Microsoft Vega Project Essay Example

Microsoft Vega Project Essay How does Microsoft conduct strategic planning and what role human resource management plays in that process? It is apparent that people are Microsofts greatest asset. Linking production areas and using an atmosphere that caters to the 30 year old average employee age, has made the company a fantastic place of employment. Human Resources is responsible for identifying, hiring, and retaining their gifted talent. Microsoft has also boasted as very generous compensation and benefits program that has created a quality employee experience. Microsofts work environment, is a catalyst for great achievements. With a strategic human resource plan, Microsoft ensures that a diverse range of candidates are considered for opportunities as well as retaining them in a very competitive market. Their results are shown through enhanced product development and employee performance. The HR department is great at spotting talent and potential and aim to hire people who are smart, work hard, and get the right things done. HR staffing seeks to hire talented people who are passionate about their work. This passion translates directly into products and services that enable Microsoft customers to do their very best. Its an important mission — bringing the right people in and taking good care of them. It plays a critical role in helping Microsoft generate technology that positively affects the lives of millions of people around the world (Microsoft. com 2008). The case study on the Vega Project shows that HR department as well as company directors are using the plan to promote, educate, and empower individuals. As this case shows, it does not always work out to be a successful match. However, according to Microsoft’s home page, I believe their HR approach is a great example of how to recruit, retain, and promote motivated employees. We will write a custom essay sample on Microsoft Vega Project specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Microsoft Vega Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Microsoft Vega Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Where along the transactional-commitment continuum does Microsoft choose to be located ? Transactional leaders use strategy, structure and culture to strengthen their organization. This type of leadership can be displayed through a system of contingent-reward exchanges as well as active management. This style of leadership can be characterized through a process of goal-setting, setting expectations, and defining how followers will be rewarded (Gerhardt 2004). By achieving specific goals for both leaders and their followers, transactional leadership seeks to maintain stability rather than promoting change within an organization. This leadership style is closley related to the style used by Jim Kaplan in 1998. By recruiting MacLellan, he set goals, explained the rewards associated for meeting those goals, and maintain as close relationship with his new recruit. MacLellan was very excieted about his new Vega project and felt empowered to complete the project on time and meet the specified goals. He had a great commitment to the project, his team, and used many resources to ensure that it was a success. In my opinion I feel that due to the nature of Microsoft’s business, the company is high on the transactional-commitment continuum. This type of leadership is shown through the offer to MacLellan from Kaplan. Delivering the Vega project would mean a 14,000 dollar bonus, an allocation of 2,800 stock options, and promoted to a level 33 program manager, which carried a salary range of 85,000 to 110,000 dollars (Bassert page ? ). Microsoft Home Page http://members. microsoft. com/careers/careerpath/humanresource/default. mspx 2008 http://www. paulgerhardt. com/homework/TranformationalTransactonalLeadershipInRetail. pdf Paul Gerhardt-Transformational and Transactional Leadership in Retail (2004)

Working Place Monitoring Essays

Working Place Monitoring Essays Working Place Monitoring Essay Working Place Monitoring Essay Humans are naturally egocentric.   We tend to always look out for the welfare of our personal interests.   We tend to judge what is ethically right based on what is beneficial to us. To us, we are always the good guys and those who oppose us are the villains. We see our own actions to always be the right thing to do. However, this egocentric mindset is what blinds us from making truly ethical reasoning and judgments. Introspection is a necessary ability for being ethically reasonable. Aside from seeing only what is beneficial to us, we need to learn to see things from the perspective of the other. We need be able to reflect on our own actions and see how this will affect the other person, as well as everything and everyone else involved. We should also learn to consider what would be beneficial for them, and if that thing is unacceptable for you personally, then learn to make compromises so that your decision would be something that will benefit you both. â€Å"We can learn to respect the rights of others and not simply focus on fulfilling our desires. The main problem is not so much distinguishing between helping and harming, but our natural propensity to be focused almost exclusively on ourselves and those closely connected with us.† (Paul and Elder 3) As for the case of workplace monitoring, we cannot avoid companies from making such policies. This is their way of looking out for the best of their interests. For the employees, getting offended by such company policies is their way of looking out for their own. Now to harbor good ethics in the workplace, both parties should learn to be sensitive to the needs and personal restrictions of each other. The employee should understand that a company has a basis for adapting such policies; that maybe it is their way of maintaining the smooth flow of their system. However, the company should also understand that their employees also have certain personal restrictions and needs that should be respected. Workplace searches, urine tests, etc, are necessary for the company to know their employees and to ensure that their employees are of the character that they expect them to be. If the employees have no skeletons to hide in their closets, they should not have problems with these policies at a ll. But the company should know their restrictions and not get offensively close to the personal lives of their employees such as when monitoring phone calls. Just learn to respect the needs of both parties, true ethical judgment can arise from that. Bayer, Richard C. Ethical Reasoning in Business. Action Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. 24 April 2008. acton.org/publications/randl/rl_article_409.php Paul, Richard, and Linda Elder. The Miniature Guide to Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning. 3rd Edition. Foundation for Critical Thinking. 2005 Victor, Bart, and John B. Cullen. The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates. Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, 1988

