Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Essay about Review of Snake by D.H. Lawrence - 1482 Words

Review of Snake by D.H. Lawrence Vocabualry: *Carob-tree: a red flowered tree originally in the Mediterranean area. * pitcher : tall, round container with an open top and large handle. * flickered: moved * mused : think about * bowel: bottom of earth * perversity: offensive * log: tree trunk * clatter: v. loud sound of hard things hitting * convulsed : violent movement * writhed: to twist and turn in great pain * paltry: worthless Background : D.H. Lawrence belongs to the 20th Century. He was interested in the idea of contrasts. Most of his writings deal with the conflict between opposities such as instinct and artificiality apects of modern life,†¦show more content†¦The voice of the speaker s education is considered the voice of the reason of human civilization while that of his soul is that which glorifies Nature. Therefore, the relationship between Man and Nature is clearly traced here , where the voice of nature is represented through the image of the snake and the albatross for both are associated with nature while the speaker here is associated with human culture , with industry which according to the poet abused human life. Analysis: - The first five stanzas establish the scene and provide the occasion for the poets initial, sensual description of the snake. The poem begins on a hot hot day, there is nothing special about this day except the appearance of that snake. The poet shows that the behaviour of this snake is very natural. He is there to drink. Lawrence describes this snake as his equal both of them came To drink there (3). The Poet uses personification to make us sympathize with the snake. The poet has to wait for the snake to finish drinking and this shows how he respects the snake and appreciates him because he is part of the nature. * ThereShow MoreRelated D.H. Lawrence Essay943 Words   |  4 Pagesa peaceful simple people.  Ã‚  D.H. Lawrence found this culture a wonder, and he portrays it in â€Å"Mornings in Mexico.†Ã‚  Ã‚  D.H. traveled all around the world and found that New Mexico was his favorite place.  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mornings in Mexico† by David Herbert Lawrence reflects upon the culture, religion, and other â€Å"white† influences over the people that the work portrays. David Herbert Lawrence was born on September 11th, 1885.  Ã‚  He was the fourth child and he had two older brothers.  Ã‚  D.H. was always second to his olderRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagesundergraduates following business studies programmes) âž ¡ Students of The Chartered Institute of Marketing who are preparing for the Marketing Planning paper in the CIM’s Diploma examinations âž ¡ Marketing practitioners who will benefit from a comprehensive review of current thinking in the field of strategic marketing planning, implementation and control. Richard M S Wilson Colin Gilligan Overview of the book’s structure 1 Introduction Stage One Where are we now? Strategic and marketing analysis

Monday, December 16, 2019

Improving the Sales of a Retail Store Free Essays

This paper aims to apply the retail elements discussed in the book of Paco Underhill, â€Å"Why We Buy†. As discussed in the book, improving the state of certain but key retail elements of the store will likely improve its sales performance. For this study, the proponent opted to study the prospects of improving the retail elements of the Starbucks Coffeeshop located at 62 Boylston, Boston, Massachusetts and subsequently, the store’s sales performance. We will write a custom essay sample on Improving the Sales of a Retail Store or any similar topic only for you Order Now I. THE STORE – The proponent chose the Starbucks Coffee Shop located at 62 Boylston, Boston, Massachusetts for this study. It is a very small establishment that provides that rustic makeshift feel typical of Boston. While the coffee shop is successful in blending with the building that houses it and appears to have tapped a substantial percentage of foot traffic to keep it afloat, the proponent believes that it can do more once improvements are implemented to it. These improvements will be discussed in detail and will be conveyed after reviewing key retail elements. 1. Facade – As mentioned earlier by the proponent, the establishment blended well with the building’s color scheme and all with only the logo to distinguish it from afar. If one is new in the area and happens to pass this route to the office, chances are, the establishment will not register as on of Starbuck’s stores unless one looks up and sees the logo. 2. Layout– In general, the interior follows a typical Starbucks coffee shop with varying seat arrangements ranging from a 2-seater coffee table to bar tables on the glass panel provided with stools to suit to the dining preference of its customers. Similarly, the tables and chairs are arranged in such a way to allow a free flowing process for the customer, i. e. , from the time one enters the store, to approaching the counter, then dining until the customer heads for the exit. The interior painting provides a warm and homey feel enticing customers to stay a little longer. . Display – Inside the store, you will see the usual Starbucks merchandising showing their valued coffee beans, thermo mugs, coffee press and music cds to name a few. In front of the counter, one gets enticed to indulge in a sweet spree with all the pastries the store has to offer. The window panels while bare and boring from afar, allows passersby to get a glimpse of what is happening inside and what is in store for them and the proponent believes that this is the how Starbucks wanted it. . Value Added Amenities – The store provides its customers with mild pipe in music that stimulates an engaging conversation with friends. In addition, the store provides wireless fidelity connection to give customers access to the internet. 