Home Depot Essay

The company I am selecting for this project is Home Depot. Home Depot is an American company involved in home improvement and construction products and services. This company is situated in Atlanta and is considered as the largest home improvement retailer in United States of America. The firm works in a retail industry with emphasis on the selling of products related to the construction business with more focus on providing services which focus on providing solutions to the customer needs in terms of providing excellent services with more focus on respecting the customers as well as the society within which the firm works. The rationale behind selecting this company is the fact that it is the largest firm in its chosen field of business and only the second largest retailer in US. Over the period of time, it has emerged itself as one of the most successfully companies with innovative management practices and strategies which allowed taking lead from its much stronger competitors. The history of the company is not that old as the firm was founded in late 1970’s. Success in such short period of time speaks volumes about the way company has been managed and taken care off. Further, it is also important to mention that the company has diversified into many different businesses thus providing itself necessary leverage to withstand different economic shocks as well as external risks. Recent performance of the firm suggest that there has been, on average, a growth of 10% which has been achieved by the company pointing towards the strong market potential as well as penetration of the firm into the local market. It is because of these reasons that I have chosen this company for my project.

“Death of a Salesman” by Miller and “A Doll’s House” by Ibsen Essay

â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"A Doll’s House† are two plays that were written in different centuries. In these plays, among other things, is presented the place that women hold in the family, as well as in the society. Although in many aspects, the two protagonists of the plays, Linda and Nora respectively, appear to have things in common, at the same time they are very different, since Nora seems to be more modern and liberal than Linda, which is ironic given the fact that Ibsen wrote his play seventy years earlier than Miller. The representation of the two women in these two plays is what will be discussed in this paper. In â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, Linda embodies the role of the traditional American woman, which was to take care of her husband, her children and the house, regardless of her personal aspirations, and dreams. The woman is expected to stay at home and engage in everyday house works, like cooking, cleaning and sewing, while the man, as the head of the family, is expected to find a well-respected job position because it was the man’s duty to provide for the entire family. So Linda has given up on everything she hoped for in her life, she sacrificed herself, just to be with her husband and her two sons, even though her husband doesn’t seem to be treating her very well. Willy disregards every word Linda attempts to interject in family conversations by interrupting her and accusing her of interrupting him. He shouts at her, he doesn’t let her speak and when she does, he speaks to her badly. A distinct example is the passage towards the end of Act I, in which Linda attempts in vain to speak her mind: Linda: â€Å"Maybe things are beginning to-† Willy: â€Å"Stop interrupting!† (1907), and later on when Linda tries again to say something Willie tells her abruptly â€Å"Will you let me talk?† (1907), while he is the one doing most of the talking all this time. Despite her husband’s constant degradation, Linda appears to be a woman who is very loyal, loving, caring and understanding to her husband. Not even once did she complain about Willy’s belittling behavior. Linda seems to be for Willy the perfect wife: she always speaks very nicely to him, she makes sure that his clothes are always mended, and that he has got everything he needs with him before he leaves for a trip. She loves him very much and she doesn’t seem to hold against him the terrible way that he treats her. A distinct example is the fact that right after the incident of insulting her, she proposes to sing to him a lullaby, so that he could relax : Linda: â€Å"Just rest. Should I sing to you?† Willy: â€Å"Yeah. Sing to me† (1909). At the same time, Linda stands up for him, takes his side, even if it means to get into a fight with her sons, for not treating him with the respect he deserves as their father: Linda: â€Å"He’s the dearest man in the world to me, and I won’t have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue †¦Either he’s your father and you pay him that respect, or else you’re not to come here† (1902). Also, and she tries to protect him by asking for their sons’ help, when she realized that he had been trying to commit suicide, since she didn’t want to do anything that would let Willy know that she has understood that he wanted to die. She was very concerned not to hurt her husband’s pride, realizing that if she confronted him, Willy would be devastated: â€Å"How can I mention it to him? Every day I go down and take away that little rubber pipe. But, when he comes home, I put it back where it was. How can I insult him that way?† (1904). Linda is also a very dedicated mother to her children, that she managed to raise in the best way possible, when she was all alone with them, while her husband was away for a long period of time. She has always been with them; she has educated them since the day they were born and she has tried to install in them good values. Even now, that her sons are adults, she still reprimands them about being selfish, impolite, rude and disrespectful towards their father. And her sons seem to love her and think very highly of her; for them she’s the perfect role model for a future wife: Happy: â€Å"Somebody with character, with resistance! Like Mom, y’know?† (1885) This is ironic, since her own husband doesn’t seem to appreciate her, and treats her  badly. On the other hand, Nora, the protagonist of â€Å"A Doll’s House†, represents the society’s notion for the women in the late 1800s, which is not very different from that of the mid 1900s, in the sense that the wife has to stay at home, taking care of her husband and children, and doing all the household chores. Under no circumstance is a woman expected to work and contribute to the family income for the man, for once more, the man is the one that works and brings in the money. Thus, poor Nora is financially dependent, in a great extent, on Trovald, and every time she wants to buy something she has to ask him to give her some money: Nora: â€Å"Your could always give me money, Torvald. Only what you think you could spare. And then I could buy myself something with it later on.† (1768). Nora, like all the women of her era, is controlled by her husband, who is the one that wants to make all the decisions for her, even what she would or wouldn’t eat, like when he forbidden her to eat the macaroons that she liked so much. Nora, just like Linda, is very concerned with her husband’s health, but instead of just watching she decides to do what she can to save his life, even if this means acting behind his back and hurting his pride, in order to get the necessary amount of money to save his life. Nora: â€Å"Torvald is a man with †¦ pride – it would be terribly embarrassing and humiliating for him if he thought he owed anything to me† (1775) because for a man that was considered to be strong enough, it would be regarded as an insult to admit that he needs the help of a helpless woman. What Nora did shows that although she appears to be a typical woman of her era, in reality she’s very different, she is a rebel that risks everything so that she won’t lose the man that she loves. In the end, when everything is revealed, she’s very hurt, for she realized that the man that she risked everything for never loved her, and that all she was to him was a beautiful toy-d oll to play with, and not a person with real feelings. The way that the men in her life have treated her is expressed in one word through the metaphor that Ibsen uses: a doll. That has been very confusing to Nora and her role as a mother of three children, since it has made her  also think her children as dolls. The only thing that Nora does with her children is to play games. She has completely trusted their upbringing to the nursemaid without worrying about them or trying to teach them values and how to behave, like Linda did. In the end, she realizes that she would have never become a good mother to her children, and in fear of hurting them or turning them into dolls she decides to leave them forever: â€Å"And never see the children again either. Never, never.† (1813). In the end, Nora realizes that she had been living a lie, and she is faced with the dilemma of engaging the responsibilities to her husband and children or the responsibilities to herself. But the need to break free from the simple, decorative roles that she has been assigned, and to find herself, is greater than anything else. She can’t be of any use to anyone without discovering her self first, and see what she can do on her own: â€Å"If I’m ever to reach any understanding of myself and the things around me, I must learn to stand alone† (1818). She’s young and beautiful, contrary to Linda who stayed until the end with her husband and children, and she has the whole life ahead of her to love and to be loved, make a new family, since she finally made the decision to leave Trovald and never come back, unless â€Å"a miracle of miracles† (1821) would happen. Both plays discuss the position of the women in the family and in the society. Two different women, from two different times were victims of their era. The one is old, unattractive but caring and supportive; she is Linda, the woman of the 1940s. The other is young, and beautiful but also more modern and demanding; she is Nora, the woman of the 1870s. Both of them weren’t happy with their lives, but only one of them, Nora, finds the strength to leave and change her life. And that is why the Linda was the victim of the capitalistic society, while Nora’s more of a feminist.

What cyber events could really cause terror in the Australian population?

The whole issue of cyber events such as attacks is complex with potential debates ranging from deployments by terrorist to disruption of information systems and computer viruses. The potential damages which can be brought by cyber events have drown concern from the government, media and the society at large. This paper seeks to explain the cyber events which are likely to cause terror in the Australian population. The efficiency and effectiveness of defense department of any country relies entirely on the effective of communication and data transfer.However, if the Australian defense communication system attacked by enemies through the interruption of the communication networks in the cyberspace and put under the enemies’ influence through remote control, it would be rendered ineffective and a threat to the national security. Further to this, radar stations would be paralyzed to a level where they cannot detect unauthorized foreign aircrafts from accessing the Australian space .In addition to this, the Australian fighter jets would become vulnerable to electronic attacks. This could result from harmful software which could be instilled in advance to the avionic systems by their enemies. In this context, such cyber events put threat to the national security of Australia. The increasingly high growing rate of cyber crimes poses a threat to the security of Australian commerce and banking institutions.This is evidenced by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization’s annual report which revealed that enemies were using the internet to access confidential business information. If these institutions were attacked, this would put the whole Australian banking system at risk of losing the investor’s confidence on keeping their financial statements confidential and subjecting them to enemies hence creating a loop hole for further attacks.Cyber attacks could also lead to access to confidential government, which could paralyze government operation s. This is evidenced by the attack of the government’s internet filtering system by enemies and the overload of the prime minister’s web side with information requests. The prime minister’s web site was also attacked and loaded with pornography information. Such events impose security threats to the prime minister and the whole population at large.