Aliasing a Method in Ruby Takes Simple Programming

Aliasing a Method in Ruby Takes Simple Programming To alias a method or variable name in Ruby is to create a second name for the method or variable. Aliasing can be used either to provide more expressive options to the programmer using the class or to help override methods and change the behavior of the class or object. Ruby provides this functionality with the alias and alias_method keywords. Create a Second Name The alias keyword takes two arguments: the old method name and the new method name. The method names should be passed as labels, as opposed to strings. Labels are used to refer to methods and variables without directly referencing them. If youre a new Ruby programmer, the concept of labels may seem odd, but whenever you see a label like :methodname, just read it as the thing called methodname. The following example declares a new class and creates an alias for the on method called start. #!/usr/bin/env rubyclass Microwavedef onputs The microwave is onendalias :start :onendm Microwave.newm.start # same as m.on Change the Behavior of a Class There may be times when you want to change the behavior of a class after its been declared. You can alias and add new methods to an existing class by creating second class declaration that has the same name as the existing class declaration. You can also add aliases and methods to individual objects using a syntax similar to the inherited class syntax. The behavior of any class can be changed by creating an alias for any method and then creating a new method (with the original method name) that calls the method with the alias. In the following example, a microwave class is declared and an instance is created. The second class declaration uses the alias method to change the behavior of the on method in order to add a warning message. The third class declaration is used to change the behavior of the specific microwave instance to add an even more stern warning. When aliasing a method multiple times, be sure to use different method names to store the old method. #!/usr/bin/env rubyclass Microwavedef on  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  puts Microwave is on  Ã‚  end endm Microwave.newm.onclass Microwave  Ã‚  alias :old_on1 :ondef on  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  puts Warning: Do not insert metal objects!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  old_on1  Ã‚  end endm.on# Message for this specific microwaveclass   Ã‚  def onputs This microwave is weak, add extra timeold_on2endendm.on # Displays extra messagem2 Microwave.newm2.on # Does not display extra message

Analysis and Arguement on Britney Spears Facebook Page Research Paper

Analysis and Arguement on Britney Spears Facebook Page - Research Paper Example Within this context, Britney Spears’ image as a globally marketed cultural icon and her facebook page represent the same thing, a carefully crafted product. To be specific, Britney Spears’ facebook page does not surpass her image as a popular culture icon. Instead, her facebook page is carefully crafted to communicate with her fans/audience. Thesis statement: The analysis and argument on the statement(s) made by Britney Spears about herself to her audience and her carefully constructed facebook page proves that both the statement(s) and facebook page reinforces her public image as a popular culture icon. Most of the public figures who communicate with the audience make use of the theory put forth by Aristotle in his work ‘On Rhetoric’. To be specific, the theory of rhetoric consists of the essential qualities that a public figure should have to gain social acceptance. For instance, ethos consists of the trustworthiness of an individual (say, the speaker), p athos consists of the ability of and individual to create emotional attachment with the listeners and logos consists of the ability of the speaker (say, logical arguments) to communicate with listeners. Within this context, Britney Spears’ statements about herself to the audience is interconnected with logos, she is ready to lose her individuality to satisfy her fans. To be specific, Britney Spears’ status as a cultural icon hinders her from behaving like a mature person because she needs to present herself as a myth. So, one can see that Britney Spears’ statements on trustworthiness or loyalty towards oneself is interconnected with ethos. Besides, Britney Spears’ statements and opinions on other female singers (Madonna and Janet Jackson) prove that she is able to create her own space within the context of popular music. Britney’s commitment to music, especially singing and stage presence helped her to create emotional attachment with her audience. This emotional attachment is an important element of rhetoric, i.e., pathos. One can easily identify that Britney Spears’ emotional attachment with her audience is one of the factors behind her success as a popular culture icon. From a different angle of view, Britney Spears’ public identity as a celebrity does not hinder her personal life. Christopher R. Smit stated that â€Å"In late 2001 Britney’s image/marketing changed bearing in mind that much of her audience had grown up in the meantime† (5). To be specific, her ability to communicate (say, with logical arguments) with the public helps her to divide her public and personal domains into two distinct areas. For instance, Britney Spears is an ordinary individual in her private life. Within this context, her logical arguments/opinions on defining herself, childhood dream to become a singer, harsh media reviews, sexuality, physical limitations, inspiration etc prove that the same is interconnected with logos. B. Argument: How does the construction of her page reveal the statements? Britney Spears’ facebook page reveals her statements because she made use of unique techniques to communicate with the subscribers. For instance, Britney Spears’ facebook page layout is simple and attractive to the subscribers. Within this context, family photos, especially with her family members and friends are important. Besides, her facebook page helps the subscribers to know more about her as an individual, not as a myth. One can see that Br

