The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare Essay â€Å"Proteus is an early sea-god and one of several deities whom Homer calls the Old Man of the Sea. His name suggests the first, as protogonos is the firstborn. He became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian or of Nereus and Doris, or of Oceanus and a Naiad, and was made the herdsman of Poseidons seals, the great bull seal at the center of the harem. He can foretell the future, and will answer only to someone who is capable of capturing him. And from this word came the adjective protean which means versatile, mutable, and capable of assuming many forms. It has positive connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptability (www.http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protean)†.   I was able to watch the play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare last November 9. Here, I chose Proteus, who was one of the two gentlemen of Verona, as the character to be analyzed. Primarily, Proteus’ objective was to attend the court as his father Antonio believes that this should be the fate of a young man. However, this objective evolved into something different as the play progressed. Because his presence at the court became the way where he was reunited with his best friend and fell in love with Silvia. This was where all the complications started and gave twists to the lives of the characters in the play. He later was determined to win Silvia, the daughter of the Duke of Milan despite all odds. Proteus changed a lot in terms of his attitude as his affection for Silvia becomes an obsession. Because as Proteus met Silvia, he eventually forgot his lover Julia who was left behind at Verona. He did everything to win her including betraying his long-time friend Valentine who was the true love of Silvia. He became disloyal to Julia and a traitor to his best friend because of his obsession with Silvia. The characters in the play have direct effects on Proteus as the play progressed. For example, Valentine taught him how to be a good friend at the beginning of the play but later, they became rivals as they both fell in love with the same woman. He was trusted by Valentine that he confessed his plan to escape with Julia from the palace of the Duke but then betrayed Valentine by telling the Duke about their plan. This resulted to Valentine being exiled. Julia, Proteus’ lover, taught him what true love is, that she chose to disguise as a page and serve Proteus despite the fact that she was used by Proteus to pursue his interest on Silvia. Up until the end of the play, he showed Proteus what love really means. And Silvia, being so much in love with Valentine, showed Proteus how it is to be loyal to a lover as she managed to keep her trust and faithfulness with Valentine despite all the bad words Proteus told her about her lover. Until the end, Silvia taught Proteus how it is to be a great lover. Proteus as a character in the play did not show any inner conflicts about his desire to woo Silvia because he showed extreme determination to fulfill this. He neglected his love affair with Julia and betrayed his best friend for this objective. He even attempted to force himself to Silvia at the end of the play because he was so desperate. The actor used his body and skills very well to convey the character of Proteus. He stressed innocence through his eyes and voice and showed power and domination through his diction and face. He showed why the name Proteus is so fitted to the character as this name implies â€Å"a sea god who can change his shape at will† (http://www.viennatheatreproject.at/education/teachermaterial/) because he managed to fit his gestures and facial expressions in every scene of the play. SOURCES; The Shakespeare Project. (2004, October). William Shakespeare’s Ttwo Gentlemen of Verona: A Modern Version. Retrieved November 13, 2006 from http://www.viennatheatreproject.at/education/teachermaterial/Teacher_Material_TWO_GENTLEMEN_OF_VERONA.pdf#search=proteus%20%20objective%20on%20the%20play%20two%20men%20of%20verona Proteus (2006, November 7). Retrieved November 13, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protean

Project Mayhem Essay Example for Free

Project Mayhem Essay The movie is not entirely Marxism-themed, it promotes justice and anti-capitalism. It adheres to oppose globalization as a benchmark criteria and the face of development. It showcases the effects of globalization and integrates the propositions of inevitable opposition to the concept. However, its attempt to oppose the concept merits failure. (Author’s Full Name) (Instructor’s Name) (Course Title) (Date Submitted) The cinematic realm of Marxism: Fight Club (based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk) Fight Club (1999, FOX), Chuck Palahniuk’s book-turned-film, is a movie which centers on the struggle to overcome alienation. Alienation serves as one of the films central themes and depicts how alienation can be a struggle especially when dealing with one’s self. Edward Norton, simply called as Jack, is the narrator of the film. He is the protagonist of the movie. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is Jack’s own alter-ego. Jack can be described as an insomniac being, tired of his prescribed job. He finds self-fulfillment through choosing only designer furniture products, and in support of groups raising health-related issues. He quickly identified with Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter), who like him is finding some things to do to meet his needs. But Marla has been so much like an imitation of jack, and so he tries to find for other venues where he could be. Tyler and jack, as both character reflecting one’s struggle, discovered a rush emotion during one time they fought. They were playful the whole time, but brutal against one another. It is in that moment that the concept of fighting held a different meaning. Fighting, as they experienced, has made them feel the pain and anger in a more vocalized manner. It gathered attention and awe as they observed their audience, thus, fight club emerged. Fight club became an organized and frequent event, an event which received a welcoming enthusiasm for its audience. Jack, his character and struggles were exemplified in the film. But Tyler, being his alter ego was also highlighted in the film. The awareness of their existence grew into the film’s conflict, and evoked a schizophrenic character that portrays a character with various emotional details. On the other hand, Jack is ultimately overcome by the transcendence of both. For most critics, the film may instill a sense of 19th century German philosophical view of the concept of alienation. The film, although treated as a movie with fictional characters and settings, has a touch of connection with some of the greatest philosophical views about man’s existence. In this research paper, it shall attempt to uncover the relationship between the characters and the movie per se, with the probable concept of alienation and Marxist ideologies. Using various texts as sources, the paper shall evaluate if such concepts are related to the movie, and what it brings in its entirety. Hegel in his book entitled the Phenomenology of Mind (1807) explored the philosophical views of alienation and the conflict between masters and slaves. The concept of alienation as described by Hegel depicts an emotion when individuals feel isolated from the rest of the society. However, when one becomes isolated from his true self, the concept of alienation brings an individual towards much more complex level. The paper shall explore the concept of alienation as it progress with its analysis. Following the prominent idealism strongly held in the Marxists view, the kind of alienation described in Marxist concept maintains that alienation is deeply embedded in capitalism. Beginning with Jack, we became to realize ho capitalism is greatly construed in his character, his view of the world, and the system he follows in his life. For one, his profession entails cost benefit analysis for a major automobile company. But more than the superficial and the obvious form of capitalism shown through Jack, capitalism evolved in several categories wherein it guides his self-being, and defines who he is as a person. Capitalism is depicted through Jack and his consumerist views. Jack, as narrator, asks, â€Å"What kind of dining room set defines me as a person? † and confesses, â€Å"I loved that condo. Everything, the lamps, the chairs, the rugs- was me (Fight Club, 1999, Script available from crosswind. net)†. If one analyzes the situation more deeply, we begin to realize Jack’s character being that of a person epitomizing a consumer, one who sees everything as a price tag. As Jack’s self-consciousness, his awareness grows, and again the conflict arise when his world-view is realized to be hollow and a continuous pursuit of self fulfillment. â€Å"We were raised by television