Risk Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk Management - Coursework Example Change in management structure Preliminary Risk Analysis Given the fact that there are different priorities for the said project, there is the tendency that there will be major changes in the organizational management to suit some priorities as against others. The preliminary risk analysis would be used as qualitative analysis to identify the undesired event of organizational change and then suggest possible improvements and other suitable preventive mechanisms (Keong, 2002). Unavailability of hardware Hazard and Operability studies (HAZOP) The construction of spacecraft is an engineering project that demands a very high quantum of hardware input. There could however be possible unavailability and shortages. Once this happens, it would constitute an operational hazard (Perry, 2008). To this end, a hazard and operability studies would be useful in the â€Å"application of a formal systematic critical examination of the process and engineering intentions of new or existing facilities to assess the hazard† (Keong, 2002). ... This not withstanding, HAZOP can be used as a qualitative analysis to identify suitable replacements in systems that would not bring about the system requirement changes. Delays in specifications Failure Mode and Effects Analysis(FMEA/FMECA) The project would bring about the need to deal with essential interfaces that would have to be specified on regular time margins. However, there is the risk that these specifications may delay and not arrive on schedule. Such delays may cause failures in implementation, and this is why the failure mode and effects analysis would be necessary in identifying the mode of failure and the threat it would pose to the entire project. Underestimation of project size Fault tree analysis At the preparation stage of project management, extensive time is spent on budgeting and estimation of the project size. There is however the risk that external factors, such as inflation and shortage of hardware could bring about an underestimated project size. The fault tree analysis when used in this analysis would help in building a chronology of all possible causes of the risk so that with the line of cause well known, preventive mechanisms can be schemed towards the risk (Heldman, 2005, p. 132). Underperformance of CASE tool Failure Mode and Effects Analysis(FMEA/FMECA) The nature of the current spacecraft construction demands the preparation of a CASE tool. However, there is the risk that the CASE tool may not performance as much as it should perform. Once this happens, it would be considered a failure and thus a failure mode and effects analysis would be necessary in quantifying the mode of failure and predicting possible scope of effect of the failure on the product. Technological changes Fault tree analysis Technology is one of the

Media Project Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Project - Movie Review Example Primal kinds of feeling are direct to commercial purposes. Therefore, it’s very hard to find a society without the contemporary discourse in presenting the truth or lies. From the second question, it’s true that Mayors signifies images as the basis of thinking. In a way, images displace the palpable physical reality. Miller brings out the concept called double think. This implies to how media images are approached by the people. He means that people on one hand knows what they see which falsity or propaganda is of images advertising and is not true. One sees through the image and thinks that it does not affect them particularly but yet with another part of their mind, they buy into it blindly. In the third question, the status of the ideal in the contemporary society is finding solutions on how to move from its current state through their way of thinking. In the ideal society, the culture has been consumed by the propaganda in the western society. Lots of repeated images with the illiterate society has slowly integrated into the day to day lives of people and become part of their culture. This has affected the level of culture of people through the onslaught embedded in images. In the fourth question, myth in the postmodern society has grown its roots that involves with advanced market economies in entering into a new era. Through the images in the advertising economies, postmodernism have dominated especially in the western culture. Postmodernism has been felt throughout the world by the influence of economic cultural and political in western countries. Through the primal feeling, images have created the reality hence facilitating postmodernism, and this hinders the societies’ intellectual thinking. In question five, the postmodern society is democratic as the consumer can choose over a variety of goods but no specific people representing the citizens choosing for the

Three Behavioral Theories Of Leadership Management Essay

Three Behavioral Theories Of Leadership Management Essay Leadership theories explore how leaders can influence humankind or employees to fulfil mission and vision of organizations. Traditionally, transactional leadership has prevailed throughout the industrial revolution with pay for work process. Although as time passes, leadership theories developed mirror those of quasi-transactional theories of Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, and Kaizen. These theories based on outcomes of production with the spirit of collaboration from employees to increase awareness of each task to promote or negate benefits to the company. Ruggieri (2009) related the leadership style displayed by the leader to the organizations performance and success. Leaders of an organization must anticipate and adapt to change by using the leadership style that fits the current situation. For an organization to grow and be successful in a changing environment, leaders must articulate vision, goals, and objectives and make sound business decisions that will lead the organization to success. In leading organizations to success, Kanter (2000) stated, effective leaders cultivate an environment where openness is encouraged and where collaboration is valued (p. 32). Partnerships both inside and outside the organization enhance the organizations knowledge and reach into the market, and provide greater expertise and experience than if a more closed position perspective were maintained (Kanter, 2000). Effective leaders also draw on the components of different leadership styles behaviors that will provide the best approach or decision based on the situation and environment at hand (Spears, 2004). The succeeding sections discuss three behavioral theories of leadership, which include transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and servant leadership. Transformational Leadership Theory Transformational leadership theory is based on the ability of the leader to provide an atmosphere, which engages their employees and hinged on the concept of spirit, via connectedness. Transformational leadership is the ability to motivate and to encourage intellectual stimulation through inspiration (Avolio, Zhu, Koh, Bhatia, 2004; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, Shamir, 2002). McColl-Kennedy and Anderson (2005) further defined transformational leadership style as guidance through individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence (p. 116). Transformational leadership brings with it a degree of charisma and motivation (Avolio Yammarino, 2002). Transformational leaders can influence and inspire others to succeed and grow. Transformational leaders model the behavior they expect of their employees through transparent information sharing, enthusiasm, and optimism. The leader creative in creating solutions and encourages the employee to do the same. Transformational leaders are risk-takers and encourage others to take risks, too. These leaders encourage growth through advanced education, certifications, and interactions. Bass and Steidlmeier (1999) noted transformational leaders level of involvement had the ability to enhance creativity, innovation, and performance from their teams. Transformational leaders must have the fortitude and adaptability to respond to and learn from both internal and external stimuli of changes within the organizations. Such leaders must proactively mitigate any negative impact on the project, as well ensuring the overall satisfaction of the team members as factors in the projects successful completion and team performance (Ronning, 2004; Sanders et al., 2003). Bass (2000) had widely defended the potential of the transformational leadership to improve the post-modern organizational landscape. According to Bass, transformational leaders raise the awareness of their constituencies about what are essential increase concerns for achievement, self-actualization, and ideals. They inspire followers to go beyond their own self-interests for the good of the group, organization, or community. For Bass, true transformational leadership can be identified by its adherence to the highest levels of moral and ethical standards. Bass (1997) says that leaders are authentically transformational when they raise awareness of what is right, valued, and important; when they help satisfy increase followers needs for success, change; and when they reposition followers to go outside their self-interests for the good of their group or organization. True transformational leadership asks for sacrifice on the part of the follower, but it does not necessarily require that an individuals interests to be swept aside for the good of the organization. The transformational leader strives to achieve a true consensus in aligning personal and organization interests (Bass, 1998, p. 176). Transformational leaders act like moral agents and engage in joint understanding of employees, with the ultimate goal of converting these employees to become leaders themselves (Inkson Moss, 1993). Transformational leaders are most of the time interested in producing quality and quantity results from those they lead, but also attempt to provide an environment in which the individuals own career and personal goals are realized through the organization. In this way, efficiency can be increased, and the entire organization can benefit on the improvement of individuals (Seltzer Bass, 1990). It is the transformational leadership style that offers managers the greatest ability to deal with this rapidly changing workplace (Bass, 2000), especially in a global economy where change is inevitable. Wallace (1993) concluded that complex organizational and environmental factors require the flexibility that transformational leadership style offers because it enables managers to include workers on decisions, and can empower workers to have an increasing level of control over their work performance. Organizations led by transformational leaders usually perform at a believed greater level, with a higher level of employee moral (Bass, 1990). Bryant (2003) claimed that transformational leadership results to motivation and commitment for followers in order to have above average organizational performance. Robbins and Judge (2009) further concluded that transformational leadership is correlated with lower employee turnover, higher productivity, lower stress, and higher employee satisfaction. Transformational leaders are able to enhance their leadership style based on the situation, and transform that style into their subordinates to become innovative and creative in their decision-making process (Chung Chia-Hung, 2009). Transformational leadership is based on the leader-member relationship that fosters a greater degree of trust and mutual understanding expected between the members in maintaining that relationship. Members in a transformational leadership framework cooperate more often with their leaders and gain their leaders full support, confidence, encouragement, and patience, and this in return forms a lasting relation ship bond between the leaders and the employees (Chung Chia-Hung, 2009). Boga and Ensari (2009) stated, traditionally, the magnitude of the organizational leaders influence on the workforce has been tied to his or her leadership style (p. 237). Transformational leaders seeks to influence the interests of their followers in the workplace, accept change as being a part of life, and motivate their followers to pursue the purpose and mission of the organization above their own egocentricities (Boga Ensari, 2009). The transformational leader/follower relationship is viewed as one of shared interests and is comprised of four distinct characteristics (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration) that are closely related to the approach leaders use (Boga Ensari). Finally, transformational leadership occurs when a leader inspires followers to share a vision and enables those who follow to formulate their own vision for themselves