Select one article from our text book, or one document from the Assignment

Select one article from our text book, or one document from the Internet, and evaluate what you feel are it's strengths and weaknesses - Assignment Example Most organizations face this issue. As there is a change of reality, they do not address moves in their competitive environment and thus find it hard to sustain their competitive advantage. According to the article, the main issues of theory of businesses revolve around connecting the three key parts together. These parts are reality, organizational competency and business focus. The following points are to be kept in mind to keep the theory of business relevant presently and in future. One is that reality is defined by the market place and moves to where it wants. For an organization to be successful, it has to study the changes taking place in the market and know that the key to success is their capacity to determine what the customer is willing to pay for at the moment and in the future. Another factor is that an organization attains focus when it aligns itself with reality. Thus, if it wishes to be successful, it concentrates on the moves in the market place and adjusts its business programs to cater for those needs. After an organization is aware of the changes needed, it has to identify and develop skills and competencies needed to prosper in the long term. The author recommends that organizations ought to review their theory of business continually as there is no business that is static. There are also times that organizations ought to be cautions like in the startup stage, times of fast transformation, unforeseen failures or success and when the organization is about to attain its present goals and objectives. The objective of the article is to address business theory. It is to address where organizations go wrong so that they do not achieve success and the solutions that they ought to embrace and apply. The author of the article accomplishes this objective by addressing where the problem comes in. At the end of the article, solutions are offered. The author states that,

