Islamic Culture-Comparing the principles of Shoora (Shurah) and Essay

Islamic Culture-Comparing the principles of Shoora (Shurah) and democracy - Essay Example By comparing each of these forms of principles, there is a deeper understanding of the mechanics that are associated with both approaches to the decisions that are made within society as well as what rules and governs those under these orders. The principles of Shurah are defined by governing expectations that begin in the household and move into society. According to these principles, the relationships to family and to kin is the most important to withhold in the culture. Each of the members and kin should hold a relationship according to the principles of Islam, specifically in terms of treating others with respect based on what individuals should receive the most respect as well as how one should be treated. The importance of this is not only based on basic respect and the formation of relationships. If a dispute arises among kin and family, priority is given to those who are expected to have the most respect in the family, specifically which held a sign of righteousness and love toward those that were a part of the Islamic culture and belief. The relationships were not expected to be of Islamic origin and were based on upholding the relationships, despite the actions or reactions from other kin, such as failing to uph old the same relationship. This particular concept tied into neighbors and society to form order and culture through the principles of how each member should be treated (Hashimi, 1997). The principles of Shurah are combined with the understanding of how the approaches to those in the community ultimately affect the decisions taken politically, specifically with the attributes affecting votes and activities within society. The principles are expected to affect the consultation, democracy and decisions which are made by those in society. If the respect and guidance is divided by the amount of respect and worth given to the family and then to kin and the community, then there is the ability to

My Favorite Manager Essay Example for Free

My Favorite Manager Essay I worked in Strategic Centre, Consumer support services and global solution centre. I was hired as an front line operative and got promoted to Tech Lead role over time. When I was a trainer, my manager was Navin Kumar. Before working at HP, I used to work with Convergys. I was a front end operative at each of the other jobs before HP. Navin Kumar was my favorite because he had a relaxed mentality to the job but held accountability for actions. He allowed me and the other Trainers to have a say when running the Training module. He had the final say on all ideas but was open for input to improve the function of the Trainers efficiency. He was very personable and did not have the typical manager attitude. If I did my work when he wanted it completed and it was up to his level of quality his relationship was more similar to that of friends than a manager. If you failed to meet his expectations then he came down on me with a very strong force. He was not a typical manager in that sense. He set lofty expectations because he wanted me to succeed at a high level instead of setting low goals and just settling for an easy way out. He would set weekly goals and would reward the highest trainer efficiency scores that was internally maintained by HP Training team. This was motivation to test training methods and try to beat out my co-workers. He also had a level of respect for each of his employees that I never received at one of my other jobs. At HP everyone had the same level of expectations and if you did not meet them, Navin would work with that person to build up their quality of work or they would be mentored more rigorously with a clear performance improvement plan for not meeting expectations. I respected him more for being open to criticism. He would allow his trainers and senior trainers to critique him and help him improve his work quality. If I could work for Navin Kumar again I would immediately

Eastman Kodak Products

Eastman Kodak Products External analysis of Eastman Kodak Introduction Kodak is the market leader in providing photographic products and services to consumers and commercial customers around the globe for memories, entertainment and information. The company brings inventive and modern products to the market that allows people to take, make and share pictures and experience the magic of photography (History of Kodak, 2008). As the world leader, Eastman Kodak is always looking for talented people. Kodak has continued to expand the ways and images touch peoples daily lives. Kodak is a top supplier of innovative solutions for digital, conventional and blended print production environment (History of Kodak, 2008). Eastman Kodak Company is an American multinational public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment. It is known for its extensive variety of pictorial film products. Eastman Kodak is actually concentrating on two major markets; the first is digital photography and the second is digital printing (About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, 2008). In Rochester and Jamestown New York, Kodak was founded by George Eastman and businessman Henry Strong. George Eastman as president purchased the stock of American Aristotype Company. In the year 1982, the Eastman Kodak Company was founded. The company is incorporated in New Jersey but has its offices in Rochester, New York. The slogan, You press the button; we do the rest, was given by the founder of the company, George Eastman (About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, 2008). External analysis of Eastman Kodak Porters five forces Model According to Michael porter, an authority on competitive strategy contends that a corporation is most concerned with the intensity of competition within its industry. The level of this intensity is determined by basic competitive forces like potential entrants, suppliers, buyers and substitutes available. Using this model a high force can be regarded as a threat because it is likely to reduce profits and a low force can be viewed as an opportunity because it may allow company to earn profit. Analysis of Kodak on the basis of Porters Five