and the organization to achieve a higher level of performance. Transformational leaders allow those they lead a greater degree of self-direction in the decision-making process that allows the leader to be more successful leading the organization to success. Transformational leadership is somewhat similar to servant leadership, but most researchers agree that the transformational leadership style makes better leaders in organizations (Bass, 1990). Transformational leadership, as noted by Bass and Avolio (1993) has four defining principles that included idealized influence, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. Idealized influence means the transformational leader works with followers to encourage independence, awareness, and maturation as a means to an end, where followers participate in the mission and vision of the organization. Inspirational motivation means the transformational leader is able to inspire followers with the intent to share in the goals of the organization. Intellectual stimulation means the transformational leader acknowledges his or her followers as talented and encourages input while re-evaluating assumptions for beliefs and values. The leader ignites creativity in followers, which may result in productivity for the organization. Individualized consideration means respecting the uniqueness of each person, while working with him or her to facilitate the maximi zation of potential. Leaders recognize the role and importance of involving followers in the establishment of a healthy organizational culture and climate. These four factors enable leaders to create an environment wherein team members clearly understood the tasks of the project, both holistically as a team and individually. The four factors of transformational leadership enable the leader to create a level of respect felt by members of the entire project. Team members had a proactive level of interest, concern, and inspirational motivation to become actively engaged in multiple levels of effective communication, thereby identifying the impact of each members role in project completion (Bass Avolio, 1993). An effective platform created by transformational leaders induces team cohesiveness on numerous aspects (Ruggieri, 2009). Research has provided evidence that transformational leadership in both traditional face-to-face teams and virtual teams has the components to produce multiple levels of group cohesiveness. Members became empowered to make greater contributions to the team, thus constructing an effective team environment of problem solving and innovative solutions (Jung Sosik, 2002; Ruggieri, 2009). Yardley et al. (2007) also noted transformational leaders encompass the aspect of preparing members of the team to become transformational by increasing their level of participation and satisfaction resulting in increased team performance in creative implementation creative and effective change. The transformational leadership framework has a tendency of creating domino effects in producing and creating potential leaders within multiple levels of an organization (Masood et al., 2006; Yardley et al., 2007). This form of communication and development within traditional collocated teams and virtual teams was indicative to producing effective leadership participation that enhances team performance. Transactional Leadership Transformational leadership gained prominence as the leadership style of the 21st Century. The concept of transformational leadership began to emerge in the late 1980s, particularly in research writings about education. According to Bass (1990), transformational leadership is inspirational leadership style that influences followers to achieve extraordinary performance in a context of large-scale innovation and change. There are times when the concept signified a suitable type of leadership for organizations taking up the challenges of reformatting and reorganizing. Today, this concept is applied in most developed countries worldwide (Leithwood, 1992). Transactional leadership theory often presents a more traditional view of team leaders compelling team members to improve their performance on a reward and reprimand based system (Yardley Nealy, 2007). Transactional leaderships main characteristic is separateness; there is a line between the leader and the follower, with the potential to leave individuals feeling abandoned and in moral poverty (Avolio, Walumbwa, Weber, 2009; Hauser, 2007). A transactional leader uses rewards as a way of managing subordinates behaviors and employs management by exception (Bass, 1985). The transactional leadership theory includes three dimensions. These dimensions include contingent reward, management by exceptionactive and passive leadership (Bass Avolio, 2000). Contingent-reward is the degree to which the leader sets up helpful transactions or exchanges with followers: The leader clarifies expectations and establishes the rewards for meeting these expectations (Judge Piccolo, 2004, p. 755). Management-by-exception is the degree to which managers intervene when issues, problems, or mistakes occur. An active management-by-exception involves leaders who monitor the performance of their subordinates throughout the course of the task or activity. This allows the leader to track whether mistakes happen in line with the completion of the task or activity. A passive management-by-exception on the other hand considers leaders who are unaware of mistakes within their team until his/her subordinates report the issues or the problems that happened. In transactional leaders hip, the leaders appeal to their subordinates self-interest through rewards in order to achieve the teams objectives. In the team setting, leaders who are solely transactional leaders created an environment built upon positive and negative reinforcement (Ruggieri, 2009). The reinforcement came in the form of compliments and awards in money and gifts when milestones reached completion during the life of the project. Transactional leaders used negative reinforcement when team members miss milestones or fail to complete project deadlines, generally in the forms of chastisement, censorship, and in some cases, release from the organization (Ruggieri, 2009). Sanders et al. (2003) indicated most leaders utilizing this leadership style exhibited less confidence in their ability to lead or make an impact within the organization. It is important to express that nearly all leaders in a virtual or in a traditional team environment have utilized the transactional leadership theory as part of decision-making (Ulmer, 2005). The transactional leadership theory is framed around an award-based system, which motivates followers to contribute to the success of the team. Servant Leadership Servant leadership theory suggests that the leader places the good of those led over the self-interest of the leader and promotes the idea of valuing and developing by sharing their power and prestige with those they lead (Greenleaf, 1977). Greenleaf (1970, 1977) introduced theoretical concepts to the body of leadership literature on servant leadership. Greenleaf, who is the founder of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, created the idea of servant leadership after reading Nobel Laureate Herman Hesses (1956) Journey to the East, a story about a spiritual pilgrimage of a band of men on a fairy-tale journey. The term servant leadership may not be familiar to a large number of individuals or corporations, but many organizations have adopted and embraced this concept within their leadership structure. Servant leadership is radically changing how leaders lead and treat subordinates under ones area of responsibility in the organization that creates a caring and understanding atmosphere within the organization (Chung Chia-Hung, 2009). Greenleaf (1970) stated, Caring for other persons is the foundation upon which a decent society is built (p. 54). Transformational leadership and servant leadership have several similar characteristics, but are not quite the same in their approach to leading subordinates. Servant leadership is based on the notion of egalitarianism and assumes that the leader is no better than those led, but considered equal in value (Greenleaf, 1977). Bass (2000), as well as Farling, Stone, and Winston (1999), see parallels between transformational leadership and servant leadership. However, while the theory of transformational leadership says that leaders need such traits as vision, credibility, trust, etc., the theory of servant leadership argues that leaders must place the needs of their followers ahead of their own. Serving and leading at the same time has found to be a constant characteristic of servant leaders. Among the other characteristics that servant leaders have been said to need are: listening, empathy, awareness, healing, persuasion, ability to conceptualize, foresight, stewardship, commitment to growth, and commitment to building community (Spears, 2004). The main feature of this  leadership style is  the servant leader provides resources and support without expecting followers to admit that leading by example is important to them. Instead, this type of leader assumes a servant first position (Smith, Montagno, Kuzmenko, 2004), and expects others to work for the collective good of the company, rather than for the leader as representative of the company. Servant leaders, according to Greenleaf (as cited in Spears, 2005), are not initially motivated to pursue leadership. However, they accept this role in response to the urgings of others, and in response to a perceived need for their expertise and service in such a situation. The servant leader is expected to be knowledgeable regarding his or her role in promoting the organization or groups goals and to ensure that his or her followers are collectively advancing the objectives of the organization or group (Spears, 2005). Servant leadership has taken on a greater importance in recent years not only in corporate and religious organizations, but also in educational institutions (Cozby, 2001). Servant leaders in schools and universities should have a genuine desire to help others, and a shared vision of taking on the role of servant to its student body. Herman and Marlowe (2005) asserted that leaders should be a servant first in order to transition from a classroom environment to a community of caring. Greenleaf (1977) concluded that if someone wants to have true meaning in life, they must first seek out ways to be a servant to others. Servant leadership is viewed as a significant contributor to leadership effectiveness in organizations and institutions. Practitioners have given due attention to servant leadership in recent years because the workplace and business world is more transparent, competitive, global, inclusive and demographically diverse (Bryant, 2003). The concept of servant leadership shares similarities with the concept of transformational leadership, which produces a pre-determined outcome when the leader empowers followers to achieve organizational goals based on their own innovation and creativity. According to Sendjaya and Sarros (2002), a reason for the shortage of research in servant leadership is that the notion of servant as leader may be perceived as a weak leader (p. 41). Servant leaders emphasize developing their followers personal potential and enabling their personal growth and self-interests. Leadership is about relationships, and the principles of servant leadership are the inherent characteristics for the leader to lead by the heart with a greater degree of humility and honesty. Servant-led organizations should be built on a leadership style where  ideas are welcomed and relationships are nurtured. Servant leaders take a different approach from that of traditional leaders who seek to harness and maintain their power base. When a servant leadership culture  has been established at an organization, servant leaders lead by example, and are expected to help those around them achieve their personal and professional goals. Servant leadership does come with some reservations because some employees will try to take advantage of leaders who demonstrate this leadership style and reduce the leaders ability to lead (Spears, 2004), in this instance, servant-leaders are able to overcome this by instilling in workers a sense of the importance of teamwork and shared responsibilities. Peer pressure is remarkably effective in encouraging employees to do the right thing and preventing them from challenging leadership for selfish and personal reasons. Servant leaders have a better chance of preventing such conflicts because they have earned the trust and respect of the followers in the organization (Bass, 1990). Another dilemma in practicing servant leadership is the desire to practice individualism and competiveness that nurtures selfish or ego driven pride in the workplace or institution (Bass 1997, 2002). Organizations