Budget Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Budget Plan - Essay Example The document studies differences between flexible and static budget and also provides information derived from these two budget plans (Stice, Stice, & Swain, 2010; Oliver, 2000). Microsoft Corporation is the largest manufacturer, service provider and developer of computer software. It has high profit margins and a turnover of 70 billion annually. Analyzing the financial information reflects that the business has rapidly expanded; expenses have been proportionately increased with the revenue. But the interest and tax expenses are significantly higher that has had an impact on profit margins (Callahan, Stetz, & Brooks, 2011). The other intervention, mergers and joint ventures (Skype, bingo etc) have increased the efficiency and reduced the costs. Revenue Growth Average growth rate of 8.5% in revenues of Microsoft is calculated based on the growth rates reported by the company in the last 3 years.From the above, it could be indicated that cost of goods is increasing not in proportion to the revenue. In 2010, it was 20% of revenues then 22% in 2011 and became 24% in 2012. Similarly, changes in total operating expenses were 42% of total revenues in 2011, 39% in 2011, and reached 47% of revenues in 2012. This implies that they were not in proportion to changes in revenues. The company’s does not use any external borrowing therefore it has not paid any interest charges during the last three years. The US GDP has grown by an average of 2.6% in 2012. However, since Microsoft is an international company, economic growth rate of different countries where it is operating applies. The tax burden of the company is calculated in the above table as a proportion of sales. It was 10% of total revenues in 2010 and then remained at 7% for both 2011 and 2012. Microsoft’s competitors include Apple Incorporation. It has recorded phenomenal growth in the last three years as calculated in the following;    2012 2011 2010 Revenue 156,508,000 108,249,000 65,225,000    à ‚   48,259,000 43,024,000       45% 66% In 2012, Microsoft only reported a 5% growth in revenues whereas Apple has reported 45% in the same period. Flexible Budget of Microsoft For creating flexible budget of Microsoft three different growth rates are used for predicting future revenues and other elements of the income statement are presented on the basis of the average rate of each element as a proportion to revenues recorded in the last three years. Low: 3.5% Average: 8.5% High: 13.5%    2013 2013 2013    3.50% 8.50% 13.50% Total Revenue 76,303,305 82,789,086 93,965,613 Cost of Revenue 16,757,800 18,182,213 20,636,811             Gross Profit 59,545,505 64,606,873 73,328,801             Operating Expenses          Research Development 10,220,317 11,089,044 12,586,065 Selling General and Administrative 19,994,186 21,693,692 24,622,340 Non Recurring 2,136,585 2,318,195 2,631,151 Others                      Total Operating Expenses 32,351,0 88 35,100,930 39,839,556             Operating Income or Loss 27,194,417 29,505,943 33,489,245