Force model: Threats of new entrants: In recent years, the growing demand of digital cameras has been attracting many new comers, domestically as well as internationally. The threats of new entrant are always an issue when dealing with new technology. Often, new technology is developed by an individual looking for a better way to do something. These companies are expected to drastically alter the Kodak Companys structure with their technology, scale of operations and brand power. With Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Sony, Cannon and other major companies has already established in the market, it will be easy for new companies to enter the market and make a substantial impact. Bargaining power of customers: In the camera industry, the bargaining power of customer is relatively limited. Eastman Kodak is entering the consumer printer market which is full of competitors who produce products that allow the consumer to have significant buying power. From the sale of replacement cartridges, most producers rely on their profit margins. The buyers have a lot of power, with the companies producing quality printers at extremely reasonable values and often providing significant discounts. Eastman Kodak is responsive to this and they are launching their product into the consumer printer market. They are also making a play in the commercial printing market where the bargaining power of the buyer is not immense. Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers to Eastman Kodak is more significant than its rivals who expand and manufacture their own parts. Eastman Kodak should develop its printers, by using off the projection parts, as to get its printers on the market quicker. Rather than trying to plan everything from scratch, the Kodak Eastman should work with technology partners like SigmaTel, Inc. a chip-design specialist (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). This approach will allow the Kodak to develop faster and lower the expansion costs. The confidence for producing the parts of the printers gives the suppliers greater buying power (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). As compared to the traditional manufacturing, in the market that expanding and producing own parts may be risky in the long run risky and could pay off for Kodak. Threat of substitutes: Eastman Kodak cannot overlook the manufacturing and launching of their new consumer inkjet printers. Where on the other side, the competitors of company like H-P, Sony, Cannon and Lexmark are relying not on the turnover margin from the printer and handy cameras but they are emphasizing on the profit margin on replacing the cartridges. Eastman Kodak is marketing a quality printer, affordable cartridges, and quality paper combination to produce the highest quality prints (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The concern of the Kodak should be same as HP, Lexmark, and Epson. The emphasis of the major producers of consumer printers should be that the generic replacement cartridges and ink refill market is very strong whereas the cartridges may not produce the same quality as the name brand. The quality differentiation is not adequate to force customers from brand name to general (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). Rivalry among competitors: Rivalry among competitors could be the most significant in the Eastman Kodak. Change is rapid and fuming, with the new technology. The bundling of printers with the computers, discounts, and rebates makes this market extremely competitive (Symonds, 2006). Antonio Perez CEO of Eastman Kodak says that he has no individual rivalry with HP, but the fact is that during his 25 successful years at HP, he organized the explosive growth of HPs printer business. HP Company invests nearly $1 billion a year on research and development of printer (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). Industry forecaster anticipates HP to sit back and observe till Kodaks new equipments get grip. It is important to look at the political, economic, social, and technological components of the macro-environment, while examining the macro environment. In relation to political issues, Kodak is on par with its competitors (Symonds, 2006). To all the key competitors in the digital printing industry, social and employment legislation, tax policy, the directive and de-regulation trends and trade and tariff controls, and environmental and consumer-protection legislation applies equally (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). Economic factors that must be considered by the Kodak are rate of inflation, tax rates, capital markets and the stage of the business cycle. Eastman Kodak is a well recognized company, with the declining importance on film and an enlarged importance on digital printing; the company is behind the influence curve of their well-known competitors (Symonds, 2006). The other economical issues that Kodak must keep in mind are disposable income, GDP trends, purchasing power and wages/ price control (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). Another economic issue is cost of labor. Kodak has moved much of its labor to Mexico, this can cause decline in the sale as the company concentrates on moving labor outside of the U.S (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The political environment exercises great impact on industry and business. The political factors that Kodak must keep in view are antitrust regulations, environmental protection laws, tax laws, political stability, foreign trade regulations and stability of government. The social considerations in the macro environment of Eastman Kodak are population profiles, public opinion, and cultural changes (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). The social factors which should be kept in view are lifestyle changes, rate of family formation, growth rate f population, age distribution of population. Another significant factors related to social consideration is opinion of public. In the case of Kodak, there are significant issues such as accusations of irresponsible environmental practices due to excessive pollution in the Rochester, NY area (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The technological environment will play a key role in the future of Kodak. The company should emphasize on the new development in technology transfer from lab to marketplace. The company should emphasis on the internet availability, telecommunication infrastructure. Kodak should mainly concentrate on the research and development areas (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). For this, it is important that the research is well led and established with detailed visions and goals. Kodak should enlarge and produce the large number of parts as opposed to other competitors, to be developed and manufactured internally. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that the Kodak has the opportunity to be a leading player in the market of digital printing. The Company should carry on with their existing vision to produce printers and cameras that generate the highest quality of prints and construct the printer reasonably priced so as the average consumer afford it to buy (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). With this, the company should persist to expand the latest equipment for the profitable printing market and should try to merge flexibility, speed and quality with each other. To gain the market share, the most essential thing that the company should do is repetitively appraise their actions and procedure to make sure that they are right way. All the most it is important for the members of company to follow the lead of CEO, Antonio Perez. It is necessary that the strategies are timely formulated and implemented and processed forward with research, development, and implementation of new products (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). References About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://graphics1.kodak.com/global/about_gcg/default.htm Kazmi, A. (2002). Business Policy and Strategic Management, (2nd Edition), New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Hamm, S., Lee, L., Ante, S., E. (2007). Kodaks Moment of Truth; How the ailing film giant, led by a refugee from HP, embarked on a risky strategy to reinvent the inkjet printer. Business Week. New York: February 19, 2007, Issue 4022; page 42. Hunger, J.D. Wheelen, T.L. (2001). Strategic Management and Business policy, (7th Edition). New Delhi: Pearson Education Inc. History of Kodak, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/about_Kodak.jhtml?pq-path=2217 Ramaswamy, V.S Namakumari, S. (2005). Strategic Planning Formulation of Corporate Strategy, (5th Edition). New Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd. Symonds, W.C.(2006). Kodak Rewrites the Book on Printing. Business Week. New York: September 4, 2006., Issue 3999; page 83. http://www.hoovers.com/eastman-kodak/ID__10500/free-co-profile.xhtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_manufactured_by_Kodak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_manufactured_by_Kodak http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/6868pq-locale=en_US_requestid=684 Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/kodakHistory/eastmanTheMan.shtml History of Kodak, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/about_Kodak.jhtml?pq-path=2217 About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, (2008). Retreived April 29, 2008 from http://graphics1.kodak.com/global/about_gcg/default.htm

The Fourth Act of The Duchess Essay -- The Duchess Plays Literature Es

The Fourth Act of The Duchess "The first necessity of baroque is that the audience should be gripped, excited, moved" [1] - so says Ralph Berry. The fourth act of The Duchess of Malfi certainly succeeds under all these criteria, being the dramatic crux of the play. The events that occur in the first scene are undoubtedly crucial, but it is the characters' vastly varied reactions to them that are vitally important. Rich imagery is deeply interwoven with the fabric of play - indeed, it is an essential part of its function - and the scene's proceedings are completely overshadowed by the telling relationship between Ferdinand, Bosola and the Duchess that is explored throughout act IV, scene i. Often, it is in the most trying times that the true nature of people is allowed to shine through their veiled everyday existence. In this scene, the Duchess is subjected to imprisonment and cruel tortures by her malevolent twin brother who is still unable to come to terms with his sister's independence and intimate relationship with Antonio. Bosola is beginning to experience emotions he had previously repressed or never had the capacity to experience in court life. He is forced to astatically struggle with inner turmoil and design for himself a new system of morality. Because of these simultaneous occurrences, the three major characters' rà ´les are brought out to the front of the stage for punctilious analysis. "The whole of Act IV is a protracted dying as, step by step, 'by degrees', the Duchess is made to face the utmost pain, misery and evil" [2]. As this happens, the very best and most deplorable characteristics are teased out and, as their relationship develops, the tensions between these three persons cause the... ...voked combines with horrors typical of the period and the complex relationship between the Duchess, Ferdinand and Bosola elicits responses that have a far greater effect on the outcome of the play than any other aspect of the drama or events that have occurred. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Ralph Berry, The Art of John Webster (Clarendon Press, 1972) [2] Jan Kott, A personal essay (1986) [3] Professor John Jump, "The White Devil" and "The Duchess of Malfi" [4] John Webster, The White Devil, (Mermaid, 1996) [5] Peter Murray, A Study of John Webster (Mouton, 1969) [6] Professor John Jump, "The White Devil" and "The Duchess of Malfi" [7] Irving Ribner, Jacobean Tragedy: The Quest For Moral Order (Methuen, 1962) [8] U. M. Ellis Fermor, The Jacobean Drama: An Interpretation (Methuen, 1936)

SMIO Group Element Strategic Management In Organisations