with a culture that promotes an authoritarian hierarchy will greatly hinder servant leadership and could be a major cause of organizational decline and failure (Boga Ensari, 2009). Most researchers agree that authoritarian hierarchy and egotism are the evil twins that can inhibit the implementation of servant leadership, and may be two of the reasons why many institutions and organizations exhibit a high level of unethical behavior (Bass, 2000). Servant leadership has not been a leadership trait of recent indoctrinated leadership style just in the case of the U.S. Army as a preferred or recommended leadership style. Bryant (2003) concluded that servant leadership is more concerned with the emotional well being of followers than transformational leadership is. Transformational leaders, on the other hand, do seek to inspire followers not only an intellectual level, but also on an emotional one. That is, they try to maintain a positive attitude regarding the work being performed. Comparison between the Behavioral Theories of Leadership Two of the most popular leadership styles currently discussed by researchers are transformational and transactional leadership styles (Boga Ensari, 2009). Over the last decade, considerable research effort has been invested into understanding the processes through which transformational leadership relates to followers attitudes, behavior, and performance beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group (Bass, 2000). However, apart from these two leadership styles, servant leadership style has also been emerging in fields such as military organizations. Servant leadership theory suggests that the leader places the good of those led over the self-interest of the leader and promotes the idea of valuing and developing by sharing their power and prestige with those they lead (Greenleaf, 1977). A theoretical analysis of transformational and servant leadership theories suggests rival consequences for organizational success on the best leadership style. Transformational leadership is defined as having four separate elements: charismatic leadership/idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1996). Servant leadership has six different components: valuing people, developing people, building community, displaying authenticity, providing leadership, sharing leadership (Greenleaf 1970; 1977). Transformational leadership and servant leadership in organizational settings has experienced a significant progression in terms of both theory development and empirical research studies (Boga Ensari, 2009). Based on this research, transformational leaders are one of the most important factors in motivating others to meet organizational goals. Researchers agree that leaders must encourage, reward, motivate, and discipline, mostly through their leadership style, and encourage the development of team relationships inside and outside the group (Ruggieri, 2009). Transformational leaders motivate followers to work for inspiring goals that go beyond their immediate self-interests. Thus, more and more companies are moving way from transactional to transformational leadership styles. Yuki (2006) believed that the study of leadership embodies a vast amount of research dominant in military institutions, businesses, and government organizations. While a significant body of literature has been produced concerning military leadership, Campbell and Dardis (2004) and Harris (2002) believed there is little or very limited research exploring the correlation of job satisfaction related to servant leadership attributes in military recruiting organizations. Some scholars agree that transformational leadership and servant leadership are considered the most prominent leadership styles in military and leading business organizations (Seltzer Bass, 1990). Transformational and servant leaders inspire followers to transcend their own needs for the good of the organization that will lead the organization to greater success. Transformational and servant leadership both encourage their followers to be more innovative and creative which creates an environment that breeds success within the organization. Followers are inspired by the leaders personality, which focuses on the collective goals of the company and both types of leadership are focused on the relationship the leader has with their followers. However, Bass (1996) suggests that employees job performance is also positively related to their like or dislike of their supervisor than to their organization. The leadership style displayed in the organization will have a direct affect on the failure or success of the organization, because of the level of commitment the employees binds to the leader of the organization. The way the leaders leadership style is perceived by the followers could influence the leaders power and ability to lead the organization to success. Much of the literature written on leadership style challenges encompasses the difficulties that lie within team collaboration and the empowerment of the individual. Recognizing and identifying the importance of individuality, while maintaining the team approach is a theme echoed throughout much of the written works. Similarly, comprehending the process by which personality traits merge and produce, the studied literature indicates the need for leadership to identify adequately and accurately. Such an example imbedded in Bono and Judge (2004) where they indicate that personality traits are three dimensional in nature. The identification process of personality traits in combination with leadership styles can become a challenge. Bono and Judge write: Personality traits were related to three dimensions of transformational leadershipidealized influenceinspirational motivation (charisma), intellectual stimulation, and individualized considerationand three dimensions of transactional leadershipcontingent reward, management by exceptionactive and passive leadership. Extraversion was the strongest and most consistent correlate of transformational leadership. Although results provided some support for the dispositional basis of transformational leadershipespecially with respect to the charisma dimensiongenerally, weak associations suggested the importance of future research to focus on both narrower personality traits and non-dispositional determinants of transformational and transactional leadership (Bono Judge, 2004, p. XX). Another challenge with leadership styles is explored by Brown and Keeping (2005) , where they concluded that ratings of leadership are highly influenced by the interpersonal affect raters feel towards the target being rated (p. 245). Varma, DeNisi, and Peters (1996) evaluated performance reviews and correlation to how well the person being evaluated likability by the person doing the evaluation. Job approval ratings for the president of the United States correlates to this highly influenced by the interpersonal affect raters feel towards the target being rated in business (Kaiser, Hogan, Craig, 2008). Driskell and Salas (2005) researched the affective response to a leader when there was depressing content and demeanor within an employees performance review. Synthesis Leadership is probably the most studied facet of human behavior (Geoghegan Dulewicz, 2008). Although leadership per se is not often mentioned (as opposed to managerial skills, which are almost universally accepted as important to running a successful organization), the numerous references to vision, communication, building relationships with diverse constituents, motivating members, ability to lead well in a wide range of circumstances reflect the characteristics of agile leadership (Caffey, 2007). Fiedlers (1996) research suggested that leadership styles such as transformational, transactional, and servant leadership styles are effective in all situations; but successful organizations have a combination of leadership styles and managers at each level. Leadership style has been shown to be a significant factor in the effectiveness of the organization, and different leadership styles are more effective than others in different situations. According to Smith, Montagno, and Kuzmenko (2004), both transformational and servant leadership styles function based on charismatic leadership while transactional leadership style is performance-oriented. The leader inspires and directs followers by means of a shared vision and values. To be successful, both the transformational leader and the servant leader need a considerable amount of charisma-the ability to inspire greatness in them and in those they manage or lead (Bass 2000). Likewise, while not all followers are motivated through reward s, transactional leadership provides a target for followers to perform well. Transactional leadership style differs from transformational leadership for various reasons. For the former, the focus is on the exchanges that occur between leaders and their followers. The transactional leader concentrate on maintaining the status quo by satisfying the followers current material needs (Bass, 1990). Transactional leadership is based on the assumption that, by explaining what the leader wants and rewarding appropriate behaviors, the leader directs followers to achieve a desired level of performance. The transformational leaders primary objective is to bring followers up to a position where they can accomplish tasks without immediate supervision (Seltzer Bass, 1990; Shuster, 1994). Einstein (1994) suggested that a transformational leader uses three steps to bring about transformation in leader follower relations. The steps are: (a) diagnosing the leadership situation, (b) transacting the relationship between leader and follower, and (c) transforming follower into an effective employee. These leaders listen to their followers and share their individual concerns as they help to build their confidence. The best leadership is said to be both transformational and transactional. Transformational leadership augments the effectiveness of transactional leadership; it does not replace transactional leadership (Bass, Walsman, Yammarino, 1990). The opportunities this combined style fails to address would be those who fall between both leadership styles. This is why it makes sense as an effective leader to understand the various leadership styles and be able to employ them as needed as one tends toward the transformational leadership style.  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Human Consumption and Resource Depletion :: essays research papers fc

In today’s ever growing society, we must pay special attention to the amounts and types of resources we our currently consuming and the supply of these resources that will last us for the future. In researching this topic there are many factors to take into account such as the ever growing population, use of limited and unlimited resources, destruction of resources without full utilization of them, and the planning and discovering of new resources for our future. It is a safe assumption to make that our society’s population is not one that will be slowing down anytime soon. To date, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census the United States population is projected to be 290,634,727 people, with a net gain of one person every 11 seconds, and though this may seem quite large it is only a mere 1/25th the world population, which currently is around 6.5 billion people. With large numbers like these and an outlook for continuous growth, it must be taken into concern that at some point, the U.S. and the world as a whole is going to reach its carrying capacity, a point at which the resources in an environment can no longer support a greater population. Though this may still be hundreds of years away, by addressing energy consumption and depletions concerns now we can prolong and prepare for that date as best as possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the United States, and the world as a whole, there are three major areas in which resources can stem from; those are water, minerals, and the land. All of our resources and utilities to produce resources come from one of those three, and as our population continues to grow, those three sources are ever depleting. As stated above we are a culture who on the whole has a population that does not look like it will cease in growth anytime in the near future. Due to this, the planets limited supply of water seems to be one of the first things that would lead to destruction of our population. We already our currently experiencing global droughts that affect the production of other resources such as food, and therefore directly affect the health and stability of our population. With continued growth, it can only be expected that available water will be ever depleting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the focus on our continued growth, one must next look at its affects on the land in which live on.

