The Tragedy Of Dante s Inferno - 1439 Words

Dante’s Inferno’s central theme is God sees all of the sins people partake in their lives. Once you enter hell you will be punished for those sins according to the severity. You will endure a punishment that matches the sin you committed. Dante’s Inferno is a very imaginative way to look at crime and punishment. The story is made up of three different parts told by three people. A pilgrim is lead on journey by Virgil, Beatrice, and Saint Bernard. Virgil takes him through Hell and the Purgatory. Hell was created when Satan fell from heaven and became lodged into the center of the earth. The mountain of Purgatory was created when land was pushed down into the earth opposite the future site of Jerusalem where a passage was created and lead to the southern hemisphere as a result of Satan’s fall into the earth. Beatrice takes him through Paradise. Paradise sits on top of the Purgatory and is where Adam and Eve first dwelt Eden. Bernard prepares him for his fin al union with the godhead. The union with the godhead is the end of the journey when the pilgrim experiences love and reason. Hell is made up of nine different levels and each houses different severity of sins and the people who occupy these levels endure a different punishment. As the crime gets worse on each level the punishment is also more sever. The nine levels of Hell are Limbo, Lustful, Gluttonous, Avaricious, Wrathful, Heretics, Violent, Ordinary Fraud, and Treacherous Fraud. These are listed from the lesser sinfulShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Dante s Inferno1526 Words   |  7 Pagesof this full entanglement is out of reach these many years later. The book that left the resounding feelings of excitement and sorrow was Dante’s Inferno. Written at a time in his life filled with grief and displacement, with the feeling of betrayal looming over him, a glimpse of understanding starts to illuminate the first strands of his web. Dante draws from a vast amount of sources to compile his poem. The combined influence of the Jewish concept of Sheol, the Christian idea of a lake of fireRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Dante s Inferno954 Words   |  4 PagesDante’s Inferno is an amazing nonfiction piece that was meant to vindicate many lessons to its readers. As well as, depict what Dante believed hell to be, and express some of his concerns with divine justice, and the appropriate punishments for the crimes committed. While reading this epic piece it spoke in many ways, and it addresses similar issues that are still prevalent in current culture. This religious allegory seems to focus on punishments, and how it should equal up to the wrong that wasRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Dante s Inferno1016 Words   |  5 PagesDante’s Inferno is heavily based on the social and political downgrade of Rome in the 14th century. The poet recognized that civilians in his own city-state were idolizing corrupt politicians and giv ing into their sinful temptations. Political and religious stability were crumbling and as a result order disintegrated, many started to claim to be the Pope, people were idolizing wealth and corruption, and a majority of relationships were stemmed from adultery. As a result, throughout his cantos, DanteRead MoreThe Divine Comedy By Dante Alighieri873 Words   |  4 PagesDivine Comedy† is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri. He wrote the epic sometime between 1308 and 1321, the year he died. It is considered one of the greatest works of world literature. He wrote â€Å"The Divine Comedy† while he was exiled from Florence, Italy (Bishops 182). â€Å"The Divine Comedy† recounts Dante’s idea of the afterlife. It is written in a first person perspective and follows Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. At the time Dante wrote the Divine Comedy, Italy was goingRead MoreThe Divine Comedy : Inferno Ira2454 Words   |  10 PagesThe D ivine Comedy: Inferno IRA by Dante Alighieri Summary: (Exposition) Midway through his life, Dante finds himself lost from his true way, wandering through a dark and savage forest. He finds a mountain, after which a divine light shines upon him, encouraging him to go up it. But he is stopped by three malicious creatures and is only saved when a man finds him. The man identifies himself to Dante as Virgil (a great Roman poet), and reveals that his lost love Beatrice (and two others) has wishedRead MoreThe Hollow Men And The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesT. S. Eliot’s modernist style critiques the lifestyle of modern society during the Roaring Twenties. He expresses the false values found in society that affects their perception of themselves, and cause them to lose direction in their lives. Through his poems â€Å"The Hollow Men† and â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† Eliot explores the modern underlying issues of both society and man as being lost, stagnant, and aimless. He a dvocates for change through de-romanticizing the human condition via theRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave Proposed By Plato1595 Words   |  7 Pageshelp of a philosopher to go through the long path, they can go out of the cave and see the outside world. The slaves are considered as the average person, a person whose life is driven by desire, and follows what the society says, like a person that’ s blind and has lived all his/her life in shadows. This person cannot free itself because he/she does not know that there they are looking at shadows and not true objects. The cave masters are the people who have more education or more power, but use themRead More Francescas Style in Canto V of Dantes Inferno Essay5060 Words   |  21 PagesFrancescas Style in Canto V of Dantes Inferno Canto V of Dantes Inferno begins and ends with confession. The frightening image of Minos who  «confesses » the damned sinners and then hurls them down to their eternal punishment contrasts with the almost familial image of Francesca and Dante, who confess to one another. In a real sense confession seems to be defective or inadequate in Hell. The huddled masses who declare their sins to Minos do so because they are compelled to declareRead MoreFire And Ice By Robert Frost1349 Words   |  6 Pagesbeing desire or passion and ice being hatred and deceit. Although this poem is one of his shortest poems with only nine lines, it is also one of the most famous works that he has ever created. The poem Fire and Ice was written in the early 1920 s and was published in 1923. World War I was the biggest war of its time and was meant to be the war that ended all wars. In the year 1914, an Austrian Archduke named Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. This incident sparked manyRead MoreHomosexuality in Victorian and Elizabethan Literature.6608 Words   |  27 Pagesthough it has weakened, it still affects people in todays society. It even dates back to the Renaissance days, and is presented by Dante Aligheri is his Inferno. And for this reason doth the smallest round/ Seal with its signet Sodom[...]