Thursday, January 30, 2020
The New Rule Essay Example for Free
The New Rule Essay Judging by the numbers has been an integral way of assessing the success or failure of a company or a CEO from then and even until present. The influence of this method has been augmented by the advocacy by â€Å"successful†executives through their published and mediated ideas. But even with the prevailing numerically-dependent idea on success, it seems that globalization has paved way for people to rethink and reconsider other â€Å"rules†that must have been missed out before. Fortune senior writer Betsy Morris wrote an article about â€Å"New Rules†that, as it is implied in the text, should replace the Wallstreet-pressured old ones. The question is: Is there really a necessity to replace the old rules with new ones?            The old rules are easier to manage and apply compared to the new ones. The old rules focus merely on raising the numbers; everything is judged based on the numerical values. Theoretically, there are no people to please, and not much effort on creative thinking is necessary. All that has to be done is to follow proven formulas of success, that is, as dictated by the experiences of â€Å"successful†businessmen and executives. The only goal is to be on top and it was believed that that goal can be easily attained with linear progression as long as the â€Å"book†was followed.            To exemplify this, there is this old rule about big dogs owning the street (Morris, 2006). Based on this old rule, the greatest benefits and rewards in the industry are reaped by the biggest player or by the economies of scale. This old rule is relatively easy to manage compared to its counterpart in the â€Å"new rules,†that is to be agile. Although being big is not as easy as what might have been implied, this old rule is considered one because based on what is implied in the rule, just being big allows the player to take advantage of whatever resource in the industry or to take huge profits from a specific market without much effort and simply just by being â€Å"big.†As it is with their status, the natural laws of economics come to play under normal circumstances, that is, the economies of scale could naturally spread their fixed costs and thus acquire larger revenues (Morris, 2006).            This is not the case with its counterpart â€Å"new rule.†Based on the new rule, the player must be agile because being big can actually bring harm (Morris, 2006). This rule implies more than the requirement of a player to simply be agile. It implies the necessity of a certain ability that is, to properly observe the direction of the market and be able to apply this gained knowledge to the needs of the company.            The new rules, thus, require more than the ability to follow rules. It requires that the leader or executive is able to have the wisdom to realize the need to acquire knowledge and be able to use the gained knowledge (particularly the needs of the market) to direct the company towards adapting to these needs and continuously make the company flexible afterwards. The ease in managing the old rules is dependent on its nature which is based on â€Å"following,†while the new rules are mainly based on â€Å"skill and creativity†.            That the â€Å"old rules†are in fact labeled as â€Å"old†does not necessarily mean it should all be replaced with the new ones or worse, eradicated and forgotten. After all, these rules are based on wisdom from past experiences and it is not very difficult to find similarities, no matter how small between past experiences and current ones. The term â€Å"old†may not always be synonymous with â€Å"better†but the same can be said with â€Å"new†. It is actually possible that both are equally important and a fusion of which could create a better â€Å"rule†.            Citing again the example on the old rule of big dogs owning the street and its counterpart new rule, agility is best, it can be said that while the old rule may not necessarily be better than the old rule, being â€Å"not big†does not also guarantee positive effects. Agility and the company’s flexibility, plus, being big, can actually create more advantage for the company. With the big company’s ability to spread its fixed costs and the agile company’s ability to make efficient use of resources, the business can actually reduce its costs and make more revenues.            Similarly, any company can attempt to find a niche or create something new. This is not an easy feat because as it is said, it involves creativity. But a company must not limit itself to just one of two choices. The old and new rules that are presented in the article are not opposites. This means that it is actually feasible for a company to both strive being the best in the market and at the same time, strive to always create something new for their market.            Starbucks may have â€Å"continuous change†as their goal but this goal is only the surface of an underlying goal. Why does Starbucks want to keep moving and evolving? This is to continue their identity, which caters to their market, that keeps their profits and thus keep the enterprise going. Starbucks may not have had being number 1 as their main goal but they were able to be on top by always creating something new for their clients. In the end, it is able to take advantage of its ability to create something new, as well as its being on top. Being on top had become one of the old rules because it had a rationale that is deeper than the â€Å"numbers†. A top business could improve the employees’ morale and could thus make them become better in performing their jobs. This could result in better relationships with clients. The businesses’ rules must not be limited to a choice between the old or the new. Both are not opposites and the instances when both can be done simultaneously to complement the other must be recognized.            