The assessment cycle Essay Example for Free

The assessment cycle Essay The assessment cycle is the on-going process of assessment. Each stage involves initial assessment, assessment planning, assessment activity, assessment decision, feedback and progress review. Initial assessment will take place to gather sufficient information about the learner’s current level of competence. This will establish a starting point so that the learner can see how much he or she will achieve during the course. It will enable the tutor to effectively plan to meet the individual learner’s needs and will help to review the learners progress and achievements as well as determine future learning needs and preferred ways of learning. Assessment planning is making decisions on what outcomes of learning should be, what methods and resources will be used, how the learning and assessment will take place and in the appropriate time scale. You should ensure that the planned evidence collection and assessment opportunities cover the national standard. All training and assessment must be appropriate for the needs of each learner. When the learning programme or assessment process is put into practise, it is considered the assessment activity. The results of learning are assessed, formatively and summatively. Performance evidence is gathered. This could be products of the learners work like documents produced as part of an activity or a test. It could also be practical evidence with the learner demonstrating competence. Assessment decision and feedback should always be given to learners regarding their performance. The feedback should include whether the evidence provided meets the national standard. It is important that the learner agrees with the assessment decision. The assessment should meet the specific outcomes and criteria identified in the assessment planning and should be at the appropriate level for the qualification. All evidence must be judged as valid, authentic, consistent and sufficient. A review of progress will keep learners up to date on how they are doing on the course. It is a constructive process that gives participants the opportunity to identify achievements and discuss problems and potential issues. The review process also provides an opportunity to set realistic milestones for the remainder of candidature, to ensure completion within the permitted timeframe. Initial assessment is assessing the learner’s current level of competence. This will establish a baseline so that the learner can see progress. It also offers the tutor the opportunity to plan to the learner’s ability, needs and learning style. Assessment planning takes forward the initial assessment and utilises information gathered to design an appropriate course of learning. This will be appropriate for national standards and set to a level that the learner can take advantage of. Assessment activity is when the learning programme is put into practise. Results of the learning are assessed and evidence is gathered. This will be a mixture of documentation and practical evidence demonstrating competency. Assessment decision is the stage to which the feedback and assessment decision is given. There, the learner will be informed whether evidence meets the national standards and carefully explained so that the learner understands the decision. This will follow the process initially planned. Progress reviews take place in several inspection contexts. Essentially they are a point in time when all parties involved in training take a step back and look at the progress being made by a learner towards completing their individual learning plan. They also involve setting targets to further complete the plan.