†. Sodom is a city known for crude sexual acts, which is where sodomy gets its name from. Since the Inferno is a world created by Dante, he believes that sodomy is a sin that is worse than suicide, and decides to put it just before the entrance to the Eighth Circle

Responce to Romiette and Julio free essay sample

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 Evil versus Non Evil Romiette and Julio is by Sharon M. Draper. Romiette Cappelle is a sixteen year old African American teenager living in Cincinnati, Ohio. Romi searches for the reason behind her recurring nightmares of fear which involve fire and water. Sixteen year old Julio Montague is a Mexican teenager who has just moved to Cincinnati. Julio wishes he could move back home to his grandfathers. Julio knows it’s impossible since his parents moved to Cincinnati due to the heavy gang presence in Texas. Julio initially meets Romi online in a teen chat room and they discover that they attend the same school. As they begin to create connection, other people begin to object to their relationship. Then there are the Devildogs, an African American gang who wear all purple and make it obvious to Romi and Julio that they dont like the races mixing. We will write a custom essay sample on Responce to Romiette and Julio or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As Romi and Julio continue their romance, completely ignoring the Devildogs’ view point, gang members threaten to get even. The danger escalates when the gang begins stalking the couple and decides to forewarn the couple that their romance isn’t appreciated by intimidating them with guns. Julio and Romi are terrified by the threats of violence, and create a plan where they will record these over threats of violence. When the plan goes wrong, Romi and Julio find themselves caught up in a deadly situation, where they end up in a hospital. A theme that can be well explained in this story is that â€Å"bravery is not always the key to success. † Once Destiny, Ben, Romiette and Julio forge a plan to escape the awful actions of the Devildogs, their plan entirely does not succeed. They then end up in a situation where they are caught up in tragedy. Quotes that can support my theme by showing Romi and Julio’s courageousness are â€Å"Why doesn’t Romi’s dad and his secret six investigative news team follow the Devildogs with a hidden camera, catch them threatening Romi and Julio, then expose it on TV? My dad would never agree to use me to catch them, said Romi. What if we did the filming instead of your dad? suggested Julio. â€Å" Quotes that can show that bravery isn’t always the key to success are â€Å"What cops? Terrell replied with derision. What are they gonna do to us? Devildogs rule, Tex. And we ‘bout to show you how. We tried to warn you but now you got to be taught a lesson. † These quotes show that they’re going to be in trouble, so according to me, being brave isn’t always the key to success. I connect this novel to another novel I’ve read during this year, called Safe House. This book is by James Heneghan, and is about  Liam Fogarty, a twelve year old whose parents are murdered by intruders. Given that Liam gets a good look at one of the gunmen, he also become a target. After escaping being shot through the window, he is placed in a police station for protection against being targeted by the gunmen. I am relating the two novels because in both situations, there are good and bad. For example, in this novel, there are Romiette and Julio the innocent characters, and the Devildogs the evil characters. In Safe House, there’s Liam Fogarty and his parents the innocent characters, and the intruders the evil characters. Although in both cases, the good always accomplish their objective, and the bad always suffer the consequences. As an example, Romiette and Julio will live happily ever after, and the Devildogs will have to pay for what they have done. In the end, harmful actions won’t lead to victory. Sharon Draper used certain strategies to enhance the meaning of the novel and the quality of writing. One of the strategies that she used is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing adds suspense to this novel by giving us clues of what is going to happen. Sharon Draper’s style in Romiette and Julio was to title each and every chapter; however this gave me a clear idea of what was going to come up next. As an example, chapter forty seven is titled A Lead, and in the previous chapters Romiette and Julio were kidnapped. So this title gave me an idea that the policemen got a clue to discover where Romiette and Julio might be. Another strategy Sharon Draper used is imagery. In this novel, you can actually imagine vivid pictures of the scene that is occurring which makes the story more intense. As an example, in Romi’s recurring nightmares, you can actually imagine the deadly water pouring down onto her, as if it’s drowning her and making her terrified. Sharon Draper created an interesting and excellent novel, Romiette and Julio. The reason why I believe this story is amazing is because Draper uses a fictional example of what teenagers may experience in their every day lives. Given that presently, out in the real world, a portion of the teenage population may be experiencing problems with criminals. Plenty of teenagers face similar experiences, like the story of Romiette and Julio. This book opens up our minds into realizing how dangerous it is to be involved with gangs. Therefore, for our own personal safety we must stay out of any criminal gangs’ activity or conflict.

