Marketing management in pratice Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing management in pratice - Article Example Perfumes are a multibillion industry with many big and small players vying for the market space. Fragrance forms the critical component of perfumes. According to Williams and Curtis (2006) researchers have established a variety of roles for marketing people, which includes; As such there are other cosmetic items which have fragrance, but these items are supposed to cater to some other needs as well. Cosmetics have been around for many thousand years now. Use of cosmetics can be traced back to earlier times when people used to paint their body for religious ceremonies, war, and mating rituals (Kumar et al, 2006). Range of items like powders, soap, shampoo, toothpaste etc. also form part of the cosmetics industry, but the first thought that comes to mind on hearing the term 'cosmetics' is makeup and perfumes, especially for women. Though perfume as such doesn't come in the category of items required for living, but over the years it has certainly acquired a status of an item required to make a 'decent living'. It is this aspect that is required to be explored optimally, using marketing communication techniques. Traditional marketing mix concept, first proposed by McCarthy in 1960, consists of Product, Price, Place and Promotion (better known as the 4Ps). Each particular marketing mix adds up to a certain amount of effort the company is making for the purpose of generating sales. Any plan to develop a competitive advantage must be based on a sound analysis of the company's competitors. Communication forms a crucial part of managerial activities. Marketing communication in turn helps a company in building a brand, creating brand loyalties, increase in sales, cutting costs, etc. North American market is a very diverse market in general which caters to customers/ consumers from different walks of life, different cultures, ethnic groups and age groups. There is lot of diversity in the perfume market itself. With so many varieties of perfumes available in the market it'll require a committed and consistent effort on the part of Picasso perfume to attract the customers. One of the biggest markets for perfume is the youth segment and Thomas (2007) finds out that this segment is not very loyal to the brand, what they ask for is the fragrance. Studies (Datamonitor, 2007) have suggested that blended fragrance is the most preferred fragrances followed by musk, sandalwood and others. Therefore, Picasso will have to take note of the customer's preferences to establish itself as a quality product in the market. Thomas (2007) further adds that the celebrity endorsement of some particular brand also helps in attracting the youth segment towards the brand. Perfume companies have been extensively

Sampling and data coolection Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sampling and data coolection - Research Proposal Example Both of the said processes have direct influences on the outcome of the research. Furthermore, data collection and sampling are both concerned with the elements to be studied, the population, and what data will be gathered from them. As such, their role in market research is very significant. Careful thought and consideration must be given to the choice of data collection method and sampling approach to be used in any research. Since there are several methods and approaches available, the researcher must analyze the scenario to ensure that the right method and approach will be used. Each situation may call for a different data collection method and sampling approach. Such choice relies on several factors. Primarily, the researcher must consider the problem at hand. He must determine whether the problem requires qualitative or quantitative research. This is important because the researcher must determine what type of data is involved or required. Once the type of research has been established, the researcher must then take into consideration other elements such as the population, budget, time allotted, and the number of personnel at hand. Basically, this means that the researcher should study the resources he has at his disposal for all of these are factors that help determine the most appropriate data collection method and sampling approach. This paper will attempt to highlight the process of choosing the appropriate data coll... Are employees being managed to maximize their productivity as well as commitment to the success of the restaurant' What are the best approaches to attract new customers, and to keep and grow existing customers' To arrive at the appropriate choices, the alternatives for both data collection method and sampling approach will be discussed. This discussion will include an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each method and approach as well why it is appropriate or not appropriate for the given situation. In essence, this paper will provide insight as to how to choose the right data collection method and sampling approach. Data Collection Method There are several data collection methods that a researcher may choose to employ. Also, the researcher may choose to combine some of these methods in order to gather the necessary data more effectively. The basic methods that may be used singularly or in combination to achieve specific research objectives are as follows: Internet surveys / Online Data Collection Mail surveys Interviews Real-time tracking Store checks and mystery shops Internet surveys/online data collection Conducting market research online allows the researcher to gather data in a simple, easy, and effective manner. With the internet, one can create interactive electronic surveys for specific markets or groups. Also, one can create surveys that reach wide market bases through the use of the Worldwide Web. Internet surveys are the most cost effective way to gather data internationally. Using various programming techniques, one can easily randomize data gathering. It is most effective in gathering data from a large segment of the population. However, there is a tendency for internet surveys to be non-representative of the entire

Stakeholder Project Organization