The Development of Ballads Essay Example for Free

The Development of Ballads Essay Ballads have been in evidence since the seventh century and have been popular ever since. They travelled around the globe as people emigrated, picking up stories of historical significance on the way. Their main purpose is to entertain, being sung or recited, often accompanied by music. Their distinctive poetic form told appealing tales of heroism, hardship and adventure often in dramatic terms. They were also a means of spreading news, to a largely illiterate population in an easily understood narrative way. Ballads follow a distinctive recipe, elements of which can be seen in all ballads. They use quatrains, which are four line stanzas. An example of this can be seen in the ballad, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followd free We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea In this verse you can see a regular A B C B rhyming scheme, which means that lines two and four rhyme with a bouncy rhythm. Ballads told simple stories to entertain audiences such as in The Twa Corbies where two ravens having a conversation. The ballads would build up to a climax where the main event of the story would happen. In the ballad Sir Patrick Spens we read lines like: Drinking the blood red wine And When the sky grew dark, the wind blew loud, And angry grew the sea This automatically suggests to the reader that there is a going to be a murder as it is setting the scene for one. It was vital that the balladeer maintained the interest of his audience by using dramatic yet simple imagery. He had to paint the scene in words to engage the imagination of the audience. The symbolic use of colour is used to create atmosphere. Red often symbolises blood or royalty, for example, the ballad Sir Patrick Spens reads: Drinking the blood red wine which creates tension and a thick atmosphere. White symbolises good so black obviously symbolises evil. In Johnie Armstrong it reads Goodly steeds were all milky white this tells us that all Johnie Armstrongs men rode white horses which helps to portray him and his men as the good guys. The audience would have recognised the inference of what the colours meant. Ballads told tales with simple themes, for example Johnie Armstrong tells a Robin Hood style story of an honest outlaw who is betrayed by a treacherous Scottish king. Other themes explored in ballads capture lives of adventure and hardship. Keeping things simple was important, as most of the listeners would have been peasants living in small communities often impoverished and with little way of escaping hard lives. Hearing tales of larger than life characters at least temporally diverted them from their own circumstances. Sometimes audience participation was encouraged for example in the Twa Corbies where the narrative breaks from third person to first person: The tane unto the tither did say, Whar sall we gang and dine the day? I imagine the scenario either where two or three balladeers working together took roles within a spoken or sung ballad or where one balladeer hopped between storyteller and actor. In either the audience may have been invited to supply lines making the ballads more of a lively improvised story. This would have been great fun moving the action from performer to the audience and back again. The characters depicted were bold but shallow leaving the audience with a two dimensional representation which told of what the characters did but not of how they felt. There was little attempt to flesh out any subtleties of characterisation. Action and events moved the story line not any depth in the characters. In the beginning of the border ballad Johnie Armstrong he is described as being a bold outlaw. We are told that he came from Westmerland, on the Scottish border. He came from poverty, had neither land or rent coming in and alot about what he possessed in terms of men, horses and weapon, but not much about him as a man. The ballad of Johnie Armstrong is a good example of a border ballad. A border ballad focused on the conflict between the Scottish and the English. The ballad is clearly written from an English viewpoint, describing Johnie as proud, brave and heroic. The words faire Westmerland are the first indication that this is written from an English perspective. The band own white horses (white symbolising good) and are described as being a goodly sight for to see. On the other hand, the Scottish king is portrayed as being deceitful and double crossing tricking Johnie and his men to their deaths. Another type of ballad is the broadside ballad. These were an early form of newspaper recording local events and news told in narrative form. What distinguished them was the fact that for the first time they were fixed in print and sold at fairs for a penny, becoming the earliest written ballads. Two examples of these are Mary Cummings and Charlotte Dymand, these poem were not really in the right period but in the right style. The ballad of Mary Cummings is the story of a crime of passion. It a sensational tale of love, abandonment, revenge and violent murder eventually finishing with the hanging of an unrepented jilted bride. It depicts a tragic heroine with the themes of love and death dramatically portrayed. The language is graphic: The mother slithered to the ground, The fathers eyes went white We are given the picture of the hopeful girl in her bridal gown on a spring morning that becomes the murderess cursing the groom and his parents. The line the pain in Marys Mind gives a clue that she is becoming deranged. The images are all of things fading: The sun that glittered down, the sun slid out of sight. The audience would have been able to grasp the cruel irony that the bridal gown is to become the shroud of death. Instead of a husband she is to meet the dark lover i. e. devil; she has renounced her religion. The whole ballad evokes a sense of the eagerness for marriage being replaced by an eagerness for death. As people travelled from place to place they took the basic ballad recipe with them as well as the ballads. Ballads can be found all over the word: Sir Patrick Spens is a traditional Scottish ballad; Young Hunting is an eighteenth centaury ballad, perhaps with earlier Danish parallels and Ballad of Sixty-Five is a traditional Jamaican ballad. This proves that ballads have travelled all over the globe, appealing to worldwide audiences for many centauries. The Ballad of Sixty-Five tells a story of historical significance to many Jamaicans; a group of slaves in Jamaica march to their governors house demanding there right and are eventually hanged to make a public spectacle. It had the opposite reaction making other slaves believe that they could stand up for themselves: Paul Boyle died but his spirit talked, Anywhere in Jamaica that freedom walks. The poem has examples of patois, which is native Jamaican dialect. You can wuk like a mule but de crop still bad It also has an A A B B rhyming scheme to it and a Calypso rhythum, which shows how the basic ballad recipe can be varied as it travelled. Ballads are an ancient form of communication; they have been around for centauries keeping almost the same recipe throughout. They told tales of historical importance as well as stories just to entertain. They have been popular ever since they begun and although they are not still in there original form we can see element derived from ballads in modern day song.

