and patterns (MacDonald, 2002). The floor inside the pantheon is a checkerboard pattern that differs from the coffers in the dome, with each part of the dome’s interior subdivided according to different themes. They reinforce the building’s shape with the modular approach augmenting an individual’s point of reference of self and the size of the building. The dome of the pantheon weighs an approximate 4.5 metric tonnes concentrated on a ring of voussoirs that are 30 feet in diameter that form the oculus (Grasshoff, Heinzelmann & Wafler, 2009). Eight columns that are 21ft thick carry the downward thrust of the dome. The light from the open doorway and the oculus are the two sources of light inside the pantheo

Management Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Management Information Systems - Essay Example otably, Samsung is one of the main title sponsors of the NBA where it is the official handset, tablet, and TV provider for the NBA, WNBA, and NBA D-League (Lefton, 2013). The sponsorship covers the United States, Canada, and Mexico where the company is a major commitment for advertising with the NBA’s TV rights holders (Lefton, 2013). Most assuredly, Samsung is a publicly held corporation that depends on management information systems in the competitive mobile phone and electronics industry. People, information, and information technology help Samsung Incorporated to remain competitive in industry. Based in South Korea, Samsung Electronics Company is an electronics giant electronics company with branches across the globe. People have helped the company to remain competitive in the industry. Indeed, the company uses international celebrities like Didier Drogba to market its products. This helps the football fraternity to associate with the company’s products. Moreover, individual executive members foster the competitive advantage of the company by making timely and effective decisions like the decision to detach Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) operations from Samsung Incorporated for purposes of separating successful business chains in the market with the company’s main operations. The company also hires top class engineers to design its products. The individual efforts led to an increase of 5.1% in market shares (Sang-Hun, 2012). On the other hand, the company uses advanced technologies in its operations to enhance its competitive advantage. Indeed, the consistent use of modern technology in the company fostered the development and design of high quality and appealing products like smartphones. Moreover, the new technology enabled the management of the capacity of resources required in the production process. With these technological aspects, Samsung recorded in its share price (Sang-Hun, 2012). The company has been using technologies that enhance clarity,

Managing Activities To Achieve Results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Activities To Achieve Results - Essay Example They focus on demand from all over the world, to supply customers with products of a good price. Since it is an innovation based company that focuses on lower and competitive prices and food for all, its structure is a matrix structure. That is, it is divided into departments called functional departments. These include sales and marketing, global supply, research and development and global support functions. Even though these are independent functions, they function together as well, as teams are made to bridge the different departments. This helps bring diverse talent together and benefit the organization as a whole. It also has a culture of being forward looking, passionate and creative, where employees are made to think of new ideas while at the same time understanding that they need to meet deadlines. Employees are also appreciate and rewarded for the work that they do. LO1.2. Process management is when the company increases the effectiveness of the entire processes in Syngenta by applying the knowledge base to all the activities in the organization rather than a specific project so that optimal customer satisfaction can be achieved. The entire business process is included in this process and all the aspects of the organization are made according to the customer’s demand. ... The next step is to model the theories and test out their practicality and workability with a number of variables as situations in the world are dynamic. Execution is the next step and it is used to apply the theoretical concepts in the workplace such as the software or computer applications that allow the workplace to function. Service quality is defined as a comparison of what people are expecting to be delivered or offered and what they actually get offered or what actually is offered to them. If a business is eyeing to remain competitive and as well as a strong customer base, it is vital for them to offer the kind of service quality that is higher than the industry average. The business is able to establish itself as a successful enterprise only when they actually cater to the customers that they are looking for. A customer is always willing to pay as much as demanded when they are offered the equal price in return. The price in return that the customer is looking for is a good r eception of their demands and the fulfillment of their request to the maximum limit. Service quality has two aspects to it, one of them is objective and the other is subjective. The objective part of the service quality relates to the tangible factors, things that are visible while subjective part are the intangibles, things that are only felt or experienced. It is important for the business to be able to distinguish them and hence appear more appealing to their customers. To keep a constant check on the Service Quality that is being provided by them, the Sygentas should design a measurement scale, or predefined criteria that will actually help them judge their own service quality. Every business process also