Stakeholder Project Organization The Stakeholder would be someone who is concerned, an engaged or interested in a project. Stakeholder is individuals or organizations that have a straight concentration in a service being provided. There are three categories of user primary, secondary and tertiary. Example: Employees, customers, suppliers, Local community. 1.1 .1 PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS: Primary stakeholders are those people and groups ultimately who are affected by the project. That will be differ depends on the types of project concerned and should be analyzed according to criteria such as gender, income levels, dependence on resources, etc. The primary stakeholders are the most important of the organization. People or group who are ultimately impacted either positively (beneficiaries) or negatively (for example, competitors). The users are those likely to be frequent hands on user of the organization. Example Regional Nature Conservation Authority Ministry of Environment, Forestry, Regional Planning, etc Activity:- Landowner and or residents in the forest Forestry companies Tourism operator Recreational and other user 1.1.2 SECONDARY STAKEHOLDER: Secondary stakeholders are the intermediaries in the aid delivery process. The secondary users are occasional user or those who use the system through an intermediary. People or groups who have a role in the decision making process without being directly affected by the outcome. Example Local business Landowner and residents not inside the protected area but near Environment NGOs 1.1.3 TERTIARY STAKEHOLDER: Tertiary users are those affected by the introduction of the system, or who will influence its purchase. Tertiary stake holder can still have an influence, but are not directly involved. Example Local opinion leader Local media Ecological department of universities, research institutes Environmental inserts or special programs of national media 1.2. Scope Document: The scope document is a general term for any document that refines and defined the requirements aspect of the triple constraint of time, cost, and requirements. 1.2.1 Purpose of a scope document: The purpose of this document is to collect, analyze, and define high-level needs and features of that system. It focuses on the capabilities needed by the projects. The scope statement is generally confined to a few paragraphs or pages, the scope document may be a far more substantial document. It captures information from a variety of sources and places it in a single repository. As an alternative, it may largely be a document that provides reference to other documentation in other locations. Specifically identifying those locations and the information embedded in that documentation. 1.2.2 Contents of a scope document: Executive Summary: It contains the overall information about the project in a short summary documentation. Description of the Proposed Action The various types of action and processes will be taken to accomplish the project. The description of all those action and processes is documented here. Project Purpose, Need and Benefits Background and History of project Cornell and Public Need for the Proposed Action Objectives of the project Benefits that will be gain to meet the objective. Neighborhoods Consideration about the business competitors, about their activity. Project Deliverables Description of all deliverables that will establish the successful completion of the project Project Boundaries The project development area is defined here with specifications. Resource needs The resource that will be needed to complete the project successfully, all are documented here. Cost Contain specific plan about the cost estimates to prevent misunderstanding later. Payment plan Define when and how project development team should be paid for the project Task-2 Introduction: There are some visual forms to help us our project. There are different stages in the development of the project and that stage can focused to use some visual form. While planning to develop a project many factors and issues should be considered before getting into the project and what are more stages in the total life cycle is vital for the successful implementation of the project and that stages are focused by the visual form. You can focus of all your project stage by using visual form. 2.1 Life Cycle Model:- The term project lifecycle models how a project is planned controlled and monitored from its inception to its completion. Project life cycle model are not similar. To deliver a quality system, its critical to know the risk facing your project and to use models that reduce those risks. Life cycle models describe the phase of the projects and the order in which those phase are executed. Each phase produce deliverables required by the next stage in the life cycle. There are some life cycle models is Waterfall Model, V-shape model, Spiral model and etc. 2.1.1 Waterfall Life Cycle Model: The waterfall life cycle was the first attempt at the definition of software development life cycle. The concept of a waterfall in this model suggests that one stage is completed before the next one starts and the diagram exactly show that concept. Stage completion is judged by the outcome of the stage matching the requirements defined by the previous stage. Requirements Analysis Diagram: Waterfall Model Requirements Specification System Design Code Test Implement Maintenance The water model is very simple diagram. The model is showing some lifecycle activities. The waterfall model is very simple to use and easy to manage due to the inflexibility of the model because each stage has specified deliverables and a review processes. Those stages are completed one at a time. That is best for small project where requirement are much understood. 