Charles Dickens :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Charles Dickens Did you know that Charles Dickens thought that Americans were distasteful? There is a reason for this and you will find out if you read my essay. This will be a discussion on the famous author Charles Dickens and his life. The great author Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, he was the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. Charles Dickens father, John Dickens, was a clerk in a Navy pay office. John was very bad with finances so he was put in jail because of his debt. Charles' whole family joined his father in jail and Charles was stuck working for Warrens Blacking Factory. After his father was let out of prison he rescued his son from his horrible labor fate. From 1824 to 1827 he became a student at a school in London. Little did his family know that his stay at the Blacking Factory would haunt him for the rest of his life. The only 2 people he told about this horrible event in his life would be his wife, and his best friend John Foster which he will meet later in life. He uses this period in his life in one of his books it is called Great Expectations and also uses this in the book DavidCopperfield. In 1829 he was a reporter for the Doctor's Commoner's Courts. In 1832 he ,was a reporter on the Parliamentary debates in the House of Commons, and he became a reporter for a newspaper. In 1834 he adopted his famous pseudonym " Boz." Soon his father was put in jail for another count of debt and he came to his aid time. During his lifetime Charles' family would always be on his back for money. 		In 1836 the first series of the "Sketches of Boz" was released , also during this year he was hired to be a short writer to go along with his humorous sport illustrations by Robert Seymour. Robert committed suicide after the second set was completed so Charles changed the conception of the "PickWick Paper's" which afterwards would become a novel. The PickWick Papers was a huge success through November 1837. In 1836 he became editor of Bentley's Miscellany then he published a second series of the famous "Sketches of Boz", and met John Forster who later would become his greatest friend. 	After the huge success with the PickWick Papers he became a full time novelist,		

Quantitative Analysis Assignment Essay

Problem 1-14 Gina Fox has started her own company, Foxy Shirts, which manufactures imprinted shirts for special occasions. Since she has just begun this operation, she rents the equipment from a local printing shop when necessary. The cost of using the equipment is $350. The materials used in one shirt cost $8, and Gina can sell these for $15 each. †¨(a) If Gina sells 20 shirts, what will her total revenue be? What will her total variable cost be? (F) Fixed Cost= $350.00 (V) Variable Cost= $8.00 (S) Selling Price= $15.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= 20 Revenues = (S)(X) = (15)(20) = $300.00 Total Variable Cost = (V)(X) = (8)(20) = $160.00 If Gina sells 20 shirts her total revenue will be $300.00 and her total variable cost will be $160.00. (b) How many shirts must Gina sell to break even? †¨What is the total revenue for this? (F) Fixed Cost= $350.00 (V) Variable Cost= $8.00 (S) Selling Price= $15.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 50 Total Revenue = (S)(X) = (15)(20) = $750.00 Gina must sell 50 shirts to break even and she would have total revenue of $750.00. Problem 1-17 Katherine D’ Ann is planning to finance her college education by selling programs at the football games for State University. There is a fixed cost of $400 for printing these programs, and the variable cost is $3. There is also a $1,000 fee that is paid to the university for the right to sell these programs. If Katherine was able to sell programs for $5 each, how many would she have to sell in order to break even? (F) Fixed Cost= $1,400.00 (V) Variable Cost= $3.00 (S) Selling Price= $5.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> X= X= X= 700 In order to break even selling each program for $5, Katherine would have to sell 700 programs. Problem 1-20 Mysti Farris (see Problem 1-19) is considering raising the selling price of  each cue to $50 instead of $40. If this is done while the costs remain the same, what would the new break-even point be? What would the total revenue be at this break-even point? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 96 Total Revenue = (S)(X) = (50)(96) = $4,800.00 By raising the selling price of the cue from $40 to $50 the break-even point would be 96 and the total revenue at this break-even point would be $4,800.00. Problem 1-22 Golden Age Retirement Planners specializes in pro- viding financial advice for people planning for a comfortable retirement. The company offers seminars on the important topic of retirement planning. For a typical seminar, the room rental at a hotel is $1,000, and the cost of advertising and other incidentals is about $10,000 per seminar. The cost of the materials and special gifts for each attendee is $60 per person attending the seminar. The company charges $250 per person to attend the seminar as this seems to be competitive with other companies in the same business. How many people must attend each seminar for Golden Age to break even? (F) Fixed Cost= $11,00.00 (V) Variable Cost= $60.00 (S) Selling Price= $250.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 57.89 To reach break-even the Golden Age seminar must have an attendance of 58 people. Problem 1-23 A couple of entrepreneurial business students at State University decided to put their education into practice by developing a tutoring company for business students. While private tutoring was offered, it was determined that group tutoring before tests in the large statistics classes would be most beneficial. The students rented a room close to campus for $300 for 3 hours. They developed handouts based on past tests, and these handouts (including color graphs) cost $5 each. The tutor was paid $25 per hour, for a total of $75 for each tutoring session. (a) If students are charged $20 to attend the session, how many students must enroll for the company to break even? (F) Fixed Cost= $375.00 (V) Variable Cost= $5.00 (S) Selling Price= $20 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 25 If students are charged $20 for attending the session, 25 students must enroll for the company to break-even. (b) A somewhat smaller room is available for $200 for 3 hours. The company is considering this possibility.  How would this affect the break-even point? (F) Fixed Cost= $275.00 (V) Variable Cost= $5.00 (S) Selling Price= $20.00 (X) Number of Units Sold= ? BEP=> 0=sX-f-vX X= X= X= 18.33 If a smaller room that charges 200 for 3 hours and students are charged $20 for attending the session, 18 students must enroll for the company to break-even.