Theory and Personal Development - Person centered and Psychodynamic Essay

Theory and Personal Development - Person centered and Psychodynamic Counseling - Essay Example Freud was a student of von Brucke's and took on many of his ideas regarding psychology. The psychodynamic approach is epitomized by classic psychoanalysis, in which the patient seeks to experience the "truth" about themselves through breaking down the defenses that have built up to prevent them from reliving the events and processes in their past that have created the problems they are experiencing in the present day. This approach states that present conditions have identifiable causes in the past. Cause and effect is at work. Within my own life psychodynamic counseling might be suitable for uncovering my feelings and experienced in growing up with a brother who had learning disabilities and who received attention and financial support from my parents that at the time I felt was being withheld from me. Psychodynamic counseling might enable me to answer the question of whether this now distant feeling of being rejected influences me today. Are there stresses within my present personal relationships that reflect this past feeling of abandonment Sibling rivalry is of course a generally accepted fact of most psychological models, but in my case is it exasperated and thus lengthened because of the unique circumstances of my relationship with my brother The psychodynamic approach might also be used to explore the fact that I had a "caretaker" role within my family at a comparatively young age, due to my mother's multiple pregnancies and what I now identify as post-partum depression. Did I become self-reliant to an unhealthy extent, thus distancing myself from people Again, this type of approach would seek to uncover the true nature (and thus influence) of these past experiences and seek to apply them to my present psychological state. In the psychodynamic state, the past is indeed prologue to present. Further, it is almost determinative in nature (Parkes, 1971). In contrast, the person-centered, or humanistic counseling, would concentrate upon the manner in which I perceive myself consciously in the present and would only consider my childhood as it directly affects my present situation. Thus the fact that I desire to have children, but have so far been unable to get pregnant might be explored vis--vis my mother's bad pregnancy experiences. This past would be a direct effect upon my conscious mind however, rather than the sub/unconscious influence that might prevail within the psychodynamic model and which would thus need to be revealed to me through my psychotherapist. As Jacobs (1986) suggests, the psychotherapist needs to be sure that he/she does not dominate the process to the degree that the actual subject is lost within a morass of interpretation. I am also presently considering whether if my husband and I do have children they will experience the same poor childhood that I did. Essentially, will I be as bad a mother as my mother was The person-centered approach would take this question at face value - and essentially assume that my mother was indeed a bad mother - and explore how this belief influences me in the present day. Psychodynamic counseling would explore how I had come to the conclusion that my parents were bad parents, and what effect it had

Courts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Courts - Research Paper Example The court systems that interpret and put the la into practice are called the judiciary. The courts have the jurisdiction to deliver verdicts after A successful trial (Janda, 2008). Reforming the organization of courts In order to enhance the judicial court system delivery, various elementary measures ought to be instilled into correct use. These include aspects of administration that aim at enhancing service delivery to the public and the corporate world. Parties who present their cases ought to feel at home and well served. To achieve these rectifications in the operations of the courts has to be altered for the good of the people. The judicial branches sought to be transformed immediately. This spells out modes of selection of judges; the ways that they are punished and evaluated according to their performance and overall delivery to services presented to them, this practice ensures that the decisions or verdicts arrived at are credibly justifiable and correct (Janda, 2008). The ve rdict delivered in this case should be free from bias or personal conveniences. Thus, this practice of judicial reform uses or results into the citizens or involved parties served by the courts developing profound trust in the judicial system and, thus, is more likely to cooperate in ensuring that anything unlawful is punished accordingly. Go further enhance judicial efficient and fruitful judicial conduct in handling of cases; the ministry of justice has to distribute capital reinforcement required in the maintenance of the courts and related affairs. This money is supposed to be remitted to the treasury and its use highly scrutinized all through to enhance proper use. Thus, with this kind of reinforcement, the court will have reformed positively and directed towards quality legal service delivery for welfare of the entire community. To increase the speed of service delivery in courts and the entire judicial affiliations, several correctional policies ought to be inculcated in the progression of the court processes. Basically, one of the chief quandaries that hamper quickly an effectual service delivery in courts and entire judicial affiliations is the prevalence of backlog due to slow or extremely ineffective legal service delivery systems that only involves overdependence on human skill only and does not involved use of enhancing techniques. F or instance, in many law courts, the judges, justices, lawyers and other personnel in the workforce usually work depending only on their physical abilities. These abilities include the use of extensive hardcopy filing systems in their records and references (Jones, 2003). They therefore have to carry with them the cumbersome documents for use during court processions. This is tiresome and brings about sluggishness in the solving of cases during court processions. Thus, as a corrective and enhancive measure to combat the imminent sluggishness in law interpretation and applications, computers have to be utilized in the courts and related associations. These computers can be used to store information in form of files, in translation systems, in doing of camerawork and in the monitoring of security in the court rooms. Introduction of computers in the court therefore counteracts the trade offs and pitfalls that slow down theses processes. Enhancement of quick disposition of cases is, thus, buffered, creating more opportunities to

Marketing Research on Internet Television Essay

Marketing Research on Internet Television - Essay Example It would be conducted using qualitative method, along with two sets of Questionnaires, first, containing personal data about the respondents, and second, the relevant rankings of the preferences in the score 1-5, 1 being assigned for strong disagreement, and progressive rankings given for level of preferences till rank 5 for strong agreement, ascribed to the highest preference or usage liking. A Sample of Personal data Questionnaire is being attached as an Appendix to this work. The Main Statements that would be put forth to the respondents and tested are as follows:1. The respondents believe that these forms or mediums are easy to use given the benefits and satisfaction of watching television on them. Computer Terminals, Mobile phones, iPod, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, PDA. 2. The respondents favour watching internet Television on the following mediums: Computer Terminals, Mobile phones, iPod, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, PDA. 3. The respondents intend to watch Television on the following mediums: Computer Terminals, Mobile phones, iPod, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PDA. 4. The respondents have actually used internet TV on the following mediums and have been satisfied with its use: Computer Terminals, Mobile phones, iPod, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PDA. 5. TV on the following mediums will be useful in improving the respondents' life style and standard of living: Computer Terminals, Mobile phones, iPod, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PDA. The Methodology would need to consider the following aspects pertaining to the survey: Objective: The main objective of this research study would be to determine the popularity levels of computer terminals vis--vis other devices for television viewing. This also needs to consider the relative ranking of... The work is aimed at finding out popularity of TV in comparison with other digital means in the UK. The author carries out a survey to determine the ranking of popularity of television against its main competitors – computer terminals, Mobile phones, iPod, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PDA. The survey is a number of house-to-house surveys in a district of Sussex, England. The experiment with the questionnaire, interviews, focus group respondents, external secondary data are thoroughly described. The author comes to conclusions that accordingly to the facts and figures that have been made available in this study, the active role of internet computer technology forms the nucleus of any modern business or recreational need. At the same time the author points out the disadvantages of the internet dominance. Its overuse can become a form of abuse also and in the process, it creates more harm than good. For one thing, it could veer children away from their educational and career pursui ts and create addiction on a larger scale, which may require counseling and intervention if allowed to continue over a long time period. This obsession with television and the internet should be controlled effectively in order to develop and nourish individual capacities and, in the larger scale, one’s physical and psychological health. While it needs to be given the wider depth in the context of modern ecommerce aided business, it also needs to be controlled and managed effectively to build up a healthier environment.

Minority Leadership in the military Research Paper

Minority Leadership in the military - Research Paper Example Minorities are often subjected to stereotypes and they are usually not expected to acquire higher positions. They are always looked upon with suspicious eyes and their ability is almost always questioned. In the same way females are also looked down upon in professions like military. In this paper we will look into the minority representation in army and whether it represents the minority representation in the society at large. The educational and financial background of minorities will also be considered and their impact on leadership style will be analyzed. The main question we would like to answer here is whether race or gender has an impact on leadership or management decisions in military or not. It is important to understand the dynamics of minorities in a society in order to better understand how minorities feel and how the society feels about them. Minorities in a society are characterized by cohesion and close relationships. This is because they feel threatened by other majority groups in the society. Minority groups also try to differentiate themselves from ‘others’ and this is done to protect their identity. There are united because they have no place to go and they feel compelled to remain a part of their social group. Society in general feels negatively about minorities which in turn increases the cohesion in minorities. Military profession is seen as a patriotic profession and the job is to defend the country. This is why tensions between majority and minority groups is common in military. Majority group is always suspicious of the patriotism of the minority groups and therefore their representation is always low in military. An example would be in the United States of America when African Americans were not allowed to serve in the army before the Civil War. It was only when it was inevitable that they were allowed to serve in the military. Majority group in most cases feels suspicious of the minority group because they believe minorities