Arnold Lazarus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Arnold Lazarus - Essay Example Central to his work has been the phrase that started this report "Think Well-Act Well-Feel Well-Be-Well". This is his model and it is prominently displayed on his website. His contributions to the field have moved counselors into a better understanding of the "best practices" for certain disorders. Not only has he been a pioneer in the field but he has received hundreds of honors and opportunities in the past and in the world today. Lazarus was born in 1932 in Johannesburg South Africa. Not much is known about his life in South Africa but it is known that his early education started at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. While he was there he studied psychology and earn a B.A. degree. His interests lay in psychology and behavior. In 1956 he published his first paper in psychotherapy as his [perhaps] his Masters thesis entitled, "Behavior Therapy (Novel Guide, 2009). Lazarus came to America in 1963 to become a "visiting assistant professor" in psychology at Stanford University for one year. After that he went back to Witwatersrand University to lecture at their medical school for psychiatry. In 1966 he moved to America again to become the director of the Behavior Therapy Institute in Sausalito, California. He continued writing and in that year he published, Behavior Therapy Techniques with his colleague Joseph Wolpe (Novel Guide). By 1970, Lazarus became a visiting professor at Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a behavioral science professor. In each situation he continued to focus on human behavior and psychology. Lazarus is credited with being a pioneer in the field of psychotherapy. Prior to his work most psychotherapists used a "token economy" or other behavior technique that often took a lot of time and energy for the client to find relief. Lazarus saw that behavior therapy alone was not effective in treating some

Using an Experimental Technique Essay Example for Free

Using an Experimental Technique Essay Another chemical commonly used is ethanol in the aseptic technique and this too was varied in the amount of time the seeds were soaked before being placed in varying times and concentrations of the sodium hypochlorite. Ultimately, in order to use the barley seeds we need have a sterilization technique that can eliminate majority of fungal contamination while not harming the germination of the chosen seeds. I propose an experimental idea to eliminate fungal contamination from barley seed germination. Materials and Methods Aseptic Technique The working area was sprayed down completely with 95% Ethanol before the seeds were used. The forceps used to transfer the seeds from liquid to media were sterilized using the ethanol. Seed Sterilization Procedure Using aseptic techniques 20 barley seeds obtained from the paper bag kept in the fridge were transferred into sterile distilled water and let to sit in a drawer for 20 hours overnight before being transferred to 100% bleach with a drop of dish liquid (Inatomi and Slaughter, 1971). The seeds were soaked in the bleach for a total of 2 hours before being dipped in sterile distilled water and placed on Petri dishes with minimal media and placed in a growth chamber. The germination of the seeds was monitored for 7 days for any fungal contamination. Results After 3 days the seeds were germinating (13 out of 20) and there was no visible evidence of fungal growth. 5 Days: there were no contaminants. 7 Days: no contaminants. || 3 Days seed growth. No contaminants. |3 Days seed growth. No contaminants. | || 5 Days seed growth. No contaminants. |5 Days seed growth. No contaminants. | Discussion Fungal contaminations can be a problem when trying to germinate seeds and a successful experiment is needed to sterilize the barley seeds for further experimentation. I proposed a sterilization experiment for barley seeds and had success with 65% germination and 0% fungal growth. This sterilization technique could provide a good beginning point to begin other experimentation on germination success of barley seeds, without the hassle of fungal contamination to destroy possible results. The overnight soak in the water forced the fungal spores to begin germinating and thereby making it possible for the 2 hour bleach soak to become more effective in eliminating the fungus and other contaminants from the seed coat. The few seeds which did not germinate could have had too much bleach penetration and therefore killed these seeds, however the success was more beneficial than the failure, and so this novel sterilization technique was effective in its elimination of fungal contaminations while providing a good germination rate of the barley seeds. Literature Cited K. Inatomi and J. C. Slaughter. 1971. The Role of Glutamate Decarboxylase and Aminobutyric Acid in Germinating Barley. J. Exp. Bot. 22:561-571.

Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Midsummer Nights Dream

The Power of Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream Is love controlled by human beings who love one another or is love controlled by a higher power? There are many people who believe that a higher power has control over love. An example of a higher power would be a cupid, a flying angel-type creature who is supposed to shoot arrows at people to make them fall in love. There are other people who reject the idea that a higher power controls love and that the people who experience love can control it. In the novel, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", by William Shakespeare, several examples of love's association with a higher power are presented. With the use of examples from the above novel, this essay will discuss the evidence that love is associated with a higher power. Examples like: Thesius arranging a marriage between himself and Hippolyta, Egeus choosing who Hermia should marry and the fairies who have the ability to control love in the Enchanted Forest. In the story, the supreme ruler of Athens, Thesius ends up marrying Hippolyta, the Queen of the Jungle. However, during the whole story, Hippolyta never throughly discusses her feelings and ideas about the marriage. She acts as if she has no choice but to marry Thesius. This can be proven by examining Hippolyta's position in the relationship between herself and Thesius. Hippolyta was captured by Thesius during battle and Thesius intimidates Hippolyta into marrying him since he is a supreme ruler and she was defeated by him. Thesius reveals that he capture Hippolyta in battle in the following quote, "I wood thee by my sword/ And won thy love doing thee injuries" (Act I, Pg 7). The above quote and the fact that Hippolyta never discusses her feelings about the wedding leads the re... ...elings of love in people. This proves that a higher power can control the feelings of love in people. In conclusion, all of the above paragraphs dealt with examples proving that love can be associated to a higher power. A higher power in definition is any being or group of beings that have direct control over the actions of another being. Two of the examples showed how a higher power can control love and one of the examples showed how love can defy a higher power and prevail. In any case, it has been proven that a higher power does exist when dealing with love. Many people have wondered what love really is and how love develops between people. Even if love isn't associated with a higher power in life, it is a strange phenomenon and so far the association of love with a higher powers is a valid suggestion as it was proven in the story, "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Reviving and Regulating Religion in China Essay

In line with Mao Zedong’s Great Cultural Revolution, religion was banned and atheism was declared to be the official religion of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The socialist transformation of China required the elimination of the so-called Four Olds – Old Habits, Old Ideas, Old Culture, and Old Customs (Overmyer, 2000). At the height of this campaign, religious activities were banned and structures of worship such as churches, mosques, temples, and monasteries were destroyed and looted. After Mao’s death in 1976, China revised its position on religion in consonance with the â€Å"Reform and Opening† policy implemented by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, which led toward a period of vitality and cultural openness. The official position of the Chinese nation was embodied in Document 19, a directive which led to the reestablishment of religions and religious affairs in China. While Document 19 guaranteed freedom of religion as means of uniting its people, it still empowered the state to control and regulate worship to ensure its stability and survival. Renewed definition of religion Document 19 critically analyzed the impact of its restrictive religious policy and recognized that religion was a crucial historical phenomenon in â€Å"the development of human society† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 10). The directive produced a comprehensive analysis of the role of religion in China, outlining the errors of the CCP in dealing with the religious question, most notably the â€Å"leftist† excesses during the Great Cultural Revolution which made China subject to severe international criticism. China’s religious policy after liberation â€Å"forcibly forbade normal religious activities by the mass of religious believers,† â€Å"misinterpreted the customs of religions,† and â€Å"used violent measures against religions forcing religious movements underground† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 13). Eventually, according to the directive, the coercive policy toward the religious question went contrary to Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought and ended with the destruction not only places of worship but historical sites such as Daoist and Buddhist temples. Document 19 also aimed to rectify the theoretical errors that came with the previous religious policy. It concluded that eliminating freedom of worship violated one of the Party’s principle tasks: uniting the people. According to the directive, there were around 59,000 â€Å"religious professionals† in China; 27,000 Buddhist monks and nuns; 2,600 Daoist priests and nuns; 20,000 Muslim imams; 3,400 were Catholic priests; and 5,900 were from Protestant clergy† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 15). The Document stressed that the previous view of estranging believers was unrealistic because considering that the lives of the Chinese people after liberation and during the Socialist reconstruction only improved