Trans-boundary Natural Resource Management (TBNRM) Essay

Trans-boundary Natural Resource Management (TBNRM) Essay Trans-boundary natural resource management (TBNRM) can be defined as process of cooperation across boundaries that facilitates or improves the management of natural resources to the benefit all parts in the area concerned (Griffin et al, 1999). TBNRM it attempts to address the challenges of managing natural resources that are collaborated or shared across international or political boundaries and not ecologically, For instance the Albert national park was the national park across international border in Africa that was established by the Belgium colonial regime in 1925 to conserve natural resources occurring in two countries. It spanned the colonial state of Rwanda-Burundi and the Congo (Van der Linde, 2001). The Africans major fall in land, river, lake, forest and national parks (Lycklama à   Nijeholt et al, 2001), and these are as follows: River as natural resources form a narrow or wide channel of water which pass across the country or form the boundary between countries, these rivers contain numerous valuable wildlife that migrate across borders (katerere et al, 2001). For example river Limpopo across boulders (Botswana, south Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) (Microsoft student, 2008), Orange river (Lesotho and Namibia), Congo river (DRC and Republic of Congo), Nile river from east Africa source in lake Victoria flow through Uganda, Egypt, Sudan to Mediterranean sea ( Microsoft student, 2008), the conservation of these rivers need cooperation and collaborations between nations. National park is one of the major natural resource in Africa, since most of these ecological cuts across international boundaries for instance Kruger national park one of the national park in the world located in South Africa bordered by Mozambique and Zimbabwe, The W-Aryl-Pendjari (WAP) is the national park that is complex straddles the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger and one of the largest continuous protected areas in Africa, the great Limpopo trans-frontier parks is the African largest protected area that spread through Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the mountain gorilla conservation in Virunga heartland in central albertine rift region of east central Africa span the borders of Democratic Republic of Congo( DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. Congo basin forest forms ecosystem shared by Cameroon, Central Africa, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya and Serengeti National Park in United Republic Tanzania the two neighboring trans-boundaries protected areas where every year herds of wildebeest Zebra and other herbivores migrate between Serengeti national park in Tanzania and Masai Mara game reserved in Kenya (Microsoft students, 2008). Trans-boundary lakes, African continent has a plenty of shared lakes that cuts across international boundaries and some act international boundaries for example lake Tanganyika in the great rift valley that border on north by Burundi, east Tanzania, south Tanzania and west DRC. Lake Victoria found in east central Africa bordered by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Lake Chad located at the junction of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameron. Lake Turkana found in central Africa boarded in North West by Kenya with the northern most tip in south western Ethiopia. Lake Albert an elliptical lake in east central Africa located on western Uganda and north eastern DRC, Lake Malawi or Nyasa located in the great rift valley between Malawi on the west Tanzania and Mozambique on east (Microsoft student, 2008). In spite of the African continent to have endowed with different trans-boundary natural resources across countries that contribute to the economic development, these resource posed a great challenge in terms of their utilizations/exploitation or their conservation and or management, hence the following are some of the challenges facing the management of trans-boundary natural resources in Africa:- Differences in conservation policies, Kenya has long pursued aggressive prevention policies concerning wildlife, where as Tanzania has promoted consumptive use including sport hunting, licenses hunting which does not consider proper policies of hunting wildlife. Such differences obviously exacerbate or accelerate problem in natural resources management. Also there has been experimentation on a ground scale with resources which involves less or no consultation of the other member’s country and this cause conflicts (Serageldin and sfer-younis, 1996). Management issues in resources are difficult to address at the scale of programs where additional requirements of seeking cooperation for example are cooperation on management of rhino and elephant poaching in Masai Mara in east Africa. Under this situation different sets authority among the stakeholders with different policies and laws find it difficult to unity and control the illegal activities in recourses (Lock wood, Worboys and Kothari, 2006). Poor agreements that is timely, equitable and acceptable by all riparian countries. For example the Nile basin which its management find difficulties among members from the upstream and downstream as Egypt and the Sudan recently exchange threats over the use of the Nile river, also Tanzania and Malawi over lake Nyasa