ALL Analyses and critically evaluate the environments in which strategic management and change takes place and assessing the appropriate organizational responses (analysis, enquiry). 4 Explore and evaluate critically the contemporary literature on strategic leadership, management and decision-making and how it relates to successful organization progression in a global environment (knowledge and understanding).ALL Understand, critically evaluate and apply contemporary ideas on strategic aspects of decision-making in effective risk assessment during organizational change (integration, knowledge and understanding). Assignment set by: Peter J Consider Assignment verified by: Scrutiny Panel and External Examiner Assignment Instructions Your team must be submit by the due dates as stated below and will be vomited electronically via Turning and for which you will be issued instructions. The only circumstance in which assignments can be submitted late is if an extenuating circumstances form is submitted at the same time.This group element is weighted at 15% of the overall marks available on this module, and which are allocated as follows: 1) Group work – Country Manager Initial Strategic Audit and Internationalization plan† Submit by 9th February 201 5 by no later than 17. 00 pm (see page 7) 2) Group work – Country Manager Final â€Å"End-Game† Report: Submit by 4th May 2015 by no later than 17. 00 pm (see page 9) Detailed briefing and instructions are given herein. Strategic Management In Organizations Assignment Brief – Country Manager ALLELES Business Game Simulation.The Country Manager Simulation (or business game), will give you and your team a rewarding and engaging opportunity to actually manage the international expansion activities for a multinational company. During lectures, tutorials and workshops will be exploring the complex arena of Strategic Management and International Strategic management from various perspectives rea l world perspectives. You will note from your module handbook that we will be devoting part of the aerogramme to learning using the Country Manager (ALLELES) simulation.The output from this will form a part of your final assessment on this module. The ALL SMILE case will also be used as an assessment vehicle for you to demonstrate your learning on the theory and concepts which we will be exploring in the lectures, tutorials and in your self-managed readings. Each team will develop and implement strategies for entering into and expanding throughout the Latin American region for a consumer packaged goods firm that manufactures and markets toothpaste.You will determine which countries to enter, when to enter them, where to reduce your products, which customers to target, the products you want to launch and at what prices, the channels through which you want to sell, and manage various marketing communications activities. The simulation will enable you to â€Å"learn by doing†. Y our team will develop a marketing plan. Then you will manage the business by implementing your plan (making decisions) over a simulated eight-year period. Finally, you will complete an end-of-game report.You will as the course progresses be drawing on a range of concepts and theories to help your knowledge and understanding and other learning outcomes and which will inform the analysis, evaluation, development and implementation of international strategies. It is important that you reflect upon and draw on these and previous concepts and underpinning theories to inform your analysis, evaluations and decisions. You will be using the Country Manager simulation to evaluate and develop new international market entry and development opportunities.The simulation is based upon a wealth of country data (political, economic, social etc) and the company for which you are working is up against established competition. You will be developing market entry strategies, and managing regional expans ion in Latin America. You will learn how to manage these activities to create customer value internationally. The value creation process involves understanding customers, collaborators, competitors, and a company's own core competencies, and using this knowledge for competitive advantage and growth.The Country Manager simulation will entail initially establishing a new international market for entry as the home market has become saturated. Following a detailed comparative country analysis your team will then go onto establish a brand presence in that market. You will need to make decisions on he level of FDA to make and to go on to attempt to maximize the companies strategic and financial position in that country. You will then be expanding into additional foreign markets in Latin America.It is very important to read and become thoroughly familiar with the Country Manager ALL SMILE case study on. This case will be used not only dynamically in the simulation to develop your analysis and decision making skills, but will also be used to integrate with and apply key concepts/theories On ISM and overall help to make the learning process closer to reality than desk based case work Your team needs to develop a Strategic Marketing Plan – the roadman for managing your entry, growth, and expansion into Latin America.Before working on your Marketing Plan, read the entire Country Manager users manual. Your plan will cover most of these topics. In order to do so, you will need to use the various reports (environment, competition, internal) to analyze the current situation and forecast how it will (or how you want it to) change. The goal is to determine what strategy you want to set and how to implement it (I. E. , what decisions you will need to make) in order to maximize your nutrition to corporate headquarters.Because you report to both the Toothpaste Category Management and the Latin America organizations (see Figure 1 , page 8 of the user manual), you must work toward maximizing your country cumulative contribution as well as the overall cumulative contribution for the region. Your instructions are to do a sequential entry (waterfall) strategy into Latin America – that is, you are not to enter more than one country at a time. For example, you might enter one country in period 1 , a second country in period 3, a third country in period 5.You should enter at least three countries. See the next page for more specific entry and expansion instructions. Initial Strategic Plan Entry & Expansion Instructions Firstly, enter the Latin American market: Enter your first country. Begin by launching no more than 4 SKU. Add more SKU in subsequent periods as you believe the market bears and consistent with your strategy. You should advance two-three periods. Continue to play in the initial market, expanding into a multi-segment SST taste.Secondly, begin regional expansion: After establishing your business in the initial market, enter into one addit ional market in Period 3 or 4. Begin by launching 4 or more SKU in the second market. Continue to play in the initial and second markets, expanding your multi segment strategy. Thirdly, continue regional expansion: Continue to play in the initial market, and 2nd market, now expanding into a third market in Period 5 or 6.Follow the same procedure as above for the third market Complete all nine periods In the event that you have made a major blunder (e. G. , entering an MSP of 10. 