5. Customer – While the regular Bostonian walks to and fro school or work, most come from old rich descent. Life in Boston is a bit laid back compared to other areas in the United States making the theme of the store under study suitable for them. II. THE PROPOSAL – In reviewing the Starbuck’s store, the proponent attempts to apply the following retails points crucial in improving the sales performance of an establishment. These elements are: 1) A reason to return; 2) Interception Rate; 3) Display windows; 4a) Touch, trial, or other sensory stimuli; 4b) Immediate gratification; 4c) Social interaction; 5) Adjacencies and 6) Design, merchandising and operations (Underhill 2000). As the proponent conducts the analysis certain areas for improvement will be identified in the process. Among these areas, the proponent believes that application of certain modification on the stores design, i. e. , facade, and initiating activities that will enhance social interaction will not only increase the occurrence of repeat customers but will also enable them to tap other target markets. These two areas are discussed in detail below: 1. Design – Obviously, the operator of the Starbucks coffee at 62 Boylston, Boston, Massachusetts tried to blend in with the overall color and theme of the building, unfortunately, certain marketing concepts have been sacrificed in doing so. For instance, while people passing within the proximity of the coffee shop will likely identify it immediately, people from afar will most likely miss it not to mention if these people are new or are just visiting the area. The proponent also suggests that applying a contrasting color scheme will not only help increase the visibility of the store but as a matter of fact, will improve the appearance of the building en banc. 2. Social Interaction – Another avenue for sales improvement is in initiating activities that will enhance group meetings or social interaction in the store. To note, the baseline sales of the store is more or less dependent on the number of seats occupied. Oftentimes, the seating capacity of the store will be underutilized due to customers who would be dining alone. By initiating activities or promotions like group discounts, utilization of the store’s seating capacity, which as mentioned is a function of sales, will likely increase. How to cite Improving the Sales of a Retail Store, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Understanding Leadership and Ways to Develop Leadership †Sample

Question: Using relevant theories and models critically evaluate and analyse the leadership of a 21st century business leader. If you were in the position of the leader, what could you do to be a better leader and make a stronger impact on the followers and on situation/s? Answer: 1. Introduction Yukl (2012) opined that leadership is the process of social influence exerted by an individual to guide and provide support to a common mass. The organizational leaders should have definite leadership style in order to guide the activities of the employees of the organization. The assignment here deals with the evaluation of the leadership styles, behavior, attitudes and power used by the leader of the selected retail organization of Australia namely Harvey Norman. The assignment further evaluates the type of alternative leadership skills and styles that can be adopted by Harvey Norman CEO in future for the purpose of effective management of the organization. 2. Analysis of the organization Harvey Norman founded in 1982, is one of the large Australian based retailer dealing in bedding products, consumer electronics, furniture and entertainment products. The company has four more subsidiaries namely the Domayne, Space furniture, Ariston appliances and Joyce Mayne. The company has integrated its product line in the subsidiaries in order to ensure marketing of specialized products and also to decrease the work burden of the employees in a single store (Harveynorman.com.au,2015). The CEO of Harvey Norman adopts a 6 elements business model for satisfying of the following strategies namely production of large and diversified product range, competitive and penetration pricing strategy, management of people, selling through ownership and franchise system, social appearances for advertising and promotions and property investment and development (Harveynorman.com.au,2015). 