Affecting Change

Change is inevitable in any organization.   There are different situations which can force an organization to change its internal organization in order to match to the changes.Change is important since it assists an organization to carry on despite the changing business environment. However, it is not that easy to carry out a change in a business organization especially when this changes touches on organizational employees.There are different hurdles to change but they can be overcome through proper management of organization resources and use of appropriate change management process.Most important, it is imperative that an organization put in place strategies to empower employees, use the appropriate management practices and initiate change in organization culture if the overall change is to succeed. Let us look at how these three factors can be used to ensure successful change implementation.Organization management practices in the 21st century assert that organizational employee s are the most important asset that determines the success or failure of the organization. A well motivated and qualified workforces from a competitive advantage for an organization which is very difficult for other organizations in the same field to replicated. It is important that employees feel as a part of the organization to function effectively.This means that if an organization wants to have a change in its operation, it must get its employees involved so that they can feel as a part of the changes. Employee resistance can affect change implementation in various ways and may finally lead to drift of change strategy (Scott et al., 2003).There are different ways to empower employees so that they can feel as a part of the change process. It is important to give them power to say yes or no at their free will and under no influence.   In order to involve employees directly, it is important o eliminated barriers, restrictions and protocols they have to go through before making th eir contribution.Employees should also be involved in the decision making process and their input should be valued. It is also important to encourage reward improvements noted on employees and finally, they should be given equal and direct access to information.Management practices can also be great impediments to organization change.   This means that good management practices are imperative for successful change in an organization (Scott et al., 2003). Good management practices include those practices that will identify a problem, evaluate it and finally implement it to give positive results to the organization.Good management practices mainly involve what is to be done and how it will be done to ensure success. During organization change process, good management practices involve practices which will identify barriers to the change, draw strategies to overcome these barriers and successfully implement these strategies. Good management practices should get employees more involve d in management practices and change process.Organizational culture is the greatest impediment to change process in an organization. Organization culture describes those practices which have been practiced in an organization for a longer period of time and proved effective in running the organization. Organization culture describes the daily practices in the organization.   Changing organization culture is difficult that implementing a change in other area in the organization (Scott et al., 2003).Changing organizational culture in order to accommodate organizational change can be a long process that is quite involving. Change in organization culture must allow for continuity and modify the socializing tactics that have allowed the culture to propel. Resistance to change in culture must be addressed in the most appropriate way.Reference:Scott, P. M., Andrew, H., & Doole, K. (2003). Organizational change. Oxford Publishers

Fresin Fries Bussiness Plan

Company Summary What is Fresin Fries? Fresin Fries sells  gourmet fries in a cone  with a   choice of sauce. We use the concept of Belgian Fries, where the fries are all made from fresh potatoes and fried twice. Our outlet also provides excellent and friendly customer service to support the ambience of fun, energetic and youthful lifestyle. Youthful and fresh surroundings We will imitate  successful establishments, such as Jamba Juice and Starbucks, which represent the majority of our core target market, between 18 to 35 years of age. Our store will feature display cooking of our featured Belgian Fries from cutting to frying. Our customers will also be able to read our in-house brochures in regards to all knowledge about Belgian Fries and our featured sauces. Our store will be decorated with fast food setting, such as a bright counter and display menu on the wall. Quality food Each  store will  offer nothing but freshly fried Belgian fries, sandwiches and variety of unique blend sauces, all served with old-fashioned home-style care. Open everyday Our store is open everyday from 10 am to 9 pm. Variety, variety, variety A different selection of sauces will be featured every three months and we will also change our Italian soda flavors to accompany our fries. . 1 Company Ownership Fresin Fries is a privately held company. It will be registered as a Limited company, with ownership 25% – Guy Fry, 25% – Sam Sauce, 25% – Carl Cone, 25% – Harry Hip. Guy Fry and Sam Sauce have more than 10 years of experience in the food industry. Both are currently employed as Corporate Staff of Co mpany A. Sam Sauce holds an MBA degree from University V. A true entrepreneur by heart, his latest entrepreneurial project is a diamond store in the heart of Singapore. Guy Fry holds a BA degree in Graphic Design from the Academy of Arts. His projects are widely varied from product design to brand development of several reputable companies. Harry Hip holds a MS degree from Institute Y. He completed several projects and served as project manager for multi-national companies in Singapore. Carl Cone holds a BS degree from University Z, majoring in Management and Information Technology. Prior to his return to Singapore, he has held several management positions in a U. S. -based IT company. 2. 2 Start-up Summary The retail outlet will be rented at one of the target location shopping malls. Our preference is Space A, for the main reason of reaching larger traffic. Startup requirements will be financed through owner investments. [pic] [pic] [pic] |Start-up | | | | |Requirements | | | | | |Start-up Expenses | | |Kitchen and Fixtures |$21,600 | |Furniture and Interior |$16,500 | |Legal |$3,000 | |Rent |$15,000 | |Packaging and Stationary |$8,500 | |Contingencies |$4,200 | Total Start-up Expenses |$68,800 | | | | |Start-up Assets | | |Cash Required |$50,000 | |Other Current Assets |$0 | |Long-term Assets |$0 | |Total Assets |$50,000 | | | | |Total Requirements |$118,800 | 2. 3 Company Locations and Facilities Fresin Fries locations will range in size from 50 – 70 meter square and will seat from  15 –  25 guests. Our first location will be on the larger end of this range. The location will feature its own originality in merchandise display and other brand building attributes. We will equip the outlet with modern furniture and  aim for  cleanliness  and an  open feeling. We are currently looking at several possible sites in shopping malls along Orchard Road. The space selection will be chosen based upon the following criteria: †¢ Community size: minimum of 800,000 people within a radius of 8 kilometers. †¢ Tourist destination. †¢ Easy access. †¢ Large percentage  of teenagers in the community. All of these qualities are consistent with Fresin Fries' goal of providing a top quality fast food experience. We want â€Å"word-of-mouth† to be our best form of marketing, where our customers value our brand as something exciting and cannot wait to tell their friends and neighbors. Fresin Fries will directly compete with several fast food joints inside the chosen shopping mall,  including Tori-Q (yakitori specialist), Bee Che Hiang (chinese sausages), Bread Talk (one of the most successful bakery franchises), and Pizza Walker (locally owned pizza chain). Products We want to focus only on selling fries. Alcoholic drinks will not be sold in our outlet, as Fresin Fries promotes a healthy and positive Singaporean lifestyle. Instead, we will offer Italian Soda  to complement the fries. In promoting  the  Fresin Fries  lifestyle, we will offer various merchandise  with our logo and colors, from hats to t-shirts to potato cutters to our signature sauces, so that our customers can enjoy Fresin Fries at home. Our signature sauce is exclusively manufactured by Company Q. They can be also purchased at selected retailers. 3. 1 Product Description Fresin Fries primarily sells fries and our  unique dipping sauces. Main products sold are: Belgian fries, Italian sodas and corporate merchandise. Belgian-style fries are available in large (choose 2 dips), small (choose 1 dip), with addition of garlic Fresin (add S$0. 25). The dips for Belgian style fries can also be served with sandwiches; they  are available in more than 20 flavors: †¢ Pesto Mayo †¢ Satay Sauce †¢ Teriyaki Sauce †¢ Thai Chili Ketchup †¢ Creamy Wasabi Mayo †¢ Roasted Pepper Mayo †¢ Lava Cheese †¢ Black Pepper Sauce †¢ Curry Ketchup †¢ Barbecue †¢ Jalapeno Ketchup †¢ Caribbean Islands Traditional Sambal †¢ Korean BBQ †¢ Hot Chili Sauce †¢ Garlic Dip 3. 2 Competitive Comparison Fresin Fries has several advantages over its leading competitors: †¢ Unique â€Å"fusion† concept of dipping sauce. †¢ We expect a high degree of enthusiasm and offer a fun store with friendly staff , that reflects the company's youthful and energetic culture. †¢ Supporting merchandise items that support the company's brand building. †¢ Our fried potato is made 100% fresh, compared to most fast food outlets that use frozen fries. †¢ Our dipping sauce is also made fresh without preservatives. Our innovative packaging will be more entertaining than our competitors; a single cone with a cup reserved for dipping sauce. |Company | | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 | | |Potential Customers |Growth | | | | | |CAGR | |Young Singaporeans |15% |5,000,000 |5,750,000 |6,612,500 |7,604,375 |8,745,031 |15. 00% | |Working Singaporeans |10% |3,000,000 |3,300,000 |3,630,000 |3,993,000 |4,392,300 |10. 0% | |Tourists |20% |3,800,000 |4,560,000 |5,472,000 |6,566,400 |7,879,680 |20. 00% | |Total |15. 52% |11,800,000|13,610,000|15,714,500|18,163,775|21,017,011|15. 52% | 4. 2 Target Market Segment Strategy Fresin Fries intends to cater to the bulk of teenagers and youngsters in Singap ore. We have chosen this group for several important reasons. It is our goal to be â€Å"the extraordinary fast food place† and we believe that the age group from 15 to 25 is the primary age where brand building efforts could take place. They are on limited or fixed incomes and seek a value/price relationship that will not stretch their budgets. Our secondary target is  between the ages of 25  and 37, which are a heavy lounge/restaurant user group. They are more flexible in budgets and seek more than a value/price relationship. Our lunch strategy is dual purposed. First, we are featuring fresh fries to fill Singapore's craving for fast food as most ideas of lunch is a quick bite not a heavy meal. Second, we want to keep the price point at lunch as fair as possible to keep us in competition with other fast food outlets. At S$4. 00 for a medium size fries, we are only slightly above the segment, but we offer much more excitement than the rest of the competition. 4. 2. 1 Market Needs Fresin Fries sees our targeted market group as having many â€Å"makan† (eating) Singaporean Dollar needs. A recent Consumer Trend and Analysis by Euromonitor identified the following needs among our target markets. Our core group: †¢ Wants variety and flavor in its food, preferably something fried †¢ Looks for speed of service †¢ Wants an entertaining and fun experience Insists upon a clean, friendly, and attractive environment †¢ Adopts a global lifestyle †¢ Is computer literate †¢ Enjoys eating out †¢ Has an active lifestyle †¢ Comes from various ethnic backgrounds According to a GAIN Report published in 2000, potatoes are  the second largest commodity of US exports to Singapore after fresh fruit, valuing almost USD $13 million per annum. This is caused by the increasing ly younger demographic and rising incomes throughout Singapore that have led to lifestyle changes that are influencing consumer purchases, food, and entertainment choices. Some changes taking place include a larger professional class with more working women,  which means greater disposable incomes. 