The History of the Endangered Languages and the Ways of Their Preservation

Introduction The problem of language preservation is very important nowadays. There are 6800 languages on the Earth but many of them may disappear if people will not take the necessary steps in order to save them. The problem of language disappearance is urgent in many countries of the world. The problem is studied by many scholars and we already have the necessary tools to prevent the process and to save the endangered languages.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The History of the Endangered Languages and the Ways of Their Preservation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of this report is to discuss the problem of the endangered languages preservation taking into account the historic and cultural conditions of their development as well as the impact of the modern time. To achieve this goal, the historic and cultural backgrounds of the Akan and the Taiwanese languages have been summarized. In addition, the l anguage documentation and machine translation have been discussed. Finally, the current problems of language preservation and the observed trends have been analyzed. History Of The Endangered Languages This section will present the overview of the historic and cultural background of some of the endangered languages. The Akan Language The Akan language is the most widely spread language in Ghana (Agyekum 24). However, it remains at hazard of disappearance due to the historic and cultural conditions. In addition, the economic and social situation in Ghana influences the popularity of the language substantially. Taking into account the poor economy, people in Ghana strive to achieve the economic and social security. They consider English and other foreign languages as much more important than their authentic language. The Ghanaian society is multilingual as the local people speak 76 different languages, among which 17 are dominant, 50 are considered as less endangered, and 8 are at ris k of disappearance (Agyekum 24). Such vast diversity makes this African country very interesting from the linguistic perspective. The peculiarities of the social and cultural conditions in the country influence the Akan.Advertising Looking for report on languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although it is the language of 44% of the country population, it may disappear because of the impact of the social and cultural environment. In particular, the Ghanaian people use it in the limited circumstances; it is not the language of the government and is not used in the official documents; people speak English in the families and have the negative attitude to their authentic language (Agyekum 24). The Taiwanese Language The Taiwanese language is one of the endangered languages in the world. It has the Malayo-Polynesian and Chinese roots (Beaser n.pag.). From the 17th century, Chinese culture influenced Taiwan substantially. The i mmigrants from China speak different dialects of the Chinese, which became widely spread in Taiwan. The Southern Min topolect and Hakka made the greatest influence on the language formation (Beaser n.pag.). Later, Mandarin dialect spread across the country. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Taiwanese language developed independently from the Chinese (Beaser n.pag.). Since the second half of the 19th century, the Taiwanese had been developing under the conditions of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. In 1985, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed (Beaser n.pag.). The treaty initiated the numerous restrictions on the use of the authentic language. Its signing was the beginning of the suppression of the Taiwanese language. Taiwanese survived due to the activity of the Presbyterian missioners in the island (Beaser n.pag.). They created the Romanized script for the local people. In addition, the national movements in support of the native language and against the Japanese suppression co ntributed to the language preservation (Beaser n.pag.). Nowadays, the Taiwanese society is based on the democratic value and the law protects the right of people to speak any language they want. However, Mandarin is still the official language in the island. Methods Of Language Preservation The language documentation and machine translation are described in this section.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The History of the Endangered Languages and the Ways of Their Preservation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Language Documentation The goals of the linguistic projects are to increase awareness of the endangered languages speakers and to document the authentic languages (Agyekum 24). Language documentation is considered to be the important method of language conservation. There are three agents of language archiving including the depositors, the users, and the archivists (Agyekum 24-25). The depositors take the a ctive participation in the language documentation. They make the recordings, create various materials, and pass them to the archivists (Agyekum 24-25). It is clear that the users are those who use the materials. The archivists participate in the language conservation projects and solve the preservation programs in the long run. Machine Translation There are 6800 languages in the world and many of them remain unstudied. The computational linguistics can provide the tools for the endangered languages preservation but only 1% of the world languages have been the subject of its research (Bird Chiang 126). The documenting takes an important place in this respect. This method is considered to be the main tool of the modern linguistics. Machine translation represents the method of documenting used in the computational linguistics (Bird Chiang 126). It is based on the modern technologies and it has many advantages in comparison with the methods used in the past. The