gradually, it was a mistake to fast-track the Cultural Revolution. Moreover, considering that class struggle still exists in China despite liberation, â€Å"the long-term influence of religion among a part of the people in a Socialist society cannot be avoided† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 15). Instead of forcing the people to abandon their religious beliefs, the State must recognize that religions, like the state, will wither away once the objective requirements for a Socialist and Communist state will have been met. Because the previous policy divided believers and non-believers, it also denied equality of basic political and economic rights of the masses, hence, forgetting â€Å"that the Party’s basic task is to unite all the people†¦ in order that all may strive to construct a modern, powerful Socialist state† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 12). It predicted that the more estranged the Party becomes from the mass of believers, the more this will incite hatred and fanaticism that will possibly crush the Socialist goals of the Chinese revolution. Moreover, Document 19 clarified the revised perspective of the State on freedom of religion by saying that religion should not be considered an obstruction to the Socialist enterprise. Instead, guaranteeing freedom of religion to citizens â€Å"is a means of strengthening the Party’s efforts to disseminate scientific education as well as to strengthen its propaganda against superstition† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 16). The Document recognized that Socialism’s goal of replacing ignorance and subjectivity with scientific thinking would be carried out if its citizens could be given the freedom of worship. By granting religious freedom, Document 19 stressed that the new religious policy of post-Maoist China was that religion was now â€Å"a private matter, one of individual free choice for citizens† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 16). Normalization of religious practice Document 19 recommended that leaders of â€Å"patriotic religious organizations† be reinstated, their seized property returned, and religious structures and establishments be reopened. Despite emphasizing the concepts of religion being a private right, Document 19 also stressed the need for regulation and normalization of religious practice to ensure the stability of the nation and the preservation of the gains of the revolution against religious specialists in direct collusion from imperialistic aggressors. With Lenin as its guide, Document 19 stressed the caution that must be attached when planning to open religious practice in China, â€Å"Be especially alert,† â€Å"Be very strict,† â€Å"Think things through thoroughly† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 12). Document 19 expressed its support for religions that are considered â€Å"patriotic and law-abiding† and demands the suppression of minority religions that are in direct contact with foreign imperialist counter-revolutionaries. Worship in official religious establishments such as temples and churches are preferred over worship taking place in residences. Although the latter was permitted, Document 19 says it was worrisome: â€Å"As for Protestants gathering in homes for worship services [sic], in principle this should not be allowed, yet this prohibition should not be too rigidly enforced† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 18). Document 19 also established a strategy that aims to promote religion that is patriotic and loyal to the cause of the Chinese nation. It identified the eight â€Å"patriotic religious organizations tasked with implementing the new religious policies of the CCP as: â€Å"Chinese Buddhist Association, Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Chinese Daoist Association, Chinese Islamic Association, Chinese Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Chinese Catholic Religious Affairs Committee, China Christian Council, The Chinese Buddhist and the Daoist Associations† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 18). The Document recognized that if Socialism must coexist with religion, there is a need to reorient religion so that it is compatible with the goals of the Socialist enterprise. The group of eight religious organizations were tasked establish seminaries that will provide training to create a â€Å"new generation of clergy,† a generation who will politically, â€Å"fervently love their homeland and support the Party’s leadership and the Socialist system and who possessed sufficient religious knowledge† (MacInnis, 1989, p. 20). Document 19 granted freedom of worship to citizens but excluded Party members from the practice of religion. Because Communism was considered incompatible of theism, Party members who chose to exercise their freedom of worship would be banned from the Party. The directive also marked out religious practices that were considered illegal such as witchcraft, wizardry, secret societies, magicians, fortune-tellers, and membership in any of these organizations is punishable by law (MacInnis, 1989). Conclusion Document 19 provided for a new atmosphere in China by introducing reformist policies that initiated a revival, albeit regulated, of religious practice. Temples and churches were returned as well as imprisoned religious leaders were released. Freedom of worship became a private right but under normalization guidelines from the State. Religious organizations considered counter-revolutionary were still banned in order to secure the stability of the nation and its Socialist enterprise. Reference MacInnis, D. E. (1989). Religion in China Today. New York: Orbis Books. Overmyer, D. L. (2003). Religion in China today. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge Univ Press.