to believe that someday well all be millionaires and movie stars and rock stars but we wont. And were learning that fact that this madness begins to be seen as a form of slavery: [we are a] whole generation [of] slaves manipulated by advertising to chase cars and clothes, working jobs they hate, just so they can buy things they dont really need. † (Fight Club, Script available in crosswinds. net) Just beneath the surface of these consumerist categories, a more conflicting character is drawn. The abject feeling of being a nobody, of having no destiny other than being a mindless drone in the hive of society. Jack knows what his problem is. He knows, but it seems that he himself does not know how to cure it. When Jack described his condition, he mentioned, â€Å"I am helpless. I am stupid and weak and all I do is want and need things. I am my little shit job. I am my condo and my Swedish furniture† (Fight Club, 1999, Script available at crosswinds. net) He knows he has a problem and that is one of the crucial steps towards finding his cure. Jack decides to turn to his alter-ego, Tyler. The entry of Tyler Durden into the life of Jack marks his subconscious desire to depart from his dull, meaningless existence (Kerr, 2006 p. 1). Fight Club is born out of Jack’s need to replace come into terms with his feelings and world-views. The club caters to those members of the society simply neglected and ignored, and whose life, like that of Jack, is one monotonous day after day of catering to a society that does not care about them. The capitalist system of working, the drive to realize larger profits in less time and capital required has reduced work to drudgery and creation is replaced by production (Marx, 1844). The introduction of the assembly line in the 1900’s changed the means by which work is approached. In the years before, jobs still produced a sense of personal fulfillment and growth. Products were hand made, with each year of making improving the experience of the creator and thus the quality of the product. However, in today’s capitalistic world, the mantra of specialization of tasks has reduced work to an activity of repetition and ultimately boredom. Cubicle workers, those that work in an assigned work place no larger than an elevator room leave work everyday with no sense of personal fulfillment, just a degree of satisfaction that the work required to get the next paycheck was done. Work in the capitalist society has become a pursuit of the means to subscribe to the material goods that the society says defines the life of a person (Ta, 2006 p. 70). No longer does the sense of personal achievement and pride in one’s work, and the struggle to achieve mastery in one’s job exist; it has been replaced by a sense personal repression, just to achieve a status in the capitalist world. Hegelian and Marxists theories have influenced some of the works of greatest philosophers of all times. One of them is Immanuel Kant. Kant did not only attempt to define and explain the concept of perception on one’s self, but defined and categorized structures in how we perceive our world, how we are also perceived by the world, and how we must be able to perceive ourselves. Kant contradicts Hegel’s separate and hidden world, with a world independent from our perception and awareness. Instead, the world is to use a common metaphor, projected by the subject (Hegel, 1955). If we follow Hegel’s logic, we can attribute disunity from one subject reflected to the other. Thus, when we aim to unify ourselves with the world, and our self consciousness, Hegel describes the phenomenon as a true self-knowing freedom (Hegel, 1955). The Solution: Fight? (Bliss) In the establishment of Fight Club, the protagonists embrace and face pain and fear head-on, as it were, through organized fighting, which produces a kind of bliss (Iocco, 2007 pp. 56-62). People who participates in the Fight Club are those who does not care about society norms and values, those people venting emotions brought about by alienation, and people who are in need to feel some kind of real human nature. Fight club participants are aware of their problems; they all feel oppressed from where they come from. This character provides a contrast with Jack’s character. People who watch and fight in the club are those who are anti-capitalist and anti-consumerist. Tyler’s philosophy in other people maintains these two antagonistic world views. In the world of the fight club, no class or levels were regarded, their own adapted new world view grants no difference with superiors and inferiors. The Fight Club also tackles the repression of basic primal masculinity and physical aggression. The capitalist society views itself as the epitome of civilization and thus frowns upon acts which are deem barbaric (Tuss, 2004 p. 99). Fighting, the act of physically confronting another person with the desire to inflict pain has been seen as a taboo and repressed act in today’s civilized world. The movie shows how hard it is to pick a fight in a basic corporate and suburban setting, and it shows that it is, of all people, a priest, which dares subscribe to physical violence. The capitalist world and the industrial revolution have ushered in a slightly different view of manhood. In early days, manhood was dictated by physical prowess and courage, the better to defend one’s family and to provide for them (Tuss, 2004 p. 94). However, in today’s environment, the primary currency of survival is money, and those perceived of as successful and manly are those who can provide and control with their money and bureaucratic authority. In analyzing Hegelian dialect, the logical progression of arguments is characterized with a starting passage from the proposed thesis. The thesis, will then be used to form an anti-thesis, developed into a higher synthesis which validates arguments and eliminates the partial truths (Hemling, p99). In this paper, we shall progress following these thoughts: capitalism is our thesis, our developed anti-thesis is Fight Club, and the higher synthesis contrasting it with the partial truths, maintains that either one can be regarded solely as a final thesis of anti-thesis. The fight club and ultimately project mayhem are just short-tem processes to add details of the struggle in the film. They are not regarded as solutions. They must and will end in order to give way to a higher synthesis. The fight club has this effect in the roles of fighting in the movie. Fighting is after all the main conflict and expression of conflict in the movie. One, fighting is a struggle to be recognized, acknowledged, and known. Second, fighting confronts fear. When fear becomes abolished, then the condition of freedom can be met. According to Hegel, as cited by Benzaquen 1998, self-awareness is only through other people’s mediation. The film did not only show this through fighting, but also through Jack. We mentioned earlier how Marla Singer becomes a reflection of Jack’s character, and when he realized this, he finds other places where he could get his fix, somewhere where he is the only one known. Just like what Kelly 1966 mentions, the story of self-consciousnesses whose need for recognition leads to mutual struggle. The personal character and the world dominating view must find its own characteristics. Their relationship is mutual, wherein if one s lost, the other is found. Both characters are a reflection of one’s own identity, thus it is difficult to settle their own difference. In a way they engage to compete with each other to gain independence, and remain essential towards their true identity. The assumption of both subjects is that the other one is not real. In this struggle, one attempt to emerge as the winner, even aim for the destruction and the death of the other while attempting to save his. This exact expression is what victory conjures annihilation towards the other. When one mediates, a person will be more likely to conquer his self-consciousness, and eventually gain recognition. Hegel describes this situation through a master-slave relationship. He explained that a master and his slave share a complementary relationship. A master is superior, highly independent of his slave. A slave is the inferior, highly dependent of his master. This complementary relationship exists because as the slave labors for his master, he affirms his status being an unessential. In the same context of the subjection of a slave to his master, the goal of the inferior is to achieve independence through his recognition by the master. However, as this mutual relationship follows through, the master begins to develop his own dependency towards the servant’s and his services. This is significantly an act of his consciousness. When the master becomes dependent for both the recognition and the work, he is no longer independent of his consciousness. Through this, he becomes subjective to his servant. The exchange of roles seen in this example is a turning point