0 instead of 1. 0), you must contact your tutor to replay a period. You must complete your final set of decisions within the specified schedule dates. Note: Be sure to keep a log of your decisions and results each period. After each period, save/print the Performance Summary (Consolidated – Internal). Con. Assessment part 1 .Initial Strategic Audit and Internationalization Plan. Group Work Submission (7. 5 % of available marks) – (state team number and members names on the assignment) This elem ent will be submitted as a Poster (instructions provided and a blank Poster Template is available on Blackboard) via Turning by no later than 5. 00 PM on Monday 9th February 2014. Before working on your Strategic Plan, read the entire Country Manager case and manual. Then focus on Section 4 of the user manual. Your plan will cover most of these topics covered here.In order to do so, you will need to use the various reports (environment, competition, internal) to analyses the current situation and forecast how it will (or how you want it to) change. Your team's primary goal is maximizing your overall cumulative contribution for the region. Note however you will note be assessed on the level of cumulative contribution you have achieved. Your secondary goals are maximizing your market share and brand equity in each country that you example, you might enter one country in period 2, a second country in period , a third country),' in period 5.You should enter at least two countries. Your performance will be evaluated as follows: Country and regional performance relative to other teams on the following measures: o Cumulative net contribution o Anal period net contribution o Market share o Brand equity Your Plan should not exceed two AH poster sized sheets , using the given poster Template (adapt this as required, by adding â€Å"sub pages† and do include a full Harvard Reference to all sources of literature and case evidence – including the Country' Manager case and any further research undertaken by your team.Aim to give a good visual impact for your poster by using applied models etc. You may add as supporting exhibits as you like to the poster. All exhibits must be referred to in your text. Your plan may be entirely or partially in outline form. Organism your Marketing plan as follows. 1. Make sure you include on the poster group members' names 2. Executive Summary – one page description of your overall strategy (see items 3 to 7 below). 3. Si tuation analysis (opportunities and threats from a SWAT). 4 Vision, Mission and Key Strategic Objectives. 5.Market entry strategies (the sequence and timing of countries you will enter). 6. Manufacturing location and sourcing (including any changes you plan to make and when). 7. Target marketing strategy (for each country you plan to enter). Each target market should represent a combination of demographics and benefit (e. G. , older & healthy; see cross-section under â€Å"Brands Purchased† reports). 8. Strategic Positioning and marketing mix strategies (target specific UP strategies for each country you plan to enter). 9. Regional standardization (any manufacturing and marketing resources you plan to share across markets). 0. Market share objectives (end-of-game racket shares for each country you plan to enter). 11. Appendix containing all referenced Exhibits and a List of references to Harvard Standard. You plan will be submitted on-line via Turning for which you will be gi ven specific instructions and will be submitted in the form of a poster and for which a blank template is included on the modules Blackboard site. This Poster template Can be adapted but must not be longer than two AH sized pages and with a minimal font size of Arial 24 Additional guidelines will be made available on Black Board on preparing your group poster.Assessment part 2 (7. 5 of available marks). Country Manager Final Report Group Work Submission – (state team number and members names on the assignment) This element must be submitted via Turning no later than 5. 00 PM on 4th May 2015. Each team is to submit a final â€Å"end game† group report that describes your team's performance and what you learned about being a country manager for a company expanding internationally. Your final â€Å"End-Game† group report is not to exceed five (5) pages of text (double-spaced, 1†³ margins, 11 or 12- point Times New Roman or Arial font).Your Appendix may include supporting exhibits or reports which must be referred to in your text. Organism your teams Final Report as follows: 1. Cover sheet with team members' names, countries entered, and date. 2. Reflections upon your team's successes and failures in implementing your strategy and objectives (as described in your Group Strategic Audit and Plan poster). (use available data /Metrics and relate to appropriate theory) 3. Appendix. Your Appendix should include (but is not limited to) country and regional performance.Include the following Period 6 (end of game) information: o Cumulative net contribution for the region o Net contribution for each country o Market share for each country Brand equity for each country Your teams performance will not be evaluated or graded in terms of final marks but your report should include: Country and regional performance relative to other teams: o Regional cumulative and final period net contributions and brand equity. Country and regional absolute financial p erformance: o Regional cumulative and final period net contributions.Country market shares and brand equities. Assessment Criteria