Key Success Factors in Online Ventures

The chaotic development of the Internet has left many attempts to route commerce through it stranded. Icons of the brick-and mortar age have often been the most hapless victims, floundering in vain attempts to attract the attention of browsers, and to deliver value. This makes the eminent online success of Office Depot especially worthy of study.The business-to-business model has been especially difficult for middle-aged industrial and corporate buyers to comprehend. Those who have never learnt to write in code feel threatened by the very mention of a web site, and take refuge in the exaggerated risks of buying online (Tillinghast, 2002). The first key success factor of Office Depot lies in the simplicity of design of its web site, requiring no familiarity with computers or programming to place orders, pay for them, and to receive supplies.Office Depot, by virtue of the variety of products and services on offer, tempts customers to become frequent web site visitors (Office Depot, 200 6). Office supplies for coffee are positioned in the upper left quadrant where it is likely to catch first attention. The lay out is inviting, and is bound to generate curiosity and interest even in the minds of skeptical browsers. Overall, Office Depot scores through a web site, which is akin to the shop windows of the most popular retail outlet in the physical world.A third success factor is that Office Depot makes it easy to return goods purchased on incorrect impulses, even arranging to pick them up at the door (Johnson, not dated). This must alleviate natural fears about making buying decisions without seeing and feeling products, and meets most objections of electronic commerce head-on.Office Depot respects customer choice, emphasizing the availability of trusted brands (Office Depot, 2006). Generic products, new brands, and the most established ones such as Hewlett-Packard are offered with even prominence. This is in contrast to the online business forays of some others, whic h are blatant efforts to promote particular brands at the cost of customer degrees of freedom.Broadly, Office Depot has succeeded in online business, because it has put customer needs ahead of technological innovation in electronic communication, ensuring that the Internet serves business needs rather than dictate terms to it.Lessons from the Office Depot Online SuccessConventional marketing promoted the targeting of relatively narrow segments. This made sense as long as a business offered its products and services within the confines of a segregated area. An over-riding feature of the Internet is that the whole world becomes a single market place. Conventional marketing which is highly focused on a spatially limited segment pays the costs of existence on the World Wide Web, but without the attendant market potential and size benefits. We can learn from the success of Office Depot that online marketing has to address clusters (Payne, 2002) rather than narrow segments. Office Depot d efines its customers as enterprises of all sizes, from the small to large corporations, and has combined its Internet foray with international operations. It is therefore able to use the full power of the medium.The Internet makes the Process element of the Marketing Mix (Payne, 2002) a key determinant of success. Office Depot has a prominent promise on the web site of deliveries, without extra charge, within one business day. The enormous planning and investment efforts made to make this promise come true over incredibly large numbers of transactions everyday, has to be appreciated if anyone wishes to repeat the Office Depot success story. Perhaps the facility of the medium makes other enterprises offer commitments which they are not geared to meet, leaving customers disillusioned. There is a large and complex operation of logistics behind the Office Depot success, to keep adequate inventories of such a large number of items within a day’s reach of all customers.The sophisti cation of online business tempts many enterprises to segregate Internet operations from conventional business. A lesson from Office Depot is that the medium should be integrated in to the mainstream in manners which lend synergy (Johnson, not dated). Office Depot treats customers on its web site just as it would if some one walked in to one of their conventional stores.Finally, Office Depot enhances its physical and generic products with useful services (Johnson, not dated). The articles and discussions on small business and commercial resources must be particularly valuable for customers.Competitive Advantage in MarketspaceScale matters in marketspace (Johnson, not dated). Office Depot is successful because of the breadth of its product and service offers, because of the vast territory it serves, and the sheer weight of over a billion dollars of revenue, which is growing rapidly as well. These dimensions act as barriers to new entrants, and strengthen the company’s competiti ve strength from day to day.Marketspace is first about customer needs, and not about the elegance and creativity of software engineers. Other enterprises have web sites with flash, multi-media, and other features which delight programmers, but which take time to load, and can even scare away customers. Web sites should have clear objectives (Tillinghast, 2002), and serve the business, rather than drive it. It is important for enterprises to avoid being overwhelmed by the aura of the Internet, and to keep it tightly within the reins of customer needs.Limits to Online Business Success and the Office Deport ExperienceThere are 5 important limitations to online business in general, and to the foregoing account of the success of Office Depot in this regard: firstly, credit card and related payment frauds plague most electronic commerce ventures. The case does not mention the actual experience of Office Depot in this regard, and even if the company has not suffered any significant losses in this regard, it remains vulnerable for the future.Secondly, products such as copiers and facsimile machines may require considerable product demonstration and after-sales-service, which the online business model is not geared to provide. The decision-making for pins and staples is certainly not the same as for equipment such as filing cabinets: Office Depot runs the risk of building revenues faster in low value-addition lines, as opposed to modern office products of the future.Thirdly, Office Depot has tasted success during the halcyon years of a global economic boom. The serious fixed cost growth which it has encountered in terms of warehousing and logistics could become a serious drag on profitability during a future economic downturn.Fourthly, the practice of offering products in kiosks which are not available or offered online, may rebound on the company. Customers may move away from the company’s web site once they realize that more choice is available in real stores. Finally, the Office Depot experience lacks universal relevance. Many competitors, and companies in other lines of business may realize better returns from conventional business channels, and failures if they copy the high fixed cost and infrastructure-intensive online business model of Office Depot.ReferencesJohnson, W. C. (not dated) Case 13: Office Depot Goes Online-E-Service Quality, publication details not availablePayne, A. (2002) Services Marketing, Prentice-HallTillinghast, T. (2002) Tactical Guide to Internet Marketing, Xlibris CorporationOffice Depot, (2006) Company website, retrieved January 16th 2007 from: http://www.officedepot.com/

Cinderellas Male Gaze Essays

Cinderellas Male Gaze Essays Cinderellas Male Gaze Paper Cinderellas Male Gaze Paper Almost everyone in the world grows up reading, listening to, or watching fairy tales as a child. These fairy tales started out as entertaining stories, but as they were handed down from one generation to the next, they slowly became more than that. They have grown to be of great importance because they teach children how to act and present oneself in the world. One such fairy tale is Cinderella. On the surface, it seems to be a simple story about a young woman whose wishes come true. However, the story lso reflects the cultural expectations of womens behaviors and goals. Fairy tales are full of negative stereotypes of girls. It is common in fairy tales that the men are strong, smart, and in power. Women are portrayed as pretty, passive, and powerless. The women depend solely on a man to save them. After Cinderellas father passes away, she is stuck living with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella suffers from all kinds of abuse from them without ever making a complaint. She is forced to slave away from sun-up to sun-down. All of her nice clothes are taken away from her and all she is given to wear are plain dresses and plain shoes. Along with this, Cinderellas stepsisters make fun of her and call her names. She is too weak to stand up for herself and say no, and her family knows this. They are not poor, by any means. They have enough money to hire someone to do all the chores, but they make Cinderella do the work for their own pure enjoyment because they all know she will.