in the identities played by both the servant and the master. Thus, the reversal of consciousness and roles becomes different actions towards the self (Kellt, 1966) As the identity and role change, the reversal will also apply in the consciousness and identity of the servant construed by it. Consequently, when the servant has experienced this change, his labor or service becomes his preconditions of true freedom. Citing Hegel, Kelly (1966) explains that the reversal will yield a consciousness repressed within it, and modifies into a real and true independence. The second precondition towards self-freedom is done through the servant’s recognitions of his independent and self-consciousness. As depicted in the film, fear is achieved through fighting, and ultimately, to death. The essence of risking one’s life in a fight is essential to gain freedom. It is like fighting in a war, were strongly-held beliefs are fought for in exchange of sacrifice of one’s life. The true measure of an individual, as Kelly (1966) insists, must recognize his true independence and self-consciousness. In this analysis, we constitute fear as something profoundly essential to reach true freedom. A servant meets this requirement more than the master because his own existence is governed by fear and submission. Essentially, his role as a servant constitutes his fearful quality. But to get Hegel right and, I think, to understand the film, it’s important to see that the process does not end here. If we adopt the method of drawing a higher synthesis without the impartial truths, we regard the struggle as a realization of the self-consciousness which resolves the mutual conflicts. The real resolution according, to Helmling in his â€Å"Immanent Critique and Dialetical† paper, maintains that mutual recognition and respect, and not domination, will resolve conflict between roles. In the film, time and time again, we recognize the quality of struggle to attain freedom. As Marla emphasizes, â€Å"Dying people are so alive† (Fight Club, Script available in crosswind. net) Without absolute fear, we have in Hegel’s words only an attitude that does not get beyond the attitude of bondage, since it is still inherently a determinate mode of being, like that of a thing, rather than of a Person (Kelly, 1966). Fight club evolved into what is known in the film as Project Mayhem. The group now becomes an organized, large-scale group, aiming to relieve oneself with oppression. Jack reacts to this development with rejection of capitalism he is comfortable with during the beginning. Although Jack as a changed character ultimately opposed the corporate power which constitutes a social system derived with name, levels, and classes, Project Mayhem is in itself living in that kind of role and through Tyler’s role and guidance, Project Mayhem unified itself against The Oppressive Establishment. The effect of the Fight club yields two varying characters for each individual. One, as Jack narrates, â€Å"Who you were in fight club is not who you were in the rest of your world. You werent alive anywhere like you were alive at fight club. But fight club only exists in the hours between when fight club starts and when fight club ends. † (Fight Club, Script available in crosswinds. net) This kind of dual life for members may be unavoidable, as long as Fight Club is a club, available only to a limited number of members. We shall consider the second reason as an impartial truth. Duality of personality is recognized in the film. It is a character recognized and honored by Fight Club. A Rousseau philosophy kicks in this analysis. Rousseau mentions that the savage and harsh life in the world ultimately results to voidance of comforts and amenities it presents. Ta (2006, p. 6) explains, just like as capitalism grows secretly within the world system and dominates, a counter-movement would lead to an equally terrible disaster bound to happen. In lien with this though, we realize that fear, rooted in one’s pursuit to achieve freedom, enables a person to truly live. When the need for recognition of freedom is made, unity and self-consciousness desires emerge. However, if we realize that one should die in order for the other to live and achieve true freedom, it will probably be easier if either Jack or Tyler risks their life, or even both. But using Hegel’s dialectic, this option will not yield us with an advantage because both the presented thesis and the anti-thesis are negated by synthesis done in the higher level. Both share a mutual relationship with and without the other. In order to bring the equality derived from fight club to the oppressive capitalist society, it was necessary to move unto the next stage. Project mayhem aims to change the society at large, by disrupting the economic base and superstructure interaction. In all societies the Economic foundation or base of the society determines the shape and form of the rest of society, its superstructure (Marx, 1844). In a capitalist society the economic base, the industries and modes of production as well as the basic ethos of capitalism serve to shape the superstructure, the laws, arts, culture, and society. And it is this laws, and culture and society that affirm the righteousness of the economic base, and the capitalistic ideology (Marx, 1844). Project Mayhem tried to change this interaction as an alternate superstructure which is anti to the one prevalent in society. With their alternate base, the notion of a man as part of something larger, of equality and opposition to capitalistic ideals, they have produced an alternate society, an alternate culture, which is the fight club at its early stages and evolved into project mayhem. In order to legitimize their own base-superstructure, they must disrupt the existing capitalist one, and since most of their members are the drones, those whose specialized jobs make society run, the task becomes infinitesimally easier. In the capitalist world of specialization of tasks, it becomes easier to sabotage industries and societal process by simply removing or influencing key individuals. Since the society is reliant on the accomplishment of its members of its specific tasks, removal of this accomplishment would lead to an inevitable chain reaction by which change could be accommodated. Thus those of the lower classes, with their specialized class, are able to deny their masters and oppressors the services which they are supposed to do, effectively making them realize how the upper classes of society are reliant on the lower ones. Worker bees can leave Even drones can fly away The queen is their slave. -Jack (Fight Club, Script available in crosswinds. net) This disruption of the basic principle of class division between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is in Marx’s view the inevitable destiny in capitalism’s ultimate evolution to Marxism. However, the evolution to Project Mayhem is also anathema to Marxist principle of equality. Whereas Marx promotes equal individual welfare, the removal of individuality upon becoming a part of Project Mayhem and its subsequent restoration upon death is a direct contradiction of Marxist ideals. The members were looking out for the interests of the project, without the Project looking out for them, violating a Locke agreement. In order to attain the transition from capitalism to communism, the proletariat must first unite and overthrow the bourgeoisie. A revolution is inevitable. Leninist Marxism provides a revolution of a united proletariat must be spearheaded by leaders committed to the cause, in Fight Club’s Case, Tyler Durden. The withdrawal of the proletariat everyman mentality, of Jack, is replaced with Tyler’s violent, but clear sighted leadership as to how to impose the tenets of Fight Club into the society. Thus comes the inevitable criticism of Leninist Marxism, as the proletariat becomes unaware of the direction they are heading, with only their leaders knowing the full extent of the revolution. This cell mentality is reminiscent of capitalistic society, and is only legitimized as being the only method that could ensure capitalism’s downfall, an argument used by terrorist organizations worldwide. The end of the film allows for the death of Tyler Durden and the reawakening of Jack. This symbolizes the end for the violent personality needed to instigate the transitory revolution and the return to the everyman, the individual. The success of project mayhem’s plan to bomb the city’s financial district is in itself the catalyst by which the transition picks up on. The success of the anti-thesis in countering the capitalistic society and its subsequent end brings to the forefront a glimpse of the synthesis after. The destiny of Tyler Durden, as with all revolutionary leaders is to lead the revolution, and then give the reins to the proletariat, Jack. Thus Jack’s shooting of himself in order to remove Tyler Durbin is in itself an acceptance of the fact that Tyler’s work is