Multinational Corporation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Multinational Corporation - Assignment Example In reality, many international investors are seemingly small and weak. For instance, multinational firms originating from developing countries have become a visible force in the world of FDI (Wells, 1983) Small and medium-sized firms also play significant roles in outward investment (Buckley et al, 1988), which have benefited many countries, thereby ending up in predicting future threats. "FDI is a cross-border production activity that takes place for a number of reasons. Investment decisions are affected by market size and cost differentials, with firms investing in locations with relatively low production costs". (Barrell, 1997) After grappling with the question of why MNCs engages in International production, four theories are identified that attempts to explain four motivations for FDI, named Monopolistic Advantage Theory, Oligopolistic Reaction Theory, Internationalisation Theory and the Eclectic Paradigm. Hymer suggests that FDI occurs in imperfectly competitive markets and adopted an industrial organisation approach to explain the process of international production. Kindleberger details the nature of the monopolistic advantages that the foreign investor may possess over its domestic competitors. Thus, he indicates that these advantages may arise in the goods market to achieve vertical or horizontal integration. Kindleberger also states that monopolistic advantages may arise through the actions of government in the host country. In restricting imports, the government may inadvertently stimulate FDI. However, Caves argues that the vertically extended foreign investor does not rely on the possession of these unique assets. Its motivations for international production are to avoid oligopolistic uncertainty concerning the long-term supply and pricing of its inputs as well as to erect barriers to entry against new rivals. Hood and Young (1979) postulate that the monopolistic advantage theory fully explains the FDI made by US multinational enterprises during the post-World War II period. However, they question whether the MNC needs to possess any advantage when investing in developing countries, since it is confronted with little domestic competition. They cite the example of Japanese ventures in developing countries that are faced with few, if any, effective local competitors. (Hood and Young, 1979) Oligopolistic Reaction Theory Knickerbocker argues that a rival firm's moves into a foreign market not only could threaten the corporate earnings of the other oligopolists, but also could result in it acquiring competitive assets far in excess of those it already possesses. Thus, he posits, the defensive investment undertaken by the other oligopolists serves to maintain the balance of competition within the industry. (Barclay, 2000, p. 23) Knickerbocker postulates that it is the firms

UPS part 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UPS part 3 - Essay Example In the process of discussing the interrelationship between the identified throughput variables, whether or not they fit together or work towards the opposite ends will be discussed. Since the Burke-Litwin is a very complicated model, the analysis made in this study will be limited to transactional variables identified in the article entitled â€Å"A Casual Model of Organizational Performance and Change† by Burke and Litwin. Prior to conclusion, the main cause of each identified organizational problems will be discussed. Since UPS is a global company that provides the public with package delivery services to as much as 200 countries and territories all over the world (UPS), UPS management is composed of 11 major business positions which is headed by D. Scott Davis – the Chairman and CEO of the company (UPS b). The main task of UPS employees is to ensure that the company is able to deliver millions of packages around the world each day. Since UPS employees is highly dependent on the use of information and communication technology (ICT), each employee is expected to be knowledgeable with the use of modern communication equipments which includes UPS official website and the use of handheld Delivery Information Acquisition Devices (DIAD) (UPS c). Basically, the use of these electronic gadgets will make it easier on the part of each employee to manage, operate, and keep track of its daily business transactions such as the shipment and delivery schedules around the world on a real-time basis. Given that the main task of UPS employee is very complex in nature, managers are responsible in ensuring that each employee is highly motivated to deliver fast and reliable customer service at all times. To effectively develop management practices that will enable them to attain the organizational goal, managers should focus on developing a good

Gamma Camera Quality Control Essay Example for Free

Gamma Camera Quality Control Essay Quality control focuses on detection of errors performance changes of gamma camera systems which may adversely affect nuclear medicine interpretation (Technical Standards Subcommittee, 1999:1). Based on already prescribed baseline conditions, routine checks are conducted to ensure that the camera operated within the allowable limits. There are quite a number of factors which may contribute to final imaging quality of a gamma ray camera. These include resolution (intrinsic and energy), uniformity, collimation and the device for hard copy (Technical Standards Subcommittee, 1999:1). Additionally, various studies have suggested like other factors like count rate ability also affect image quality of gamma ray camera. Daily QC operations are often limited to monitoring of parameters that are considered most sensitive to the performance of the system and those that are likely to affect nuclear medicine studies. This experimental review focuses on critical quality control areas of gamma camera systems. These are background/contamination check, flood field uniformity and spatial resolution (intrinsic/extrinsic) and finally the whole body scan resolution. The quality control is assisted by a SIEMENS ECAM gamma camera at the nuclear medicine department of Prince Wales Hospital. Background/contamination check This check aims to examine the gamma camera/scanning room contamination. It is recorded from the routine gamma camera QC tests. It is important to note that radionuclide contamination is not observable using naked human eye (NEMA, 1994). Such could result into the patient and the technician’s subjection to increased and unnecessary radiation doses. Contamination results from an array of factors including container leakage, patient secretion and general accidents. Additionally, increased background radiation levels may result from â€Å"hot† patient’s proximity to unshielded radiation from imaging devices (Busemann, Kugi Bergmann, 1993:896). Potential penetration through the neck of the camera is also possible in such instances where high energy agents are used. When of sufficient intensity ? 500, it could potentially sacrifice imaging quality (Busemann, Kugi Bergmann, 1993:896). Various researches have suggested that backgrounds with moderate elevation could potentially compromise intrinsic uniformity and other measurements. Results: The results from the practical put the background intensity at ? 200-400 cps (monitor observation) The result falls within the accepted limits thus significantly represented good environment for quality imaging assuming all the other factors are unaffected. Uniformity Uniformity QC checks aims at ensuring that detector’s responses to uniform radiation are kept uniform within specified limits. This is one of the basic QC tests in gamma camera applications. This is based on the fact that the camera is operated on the principle that observed differences originate from patient tracer distribution and thus the gamma camera induces no differences (NEMA, 1994). Defects in uniformity may be marked and focal for instance when photomultiplier tubes fail, and as a result of general uniformity degradation across the view field due to distorted spatial linearity/corrections for energy (Cranage Peake, 1979: 81). When uniformity is checked using a collimator, it is referred to as an extrinsic uniformity check while in such instances when a collimator is not used, it is referred to as extrinsic uniformity check (Cranage Peake, 1979: 81).