Environmental Scan Paper Essay

A business environment is made up of both internal and external factors. The environment of a business must be scanned to be able to determine what factors the company can use to determine the development and forecasts that will help in the success of the business. The definition of Environmental Scanning, as per managementstudyguide.com, is the â€Å"possession and utilization of information about occasions, patterns, trends, and relationships within an organization’s internal and external environment†. Scanning is used to identify the threats and opportunities that exist in the business environment. Some of the internal environment factors that a company must observe include; employee interaction with each other, with management, manager interaction with other managers, and manager interaction with shareholders, brand awareness, organizational structure and the main staff (managementstudyguide.com, 2012). The company may use other resources to gain this information as in group discussions, surveys and interviews. This information than may be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company. External environment plays an important role as a company starts to become more competitive and changes start to occur. As these changes start to occur, it becomes essential for the company to identify what their competitors are doing. These changes may also affect the internal environment, so it is important that the company update its core competencies as per the external environment. Because external environments are always changing, the company should be ready at all times to be able to accept and adjust to the environmental changes. External monitoring could include the original forecasts of raw materials, which may affect the credibility of the original source. This will force the company to be more focused on scanning, forecasting and analysis to create a more trustworthy prediction and the input costs (managementstudyguide.com, 2012). The external environment scan should include three areas; immediate/industry environment, national environment, and the broader socio-economic environment/macro-environment. Companies The two companies that will be used in this paper will be Apple and Target. Both of these companies have survived a tough economy over the years by having to adjust to many external and internal environmental factors. Apple, as most of us know, is a successful producer of computer hardware and software. Target, is one of the largest retail companies, right behind Wal-Mart, in the U.S. The environmental scan is used to evaluate the threats, opportunities, strengths and weakness of both Apple and Target. This will help identify external and internal areas that may need help and the areas that have been successful. Strengths There are many strengths that have made Apple a success. Apple is known to offer superior products such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod and many others. They control both the manufacturing of its products as well as its operating system (http://www.slideshare.net/edbiy/swot-analysis-for-apple, 2012). Apple also produces its own internal components for the core of their products. They also set a high standard for the quality of their products to make sure that the customer is extremely satisfied. Apple is always evolving and creating new and updated products. Apple has a very loyal customer base that will buy the new and updated product regardless of what it costs. The company stock is also the highest in their personal history. Target is a monster of a company as well. As of 2011, the diversification of its store chain was at 1,750 stores. The stores are big; anywhere between 95,000 to 135,000 square feet is size. As of 2011, Target has a presence in all states except Vermont. Due to the competition with Wal-Mart to keep their product prices low, Target has seen increases in revenue year after year, with their 2011 revenue equaling $67 billion. Target has adapted to their specific demographic locations and offer three different types of stores; Target Green Lands, Super Target, and their urban stores. And most important, Target offers a wide variety of goods; clothing, electronics, beauty, and home furnishings to just name a few. Weaknesses As being the leader in the electronic industry, Apple is faced with having to ensure their product is consistent and quality is number one. Not all of Apple’s products are without flaws. With their competitors making similar devices, Apple must continue to invest in research and development, to make sure any flaws don’t hamper future success. With Apple being a financial stable company, any lack of debt could be seen as a weakness for their infrastructure as it may pose a risk for stock acquisition