done, and that it is now time to go back to compassion as means for societal revolution. Fight Club is an anti-capitalist movie. It shows us what capitalism has done to affect our perceptions of masculinity, our self-esteem and our take on civilization. It exhibits how people can become lost and alienated in their society and ultimately even within themselves. In order to provide an anti-thesis to capitalism, Fight Club used Marxist themes in order to show how one could respond and fight capitalism. It shows how those classes marginalized by capitalist society can turn the tables on it and use the specialized tools given to them to disrupt the base and superstructure interaction within and promote the tenets obtained from the Fight Club. The movie exhibits Marxism not as an end unto itself but simply as an option, as a means on how to provide a fighting chance to those individuals reduced to meaningless roles in a capitalist society. Works Cited Fight Club, a screenplay by Jim Uhls, directed by David Fincher, and based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk; Fox. 1999 (Script available at http://www. crosswinds. net/~filmhouse/scripts/fight_club. html. ) Benzaquen, Adriana S.. â€Å"Thought and Utopia in the Writings of Adorno, Horkheimer, and Benjamin† Utopian Studies, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p149, 13p. 1998 Bilton, Alan. An Introduction to Contemporary American Fiction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Phenomenology of Mind. Trans. J. B. Baillie, 2nd. ed. Macmillan, New York, pp. 25-58. 1955. Hegel. Introduction to the Philosophy of History. Trans. J. Sibree, Dover Publications, New York, 1956.

Rise and Fall of Standard Pricing

Rise and Fall of Standard Pricing The Rise and Fall of Standard Pricing and Its Effect on Everyday Operations For European and American Firms The overall purpose of this paper and study is to investigate cost or lean accounting within the operations management realm and how its unpredictable rise and fall allow organisations to continuously learn and utilize knowledge management as a core value. It was also important to use a larger organisation that has history of outstanding operations and customer centered focus upon services. This investigation will require an in-depth study of work processes, communication and leadership with regard to knowledge management as a value within the team construct while looking at how this reflects leaning accounting principles. What tools are available and what kind of evolution is Nestle undergoing in order to remain competitive in a changing economy? How does this change knowledge management and communication company wide? What this study argues is that accounting practices are changing due to the evolving business plan. This is a movement toward modern accounting and it is important to see the relationships between costing accounting, its fluctuations and how they impact the health of the organisation as a whole with regard to productivity and job satisfaction. How an organisation applies methods of costing into its framework for accounting of expenses and its direct rise and fall over the time period of the product life cycle, directly influences the production, operation, distribution and employee retention of the global company. In fact changes in accounting practices have led to many tried and true business models to no longer exist. Costing and its rise and fall can have a direct relationship with success and competitive advantage in the market place. However the purpose of this study is to explore and reflect upon how accounting practices change operations management and the supply chain management model as a tool of managers and team members alike. Really it is how accounting practices have changed business practices because of new legislation focusing on global companies in Europe and the United States. Accounting costs, expenses and losses reflects the health of the organisation and with change comes confusion. This study argues th at with such changes comes a lack of defining the company’s value within the market but also the value it has for its employees, as they become active participants and investors. GENERAL OVERVIEW How corporate accounting is handled is changing worldwide. How each expense is accounted for within an organisation’s financial sheets has been evolving. Such a proposal for change has received much commentary from not only the financial community and corporate America but also key members of Congress, European union leaders and the public. Such a response results from the uncertainty that such change will benefit businesses and economic growth. It is feared that such change will have the opposite effect and cause world leaders to lose its competitive edge in the global market. Still this has not stopped the fuel of the fire as the American Financial Accounting Standards Board (also referred to as FASB) has struggled for an answer to such a dilemma. The urgency for a solution has only been stressed recently in light of such debacles like Enron and Tyco. It is believed that companies do need to account honestly for expenses but at what price to its employees, the public and the economy? Part of the issue with current legislation to change the practice of accounting for employee stock options is that there is no real way to value their worth. This creates an unsettling feeling among investors and employees struggling to understand this benefit. ACCOUNTING OVERVIEW What this truly means for any corporation functioning globally or even locally this that effective cost accounting because a volatile issue for management to consider. One could argue that such rise and fall of how costing/pricing pays a part in the entire operation has a negative effect upon how the company’s valuation is seen on the open market. Costing at every step of the product life cycle plays a huge part in how this valuation is decided from inventory at the shop floor level, to everyday operations management, to an employee’s value with the company and their net worth personally. Changes within the global economy in the recent years the disappearance of tried and true business models leaves many with a poor taste in their mouths because one must understand how efficiency, affordability and effective leadership come into play. Effective pricing or costing of routine operations and corporate behaviours must be tracked and studied in order to carve the fat. This s tudy aims to look at exactly what the rise and fall of pricing or costing means to a global organisation conducting business on many levels. For the purpose of proving the argument that such changes in accounting practice has a negative effect on the organisation, one will look at examples from the shop floor to the employee’s estimated value with the company in the form of job satisfaction. Accounting for such expensing and pricing correctly is what makes the organisation strong but also accurate in valuation. With this in mind, traditional business models like Wal-Mart and Nestle are discussed because these are globally operating corporations. Debates about whether or not the fair value of the employee and the company stock options should be expensed on the income statement continue to rage among industry representatives, politicians, and pundits. Expense recognition of stock options can have significant impacts on net income and earnings per share, so this is a debate worth having. But many of those who analyze companies consider operating cash flow a better performance metric than income. One reason is that operating cash flow is thought to be free from the infection that makes income grossly weakened. In the case of employee worth and stock values, however, there is proof that this assumption is flawed. Option exercise affects operating cash flows in ways that analysts need to understand. Repurchasing shares to fund option exercise also results in financing cash outflows. The net cash flow impacts of options are often negative, but can be quite volatile from year to year. LITERATURE REVIEW STANDARD PRICING AS ACCOUNTING PRACTICE It can be difficult to assess why a product has a certain cost or price to the consumer. How is it that companies arrive at certain amount for a product or service? What are the factors that play into this amount and do they change over time while in the market? Mish defines clearly, price as being â€Å"the value or worth; the quality of one thing that is exchanged or demanded in barter or sale for another† (2004, p. 985). A mistake that happens to many companies is they allow the market to manage the price of the product and avoid strategic management of pricing in general. What is usually done according to Nagle is â€Å"they list the prices based on their own needs and then adjust transaction prices to based on what customers say they are willing to pay. Only a few companies question why someone is willing to pay no more that a particular amount