While in general, the new rules teach about the importance of flexibility the necessity of the corporate world to be able to adapt and consider the actual needs of its clients, some of the old rules can be truly â€Å"greedy†.            One old rule that represents this is that the shareholders rule. According to a study done by One Bain Co. (Morris, 2006), there is a significant discrepancy about the perceptions of the executives about the quality of their service and the perceptions of the customers themselves. It is said that 80% of the executives perceive themselves as doing a great service and only 8% of the customers agree (Morris, 2006).            This implies that the customers’ needs are not adequately met while the executives consider themselves as being justly compensated for their â€Å"efforts,†and the company being the just recipients of revenues. It may be that any business is made for the sole purpose of profiting. But this does not exempt anyone from disregarding ethical considerations. Simply put, any customer deserves the value of what they pay for.            In addition, the companies, whether profit-centered or otherwise, must realize that the laws of economics would indicate that catering to the customers would actually increase the revenues and considering the new rule (The Customer is King), can be a positive way of gaining profits instead of taking so much effort to decrease their operating costs, which could in almost all cases, also reduce their product’s quality. Considering the clients could only be symbiotic, benefiting both the clients and the business itself. This has been proven by companies like Apple and Genentech (Morris, 2006).            In the rapidly changing times and with globalization, it seems that the â€Å"new rules†are most applicable. This is because these new rules can only be products of observations of the successful companies and CEO’s at the present time. Still, it must be noted that the â€Å"old rules†were what the people considered then as the â€Å"new rules†. This means that rules are created based on what seems appropriate depending on the demands situations and circumstances that happen at a certain period. With this in mind, what is important is not exactly to follow which rule is popular at a certain period but to allow circumstances and the nature of events to become guides in strategizing and decision-making. Truly, following the old rules religiously would be like staying at a certain era and preventing growth. But still, following the â€Å"new rules†by-the-book would be self-contradictory because the principle behind the â€Å"new rules†is to allow constant change and flexibility depending on specific factors involved. Like what the Morris (2006) said about the old rules, the â€Å"new rules†are made to answer specific problems of a specific situation at a specific time. Then, it is only the value of flexibility that must be retained. As it is, the world will always change even with resistance from business players and all that can be done is to allow themselves to be swayed and be creative so that each situation can be used to their competitive advantage. Still, the old rules must not be completely disregarded. These old rules must be seen based on the rationale or wisdom behind. Because such rules, when seen at a less common or different perspective could still apply to a specific present, although not necessarily modern situation. Jack Welch may right when he said that â€Å"If applied correctly†¦ rules can work forever.†(Morris, 2006). The only question that matters then is â€Å"what is correctly?†Again, â€Å"correctly†depends on one’s ability to gain knowledge in situations, be flexible and be creative in using these situations to his or her advantageâ€â€but of course, with all the ethical considerations. Works Cited Morris, B. (2006). The New Rules. Fortune. Retrieved 28 Feb 2007 from http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/10/magazines/fortune/rules.fortune/index.htm.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Discuss the function of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls Essay
Discuss the function of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls John Boynton Priestly in 1945 wrote the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ but set it in 1912. This time difference creates a sense of dramatic irony as the play was written after it was set. The audience would be aware of the events which had taken place between 1912 and 1945, including world war one and two which they would no doubt have experience first hand. ‘An Inspector Calls’ was first performed in Russia, Moscow. This is significant because of the Russian Revolution, which was a system of collective social responsibility where the sate owned everything and used the wealth to look after its citizens. As England was left destroyed due to the world war, therefore there would have been very few playhouses, so