by other companies (http://www.slideshare.net/edbiy/swot-analysis-for-apple, 2012). As for Target, their lack of an internal presence is a weakness. Though their products are considered low cost, the quality of their product is better than Wal-Mart, which makes Target’s products a higher price than their competitor. Employee wages have also been considered low, forcing some employees to look for work elsewhere. Threats With Apple products saturating the market, Microsoft has still be able to hold a consistent share of the market as well. Within the industry, there are many competitors that appeal to the economic conscience. Companies such as HP and Dell are offering low-budget computers that are appealing to customers that cannot afford the Apple product. Apple must be able to produce their products and set a financial standard so they do not lose out on a certain market of people. Target has their threats as well. Kmart and Wal-Mart both offer similar products but at a lower cost. With today’s economy, customers may sacrifice the quality of a product to get a lower price. Target may have to restructure their product base to keep from losing out to the competition. Opportunity With Apple being a technological leader, they are known for their originality and innovative thinking. iLife is a new product that allows users to link up multiple programs through one central application. Apple has found a way to simplify a person’s â€Å"life†, by consolidating what that person needs into one little package. That is innovation at its finest. Apple will continue to develop new opportunities through innovation and breaking new ground in different markets. Target introduced that the company will expand into Canada, this being the first step into the international market. The company will focus on reducing operational cost and increasing their revenue ratio. Target will continue to push the private labled products to customers, to focus on low cost products. These companies are creating value by offering a product that is made up of tangible and intangible attributes that the customer values. These companies are able to obtain money for the costs which then generates benefits that it values. Apple and Target create products that offer many solutions for their customer. This creates a competitive advantage for these companies. Creative advantage is the â€Å"advantage that a company has over its competitors, allowing it to generate greater sales or margins and/or retains more customers than its competition† (Investopedia.com, 2012). Both companies have shown that they offer a product that has been superior to their competition, which in turn has generated greater sales for these companies. The mission statement of a company is a way to evaluate how a company may measure their effectiveness. Apple states, â€Å"Apple computer is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of our employees, customers and the global communities where we operate. We recognize that by integrating sound environmental, health and safety management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations. Apple strives for continuous improvement in our environmental, health and safety management systems and in the environmental quality of our products, processes and services†. Target states, â€Å"Our mission is to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less. ® brand promise†. Both Apple and Target have shown continued success, both following their mission to create a better experience for their customers. References Answers, W. (2012). Answers. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from WikiAnswers.com: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_mission_statement_of_apple_inc Investopedia. (2012). Competitive Advantage. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/competitive_advantage.asp#axzz28k4ujJ6x Managementstudyguide.com. (2008-2012). Environmental Scanning-Internal & External Analysis of Environment. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from Managementstudyguide.com: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/environmental-scanning.htm Mixx, M. (2012). Targer SWOT Analysis. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from MarketMixx.com: http://marketingmixx.com/marketing-basics/swot-analysis-marketing-basics/177-target-corporation-swot-analysis.html Target Brands, I. (2012). Mission & Values. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from Target.com: http://corporate.target.com/about/mission-values Unknown. (2012). Slideshare.net. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from SWOT Analysis for Apple: http://www.slideshare.net/edbiy/swot-analysis-for-apple

The Crucible Essays (923 words) - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