Nature of Sociological Theory

Nature of Sociological Theory THE NATURE OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY OKUMAGBA, OGHENERO PAUL, FAYEYE, J.O.   EJECHI, EUCHARIA SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY DEFINITION AND MEANINGS Different people see Sociological theory in different ways. Different people have regarded different aspects of sociology as theory and students are also involved because their works are based on theories. How do we define a theory? In other to give an answer to this question, we must have some definition which must help us in this task. Mennell, S. (1972) distinguished what a theory should be and what by convention is named Sociological theory. He started by saying that sociology theory in some cases is not sociological theory. What this means is that, it deals in most cases with a body of ideas attached to theory, and this is not always their in the strict Sense of it. For Mennel a real sociological theory is formalized and ultimately testable explanations which are accumulated to a large extent in the ordinary process of Sociology Research i.e. sociological theory must be related to Sociological Research. Our theories may only try to explain limited and specific properties of reality. They may belong to some or all area of sociology such as Urban sociology, Sociology of the Family, Political sociology etc. i.e. they may only cover an aspect of sociology and not all. They may be what R.K. Merton calls MIDDLE RANGE THEORIES, i.e. theories that are interested in specific or limited areas e.g Social roles. Mennel goes on to ask the question, what is social theory in the customary sense. Sociological theory is a general collection to topics. it also tends to include the discussion of Some Epistemological issues such as what is science, what is sociological theory. Is it a science? Etc. this is what Stephen Mennel refers to as META THEORY. There is another category which Mennel calls PARA-THEORY. He got this from the works of Ralph Dorhendorf. He defines it as all statement before, around and after Sociological theory which are capable of empirical test themselves but are geared towards theories, We also wasn’t to distinguish this type of theory from what is known a s BASK THEORY. It does not necessary have to be scientifically validated, i.e. it does not contain empirical components as it basis. Although most of the great Sociologists may have developed theory without going on to test them. They ore more or less based on their experience or from reading. Some writers have called the above type GRAND THEORY. This theory is concerned with providing a scheme that can be used to explain the empirical data of research. This type of theory depends on interrelated construct, concepts, prepositions, scientific statements etc. that presents a systematic view of phenomenon by specifying relationship among variables with the purpose of explaining and predicting phenomenon. This type of their is based on data collected from society and it is usually used in explaining certain segments of social reality. We may s ay that Grand theory is based on abstractive ideologies, patterns and principles which undering given nature and social world order i.e. it is global scheme. Ware as empirically based theory concentrates on formulating, generalizing from specific data in other to explain phenomenon. We may say at this point, that the two seems necessary in order to provide a concueate analysis of social reality. However, they may not be isolated from eac h. other. Grand theory tends to be constructed on abstract terms and we may question what process of abstraction does it given to the understanding of the whole social process. Empirically. based theory is derived solely from the data collected from social processes. For Goode and Hatt:†¦. a theory states a logical relationship between facts. From this theory other prepositions can be deduced that should be true, if the first relationship holds. These d educed propositions are hypotheses. To them, and to many others as well, a hypothesis is a minor theory. it â€Å"states what† were looking for† and â€Å"Leads to an empiritical test†. It is a proposition capable to empirical verification but not yet verified. It is apparent at there is more then a semblance of circularity in the reasoning of those who discuss the relationship between a theory and a hypothesis. It is commonly claimed that all â€Å"scientific† hypotheses arc- derivations from empirically supportable theory. It is also typically asserted that every theory had its beginnings in on hypothesis. Hence, one mans hypothesis may be another’s theory. It all depends on the aim and ingenuity of the investigator. Scientific theories are logical systems of propositions which attempt to account for why phenomena ore the way they are and predict their behaviour. Theories are built of data generated, for example Mertonian paradigms and sociological perspectives are synonymous. The direct data generation and theorizing efforts to some aspects of the social world. Thus one can produce specific theories from a particular perspectives e.g. the theory of segmenting opposition and Merton’s social structure and anomie theory fall within the functional perspective. A theory can also be seen as a logically consistent statement of causal laws. Causal laws ore statements of regularities in concomitant occurrences between antecedents and events. The question we should be asking ourselves is, Are we limited by the process of data collection? We have to have a facilitating relationship between the two. Theories which are based on empirical footing helps to direct the grand theory and provides concrete d ata for the grand theory and helps the researcher develop a conceptual framework. The word ‘theory’ derives its meanings and usage from the user. To call a statement a theory is sometimes intended to increase its value by suggesting that it goes beyond ‘mere facts’ e.g when a person says I hove a theory about James he means that he cannot be deceived by him. But sometimes, the word theory as clearly used to reduce the value of a speculative idea by denying it a close connection with reality. In this sense it is often asserted â€Å"tings are all right in theory† but not in practice. Theories would have no value if they did not go beyond facts. Facts are nothing more than statements which we believe to bear truth about particular events which have occurred. Theories ore not meant to be about particular events but about the whole categories of events, it is generally said that Theories or some theories are nothing but general facts. A statement general fact would be either a shorthand or number of statements of the same kind or type, a general statements of the characteristics of a type of events. It is true that all theories go beyond facts; however not all statement which go beyond facts are theories. For example if say that, the colonial masters colonized Nigeria, and established a foreign culture that would otherwise not have developed. I am going beyond facts, but no one can know what culture would have developed if there had been no Colonization in the first instance. However, one can guess, and ones guess is an hypothesis. This guess is not a theory; because it stated something about particular events or particular complexes or events but it states nothing in general about the characteristics of colonial domination. To be testable this theory would have to state the kind of evidence that could be treated as refuting it. Instances of species which have survived being w c-Il adapted to particular environment or instances of Species which were well adapted to a particular environment but which had not survived. In the final analysis, the criterion of a adaptability is the capacity for survival 1.e. One does not really know how adoptable a species is until one has already observed its Capacity for survival. The fact that such a theory is not strictly testable does no mean that it has little value. Its values lies in directing inquiries of the students of evolution In conjunction other theories, some of which are highly testable it has helped evolutionary biologists to explain a great deal. Its own role is programmatic, it says if you are making enquires of this kind, makes a species more or less adaptable table in a particular environment This has proved useful. This example removed the assumption that if is only the social sciences attempt to be satisfied or utilize theories which ore not strictly testable. TYPES OF THEORY Cohen; (1968) in his book Modern Social Theory out lined four broad types of theories and they are as follows: Analytical Theory Normative Theory Metaphysical theory Scientific theory ANALYTICAL THEORY These are like theories of mathematics or logic which may state nothing about the real world but consist of some sets of axiomatic statements which are true by definition and from which other statements ore derived for example Adam Smith’s their on human economy which stress that people tend to maximize their gains while minimizing their losses. NORMATIVE THEORY These theory elaborates a set of ideal state of which one may aspire for example, ideologist fall within this category Normative theories are subjective in the sense that they deal with the ideal or what ought to be rather than what is. METAPHYSICCAL THEORY These are theories which are beyond the senses in other words, they have no empirical foundation. A good example is Darwin’s theory on Evolution of man and Malthusian’s theory of population. SCIENTIFIC THEORIES This is ideally a universal empirical statement which exacts a causal connection between two or more variables (or types of events). At this simplest, it has this form e.g. whenever x occurs they Y occur X = Y. Scientific theories are universal because it state something about the condition under which some events or types of events always occur If theories go beyond facts, they must have a connection with reality. Hence no experience of reality is worth recording, or could be recorded if it is not for theories. The most elementary theories, which we use a re embedded in our language. All language must use certain universal, categories; and to use a universal category is in effect to use a theory. If for example It says’ that ‘James is a deviant presume certain universal characteristics associated with deviance, as opposed to conformity. Without universal categories there will he no communication, without communication there will be no culture, no society, no science, no technology, no shored experience of die world of reality. Theoretical consideration end theoretical concepts, implicit or explicit have an essential rule in shaping the direction of research, in direction observation an and in guiding description itself, For a theory to be used wisely with sharp awareness, awareness users must have the knowledge of its nature and of its varieties. We need to know its concepts and diverse terminological forms they take. We should be familiar with the history of sociological theoretical endeavours with its changing emphasis, its successes and failure, and its promise for the future, These in themselves constitute the subject matter of the studying of sociological theories. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORYAND SOCIAL ORDER Theory is a set of prepositions complying ideally with the following conditions; The propositions must be put in terms of exactly defined concepts. They must be consistent with one another. They must be such that from them the existing generalization could be deductively derived. They must be fruitful i.e. show the way to further observation and generalizations were increasing the scope of knowledge. From the foregoing, sociological theory can be understood in the sense in which the word theory is used in other sciences. Hence it is; ‘a structure of systematically organized law like propositions about society that con be supported by evidence. The aim a sociological theory from the foregoing is explanation that goes beyond description and systematic definition (or taxonomy). Some characteristics of sociological theory. It is needful to odd that many sociological theories do not meet the ideal criteria of science (i.e. universality, empruism, and causality). CHARACTERIST1C OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Theories are thoughts and ideas used to explain particular Social phenomenon or situations in society. It is a set of systematically relatered propositions a imed at explaining a particular situation. They are thoughts, ideas, or conceptual schemes used to solve societal problems. A theory is good and useful when it is able to solve problems successfully. Sociological theories attempts to explain and investigate problems, issues or events within the context of observable social phenomenon, they attempt to offer scientific and theoretical explanation which on the basis of the past have immediate applicability and are also capable of application to similar problems in the future. All theories attempt more than anything also the question â€Å"Why†. All contemporary sociological theories are selective in their analysis of social phenomenon. No one theory con interest or explain a total social phenomenon (such as the Grand Theory by TALCOTT PARSONS and middle range theories by ROBERT K. MERTON) for example, DEMOGRAPHISM as a sociological perspective is concerned with man’s various responses caused by increase in population. Then TECHNOLOG1SM emphasizes the effect of technology on man and social organization, while ECOLOGISM emphasizes the influence of non human environmental on human behaviour. Contemporary sociological theories must be empirically grounded. They are not merely thoughts or speculations. They are not â€Å"armed chair theories† but are based on observable facts that can be subjected to scientific observation and analysis. They are thoughts backed by verified fact or knowledge. Sociological theories tends to state scietific and observable relationships between variables usually between the dependent and independent variables. independent Variable -independent Variable X Y All sociological theories attempts to solve the problem of order in the society, All contemporary sociological theories deal with social phenomenon that are either imposed or generated by the individuals and these imposed or generated phenomena must either be subjective or objective. Finally, any sociological theory that does not fall into these set of categories is not qualified to be called a sociological theory. FUNCTIONS OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES Theories in any discipline have certain function which they perform in investigation info societal problems, It extends the Scope of the original empirical findings by showing the interrelationship between various variables. It provides facts for the accumulation of both theory and research findings. If increase the fruitfulness of research through the successive exploration of the implicajiohs of research findings. lt introduces a ground for the predictions. It entails precision which is derivable from test-ability or verification The importance of precision in theory was stated by R.K, Merton when he wrote those theories which admits a precise precision confirmed by observation taken on strategic importance since they provide an initial basis for choice between competing hypothesis. THE CENTRAL PROBLEMS OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND SOCIAL ORDER The Problems of Order To take the position that sociological theory centers around the problem of social order may result into laying criticism of conservation ideological bias. To those who sees conflict, they will assume that the position presents or emphasizes order and affirms its desirability. It is certain that people in most societies desire order, they may not accept any kind of order at all cost. The fact that order is desired by many does not justify its central position in sociological theory. When order is presented as being at the centre of sociological theory it is done so because of the following Order is itself something positive, and its opposites only conceivable in terms of it. The very idea of human society presupposes order. The existence of social order is problematic and cannot be taken for grated. The investigation of the problem of order illuminates (or shows) the nature of disorder in its various aspects.