or how that willingness could be changed† (2002, p. 1). In order to be strategic in pricing, a company must confident and understand that â€Å"pricing involves managing customers’ expectations to induce them to pay for the value they receive† (Nagle 2002, p.1). Fortunately, when it comes to financial products, many customers remain in the dark about product and services. Sometimes a service oriented company such as the Bank of England can take advantage of such undulation but as more information becomes available due to the Internet, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for a company to set the pace this way. More than not, more companies especially financial ones that rely on customer relationships, allow for a value-based price structure that is contingent on the customer paying when value is delivered. This type of pricing system relies heavily on segmentation of the demographic when it comes to offering promotions and incentives to buster customer loyalty. Much of this applies to financial type products that are well defined for the consumer either through education or these pr oducts are a must in life like the credit or loan product. Keeping this in mind, many financial products consist of high quality products and add-ons that when offered by one company allows that company to diversify and establish the price. The table here below aids in illustrating this point. Table 1: Pricing Strategies (Anderson Bailey 1998, p. 2) It is also important for a company to keep in mind demand for the product or service. This is why diversification and globalization are quickly becoming elements of strategy as companies look for new ways to target consumers and enter new areas where their original product has a new life cycle. This is a matter of economics but important for understanding marketing strategy with regards to cost switching or price switching. â€Å"The greater the price elasticity, the closer the company can price products to similar competitive products and vice versa† (Allen 2002). In an industry like the mortgage industry where homeownership is more prevalent in Western nations, elasticity is high and therefore, it is fair to remain competitive with other companies. Also a company like Nestle can bet that charging less may lead to more food products created as customers find they get more service for less money. In this respect elasticity can work either way. It really depends on degree of ri sk one company is willing to take. Still it remains to be found if such a tactic even works when it comes to customer loyalty, as this will be explored in greater detail later. However, it remains to be seen if price loyalty does exist. It seems â€Å"the key to effectively competing for loyalty is ensuring the quality of the customer experience, not the quantity of customer rewards or discount prices† (Compton 2005, p.1). However, the price needs to be adjusted for what the customer expects. It can be a cycle that changing continuously depending on the product or service. Carmona, and et al (2004), writes of the origin of activity based costing method of accounting or ABC that came into vogue in Europe during the 1920s. What ABC does specifically as Carmona, and et al (2004) speak of Vollmers’s work as: Deployed significant efforts to account for distribution and marketing costs, which ‘tend to be ignored today.’ This first event is then taken as record of the origin (both in terms of time and space), from which the new practice mainly spread both temporally and spatially. (p. 36) This is the start of a movement toward the double entry system and this saw delay and many weaknesses because it did not present a clear, complete picture of accounting. Its weaknesses were found in inefficiencies with charges and discharges. As a result, early double-entry systems were seen as unreliable and not useful to big business. It would not be until later that advanced book keeping procedures would take into account advanced operating processes in production. Carmona, and et al (2004) found these systems although not perfected were used in England and the Colonies as early as 1760 (p. 37). It seems this was the trend as no real streamlined, conforming system would be adopted until modern business practices came into place in the United States. Move to a global arena and model of production purposes and a more refined system is needed because a lot more is at stake. Global business is all about the details. It became common practice more investment applied, the more generally accepted accounting practices became as a diffusion of new technology. Accounting practices became more generally accepted behaviours as businesses became bigger and more prominent in communities across the world. Practices are implemented as Abu-Raddaha, and et al (2000) surmises the following: The information provided by accounting should facilitate international trade and capital flows, not hamper them. It should inform, not just report. More importantly the information demands of both domestic and international financing and other commercial relationships, have to be satisfied. (p. 19). Everything must remain in balance or presented as a well-oiled machine. How does an organisation get to this point of transformation with its accounting practices? Modern accounting asks for more participation and optimisation from the start to finish by the corporate accountant. The actions of the corporate accountants must change as the movement toward lean functioning continues to take place. It should not be a painful process but one of creativity, flexibility and growth. There is a concern that lean accounting requires one to turn off creativity and be boxed into one function or thought process. This will be explored late as a post-modern viewpoint of business where each person has a function within the total quality management or TQM perspective. Modern business may use this as a framework but the modern business model has evolved beyond this fixed view. The truth of the matter is that modern accounting practices could not be further from this view of being boxed in but rather goes beyond breaking the box and creating a different mindset where thin king is seen differently than before. Accounting is seen differently as not having finite possibilities but infinite reasoning. Traditional methods are flawed as proposed by Van Der Merwe and Thomson (2007), â€Å"the direct costing approach doesn’t absorb any overhead or even fixed costs†¦resource consumption accounting or RCA makes no arbitrary assignments at all† (p. 29). A lean, effective method allows for a more detailed account of capacity costs and a basic approach to data collection. Modern times call modern values and thought processes with regard to business seamless behaviour across the production floor. The lean method maintains a â€Å"one-touch flow system† (Van Der Merwe Thomson 2007, p. 29) for information diffusion across the life cycle. This one-touch flow system can be integrated with a supply chain easily and reflects this value added element as a method for better, honest accounting. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT A most important factor for facilities management to recognize is the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) or a variation of TQM. TQM according to David Steingard is â€Å"a set of techniques and procedures used to reduce or eliminate variation from the production process or service delivery system in order to improve efficiency† (Steingard 2002, p. 2). TQM fits with the facilities management way of doing things as many of their functions require repetition or constant monitoring of daily, weekly and monthly items. Because this is a modernist concept and the modernist movement believed in certainty and static methods of looking at the world, there is not much room for the uncertainty that change creates in today’s workplace using strictly TQM. Therefore either change in this environment must be controlled change or a variation of TQM must be used for the process to work and involve new technologies. Otherwise, TQM alone invents a work environment reminiscent of Franz L ang’s Metropolis and dehumanizes the employee. A variation TQM can be used in facilities management to aid defining team member responsibilities as it sees the whole team as a â€Å"machine creates a system of interlocking parts each with clearly defined use, centralized authority and high degrees of worker discipline culminating with the goal of routinised, efficient and predictable system performance† (Steingard 2002, p. 2). Each team member plays a role in the functioning of the machine. Still much like today’s business environment where change is constant, this system requires continued adjustment, modification improvement of function. TQM as way of defining a work process cannot operate entirely in today’s global market because it succeeds at the expense of innovation and the growth of the employee. It also does not