Russia had to be alternative for performing the play. The play is set in three scenes. The entire play is set in the dining room of Mr Birling’s house. In contrast this creates claustrophobia and tension as the characters in the play feel as if they are trapped, nowhere to go until the truth is revealed. Although the play is about the death of a young girl called Eva Smith who has committed suicide. Due to this mysterious death, the Birling family has a nasty surprise waiting. The Birling’s are meant to have a high status in their community and they all have done bad things, which has forced a young woman to kill herself. In the play, it reveals what each of them did which leads to Eva Smiths death. As the play concludes we find out that, the inspector has been questioning the Birling family for moral values and their sense of social responsibilities. The inspector is not only a character in the play; he is a dramatic device who has seve... ...w yet, Are you sure you don't know†. J.B Priestly purposely does not use a question mark in this quote to show that the Inspector already knows the answer. This affects the characters as they are firstly surprised on how much knowledge the inspector has and the Birlings cannot give a straight answer. The Inspector knows so much about Eva smith due to finding her diary and some letters. â€Å"I had an idea from something the girl herself wrote". At the start of the play, we are introduced to the Birlings who are no other than an upper class family. The whole family all seem to be living peacefully. Until the moment where it all begins, â€Å"It can’t be any worse for me than it has been. And it might be better†Sheila says. Gerald replies, â€Å"I see†. At this stage the relationship shatters and then from there on the worst is spoken by the inspector to the Birlings.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
A Tribe Apart
A Tribe Apart To believe that no one in this world understands what you are going through on any given day. To feel that you are the only person out of the almost seven billion people that populate this universe who can experience the feelings of desire, hurt, pain, happiness, sadness, confusion, emptiness and joy. Sometimes all at the same time can these feelings be amongst you. This is how, in my own words that I would define the meaning of Personal Fable.To be the center of attention when there is good and bad happening and the feeling you have thereafter depends on what you think that others think of you. They are always watching you as you imagine. They are the judge of your every move. You have to be cool, act cool, look cool. To me this is the definition of the Imaginary Audience. To have a constant judgment of your behavior can lead to a phobia or paranoia. It can be positive or negative. For most it becomes a result of your character and leads to you to being self-conscious of your ever move.It’s all about me and only me! I am the center of attention. It is my way or the highway. No one else matters. There is no particular interest in what you think, believe, feel or say. I am selfish. I am self-centered. I am the definition of Egocentrism. According to the Cognitive Development topic these processes, Personal Fable, Imaginary Audience and Egocentrism all require formal operation thought. They all work together and sheds plenty of light on how and why we think the way we do. In A Tribe Apart, Brendon is a good example of Personal Fable.Brendon comes from a good family; he has four siblings in which he is the youngest. He feels compelled to compete with his older brothers because they are good students and all around good people in general. Brendon’s family were displaced from Reston to Houston since his father lost his job and then later lost his job in Reston whereas his mother became the ‘bread winner’ of the family. The fa mily appears to be the All-American, traditional family whom eat together and pray together, however this model family is said to be ‘distorted by the pain of economic loss’.Brendon takes on risky behavior and becomes and example of Personal Fable as he uses escaping as a way of not to care or feel his feelings. He to, becomes a product of Imaginary Audience, because he had previously dealt with embarrassment and has decided to shut himself off from that part of the world since his optimism and excitement have since vanished. In A Tribe Apart, Brendon turns to alcohol consumption and drug use as a pacifier to make him feel ‘warm and alive’.His substance abuse leads him to believe that it is like â€Å"relaxation, and escape from everybody to make yourself happy. †Brendon is said to have tried many modes from classroom clowning, truancy, dope, booze and art as an act of anger and therefore has led to aggression towards his siblings than his parents. Brendon often feels alone when it comes to his feelings, although his friend Tad is around he feels let down and disappointed by people and has chosen to shelter himself instead of reaching out to those who may feel the same way he does.Because Brendon has a ‘doesn’t care’ attitude he has removed himself from the social setting of school all because of a role he played in the talent show that has him feeling embarrassed. Brendon is dealing with, not only believing that he is the only adolescent in this world experiencing issues (Personal Fable) but also feeling self-conscious, like he is being watch or evaluated (Imaginary