Descriptor & percentages 0-39% Pass (3rd) 50-59% Pass (2;ii) 60-69% pass (2;I) Demonstrate a systematic understanding and critical evaluation of the key aspects of the strategic management process (LOL – knowledge & understanding) Demonstrates very limited knowledge & understanding. No use of relevant theory from module lectures or elsewhere. Demonstrates limited knowledge & understanding. Some evidence of relevant theory. Occasional errors in understanding. Demonstrates some knowledge & understanding.More than 1 or 2 theories introduced. But not extensively & coherently applied to the case(s). Limited critical evaluation. Demonstrates good knowledge & understanding. Uses a number of relevant theories, demonstrating evidence f wider reading and understanding beyond module lectures. Some evidence Of critical evaluation. Demonstrates very good knowl edge & understanding. Confidently introduces a number of relevant theories from the lecture notes & wider reading. Critically evaluate key aspects of strategic management process.Demonstrate the ability to compare different theories and perspectives of strategic management and use and appraise them appropriately (ALL – learning, analysis) Overwhelmingly descriptive content with little or no application of theory from lecture notes. Mainly descriptive content, but with some limited attempt o apply theory to case(s). Some descriptive content & arguments may not be fully developed. More in-depth analysis is evident. Answer is supported by range of well-selected theories. Evidence of extensive analysis. Applies range of relevant theories in a coherent and convincing way to the case(s).Critically evaluate theories and concepts of strategic management. Analyses and apply appropriate problem solving techniques plus knowledge learned to solving complex business problems (ALL – analysis, application, problem solving and reflection) Demonstrates very limited or no critical reasoning to evaluate theories. No evaluation of strategic options provided. No evidence Of the ability to solve complex strategic problems. Demonstrates very limited or no reflection on learning. Demonstrates limited ability to evaluate theories and concepts of strategic management.Provides a limited evaluation of strategic options. Limited evidence of the ability to solve complex strategic problems. Demonstrates limited ability to reflect on own learning. Demonstrates some ability to evaluate theories and concepts of strategic management. Provides evaluation of strategic options but analysis is not convenience. Provides evidence of the ability to solve complex strategic problems but with some limitation. Demonstrates some ability to reflect on own learning. Demonstrates good ability to evaluate theories and concepts. Good evaluation of strategic options with supportive evidence. Revise s good evidence of the ability to solve complex strategic problems. Critically evaluate options & demonstrates the ability to reflect on own learning but with some limitation. Demonstrates very good ability to evaluate theories and concepts. Confidently evaluate different strategic options with supportive evidence and critically evaluate options. Provides good evidence of the ability to solve complex strategic problems. Good demonstration of the ability to reflect on own learning. Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex issues (L 04 – communication) No logical structure. Many errors of spelling, grammar etc.Work incorrectly referenced Some errors in structure. Language basically sound. Some incorrect referencing. Structure & language satisfactory. Work referenced, perhaps with some errors. Well structured. Effective use Of appropriate language. Good referencing. Compelling & logical structure. Very effective use of language. Referencing excellent. Grammar and reference s – structure, grammar, selection & presentation of sources is accurate & appropriate References absent or drawn from inappropriate sources e. G. Wisped. A few references used, mainly from lecture notes with little evidence feeder reading.Some references used, some from lecture notes but with some evidence of additional reading/research. Broader range of references used, from lecture notes but also with more extensive evidence of wider reading/ research. Wide range of reference used, from lecture notes but also with extensive evidence of wider reading/research. Academic Misconduct The Business School takes any cases of academic misconduct, including plagiarism very seriously. The penalties are severe and can in some cases result in a student not being allowed to continue their studies.The policy on Academic misconduct can be found at: http://www. Staffs. AC. UK/assets/ academic_misconduct_tacit-26770. PDF Please note all assignments are processed via Turning (plagiarism detec tion software) Non Submissions If you fail to submit any assessment for a module an N will be recorded (non- submission) (fail due to non-submission) for that module and you will not have a guaranteed re-sit entitlement. Any further attempt entitlement will be at the discretion of the Award Board. Assignments must be submitted by the due date.The only circumstance in which assignments can be submitted late is if an extenuating circumstances claim is made. In these circumstances work may be submitted up to 5 working days late only (this is not automatic). If the extenuating circumstances are upheld, the assignment will be graded as usual. If the claim is rejected and the work is of a pass grade a maximum of a 40% (R) for undergraduate and 50% (R) for postgraduate will be awarded. If your work is submitted after the 5 working days a O will be awarded. Maximum Word Length: State the number of words used on the assignment front sheet.You may include diagrams, figures etc. Without word p enalty. A sliding scale of penalties for excess length will be imposed according to the amount by which the limit has been exceeded. 1-10% excess 1 1-20% excess 21-30% excess 31 excess no penalty reduction in the mark 20% reduction in the mark the work will be capped at a pass N.B.. None of the above penalties will be used to change your mark which is above the pass mark, to one that is below the pass mark. Therefore the maximum penalty for exceeding the word limit will be a reduction to a pass grade.