provision of the oppor tunity to avoid the usage of the treebanks and wordnets is one of them (Bird Chiang 126). These tools are often rather expensive. The machine translation represents the cost effective method of documenting. The Statistical Translation Model is the model of parallel text and one of the tools of the machine translation (Bird Chiang 127). The application of the model assumes the fulfillment of the major tasks of the language documentation. In particular, the model translates the collected texts into the reference language.Advertising Looking for report on languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Application of the Machine Translation Model The machine translation model was successfully applied in the frameworks of the language preservation project in Papua New Guinea (Bird Chiang 129). It was used as the mean of language documentation. The model allowed representing the fifty endangered languages in the written form (Bird Chiang 129). Problems And Perspectives This section deals with the current problems of language preservation as well as with its future perspectives (Bird Chiang 129). Current Problems of Language Preservation According to the current estimates, only 600 languages will survive on the planet (Agyekum 24). That is why the language conservation is the urgent problem nowadays. The scholars state that there is a psychological aspect of the languages disappearance, which is difficult to cope with. This aspect leads to the linguistic conflicts as people often consider their authentic languages as inferior and the foreign ones as superior (Agyekum 24). One more challenge is the dynamism of the language environment. The linguists have to take into account the rapid changes occurring in it. The absence of the up-to-date technologies and the insufficient amount of the storage facilities complicate the work of the linguists (Agyekum 26). The Trends in Language Preservation The development of the IT technologies creates the new opportunities for language preservation. The linguists work in different parts of the world to collect and document the lexicon, morphology and conversations of the authentic languages speakers. The modern technology allows achieving much better results and increasing the volume of the processed data (Villa 97). The digitalization of the collected texts is one of the brightest trends of the modern time. The computers will, undoubtedly, play a significant role in linguistics in the future. Conclusion The language conservation is the urgent task of the linguists nowadays. Many languages on the Earth are at hazard of d isappearance. The modern technologies can facilitate the work in this field. The machine translation modernizes the process of language documentation. Works Cited Agyekum, Kofi 2012, Documentation and Preservation of the Akan Language. Web. Beaser, Deborah 2006, The Outlook for the Taiwanese Language Preservation. PDF file. Web. Bird, Steven, and D. Chiang 2012, Machine Translation for Language Preservation. PDF file. Web. Villa, Daniel J. 2002, Integrating Technology into Minority Language Preservation and Teaching Efforts: an Inside Job. PDF file. Web. This report on The History of the Endangered Languages and the Ways of Their Preservation was written and submitted by user Red Cr0w to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Blue-Ringed Octopus Facts

Blue-Ringed Octopus Facts The blue-ringed octopus is an extremely venomous animal known for the bright, iridescent blue rings it displays when threatened. The small octopuses are common in tropical and subtropical coral reefs and tide pools of the Pacific and Indian Ocean, ranging from southern Japan to Australia. Although the blue-ringed octopus bite contains the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, the animal is docile and unlikely to bite unless handled. Blue-ringed octopuses belong to the genus Hapalochlaena, which includes four species: H. lunulata, H. fasciata, H. maculosa, and H. nierstrazi. Fast Facts: Blue-Ringed Octopus Common Name: Blue-ringed octopusScientific Name: Hapalochlaena sp.Distinguishing Features: Small octopus with yellowish skin that flashes bright blue rings when threatened.Size: 12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in)Diet: Small crabs and shrimpAverage Lifespan: 1 to 2 yearsHabitat: Shallow warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific OceansConservation Status: Not evaluated; common within its rangeKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: MolluscaClass: CephalopodaOrder: OctopodaFun Fact: The blue-ringed octopus is immune to its own venom. Physical Characteristics When not threatened, the blue-ringed octopus rings may be brown or invisible. Brook Peterson/Stocktrek Images / Getty Images Like other octopuses, the blue-ringed octopus has a sac-like body and eight tentacles. Ordinarily, a blue-ringed octopus is tan-colored and blends in with its surroundings. The iridescent blue rings only appear when the animal is disturbed or threatened. In addition to up to 25 rings, this type of octopus also has a blue line running through its eyes. Adults range in size from 12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in) and weigh from 10 to 100 grams. Females are slightly larger than males, but the size of any octopus varies greatly depending on nutrition, temperature, and available light. Prey and Feeding The blue-ringed octopus hunts small crabs and shrimp during the day, but it will eat bivalves and small fish if it can catch them. The octopus pounces upon its prey, using its tentacles to pull its catch toward its mouth. Then, its beak pierces the crustaceans exoskeleton and delivers the paralyzing venom. The venom is produced by bacteria in octopus saliva. It contains tetrodotoxin, histamine, taurine, octopamine, acetylcholine, and dopamine. Once the prey is immobilized, the octopus uses its beak to tear off chunks of the animal