Audience). He continues on his path of destruction although he really doesn’t want to be that ‘guy’. His though process is that the good in him is no good and in order to feel good about himself he has to do badly.Brendon follows this streak throughout the book and doesn’t change much. Brendon, as bright, talented, an d creative as he is said to be deals with darkness, loss and mental turmoil and focuses on his regrets and bitterness due to his family experience. On the other hand, there is Charles Sutter who enters A Tribe Apart as the unnoticed freshman who is from a home of professional parents and a sibling who ‘look to the world, like proof the American Dream works for all’. The Sutter family is black. Being black makes it twice as hard to prove yourself.Black adolescents are often labeled as ‘Trouble’ and ‘Ghetto’. Even though Charles is in gifted and talented classes, plays several sports and serves as the class leader he is considered a ‘tightly wound young man acutely aware of the restraints and responsibilities his race imposes’. Charles never seems to be at ease because he is constantly dealing with not feeling free of the burden of proving himself. He is ‘Mr. Perfect Black’. He is the rare face of the class. He is the bl ack sheep of the group who wants, solely to fit in despite the color of his skin.Charles displays the acts of Imaginary Audience and Egocentrism both. Because Charles is the ‘rare black face’ he feels like he is never good enough nor as smart as them. His attitude becomes that if he has ‘to perform, he will perform’ and proves that he is better than them if he is tried. Once he beat up another student just to prove that he is capable of protecting and defending himself as well as established some credibility within himself so the other boys in the school would know. Both Imaginary Audience and Egocentrism capture attention in Charles case.When Charles is doing something worth being watch, which is almost always being that he is an A+ student, he has a sense of not only ‘Who is watching me’ but ‘I want you to watch me’. It’s as if, he knows that being a black male automatically draws attention especially when there is some go od involved. People are interested in how this ‘black’ boy can be so smart, can dress presentable, can hold a decent conversation, is financial stable that he doesn’t have to sell drugs to make ends meet. As explained in A Tribe Apart, Charles dilemma ‘represents the world of striving black middle-class adolescents.It is life lived on the defensive, a constant tightrope to be navigated between two cultures: a white culture that never fully embraces them, and a black peer group that disdains black achievers’. Charles overcomes his humiliation after several different issues and strives throughout the book. Remaining an achiever throughout. In his case having the Imaginary Audience and the Egocentrism concepts paved the way. Although it seems a bit much when a person is egocentric but when it come to proving yourself and becoming an achiever then it should be looked at as being positive.Then there is the ‘supposedly audience’ you want to wa tch you as that can be the proof to make you remain positive so that you can continue to achieve. Moshing Is a Way to Belong. This is the story of Joan. Joan’s mother left her when she was ten years old and never returned until two years later. Joan being the only female in the household along side her brother and father was having difficulty getting used to the fact that she now was the woman of the house. She was expected to take on all the duties of being a mother, a wife, all the while she was a young adolescent.Her world as she had known it was crumbling right before her eyes. As the chapter talks about Joan it mentioned how she had went from being spoiled to becoming the woman of the house. Joan had become isolated and lonely. She was in fear of her father and the control her had over her. She was not allowed to have friends. As mentioned, ‘she craved recognition and respect. She was too scared to ask for love. ’ She felt as if no one cared about the little girl that was devastated by her loss. No one knew what she was dealing with and over time Joan took upon herself to fight back for ‘whatever life dished out’.She started hanging out with kids that were lovers of the hard core rock music. With this music comes Moshing (def. , activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively pushes or slams into each other. Moshing is frequently accompanied by stage diving, crowd surfing, microphone swinging, instrument smashing, and head banging. ) Joan feels like this is a great way to fit in and be a part of something. According to her she ‘feels, uninhibited, part of the action, and especially part of the group of peers, something she longs for.Joan also began thinking that being a tough person, fighting all the time was the way to earn respect. She would start fights if she thought someone was taking about her. Nothing bad could happen to Joan, which is what she thought. She continued the pose in high school with a bad attitude and the behavior to follow. Popping lockers and shoplifting was something she did on a regular. This insert fits as an example of Personal Fable & Egocentrism. Joan felt that no one else could possibly understand what she was going through. That she was the only lonely and isolated kid that surfaces this world.She turned to anger