The Crucible Essays (923 words) - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible The Crucible The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. The entire community is in pandemonium yet certain characters are also fighting internal conflicts of their own. Miller uses three characters who manifest this internal battle ever so clearly. Such as Mary Warren who whole personality turns upside down, John Proctor who contemplates between the importance of his family and his own name and Reverend Hale who battles with himself wether to carry out his job requirements or do what he knows is right. Mary Warren is a girl who is forced with this inner turmoil throughout this play. At the outset of the play she is perceived to be a very shy girl who will never speak her mind as shown when Proctor sends her home and she responds with " I'm just going home" (21). As the play continues and as she is influenced by Abigail, Mary begins to break this self induced mold and does what she wants. Mary Warren, along with many other girls gets caught up in the hype of getting all the attention and exercising power via initiating and adamantly continuing these "witch trials". Finally John Proctor, the rationalist, shows that when people like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor who are the saintliest of people are accused of being witches, something must be wrong. Mary Warren has a difficult decision to make. She has realized that her whole way of life has been based on injustice. However, how can she extricate herself from Abigail and her friends, not to mention her new feelings of confidence. Mary decides to speak out against Abigail and the others for their false accusations and said that she " tried to kill me numerous times"(57). Yet as she does this heroic act of overcoming her old reality, Abigail pretends that Mary is also a witch using the poppets against her(73). Mary is now faced with yet another grueling internal conflict: to do what she knows is right and probably die for it, or to return to her old ways. Mary succumbs to Abigails "hypnosis " and accuses John Proctor of forcing her to lie. Clearly the battle which Mary faced from the very beginning was enormous. John Proctor a farmer and village commoner similarly is faced with an inner turmoil. He has committed adultery and had absolutely no intentions of joining in the witch trials unless hi pregnant wife were to also get involved. After his wife got involved and eventually was set free due to the fact that she was pregnant feels that he can't accept this. Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes at first he can't be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment . John later says to Elizabeth that " My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before"(136) and rather confess then die for something he flat out didn't do. However, as John confesses, he can not allow Danforth to make it officially documented. As Danforth asks him why John answers with a cry " because it is my name. Because I cannot have another in my life . . . How may I live without my name? Have given you my soul; leave me my name(143). John feels strongly about having a good name and not dying with a bad one. Proctor weighs both sides of his internal conflict and realizes that he must not make another mistake. He therefore, prescribes himself to death, not for his own sake, but rather for the sake of the others. As John dies Liz weeps saying " He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it away"(145). Another internal conflict is evident in Reverend Hale who initiates these problems. At first Reverend Hale is sure about his belief that there are witches and feels that he is carrying out the desires of G-D himself. Yet as the play moves on and Hale sees all these honest and good people being sentenced and executed he

Claes Oldenburg essays

Claes Oldenburg essays Claes Oldenburg is a arist that has tested the modern art scene with his huge art sites like his giant bow and arrow in San Francisco. Claes Oldenburg is a modern artist and he makes art showing normal everyday things as sculptures they are either small or big most of his work is of a large scale he uses mixed medium like metal wood or some sort of fabric. Claes Oldenburg is considered a pop artist and he was part of the Pop art movement. He often uses an huge scale for his artwork. He puts small things like a spoon across a lake as a bridge a spoon is a small thing not meant to be big. He is famous for many of his designs in England as well as the United States. He hit the scene in the late 80s and has been making art ever sense. He makes landscapes that fit the enviorment around him. Claes Oldenburg has changed the way we see normal every day objects like a garden hose or spoon and now we see that these objects can be used for inspiration in some of the more creative minds Claes Oldenburg inspires me to look at the normal and find something to make out of it and to change your overall view of a normal object to see something more creative and different something that you wouldnt have seen before if your mind was not open and looking for something. You have to look to find what your looking for even if its in the most normal and obvious places. There is always something more to be found in places weve seen we just have to open ourselves and look. ...