leave room to incorporate change and new ways of improving functions. Still a memory of pure TQM feeds the â€Å"modernist machine of c onsumer capitalism which encourages over-consumption, planned obsolescence, ecological damage and depletion of natural resources† (Steingard 2002, p. 4). This memory has also burdened management as the obsession for perfection, control, consistency, productivity and efficiency increases over time. In today’s facilities team, there must be a healthy medium to not only use past methods for increased productivity and efficiency but also to include modern tools and equipment to make the job easier. In order to remain competitive, technology cannot be ignored, the systems it provides must be implemented in order for logistics to remain seamless and keep up with demand and customer expectation. For instance failure to embrace logistics and technology results in inventory costing a company more money to store than it is worth. McCullogh writes, â€Å"Right now sitting around the globe is a bunch of inventory (worth an estimated) United States $1 trillion—United States $1 trillion of boxes of stuff is just sitting around a warehouse† (‘Warning: Don’t Snub Logistics’, p. 1). This has the potential to represent about 60 percent of the average company’s working capital. This is capital in limbo that is not maximizing its investment potential. A sign of successful shop floor operations is reliance on very little warehousing. In other words, warehousing is measured as the amount of days per month a product sits in the warehouse and if logistics is implemented effectively, this number will decrease and stabilize. The retail average storage of inventory is 26 days of investment not being utilized, profit being lost and daily expenses being incurred in an endless holding pattern. In order to reduce the amount of days inventory sits means companies must create tighter relationships with suppliers via the web or perfect a system of communication between resources to cut out warehousing all together. Instead of inventory remaining stored because of wireless communication and data collection, the product can go straight from the supply source to the retailer’s shelves via a distribution centre that acts much like mail sorting centre. This can work because technology enables a retailer to send data immediately to the supplie r of products that are moving off the shelves with a click of a button. From this electronic message, the supplier knows what the retailer needs, what products are popular, how much and sends then instantly to the retailer’s distribution centre. In organisations the size of Nestle or Wal-Mart, logistics strategy requires much forethought and planning, as there are many branches and divisions that are involved in the process. The idea is to reduce expenses and increase value to the organisation by making the company more productive and efficient. This needs to be done as seamlessly as possible to continue brand loyalty and customer relations while maintaining market share and competitive advantage. In many ways, implementation of this strategy creates a delicate balance. In order to have better Business to Business or B2B relationships, one must understand the connection. Robert Thierauf and Hoctor (2003) explain, â€Å"B2B is about connecting shared businesses and information processes of the extended trading networks, planning, shipping and logistics, inventory management and customer retention to name a few† (Thierauf Hoctor, p. 181). In other words, an optimized planning process can save millions dollars and allow a multination corporation to carry out its objective and gain market share. This means applying advanced technology such as i2 used by Dell Computers and typical ERP vendors. In today’s act of doing business, B2B exchanges are based on supply chain management or SCM technologies (Thierauf Hoctor, 2003, p. 182). This will mean considerable investment in such technology but the benefit of market share will prove it to be a valued investment over the long-run (Burn Hachney 2002; Scerbo 1999). Running these centres effectively certainly poses a challenge of management. Manufacturers must develop new skills and confront channel conflicts with dealers, distributors and independent operators. Leaders in these positions must have an understanding of managing the conflicts in these channels. But well-managed distribution centres would more than justify the risks, as it would save the organisation a significant amount of overhead. With operating expenses as the main cost, it is possible to make the distribution venture essentially self-funding. Facilities can be rented on short-term leases and surrendered if the location isnt successful within a year or two. The cost of goods and labour can be managed as volume grows. Companies should remember that a manufacturers original warranty work usually accounts for about half of the labour expenses and for as much as 20 percent of the total value of services rendered, but these costs are typically charged back to the business unit rather than borne by the company’s distribution. In markets poorly served by local dealers or other distributors, for instance, a centre should gear itself to its company’s end users or consumers by choosing a high-traffic retail site. Profits at these locations are generated largely through the sale of accessories and optional services to walk-in or mail order customers; outlets thus need appealing product displays or sales pr esentations. Different kinds of retail distribution centres pursue different economic models. Although gross margins on sales to end-users are higher, orders tend to be smaller. Locations that focus on distributors can achieve scale faster and be just as profitable. The largely similar economics of service centres vary only according to which customer segment is best served at each location. Companies run their own centres and tie management bonuses to profit and growth goals at each site. Either way, some support functions, such as marketing, human resources and information and financial systems, are best managed at the corporate level. Warehouses and distributions centres are caught in a squeeze between customer service demands and cost drivers. The challenge for most organisations is create a network that can deliver on customer demands while keeping costs down. This is the number challenge in supply chain management. Supply chain management presents a huge undertaking when it comes to overhead operating costs. Many of the tools have come down in price because usability has gotten easier. As a result, more and more companies are adopting a supply chain management philosophy for distribution and are re-evaluating its effectiveness every two years as opposed to before at every five years. Management members are interested to see if the efficiency of the centre matches its service level provided. Research has found a direct relationship between the number of distribution points, transportation costs and customer service targets. The network and its design are driven by improvements so that the cost of transportation can be offset. This may include reviewing an organisation’s transportation arrangements. Loading patterns should also be examined to find ways to cube out containers and trailers (Trunick, p. 1). What possibilities can be used to have a cost-effective outcome for the distribution centre? Does this mean consolidating shipments or a move to parcel and less than truckload shipments? Can shipments be combined to make greater use of truck cargo space? Can the organisation hire rail or air as better shipping alternatives to using company trucks over longer distances? In addition to examining loading can the routes used by the trucks be adjusted to be add to cost-efficiency? An organisation would benefit using their state’s transportation management system or a department of transportation, DOT to map out distribution volumes and patterns. This would help in providing dynamic routing options that can be flexible to change distribution needs in the network. This can benefit the fleet by reducing fuel supply needs and help control costs and usage. These efficiencies would result because the routes would decrease in mileage and also wear/tear on the vehicles and insurance costs. Efficiency inside the four walls of the distribution centre can also be improved. Relatively speaking the size of the average distribution centre has grown from 300,000 square feet to one million square feet (Trunick, p. 2). This is simply due to operating space needed to move inventory from point a to point b. But the real reason the distribution centre is larger today is mainly because organisations have seen the need to put all operations under one roof. By putting multiple facilities into one larger distribution centre improves the time it takes to transport inventory. Still the larger centre is made possible because of improved transportation