3. Description of the leader The organization was co founded by two upcoming entrepreneurs namely Gerry Harvey and Ian Norman. Gerry Harvey is presently the CEO of Harvey Norman group of retail chains. Initially starting his career as a sales man, Gerry decided to open a retail store in partnership and thereby expanded the same to around 42 stores at present. Johnson et al. (1964) opined that the major reason behind the success of Gerry in expanding the business line lies in his hands on approach. Gerry is seen to appear as a spokesperson in every public announcements to discussion about the economic and business strategies of this company. This has helped him to relate to the common mass and create a positive image in the mind of the mass customers. However the reports as per the Business Review Weekly about the CEOs personal life reveals that he is not interested in any kind of charities and stays aloof from the society meetings. This may show that Gerry adopts and introvert attitude in social context (Leroy et al. 2012). The following leadership principles are noted within the Harvey Norman organization: To make self evaluation and evaluation of business before starting of the business To motivate co workers to be highly productive To integrate best business strategies within the organization To continue formulating new ways to conduct business and motivate employees (Buchanan, 2013). 4. Analysis of the situations In the present scenario with the advent of global retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot dealing in the same product line, Harvey Norman may face low turnover rate. Global operations require the organizations to make effective links with external suppliers, associates, and internal employees (Caldwell, 2012). Hence to establish this effectively the organizations require a mentor as a leader. The autocratic Style adopted by Harvey Norman CEO Gerry will restrain the expansion plan of the company. The company in this respect requires a coach or mentor who will guide them rather than instructing them on job specifications. Moreover the increase use of online retailing is threatening the job position of employees of the retail sector (Wirba, 2012). However in case of Gerry it is seen that the leader is in denial about the rise of online retailing is not switching over to the same. 5. Evaluation of the leader Gerry Harvey the CEO of Harvey Norman is the key figure to success of the Harvey Norman operations. An effective analysis of the management roles and leadership styles adopted by him will show the reason behind the success. Management roles: According to Buchanan (2013) three types of management roles may be adopted by an organizational leader namely interpersonal role, informational role and decisional role. Gerry plays the three management roles successfully. His interpersonal role is ascertained from the initiative taken by him in travelling throughout Harvey Norman business and engaging with the employees. He adopts the role of a figure head which enables him to gain support of the employees in business change management. Information dissemination is a part of Gerrys informational role. The effective implementation of the decisional role of Gerry is seen in the introduction of the franchise system and incentive system. Personal skills: Boone and Makhani (2012) opined that for a leader to become successful the following personal skills or attitudes should be present within the individual namely people skills, visionary skills, adaptability skills and ethical skills. 1. People skills: According to Caldwell (2012) the ability of the leader to be empathetic and sensitive to the needs of the team members is an effective way to show good people skills. In order to be publicly acceptable figure a leader needs to have good verbal and non verbal communication strategies like positive body language, making eye contact, making appropriate gestures and open communication. Media interaction and public appearances of Gerry suggests the effective use of the people skills in managing of economic, political matters and also managing the shareholders and customers. 2. Visionary Skills: The major quality of a true visionary leader includes openness to new creative ideas, participation of the team members in decision-making process, imagination, persistence and conviction (Forman and Ross, 2013).However in case of Gerry the skill is not seen. The lack of implementation of the online retailing services shows that the leader is nor foresighted and is conservative in nature. 3. Adaptability skills: With the rapid changes in the world economy and business sector it is utmost important for a leader to possess flexibility and adaptability skills. The expansion and existence of a business depends upon the flexible decisions of a leader (Wirba, 2012).For instance CEO of Face book Mark Zuckerbergs acquiring of Watsapp showed his flexibility with the changes in the emerging social media apps trend. However the lack of adaptability is seen in case of Gerry making the company lose market share to the global competitors. 