4. 2. 2 Market Trends In the past, Singaporeans preferred Western chain restaurants. This was the time when KFC, McDonald's, Long John Silver's  and Pizza Hut were dominating most of the chains. But the trend seems to have shifted in the last decade, with the success of the locally grown brands, such as Bread Talk and Bee Che Hiang. Many of these local brands grew to become  giant franchises  that dominate the Southeast Asia region. For instance, Bread Talk controls 55% of Indonesia's bakery market. The key to success for these foreign chains was mainly due to the popularity of Singapore as tourist destination for these countries. Tourists are the strongest â€Å"buzzer. † Usually after  they went back from vacationing in Singapore, they told friends and families about new things in Singapore, including new shopping malls, new boutiques, new restaurants, and new fast food joints. The fascination of Asian tourists coming to Singapore has positioned the city itself as an aspiration to modern life in the region. Many local entrepreneurs camouflaged their retail stores as an international brand in accordance to what they sell. For instance, there is a local entrepreneur who created a Japanese name to sell yakitori (Japanese BBQ meat skewers), and there is a fashion boutique named after an old Italian movie. 4. 3 Industry Analysis Despite the prolonged effects of the Asian Economic Crisis followed by political turmoil up to mid 2001, Singapore's food service industry witnessed growth over 2000/2001 at 4  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 5% in terms of units and transaction (Euromonitor). Much of this growth was contributed by the cafes/bars, fast food, and food retail sectors, whose wide appeal amongst a young population, for whom time is of a premium, led to high levels of growth. This growth is underpinned by market demand and lifestyle changes, such as seeing eating out as part of trendy lifestyle. Entry of major multi-national food service operators into major shopping destination in the late 1980s until the 1990s led to growth in competition in the marketplace, mainly from fast food chains. This stimulated the rise in the number of fast food units, both of international  and local chains, that started in the early 1990s. Although there was a  slowdown during the economic crisis in 1998,  the food service industry  recovered faster than others, particularly during 2000 and 2001. Recent bombing tragedies have also proven that  negative effects on this sector  are moderately short-term. Franchising became popular in the food service industry through the introduction and entry of multi-national food service brands, primarily U. S. -owned enterprises, such as KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's. Currently, there are many local chains that have also experienced growth by applying this system to their operations. 4. 3. 1 Trends in Food Service Retail According to government surveys, Singapore's spending on â€Å"eating out† is continuing to increase. Spending on cooked food as a percentage of total average food-spend reached 55% in 1998. The growth in spending in the food service sector arises from a number of factors: †¢ Increased affluence amongst Singaporeans, especially those under the age of 40 years. †¢ Increases in the number of expatriate residents, which has more than doubled since 1988. †¢ Increased convenience-seeking amongst younger Singaporeans who live in a hectic city today compared to the much slower pace of life that existed 20 years ago. When they want convenient cooked food, Singaporeans have long turned to the local hawker stalls, rather than prepared ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat processed convenience foods. As the numbers and variety of food service outlets has increased in Singapore, locals have adopted the convenient products of other food service outlets, especially the fast food outlets, as alternative sources of convenient cooked food. Younger middle and upper income group families and individuals are also frequent users of the full service restaurants, modern-style coffee shops and cafes that now exist all across Singapore. Over the past 5 years, there has been a general upgrading in the food service sector which has seen the establishment of more air conditioned food centers (food courts) that are considerably cleaner than the traditional hawker markets. At the same time, increased investment from foreign and local businesses in the sector has also produced an increase in the numbers of: †¢ Foreign chains, including chains such as Outback Steakhouse. †¢ Modern retail bakery/cafe outlets such as Bread Talk. †¢ Modern coffee shops such as Starbucks. 4. 3. 2 Competition and Buying Patterns The competition in this arena is the fiercest  in all  other metropolitan areas in SE Asia. Singapore is a compact city, but has a lot to offer. Usually there are a minimum of two of the same outlets within  a radius of less than 300 meters. For instance, Bread Talk opens one outlet inside the Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre and another just across the street inside the Far East Plaza Shopping Centre. It is quite common for retailers to implement this kind of strategy, due to the high volume of people strolling around the main area of Orchard Road. Another reason is because many retailers do not want to lose sales opportunity, as the competitors are offering substitutions and similar product categories. This phenomenon has made Singapore the best place to shop. If you just missed Haagen Dazs waffle at CK Tang Shopping Mall, there is another Haagen Dazs across the street at the new Paragon Shopping Centre. 4. 3. 3 Main Competitors Our main competitors in this segment are any food outlets within the 300 meter radius along the Orchard Road. In our location, there are Tori-Q, Pizza Walker, Starbucks, Bread Talk, and Rotiboy. Tori-Q Tori-Q is locally owned franchise who sells Japanese BBQ skewers. Established in 1998, Tori-Q had expanded its operation into neighboring countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Tori-Q is popular among local teenagers as it offers fast service to its customers. Commonly, Tori-Q outlets are rather small,  and can only serve a maximum of 6 guests. It is a choice for those who are in a hurry and would like to grab a quick lunch on the way. Pizza Walker Pizza Walker is a joint venture positioned as gourmet pizza joint in Singapore. Most of its retail outlets are decorated with welcoming ambience, such as flowers and see-through kitchens. Pizza Walker is a good place to hang out, and the place is always full during lunch hour. It has more than enough tables to serve a maximum of 55 guests. Its specialty is all-you-can-eat pizza! Starbucks Starbucks' strategy entering the lunch market had made some impact in Singapore. Usually, a lunch menu in Singapore consists of â€Å"fried and BBQ stuff† such as roast pork with rice or the Big Mac. Starbucks is one of the first food retailers that popularized â€Å"light and healthy† alternatives such as salad or lean sandwich as an options for Singapore's lunch accommodations. Bread Talk As the most successful franchiser in Singapore, Bread Talk is surely becoming a threat for most food retailers. Bread Talk not only rented most of the retail space along Orchard Road, but now they are doing delivery to offices and apartments nearby. Bread Talk outlets usually consist of a huge see-through kitchen, and bread trays ready for pick-up by customers, with three or four cashiers at front, to speed up the queue. Rumor has it that Bread Talk sold more than 35,000 breads each day in just one of their retail outlets. Rotiboy A Malaysian franchise. Rotiboy is quite popular in the region as it is now expanding into several cities in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Rotiboy offers simplicity for quick lunch franchiser, and often considered alternatives for its long queueing rivals. 4. 3. 4 Foreign Vs. Local Franchising Around 40% of the franchises operating in Singapore are foreign. Home grown franchises are still in their maturing stages as they start to expand globally. Franchises from the U. S. account for 65% of foreign brands, with big players such as KFC, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, etc. Due to high capital investment, Singapore conglomerates tend to dominate the industry. Home grown franchises are more  often sought more by young entrepreneurs than  are their Western counterparts, as  they offer greater flexibility and lower franchise fees to operate. Unlike Western license holders, home grown franchises  are more efficient in the overall supply chain management as the basic raw ingredients are commonly found anywhere in the region. Strategy and Implementation Summary At first, we will open one outlet inside the New Paragon Shopping Centre. This will become our â€Å"market testing area,† and as we go further, Fresin Fries is planning to open another in nearby shopping malls. In attracting customers to try our fries, we will provide a see-through kitchen, so that people will see how we are committed to freshness in our products. The kitchen will also let out an aroma of our freshly fried fries into the surroundings area, so that people will come and try our products. 5. 1 Competitive Edge †¢ Our unique dipping sauces blend local taste and international into one fusion recipe for the signature sauce. Enthusiastic and friendly staff †¢ Supporting merchandise items that support company's brand building. †¢ Our  fries  are made of 100% fresh potatoes, unlike the frozen fries used by competitors. †¢ Innovative packaging will position us at the same level with foreign fast food franchises. 5. 2 Marketing Strategy Our strategy is based on serving our markets well. We will start our first outlet a s a â€Å"market tester† that could become a model of the expanding number of outlets in the future. Concentration will be on maintaining quality and establishing a strong identity in the local market. A combination of local media and local store marketing programs will be utilized at each location. Local store marketing is most effective, followed by print ad. As soon as a concentration of stores is established in a market, then broader media will be explored. We believe, however, that the best form of advertising is still â€Å"buzz. † By providing a fun and energetic environment, with unbeatable quality at an acceptable price in a clean and friendly outlet, we will be the talk of the town. Therefore, the execution of our concept is the most critical element of our plan. We will actively build our brand, through the selling of supporting materials, such as merchandise, promotional items and other marketing gimmicks similar to those of other fast food franchises. 5. 2. 1 Pricing Strategy Our pricing strategy is positioned as â€Å"generic†, meaning that S$4. 00 is the average consumer spending for a snack or light lunch in Singapore. Leveraging the volume of fries, Italian Soda, and signature style sauces to be sold, we are serving the majority of Singaporeans. 5. 2. 2 Brand Challenges Fresin Fries must establish a distinct brand to stand out from the other Western-style fast food competitors. Our logo is distinct as fresh, energetic and playful with color elements that are eye catching. †¢ Product names are geared toward the target market (teens), with items such as â€Å"Frenzy Fresin† and â€Å"Uber Fresin† which are fun and easy to remember. 5. 2. 3 Marketing Programs We will deploy three different marketing tactics to in crease customer awareness of Fresin Fries. Our most important tactic will be â€Å"word-of-mouth† and in-store marketing. This will be by far the cheapest and most effective of our marketing programs  because of  the high traffic in targeted shopping locations. The second tactic will be local store marketing. These will be low-budget plans that will provide community support and awareness of our facility. The last marketing effort will be utilizing local media. Although, this will be the most costly, this tactic will be used sparingly as a supplement where necessary. †¢ In-Store Marketing o In-store brochures containing our concept and philosophy. o Wall posters. o Design concept. o In-store viewing of making fries process from cutting to frying. o Standing signage inside malls’ lobby/aisle. o Outdoor signage (if possible). o Grand opening promotion. o Party catering. o Merchandising items. †¢ Local Store Marketing o Brochures. Free occasional t-shirts at local stores events. †¢ Local Media o Direct mail piece – containing brochures sent to surrounding addresses. o Web page – containing company philosophy, history and news. o Local magazines that target our core customers, such as Free! Magazine. o Newspaper campaign – placing several large ads t hroughout the month to explain our concept to the local area. 5. 