to eat. The saliva also contains enzymes that partially digest flesh, so that the octopus can suck it out of the shell. The blue-ringed octopus is immune to its own venom. Venom and Bite Treatment Encounters with this reclusive creature are rare, but people have been bitten after handling accidentally stepping on a blue-ringed octopus. A bite leaves a tiny mark and may be painless, so its possible to be unaware of danger until respiratory distress and paralysis occur. Other symptoms include nausea, blindness, and heart failure, but death (if it occurs) usually results from paralysis of the diaphragm. There is no antivenom for a blue-octopus bite, but tetradotoxin is metabolized and excreted within a few hours. First aid treatment consists of applying pressure to the wound to slow the effects of the venom and artificial respiration once the victim stops breathing, which usually occurs within minutes of the bite. If artificial respiration is started immediately and continued until the toxin wears off, most victims recover. Behavior Hal Beral / Getty Images During the day, the octopus crawls through coral and across the shallow sea floor, seeking to ambush prey. It swims by expelling water through its siphon in a type of jet propulsion. While juvenile blue-ringed octopuses can produce ink, they lose this defensive ability as they mature. The aposematic warning display deters most predators, but the octopus piles up rocks to block the entrance to its lair as a safeguard. Blue-ringed octopuses are not aggressive. Reproduction Blue-ringed octopuses reach sexual maturity when they are less than a year old. A mature male will pounce on any other mature octopus of its own species, whether its male or female. The male holds the other octopus mantle and tries to insert a modified arm called a hectocotylus into the female mantle cavity. If the male is successful, he releases spermatophores into the female. If the other octopus is a male or a female that already has sufficient sperm packets, the mounting octopus typically withdraws without a struggle. In her lifetime, the female lays a single clutch of about 50 eggs. Eggs are laid in autumn, shortly after mating, and incubated under the females arms for around six months. Females dont eat while incubating eggs. When the eggs hatch, the juvenile octopuses sink to the sea floor to seek prey, while the female dies. The blue-ringed octopus lives one to two years. Conservation Status None of the species of blue-ringed octopus have been evaluated with respect to conservation status. They are not listed on the IUCN Red List, nor are they protected. Generally, people dont eat these octopuses, but some are captured for the pet trade. Sources Cheng, M.W.; Caldwell, R.L. (2000). Sex identification and mating in the blue-ringed octopus,  Hapalochlaena lunulata.  Anim Behav.  60  (1): 27–33.  Lippmann, John and Bugg, Stan, DAN S.E. Asia-Pacific Diving First Aid Manual, J.L. Publications, Australia, May 2004. ISBN 0-646-23183-9Mthger, L.M.; Bell, G.R.; Kuzirian, A.M.; Allen, J.J. Hanlon, R.T. (2012). How does the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) flash its blue rings?. Journal of Experimental Biology. 215 (21): 3752–3757. doi:10.1242/jeb.076869Robson, G. C. (1929). Notes on the Cephalopoda. - VIII. The genera and subgenera of Octopodinae and Bathypolypodinae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Series 10. 3 (18): 607–608. doi:10.1080/00222932908673017Sheumack D.D., Howden M.E., Spence I., Quinn R.J. (1978). Maculotoxin: a neurotoxin from the venom glands of the octopus Hapalochlaena maculosa identified as tetrodotoxin. Science. 199 (4325): 188–9. doi:10.1126/science.619451

Communication Stratergy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication Stratergy - Essay Example Pink is now part of a French luxury brands group called LVMH which has helped them to expand more, they now cater to their customers with a treasure trove of silk ties, leather goods and other accessories. Thomas Pink, also operates a state of the art website, through which customers can purchase its luxury products at any hour of any day at any place in the world. (LinkedIn). To a novice, Thomas Pink’s success story may seem like a fairytale that has been riding a continuous success wave held up by sheer dumb luck. However, this is not how Thomas Pink has been able to climb up the rungs of the ladder of corporate success. They have, over the course of time implemented various policies and techniques that have given the brand an edge over its competitors and helped propel it from just another shirt manufacturer to one of the leading names of luxury brands in the UK. One of the things most important for a brand’s rapid success in the marketing sphere is its communication strategy. As effective as a good communication strategy can be, it can sometimes also be very difficult to develop, fashioned to best suit the companies needs. Thus, many companies suffer from either the lack of a communications strategy or the ineffectiveness of one. A successful communications strategy explains and promotes the company’s goals and what it hopes to achieve. It creates the â€Å"voice† of the company used to reach its customer base and it is upon this communications strategy that the company can base subsequent tactics. First and foremost, the company needs to get some things in order. The management needs to decide on five management decisions which are further explained below. First, the company needs to ascertain what its audience is. Who are the people it wants to reach and communicate its goals to? Second, the company needs to figure out what it needs to change about its behavior. Things it needs to do differently, new actions that it will have t o take to reach its newly defined audience and communication routes it will have to redirect and realign. Third, the management needs to decide which messages will be suitable for the defined