4. Ethical skills: Leaders are responsible for cultivating culture within the organization hence implementing ethical process for performing of tasks is necessary to make a congenial working environment (Forman and Ross, 2013). Gerry adopted a low profile strategy to keep ethical considerations within the organization. The CEO of Harvey Norman generally has a very low salary compared to other Australian executives which denotes that the CEO is performing the operations in an ethical manner. Leadership style: The adoption of the correct leadership style formulates the effective management of stakeholders as well as achievement of the long term objectives (_).The following are the basic leadership styles generally seen within different organizations. 1. Autocratic leadership style: The classical and the oldest form of leadership style is the autocratic style which gives the leader the power to dominate the team members and suppress the decisions of the team members (Gosling et al. 2012).Although not followed presently however the instance of autocratic style was seen in the commando generals of early times. Adolf Hitler, the greatest German commander possessed and implemented this style which brought about his fall. Abrell et al. (2011) opined that adoption of this style within an organizational context may lead to high employs turnover and absenteeism and low morale of the employees. 2. Bureaucratic leadership style: This is one of the most prevalent leadership styles in where the leader follows the guidelines and rules of the organization. The leaders with this style have no decision power and merely act as a source of rules delivery. Paul Teutul of Orange County Choppers who produces bikes and bike parts adopts this style within their organization. Penney (2011) opined that this type of style is effective in companies where the employees are performing the routine tasks regularly. However in organizations like media house, retail sectors where change is necessary this style is not effective. 3. Participative Leadership style: The participative leadership style commonly known as democratic leadership style is the most preferable leadership style within an organization (Tebeian, 2012). A leader adopting this style encourages the staffs to be a part of all kind of organizational decisions. This creates a sense of connectivity within the employees. A striking example of participative leadership is seen in Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO of Renault and the present CEO of Nissan Japan. The CEO is seen to provide various challenges to the employees to make them perform better and also make them realize about their capabilities. The use of this leadership style reduces the burden of the leader and also reduces the risks of the leader. 4. Laissez Faire leadership style: This is a unique leadership style generally used by small scale organizations who appoint in experienced leaders. This is a hand off style where the leader gives no advice or direction in relation to the organizational activities to the team workers. These types of leaders are more focused on the fulfillment of the individual goals instated of concentrating on the organizational goals.Hargis et al. (2011) opined that the use of this style will be successful only in case of organizations where the staffs are highly skilled, trained and experienced. Analysis of the leadership style adopted by Gerry Harvey it may be seen that the success of the company majorly depends upon his interactive and interpersonal nature. The CEO leads a simple life with no high salary or well furnished office. However the leader pays personal visits to the business houses and the retail stores to check the operations and the satisfaction levels of the employees. The use of high people skills and entrepreneur leadership style has helped Gerry to succeed in expanding the retail operations (Penney, 2011). However the lack of situational and adaptable leadership style within Harvey Norman will result in the future threatening situations for the company. Harvey Norman is still focusing on the franchise system of opening stores rather than focusing on online retailing. Gerry adopts a traditional and old fashioned leadership style of being bureaucratic in his operations. Hence he is overlooking the changes in the global retail sector. Organizational structure and leadership style: The implementation of the leadership style depends upon the appropriate organizational structure (Wirba, 2012). The adoption of hierarchical organizational structure reduces the pressure on the employees and ensures chain of command. CEO of Harvey Norman follows the hierarchical structure thereby making division of labor. The accountability and authority rests with the CEO and the co founder followed by a downward chain of command. Tebeian (2012) opined that this leadership style and organizational structure reduces the chance of mistakes within the organization. However the freedom of opinion or creativity is endangered in this kind of structure. Power of influence: Anderson (2012) opined that leaders should use effective power to influence the decisions of the employees and the co workers. The power of influence is concerned in two ways namely the negotiating power and the bargaining power. The negotiating power enables the leader to reach an agreement on mutually accepted terms in order to fulfill the needs of the employees. On the contrary bargaining power is the ability of the leader to exert influence in order to acquire a situation in their favor. Gerry makes use of the bargaining power within the lower levels of the organization. The CEO in this respect adopts the quick win philosophy that will enable him to resolve turmoil between the lower level workers and will not hamper the growth process of the company. However the use of the bargaining power creates a autocratic style within the organization and exerting of pressure may result in reduction of employee participation (Wirba, 2012). 