The relationship between decadence and technology, as explored in Ray Bradburys stories The Veldt and The Rocket

The relationship between decadence and technology, as explored in Ray Bradburys stories The Veldt and The Rocket Although, formally speaking, Ray Bradbury’s stories The Veldt and The Rocket belong to the literary genre of sci-fi, they are not as much about exploring the theme of bright technological future as they are about exploring the effects of futuristic technology on one’s consciousness.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The relationship between decadence and technology, as explored in Ray Bradbury’s stories The Veldt and The Rocket specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The common thing about both stories is the fact that, in them, author strived to exploit the motif of parental/social alienation, which he thought was going to represent one of the most important aspects of futuristic living. At the same time, even though the plots of The Veldt and The Rocket revolve around the theme of how technology might affect the workings of people’s consciousness, they offer diametrically opposite views, in regar ds to the subject matter. Whereas; The Veldt implies a counterproductive essence of such an effect, The Rocket promotes an idea that the utilization of technology does not deprive people of their existential vitality, but on the contrary – endows them with it. In other words; whereas, The Veldt is best referred to as the story of ‘degradation through technology’, The Rocket is most appropriately defined as the story about ‘revival through technology’. In our paper, we will aim to explore this thesis at length. In The Veldt, readers are being exposed to the story of two comparatively well-off but overly decadent parents George and Lydia coming to realization of the fact that their ‘Happylife Home’, which featured visually three-dimensional nursery for kids, was in fact causing more harm to their and kids’ well-being then good: â€Å"The more I see of the mess weve put ourselves in, the more it sickens me. Weve been contemplating o ur mechanical, electronic navels for too long. My God, how we need a breath of honest air!† (p. 17). As it appears out of story’s context, the reason why George and Lydia were becoming increasingly weary of their house, filled with a variety of different technological gadgets, is that while living there, they felt as if life-force was being gradually sucked out of them – in ‘Happylife Home’, there was nothing for both parents to occupy themselves with. In fact, house’s nursery had even taken over the upbringing of their children Peter and Wendy. This; however, had proven to be only a half of the problem – as time went by, George and Lydia started to realize that their kids were growing progressively alienated from them, on one hand, and becoming increasingly addicted to spending time in the nursery, on another. Slowly but surely, the techno-nursery became a surrogate parent for Peter and Wendy. As it was pointed out by story’s an other, psychologist David McClean: â€Å"Youve let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your childrens affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents† (p. 16).Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Despite the fact that The Veldt was written circa 1951, in this sort story Bradbury was able to prove the strength of his prophetic insights beyond any reasonable doubt – after all, what author contemplated upon in this particular story, had now became a part of objective reality. Nowadays, the computer had effectively replaced parents for teenagers in many American families. This, however did not make the lives of parents any easier – as McClean had rightly suggested, it is only the matter of time before kids, addicted to playing with hi-tech gadgets, become mentally inadequate: â€Å"One of the original uses of these nurseries was so that we could study the patterns left on the walls by the childs mind, study at our leisure, and help the child. In this case, however, the room has become a channel toward-destructive thoughts, instead of a release away from them† (p. 16). Therefore, it makes no surprise that The Veldt ends on a tragic note – after having realized that their parents were serious about shutting down the nursery, Wendy and Peter decided to lure George and Lydia into it, in order for them to be eaten by lions. The morale of this story could be articulated as follows: people who are being deprived of their existential vitality, due to having all of their desires fully satisfied, cannot possibly utilize technology to improve their lives even better – on the contrary, rich but decadent people’s continuous exposal to technology will deprive them of the remains of their liveliness. Nevertheless, as we have pointed out ear lier in The Rocket, Bradbury discussed the effects of technology on people’s consciousness from an entirely new perspective. In it, story’s main character Fiorello Bodoni, who always dreamt of a space travel but was never able to afford it, decides to spend his lifesavings so that at least one member of his extended family would be able to experience the treat of a lifetime – flying to Mars on rocket, just like rich people do. He does it despite his friend Baramante’s advise not to act foolish and to remain content with the fact that there are certain things that poor people will never be able to do: â€Å"No, Bodoni, buy a new wrecking machine, which you need, and pull your dreams apart with it, and smash them to pieces† (p. 178). In other words, even at the story’s very beginning, Bradbury provides readers with the good clue as to the main character’s affiliation with the lowest social strata – hence, establishing an entirel y new semantic context, within which story’s plot would unravel, as compared to what it was the case with The Veldt.