audience. Do they have to restructure the messages? Or will they have to be changed completely? Once the messages to be conveyed to the audience are decided, the management can now work on what channels will be required to convey the message. These will also be in accordance with the defined audience to be targeted. The last job of the management concerning the implementation of a communications strategy is that of evaluation. How will the success of implementation of such a strategy be measured? Should the management set some goals or aims to be achieved? And how will they be able to quantify results? Thomas Pink’s communications strategy changed greatly with time as it expanded and its audience changed. Initially, it was just producing luxury men’s shirts for an audience that wa s prepared to pay a premium price for premium quality. This required Thomas Pink to target a particular segment of the rich and image conscious male market that would purchase the brand’s products with a loyalty only associated with people with money who stick with brands because those brands offer a small part to the completion of their personalities. When Thomas Pink joined LVMH, it expanded into different markets like a firework. It

Imperial Oil Company Limited Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Imperial Oil Company Limited - Case Study Example The company is important in the Canadian economy as oil products are the choice for the transportation fuel and Imperial Oil captures a significant portion of the market; since it was once a national asset which now is in the hands of the private sector but, still it contributes significantly in terms of taxes and supporting the economy. The Imperial Oil Company Limited is in the petroleum business, involved in all upstream and downstream activities; including exploration, production, transportation and sale of crude oil and natural gas, and lastly, the manufacture and transportation and sale of petroleum products. The Imperial Oil Limited's board of directors comprises of 8 directors, 5 of which are non employee directors. These directors are responsible for the overall management of the company. Profiles of each are as follows: Mr. Broiles joined Mobil Corporation in 1979 as a process engineer in South Texas and has held positions of increasing responsibility over 25 years including project management, technical, line management, commercial negotiations, and strategic planning. Prior to his current appointment with Imperial, he served as the global planning manager for the Houston-based ExxonMobil Production Co., a position he held for three years.Before that, he was the executive director of production for ExxonMobil, based in Lagos, Nigeria for four years (1997-2001), after his two-year assignment (1995-1997) as vice-president of production for Mobil Oil Canada's Western Canadian business. He was also the production manager for Mobil's Hugoton Field Area for two years (1993-1995), located in Liberal, Kansas.In addition, he was planning manager for Mobil New Producing Ventures for two years (1991-1993), where he contributed to the company's acquisition of material working interests in Qatar's North Field, Kazakhstan's Tengiz field, and Venezuela's Cerro Negro field. Mr. Broiles is a member of the American Society of Petroleum Engineers and serves on the CAPP Board of Governors as well as the CAPP Safety and Human Resources CEO Task Group. T.J. (Tim) Hearn Mr. Hearn is chairman, president and chief

Wal-Mart Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Essay This paper will focus on a change initiative for Wal-Mart. Next, this paper will analyze how this change will impact the people, products, and processes. Then this paper will focus on the people portion, and provide recommendations to position this change initiative in a manner that results in high performance. Finally this paper will conclude with a summary of how the recommended approach to the change initiative will result in organizational excellence. A company’s image is very important. It shows how a company is viewed as a whole. Wal-Mart has gotten a bad reputation, and many consumers have stopped shopping there because of this image. The change initiative will be to change consumer’s image of Wal-Mart. The public perception can really affect a company’s profit. According to Margot and Rachel (2011), A 2006 marketing report by Walmart’s then-advertising agency described the public’s view of Walmart as that of a â€Å"bad corporate citizen who doesn’t treat employees well and isn’t acting as a good citizen of the planet† (p. 62). To change Wal-Mart’s Image they will need to change employee’s wages, increase staffing or don’t cut hours, and change the atmosphere. The first change that needs to happen is employee wages. Wal-Mart needs to look at the cost of living in each community where they are located, and pay a competitive wage. Costco pays its employees a competitive wage, and their profits have increased. Ungar (2013) states the following: In an identical economy, how do we explain Costco’s growth vis-a-vis the failures over at Walmart? Here’s a crazy thought—might it have something to do with the fact that Costco pays nearly all of its employees a decent living (well in excess of the minimum wage) while Wal-Mart continues to pay its workers as if their employees don’t actually need to eat more than once a week, live in an enclosed space and, on occasion, take their kids to see a doctor (para. 3). If Wal-Mart paid its employees more how would it impact the people, processes, and products and services? The impact on the people would be positive not only to the employees, but the consumers as well. It would raise employee morale. When one goes to Wal-Mart now, one can tell the employees don’t want to be there, and it’s hard to find someone to help. I have heard employees actually say, â€Å"They don’t pay me enough to help these people. † Ungar (2013) sums it