systems but also implementation new technologies that not only enhance a brick and mortar store but also a virtual one. Plus, the organisation has the manpower under one roof. The company only rents one building and keeps the inventory in one place rather than moving it from warehouse to warehouse. This allows the company to provide better service to the consumer. Because of these factors, information systems are critical to the success of the larger distribution centre. Data has the need to travel from one area to another and that is why more and more companies are investing in radio frequency terminals both handheld and vehicle mounted. Investment of these RFID systems is not inexpensive and many retailers such Wal-Mart and Target are looking for ways to enrich the present technology and systems without implementing a whole new infrastructure into the walls of the centre. By being able to enhance present systems proves to be cost effective because not only is an upgrade cheaper but also it is easier to train employees to run. It is a company’s ability to effectively handle investment of new technologies that allows the centre to run better. Still as Trunick writes, the concern is not found in hardware but in data. â€Å"Databases have traditionally been structured to feed a number of different systems, but that’s not a long term architectural solution† (p. 2). Part of the problem a distribution centre faces with data storage is being able to provide the data in real time and allowing the data to remain clean and not crowd. As a result many companies are searching for better solutions than using RFID in supply chain management. It has not proven to be productive in the distribution centre setting not like 8 percent in the warehouse setting (Trunick, p. 2). One new technology that was introduced to the Nestle facilities management team in 2006 was the use of a computerized tracking system for client user orders. This system was implemented to better track the status of job orders among the team members. This system acted to alert a team member of potential deadlines and current job load status. It also allowed management to better track individual and team progress. This resulted in a monthly recognition program to signify when quotas had been met or when a team member received a client user compliment. This system also had the capability to record the negative such as being late to a service call or failing to complete monitoring of weekly items for inspection. The system would then e-mail the team member and the direct supervisor if such conduct occurred (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 11). This system replaced the old process of â€Å"tracking† client user orders that consisted of logging each order into a spiral notebook. With the advent of the company’s intranet site, management hoped to improve communication between the facilities team and the client user by offering an electronic request system. This would reduce the amount of time the facilities team spent fielding phone called requested and allow for multi-tasking of various jobs. What management had hoped the system implementation would result in, did not happen mainly due to team member lack of communication and resistance to change due to a pre-existing TQM elements within the old process of handling client user orders. Management had hoped as the Business Open Learning Archive details, â€Å"automation would exploit available technology to speed up operations, make them more reliable and to reduce unit costs and their risks and costs. This would bring flexibility to the system already in practice† (Operations Technology 2005, p. 1). This type of new technology or just-in-time or JIT technology requires careful handling and extensive training. What facilities management team leaders had not prepared for was the team member response. Many of them despite being competent, responsible employees did not have knowledge of computer systems. Many of the team members had been with the company over twenty years and had been hired to the division. Many of thes e types, fall into the category of being older but also having a specific specialization in which they were in the field most of the time (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 24) not requiring any other extensive skills. Another factor management had not anticipated was a considerable language barrier as many team members who had worked together for years, continued working in their native tongue of Spanish. A final aspect of the mixed response for the team had more to do with timing than anything. Management provided a three-day training session and then allowed two weeks for the new system to be adopted. The transitional period was too short and was met with much resistance from many members of the team. Many did not accept the change or completely understand the new system. Many did not check their email or use the tracking component. Finally, despite company wide advertisement of the new online request feature, most client users did not use it and continued to phone in requests. This resulted in not a decrease in time spent on the phone but due to the new system’s lack transition and rejection by some of the team, the group received three times as many calls in one week (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 33). The team had to hire a temporary employee to aid in taking calls while team leaders provided on the job training and supervised walk-through of the new process. The period of six weeks it took the team to get back up to speed resulted in not only miscommunications among team members but also time lost to better serving the client users. As a result, many of the circulation systems did not receive their weekly maintenance and this negatively affected the climate control performance for the building’s seventh floor northwest corner (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 39). With time the team members adjusted to the new technology with few still relying on the hand-written method. Still the process of introducing the system was not handled e ffectively and resulted in a period of adjustment where many processes met with negative results. OPERATIONS LIFE CYCLE Wal-Mart became a textbook example of managing rapid growth without losing sight of a companys basic values. In Wal-Marts case, the basic value was, and is, customer service. Still it was Wal-Mart’s ability to focus on multiple values that lends to its current success. As technologies changed, American social needs became more immediate d

Human Evolution :: The Future of Human Evolution

For centuries, man has been curious about his origins and the origins of the life surrounding him. Countless explanations have been formulated using â€Å"evidence† that â€Å"proves† the story to be true. However, in 1859, Charles Darwin published a monumental theory in his book called The Origin of Species. In his book, Darwin outlined his theory of evolution by natural selection (Darwin, 1859). Although complex, this story is extremely useful in explaining the origins and history of life as we know it. Today, however, man questions not only his past, but also his future. Based on Darwin’s theories of evolution, man can actively postulate his existence in the upcoming centuries. Do complex civilizations and advancing technologies give man the ability to outsmart evolution? Or will our technological advances doom us in the end? In order to begin to answer these questions, it is important to understand the basics about Darwin’s theories on evolution. First, Darwin stressed that populations and organisms are variable (Darwin, 1859). Without variation, evolution would not be a viable explanation for the progress of life. Although Darwin was aware that variation occurred because of his extensive observations of different populations, he was never able to pinpoint where this variation came from. The answer lies in genetic material; heritable genes play a huge role in the evolutionary process. Genes are the medium through which variation is passed down through generations and can be affected by several different forces. Mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, non-random mating, and genetic recombination are all ways in which genes can be altered within a population (Mayr, 2001). Darwin understood that organisms are variable, but for a long time he lacked a mechanism, or a driving force, of evolution. Natural selection, or a complex natural process of elimination, turned out to be one of Darwin’s most ingenious contributions to evolutionary thought (Mayr, 2001). Natural selection is the process by which genetic variation is sorted through and selected for through the organism’s ability to survive. Selection may be due to environmental conditions, competition with other species, or reproductive success. Those organisms that survive can then go on to reproduce, and their offspring then carry the successful traits.