2.1.2 V Model: The life cycle models heart of the v-Model. It describes the activity and products in the V-Model. Just like the waterfall model, the v-shaped life cycle is a sequential path execution of processor. Each stage must be completed before the next stage begins. Testing is emphasized in this model more so than the waterfall model though. The testing procedures are developed early in the life cycle before any coding is done, during each of the phase preceding implementation. Maintenance Initial Concept Requirements definition Software Design Detailed Design Code Unit Test Acceptance Test Integration and Test Tested Software Tested System Test Modules Diagram: The V Model The sequential lifecycle diagram is easy to understand, it easy to focus what the plan a project according to a sequential approach. The V-Model maintains the change control board and they meets once a year and processes all received change request on the V-Model. That supports tailoring, at each project starts, the V-Model is tailoring into a specific project. The tailoring makes it possible because the V-Model is organization and project independent. The V-Model produces actual support on how to implement an activity. In each activity scheme there are instructions, recommendation and detailed explanation of the activ 2.2. The Activity Networks: The activity network is a technique for pictorial representing a project plan. It shows dependencies between all the activities that have to be created. The most important part of activity diagram is the Critical path. Activity networks find out the all activity and find out who activity dependence to others. And the process of creating network begins with the drawings up of dependency list. The processes assign independence to each product or activity and specifies it backwards dependency. EST Duration EFT Activity Description LST Float LFT 8 5 13 E 19 11 24 22 2 24 I 22 0 24 24 4 28 J 24 0 28 28 28 3 5 8 C 14 11 19 3 6 9 G 18 15 24 9 13 22 H 9 0 22 13 7 20 F 15 2 22 9 4 13 D 11 2 13 0 3 3 A 0 0 3 3 6 9 B 3 0 9 0 0 Diagram: Activity Networks The activity networks show the activity by a box with sections used to hold key pieces of information. The show the activity starts time, finished time and there duration. They show last start time, finished time and there float. For example the boxes (nodes) A, B, C, D, E, etc represent the activities and the arrows, or connectors, represent the dependencies between the activities. And provide the information of which are activities are much more critical. The diagram contains the some visual information are: Earliest Start and Finished Time Latest Start and Finished Time The Critical Path Dependency Type 2.2.1 Earliest Start and Finished Time:- Earliest Start Time (EST): The earliest points are shown when the activities are started. The next activities (box) earliest start time (EST) dependence on previous finished time (EFT). Earliest Finished Time (EFT): the earliest point are illustrate the activities finished time. The EFT depends on what the activities duration. The activities duration calculate (EFT = EST + Duration) the EST and produce the Earliest Finished Time (EFT). 2.2.2 Duration: The diagram is show the activities duration. That is easy to find out which activities times are defined. The important point about this is that it is not until the activity network has been completed, and the dependencies combined with the estimated elapsed durations, that the project manager can be confident about the predicted elapsed duration and whether a specific end date is achievable or not. 2.2.3 Latest Start Time and Finished:- Latest Start Time (LST): They LST provide the information of the latest time that the activity in question can begin, without causing subsequent jobs to overrun. Latest Finished Time (LFT): The latest time that the activity in question can finish, without causing subsequent jobs to overrun. Float: The earliest points are show the time of who much needs to time the activity are finished. They use to some mechanism to provide the information. Working backward through the network, the mechanism is: LFT of an activity = LST of succeeding activity. LST of an activity = LFT Duration. 2.2.4 Critical Path:- The diagram (visual form) is very attractive you can easily find out which activities are critical. If any activity has no Float, as in the case you can understand that the activities are more critical and this called the Critical Path. That helps to the project. These activities are high risk, so The superlative people can put on them They can easily monitored frequently of the activity The estimating can be re-examined for their liability to any risk of overrunning. 2.2.5 Dependency Type: The visual form can easily help us to find out the dependency of our project activities. That can show to which activities are depending to other. â€Å"We have assumed that an activity cannot start until the previous one has finished. This is not always the case. Sometimes activities can overlap, for example, where one activity is design programs and the successor is code programs these can go almost on parallel but there must be delay before the start of the letter activity.† 2.3. Mind Maps:- â€Å"Mind Map is diagram used to represent an expression of radiant thinking and is therefore a natural function of human mind†. This visual form is very interesting that can generate an imaging idea of any projects. Mind Mapping is useful technique that improves the way you take notes, and support and enhances your creative problem solving. By using Mind Maps, you can quickly identify and structure of a subjects and the way that pieces of information fit together, as well as recording the row facts contained in normal notes. Mind maps are tools which help you think and learn. FIG: Mind Map 2.3.1 Key Ideas in a project: That is applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. The mind map has some essential characteristic: The subject of attention is crystallized in a central image The man themes of the subject radiate from the central image of branches Branches hold a key image/word printed on the associated line details radiate out The branches from a connected model structure Mind Maps are more compact than conventional note, often taking up one side of paper. This helps you to make associations easily. And if you find out more information after you have drawn the main Mind Map. Then you can easily add it in. Mind Map is also easily useful for: Can summarized information That can easily Consolidating information from different research sources Its help to thinking through complex problems and Presenting your information in a design that shows the overall structure of your subject Task-3 3.1. TUCKMAN Theory: Bruce tuckman has provided the theory to develop a successful project team. There have five stage of group development. His research led him to determine four phase of group development those are- Forming Storming Norming Performing And the last stage is Adjourning. Forming: personal relations are characterized by dependence in this stage. Storming: in this stage, the characterized by achievement and argument in the personal relations dimensions an organization in the task-functions dimension. Norming: in the stage, the interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Performing: This stage are not reached by all groups, if group members are grow to stage four, their ability, variety, and depth of personal relation are expand to true interdependence. Adjourning: That stage involves the execution of task behaviors and disengagement from relationship. 