up best about employee attitudes by stating, â€Å"and with those on site being paid a wage so low that it is difficult to expect much in the way of pride or motivation† (para. 6). If the employees got paid a competitive wage it would motivate the employees to take pride in their jobs. This would lead to better customer service for the consumer. So in a sense it would not only be positive impact for the people, but would be great for Wal-Mart processes regarding the customer. The impact on the products and services would be the employees would take pride to answer any questions on these items and other services. Also, Wal-Mart can raise wages without having to raise prices on products. According to Bivens (2006) state the following: Wal-Mart could raise wages and benefits significantly without raising prices, yet still earn a healthy profit. For example, while still maintaining a profit margin almost 50% greater than Costco, a key competitor, Wal-Mart could have raised the wages and benefits of each of its non-supervisory employees in 2005 by more than $2,000 without raising prices a penny (para. 3). Wal-Mart would not need to raise prices. There would be no impact on the products, or the consumers, or the process of everyday low prices. Plus, it would be a step in increasing their public image. The next change increase staffing or reduce cutting hours is another step in rectifying their image. Wal-Mart now has more stores operating and not enough staff to run them. So what do they do? They cut the employees working hours. The impact is negative for the consumers, their services, and the products. Ungar (2013) states the following: Without enough employees to get the basic work of a retail operation done†¦Wal-Mart merchandise remains stacked on pallets in the warehouse rather than making it to the floor where customers can find the products they want. At the same time, check-out lines are painfully long and annoying as the overall shopping experience continues to deteriorate. One is left to wonder about the value of offering products at a lower price if those products are not on the shelves when the customer needs to buy them (para. 4). So the impact on the people, processes, and product and services would be positive. The employees would be happier because they would have enough staff, and hours to get the work done. The consumers would be happier because the product on the shelves, and enough employees not to have to stand in long lines. The products and services would be better because there would items on the shelves, and employees able to service the customer. The last change would be the atmosphere. Wal-Mart’s atmosphere is not a positive one. When one looks on social media or reviews of Wal-Mart there’s a certain low class theme. When one goes to Wal-Mart sees carts all over the parking lot. Employees outside smoking or cussing at the tables they set up for them. Some of the types of consumers who go there can be rude, and ruthless to other consumers. Overall, it’s not a great shopping experience. According to City Data. com (2008) the unknown author states the following: From the errant carts strewn about the parking lot to the huddles of employees smoking in small designated areas outside the building, to hearing more languages than I can count, to hearing profanity, to seeing women younger than myself (Im 22) yammering into cell phones while toting around multiple screaming kids, I just get a bad vibe from that place. I realize you get what you pay for, but I also find good deals at Target and find it to be a much more pleasurable shopping experience. I saw just how low-class many Wal-Mart shoppers were when we learned of the trampling death of that Wal-Mart employee on Long Island this past Friday and just how many caused a further ruckus when told the store would be closing temporarily to remove the mans body (para. 3). The changes Wal-Mart would need to make to their atmosphere would help their public image. The first thing is moving the employee break area away from the customers’ view. No one wants to see the employees smoking. They could move it to the back of the store where there are no customers. Especially, at a time when people are trying to ban smoking from public areas; this sends out a bad image. The impact will be positive to the consumers it will give them a better view when walking into Wal-Mart. The impact on the employees may not all be positive. They may like where they take breaks, and hate the fact they have to go in the back where trucks unload products. They only impact on products would be if the employees got in the way of the trucks that are carrying the products; so this could be a negative too. The process would not really be impacted unless the employees sneak off to the back to smoke when it’s not their normal break time. This could be solved by putting a camera in the break area. The next change needs to be the carts. They need to have someone out in that parking lot keeping up with those carts. Wal-Mart is bad for having carts everywhere. Many people do not shop there in fear of a cart hitting their vehicle. This would be a positive impact for the people, product and services. The people will see that Wal-Mart takes pride in their appearance. This would let to more products and services being sold because people would come to Wal-Mart more if they didn’t have to fear their cars being hit by a cart. There would be an impact on the process. The process now does not work because the carts are not being picked up. The process would need to change for the employees, and some may not want the process to change so this could impact the employees. The employees may think the process of getting the carts is not broke, and may not cooperate with the changes. The last change would be towards the consumer. Wal-Mart tolerates bad behaviors in there store from consumers. This has lead to a bad environment to shop in. Wal-Mart needs