What is Knowledge? Philosophy Essay

What is Knowledge? Philosophy Essay What is truth? What is knowledge? These seemingly simple questions lie at the heart of philosophys oldest debates. They have generated numerous theories, revealed issues of perception, cognition and certainty and they occupy philosophers today just as they did thousands of years ago: While our records on the topic go back as far as half a millennium B.C., important works on truth have been published as recently as 2009 (by Michael Lynch, on pluralism see David [2009]). The first part of this essay covers the topics of beliefs and truth and puts an emphasis on a defense of a correspondentist conception of truth, while the second part moves on to a discussion of knowledge based the thesis that knowledge is objective, and can be defined as justified true belief based on sufficient evidence. This paper is thus an argumentative paper, striving to defend the opinion of the author by engaging in a philosophical discussion. I. Truth Truth is a concept that, as established above, has numerous theories that established their own definitions and criteria to determine whether a truthbearer a statement, claim, belief etc. that can be true or false is indeed true. I will here focus on neo-classical theories of truth, as they attempt to address the question of what truth is most directly, and since they still serve as a foundation of much of the more recent debates on truth. I will thus leave aside theories such as Pluralism, Deflationism, and numerous other theories, while my focus lies on Correspondent, Pragmatic and Coherence theories of truth. The Correspondent Theory of Truth sees the nature of truth in its correspondence to reality. A statement is considered true if it describes the way things actually are (Russell, 1956). [EXAMPLE]. It is usually considered to presume some sort of realist framework that holds that there is such a thing as a reality outside of our minds, and that we are able to find some sort of relationship to that reality so that we can verify whether a claim is true or not. However, Kirkham (1992) holds that it would also be possible for correspondent theories to break with realism, for example by referring to facts of a world that exists rather in the mind of some superior entity rather than reality. For the sake of simplicity I will here assume correspondentist theories to adhere to ontological realism. The correspondent theory of truth has two prominent competitors and epistemic theories of truth, which I shall now illuminate. First; the coherence theory of truth defines the nature of truth as coherence of a belief to a set or system of established beliefs. This includes the possibility for a truth to become apparent if it is merely entailed by an established belief in the system. Thus, the system of established beliefs is not only a tool to verify the truth of a belief it is the source of the truth. (Glanzberg, 2006). Coherentism rejects the idea that we can access reality to verify our beliefs it is hence related to idealism. Idealists maintain that experience essentially originates in mental activity. Thus, the notion that a set of beliefs describes the world as it is comes naturally to idealists (Glanzberg). [EXAMPLE] Second; the pragmatist theory of truth proposes that whether a belief is true or not depends on the outcome of actions guided by that belief. Truth is thus determined by its practical value (Glanzberg, 2006). Even though the pragmatist theory of truth deserves a richer account, I will not engage with it much further for the sake of conciseness and because it falls prey to two important accusations. On the one hand, a false belief can also turn out to be true based on luck or different causational relationships than assumed. On the other hand, pragmatism does not allow us to make predictions of the future, since it reduces the definition of truth to beliefs of the past that have been confirmed by their outcome. The usefulness of a pragmatist account of truth is thus limited, both for philosophical study as well as the general scientific enquiry to generate truth. II. Belief and Knowledge The word belief in everyday language refers to a claim that we are certain of in varying degrees, that we have evidence for in varying degrees and that may or may not be true. We speak of belief when a young child strongly believes in Sinterklaas, just as we speak of belief when a person vaguely believes that she will receive a fine when parking her car in central Maastricht without a parking ticket. While both cases have varying certainty and varying likeliness to be true, we do not explicitly distinguish to what extent the belief is certain, backed by evidence or whether it is actually true. In philosophy it is specified what kind of belief is referred to. Further, a claim is only called a belief when its holder is certain of it; this means that hope and faith can be excluded from this definition of belief (Creel, 2001). Hereinafter I shall elaborate on three different kinds of belief and how they relate to knowledge in the realist framework. First, a belief based on evidence is closer to being knowledge than a belief without evidence. However, there are many beliefs that are false, despite being backed by some evidence. Surely the child believing in Sinterklaas has some evidence, such as having seen an actor dressed in the Sinterklaas costume, yet her belief is false. Second, let us assume the belief is true and backed by evidence. It can constitute knowledge, but the evidence on which it is based could too weak to conclude that true, evidence based beliefs are knowledge (Creel). Third, the evidence criterion is specified to exclude the possibility of weak evidence the evidence needs to be so strong, that the belief is justified. Is then a belief knowledge, when it can be said to be justified and true? This is where opinions diverge. Creel states that according to the justification theory of knowledge, the justification of a claim needs to be conclusive to be called knowledge. Steup (2006) claims that for a long time a justified true belief (JTB) has been the standard account of knowledge. Both are closely related, and both have been challenged 1963 by Edmund Gettier.

Animal Dreams :: dreams

Animal Dreams   Ã‚   "'Stop it!' I yelled. My heart was thumping. 'You're killing that bird!'" - Codi Noline, Animal Dreams   Those are the words of Codi Noline, a brave heroine with her mind set on rescuing a beautiful but defenseless peacock from horrible torture by a group of demented children on her first day back in her hometown of Grace, Arizona.   Much to Codi's chagrin, the bird turns out to be just a pià ±ata, spilling candy and bright treasures rather than a gory mass of blood and bone.   The children aren't a pack of hopelessly troubled youth engaging in animal mutilation for sport, only a normal group of kids participating in a party game very common to the Southwestern Mexico-influenced culture scared and confused by a stranger's outburst.   Anyone who has seen a pià ±ata might wonder how a person without impaired vision could mistake one of those bright, artificial paper mache creations for a living animal, but sometimes an abnormal state of mind can make the world be viewed through a murkier haze than poor eyesight could ever produce.   Codi's misconception of the peacock incident is a rather humorous story, but it has a deeper underlying meaning.   Things are not always as they seem, whether they are seen with the eyes, the mind, or the heart.   This is a truth Codi learns a little more of every day she is home.   Her own spiritual and emotional journeys are reflected in part by her changing views of the town's pet birds, the peacocks.   The town's women founders, the blue-eyed, dark-haired Gracela sisters from Spain, arrived to wed lonely gold miners and left the small town with a legacy of looks, legends, and unique wild birds. At first, the helplessness of the pià ±ata Codi believes is real "reminds her of her own powerlessness, and the fact that it has no defenders seems like her own lack of protection from  her various losses." (DeMarr, 1999)   Codi's return is not the joyous homecoming of the student voted most popular in high school, but the return of one who has always felt different and alienated.   She sees herself as an outsider because of her looks, her father's insistence that his girls were better than everyone else, and her lack of childhood memories of Grace.   Even before the incident with the pià ±ata, the peacocks pushed themselves to the front of Codi's mind by being the first thing she heard while walking through her quiet town.

Market Segmentation, Positioning and targeting for BMW :: Business and Management Studies

Market Segmentation, Positioning and targeting for BMW 1.1 Introduction This report aims to examine the market segmentation, positioning and targeting of BMW (automobile company). BMW will be examined giving information about the company and where it is now and any recommendations that we feel are appropriate. 1.2 BMW Company Profile BMW was formed in 1917, from the merger of two small aero engine makers. Their famous blue and white symbol stems from the colours of the Bavarian Luftwaffe and is said to resemble the view of the one of their plane through a propeller. BMW is renowned for its sporty, sophisticated & luxury image which has been built up since the 1970's with many motor sport victories ranging from Touring Car to Formula 1. BMW Group's worldwide mission statement is: "To be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry."[1] 1.3 BMW's Marketing Mix To examine BMW we must first look at the marketing mix. A company's marketing mix is made up of four main points these are Price, Product, Promotion and Place. Through these points we can examine the specifics of a company to gain an insight into their segmentation, targeting and positioning. 1.4 Product The products produced by BMW are prestigious, high performance, technologically advanced automobiles. These start from mid-range cars up to the most prestigious and luxurious. The present models are: BMW 3 Series - Saloon, Coupe, Convertible, Touring, Compact ----------------------------------------------------------- BMW 5 Series - Saloon, Touring BMW 7 Series – Saloon BMW Z3 - Roadster BMW Z4 - Roadster BMW Z8 - Roadster BMW X5 - 4WD BMW M - M5, M3 Coupe, M3 Convertible, M Roadster, M Coupe Mini Cooper - an independent brand within the BMW Group[2] 1.5 Price BMW price ranges are from $17,000 to $80,000. There are many options that affect their car prices such as engine size, equipment levels and motor sport versions. This means you can purchase a base model (which is the cheapest) and then add options which may cost as much as ?20,000 more per car. Examples of price: Model ----- Lowest Price. Highest Price cc: BMW 3 Series ?16,265 ?32,870 BMW 5 Series. ?23,540 ?42,010 BMW 7 Series ?52,750e ce. ?60,000 BMW Z3 ?