3.2. BELBIN Theory: Dr Meredith Belbin defined a team role as: â€Å"A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way†. Belbin identified nine cluster of behaviors team, terms team role. Those are- Co-ordinator: the co-ordinator may not stand out in a team and usually does not have a sharp intellect. Shaper: He or She will challenge, argue or disagree and will display aggression in the pursuit of goal achievement. Two or three shaper in a group, according to Belbin, can lead to conflict, aggravation and in-fighting. Plant: Weaknesses are a tendency to disregard practical details and argumentativeness. Resources Investigator: Weakness are a tendency to lose interest after initial fascination with an idea, and they are not usually the source of original ideas. Company worker/implementation: Implementers are conservative, inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities. Monitor evaluator: Weakness are that they appear dry and boring or even over-critical. They are not good at inspiring others. Those in high level appointments are often monitor evaluators. Team worker: They tend to be indecisive in moments of crisis reluctant to do things that might hurt others. Completer finishers: Weaknesses according to Belbin, are that they tend to be over anxious and have difficulty letting go and delegating work. Specialist: their weaknesses are single-mindedness and a lack of interest in other peoples. 3.3. MYERS_BRIGGS theory: The Myers-Briggs personality typology, unlike some other typing theories such as the Enneagram or Four Temperaments, uses a combination of several aspects to arrive at a â€Å"composite† type, based on the interaction and relative weight of different behavioural and attitudinal factors. The types are expressed as combinations of four letters, as follows: E or I (Extravert or Introvert) S or N (Sensing or iNtuitive) T or F (Thinking or Filling) J or P (Judging or Perceiving) E/I preference: interest the world around you. S/N preference: how you gather the information about the world. T/F preference: how you evaluate that information. J/P preference: your attitude to the world. These four pairs give 16 possible combinations, some of which are more common I the population than others. I will use myself as the worked example in what follows as I am the nearest subject to hand. 3.4. Knowledge from Tuckman, Belbin, and Myers-Briggs theory to develop a project team 3.4.1 Tuckman theory: Tuckman theories originally give me the knowledge of groups. How the way to observed group evolve, whether they were conscious of it or not. And I understand how to move the performed in the stage. The forming stage is describing the characters of each group members. And next stage they are comments to each other. Group might be happily Norming and performing stage because they are understood to each other. 3.4.2 Belbin theory: I collect the some information of Belbin theories. That is each team role has its particular strength and allow able weaknesses, and each has an essential contribute to make to a team. Every member needs different time to her/his roles. 3.4.3 Myers-Briggs: That theory simple to helps an aide-memoire for people who have done the profile, and give a flavor of how it works if its new to you. The theory helps to how we deal with the world around us. How you gather the information about the world and how you evaluate that information and your attitude. Generally if Im a project manager then I select and develop of an effective project team to follow some idea. First fall check every team members are polite behaviors and the members have more confident. And identifies the members are communicate more openly with each other and then I will make a project team. The members are keen to be accepted into team and look the team leader for guidance and direction. The members are eager to be accepted. 3.5. Risk of Team Failure: There are common problems:- 3.5.1 No Trust between the Team Members: That is most and effective problem to a group. When team members do not trust to each other or are suspicious of each others motives, the end result is a team that is not interrelated in its approach. So we are assessment the team members are related to each other. 3.5.2 Ineffective Interaction and Unproductive Team Meeting: Some of important time all team members comes to attend the meeting. The meeting is one of the most critical aspects of the team process with strategies and innovative to problems emerging during this time. 3.5.3 Poor Role Clarity: When roles are not clearly defined, this can lead to conflict and confusion on tasks. So team member can not understand what exactly is expected of each of them. So identify who is responsible to each tasks and identify they are confidently done this tasks. 3.5.4 Poor Time Management: A team should plan its goal and activities whilst keeping time constraints and deadlines in mind, otherwise their efficiency level in managing and implementing a task can suffer. While a team analysis any task they should define who many times are needed to each task. They are trying to finish that task proper time. 3.5.5 Losing Focus of Business Objective: If every member can unclear the goals of team so they lose of directions and lose of focus efficiency products. And turn lead to wrongly prioritized activities. While a team can identify their goals they can lead better direction and focus the efficient products. 3.5.6 Faulty Analysis of Market Conditions and Flawed Company Policies: If a team can fail to reservations in market condition 3.6. Risk Matrix: This is the simple method to raise visibility of risk and assist the management to make decision against all the risk that arise. It is a graphical representation of information normally found in existing risk logs. Risk matrix is easy to use, unless they are designed properly High Medium Low High Medium Low Consequence Likelihood A A A B B B C C C FIG: Risk Estimation Matrix (From MBP book of NCC Education) 3.6.1 Notes: How to assess the Risk of team failure. A risk assessment is simply a careful checking of what, and identify of any event that if occurred. It may be negatives or positives in our team. There are many reasons for a team can breakdown. So we are researched before making a team. That helps get greater strategic thinking and enhances creativity the proper solution when a team failure. 