6. Analysis of alternative recommendations for leadership styles The analysis of the leadership style followed within the Harvey Norman shows that although the adoption of the bureaucratic style has been a success for the company however after the death of Gerry Harvey the management of the organization will get hampered. Hence the following styles and skills may be adopted within the organization to make it adaptable to the changing market scenarios. Adoption of participative style: The adoption of participative style will help Harvey Norman to make easier decisions (Buchanan, 2013). With the change in technology and market structure the company should concentrate on taking the views of all employees within the organization. The proposals of the employees will help Gerry to introduce new product lines, promote the products more aggressively and retain the market share from the competitors. Situational leadership strategies: Forman and Ross (2013) opined that adoption of situational leadership strategies helps the organizations to adapt to the changing situations. Gerry Harvey had founded the retail chain long back and hence he has adopted the traditional strategies to look over the operations of the company. However with the emergence of the global retail chains like Tesco, Walmart, Sainsbury and Asda the market competition for innovation is increasing. Companies like Wal-Mart and Tesco are providing easy online retailing options. Adoption of negotiation power: Gerry as a successful leader should adopt the tactics of good negotiation power rather than relying on bargaining power (Caldwell, 2012). The use of the negotiation power will help the leader to achieve the loyalty of the employees and also achieve the organizational objective without making any compromises. Additional skills: The leader of Harvey Norman should also possess the following skills namely skill of strategic thinking, skill of self management, complex problem solving ability, flexibility and adaptability and team coordination (Caldwell, 2012). It is seen that Gerry depends upon his secretary for all computer works since he is not self trained in this matter. Hence to be an effective guide he should first incorporate self management skills within him. Structural changes: The organizational structure followed by Harvey Norman is divisional structure however the company should think of adopting strategic alliances, outsourcing and flat organizational structures. The adoption of outsourcing will help to reduce the costs of the company (Boone and Makhani, 2012). Moreover the implementation of flat organizational structure will help the company to widen the span of control and cut the costs and make the organizational structure more flexible and adaptable. 7. Conclusion The assignment focuses on the different leadership styles of 21st century. With the advent of technology and emerging competition from various strategies adopted by the organizations it requires the organizational leaders to be adaptable, flexible and participative. The assignment highlights the skills that will be helpful of the largest retail chain of Australia Harvey Norman to succeed in the long run. Apart from the recommended styles the leader of Harvey Norman should also undertake the responsibilities towards the shareholders in reconciling their interests. The management of the company should also adopt the classical management style of planning, organizing and controlling of the activities so that the leadership styles can be implemented successfully. Reference list Books Buchanan, M. (2013).Leadership and religious schools. New York: Bloomsbury Academic. Forman, J. and Ross, L. (2013).Integral leadership. Albany: State University of New York Press. Gosling, J., Sutherland, I., Jones, S. and Dijkstra, J. (2012).Key concepts in leadership. Los Angeles: SAGE. Wirba, A. (2012).Leadership Styles. Saarbrucken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing. Journals Abrell, C, Rowold, J, Weibler, J and Moenninghoff, M (2011) Evaluation of a long term transformational leadership development program, Zeitschrift fr Personalforschung,25 (3), pp. 205-224. Anderson, D. (2012) Is building relationships the key to leadership?,Performance Improvement,51(2), pp. 15-21. Boone, L. W. and Makhani, S. (2012) Five necessary attitude of a servant leader, Review of Business, 33(1), pp.83-96. Caldwell, R. (2012) Leadership and learning: a critical reexamination of Senge's learning organization, System Practice and Action Research, 25(1), pp. 39-55. Hargis, M. B., Watt, J. D. Piotrowski, C. (2011) Developing leaders: examining the role of transactional and transformational leadership across contexts business, Organisation Development Journal, 29 (3), pp. 51-66. Johnson, R. A., Fremont, E. K. and Rosenzweig, J. E. (1964) Systems Theory And Management, Management Science,10(2), p. 367-384. Leroy, H, Palansky, M. E. and Simons, T. (2012) Authentic leadership and behavioural integrity as drivers of follower commitment and performance, Journal of Business Ethics,107(3), pp. 225-264. Penney, S. H. (2011) Voice of the future: leadership for the 21st century, Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(3), pp. 55-62. Tebeian, A. E. (2012) The impact of motivation through leadership on group performance, Review of International Comparative Management, 13(2), pp. 313-324. Yukl, G. (2012) Effective leadership behaviour: what we know and what questions need more attention, Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(4), pp. 66-85.