David Ortan Plc Case Study Essay

1.1.David Orton Plc: A brief overview of merger of Orton group and Costwise David Orton Plc was a result of merger when Orton group, distinguish British Food Retailer Company, acquired Costwise Company in 2005. British CC (competition commission) had reservations at this mighty onset of merger as companies were independently huge retailers already and their reservation was somewhat genuine. The outcome of merger could obviously be a huge monopolize and was evidently aimed at controlling the large market share. The fear laid in commission’s stance that the result of merger will ultimately monopolize certain areas of the region. Nevertheless, it took substantial time to achieve this target as costwise had recognised since very beginning that two companies differ in structure and size therefore it will take quite a while to feel the impact physically. The impression of this merger let staff members of both companies to feel uncertain and uncomfortable, especially of costwise organisation and they feared that each company will be swallowed by the other. Motivational problems related with finance were of major importance to employees of both companies and here too, employees of costwise tended to complain more. The senior management and executive members of costwise company sought to gather and discuss at large weaknesses and strengths of the organisation on realizing that employees’ attitude and perception toward merger could have substantial impact on company’s performance. This meeting cleared company and its employees’ view of the desired merger and future of company was discussed by management personnel (Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D., 2007). 1.2.Motivational state of employees The staff at costwise was more inadequately motivated towards the merger for the most part as capacity is intricately linked with the question of motivation. Some of the employees’ concerns were included salaries issues, intangible rewards, apprehensions, secondary benefits and recognition etc which were being abandoned by the higher management. Employees were also of the view that costwise company didn’t give them a chance to flourish and  grow. They weren’t given deserving opportunities including measures and promotion which otherwise would help them to grow tithing the framework of the organisation. Conversely, management thought that employee’s reduced performance has affected the overall performance of the organisation as a whole. The organisation gave much quality of supervision, interpersonal relations, and efficient administration of regulation and policies of the company. Recognition for outstanding performances, advancement to upper level of tasks and some other general interests of employees were kept low on the other hand. Employees were bound to grow at slow pace as limited or no training programs were carried out by company’s management thus affecting the overall performance of the employees (Mullins, L., 2007). There were, nevertheless some factors which were being appreciated by the employees and which had a direct, progressive affect on employees motivation level. Those factors include sense of interaction, loyalty and trust and chemistry between employees and management which led each party to realise organisational problems occurring within the organisation. The sense of interaction and utmost respect of work were responsible to increase employees’ moral and a practice of trust and loyalty among them could be seen through observation (Kelley, H.H., 1999) 1.3.Attitudes and Perception of the employees In any such situation, there are probable situations where attitudes and perceptions of the associated employees change drastically. One of the obvious attitudes that could be expected from employees is their felling of low self worth. This feeling is probable and any person associated with a company which is going to merge up with another company of twice its size can have it. This circumstance, however, could result in employees’ reduced level of efforts and sometimes deliberately withholding efforts. Poor performance and uncertainty can be suspected in this case which organisations are required to reduce or get ready for the aftermath. Employees’ withdrawal of their commitment to work can seriously damage the stability and competitive advantage it earned during the time therefore managers have to take the responsibility and devise action plan to waive off such situations (Myers, D., 2005) The employees are supposed to have alarming beliefs and questionable attitudes toward the merger and if those attitudes do not get properly managed, it will badly affect the company’s performance. The most questionable attitude in this case could be employee’s perception toward management decisions as it could a sense of uncertainty within them. They become more sensitive to their future as any uncertain thought about company’s decisions and actions could let them thin that their job is at stake. Thus staff turnover is quite probable as no employee could thrive in uncertain work environments. Differences in opinions, either professional or technical could also result in employees’ frustration and developing angry attitude resulted by genuine work complaints (Nelson, D. & Quick, J., 2006) 1.4.Resultant effects Resultant effects which such attitudes can have may include employees’ self-centeredness, their insensitivity to other people, their constant attention and affirmation seeking behaviour which could confront to abrupt in some cases. Lack of cooperation, failure to follow regulations and rules at work and absenteeism could be some results and forms of attitudes which costwise company can expect from its employees. It will be of utmost responsibility of new management to reassure the employees of costwise that they are fundamental assets of the organisation and they have to adequately motivate the employees in best possible manner. It is quite obvious that employees will act in circumstances which dictate their perception of situations. In this scenario, motivation will dictate their perception of jobs. It is also probable that employees of any company compare themselves and their positions with their counterparts and feel a sense of inferiority. Supervisory perception could also be expected for example costwise managers will feel uncomfortable to work under supervision of Orton’s management if any such scenario happens. This will only increase the problem for the costwise organisation and it will also account for bad perception of merger in vicinity of strong factors arousing uncertainty among costwise employees (Buchanan, D. & Huczynski, A., 2004) Self-perceived insufficiencies in comparison to former Ortan organisation are resultant from reasons of differences in development and capacity and the suspicion that ultimately  results in lack of equity. Competition of resources is another perception that has strong effect on employees’ attitudes of both companies as it will cause discrimination since Ortan employees are in better positions than costwise’ thus they are more likely to obtain benefits and resources such as salary increments and training programs . In this case, employees of costwise will obviously feel inadequately compensated and benefited even before the merger. This threat, either real or illusionary, is suppose to cause deep-rooted problems as all such scenarios are directly related with human psychology (Daus, 1997). 1.5.Main issues faced by senior managers Complex work environments and due to some other demographic and technological changes and innovations, senior managers have now augmented responsibility of supervising staff and employees of any organisation. Obviously the most important task is to increase the employees’ performance thus increasing overall performance of the organisation. In a case where employee’s attitudes toward work have been exacerbated by above mentioned factors and attributes, senior managers have to work hard in order to obtain their objective. They need to get employees back to work with full enthusiasm which will help them in scoring tasks and meeting deadlines. There are those employees who want to be supervised, some of them feel certain insecurities, and some feel company’s decisions as threatening their future. Managers are therefore needed to address such issues within the organisation and propose sustainable solutions (Kanigel, R., 1997) Employees’ unethical behaviour is another serious issue which requires mangers to taken care of. Some employees, who are satisfied by the policies and decisions of the organisation, tend to ignore rules and regulations set by the management. They compromise on the delivery and quality of work thus affecting organisation and its outer world relationships. The challenge of such employees’ commitment and motivation is one difficult task which managers at both organisations have to carry out. This can, however, be solved by taking simple steps which first include assessment of the behaviours and attitudes of such employees and of those factors which are responsible for such behaviours and attitudes. For example, a clear observation of the case study  suggests that employees at both organisations weren’t happy for their salary compensations. They in fact found it unsatisfactory that some employees of some departments are getting higher wages whereas some other deserving staff members have not been compensated by the organisation adequately. They had another concern that organisations failed to address their social, emotional, psychological and esteem concerns. Obviously mangers do have the responsibility to take care of such issues if organisations want to increase the motivation of employees (Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R., 2006) Culture, gender, sexual orientation and religion etc. are dominated by the diverse workforce by whom both organisations operate. This diverse workforce thus engenders complexities and challenges for the management as minds of employees are naturally discriminated. These employees do have strong impact on other staff members thus senior managers are more likely to deal with challenging circumstances. Rewards, appreciation, recognition and especially balancing and equal treatment are such tools which can be highly useful in fighting similar challenges. Employees’ interaction has to be monitored by the management and with advancement of telecommunication; the challenge has become strong and important. They have to devise solutions that effectively control this challenging situation since employee privacy has already been restricted in several sectors (Gentile, M. C., 1996). 2.Critical analysis of the study Effective management of organisational behaviour is somewhat critical and requires the management to effectively examine the sources of motivation, group influence and job design among other things. It needs to define behaviour modification procedures which will help the learner to realise and appreciate the direct connection between organisational behaviour and possible consequences of it. Positive reinforcement is an effective tool which includes administrating sentencing on bad or negative behaviour and rewarding good or positive behaviour. The X and Y theories of Douglas McGregor play vital role in effective management of behaviours. Theory X involves the style of rather authoritarian management which recommends that coercion with help of application of threats upon individual is effective as an average individual detests work. The theory also argues about achievement  of organisational objectives through letting individuals concerned about it as an average individual doesnâ₠¬â„¢t like to have responsibility and rather prefer to be secure at all cost. Participative management theory or Theory Y stipulates that individuals are mainly self-directed thus they will have to take the responsibility. According to Douglas McGregor, The capacity to employ creative thinking and imagination is widely spread throughout individuals thus capacity and intelligence is partly utilised by the industry. Ability to possess responsibility and self-direction drives individuals to obtain organisational objectives (Robinson, G., and K. Dechant, 1997) The above discussed theory can be utilised in developing reward schemes and policies for staff members by rewarding those employees with benefits who perform well and grueling those who show bad behaviour and retain poor performances. By implementing this model, employees at David Orton Plc will be more obliged to work hard and return considerable benefits for the organisation in their quest to rewards, promotions, incentives and other forms of recognitions. Another effective methodology in this regard could be the Content theory which deals mainly n the area of individuals’ requirements and demands. These requirements can be broken down further into their primary requirements such as food, clothing, shelter etc. and their secondary requirements such as desire of power, achievement among colleagues, approval and love etc. It is however critical to locate the influence over behaviour by these requirements. The influence by primary needs is easy to understand and identify but influence by secondary requirements on behaviour varies by certain factors and is difficult o understand. The hierarchy of needs theory by Abraham Maslow tends to explain the requirements which could possibly affect the attitudes and behaviours of individuals working under the organisational framework (Larbi, G., 2006) Self-actualisation is needed to get managed against above mentioned background by investing in an effective, creative and challenging work place environment. Promotions, independence, flexibility and providence of bigger responsibilities are among some factors which can be employed to boost esteem if managed well. Lower level requirements including social, psychological and security requirements can be efficaciously managed by procuring safe working conditions, friendly work atmosphere and reasonable  and suitable work hours. Therefore the theory of Maslow or theory of hierarchy of needs can be applied to the case of merger, David Orton Plc which observes dissatisfaction among its employees over inadequate pay structure, lack of recognition and other social, emotional and psychological wants. This theory can be effectively applied by management by sufficiently increasing employees allowances, rewards, salaries and give them an overall well being in their areas of complaints (Larbi, G., 2006) 3.Conclusion Concluding, organisational behaviour seems to resolve around people’s perception, their power to act feel under organised settings. The organisational complexities occurring within the framework of an organisation need associated management and senior executives to evaluate key behavioral factors which dominate the system. They have to examine the reasons behind such factors and once they succeeded in identification, they got to develop sustainable strategies and plans to tackle organisational behaviour problems. Any solution aiming at increased performance by the employee will result in increased performance of the organisation. For this, management needs to realize employees that their talents are being recognized and to compensate them with adequate resources, pays and secondary benefits so that they could overcome the sense of terrifying uncertainty and work hard for the goodness of their own and the organisation. Ensuring sufficient motivation among employees is one thing but managing this motivation all along is another yet a difficult challenge for the organisation. Strategies aimed at actively fostering the development and growth of the employees will only make sure that their capacity and motivation is developed. An organisation flourishes when management succeeds in developing and establishing a strategy which ensures employees that their received salary is linked with their performance and that their expectations towards their compensation against work done will be adequately rewarded. If employees lost interest in work and what they do at the organisation, nothing could prevent organisation from failure and economic devastation therefore enriching jobs will help greatly in developing employees’ interest in their jobs they will feel enchanted to have something more than a job  which rewards them with a paycheck and it surly is a great thing. To instill such strategies into organisational framework, organisations are needed to assess behaviours and issues related with employees and propose better solutions for them. References Buchanan, D. & Huczynski, A. (2004) Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, 5th ed., Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall Daus (1997). Challenges of leading a diverse workforce. Academy of Management Executive, 11, 32–47. Gentile, M. C. (1996). Managerial excellence through diversity, Chicago, IL: Irwin; and Joplin, J. R. W., and C. S. Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. (2007) Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, 6th ed., Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall Kanigel, R. (1997). The one best way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the enigma of efficiency. New York: Viking. Kelley, H.H. (1999) â€Å"Attribution in Social Interaction.† In Attribution: Perceiving the Causes of Behavior. E.E. Jones, et al. Morristown, MJ: General Learning Press. Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R. (2006) Organizational Behavior: key concepts, skills, & best practices. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill Larbi, G. (2006). â€Å"Applying the new public management in developing countries,† in Y. Bangura and G. Larbi. Public sector reform in developing countries: capacity challenges to improve services. Basingstroke, Palgrave. Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organizational Behaviour. 8th ed. FT/Prentice Hall Myers, D. (2005) Social Psychology. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill Nelson, D. & Quick, J. (2006) Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities & Challenges. 5th ed. Thomson South-Western Robinson, G., and K. Dechant (1997). Building a business case for diversity. Academy of Management Executive, 11, 21–31.