and Kenya and Uganda on the ownership of mountain Elgon. These result in constant conflict and mismanagement of natural resources. Also most of the agreements were either the agreements made by between colonizers or bilateral agreements which contradiction among those nations shared the natural resources (Malasse abtew and Stegn, 2014). Protected areas managers and stakeholders find it difficult to determine those issues that have a specific trans-boundary element for example, it is self evident that trans-boundary protected areas must involve and benefit local people, but trans-boundary program may well involve many other aspects such as community who were previously divided by the imposition of an international border which also may associate with border conflicts among the nation involved for example the lake Victoria conflict between Kenya and Uganda on Mgingo island(Lock wood, Worboys and Kothari,2006). Lack of international system to enforce agreements, there are many mechanisms for trans-boundary management that has been agreed among nations faces difficulties in its implementation. Among them are African agreements like African Conversion on the conservation of nature and natural resources of September 1968, river basin agreements which include the Niger basin Authority, the lake Chad basin commission, the Senegal river develop organization, the Gambia river development organization and the Zambezi river authority also specific agreements like Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda agreements on management of lake Victoria. (Serageldin and Sfer-younis, 1996). Lack of trust among stakeholders’, many stakeholders fails to trust each other on the conservation of trans-boundary natural resource especially in policies on conservations and utilization of natural resources for example stakeholders like community and community, government and government, community and Non-Government Organization, private sector and government (Goldman, 1998). Limited trust among stakeholders reduces cooperation and full participation among stakeholders. This limit the natural resource management conservation (Chifamba, 2012) Different level of economic development, different level of economic development may impose challenges in trans-boundary natural resources management; different nations have difference contribution to trans-boundary natural resources management, for instance different between South Africa and Zimbabwe. The stages in economic development among neighboring countries lead to analogous different in priorities for trans-boundary natural resources management objectives which may sometimes not allowing compatible , hence make it difficult in collaboration on trans-boundary natural resources management programs (Chifamba, 2012) In general trans-boundary natural recourses management is affected by lack of solid data about environmental issues makes cooperation difficult, absence of appropriate financing scheme for effective trans-boundary management also lack of international system in enforcing the agreement because the world has not yet found an adequate system to settle disputes related to trans-boundary programs. All those and other problems might be solved by ways such as ; proper involvement of stakeholders which is key to adaptive management, proper and clear statement concerning trans-boundary resources management also, enhancing or promotion of A forestation in riparian areas. References Chifamba, E (2012) Trans-boundary Natural Resource Management and distribution of rights and benefits to look communities on the Zimbabwe- South African Border. Zimbabwe . International journal of politics and good governance. Goldman, M. (1998). Inventing the Commons: Theories and Practices of the Commons’ Professional. In M. Goldman (Ed), Privatizing Nature: Political Struggles for the Global Commons: London .Pluto press Griffin, J., Cumming, S and Metcalfe, S. (1999). Study on the development of trans-boundary Natural Resource Management areas in Southern Africa, world wildlife fund: Washington D.C, USA. Griffin, J.,Cumming, S., Metcalfe, S.,Tsas-Rolfel, M and Singh, J.(1999). Trans-boundary Natural Resource Management in sub Saharan Africa. Biodiversity Support Program c/o World Wildlife Fund: Washington DC, USA. Katerere, Y., Hill, R and Mayo, S. (2001).A Critique of Trans-boundary Natural Resource Management in Southern Africa. Paper No1. IUCN-ROSA series on Trans-boundary Natural Resources Management. ICUW. The World Conservation Union. Lockwood, M., Worboys, L. and Kothari (2006).Managing protected areas: A Global Guide library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Dat, USA. Lycklama à   Nijeholt, R., Debie, S and Creerling, C(2001). Beyond Boundaries: Regional Overviews of Trans-boundary NRM on West Africa. Biodiversity Support Program: Washington DC, USA. Malesse, M.A., Abtew, W and Setegn, G.(2014). Nile River Basin: Eco hydrological challenges, Climate change and Hypropolitics. Springer Print: New York- USA, Microsoft Cooperation (2007) Microsoft student 2008, Redmond, WA: Microsoft cooperation. Selegeldin, I and Sfeir- Younis, A. (1996). Effective Financing of Environmentally Sustainable Development. World Bank publications. Van derlinde, H., Oglethorpe, J. Snelson, D. and Tessema,Y.(2001) Beyond Boundaries: Trans- boundary Natural Resource Management in Sub Saharan Africa, Biodiversity Support Program: Washington DC, USA.