Story vs. Plot Definitive Differences Between Them - Freewrite Store

Story vs. Plot Definitive Differences Between Them - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by Jackie Dever, associate editor at  Aionios Books, a small traditional-model publisher based in Southern California.    One afternoon a few years back, as I was rowing merrily down my stream of consciousness, a big ol’ rock appeared through the mist, rearing up so fast there wasn’t time to navigate around. My paper boat crashed and crumpled, leaving the SS Plotin a disintegrating, broken mess on the Great Story River. In this personal test of story vs plot, the latter came out a wreck. Even as the events leading to the story’s conclusion continued to flow past that damned rock, my unstable craft just couldn’t get around the monolith. Reckoning with the nature of imagination can be intimidating. But half the battle is understanding the elements. Aren’t story and plot synonymous, though? Can’t we count on those items for automatic symbiosis, happily married in a thrilling rush of prose? Well†¦nope. What’s the Difference Between Story and Plot? A story is the requisite timeline of events present in any narrative. No story? No novel. Because any novel, however abstract must report events of some kind. A plot expresses rationale and informs the reader why a specific list of events belongs together, what the timeline is ultimately meant to communicate. The classic example by E. M. Forster in his collected lectures, Aspects of the Novel, still says it best: â€Å"‘The king died and then the queen died’ is a story. ‘The king died, and then the queen died of grief’ is a plot.† When reading a story, Forster explains, we wonder â€Å"and then?† When evaluating a plot, we ask â€Å"why?† (PaweÅ‚ Furman) These questions sometimes fire up in the same breath, so understanding their separate sources is tricky. But as naturally as the components may appear to support each other, it’s really an author’s skill that makes them seem that way. Which means that whenever I or you or Stephen King sit down to write, we’ve got to manage both. We’ve got to keep readers engrossed in a pattern of wonderful wondering about what next? and why? for as long as we want their attention. How Plot Supports Story Nobody wants to keep asking infinitely â€Å"and then? And then? Annnnd thennn?† We’re nosy creatures; we need to know why. Unfortunately, when plot is missing from or accidentally discordant to story, the real question on a reader’s mind is â€Å"huh?† Plot delivers the nifty tricks that reassure us there’s a point to storytelling. Plot sets up the cause and effect that gives readers a sense of rightness in the story’s conclusion. The same story can be plotted in multiple ways: The king died, and then the queen died avenging him in battle. The king died, and then the queen died from the communicable disease he had spread to her when he spoke his final words close to her face. The king died, and then the queen, eager to free the lover whom the king had jealously locked in the dungeon, slipped on an icy cobblestone and died.    How Where You Begin Helps Determine Where You’ll End Up On each new fiction project, I draw broad inspiration from either a story-focused or a plot-focused angle. Both starting points have their benefits and their challenges. Starting with Story When a story inspires me, I formulate a series of events that leads to a fixed conclusion. I may not know precisely my characters’ motivations or the logic in their decisions, but I can envision the stops they’ll make along their trip. In other words, I’ll know that the queen’s death follows the king’s. The relationship between the events? To be determined. It can be a big relief to sort story out first. When I have the comfort of parameters, I can train myself to a tangible goal. And I enjoy the intellectual exercise of connecting events in a believable sequence. Still, there’s always a catch.   Even with an endpoint clear to me, I need strong supporting evidence (i.e., an effective plot) to justify my events. A few years ago, I decided to write a story about a man who sells a cottage on the beach for the sum of one penny. I savored each of the scenes I created, but in the end, I had only a weakly conceived fairy tale. The imaginative verve delighted me, but no matter how I maneuvered, I was unable to match the plot to the currents of the story. Wipeout. Starting with Plot When a plot stirs my creative juices, I know characters’ feelings and intentions. I take on my writing like a righteous but undirected college kid- searching, motivated, assured of core values and reasons, but clueless as to where the hell I’m going to end up. I’m less concerned, in fact, with where I end up than with why I end up there, so the itinerary is subject to change. Not all who wander are lost. I enjoy making narrative progress along such an organic route. Plotting my way into a story lets me be guided by emotional responses, not by a sightseer’s list of stops. I careen over waterfalls on the strength of my anger, hilarity, or wild joy. And when that passionate feeling is synchronized with the story, I praise my muses and trust the currents. But when I let emotional connections alone be my guide, I begin to wish I’d made some reservations or at least studied the map before heading out. It always sounds noble to speed off for adventure, rely on instincts to take me where I need to be. The reality hits only once I’m shivering in the rain and have no idea where I can pull ashore for the evening. Although too much predictability is stifling, it’s frustrating to lose my mental compass entirely. There’s No Wrong Way to Start It’s hard to classify any real-life creative burst quite as strictly as I’ve done above. Flashes of  both elements are usually blended in that aha! moment. But understanding the elements of each- and how they affect the writing process- is always what prepares me for the excursion ahead. Will I need to focus extensively on my characters’ whys and wherefores to guide my plot? Or will I do better to ensure that their motivations can be satisfied by the events I allow them to experience? We all write differently. As we commit to our writing practice, patterns emerge in our process and style. I happen to be a story-focused writer. Moving the plot from one moment to the next, validating my story with a logical core, is my primary struggle. (Toa Heftiba) Whatever our personal tendencies, though, recognizing  the connected-yet-distinctive elements reminds us all that we can, if necessary, experiment. You may attempt to match several stories with an intriguing plot before everything falls in place. Or you may decide to remain patient with a great story whose plot lacks the sturdiness to carry you through, search the banks of the river for a new entry point, a more fitting course. It’s okay to take apart and rearrange, to radically transplant ideas. That constant reconfiguration is the source of diverse and sparkling literature, even as the same themes repeat themselves through the ages. The love and the death, the surprise, the resignation, the magic. None of these will ever grow trite when there’s such a big world to experience and so many ways to communicate the timeless ideas. I’ll approach the many crisscrossed rivers of my fiction from a thousand angles, strapping on mechanical wings for an aerial perspective or poking down a parallel back road in a coughing Model T. Wherever (and however) we roam, may we all learn to appreciate the view.    We'd love to hear your  thoughts of the differences in the comments!      Jackie Dever is an editor and writer in Southern California. She has edited blogs, corporate materials, academic texts, novels, and biographies. She is an associate editor at  Aionios Books, a small traditional-model publisher based in Southern California. She recently finished proofreading the 2017 San Diego Book Award–winning memoir  A Few Minor Adjustments  (September 2017) by Cherie Kephart. She blogs about writing and publishing, millennial lifestyle trends, and outdoor sports.