Dying for Love in Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez E

Dying for Love in "Of Love and Other Demons" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Based on part of the XVIII century, when the prevalent times of the Spanish Inquisition dominated the powers of the society and the people was ruled by an orthodox way of thinking, Gabriel Garcia Marquez gives birth to "Of Love and Other Demons". According to The American Heritage Dictionary, Inquisition was a former Roman Catholic tribunal established to suppress heresy. The term Heresy originally meant a belief that one arrived at by oneself (Greek hairesis, "choosing for oneself"), and it is any religious doctrine opposed to the dogma of a particular church, especially a doctrine held by a person professing faith in the teachings of that church. Surrounded by many cities, such as Lima, Portobelo and Veracruz, "Of Love and Other Demons" takes place in Cartagena-Colombia, a small city on an island formed by shallow extension of the harbor, and surrounded by a 12 meters (40 ft) thick wall. This city still is a cultural relic, which nowadays preserves some of the stone-built structure s characteristic of the era. "Of Love and Other Demons" reflects how differences in cultures affect people's thoughts as well as what effects it may cause to the society when ruled by a major power. Garcia Marquez, winner of the Nobel of Literature of 1982, has a certain kind of power over the readers. He involves them in a very visual and fantastic space, where the expressiveness and dominance of the language makes the reader stay on his or her way to the end of the story. In a place such as Cartegena, a typical South American town where the popular siesta, the hammock and the huerto of los naranjos, bring up the life of the natural environment; the author relates the story ... ... personalities were shared, since in the time of inquisition, they were ruled by religious and Catholic thoughts that were nothing else that a mirror of non-free life that all citizen should follow. Both the Marquis and Bernarda die turning crazy on each corner of their lives, but the love that the Marquis tried to give once will remain alive although his daughter is not aware about it. Sierva Maria was not possessed by the demons, since at the end of the novel, Garcia Marquez specifies that she dies of love, pulling the grapes off not one by one but two by two, hardly breathing in her longing to strip the cluster of its last grape. Desperation is following her everywhere she goes within her mind, and love and demons cannot pertain to each other, cultures can. Works Cited: Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. Of Love and Other Demons. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.

Gender in Society as portrayed in Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication o

In this essay I am going to show you how things like education, job and relationship between men and women have changed and things like support are still the same since Mary Wollstonecraft and D. H. Lawrence write about them. In the essay 'A Vindication of the Right of Woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft, the author urges women to reject their conventional image of weakness. Mary Wollstonecraft uses her style of diction to convince the reader of her ideas. D. H. Lawrence, in his essay, 'Give Her a Pattern' sketches some of the patterns imposed on women by men from eighteen to 21st century. Wollstonecraft and Lawrence, they both write about the positions of men and women in society in their respective times. Wollstonecraft writes in Victorian Age and Lawrence writes in late eighteenth, early ninetieth century. But if these two writers could rise from the dead and go to see a movie or watch a television show today, they would definitely see evidence that some of their ideas about society ha ve changed such as career options, while few others such as the idea of ?the woman behind man? have remained the same. According to Lawrence, women are trying to live up to men?s expectations of what a woman is. He writes that, the eternal secret ideal of men [is] the prostitute? (D. H. Lawrence 182). The author could see his thoughts reflected in the movie ?Pretty Woman?. In this film, he can see how a man treats a woman by buying her nice clothes and doing things for her all the time. But actually it?s not for her, it is for his own pleasure. This ?gifts? and actions satisfy his needs to be with a woman that is not going to fall in love with him. Lawrence can see all of his ideas about the modern man who doesn?t know what he wants a... ...he world. This show is all about how single women can be high in society without men. They have good jobs and a lot of money. There are lots of women like them in this modern society. If she watched that television show, she will realize that women are capable of living without men. Our generation has been changed in different ways, but there are still some things that do not change over time. Those things are the same as Wollstonecraft and Lawrence thoughts. Some of them like career options, which includes job and education have changed a lot more and probably will keep changing in the future, too. They are changing in good way and in a way woman can be proud and live equal to men. I believe that those things staying the same, such as what the men expect the woman to be and to produce the best ideal of her, may remain in this order many centuries after this one.

Motivating Employees Case Study Essay

In order to be productive at work or at home an individual must be motivated to complete their task. There are two main forms of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is the desire to do the task right out of the satisfaction of a job well done without any ‘rewards’. Extrinsic motivation comes from external sources such as incentives programs. Both can be equally effective in the right situation. SAS Institute has gained a high reputation for their ability to motivate its employees with a balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. How Does SAS motivate its employees? The SAS Institute has long since set the standards for the ideal workplace. Focusing on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational methods, SAS strives to ensure its employees enjoy what do and continue to stay interested in their work. SAS also encourages their employees to occasionally switch areas of expertise, gaining additional training if it is required. Using this approach, SAS keeps their employees from getting bored and losing interest in their job. In addition, â€Å"The SAS Institute also cares about its employees and their families’ well-being both on and off the job.†(George, Jones 2012) At its headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, SAS Institute also offers employees and their families 200 acres of luxuries activities as well as on-site childcare, healthcare and many other fitness and recreational benefits. What factors are likely to contribute to intrinsic motivation at SAS? The intrinsic motivation at the SAS institute can be attributed to many work and pe rsonal related factors. As quoted in the text, Bev Brown from external communications states: â€Å"Some may think that because SAS is family-friendly and has great benefits that we don’t work hard†¦. But people do work hard here, because they’re motivated to take care of a company that takes care of them.†(George, Jones, 2012) The SAS institute works hard to  keep their employees happy and motivated with generous benefits such as unlimited sick days and flexible schedules. As mentioned earlier, SAS offers on-site healthcare, childcare and many other benefits that not only benefit the employees but their families as well. Another factor that may contribute to the intrinsic motivation at SAS is the option to change jobs within the company. SAS offers additional training, if necessary, to employees who wish to switch fields. This keeps their employees interested in their work and productivity at a maximum. What factors are likely to contribute to extrinsic motivation at SAS? The managers at the SAS Institute are of the firm belief that employees need to feel that the work they do is making a difference within the company. SAS offers many incentive bonuses that are based on work performance. Employees can also take advantage of services offered such as massages, dry cleaning, car detailing and many recreational activities that include swimming and golfing. How might SAS’s long-term focus affect employee motivation? James Goodnight, long time CEO and co-founder of the SAS Institute, has implemented a long-term focus comprised of developing their software from scratch and setting up a long line of research and development projects. Not only does this approach help SAS when the economy takes a downward turn, but it serves as purposeful motivation for its employees. Firstly, employees don’t have to worry about getting laid off based on an economic crisis. Creating software from scratch also helps employees get creative. They get to design every nook and cranny of the software from the brainstorming process to the completed project. Overall, the SAS institute has a long history of happy and productive employees. SAS’s turnover rate is at an incredible 2%, while the rest of the software industry holds around 22%. SAS has maintained its status on Fortune Magazines â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work for in America† for 13 years in a row, ranking first in 2010. This is only possible by motivating its employees intrinsically, extrinsically, and therefore giving them a reason to produce great work. Reference George, J. M., & Jones, G. R. (2012). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior (6th ed.). Prentice Hall.