Sheilas Comment Explaining the Action of the Play :: Sheila An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley Essays

Sheila's Comment Explaining the Action of the Play "Well he inspected us all righ Between us we drove that girl To commit suicide" This sentence is very important to the story because Sheila realises that the inspector is not a real inspector but he has inspected them and they lost against him and it was them, each member of the family who contributed to Eva Smiths death. We will learn in this essay how each family member is a contributor to the death of an innocent person, Eva Smith and also how the inspector inspects the family using his power not physically but verbally and how he does the inspection. We learnt about how each person from the Birling's family effects Eva Smith even a good person like Gerald and a bad person like Mr Birling so it is necessary to explain how each character acts towards Eva Smith. Combined with this we learn from the story that an inspector with the name of Goole comes to inspect them all. The first person that strikes on Eva Smith is Mr Birling. Mr Birling is a very rich person. He has a prosperous business but is shown to be extremely greedy and very ironic. His extreme greediness concludes to Eva Smith loosing her job, which was the first hit on Eva Smith. Eva Smith is a very hardworking woman who works for Mr Birling in his factory. She is getting very fed up due to the low wage he pays and which she cannot survive on. She and the other ringleaders are planning on to go on strike after there holidays. Eva Smith after the holidays goes and asks Mr Birling for an increase to 26 Shillings a week which he refuses saying, "I could not consider it" and then sacks her is pretty sad and very evil of him to do that. It also shows me the time of period where women were protesting for their rights and independence and women also died for their rights. So first contributor to Eva Smith's death his Mr Birling because he throws her out of her job because he did not want to give her the increase. You will also learn of his bad and evil personality as the essay proceeds. As I have said before he is very ironic. Before the inspector comes in to inspect them they are having a party because Mr Birling's daughter is engaged to Gerald. Here Mr Birling is telling his son Eric and his future son in law how life is and what is going to happen. His son Eric is talking about a possible war.

