An Important Social Construct Since The First World

David Palombo English Midterm 1-20-2015 Families have been an important social construct since the first humans decided it was a good idea to create some sort of order in their lives. Families are still as important as in those times, as we see them as recurring symbols in all forms of media. From movies to books, we see different kinds of families, and a multitude of strains put on families, although in almost every example, family triumphs over the odds. Unless a good portion of the members of the family are dead. Due to a bomb. I digress. I feel that I would be unfair to the Hubermanns to NOT start with them and their relationship with their adopted daughter Liesel Meminger. In the first moment that she met her parents, they†¦show more content†¦In The Phantom of the Opera, the bond of family is portrayed slightly differently. Christine Daaà © s mother passed away when Christine was six years of age. Left in the care of her father, she grew up with the desire to please him through his passion of music. This proves difficult though, due to her initial inability to sing well. When Christine s father was on the brink of fading away, he told Christine that she would be watched over by an Angel of Music. She takes this to heart, and it becomes one of the reasons that Erik is able to get into her head and be the controlling figure that he is in the novel. I only bring this up because had it not been her father that told her this, the incident would have probably deemed unimportant by Christine, and wouldn t have h ad the major effect on her life that it turned out to. Turning to a significantly darker tale, we have Elie Wiesel s harrowing tale of his time spent in the nazi death camp known as Auschwitz-Birkenau. Prior to his unethical imprisonment in the concentration camp, he has a shallow relationship with his businessman father at best, and at worst, a scathing one. After being locked away like animals, they both come to the realization that they may not make it out of there alive. At this point, they stay with each other and stand with each other for much of the novel. As Elie is run down by the horrid condition of day to day life within his own personal hell, he loses

Key Elements in a Performance Management Process Coursework

Essays on Key Elements in a Performance Management Process Coursework The paper "Key Elements in a Performance Management Process" is a delightful example of coursework on marketing. Performance management is defined as an activity that involves all practices, information, and systems that managers use to establish the strategy, develop plans, monitor execution, project performance, report organizational results, and make informed decisions (Axson 2010: 25). It can also be defined as a holistic approach and process towards the effective management of individual groups to ensure that their shared objectives, as well as the organization’s strategic objectives, are attained. The aim of this paper is to discuss this concept in detail, including the key elements in a performance management process, and why a well-designed performance management system is important for both employees and organizations. The paper will also discuss four methods used in performance and their pros and cons.Purposes of performance managementGenerally, the aim of performanc e management is to contribute to the attainment of high performance by both the organization and its employees. Sono and Werner (cited by Craythorne, 2006: 121) state that there are three major purposes of performance management, that is: it is a process for implementing strategy; it is the vehicle through which cultural change can be implemented, and it offers input to other systems such as remuneration and training development. Performance measurement enables judgment of past performance by providing a basis for reward allocation, providing a basis for promotions, layoffs, transfers and so on, identifying high-potential employees, validating selection procedures, and evaluating previous training programs. It also enables the development of future performance by fostering work improvement, identifying training and development opportunities, developing ways to overcome obstacles and barriers to performance, and establishing supervisor-employee agreements on expectations (Griffin Mo orehead, 2011: 156).Key elements in a performance management processThe key elements in a performance management process are performance planning, performance coaching and mentoring, and performance measurement and evaluation. These are discussed next.Performance planningPerformance planning involves setting the direction of the performance planning process and defining expectations, determining the goals and objectives of employees, determining the people to be engaged in the evaluation process as well as the method to be employed, and developing an action plan. The purpose of performance planning is therefore to accomplish two critical tasks: (1) to establish measurable objectives for the outcomes or results that the efforts of the people involved will produce (that is the what of the job); and (2) to analyze the way in which the people involved will go about attaining those results or achieving the desired goals (that is the how of job) (Grote, 1996: 21). These tasks are then tak en into consideration by way of having them reflected in an action plan.