Extra Judicial Killing in Bangladesh

Extra Judicial Killing in Bangladesh How interesting it is that in Bangladesh the elite force named as Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] kills the arrested persons by the name of cross-fire and name them the criminals. Extra-judicial, thus the term is used to state the killings. It is called extra judicial because of its type, which works as a process outside the judiciary system of Bangladesh. Farid Ahmed in a non periodical web journal (2010), Such killings are often described in police reports as involving crime suspects who resisted arrests or attacked the police. Many of the victims, human rights groups charge, were killed while in police custody. But in their official statements, police said they were killed in the crossfire during violent incidents in prison facilities. The police were compelled to open fire at those attacking them, they said.  [1]   According to the Human Rights Watch (2006): One of the first publicized RAB killings was of the wanted criminal suspect Pichchi Hannan in Dhaka on August 6, 2004. This is when the era of extra judicial killing has started and still going on. Not only the RAB but also some other armed forces are involved in this kind of activity.  [2]   Whether extrajudicial killing is a myth or is it a reality is the main motive for me to conduct this research. A lot of people are being killed by the armed force, often named as elite force, but is it truly extra judicial killing or is the crossfire the reality, which one is true? We see a lot of incidents addressing the extra-judicial killings everyday when looking at the newspaper. Theres hardly any day with no crossfire news, and thus I think people should be clear about the extra judicial killing matter and to reveal the original fact as I conduct the research. My research will give a clear cut idea about the extra judicial killing and the scenario of our countrys perspective. However, it is often said by the authority and also by the political leaders that these so called extra-judicial killings are only the unfortunate deaths of the suspected criminals in the cross-fire. According to the Bangladesh Media article No extrajudicial executions carried out: RAB DG (2010): The director-general of the RAB, Hasan Mahmud Khandakar, addressing the media at the sixth anniversary of the elite law enforcement body in its headquarters on Sunday, told newsmen, A total of 622 suspected criminals were killed in by the RAB in crossfire across the country in the last six years, including 14 suspected criminals who were killed in the last three months. The RAB chief, however, claimed that no extra-judicial killing was carried out by the battalions personnel in the last six years.  [3]   The issue of extra-judicial killing is one of the big concerns for a country like Bangladesh where the chance of misuse of the theme, under the name of crossfire is highly possible for a 3rd world country like us. The concern of different human right organizations have argued about the extrajudicial killings and raised a lot of questions. My report will reveal whether the extra-judicial killing under the name of crossfire is true or just a myth. The History of Extra Judicial Killing As its name suggest, it is done outside the framework of the judiciary system of Bangladesh, which is the killings of a suspected criminal under the custody of the armed force, often using the term self protection or accusing the suspected criminal to escape; which is a violation of the rule of law. From the very beginning of Bangladeshs birth in 1971, different political parties used their political power to impetus the killings by the armed forces and used these forces in in violation of the law to consolidate power and maintain control. The continuous process started during the time period of BNP led govt. after forming coalition with three smaller parties: Jamaat-e-Islami (which won 4.3 percent), Jatiya Party-Naziur (1.1 percent), and Islamic Okye Jote (0.7 percent) in 0ctober, 2001. After taking power, to fulfill the one election agenda to fight against crime, and to tackle criticism from people, the govt. then deployed fourty thousand military personal to fight crime under the name of Operation Clean Heart. Thousands of people were arrested and at least 50 people were reported to be dead under their custody. Due to the failure of the operation, the government then decided to form an elite force group with a special unit of police with commando training called the Rapid Act ion Team, or RAT, which is now known as Rapid Action Battalion or RAB. As stated by the law, The main tasks of the RAB, according to the law, are to: Provide internal security Conduct intelligence into criminal activity Recover illegal arms Arrest criminals and members of armed gangs Assist other law enforcement agencies Investigate any offense as ordered by the government.  [4]   According to the Asian Human Rights Commission: The army killed 58 people in custody. See Asian Legal Resource Center and Asian Human Rights Commission, Lawless Law-enforcement the Parody of Judiciary in Bangladesh, August 2006.According to the Bangladesh NGO Forum for Secular Bangladesh, the army killed 53 people in custody and physically abused 7,000. See Forum for Secular Bangladesh, Violation of Human Rights by the Coalition Government of Bangladesh, September 2006.  [5]   However, the Operation Clean Heart did not succeed in bringing crime under adequate control, and vigilantism against so-called criminals continued. Hence the special police force proved unsuccessful in combating crime due to the lack of trained professionals, disorganization, and corruption in the force. Structuring from the experience from Operation Clean Heart, the government took steps to give the military a law enforcement role. Then, later on the RAB was created with the motto to fight criminals and reduce crime. According to a human rights lawyer: Critics complained that, rather than building a new crime-fighting force, the government should undertake efforts to reform law enforcement and the courts. Creating RAB, they feared, would undermine the police. With Operation Clean Heart in mind, some worried about using the military for civilian policing. They saw RAB as a way for the government to deploy the army for policing tasks, with one lawyer even calling it martial law in disguise. Other Facts Various human right watchdogs claimed that 1,142 victims have so far been slain in extrajudicial killings since 24 June, 2004 when the RAB began its journey by killing people in crossfire. Among the 1,142 victims, 149 were killed in 2004, 340 in 2005, 290 in 2006, 130 in 2007, 136 in 2008 and 97 in 2009. During the immediate-past emergency regime which continued for about two years, 322 people were killed in an extrajudicial manner. On the other hand, DG of RAB claimed that no extra-judicial killing is carried out but some criminals were caught in crossfire during the battle. He also claimed that 6,931 firearms have been seized by the RAB in the last six years 580 in 2004, 909 in 2005, 889 in 2006, 1,416 in 2007, 1,374 in 2008, 1,338 in 2009 and 425 in the last three months. The RAB arrested a total of 64,664 suspected criminals, after conducting drives throughout the country, on charges of various crimes including murder, kidnapping, extortion, tender manipulation, militancy and possession of illegal firearms. Of them 2569 in 2004, 4929 in 2005, 7277 in 2006, 13569 in 2007, 13378 in 2008, 16730 in 2009 and 4012 in last three months of 2010.  [6]   The attitude of people in law enforcement agencies has not changed, at least on the issue of extra judicial killings despite the judiciary ordering them to stop killing people under the guise of crossfire, encounter, and gunfight. Although much of such action has stopped, it is not a sustainable solution. But the decision has been hailed an eye-opener by many including human rights organizations. The High Court issued the suo motto order over extra judicial killings on November 17. It gave the government two weeks, initially, to explain why the killing of two brothers, Lutfor and Khairul Khalasi by law enforcement agencies in Madaripur on Nov.16 should not be declared extrajudicial. The government has yet to reply and the Attorney General has sought more time, presumably until the court resumes on January 3, 2010. During the year although there were some positive activities by the government, most sectors in the country were devoid of any human rights, the rule of law and good governance. Religious minorities were oppressed and press freedoms were violated almost every other day.  [7]   Only a few human rights organizations have long been asking the government to stop the killings, terming them extrajudicial. Moreover, the High Court of Bangladesh, on June 29, 2009, High Court of Bangladesh asked the government to explain why killing people without a trial, in the form of extrajudicial killings, is not being declared as illegal, and why measures are not being taken against the perpetrators. After this ruling, we still havent seen anything happen. However in recent times, after the Awami League came to power, many thought the Awami govt. will abolish the RAB. But, in march 2006, Seikh Hasina said, But we will not do so. Rather Rab will be given a special assignment to capture corrupt people.  [8]   Extrajudicial killings continue even in violation of the High Courts ruling. How can they continue? Its very alarming for human rights, democracy and the right to life. And why is the High Court silent regarding this gross human rights violation? Both governmental and nongovernmental sources have said that the death toll has reached 133 from such extrajudicial killings labeled as crossfire killings, encounter killings or gunfight killings by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the police since Jan. 6, when the Awami League-led government assumed office. In Bangladesh, we have a so-called democracy, but there is no rule of law if we consider extra judicial killing. Every day sees more killings of citizens by the state machinery, killings which are both well-planned and covered up. However, RAB never said that its extrajudicial killing. In contrast, Rab Director General (DG) Hassan Mahmood Khandker recently stated that, A total of 633 persons were killed in encounters with its members while 750 RAB men were punished for their unlawful acts. Among the 750 punished RAB members, 350 were sacked while the rest 400 suffered imprisonment in different tenures. Also RAB intelligence personnel are only on duty to tackle the criminal activities.  [9]   However, on contrary, extrajudicial killing have been going on very rapidly of violating the highest court ruling order, the Constitution and the Universal Declaration by law enforcers. The term extrajudicial killing means execution without justice. This is a grave human rights violation. Its both a violation of Bangladeshs constitution and of the UNs Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  [10]  But these types of killings still occur frequently in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh has been violating the constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights day after day since 2002 (including operation clean heart). In 2004, the BNP-Jamaat government made a decision about extrajudicial killings and formed the RAB. From March 26, 2004 until January 31, 2009, around 1,600 people (including 58 58 killed peoples in operation clean heart of 2002) have been killed without justice. The government of Bangladesh has sided with the extrajudicial killings. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also said, in an indirect way, that extrajudicial killings will continue. She spoke clearly, upholding crossfire killings. What was said by our popular Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York is very unfortunate for the rule of law, democracy, the constitution, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the people of Bangladesh. According to the Bdnews24.com, Sheikh Hasina talked with journalists in New York on Sept. 27, 2009. Referring to crossfire killings at the time, she said, I do not believe in extrajudicial killings. But if anyone launches an armed attack (against a law enforcer), then they shouldnt be allowed to kill them like sitting ducks.  [11]   Bangladeshs elite Rapid Action Battalion continues to engage in extrajudicial killings despite Supreme Court directives to halt it. Although the court is handling the issue of extrajudicial killings, RAB does not seem to be bothered either about the judiciary or the countrys laws. The assertions of responsible people in the present government are shocking. Home minister Sahara Khatun recently said that, there was no crossfire. It seems, either directly or indirectly, the home minister and other ministers are defending the perpetrators of such crossfire killings. Finally we can say that, in Bangladesh has no rule of law. We want to say that the reports of so-called crossfire killings, encounter killings or gunfight killings that are made by the RAB and the police are totally false. We believe that terrorism should never be combated or controlled through state killings. It is the establishment of the rule of law that is essential to control terrorism. Conclusion Finally we can say that, numerous killings are being carried out extra-judicially; the perpetrators remain above the law; and the victims have no recourse to protection or redress under the law. This represents a violation of Article 31 of the Constitution, which reads: To enjoy the protection of the law, and to be treated in accordance with law, and only in accordance with law, is the inalienable right of every citizen, wherever he may be, and of every other person for the time being within Bangladesh, and in particular no action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law.  [12]   However, beyond impunity, those responsible for such killings are being rewarded for their actions. Torture and the threat of extra-judicial killing are used by the police and the RAB to extract money from persons that they arrest. Furthermore, the RAB was even awarded the prized Independence Award to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on March 23, 2006, as part of Bangladeshs 35th Independence Day celebrations, for its activities. Therefore, it is revealed that this kind of activities by the RAB is clearly a false ideology to name the extrajudicial killing under the name of crossfire, is just only to eye wash the general public, and some day it may have negative effect on the society and country as a whole. So the govt. and the people of Bangladesh should raise its voice against it and it should be stopped soon.

Brown vs. Board of Education Art Exhibit :: Art Museum Exhibit Race Segregation

One of Art’s Messages When I first walked into the Krannert Art Museum, I had no idea where to begin seeing that this was my first visit to the museum. So I asked a man who worked there to point me in the general direction of the exhibit known as â€Å"Eight Artists Address Brown v. Board of Education.† The man gave me directions, and showed me into the section for the exhibit. I walked into two small rooms, which I thought was a little small for the work of eight artists. Despite the size, I had no idea where to start. So I took a quick look around the exhibit, which was empty except for the security guard who, upon my arrival, jumped up from his seat. Throughout my time at the museum, this guard was constantly checking me, like a hawk waiting for its prey to make a move before coming in for the kill, as if I were going to do anything other than look at the exhibits. His evil gaze was a little unnerving, however, I persisted in my work. In order to decide where to start, I spun around in a circle, coming to a stop at Pamel Vander Zwan’s and Carrie Mae Weems’ work on Plessy v. Ferguson. This was a series of five photographs in black and white featuring Zwan and Weems, one black and the other white, fighting over a chair in the middle of a checkered black and white room. It did not matter which picture started the series, because the two on the ends were the same picture. If going in a linear order, depending on where you started, the second and fourth pictures showed the two women struggling for the chair with the white women having the upper-hand, and the black women trying to take the chair away. Which ever direction you took, the pictures always ended the same way, with each women back where they started. It was at this point that I found a little book that describes each exhibit, which helped me to understand the pictures. Not knowing the background behind Plessy v. Ferguson, the struggle for the seat didn’t make much sense. The history is written saying that Homer Plessy was a black man who sat in the â€Å"white man only† car of a train, quite a rebellious feat for his time.