Betrayal: Rhetoric and Ethos Julius Caesar

To get credit for the collaboration activity, Betrayal 01, 02, 04, 05, and 06: A. ) Submit this attachment in A Collaboration Process. Then copy and paste the below information in the student comment area of A Collaboration Product and Betrayal 01, 04, and 05: 1. Date you attended the session. 2. At least 3 sentences explaining how Shakespeare’s story about Julius Caesar is different than what really (historically) happened in Caesar’s life. 3. Give examples of the three persuasive techniques from either Antony’s or Brutus’s speech. logos, pathos, and ethos) 4. Give an example of one traitor and one patriot with supporting examples from the play. 5. At least 3 sentences explaining what you did in the session so that someone who did not attend would have an understanding of it. 6. At least 3 sentences evaluating how well your group worked together to accomplish your task. B. ) Submit this in Betrayal 02: 1. Complete the Lesson 2 Quiz. For the essay question s, you may respond, â€Å"I attended the Betrayal Live Lesson on __________ (date). C. ) Schedule Betrayal 6 DBA as we still need to complete that on the phone. If you are an honors student, complete the honors assignment before the dba. D. ) If you are an honors student, complete lesson 8. Lesson 8 Assignment 1. ) Choose which character from â€Å"The Lay of the Were-Wolf† you would like to defend. 2. ) Analyze the story to find examples of logos, pathos, and ethos that support your character’s innocence. 3. ) Determine how to present your examples in a persuasive argument. 4. Write a three-paragraph â€Å"closing argument† for the trial that will persuade the jury that your character is not a monster. a. ) Paragraph #1 – logos b. ) Paragraph #2 – pathos c. ) Paragraph #3 – ethos Julius Caesar Recordings: a read-along for each act. Enjoy! Act I, Scenes i, ii, iii https://sas. elluminate. com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback. jnlp? psid=201 2-01-23. 1812. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Act II, Scenes i, ii, iii, iv https://sas. elluminate. com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback. jnlp? psid=2012-02-03. 107. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Act III, Scenes i, ii, iii https://sas. elluminate. com/p. jnlp? psid=2012-02-07. 0726. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Acts IV & V https://sas. elluminate. com/p. jnlp? psid=2012-02-07. 0817. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Brutus’s Funeral Speech: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=ab68AjRMKmA Antony’s Funeral Speech: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Zd9BLib8448 Materials from Live Lesson and Play in original language: http://vimeo. com/41708712 Betrayal: Rhetoric and Ethos Julius Caesar To get credit for the collaboration activity, Betrayal 01, 02, 04, 05, and 06: A. ) Submit this attachment in A Collaboration Process. Then copy and paste the below information in the student comment area of A Collaboration Product and Betrayal 01, 04, and 05: 1. Date you attended the session. 2. At least 3 sentences explaining how Shakespeare’s story about Julius Caesar is different than what really (historically) happened in Caesar’s life. 3. Give examples of the three persuasive techniques from either Antony’s or Brutus’s speech. logos, pathos, and ethos) 4. Give an example of one traitor and one patriot with supporting examples from the play. 5. At least 3 sentences explaining what you did in the session so that someone who did not attend would have an understanding of it. 6. At least 3 sentences evaluating how well your group worked together to accomplish your task. B. ) Submit this in Betrayal 02: 1. Complete the Lesson 2 Quiz. For the essay question s, you may respond, â€Å"I attended the Betrayal Live Lesson on __________ (date). C. ) Schedule Betrayal 6 DBA as we still need to complete that on the phone. If you are an honors student, complete the honors assignment before the dba. D. ) If you are an honors student, complete lesson 8. Lesson 8 Assignment 1. ) Choose which character from â€Å"The Lay of the Were-Wolf† you would like to defend. 2. ) Analyze the story to find examples of logos, pathos, and ethos that support your character’s innocence. 3. ) Determine how to present your examples in a persuasive argument. 4. Write a three-paragraph â€Å"closing argument† for the trial that will persuade the jury that your character is not a monster. a. ) Paragraph #1 – logos b. ) Paragraph #2 – pathos c. ) Paragraph #3 – ethos Julius Caesar Recordings: a read-along for each act. Enjoy! Act I, Scenes i, ii, iii https://sas. elluminate. com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback. jnlp? psid=201 2-01-23. 1812. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Act II, Scenes i, ii, iii, iv https://sas. elluminate. com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback. jnlp? psid=2012-02-03. 107. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Act III, Scenes i, ii, iii https://sas. elluminate. com/p. jnlp? psid=2012-02-07. 0726. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Acts IV & V https://sas. elluminate. com/p. jnlp? psid=2012-02-07. 0817. M. 18C7F05BEF4B1A91008CFEA56749A1. vcr&sid=679 Brutus’s Funeral Speech: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=ab68AjRMKmA Antony’s Funeral Speech: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Zd9BLib8448 Materials from Live Lesson and Play in original language: http://vimeo. com/41708712

Marketing Essay – FedEx Corporation

Fed acquired Kink in 2004 for $2. 4 billion, ‘expand[inning] its presence among small and midsized businesses that have long been Kink's main customer base'. Fed Chairman stated â€Å"it [was] supremely logical for [them] to offer arrives to the whitewall's and office segment that are analogous to what [they] offer [their] corporate customer base† (Deutsche, 2003). Fed has a more defined white-collar customer base, mainly consisting of â€Å"fast-cycle logistics shippers seeking time-definite morning deliveries† (Richer, 2009).Their services will meet demands for time-definite morning deliveries to wholesalers,' (ibid. ) manufacturing businesses, retail stores, and high-value goods. 10 Recommendations Although Fed has been successful in moving into the international arena, it still does not have a competitive advantage in the shipping industry. Its chief competitor, UPS, controls the ground shipping market (see Appendix A), guaranteeing them a large portion of the domestic market share.Fed should maintain a controlling stake in the express delivery market while increasing their market share in domestic ground delivery, by further differentiating itself from UPS through innovation and service offerings. Securing more business partnerships, even at slightly lower margins, will help develop brand loyalty. This is especially true of long-term contracts with large firms. Studies predict the international package market will grow by 5-6% in the coming ears, nearly double the expected annual growth in world GAP (Waistlines, 2014).Fed should continuously invest capital in Asia, whilst penetrating into foreign markets by partnering with local carriers. This will give them valuable insight into a relatively foreign and unknown market. Acquiring smaller shipping companies, such as Excel (I-J) or Suppose (France) also increases their international reach. Fed could seek alternative energy sources to reduce their operating costs. Investing in solar power or bio-fuels could help counter additional costs due to increased fuel prices.Fed should utilize economic aircrafts to increase their carrying capacity, thereby reducing the number of operating planes. Lastly, by forging strategic alliances with oil and gas suppliers, they could bargain for discounts, whilst curtailing the negative effects associated with volatile oil supplies. Looking forward, Fed has positioned itself for growth opportunities in the domestic and international arena. It has exhibited an exceptional track record of international expansion and good financial restraints during times of easy credit, proving it can operate successfully even in a tough economic climate.