The Rise of the Papacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Rise of the Papacy - Research Paper Example Conquerors took over Roman Empire territories, which weakened the stronghold of Julius Caesar and Augustus for example, Odoacer took over Italy, German invaders ruled western provinces. Roman Empire fell after splitting into two parts; Western and Eastern empires ruled by separate Emperors1. This gave room for moral decadence, financial troubles, corruption, and weakening of military power. These factors provided a loop way for barbaric hordes to attack and seize the empire. Papacy power rose after the fall of Roman Empire led by the Bishop of Rome. Uprising of church supremacy was started way back in 6th century; Bishops of Rome were among the most acknowledged and idolized popes of the world. Catholic Church created their own institutions of power known as Papacy, which administered that citizens are being given their due rights by the government. Christendom provided a tranquil environment for Papacy to manifest over a long period of time. Roman Catholic Church is strongly identif ied with St. Paul and Peter who were disciples and messengers of God. This pressurized Roman emperor Constantine to legalize Christianity as the national religion. Popes were at first regarded as advisors in matters pertaining to the empire, later on, Bishops gained superiority and became judges on Ecclesiastical disputes within the empire which prompted its attainment of new powers. Creation of churches across the Empire was done by Western missionaries who led to the spread of communion churches throughout the Empire. During Diocletian’s reign, Christianity was not allowed to be practiced in Roman Empire and they were being persecuted .This practice continued for decades until Emperor Constantine tolerated Christianity and gave them freedom of operation in the country.1 Pope accessed large area to establish his rule.Conversely,the church spread out to non-western Empire individuals who got a direct channel to oversee the operations of the Emperor. Furthermore, Pope was best owed the universal powers over the church and no one had a right to limit him from exercising these powers. Apart from caring for souls, Bishops were involved in decision making, advice, and policy analysis within the empire. Papacy supremacy dates back to the holy bible where God gave Peter blessings to rule the earth. During the first three centuries of the reign of Christianity, church was involved in series of activities for instance; they acted as rulers within the Christendom, and resolved conflicts. Powers of Bishops increased to extent they ran the church parallel to the political systems. They could make their own policies and constitution without help from the politicians .Christians in the whole world complained about the powers and privileges Popes in Rome were commanding in the offices. This papal rule was not attained with ease; it was through numerous struggles between the holy and The Empire At Large. Every pope who was appointed must tussle to ensure that their posi tion in the Empire was never tainted by the political leaders for example, Saint Gelasius I who headed the church from 492 until 496 struggled with Anastasius emperor to liberate the church from oppression. To maintain its supremacy, Papacy extended its rule to the West in 6th to 8th Century in order to escape