Data Mining and Social Network Techniques

Question: Discuss about the Data Mining and Social Network Techniques. Answer: Introduction Organizations implement a number of strategies based on their capabilities and resources(Kumar, 2012). These strategies extend the core competence of the organization and entails establishing competitive advantage in the market. In order to develop and implement a suitable strategy that fits into the organizational capabilities and functionalities, a thorough analysis of its external environment and internal environment is conducted, which lets develop a suitable strategy. The scope of this essay is focused on Indigo Paints, which is a company based in Nepal and is trying to adopt Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) Ecommerce solutions for its business. This part of the work is an extension of the previous assessment done to evaluate the prevailing conditions and strategy for the company. This part enhances the work done in the last part in order to incorporate the scope of ecommerce and its various implications that it can have on the organization(Al-Qirim, 2008). The essay encompass es relevant concepts, impacts and other areas that might have an effect on the Company. Implementing KMs will entail managing internal resources and capabilities of the organization. Adopting ecommerce for the Company will entail broader market reach as well as improvising the current profitable levels for the Company. Through this technique it will be able to overcome various weaknesses and threats that it might have to face in its home country. With extension of its markets, it will further be able to capitalize on its strengths and take significant advantages of prevailing opportunities(Beynon-Davies, 2013). KMS is a platform that handles information of various types and processes them to obtain suitable output for the Company for developing its strategic output(Bali, 2009). KMS is an important tool that allows for managing data of various types from external environment and sources and then processing the same to obtain strategic fit for the Company. Ecommerce encompasses the concept of transacting through online or virtual presence. Through ecommerce methodologies a company can extend its products and entail buying and selling for its products(Datta, 2011). Ecommerce uses various technologies including electronic fund transfer, internet marketing, mobile commerce, online transaction processing, inventory management systems, electronic data interchange, and data collection systems and so on. It makes use of World Wide Web and emails to facilitate various transactions for the Company. Ecommerce can be of various types as, they can be from business to business (B2B), business to consumers (B2C), through online marketplace and online shopping experiences. Ecommerce allows exchange of monetary benefits as against products or services of various types(Wang, 2009). An ecommerce endeavor done by a company is generally a portal or a website based module wherein transactions can be made easily. Upon promotions or awareness done by the web site, customers enter the website, browses through the necessary options available and then selects a particular product according to their suitability and then proceeds to make the payment for the same. Porters Five Factor analysis helps the Company diagnose threats of the Company and possibilities to increase market scope(Dalkir, 2011). With a variety of demographic customers present in the country and narrow scope for expansion, ecommerce will help attain broad based strategy for the Company. Without physical store expansion and set up the Company will be capable of broadening of market opportunities for its existing customers and also able to attract new customers for the business and its products(Denizhan Kalkan, 2008). Indigo Paints is currently a small Company based in Nepal with limited market scope and opportunities. The Company can easily enhance its current area of operations by incorporating KMS and developing an ecommerce portal and a delivery management system(Adnan, 2011). It will be able to overcome the threats and challenges that it faces in Nepal by catering to a wide range of market. It can easily advertise and opt for other promotional mechanism for its ecommerce portal. Impact of the possible development of ecommerce can be understood by deriving significantly from the SWOT Analysis, Porters Five Forces Model and Employee engagement. Strategic analysis for the Company reveals that though the Company has significant capability in terms of its products, which is innovative in nature (low VOC paint and environmentally friendly) but it has low marketing(Tan, 2007). There is significant strength in the business model for the Company and its innovated products, which will allow overcoming all relevant weaknesses and threats for the same. Significant pressures from larger companies have lowered the market share for the Company and hence rendering poor brand value to the Company and its products. There is prevalence of large scale companies as Asian Paints which have significant market share(Barthlemy, 2008). Though there is limited threats from rival products of the Company, as customers generally utilizes wallpapers and other paints but to a limited exten t. Further, analysis of its prevailing industry level factors reveals that though the Company produces high quality products but due to its high price it renders the Company low profitability. Limited scope of market in Nepal has made it nearly impossible to market its high quality paints. Even with high levels of employee engagement it has been nearly impossible to achieve high levels of training(Riemer, 2008). Ecommerce implementations will help the Company accomplish high levels of market share along with customer satisfactions. There is high levels of employee engagement of the Company which has enabled it to devise new and innovative products for the purpose of marketing. It has also adopted new and specialized techniques for applying paints and its solution for long sustenance for the same(Carmeli, 2013). KMS will take input from various types of external factors process the same and derive its implications on the Company such that it can establish its competitive advantage in the industry. Ecommerce will have high impacts on the business and profitability of the Company. Through ecommerce the Company will be able to broaden its supplier, vendor and