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The relationship between decadence and technology, as explored in Ray Bradbury’s stories The Veldt and The Rocket specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Unlike the characters of George and Lydia from The Veldt, Bodoni is being represented to readers as someone with the strong desire to help his children to be able to attain social prominence in the future, despite the impossible odds. Ironically enough though, it was namely Bodoni’s realization of a sheer preposterousness of such his intention, which only added to the strength of his resolution to step over the limitations of its own social status – he swore to provide a chance to one of his numerous kids to experience space travel. Nevertheless, it did not take too long for Bodoni to apprehend tha t if one of the children does fly to Mars, it would make the kid feeling guilty for the rest of his life, on the account that others were denied the same opportunity. In its turn, this caused story’s main character to spend his hard-earned money to buy the mockup of a rocket, to put it in his backyard, and to install 3D TV screens in place of illuminators, so that all of his kids would be able to ‘travel’ to space and back, without knowing that this ‘travel’ was an illusion: â€Å"Let all of space come and go, and red Mars come up under our ship, and the moons of Mars, and let there be no flaws in the color film. Let there be three dimensions; let nothing go wrong with the hidden mirrors and screens that mold the fine illusion. Let time pass without crisis† (p. 184). After having ‘flown’ to Mars and back with all the children onboard, Bodoni felt if his actual life’s mission has been fulfilled – after having been to ‘space’, his kids will never think that, due to their low social status, there are things in life that they could never even dream of doing. Even Bodoni’s rather unimaginative wife Maria had grown to appreciate what her husband did: â€Å"Very late in the night Bodoni opened his eyes. He sensed that his wife was lying beside him, watching him. She did not move for a very long time, and then suddenly she kissed his cheeks and his forehead. ‘What’s this?’ he cried. ‘You’re the best father in the world,’ she whispered† (p. 185). The morale of this story is: those with burning desire to fulfill their life-dreams, despite lacking financial means, represent the better part humanity, because it is namely this type of people that make scientific, cultural and social progress possible. When we compare the endings of The Veldt and The Rocket, it will appear that; whereas, Bodoni’s poverty was proven an asset, within the context of how his life was affected by technology, George and Lydia’s prosperity, within the same context, was proven to be the key to their ‘undoing’. Thus, just as we have stated in the thesis, the reading of Bradbury’s both stories provides us with the insight onto the fact that technology itself can never be referred to as being ‘inheritably wicked’, as decadents do.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Whereas; the utilization of 3D technology by George and Lydia in The Veldt resulted in bringing about their ultimate demise, the utilization of the same technology, on the part of Bodoni, allowed him to endow his children with an acute sense of self-respect and to strengthen the integrity of his marital relationship with Maria. This is exactly the reason why The Rocket is the last story in The Illustrated Man – apparently, Bradbury wanted to emphasize his belief in the beneficence to the mankind of just about any science-based technology. The analysis of motifs, contained in both stories, leaves very few doubts as to the full validity of his prophetic insights – just like the characters in The Veldt, today’s White people in Western countries continue to grow ever more technologically minded. However, this does not make them more ‘alive’ – unlike their ancestors, who used to bring the light of civilization to savages; they now allow these sava ges to colonize their own countries under disguise of ‘celebration of diversity’. Alternatively, the continuous utilization of technology by poor but mentally adequate people, unaffected by ideologies that derive out of bellyful idling (neo-Liberalism, New Age, etc.), as Chinese and Russians, had created a situation when it is now only the matter of very short time, before the mission of bearing the light of civilization will be given to them. In The Veldt and in The Rocket, Bradbury referred to the concept of technology in essentially the same manner that Richard Wagner referred to the concept of ‘gold’ in his operas – just as it was the case with gold in Wagnerian operas, people’s exposal to Bradbury’s ‘technology’ turns weak even weaker and strong even stronger. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that, besides high literary, there is also a high philosophical value to both of Bradbury’s stories. References Bradbury, Ray â€Å"The Illustrated Man†. New York: Bantam Books, 1983. Print.