and resentment and felt that whatever rules existed did not apply to her and that nothing bad could happen to her. Joan craving recognition and respect demonstrates Egocentrism. It was all about her and what she thought. Joan’s way of thinking was that anyone around her had to be thinking about her since that was all she was doing. Joan began to question herself and felt that it was time for change. She wasn’t happy with what she had turned out to be. She gradually changed her ways for the better which led to more positive friendships and happier outcomes.Joan mentions that by ‘being tough, however, she learne d to be smart for today’s world. Each example listed throughout illustrates the concepts, Personal Fable, Imaginary Audience and Egocentrism. The one thing that caught my attention that explains a lot about the adolescents in A Tribe Apart as well as the kids today and even when I was a young adolescent is that ‘whatever behavior is common to a group of kids feels normal to them, whether it be doing drugs or doing homework. Whether the adult world sees the lifestyles as positive or negative is not the standard the kids are using’. We live. We learn and hopefully we grow.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Appositive Adjective Definition and Examples
An Appositive Adjective is a traditional grammatical term for an adjective (or a series of adjectives) that follows a noun and, like a nonrestrictive appositive, is set off by commas or dashes. Appositive adjectives often appear in pairs or groups of three (tricolons). Examples and Observations Arthur was a big boy, tall, strong, and broad-shouldered.(Janet B. Pascal, Arthur Conan Doyle: Beyond Baker Street. Oxford University Press, 2000)No Chinese emperor was more resplendently arrayed. As for the cigarette that he holds out, half smoked, to be taken and deposited by his valet, a whole civilizationâ€â€urbane, authoritative, preposterous, and doomedâ€â€resides in that single gesture.(Anthony Lane, Life and Death Matters. The New Yorker, February 8, 2010)Much of the greatest poetry, ancient and modern, has been occupied with a similar image: the figure of the abandoned woman.(Lawrence Lipking, Abandoned Women and Poetic Tradition. The University of Chicago Press, 1988)Since then the starless night is gone,The warm south-western showers have passed;The trees, forlorn and bare, sigh on,And shiver in the northern blast.(Caroline May, Dead Leaves, 1865)Though Sfars fantastic visual excesses distort some facts, they perfectly reflect the spirit of Gainsbourgs life and rep utationâ€â€excessive, brilliant, controversial, and tortured.(Michael Rabiger and Mick Hurbis-Cherrier, Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics, 5th ed. Focal Press, 2013)Melrose in his skullcap, sitting sideways in his chair, his cigarette held aloft, presented a profile which might have been that of some Venetian Doge, old, withered and crafty.(Mary Augusta Ward, The Mating of Lydia, 1913) Characteristics of Appositive Adjectives Appositive adjectives, which hardly ever spring naturally to our lips, differ from regular adjectives both in placement and in punctuation. They are placed after the noun or before the determiner, and they are set off by commas. When there is no determiner, they are still set off by commas. Their functions are somewhat different, too, although the difference is hard to pin down. It should be fairly easy to feel, however, if you read these three sentences aloud, one after the other. Adjectives in normal position:The sturdy old cabin survived the hurricane.Appositive adjectives following the noun:The cabin, old but sturdy, survived the hurricane.Appositive adjectives before the determiner:Old but sturdy, the cabin survived the hurricane. In the second and third sentences, the placement and punctuation of old but sturdy lead you to place a stress on both appositive adjectives that they do not get in the first sentence... [T]he placement and punctuation of the adjectives focus special attention on the contrast. This is partly because the information is not there primarily to identify the noun. If the adjectives for cabin were old and redâ€â€The old red cabin survived the hurricaneâ€â€we would not think of putting old and red in the appositive position. They describe, they modify, but they do not suggest the same idea as old but sturdy. Appositive adjectives typically suggest a relation between information found in a sentence and information carried by the adjectives themselves.Appositive adjectives hardly ever appear singly... When they do, they are almost always modified by a prepositional phrase.(Michael Kischner and Edith Wolin, Writers Choices: Grammar to Improve Style. Harcourt, 2002) A Loose Construction The Appositive Adjective. When an adjective is loosely joined, almost as an afterthought, to a substantive which has a separate existence in the mind, the construction is called appositive. It is the loosest of all constructions, as is shown by the fact that it is usually set off by commas. It resembles the noun in apposition as far as any adjective resembles a noun; i.e., it assumes a single attribute, while a noun assumes a group of attributes large enough to imply a partial identity. Example: All sizes, large and small, are sold here. (Irene M. Mead, The English Language and Its Grammar. Silver, Burdett and Company, 1896)
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