distributor base. The Company will be also able to achieve customers from various demographic segments, psychographic and physiographic variable. Its high priced products will be able to be marketed through these portals to appropriate customer group(Lawrence, 2010). Domestic International Contextual factors and their Impact of Strategy There are however various barriers in the adaptation of ecommerce portals in Nepal due to poor performance and efficiency of internet service providers. Extending or enhancing ecommerce capabilities might impact high costs for the Company initially(Kshetri, 2008). Recently in the advent of globalization there is a growing trend amongst all types of business is to set up their online platforms for ecommerce solutions. Not only does such ecommerce solutions entails increased flow of goods and services but also enhance markets for the organization. Thus, today almost each and every type of business develop their own websites or ecommerce portals where customers can view relevant products of the company and can also select or purchase such products. Indigo Paints will develop an enhanced platform for its business after it has been able to develop its ecommerce solution for its customers(Ruggles, 2009). Through KMS the Company will be able to develop proper strategies for the Company and evaluate efficiency for the same. But once Indigo Paints is able to incorporate ecommerce solutions for its business it will be able to extend its markets for domestic as well as international customers. There is presence of domestic high income customer group of the Company that it can provide its products to. Through ecommerce, it will be able to attain SEO and social media advertising along with other promotional techniques(Aleid, 2009). In international sphere as well the Company will be able to cater its products. But prior to develop an ecommerce solution, it needs to overcome the current challenges and incapabilitys existing. It needs to further develop integrated supply chain management systems that allows for proper delivery and transfer of products and services. In domestic and international contextual factors enable implementing proper strategic impact(Boateng, 2008). Through adoption of ecommerce, the Company will be easily implementing its various strategies as well as extend them further. Strategic impact enabling competitiveness of the Company will be enhanced through application of ecommerce solutions. There will an overall impact in increase in sales from such ecommerce portals developed for the Company and also brand building tasks through such endeavors. The Company which currently lags in its brand value and barely has target market reach will be able to do so by the application of such portals. Thus, ecommerce will benefit the business greatly and it will be able to emerge in its resources and capabilities highly through such applications. Conclusion KMS and Ecommerce is increasingly becoming as the way to do business and extend strategic capabilities of businesses. A Company generally develops and adopts KMS and ecommerce solution for extending its market and strategic capabilities. Some of the recommendations for the firm are; Indigo Paints will be able to increase its scope and areas of marketing by adopting KMS and ecommerce solution for its businesses. The Company is currently facing threats from limited opportunities and market space. KMS and Ecommerce will allow it not only increase market capabilities but also cater to a wide spread of market and develop capabilities to cater to the same. As market needs vary across borders and boundaries and they are bound to be different in Nepal compared to other countries internationally. Cultural taste and preference needs to be accommodated for the purpose of developing new markets and market penetrations strategies for the Company. This will increase profitability for the Company which will now be able to further divert more resources and capabilities towards marketing expenditures. Reference Lists Adnan, M. N. (2011). Promoting where, when and what? An analysis of web logs by integrating data mining and social network techniques to guide ecommerce business promotions. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 173-185. Aleid, F. R. (2009). Factors affecting consumers adoption of ecommerce in Saudi Arabia from a consumers perspective. In IADIS International Conference e-Commerce, 11-18. Al-Qirim, N. (2008). The adoption of eCommerce communications and applications technologies in small businesses in New Zealand. . Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 462-473. Bali, R. W. (2009). Knowledge management primer. Routledge. Barthlemy, J. (2008). Opportunism, knowledge, and the performance of franchise chains. . Strategic Management Journal, 1451-1463. Beynon-Davies, P. (2013). Business information systems. Palgrave Macmillan. Boateng, R. H. (2008). E-commerce in least developing countries: Summary evidence and implications. . Journal of African Business, 257-285. Carmeli, A. G.?P. (2013). Leadership, creative problem?solving capacity, and creative performance: The importance of knowledge sharing. . Human Resource Management, 52(1), 95-121. Dalkir, K. a. (2011). Knowledge management in theory and practice. . MIT press. Datta, P. (2011). A preliminary study of ecommerce adoption in developing countries. Information Systems Journal, 3-32. Denizhan Kalkan, V. (2008). An overall view of knowledge management challenges for global business. Business Process Management Journal, 14(3), 390-400. Kshetri, N. (2008). Barriers to e-commerce and competitive business models in developing countries: A case study. Electronic commerce research and applications, 443-452. Kumar, V. . (2012). Business to business (b2b) and business to consumer (b2c) management. International Journal of Computers Technology, 447-551. Lawrence, J. E. (2010). Barriers to e-commerce in developing countries. . Information, society and justice journal, 23-35. Riemer, K. (2008). The Beergame in business-to-business ecommerce courses-A teaching report. BLED 2008 Proceedings, 1. Ruggles, R. (2009). Knowledge management tools. . Routledge. Tan, J. T. (2007). Business-to-business adoption of eCommerce in China. Information management, 332-351. Wang, Y. . (2009). The moderating effect of the business strategic orientation on eCommerce adoption: Evidence from UK family run SMEs. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 16-30.