3.7. Contingency Plan: The contingency plan helps to identify what I will do if the risk occurs. The points are discussed here encapsulate the key issues that can lead to team failure. Team managers and team leaders have to take measures to protect the team from these chains that can wrap themselves around the team and collapse its performance. Diagnosing is the first step to solving the problem. Some of the issues such as role clarity or losing focus of business objectives can be solved by a discussion with the team members. Some of the other problems like poor trust, poor time management, and poor team interaction can be better tackled through team building exercises. Lets now look at the other side of the points, success. If success is what the team is after, then what is it that is expected of teams? What should they do to be successful? Understand their goals Interact, communicate effectively, explore ideas and innovative approaches Be loyal, co-operative, willing to share information and lend a helping hand Understand market realities and develop a sound strategy Keep time frames in mind Know their responsibility within the team and focus on results All this may seem like a tall order but is actually achievable. Everybody on a team is naturally equipped to deal with these factors, the only exception being ‘flawed company policies, which is up to corporate management to resolve. When teams in an organization show problems, then the solution may lie in a deeper analysis of the problem and exploring the areas mentioned above to find a solution. Task 4 Validation and Verification is the process of checking that the product. 4.1. Verification: 4.1.1 Definition: â€Å"Am I building the product right?† The process of determining whether or not the products of given phase of the software development cycle fulfill the requirement established during the previous phase 4.1.2 Purpose The purpose of Verification is to ensure that selected products meet specified requirements. The interpretation of this process area for business development is to ensure business development work products meet specified objectives and criteria. A key work product is the customer proposal. It should be verified that it meets customer-specified needs by conducting a readiness. 4.1.3 Importance: It is important to verify that the business development products meet the external customers needs. Verification increases the likelihood that offered products and services will be accepted by the customer, but it does not guarantee success. Verification is necessary but not sufficient. The business development campaign should include verification milestones throughout the process. Does the proposal meet the buyers specification? What are the risks in the proposal? Do marketing collateral and advertising meet the defined goals and objectives of the campaign? These types of question arise in a project for verification. 4.1.4 Features: verification addresses whether the work product properly reflects the specified requirements Verification includes verification of the product and intermediate work products against all selected requirements, including customer, product and product component requirements. Verification is inherently an incremental process because it occurs throughout the development of the product and work products, Verification of work products substantially increases the likelihood that the product will meet the customer, product, and product component requirements. 4.2. Validation: 4.2.1 Definition: Am I building the right product? Validation is the process that checks the product design satisfies and fits. That provides a high degree of assurance that a product, services, and system accomplished its intended usage â€Å"you built the right product†. There are few terms uses in validation process: Code validation/Testing Function validation/Testing User acceptance Testing or system validation 4.2.2 Purpose: The purpose of Validation is to demonstrate that a product fulfills its intended use when placed in its intended environment. The interpretation of this process area for business development is to validate and to demonstrate that a campaign product or service fulfills its intended use in support of the business development campaign objectives. 4.2.3 Importance: The proposal is a key product of the marketing effort. Prospective customers base their decisions largely on the organizations proposal. Because knowing how to develop a good proposal is critical core competency for business development, it is important to evaluate the readiness of the offer before it is submitted to the customer. The following types of question may in project for validation. What is the size of the market? Is the market growing or contracting? What influences this movement 4.2.4 Features: validation can be applied to work products as well as to the product and product components Validation is to demonstrate that a product or product component fulfills its intended use when placed in its intended environment. Validation demonstrates that the product, as provided, will fulfill its intended use 4.3. Verification and Validation in a Project Lifecycle The need and importance of verification and validation in a project are stated below with a life cycle model. The V-model Operation Test Stress Test Business Analysis Requirements Definition Functional Design Technical Design Programming Source Code Technical Design Functional Design System Requirements Business Requirements Live Simulation Acceptance Test System Test Link Test Unit Test Environment Test SPECIRYING TEST INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT VERIFYING SRAGE 4.3.1 Verification and validation in V model Here validation is taken in the primary stage which named requirements specification to check all the information in accurate and exact for build the project. With the information of previous stage the design stage is developed. Verification is done after the design process to develop evidence of design solution requirements compliance. A shorthand statement of the meaning of verification is commonly voiced as, â€Å"Am I building the product right?