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Illogical Arguments of the Communist Manifesto Essays

The Illogical Arguments of the Communist Manifesto The Illogical Arguments of the Communist Manifesto The Communist Manifesto (CM), penned by political theorists and philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, is recognized to be one of the most influential documents in the world. The manuscript contains much of its writers own theories on the natural social order, focusing on the idea that a capitalist society would eventually give way to socialism and inevitably communism. While the main goal of the text was to inform the public about the supposedly inevitable arrival of communism and the potential of such a political society, it rather interestingly focuses on the shortcomings of capitalism and how its development into communism is an inevitable class struggle. The rhetoric of the CM was carefully written by Marx and Engels in order for its ideas to sound convincing and logical. However, upon careful analysis, many the arguments made by these two were logically flawed. There are a number of incidents within the CM in which Marx and Engels are at fault for countless types of logical errors, such as contradictions, illogical flow, immature and nonsensical claims, ignoring counterarguments, and cutting explanations short. Specifically, this paper addresses the flaws in the logic of Marxs and Engels arguments concerning their classification of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, as well as the flaws apparent in their discussion of wage theory and class antagonism within and among nations. These illogical fallacies throughout the Communist Manifesto undermine the credibility of Marxs and Engels arguments, showing that their theoretical notions and analyses of capitalisms demise and communisms triumphs are susceptible to a high degree of disbelief and thus fatally flawed. With this realization in mind, a reading of the CM would reveal the immaturity and naivety in the early conceptions of Marxism and communism that is apparent beneath the dramatic rhetoric. The logic in Marxs and Engels classification of the bourgeoisie is filled with contradictions and illogical flow, detracting away from their intent to explain the modern bourgeoisie and their inevitable downfall. The authors begin the CM with the line The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles(CM), further stating that the triumphant winner of most recent struggle, the modern bourgeoisie, would just be part of the cyclical nature of this struggle, from Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian oppressor and oppressed (CM). Yet they go on to say that this modern bourgeoisie is unlike anything that has existed before. The authors attempt to address this contradiction by explaining that In these crises, there breaks out an epidemic that, in all earlier epochs, would have seemed an absurdity the epidemic of over-production. Society suddenly finds itself put back into a state of momentary barbarism due to too much means of subsistence, too much industry , too much commerce (CM). While the claim about the unprecedented over-production exploiting the proletariats may be valid, it also go on to say that this state causes the bourgeoisies relations of property [to] became no longer compatible with the already developed productive forces (CM). This is the reason that the authors give for explaining the inevitable fall of capitalism, that the weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself (CM). In an attempt to overcome this incompatibility, the bourgeoisie [enforces] destruction of a mass of productive forces and by the conquest of new markets and by a more thorough exploitation of the old ones (CM). This explanation for the bourgeoisies attempt to fix its dilemma has nothing to do with its inevitable demise due to some sort of incompatibility between them and the proletariats. This illogical flow causes confusion as to what is the source of the fated fall of the capitalis ts, a point which by itself the authors were keen to stress. It would be difficult to understand what Marx and Engels were attempting to explain about the bourgeoisie if their reasoning is not logical. The fact that true communism never existed may be a result of the authors failure in proposing a solid and logical classification of the bourgeoisie. The confusion as to the legitimacy of the claim of the fated collapse of the bourgeoisie