2. 4 Positioning Statement Our main focus in marketing will be to increase customer awareness in the surrounding community. We will direct all of our tactics and programs toward the goal of explaining who we are and what we are all about. We will price our products fairly, keep our standards high, and execute the concept so that â€Å"word-of-mouth† will be our main marketing force. 5. 3 Sales Strategy The sales strategy is to build and open new locations in order to increase revenue. However, this plan will be implemented when the one â€Å"market tester† outlet showed potential growth. As each individual location will continue to build its local customer base over the first three years of operation, the goal of each store is  S$104,250 in annual sales, with the original flagship store expected to earn almost S$200,000 per year. . 3. 1 Sales Forecast We anticipate the highest peak on the months of November and December in our sales forecast, due to the holiday seasons. In November, there is Ramadan, and for non-muslim Malaysians and Indonesians, it means vacation time. Approximately 1. 5 million  Indonesians visit Singapore each year, mostly for shopping and dining. Then in December, we anticipate m ore tourists coming into Singapore; this explains the jumped of sales in these last two months of the year. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Sales Forecast | | |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Unit Sales | | | | |Belgian Fries |49,464 |98,928 |197,856 | |Italian Soda |27,692 |55,384 |110,768 | |Merchandising |3,889 |7,778 |15,556 | |Signature Packaged Sauces |3,356 |6,712 |13,425 | |Total Unit Sales |84,401 |168,802 |337,605 | | | | | | |Unit Prices |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Belgian Fries |$4. 00 |$4. 00 |$4. 00 | |Italian Soda |$1. 50 |$1. 50 |$1. 50 | |Merchandising |$8. 50 |$8. 50 |$8. 50 | |Signature Packaged Sauces |$2. 00 |$2. 00 |$2. 0 | | | | | | |Sales | | | | |Belgian Fries |$197,856 |$395,712 |$791,424 | |Italian Soda |$41,538 |$83,076 |$166,152 | |Merchandising |$33,057 |$66,114 |$132,228 | |Signature Packaged Sauces |$6,712 |$13,425 |$26,849 | |Total Sales |$279,163 |$558,327 |$1,116,654 | | | | | | |Direct Unit Costs |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Belgian Fries |$0. 80 |$0. 80 |$0. 80 | |Italian So da |$0. 15 |$0. 15 |$0. 15 | |Merchandising |$3. 83 |$3. 83 |$3. 83 | |Signature Packaged Sauces |$1. 00 |$1. 00 |$1. 0 | | | | | | |Direct Cost of Sales | | | | |Belgian Fries |$39,571 |$79,142 |$158,285 | |Italian Soda |$4,154 |$8,308 |$16,615 | |Merchandising |$14,876 |$29,751 |$59,503 | |Signature Packaged Sauces |$3,356 |$6,712 |$13,425 | |Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales |$61,957 |$123,914 |$247,827 | 5. 4 Strategic Alliances Our business requires a long relationship with raw suppliers as well as partner vendors. In Chinese, this relationship is called â€Å"guanxi,† meaning business bonding. We already have a long and good standing relationship with  Company V  in our previous ventures. For Company Y, Mr. Joe Shmo, the managing director,  is a prominent figure in the society and we hope to strengthen further our business relationship with him and  the company. 5. 5 Milestones During the initial set up of the company, the 4 founders (Guy Fry, Harry Hip, Sam Sauce, and Carl Cone) will conduct the planning and implementation in building the brand and the construction of our first outlet. The planning and construction will take approximately 8 months, in addition to the revision and refinement process that will take the rest of the 12 month period before our opening in early 2005. [pic] [pic] [pic] Milestones | | | | | | | | |Milestone |Start Date |End Date |Budget |Manager |Department | |Presentation materials for all |1/12/2004 |3/12/2004 |TBD |Carl Cone |Business | |stakeholders | | | | |Development | |Follow up with suppliers |1/21/2004 |3/22/2004 |$100 |Sam Sau ce |Business | | | | | | |Development | |Follow up with developers |1/21/2004 |9/8/2004 |$50 |Sam Sauce |Business | | | | | | |Development | |Printing materials |2/13/2004 |4/10/2004 |$8,000 |Guy Fry |Marketing | |Marketing communication program |2/21/2004 |6/23/2004 |TBD |Sam Sauce |Marketing | |Constructions |5/22/2004 |12/3/2004 |TBD |Harry Hip |Business | | | | | | |Development | |In store signage, POP |5/23/2004 |10/11/2004 |TBD |Guy Fry |Marketing | |Grand opening materials |6/2/2004 |10/13/2004 |TBD |Guy Fry |Marketing | |Hiring staff |7/14/2004 |8/12/2004 |$900 |Harry Hip |Human Resources | |Open second location |7/1/2005 |7/1/2005 |$10,000 |Carl Cone |Business | | | | | | |Development | |Open 3rd and 4th locations |1/1/2006 |6/1/2006 |$15,000 |Carl Cone |Business | | | | | | |Development | |Open 5th, 6th, and 7th locations|1/1/2007 |12/31/2007 |$20,000 |Carl Cone |Business | | | | | |Development | |Training staff |9/12/2004 |12/10/2004 |$1,000 |Harry Hip |Human Resources | |Totals | | |$55,050 | | | Web Plan Summary The website will, of course, show visitors everything about Belgian food culture, including the history of french fries over time. To make the website interactive, Fresin Fries will offer gift cards and promotions via the Internet, so our visitors can print the promotional coupon in PDF format and bring it when they visit Fresin Fries. Visitors can also download Fresin Fries' theme song as ring tones, or order potato cutters for delivery. Besides the traditional formats of customer service hotline and in-store form, customers can now write their comments and suggestions  on our website, which will be directed to one of our staff. So, the website itself will act as the medium between our company and our audience. In the future, our website will show information on franchising/licensing our brand name. 6. 1 Website Marketing Strategy We will leverage the visibility of our shopping mall's website by getting them to include a link to ours. We will also post  banners on an official Singapore tourism website. 6. 2 Development Requirements To adequately serve our audience, the front end strategy of our website should be parallel with our corporate color. The front end design of our website will be entirely trusted  to Mr. Guy Fry. The diversity of founders' background in our company has enabled a cost efficient development in our venture. As Mr. Harry Hip and Mr. Carl Cone are experts in Information Technology, the back end of our website will be developed by  these gentlemen. Management Summary The initial management team depends on the founders themselves, with little back-up. As we grow, we will take on additional help in certain key areas. Part of our basic philosophy will be able to run our executive management as a â€Å"knowledge sharing† fellowship. We will not add additional overhead until absolutely necessary. This will mean that the initial staff support team will have to work extra. By doing this, we will keep our overhead as low as possible, allowing us to adequately staff our outlets. This will also allow us and future business partners to recoup investments as quickly as possible and enjoy a higher return. At present time, Fresin Fries is being owned by its 4 founders. Others that have helped on the development of this business venture will be offered an opportunity to grow together with the company at the appropriate time, and when the time comes, the 4 founders’ share will be consolidated as one entity. 7. 1 Management Team Fresin Fries is currently the creative idea of its four founders. As the company is small in nature, it only requires a simple organizational structure. Implementation of this organization form calls for all four individuals to make all major management decisions in addition to monitoring all other business activities. As we expand into multiple locations, each location will have a primary site manager. 7. 2 Organizational Structure Future organizational structure will include a director of store operations when the store locations exceed four units. We hope that this individual will come out of the ranks of our stores’ management. This will provide a supervisory level between the executive level and the store management level. Current plan is to have our accounting and payroll functions done by an in-house bookkeeping. Mr. David Lu will be responsible for accounting and business development of Fresin Fries, helped by Mr. Harry Hip, acting Head of Human Resources Division. Possible positions might be added at a later date include marketing manager, purchasing manager, controller, human resources, R&D and administrative support team. 7. 3 Personnel Plan Our initial employees will  include two  cashiers, two cooks and two bus boys per location, with one of each on the premises during open hours. This is considered an ideal personnel number for a food outlet the size of our own. Each employee will work for 38-40 hours per week. In the long run, as we expand our product category and retail outlets, we will employ more people in the middle management to ensure the focus of our work, including site managers. [pic] |Personnel Plan | | |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Site Managers |$0 |$60,000 |$96,000 | |Cashiers |$36,000 |$80,000 |$144,400 | |Cook |$28,800 |$66,000 |$115,200 | |Busboy |$23,400 |$56,000 |$94,000 | |Total People 12 |26 |40 | | | | | | |Total Payroll |$88,200 |$262,000 |$449,600 | Financial Plan The company is now privately held by Harry Hip, Guy Fry, Carl Cone, and Sam Sauce. Future shares will be offered after two consecutive years of operating in Singapore. 8. 1 Projections 8. 2 Start-up Funding Currently, the company is owned by the original 4 founders, who each will contribute $200,000 for the same amount of share, 25%. This will more than cover start-up requirements, and provide the business with a cash cushion to use for expansion over the first thre e years. [pic] Start-up Funding | |Start-up Expenses to Fund |$68,800 | |Start-up Assets to Fund |$50,000 | |Total Funding Required |$118,800 | | | | |Assets | | |Non-cash Assets from Start-up |$30,000 | |Cash Requirements from Start-up |$50,000 | |Additional Cash Raised |$681,200 | |Cash Balance on Starting Date |$731,200 | |Total Assets |$761,200 | | | | | | | |Liabilities and Capital | | | | | |Liabilities | | |Current Borrowing |$0 | |Long-term Liabilities |$0 | |Accounts Payable (Outstanding Bills) |$0 | |Other Current Liabilities (interest-free) |$0 | |Total Liabilities |$0 | | | | |Capital | | | | | |Planned Investment | | |Eric Yam |$200,000 | |Martin Ng |$200,000 | |David Lu |$200,000 | |Sagita Suwandi |$200,000 | |Additional Investment Requirement |$0 | |Total Planned Investment |$800,000 | | | | |Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses) |($68,800) | |Total Capital |$731,200 | | | | | | | |Total Capital and Liabilities |$731,200 | | | | |Total Funding |$800,000 | 8. 3 Break-even Analysis Our break-even analysis shows that we need unit sales over 9,700 per month to break even. We do not expect to begin turning a profit until year three. [pic] [pic] [pic] |Break-even Analysis | | | | |Monthly Units Break-even |9,706 | |Monthly Revenue Break-even |$32,104 | | | | |Assumptions: | | Average Per-Unit Revenue |$3. 31 | |Average Per-Unit Variable Cost |$0. 73 | |Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost |$24,979 | 8. 4 Projected Profit and Loss As the Profit and Loss shows,  Fresin Fries will run at a loss f or the first two years, using up some of the cash reserves initially invested by the founders. As sales increase, we will expand into new locations to aggressively spread brand recognition. This increase in visibility will allow us to take up less expensive locations off of Orchard Road, while maintaining our flagship operation, the first store, in a  prime spot. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Pro Forma Profit and Loss | | |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Sales |$279,163 |$558,327 |$1,116,654 | |Direct Cost of Sales |$61,957 |$123,914 |$247,827 | |Other Costs of Sales |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Total Cost of Sales |$61,957 |$123,914 |$247,827 | | | | | | |Gross Margin |$217,207 |$434,413 |$868,826 | |Gross Margin % |77. 81% |77. 81% |77. 81% | | | | | | | | | | | |Expenses | | | | |Payroll $88,200 |$262,000 |$449,600 | |Marketing/Promotion |$10,000 |$10,000 |$10,000 | |Depreciation |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Rent |$174,000 |$248,000 |$298,000 | |Utilities |$2,550 |$5,000 |$8,000 | |New locatio n setup |$25,000 |$50,000 |$50,000 | | | | | | |Total Operating Expenses |$299,750 |$575,000 |$815,600 | | | | | | |Profit Before Interest and Taxes |($82,543) |($140,587) |$53,226 | |EBITDA |($82,543) |($140,587) |$53,226 | |Interest Expense |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Taxes Incurred |$0 |$0 |$0 | | | | | | |Net Profit |($82,543) |($140,587) |$53,226 | |Net Profit/Sales |-29. 57% |-25. 18% |4. 77% | 8. 5 Projected Cash Flow The following chart and table show the Projected Cash Flow for Fresin Fries. [pic] [pic] [pic] |Pro Forma Cash Flow | | |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Cash Received | | | | | | | | | |Cash from Operations | | | | |Cash Sales |$279,163 |$558,327 |$1,116,654 |Subtotal Cash from Operations |$279,163 |$558,327 |$1,116,654 | | | | | | |Additional Cash Received | | | | |Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Received |$0 |$0 |$0 | |New Current Borrowing |$0 |$0 |$0 | |New Other Liabilities (interest-free) |$0 |$0 |$0 | |New Long-term Liabilities |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Sales of Other Current Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Sales of Long-term Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 | |New Investment Received |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Subtotal Cash Received |$279,163 |$558,327 |$1,116,654 | | | | | | |Expenditures |2005 |2006 |2007 | | | | | | |Expenditures from Operations | | | | |Cash Spending |$88,200 |$262,000 |$449,600 | |Bill Payments |$244,265 |$430,245 |$599,286 | |Subtotal Spent on Operations |$332,465 |$692,245 |$1,048,886 | | | | | | |Additional Cash Spe nt | | | | |Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Paid Out |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Principal Repayment of Current Borrowing |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Other Liabilities Principal Repayment |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Long-term Liabilities Principal Repayment |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Purchase Other Current Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Purchase Long-term Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 |Dividends |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Subtotal Cash Spent |$332,465 |$692,245 |$1,048,886 | | | | | | |Net Cash Flow |($53,301) |($133,918) |$67,767 | |Cash Balance |$677,899 |$543,981 |$611,748 | 8. 6 Projected Balance Sheet Fresin's projected company balance sheet follows. We expect to run at a loss for the first two years, decreasing our net worth slightly. As the operation becomes more profitable in the third year, our net worth rises again. [pic] Pro Forma Balance Sheet | | |2005 |2006 |2007 | |Assets | | | | | | | | | |Current Assets | | | | |Cash |$677,899 |$543,981 |$611,748 | |Other Current Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Total Current Assets |$677,899 |$543,981 |$611,748 | | | | | | |Long-te rm Assets | | | | |Long-term Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Accumulated Depreciation |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Total Long-term Assets |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Total Assets |$677,899 |$543,981 |$611,748 | | | | | | |Liabilities and Capital |2005 |2006 |2007 | | | | | | |Current Liabilities | | | | |Accounts Payable |$29,242 |$35,911 |$50,452 | |Current Borrowing |$0 |$0 |$0 | Other Current Liabilities |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Subtotal Current Liabilities |$29,242 |$35,911 |$50,452 | | | | | | |Long-term Liabilities |$0 |$0 |$0 | |Total Liabilities |$29,242 |$35,911 |$50,452 | | | | | | |Paid-in Capital |$800,000 |$800,000 |$800,000 | |Retained Earnings |($68,800) |($151,343) |($291,930) | |Earnings |($82,543) |($140,587) |$53,226 | |Total Capital |$648,657 |$508,070 |$561,296 | |Total Liabilities and Capital |$677,899 |$543,981 |$611,748 | | | | | | |Net Worth |$648,657 |$508,070 |$561,296 | . 7 Business Ratios The following table outlines some of the more important ratios from the  Fast Food Restaurants and Stands  in dustry. The final column, Industry Profile, details specific ratios based on the industry as it is classified by the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code 5812. [pic] |Ratio Analysis | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |Industry Profile | |Sales Growth |0. 00% |100. 00% |100. 00% |8. 7% | | | | | | | |Percent of Total Assets | | | | | |Other Current Assets |0. 00% |0. 00% |0. 00% |37. 31% | |Total Current Assets |100. 00% |100. 00% |100. 00% |45. 97% | |Long-term Assets |0. 00% |0. 00% |0. 00% |54. 03% | |Total Assets |100. 00% |100. 0% |100. 00% |100. 00% | | | | | | | |Current Liabilities |4. 31% |6. 60% |8. 25% |17. 94% | |Long-term Liabilities |0. 00% |0. 00% |0. 00% |22. 26% | |Total Liabilities |4. 31% |6. 60% |8. 25% |40. 20% | |Net Worth |95. 69% |93. 40% |91. 75% |59. 0% | | | | | | | |Percent of Sales | | | | | |Sales |100. 00% |100. 00% |100. 00% |100. 00% | |Gross Margin |77. 81% |77. 81% |77. 81% |59. 05% | |Selling, General & Administrative Expenses |107. 37% |102. 99% |73. 0 4% |39. 24% | |Advertising Expenses |0. 00% |0. 00% |0. 00% |1. 96% | |Profit Before Interest and Taxes |-29. 57% |-25. 8% |4. 77% |1. 92% | | | | | | | |Main Ratios | | | | | |Current |23. 18 |15. 15 |12. 13 |1. 04 | |Quick |23. 18 |15. 15 |12. 13 |0. 66 | |Total Debt to Total Assets |4. 31% |6. 60% |8. 25% |50. 2% | |Pre-tax Return on Net Worth |-12. 73% |-27. 67% |9. 48% |6. 90% | |Pre-tax Return on Assets |-12. 18% |-25. 84% |8. 70% |13. 87% | | | | | | | |Additional Ratios |2005 |2006 |2007 | | |Net Profit Margin |-29. 57% |-25. 18% |4. 77% |n. a | |Return on Equity |-12. 73% |-27. 7% |9. 48% |n. a | | | | | | | |Activity Ratios | | | | | |Accounts Payable Turnover |9. 35 |12. 17 |12. 17 |n. a | |Payment Days |27 |27 |26 |n. a | |Total Asset Turnover |0. 41 |1. 03 |1. 83 |n. | | | | | | | |Debt Ratios | | | | | |Debt to Net Worth |0. 05 |0. 07 |0. 09 |n. a | |Current Liab. to Liab. |1. 00 |1. 00 |1. 00 |n. a | | | | | | | |Liquidity Ratios | | | | | |Net Working Capital |$648,6 57 |$508,070 |$561,296 |n. a | |Interest Coverage |0. 00 |0. 00 |0. 00 |n. | | | | | | | |Additional Ratios | | | | | |Assets to Sales |2. 43 |0. 97 |0. 55 |n. a | |Current Debt/Total Assets |4% |7% |8% |n. a | |Acid Test |23. 18 |15. 15 |12. 13 |n. a | |Sales/Net Worth |0. 43 |1. 10 |1. 99 |n. a | |Dividend Payout |0. 00 |0. 00

Bollywood Film Festival

Bollywood Film Festival Free Online Research Papers The film festival that I have enjoyed to most is an Indian film festival held at New Delhi in December 2005. There were great movies with different stories were released in that film festival. One of the reasons why I liked this festival is, the actors and actress of each individual movies, were excellent in their acting. The whole film festival was of 5 days showing 5 different Bollywood movies. They were very distinct from each other and they were some of the most famous movies of Bollywood. What I have learned from the film festival is that â€Å"love† is the single most important thing in life and our lives revolves around it each single day and night of our lives. In one memorable dialogue Shahrukh Khan speaks: â€Å"It’s all about loving your parents.† This is how the first movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham started. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from a Bollywood movie with the name such as â€Å"Sometimes it’s happiness, and sometimes it’s sorrow†. But by the strong beginning of the movie it showed the true intensity and the art of acting at its best. It was unlike the other movies I have watched before. The reason for me loving this movie was the message it conveyed in the end. I expected it to be a happy movie, but by the end of the movie I realized that it wasn’t the case. No doubt that in India it did so well on the box office. Then on a completely different note on the second day I went to watch the movie called â€Å"Lagaan†. It covered the sensitive issue of freedom fighters of India under the British rule. It was about the war of the truth over evilness of an average Indian living in one little town of â€Å"Udaipur†. The population was under the rule of evil land lord of Udaipur in the year 1785. That British ruler thought that he can take the additional tax on each Indian citizen living in that town without justifying the situation. Besides that the character of him in the movie was not the most positive that you would like to see. So, the movie takes turn before the interval and by then those men gets their motivation from the wife of the same ruler in Udaipur. It was very new concept in Bollywood to show the pure evil and pure saint (acting as his wife) in that movie. I was surprised that in the end the normal citizen of Udaipur wins the battle and the wife of the tyrant ruler takes th e center stage for her kindness, selflessness and sacrifice. The most extra-ordinary thing about this movie is that it wasn’t the pure fiction, but it really happened at one point of time in India. The last movie of the film festival that I went to watch was the Bollywood epic called â€Å"Mughal-e-Azam†. The movie itself was released in the year 1965 but it is one of those memorable classic of Bollywood. Due to my tight schedule at the college I could attend the last day of the film festival and because of the last day there were many people in the movie theater. They were all true movie lovers like me who had come to watch this Indian classic. The movie started with the very strong performance of the legendary actor â€Å"Prithviraj Kapoor† as he shows how the father as an emperor should be like. He is kind hearted, noble, humble, good to his kingdom and a family man. But as his son tries to get control over his life by opposing the father’s created law, the movie starts to get more interesting. By the end of the movie one realizes that the son of the emperor is in true love and wants to get the girl he loves. So by the end of the movie the whol e battle takes place between the two main characters of the movie. The movie shows in the end that how â€Å"true love† always wins in the end. Finally, the Bollywood film festival ended on a very sad note. Even though the duration of the whole film festival was just 5 days, the impact it left on people’s mind was timeless. I also thought when the film festival ended about the selection of the movies and what sorts of messages they were conveying to the normal people viewing the movies. I was stunned to see the diversity of each movie. For instance, I learned that loving our parents is the single most important thing one can do. The second movie that I watched was all about how people motivate others by their willingness to help by showing their kindness. Even as a British woman, the lady shows in the end that, truth always wins no matter in what country or no matter in what situation. As the movie ended it was clear that love is also very essential to live. To fight for your loved ones is the toughest thing to do, yet you have to do it if the people you are fighting with you are judgmental about your love. Research Papers on Bollywood Film FestivalWhere Wild and West MeetHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyQuebec and CanadaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationLifes What IfsNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay Example

Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay Example Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock Paper Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock Paper Essay Topic: The Love Song Of J alfred Prufrock The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock explores the emotional and conflicting thoughts of a middle-aged man who is indecisive of attending a party to meet a woman. His indecisiveness is caused by his hypocrisy towards the higher classes of society along with his self-consciousness and concern for superficial matters. He concludes that he has achieved nothing and that his life is futile. One of the poems main issues is the effect of industrialisation on society. Eliot uses personification of a cat in the extended metaphor, The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window panes, The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening, Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains, to convey the sordidness of pollution caused by industrialisation. His use of personifying the cat illustrates the insidious pervading movement of the smog and implies that the city is a grotesque place to live. A major theme in Prufrock is fictitious human relationships. The quote, In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo, the repetition of the refrain and its mocking tone reveals the artificiality of conversation in the room and highlights that the women are misleadingly portraying an impression of sophistication and class. The suggestion that one meets on an emotional level merely a superficial one is addressed in the phrase, to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet. The word face is used as a metaphor for the fai ade that people create for themselves in society. The persona of the poem appears to be a middle-aged man who represents the modern man. He epitomizes disillusioned dreams and captures the sense of the unheroic nature of the twentieth century. The intertextual allusion to Hamlet, No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be, equates both characters who are questioning their existence. Prufrock describes himself as unimportant and isolated. The superficiality of the persona is continually revealed throughout the poem through the asides, which focus on superficial matters and Prufrocks references to his bald spot. His insecure nature is reveal through the persona constantly questioning himself, Do I dare? and how should I presume? I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas, suggests that Prufrock lacks mindless craving that could have placed him on terms with the reality and permitted him to survive in the depths where he exists unnaturally. Poem Two: Portrait of a Lady Portrait of a Lady is a dramatic duologue between a young man and an older woman centering on their relationship. The poem describes three meetings between them each occurring in a different season. The poem raises a variety of issues relating to love and a need to be socially accepted. A main issue in Portrait of a Lady is the desire to conform and be accepted into society. The lines, Admire the monuments, Discuss the late events, Correct our watches by the public clocks, are images of conformity and reflect the personas and the womans need to be accepted in society. The line also reveals the lack of depth in their relationship and the facade they create for themselves. The Lady in particular craves for social acceptance this shown in the rhyming couplet, Now that the lilacs are in bloom she has a bowl of lilacs in her room. The man also is not as sophisticated as thought. In the quote, Reading the comics and the sporting page. Particularly I remark An English countess goes up on stage. A Greek was murdered at a Polish dance, Another bank defaulter has confessed. reiterates the personas need to be accepted and to say the right thing to appear cosmopolitan. A major theme in Portrait of a Lady is love. In the beginning of the poem, the lady is establishing a romantic atmosphere between her and the man, which is evident through the setting of the room and the candles. The romantic atmosphere is shattered when the woman is talking and the persona states, Inside my brain a dull tom-tom begins Absurdly hammering a prelude of its own. The line implies his feelings of tedium and frustration towards her. The ladys love is unrequited by the man. This is evident through Eliot use of comparing the personas feelings towards her by using auditory images. He appears to be bored and is disinterested in conversing with her and resorts to a means of escape, Let us take the air, in a tobacco trance. Another issue in the poem is the personas feelings towards the Lady. In the beginning of the poem, he appears to not reciprocate her love. When the persona visits to tell her about him going abroad, he starts to doubt whether leaving her is right. The line Not knowing what to feel or if I understand states his uncertainty about his feelings towards her. He realises that he has the advantage now in their relationship but wonders if it was just a hollow victory.

Bowling for Columbine

Bowling for Columbine At one point a reporter acts as though he is bothered by the tragic killing of a six year old girl but when the camera is off is only worried about how his hair looks. Moore shows that through the fear induced by the media many Americans are desensitized to the vasy amounts of violence and gun related crimes and turning a blind eye towards a solution to it. In the graph provided with this assignment we see that violent crimes have actually gone down year after year and yet every time we turn on the news we are assaulted with violent images and reports of gun violence. The media keeps gun deaths and violence first and foremost using the news, newspapers, magazines, talk shows, etc to keep us in a constant state of fear. In the film we see the town of Virgin Utah passed a law requiring all residents to posse firearms but why would you want more guns? Because the media induced fear that without a gun you will become the victim of someone with one if you don’t. Who benefits from this fear? Well first gun manufacturers, As we’ve seen with the massive amounts of guns purchased following the tragedies of Columbine and Sandy Hook. Second would be the media, People tuning in to the news or talk shows or even buying a printed publication to read about the latest tragedy. Third would be defense manufacturers, People buying bullet proof jackets or bullet proof backpacks for their kids or even schools buying metal detectors. And finally the government, By keeping the public fearful it makes them predictable and therefore easier to control. And why would these companies and organizations want us to remain ignorant and fearful? Because of money. If you are fearful that your neighbor might harm you or your family then your more likely to run out and purchase a gun or home security system therefore generating huge profits for those keeping us fearful. If you think another country might do us harm you are more willing to go along with spending increases for the military without any hard proof. A government report comes out about increases in crime in your area and how more police are needed and they convince you to vote for tax increases to pay for these. This leads to reinforced ideas like don’t tread on me or an eye for an eye, If someone might do me or my family harm then I need to defend them. This has a legitimizing effect because unless guns are removed or the media stops reporting mainly negative and violent news people will continue to do each other harm. Even without the media stirring up fear there will still be violence and crime but would there be such high levels of violent crime? Personally I don’t believe there would be. Did this tragedy spark a moral panic? Yes and it’s evident in almost every high school in America these days. When I was in high school you could leave the campus at any time you wanted and during lunch time many students did. These days most high schools have a closed campus so you can’t leave for lunch or at any time you choose. In some schools they have cameras everywhere as well as metal detectors and security guards. In the past if a student joked about doing something horriffic, Like shooting up the school, Most kids laughed and didn’t take it seriously but today you could be expelled for it. You could even been expelled for something ridiculous like dyeing your hair blue or folding a piece of paper into the shape of a gun and pointing it at someone. I feel that this tragedy has started some serious discussions about gun control and violence in our society but until we reign in the media and hold those accountable for the massive levels of violence in the news, movies, tv, video games, and American life in general no ground will be made. In todays society we often forget about tragedies almost as quickly as they happened because of the next latest horrible event we are fed by the media. Bowling for Columbine Bowling for Columbine Bowling for Columbine At one point a reporter acts as though he is bothered by the tragic killing of a six year old girl but when the camera is off is only worried about how his hair looks. Moore shows that through the fear induced by the media many Americans are desensitized to the vasy amounts of violence and gun related crimes and turning a blind eye towards a solution to it. In the graph provided with this assignment we see that violent crimes have actually gone down year after year and yet every time we turn on the news we are assaulted with violent images and reports of gun violence. The media keeps gun deaths and violence first and foremost using the news, newspapers, magazines, talk shows, etc to keep us in a constant state of fear. In the film we see the town of Virgin Utah passed a law requiring all residents to posse firearms but why would you want more guns? Because the media induced fear that without a gun you will become the victim of someone with one if you don’t. Who benefits from this fear? Well first gun manufacturers, As we’ve seen with the massive amounts of guns purchased following the tragedies of Columbine and Sandy Hook. Second would be the media, People tuning in to the news or talk shows or even buying a printed publication to read about the latest tragedy. Third would be defense manufacturers, People buying bullet proof jackets or bullet proof backpacks for their kids or even schools buying metal detectors. And finally the government, By keeping the public fearful it makes them predictable and therefore easier to control. And why would these companies and organizations want us to remain ignorant and fearful? Because of money. If you are fearful that your neighbor might harm you or your family then your more likely to run out and purchase a gun or home security system therefore generating huge profits for those keeping us fearful. If you think another country might do us harm you are more willing to go along with spending increases for the military without any hard proof. A government report comes out about increases in crime in your area and how more police are needed and they convince you to vote for tax increases to pay for these. This leads to reinforced ideas like don’t tread on me or an eye for an eye, If someone might do me or my family harm then I need to defend them. This has a legitimizing effect because unless guns are removed or the media stops reporting mainly negative and violent news people will continue to do each other harm. Even without the media stirring up fear there will still be violence and crime but would there be such high levels of violent crime? Personally I don’t believe there would be. Did this tragedy spark a moral panic? Yes and it’s evident in almost every high school in America these days. When I was in high school you could leave the campus at any time you wanted and during lunch time many students did. These days most high schools have a closed campus so you can’t leave for lunch or at any time you choose. In some schools they have cameras everywhere as well as metal detectors and security guards. In the past if a student joked about doing something horriffic, Like shooting up the school, Most kids laughed and didn’t take it seriously but today you could be expelled for it. You could even been expelled for something ridiculous like dyeing your hair blue or folding a piece of paper into the shape of a gun and pointing it at someone. I feel that this tragedy has started some serious discussions about gun control and violence in our society but until we reign in the media and hold those accountable for the massive levels of violence in the news, movies, tv, video games, and American life in general no ground will be made. In todays society we often forget about tragedies almost as quickly as they happened because of the next latest horrible event we are fed by the media. Bowling for Columbine