My Ideal Job Essay

Most people learn knowledge because they hope to obtain an ideal job for themselves. For my part, it is also an important reason that I learn knowledge. For my future working environment, I would like to work in marketing sector. Marketing has more to do with identifying customer needs and developing the right products to satisfy those needs, and it reaches are public through advertising. I hope that the company is located in Central Business District, and there are about a great hundred employees in the company. In addition, I think that the private secretary would be my ideal job through long studying and working. As the private secretary, I should help Director of Marketing to handle and answer his business correspondence, keep multifarious files and records of company, especially relating to some files and records of Director of Marketing, and take minutes of the meetings which is attended by him. Certainly, besides the salary, I expect to get some perks. For example, holidays and vacation time, Employee Assistance Program, social functions, subsidized health coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and competitive health care benefit coverage, including medical, dental, vision, life and so on. I need also grasp some professional knowledge about marketing, computer skills, negotiation skills, and experience of study abroad, except my basic knowledge for the job. In conclusion, because I know to speak and act cautiously, and I am very good at paperwork and daily routine, I feel that I might be suitable for the private secretary in the future.

Five External Elements In Organisational Environments Commerce Essay

Customers plays indispensable portion in every concern. Pull offing the client experience has become a serious organizational purpose. It ‘s a agency to protect and develop trade name trueness and therefore that person ‘s economic and advocacy value to the administration. Body store is a good established administration around the universe, which produces pure natural cosmetics for everyone. Because of high monetary values merely few clients can buy their merchandises, remainder prefer other trade names, which are available in low monetary values than Body store. That will impact the company by lower net incomes. Rivals: Rivals are administrations that produce goods and services that are similar to a peculiar administration ‘s goods and services. Presents, cosmetics are indispensable portion of the life, many rivals are entered into the market by presenting their merchandises with low monetary values to vie with others. Then, everyone could prefer those merchandises, which are available in market with low monetary value and same natural merchandises. That can be show difference in gross revenues of trade name of L'oreal. Economic forces: Economic factors have a enormous impact on concern houses. The general province of the economic system, involvement rate, phase of the economic rhythm, balance of payments, are cardinal variables in corporate investing, employment, and pricing determinations. The impact of growing or diminution in gross national merchandise and increases or decreases in involvement rates, rising prices are considered as premier illustrations of important impact on concern operations. To asses the local state of affairs, an organisation might seek information refering the economic base and hereafter of the part and the effects of this mentality on pay rates, disposable income, unemployment, and the transit and commercial base. The province of universe economic system is most critical for organisations runing in such countries. For illustration, during recession clip, adult female do n't travel to purchase expensive merchandises, so, prefer to purchase low monetary values merchandises. Technological Forces: Technological forces influence organisations in several ways. A technological invention can hold a sudden and dramatic consequence on the environment of a house. First, technological developments can significantly change the demand for an organisation ‘s or industry ‘s merchandises or services. Changing engineering can offer major chances for bettering end accomplishments or endanger the being of the house. Technological prediction can assist protect and better the profitableness of houses in turning industries. Social forces: Social forces include traditions, values, social tendencies, consumer psychological science, and a society ‘s outlooks of concern. Determining the exact impact of societal forces on an organisation is hard at best. However, measuring the altering values, attitudes, and demographic features of an organisation ‘s clients is an indispensable component in set uping organisational aims.( B ) Briefly explain in item one unpredictable dynamic external factor which adversely impacted in L'Oreal gross revenues of organic structure store trade name merchandises in 2008One of the major unpredictable dynamic external factor is recession. Recession is a lessening in the economic system of the state. Peoples stop purchasing cosmetics. That decreases the gross revenues and hard currency spending of Body store. Womans are regular clients for cosmetics, adult female do n't travel to purchase expensive merchandises, so, prefer to purchase low monetary value merchandises. That adversely decreased the gross revenues of organic structure store in 2008.( C ) Briefly explain the difference between a dynamic V stable component in the organizational environment impacting on L'Oreal. Give an illustration of each type of component.Dynamic elements:Suppliers Customers: Customers are really of import for any concern. L'Oreal cusmotics are rather expensive than other trade names, merely affluent people prefer L'Oreal trade names. Because of those cusmotics are made by nature elements, so they ne'er go back to pass money, whatever it is low monetary value or high monetary value. Rivals: Example of L'oreal rivals are Revlon, Shiseido Economic forces Technological forces Demographic forces Political forcesStable elements:Distributors Barriers to entry Social cultural factors2. ( a ) Briefly explain what company civilization is, it ‘s major dimensions and how a company can promote a positive civilization.Every workplace has a civilization Basically, organisational civilization is the personality of the organisation. Culture is comprised of the premises, values, norms and touchable marks of organisation members and their behavior. the corporate civilization is the operating work environment that is set and shaped by the executive: The manner people dress The manner people conduct their work The manner people interact with public. Company cultures develop and they change over clip. As employee leave the company and replacings are hired the company civilization will alter. If it is a strong civilization, it may non alter much. However, since each new employee brings their ain values and patterns to the group the civilization will alter, at least a small. As the company matures from a start up to a more constituted company, the company civilization will alter. As the environment in which the company operates alterations, the company civilization will besides alter. The company civilization will alter and it is of import to be cognizant of the alterations. Major dimensions of company civilization is Invention and hazard pickings Attention to detail Results orientation Peoples orientation Team orientation Aggressiveness Stability Those features can do company civilization strong. By offering publicities, fillips and increasing rewards can actuate employers into positive civilization. That will assist company turn strongly and maintain civilization alive.( B ) Brief explain what a learning company civilization is, and how company can make a learning civilization.An organisation ‘s â€Å" learning civilization † as its ability and willingness to encompass single and organisational acquisition as a strategic portion of its concern scheme. Learning company civilization describes company policies, environment, codification of frock, company profile. If we want to be successful at a company, and bask where we work, we need to accommodate to the company ‘s civilization. Companies look for the people for occupation who know and esteem the company ‘s civilization wage attending to expected norms of behavior physique and maintain positive working relationships with supervisors, colleagues and clients value constructive unfavorable judgment as a agency to better and enhance personal public presentation show involvement in the company keep a positive attitude company can make learning administration by following features: Personal command Mental theoretical accounts Team acquisition Construct a shared vision Systems believing Personal command: company allow directors to authorise employees and let them make and research something different to larn company civilization in order to develop company. Mental theoretical accounts: this theoretical account can make employee to make task better without find harder. Team acquisition: This method is more of import than single acquisition. All the determinations are largely made by squad. Team acquisition can better employee believing power by larning new thoughts. Systems thought: This is a conceptual model that allows people to analyze concerns as delimited objects. Learning organisations use this method of believing when measuring their company and have information systems that measure the public presentation of the organisation as a whole and of its assorted constituents. Construct a shared vision: This is really of import in actuating the staff to larn, that provides concentration energy for larning. Individual vision of employees are most of import in administration. The shared vision is frequently to win against a rival.

Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers Misplaced Modifiers Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol Misplaced modifiers- words or phrases that provide additional information to the main idea of a sentence but create confusing or at least awkward phrasing because of where they are placed within the sentence’s syntax- abound in writing. As explained below in the discussion of revision of sentences burdened by this problem, the solution is often simply relocating the modifier as a subordinate clause that precedes the main clause. 1. A Bill Cosby Show actress claims the comedian raped her in a new lawsuit. The sentence literally states that the rape occurred in a lawsuit. But the point is that the lawsuit states that the rape occurred, so the sentence should begin with the context: â€Å"In a new lawsuit, a Bill Cosby Show actress claims the comedian raped her.† Another option is to parenthesize â€Å"in a new lawsuit† between the subject, â€Å"A Bill Cosby Show actress,† and the predicate, â€Å"claims the comedian raped her.† (The parenthesis can also follow the verb.) 2. The attorney said that he was confident that justice would be served as he stood on the courthouse steps. Just as in the first example, this sentence features a distracting misstatement. The attorney did not claim that during the time he was standing on the courthouse steps, justice would be served, but that’s what the sentence implies. To clarify that the reference to the courthouse steps is tangential to his pronouncement, it should be moved to the beginning of the sentence as a subordinate clause: â€Å"As he stood on the courthouse steps, the attorney said that he was confident that justice would be served.† As in the previous example, the modifier can be inserted in the middle of the sentence, either before or after said. 3. The property belonged to Lance Benson twice, who lost the land in a divorce settlement and then bought it back in 2012. The antecedent, or prior reference, to who- the name Lance Benson- must appear immediately before the pronoun, with no intervening words, so twice must be relocated: â€Å"The property twice belonged to Lance Benson, who lost the land in a divorce settlement and then bought it back in 2012.† Twice could also begin the sentence, but the statement flows more smoothly when it follows the subject. 4. North Korea’s government says its military tested a bomb to widespread skepticism. This sentence suggests that widespread skepticism was an intended result of the bomb test; it appears as if a verb such as garner is missing from before â€Å"widespread skepticism.† To explicitly note that the skepticism was independent of the bomb test, the result should be introduced as a subordinate clause before the main clause: â€Å"To widespread skepticism, North Korea’s government says its military tested a bomb.† (Again, the modifier can be inserted before or after the verb instead.) Better yet, however, the result could be described with a verb inserted before it and the entire phrase set off from the main clause by a comma: â€Å"North Korea’s government says its military tested a bomb, prompting widespread skepticism.† 5. The rocks appeared to be the size of small cars in pictures posted by the National Park Service. This sentence, read literally, compares the size of the rocks to the size of small cars featured in photographs posted by the National Park Service. To clarify that the photos show rocks the size of small cars, not small cars themselves, the phrase describing the photos should precede the main clause as an introductory subordinate clause: â€Å"In pictures posted by the National Park Service, the rocks appeared to be the size of small cars.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)Italicizing Foreign WordsUses of the Past Participle