† Verification technique aims to detect and aid the designer to correct mistake during the product developments.. After the design is verified, the conceptual model and its associated design are converted into code or hardware by the developer. Code verification and hardware checkout ensure that the detailed design is being implemented correctly in the code or hardware respectively. Code verification normally entails detailed desk checking and software testing of the code, comparing it to the detailed design, documenting any discrep ancies and fixing any problems discovered. Other important activities include participating in code testing, audits, walkthroughs, and inspections; validating input data; preparing complexity report; conducting code analysis; and verifying code structure. Integration checking also sorted out by verification testing to address that is all component of the product or part is integrated properly and accurately. Validation and verification are present throughout all the phase of product life cycle and are composed of a wide variety of activities. The validation and verification activities are detection and correction of errors. In incremental assessment, which verification and validation activities provide at each phase of the process model. The information gives the progressive view of the productivity of the development process and quality of the product. 4.3.2 In a project life cycle verification and validation can arise in different stages. Those are mentioned below Requirements Interface requirements Developmental plans Configuration Management Plan Quality Assurance Plans Studies and Analyses 4.3.3 Checking Procedure of verification and validation Checked all the item that may need for the project development Requirement are checked through validation Test all the module for integrating correctly Design of the development mu

Boundary Lines - Gender Through The Prism Of Difference Essay -- sexua

Sexual harassment is still not recognized today by many individuals as an actual offense. Sexual harassment was talked about and was recognized in 1976 but the law making it illegal was not passed until 10 years later in 1986. The law states that â€Å"it is unlawful to harass a person because of their sex. Harassment can include sexual harassment or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.† The law doesn’t include simple teasing, small comments or incidents that aren’t serious. But it becomes illegal when it happens more than once and the severity of the comments makes the work environment uncomfortable. The problem today is knowing what is actually considered sexual harassment as everyone takes it differently and when comments or jokes are being taken too far. Chapter 36 discusses a study that focused on waitressing as many restaurants have an obviously sexualized workplace. The book says â€Å"sexual attractiveness and flirtation are often institutionalized parts of a waitpersons job description.† When applying for jobs many workplaces hire attractive looking women, as they believe it will attract more people to their business. I find this to be unfair as men do not have this standard. When men apply for a job they look directly at the individual’s skills, not what they look like. It used to be said that in addition to popularity and access to their choice of a mate, attractive people tend to receive higher evaluations and salaries than their peers so people would then assume that it would always be an advantage to be an attractive male or female in the workplace. But this is not true in all cases. Newer research shows that being an attractive man was an advan... ... if you are married they will still say inappropriate comments to you, even if they know who your married to, some guys just don’t care. In the end sexual harassment is not okay, especially in the workplace. Women shouldn’t have to feel like they are just an object at work. Women’s confidence can be lowered by receiving sexual harassing comments from men. Men should be respectful during work hours, even joking around about sex during work doesn’t seem appropriate if you’re working around other people who could hear you. Works Cited Giuffre, Patti A., and Christine L. Williams. "Boundary Lines." Gender Through The Prism Of Difference. 4th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 403-17. Print. Gomez, Evangeline. "Should Businesses Worry About Appearance-Based Discrimination in the Workplace?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

Death Foretold by Symbols

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the author of the very intriguing novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold. The chronicle â€Å"is very strange and brilliantly conceived,† and â€Å" a sort of metaphysical murder mystery in which the detective, Garcia Marquez himself, reconstructs events associated with the murder 27 years earlier of Santiago Nasar, a rich, handsome fellow who lived in the Caribbean town where the author grew up† (Michaels, P. 1). Marquez plays himself in the novel, interviewing people who remember the murder and studies documents assembled by the court. He gathers various kinds of data—dreams, gossip, philosophical speculation, weather reports—and creates a chronological record of what occurred. The data that is accumulated demonstrates that symbolism was very prominent in the story and essential to the death of Santiago Nasar. Symbolism is first set up when it is introduced to the readers that Santiago Nasar had dreamed the night before his death that he was flying: â€Å"He’d dreamed he was going through a grove of timber trees where a gentle drizzle was falling, and for an instant he was happy in his dream, but when he awoke he felt completely spattered with bird shit† (Marquez, P. ). Beginning with the place, Nasar was passing by timber trees which are evergreens. â€Å"Evergreens represent immortality, everlasting life or an undying spirit, ironically enough† (â€Å"Symbolism in Chronicle of a Death foretold†). This adds to the whole ironic theme represented in a symbolic way. What is also symbolic about this piece is that flying usually represents moving to the next level spiritually. So that foreshadows his death. Another related dream that