to address the customers that are out of control in their store. Places like Target or JcPenney would not tolerate customers harassing other customers; they would be asked to leave. Wal-Mart should adopt this same kind of mentality. This would require a process change, and some employees may not feel comfortable dealing with rude customers. Wal-Mart may need to create a position to handle these types of customers. The impact may be negative to the employees if this change is not handled right. The impact for the consumers would be positive. They can go shopping in a nice atmosphere without the worry of dealing with other rude consumers. The people would know it won’t be tolerated in a place like Wal-Mart. This is the kind of image Wal-Mart wants to have. The products and services may be impacted at first because the loss of the rude consumers, but once word gets out Wal-Mart will attract more consumers. The changes that Wal-Mart would need to make would impact people. This part will provide recommendations to position this change initiative in a manner that results in high performance. In every one of these changes there will be some people who will want to resist this change. The way to overcome this resistance is by accepting this is part of the process. It may be frustrating, but this is part of change. Listen to what they have to say, and try to understand where they are coming from. By being supportive, they will eventually become less resistance. The next is defining the goals so all understands. Change is a journey, and if you want to succeed people need to know the destination. Harrison (2004) states that â€Å"the critical aspects of individual and group effectiveness for diagnosis on the primary problems and challenges facing the groups and their main tasks, goals, and standards† (p. 7). To sum it up, the goals need to be defined to be effective. By defining goals, it will result in high performance. Then, I recommend Wal-Mart hold the people accountable. For example, the cart removal process needs to hold employees accountable. If the employee responsible is not following through this needs to be addressed. In order for the changes to wor k one has to follow through with the processes. If Wal-Mart puts this in effect, and then the employees are still letting the carts go in the parking lot, and nothing is done the process won’t change. In order to get high performance one must make the employees accountable. Also, promote team by being accountable for each other. Corelli (n. d) states the following: Dont ask people to be accountable only for their actions and job performances, but just as importantly, ask them to be accountable to each other for maintaining high morale. By placing an equal value on teamwork, professional behavior, job performance, and accountability, you will be able to provide better service to both customers and to each other (para. 25). Next, empower the employees to find solutions instead of problems. The change will come with problems, but if Wal-Mart empowers the employees to find solutions this will help the changes go smoother. Corelli (n. d) states the following: This goes hand in hand with setting goals and establishing accountability. When new procedures are instituted and problems arise, people may wait for someone else to fix them. As you let people know that they are accountable, let people know you expect them to come in not only with their problems, but also with possible solutions. Add your input, too. Changes rarely occur without glitches, so be prepared to brainstorm ways to solve problems and get them out of the way to elp people achieve high performance (para. 27). The last recommendation is to train the people well on all the changes. Training is essential when making changes. If the proper training is not done then the new change initiatives may not be effective. Corelli (n. d) states the following: By its very definition, change suggests that you are attempting something new and different. To create that high performing work place during change, you need to ensure your people have the necessary skills to succeed in the new environment. Education and training must be seen as a top priority. The time you invest in training will eventually payoff in increased productivity as well as product and service quality (para. 29). All these recommendations will help the change initiative result in high performance. These approaches to the change initiative will result in organizational excellence. The first approach would be initiating the changes raising the wage, increasing the staff, and changing the atmosphere. This will be done after all the research, and training of the staff has been done. Managers will need to think differently; no more get them in and get them out. The new way is do we have enough staff to stock shelves and service customers. After initiating the change, Wal-Mart will need to manage the change. They will need to make sure everyone is following the changes. Wal-Mart needs to make sure everyone has the resources and materials available to manage through this change. For example, with wage increase can have a pay structure so employees know if they want to move up; they will know the pay. This would give employees something to strive for, and will promote organizational excellence on Wal-Mart’s part. The last is just sustaining the change. Wal-Mart needs to keep up with the changes; don’t go back to old ways. For example, don’t go back to tolerating rude customers. Let them know that behavior is no longer acceptable at Wal-Mart, and keep up with that change. Wal-Mart needs to change their public image in order to reach organizational excellence. If Wal-Mart makes these changes their reputation will get better. This will lead to more profits, and survival of the big chain. If Wal-Mart keeps going in the current direction eventually they may lose more than their reputation, but their whole organization.