Fashion: Color and Type Your Response

Components of Fashion The Lesson Activity will help you meet these educational goals: Content Knowledge? You will define the key components of fashion: the elements of design and the principles of design. Inquiry? You will conduct online research, in which you will collect information and communicate your results in written form. 21st Century Skills ? You will apply creativity and innovation. Directions You will evaluate these activities yourself.Please save this document before ginning the lesson and keep the document open for reference during the lesson. Type your answers directly in this document for all activities. Self-checked Activities Read the instructions for the following activities and type in your responses. At the end of the lesson, click the link to open the Student Answer Sheet. Use the answers or sample responses to evaluate your own work. Color Wheel a. Use watercolors or water-based gels for this activity.First, take the three primary lord and mix them to make the s econdary colors. Then, mix the primary and the secondary colors to get the tertiary colors. From among the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, list four warm colors and four cool colors. Apply a few strokes of the mixed colors on paper and scan the paper for submission. Type your response here: On back b. Choose one of the primary colors and use it to make shades and tints. C.Using the shades and tints created in part b, submit sketches or images of two armaments with the shades for bottom wear and the tints for top wear. The garments should have a focal point, vertical lines, and curved lines. Also, name the silhouettes used in each garment. How did you do? Check a box below. Nailed included all of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet. Halfway There?I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Not Great?I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student

Sovereign Default risk in the Euro zone A further look at a possible Dissertation

Sovereign Default risk in the Euro zone A further look at a possible exit - Dissertation Example The resulting models which were arrived at using the forward stepwise procedure passed various goodness-of-fit tests as well as other tests of the significance of coefficients. This indicates that both CDS spread and Debt/GDP ratio improved the model’s predictive power in the case of the Euro zone while CDS spread was the only significant factor for Cyprus. Tests of the model using in-sample and out-of-sample data shows that it is capable of predicting default and non-default with a high degree of accuracy. 1.0 Introduction Sovereign default has been present in world economies throughout history. One of the countries that have defaulted in the past is Argentina. Very often, it is the same set of countries that are habitually in this state of economic crisis. The 2008 financial crisis has been described as one of the worst to be felt in this modern age since the Great Depression of 1933 (Your reference here). Its effects are still underway and countries around the world are try ing their utmost to maintain financial stability. One of the newest currency unions and the most powerful in the world; the Euro-Zone, therefore makes an interesting study. One of the single most important events that preceded the spiralling downturn in the 2008 financial crisis is the Lehman Brothers failure on September 15, 2008. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, the sovereign Credit Default Swap (CDS) market was not as significant as corporate CDS markets. This was due to the relatively stable outlook of developed nations within the Euro Block and the perceived minimal default risk associated with these countries. As a result of the Lehman Collapse, and other proceeding financial institutional failures, large losses worldwide were incurred, which had spill over effects eventually affecting entire economies. This resulted in negative implications for investor confidence and a reduction of credit in the market. The bailouts for these banks by the individual governments could only be made possible by incurring massive amounts of debt (Dieckmann and Plank 2011). This led Governments to increased risk of sovereign default and a global reassessment of credit risk. In turn, CDS in the sovereign market became highly liquid as the uncertainty of these nations became an issue, implying an increase in sovereign credit risk. Since 2012 the Euro zone has been characterized by deepening crises in several countries, some of which have suffered what is described as selective default. These crises have been characterised by increases in CDS spread, increased Debt/GDP ratio and high bond yields. This has led to credit rating agencies such as Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s giving ratings to some of these countries that indicate to investors the risks associated with government bonds. In addition to Cyprus and Greece, some of the countries that have received speculative ratings include Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Estonia, Portugal and Spain (Blo omberg 2013). Concerns have been raised that the ratings given by credit rating agencies are unreliable as the default ratings for Greece in 2012 and Cyprus in 2013 came after the event. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk of sovereign default in the Euro zone and also to develop an econometric model that is capable of predicting default before the event takes place. This would be very beneficial to

Discuss the Pros the Cons of Police Discretion in Domestic Violence Essay

Discuss the Pros the Cons of Police Discretion in Domestic Violence Situations - Essay Example This is because in the sight of most couples, that would constitute betrayal of love (Easton, 2002). Because of this, females who are often the worse offenders in cases of domestic violence cases refuse to cooperate with the police in terms of issuance of authentic information that could lead up to arrest. Once the police detect distortions and inconsistencies with information that they gather from the victims (most commonly female victims), they become left with no other option than to resort to the application of discretion in the execution of their duty. In effect, until there come such a time that couples will stop looking at cases of domestic violence as private issues but as civil and criminal issues that demand the application of the full rigors of the law, the police will continue to apply discretion in cases of domestic violence instead of the issuance of arrest. Arrest of the breadwinner would hurt the family Another major factor that brings about the use of discretion amon g police personnel instead of arrest has to do with the fact that police personnel often judge that â€Å"arrest of the breadwinner would hurt the family† (Syllabus for JUS 205, 2004). Yet again, the fact that marriage is a private relationship between two people, one of which often acts as the breadwinner of the family and caretaker of the other one, police have often reasoned that applying arrest on the breadwinner would put the entire family in jeopardy (OECD, 2007). Due to this, the police would often look for alternatives other than arrest that would ensure that the case of domestic violence is catered for. As the saying goes, two wrongs do not make right. In this context, the police are often tempted to believe that arresting the breadwinner would create double trouble because... From the research it can be comprehended that the work of the police force is one of the most important and those that can never be done away with in any way. This is because the police system has been designated to be the law enforcement agency of society. The application of discretion by the police force in cases of domestic violence should continue to be applied in ‘discretion’. What this means is that, before police personnel uses discretion, he or she should be in a position to judge and determine the outcome of the particular case involved. This means that different domestic violence cases should be given preferential treatments. In cases where the cons would out weight the pros, the officer is advised to implement the normal provisions of the law rather than using discretion. On the other hand, in cases where the pros would outweigh the cons, the police should have the courage to go ahead with the use of discretion. In all of this, the police should be in a positi on to live above reproach in the jurisdiction of their duties. This is because when there comes such a time that the police force can be trusted on the grounds of professionalism and fairness, criticisms that often arise when they police use discretion would become a thing of the past. This is because the larger society would now be put in a position where they would embrace the police as always getting it right in the application of discretion and so criticisms against them would seize in this regard.

Feminist Analysis of TV Show 30 Rock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feminist Analysis of TV Show 30 Rock - Essay Example This factor threatens male egocentricity. Feminine perceptions are more humanistic. This is manifested in the show 30 Rock and its popularity. Feminists with Marxist perceptions would place emphasis on the manner in which the social systems and motivations of capital gain have hindered the humane feminist values from coming to light. Feminists with a radical perspective would conclude that the subduction of this feminist approach is a result of male egocentricity. This is also due to society's insistence of sexual orientation, rather than making allowances for individual freedom of choice. There is also the insistence of the perception of the consumption oriented nuclear family. Feminists who maintain a liberal perspective perceive things in a different light ( Kaplan : 252). The feminine perspective is essential to the male dominated society as demonstrated by the relationship between Liz (Tina Fey) and Jack (Alex Baldwin). There exists the possibility of interchanging sexual identi ties. In order to totally become human, different perspectives must be adapted. The American television series 30 Rock, demonstrates the interchange of roles between masculine and feminine genders. Prior to the 1990s, during the era of 1963- 1980, females were only portrayed as sexual objects or for the fulfillment of masculine needs. The sexual objects and need fillers were put into place in order to fulfill the masculine requirements and desires. This resulted in the feminist desire to eradicate this type of subduction (Kaplan : 253). There are three categories of feminist, each with a specific motivation and objective ( Kaplan :252). The feminist perspectives which were popularized in the 1990s are still popular today. The first category of feminist evaluation and research requires that the members of the female gender be treated as peers. This venue has two possible outcomes. One approach may conclude with domesticated feminism. This is representative of feminine roles of the ni neteenth century. The second possible outcome of this venue is a liberal female female perspective, which is more representative of the present. From my feminist perspective, Liz (Tina Fey) is the embodiment of both. In the liberal feminine perspective, females are allowed to vie within the institutional framework for equal rights to employment and self determination. This requires that the female be perceived as a peer. This perception by society includes the rights and obligations of equal treatment. This perspective has resulted in the American male adopting the roles in the household which would be normally classified as feminine such as cooking, cleaning, babysitting (Kaplan: 254). A primary type of feminine role perception exists in Diana Meehan's Ladies of the Evening: Woman Characters in Prime Time Television. The second category of feminine television production is viewed by the â€Å"pre- Althusserian Marxist† feminist perspective. This perspective perceives televis ion as an extension of capitalist society. These theorist propose that television interests are founded upon the manipulation of the television viewer as a consumer Kaplan: 257). A third category of feminist evaluation arises from the radical feminist perspective. In this perspective, the female gender is perceived as superior. Liz (Tina Fey) perceives herself as superior, she does not need a relationship with a man. Liz (Tina Fey) can get things done by herself.