Nasar had was the one in which he was alone in a tinfoil airplane and â€Å"’flying through the almond trees without bumping into anything’† (Marquez, P. ). These almond trees are a symbol of virginity, divine favor, and purity. Trees are also recognized as being feminine. This could be representative of Santiago Nasar flying through a grove of virginal Angela Vicario. His airplane did not bump into anything, leaving the trees fully intact. This could also represent the innocence of Nasar, saying that he did not touch Angela. His innocence could also be represented in a form of Jesus. Santiago and Jesus Christ can be direct parallels when Marquez writes: â€Å"Santiago put on a shirt and pants of white linen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Marquez, P5). Since white is the color of innocence and purity, this choice of clothing promotes those attributes. Jesus wore a linen cloth before his death as well and was aware that they were going to kill him, much like Nasar. Not only is this symbolism, but religious also. The bishop coming to town also gives a slight symbolic feature. This is because a bishop could resemble god in the way when he blesses, hears sins and such (â€Å"Bishop†). So god coming to town could foreshadow something big occurring as well. As many Christians and Catholics would agree it’s a very big deal, so it being a very big deal, one would think that everyone would behave but the exact opposite occurs when Santiago Nasar is murdered in such a brutal way right infront of his home. This story is filled with irony. When Nasar tells his mother about the symbolic dreams it would have been ideal for her to decipher them and tell him that they meant death. But instead it is mentioned that she did not recognize anything ominous within them. It is also quite ironic when he mentions, the day of his death, that â€Å"it was a very beautiful day† (Marquez, P. ) when most people agreed that the weather was funeral, with a cloudy, low sky and the thick smell of still waters, and that at the moment of the misfortune a thin drizzle was falling like the one Santiago Nasar had seen in his dream grove. Another malicious omen ignored. In a certain way, it is understandable that a lot of omens and symbols are ignored because they are not facts. The work that Marquez does is supposed to be â€Å"journalistic and factual† (â€Å"Chronicle of a Death Foretold†) and symbols would be counter-productive because they are not very good evidence, so they become anecdotes. However, if the people in town would have interpreted the symbols and warned him, he would be alive. But then again, if that would have occurred in the interesting novel, it wouldn’t be called Chronicle of a Death Foretold. It would just be Death or something like that, which eliminates all the entertainment. Returning to the symbols, we also see that flowers are important. A day before the death of Santiago Nasar, he distinctively told Marquez that he did not like flowers because they remind him of a funeral. This is also ronic because usually flowers are meant to represent purity, love, happiness, etc. But in his case it was the opposite. Other prominent symbols are the knives that the Vicario brothers used to kill Nasar, because almost everyone had seen them. Not only did they see the knives but when they did the Vicario brothers even rubbed it more in by saying that they were going to kill Santiago Nasar. The townspeople were very ignorant by believing that they would not carry on with the malicious deed. So they had great reticence by doing this. The ending adds to the both ironic and symbolic theme of the story. Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Roman reconciliate and it is foreknowledged if one looks at how many letters Angela sends Bayardo in the years that they are separated. But the twist is that he does not even open them. Chronicle of a Death Foretold puzzles the reader by demonstrating many symbols that foreshadow the death of Santiago Nasar. Dreams, clothing, flowers, weather, knives, and letters are just a few that make the story more interesting by giving it a symbolic view. If they had been ignored the story would not be the story that it is. Therefore, symbolism and irony play a very significant role in the story.

Midterm Learning Reflection Essay

Introduction. You should print this out, although you may also use it as a template to type over. You will be writing two reflections this term: a midterm reflection and a final reflection. The final reflection is the one you want to have ultimately on your portfolio. Both your midterm and final learning reflections must be 700 to 1000 words, which is approximately two to three MLA-formatted pages. You can check your word count by going to Tools/Word Count on the menu bar. Style and Format. The writing style of the learning reflection is primarily expressive, but will also contain narrative elements. You do not need a Works Cited page unless you cite something. So, if, for example, you cite song lyrics, one of our texts, a poem, or even a work of art, then you need a Works Cited page. I’ve included one here to serve you for formatting purposes. File formats. We are going to be learning how to convert Word documents to pdf format so that they load more easily in a browser window. If you can, please practice with one or both of the following two methods, which are what I use (they are free). 1. Install a free pdf converter. These are not truly â€Å"free† in that they either force you to look at some advertising or they add a line on each page advertising the manufacturer of the software. I don’t have a problem with either of these and gladly suffer through the free advertising every time I convert a file to pdf, which I do all the time. The one I use to create all the pdf files for my classes is at http://www.pdf995.com/download.html. Download both the Pdf995 Printer Driver and the Free Converter (they are both free; they are required to work together, but for some reason, they are two separate downloads). After you go through the download and installation process, every time you want to create a pdf file from Word, all you need to do is select File/Print and then chose PDF995, which will show up as a â€Å"printer.