Othello and O

Othello and â€Å"O† The movie â€Å"O† by Tim Blake Nelson is based on Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello. They both have many differences as well as similarities. The same trap is laid for the main character in both versions and the same amount of casualties happens in both final scenes. Nelson sets his story in modern time prep school, and his characters are not the adults of Shakespeare's play. Shakespeare Othello is set in the 16th century while Nelsons â€Å"O† is set I the 20th century.In Othello, the setting is in 16th century Cyprus during a war with the Turkish Empire. The language used in respectful and nice compared to â€Å"O†. Brabantio calls Othello to the summit and questions him what sorcery he has used to take his daughter Desdemona away from him. Desdemona denies the fact that Othello used any sorcery and says that there love is true and that she left her father for her husband and he left his family for her mother. In this play De sdemona is married to Othello.Iago’s reasons of jealousy are that Othello promoted Cassio to Lieutenant instead of him and that there’s a well-known rumor that Othello has slept with his where the truth hasn’t been brought to light. Nobody is aware of neither Iago’s nor Rodrigo’s intentions. Othello has epilepsy and Iago doesn’t help until Cassio walks in. Desdemona is slapped by Othello and no one can believe that the well-known respected general would do such a thing. Othello makes Iago his blood brother and Iago tells him to kill Desdemona and he will kill Cassio for him.But Iago Sends Rodrigo instead of doing it himself to kill Cassio but fails wring and Rodrigo gets injured and runs away than Iago comes and stabs Cassio in the leg then goes and kills Rodrigo. When Othello kills Desdemona, Emilia comes in and see’s that Desdemona is dead and Othello confessed to his crime so Emilia cries out murder where everyone came in including Iago where he starts to argue with Emilia and tells her to be quite but she doesn’t listen and then he tells her to go home but she doesn’t go therefore disrupting him and then she tells the truth about the handkerchief so stabs and kills her and then runs away.When Othello realizes what he has done he stabs himself and lays on her and kisses her in the lips as he dies. In â€Å"O†, the setting is in the modern-era prep school where instead of a war being fought it’s a series of basketball games. In this movie foul disrespectful language is used compared to Othello. Iago feels that his father Duke loves Oden more than he loves him so he tries so hard to win his father’s love from Oden.When Brandy calls Oden to the main office he accuses Oden of forcing Desy and then accuses him of using drugs again because of his skin color. Then Duke calls for Desy and she tells her father that they been together a few months before he even found out and that ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s none of his business. Oden gets injured during a game while in Othello he doesn’t. Desy is more aware of Iago and Oden beats up Rodger because he is aware of Rodger. Oden is so jealous and angry that he attacks Hugo and then storms out the court.Instead of Oden having epilepsy he takes cocaine instead. The scene on Othello where Othello slaps Desdemona is different in the fact that instead Oden after he takes cocaine and is hyped up he enters the court for the slam-dunk contest and breaks the backboard which everyone one loves at first until he breaks the backboard completely and takes off the rim slams it and disrespects a kid and pushes him off to the side where the whole audience, crowd was shocked because they couldn’t believe what they seen.Instead of using a knife, Rodger shoots Hugo in the leg and then Hugo gets frustrated and kills Rodger and tries to make it look like and accident then Brandy came and Hugo asked for her help to call the cops but she g ot scared and ran away. Hugo instead of stabbing Emily he shoots her and runs away. When oden realizes what he has done and knows everything he shoots himself in the deck of the house and lay’s on the couch away from Desy. In both the play and the movies Iago and Hugo are fueled by jealousy.The same trap is set in place for the characters and the same amount of deaths happen in the end of the movie/play. In both Emalia/Emily steal the scarf for Iago/Hugo which leads them to having sexual intercourse. Both Desdemona/Desy believe they have misplaced the scarf given to them by Othello/Oden. In both the play and the movie Iago/Hugo is very envious of Othello/Hugo because everyone respects and admires him. Othello is the only black person in the play and so is Oden in the movie.Othello/Oden promotes/chooses Cassio/Mike instead of Iago/Hugo. In both plays Iago/Hugo build hatred/jealousy against Iago/Hugo which starts the whole plot of both the movie and play. Iago/Hugo betrays Othe llo/oden and does not care who gets hurt in the process of destroying Othello/Hugo. Iago/Hugo does not do everything alone he is helped out by Rodrigo/Rodger which in both the play and the movie is secretly in love with Desdemona/Desy. Iago/Hugo and Rodrigo/Rodger make Othello/Oden believe Desdemona/Desy has been cheating on im with Cassio/Mike. When Iago/Hugo kills Emilia/Emily he runs away but is later caught by other men and when Othello/Oden asks Iago/Hugo why has he done all of this to him and Iago/Oden replies that he doesn’t need to know and from now on he will not say another word. After Othello/Oden realize t=what they have done he kills himself. Both the play Othello by Shakespeare and â€Å"O† by Blake nelson are wonderful and have a great story line that catches the viewers’ attention.They both have a tragic story and a very sad ending with high body counts. Both the play and movie have everyday problem and issues that still happen even today that pr oves Shakespeare is a very intelligent man. It’s a sad thing that these problems were around for many centuries and still exist today. Since the movie was based on the play they are very similar except that the movie is set in a modern time period. They both are very great and I recommend them both.