Wollstonecrafts Romantic Plight to Render Women More Equal to Men Essay Example

Wollstonecrafts Romantic Plight: to Render Women More Equal to Men Paper In the late 18th century, the rise of industrialization led to an increasingly unbalanced division of powers between the privileged and less privileged social classes. Agriculture no longer dominated the British economy, and masses were forced to abandon their country homes in search of city jobs. The impersonal nature of the new employer/employee relationships spawned widespread feelings of powerlessness and alienation. In the midst of these circumstances, Britain was ripe for romantic poets to step forth and attack the various forms of corruption by means of prose and poetry. One such poet, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) sought to expose the corruption and inequality resulting from inherited privileges and false refinements, particularly with regard to the female gender. (MM 9-28) Wollstonecraft wrote her Vindication on the Rights of Woman during a six-week stretch in 1792. She was at first inspired by the success of her previous work, Vindication on the Rights of Man, a document which responded to Edmund Burkes attacks on the French Revolution and its English sympathizers. Burke, a political statesman was convinced that the established patriarchal system was necessary in order to maintain civility and order, whereas Wollstonecraft saw that same system as being oppressive and in need of radical change. (Abrams 164) We will write a custom essay sample on Wollstonecrafts Romantic Plight: to Render Women More Equal to Men specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Wollstonecrafts Romantic Plight: to Render Women More Equal to Men specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Wollstonecrafts Romantic Plight: to Render Women More Equal to Men specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Catharine Macaulays Letters on Education, (1790) which addressed similar rules for male and female education, might have inspired Wollstonecraft as well. Some might question why Wollstonecraft came to be identified as a lead figure in the feminist movement. With regard to the originality of Wollstonecrafts feminist notions, others had already proposed that women could equal mens achievement if they were to be given a similar education, but none had ever given such passionate first-hand accounts of the indignities suffered by women from men. (MM 34,366) During childhood, Mary Wollstonecraft witnessed her fathers abusive treatment of her mother and came to view marriage as an oppressive institution. Her sister, Eliza suffered a nervous breakdown, as a result of her husbands cruelty and abuse. Mary convinced Eliza to abandon her husband, but divorces were not commonly available. All the rights were in favor of the man, so her husband ended up keeping all property, as well as their newly born infant, which died within a year. All of these occurrences were intensely devastating and instilled revolutionary ideas in Wollstonecraft. (Abrams 163) At the root of all the indignities suffered by women from men, Wollstonecraft pointed out that men considered females rather as women than human creatures, saying that men only considered them to be alluring mistresses. She discussed the warped perceptions of the civilized women, thinking they only exist to inspire love. She further stated that women were kept that way through false refinement and false system of education.(Abrams 167) Wollstonecraft attempts to unpack the definition of virtue and discusses mens fears of women becoming masculine: the word masculine is only a bugbear. She goes on to say that fondness is a poor substitute for friendship, stating that an intellectually compatible mate would better serve mankind. (Abrams 170) Wollstonecraft discusses Rousseaus notions of women as alluring objects of desire. He stated that with respect to the female character, obedience is the grand lesson which ought to be impressed with unrelenting vigor. (Abrams 175) She goes on to say those women who use their charms to please will find that they cannot have much effect on her husbands heart when they are seen every day. She means to say that feminine graces will only take a woman so far in a relationship. She implies that intellectual compatibility would make for a more enduring and fulfilling marriage. (Abrams 177) In Chapter 10 of her Vindication, Wollstonecraft states that To be a good mother, a woman must have sense, whereas she makes it sound like a social and moral responsibility for women to be educated. (Bartleby.com) She describes a situation in which a womans husband may die and leave her with a large family, stating that A double duty devolves on her. She goes on to say that, for this reason, women should be educated in the character of both father and mother, to form their principles and secure their property. (MM 395) Wollstonecrafts ideas spawned much controversy, and unfortunately, Godwyns publishing of her posthumous love letters discredited her ideas. Neverthless, her ideas carried on through future authors. She likely influenced much of the future feminist literature, though no one was ever to take such an aggressive tone. Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) sought to depict the evils of industrialism, as well as the inequality between employer/employee and the sexes. Christina Rosetti (1830-1894) sought to depict the demise of women through marriage. William Yeats (1865-1939) addressed the evils caused by feminine beauty. Mary Hays, (1760-1843) a friend of Wollstonecraft and her husband addressed the unjustified elevation of the male sex, challenging scriptural text, in hopes of furthering the moral rights and intellectual advancement of woman. (MM 36-37) Amidst all of the alienation in late 18th century Britain, Mary Wollstonecraft was one of many romantic poets who sought to shed light on the corruption and inequality resulting from inherited privileges and false refinements. Others had proposed similar notions of female equality before her time, but none had ever given such passionate first-hand accounts of the oppression suffered by women. Hence, Wollstonecrafts Vindication of the Rights of Women is seen as one of the cornerstones in early feminist literature.