† When you initiate this process of creating a pdf file, you will be prompted for a place to save the file, as well as a file name. Be careful to save the file to your H: drive or, if to your C: drive, to ftp (transfer) it over to your H: drive later. You will notice that some advertisements come up as the conversion process occurs. That’s the â€Å"price† you pay for the free conversion software. 2. The other pdf-conversion method I like is to use the free OpenOffice word processing software. This software should be in our labs. You can also download it for free on your own computer, from http://www.openoffice.org/. This is basically an open-source version of Microsoft Office. Once you’ve installed it (it’s large and takes a while to install), you can open any Word document with the OpenOffice word processing program (Open Document). Some of the original Word formatting may be lost – especially the header information with your last name and page number. You will need to add that back in; be sure you do it correctly. When you’re satisfied with the format, there is a little pdf icon on the toolbar that you can click, and that will automatically convert the document to pdf format. Learning Reflection Content. What should you discuss in your reflection? In general, you discuss what you’ve learned, what you’ve done especially well, what you’ve enjoyed – and the challenges you’ve encountered and how you might make changes in the future. Here are some suggestions for what to write about: †¢ Your experience transitioning from high school (or wherever you were previously) to a freshman in college, focusing on how you have grown as an individual and an independent student. †¢ Your experience in this particular course – your year-long freshman inquiry. In this regard, you should probably focus on the University Studies goals and the ways in which you have grown and developed with respect to those goals. I would expect that other courses have also contributed to the goal areas, so you might want to highlight any that have been particularly useful in that regard. †¢ Other experiences as a student here at Portland State. Portland State University’s mission is â€Å"Let Knowledge Serve the City,† which reflects the fact that we are an urban university. What have you learned with respect to community, diversity, and the connection between a learning community (the university) and the city in which it is located? Keep in mind that you may have acquired valuable experiences outside of the classroom, but still connected to your identity as a student. o Perhaps you have learned important lessons about discipline and time management as a student athlete, which may serve you well when you enter the workforce. o Maybe your involvement in activities with other students – such as taking dance classes or playing in the band or spending hours in an art studio or toughing out chemistry and physics labs – has improved your personal skills and brought to light new areas of interest, which you’ve pursued in your free time. o Or perhaps you’ve found out that you are a loner, that you haven’t connected very well with a lot of the people in your classes. As you reflect on this (or any other conclusions that some – maybe you – might consider, well, depressing), think of this is an opportunity to think of ways to make some changes in the future. †¢ A reflection, in other words, should include a self-assessment element as well as thinking along the lines of â€Å"What could I do better or differently in the future?† Consider the challenges you’ve faced, how you’ve overcome them, or how you’d like to overcome them in the fu ture. Conclusion. Your reflection should end in a way that gives the reader the sense that you are closing up a chapter in your life and ready to move on, with some ideas in mind of what you might do differently. My suggestion is that you do not spend a lot of time critiquing the world around you; after all, you can’t change that very much. Confine your reflection to you and what you have learned and experienced. Dwelling on what you don’t like about a given course or program is not a reflection about you, but about something else. Works Cited Eakin, Paul John. How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves. Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 1999. Fiske, John. â€Å"Popular Culture.† Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ed. Frank Lentricchia and Thomas McLaughlin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. 321 – 335. Harrison, Claire. â€Å"Hypertext Links: Whither Thou Goest, and Why.† First Monday. 7 Oct. 2002. 10 Feb. 2004 .

grrek essays

grrek essays The basis of Greek drama was a religious festival, which paid homage to Dyonicis, god of wine and fertility. Greek drama consisted of a protagonist, the main character, of noble birth whose life is full of happiness in the beginning, but ends up in agony in the end due to their tragic flaw or weakness. To provide all the background information about the characters and the play the chorus was also an important part in a Greek drama. Even now, these elements can still be found in a play or a television sitcom. A good example of a Greek drama is the Pilot episode of the HBO show Six Feet Under. The episode begins with a commercial about a glamorous hearse. The commercial divides the acts of the episode. Before a new act begins, the commercial provides the audience with the information about a product, which will be used in the act. The commercials are a part of the episode, but at the same time, it provides the audience with background information like the chorus did in the Greek dramas. After the hearse commercial Nathaniel Fisher, the owner of the Fisher and Sons Funeral Home, is introduced. It is Christmas Eve in Los Angeles and Nathaniel is on his way to pick up his oldest son Nate in his new hearse from the airport. Then his cell phone rings and the audience are introduced to his wife Ruth. She nags at him for not taking his vitamins and for smoking in the new hearse. She tells Nathaniel if he keeps on smoking he will end up dying a slow and horrible death which foreshadows the accident Nathaniel is about to get into. At the same time, she is serving her second son, Dave, breakfast. Dave is telling his mom it was a mistake to let his father take the new hearse. She then reminds Nathaniel about the time when Nate got a new motorcycle and how he still has a pin in his foot which is foreshadowing the accident again. The ironic thing is Nathaniel is listening and singing along to the song Ill Be Home for C...