Free Essays on How To Change A Tire

How To Prevent And Change A Flat Tire One of peoples' worst nightmares is having a flat tire and chances are, it will happen to each one of us at some point in our lifetime. If we are lucky, there will be someone around who both knows how to change a tire and is willing to help us. If not, we are faced with finding a phone and summoning the help of a professional, or changing the tire ourselves. In most cases, hiring a professional can prove to be somewhat expensive, so it would be beneficial for each of us to know how to safely and effectively change a tire. Some problems exist simply because people are unaware of the correct tire changing process. They will often find themselves with a spare that has gone flat or is low in air pressure. Or when everything appears to be in order for changing a tire you find that parts of the jack or some tools are missing. Having a flat tire can be a nuisance, however, the following process will help you to prevent a flat and instruct you how to change one if needed. The first thing you should remember is to check the pressure in your spare tire each and every time you check the tires which are on your vehicle. Spare tires can lose pressure just as easy as the tires you are using. As rule of thumb, tires should be checked a minimum of once a month. When you check the pressure be sure to also check for any irregular wear patterns or any other non-conformities. When the pressure is low, add air as soon as possible. A tire gauge is a handy and inexpensive item to carry in your glove box since one is not always available at all air stations. Also check the depth of the tread of the tires. This can be done easily by using an ordinary penny. Simply stick the penny into the grooves of the tires headfirst. If the top of Lincoln’s head is above the tread rubber the tires should be replaces as soon as possible. Next check the tire changing tools in the trunk of your car. Most times these ... Free Essays on How To Change A Tire Free Essays on How To Change A Tire How To Prevent And Change A Flat Tire One of peoples' worst nightmares is having a flat tire and chances are, it will happen to each one of us at some point in our lifetime. If we are lucky, there will be someone around who both knows how to change a tire and is willing to help us. If not, we are faced with finding a phone and summoning the help of a professional, or changing the tire ourselves. In most cases, hiring a professional can prove to be somewhat expensive, so it would be beneficial for each of us to know how to safely and effectively change a tire. Some problems exist simply because people are unaware of the correct tire changing process. They will often find themselves with a spare that has gone flat or is low in air pressure. Or when everything appears to be in order for changing a tire you find that parts of the jack or some tools are missing. Having a flat tire can be a nuisance, however, the following process will help you to prevent a flat and instruct you how to change one if needed. The first thing you should remember is to check the pressure in your spare tire each and every time you check the tires which are on your vehicle. Spare tires can lose pressure just as easy as the tires you are using. As rule of thumb, tires should be checked a minimum of once a month. When you check the pressure be sure to also check for any irregular wear patterns or any other non-conformities. When the pressure is low, add air as soon as possible. A tire gauge is a handy and inexpensive item to carry in your glove box since one is not always available at all air stations. Also check the depth of the tread of the tires. This can be done easily by using an ordinary penny. Simply stick the penny into the grooves of the tires headfirst. If the top of Lincoln’s head is above the tread rubber the tires should be replaces as soon as possible. Next check the tire changing tools in the trunk of your car. Most times these ...

Component Program Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Component Program Strategy - Assignment Example The question can be about the eligibility of welfare while one lives with another biological parent. Another instance is the case of Florida’s FTP program where there is asking of a single question about whether there is a limit to which one can receive cash benefits (Statewide wetlands strategies: A guide to protecting and managing the resource, 1992). In addition, one can also make use of multiple questions to enhance the smooth development of the outcome components of a program. The multiple question strategy differs across the various question levels. For instance, the first multiple question strategy can measure the program knowledge level in a different way with each independent question and make a separate analysis of each question. There is also the two-tier questions strategy that measures the familiarity with the program. The other strategy assesses the understanding of detailed rules. For example, the use of questions with two sets for every welfare incentive program in which the leading question makes inquiries about the familiarity and eligibility suitable for receiving of incentives. Ultimately, the second set is where the questions inquire about the details of rules pertaining the eligibility requirements (Frechtling, National Science Foundation, Directorate for Education and Human and Resources & Westat, Inc., 1995) . From the foregoing, it follows that the questioning method in ensuring the good development of a reliable outcome of any program. Therefore, researchers should work towards ensuring the best strategy is applicable at any given moment to ensure that the outcomes are worth implementing for the benefit of the users. Good outcomes have the possibility ensuring that evaluations are detailed and up to date all the time. According to Nam (2008), questioning qualifies as the best strategy for ensuring the development of outcome components of the best program.

Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Assignment - Coursework Example In this regards, some of the companies that form the above corporation are; Coca Cola company, Honda, Toshiba, Nike, BMW and Wal-Mart just to mention but a few. Notably, research made by Willy keen states that, this company’s allegations stand out that they improve on the economy of countries that are not well-off mainly the third world countries, with the reason of improving on their economy and marketing themselves (Organization, 2005). However, these companies are at big risk of translation exposures because of different political and economical challenges in different nations. Translation exposure is the difference between the exposed rates and liabilities; this may give the rise to currency or fall. Furthermore, this has in turn created a huge challenge in centralization management of the companies involved in this system. Nevertheless, economically these companies are at risk of losing some cash because of huge geographical area of management. Additionally, transaction from this companies experience delays in some areas because of centralized management, hence more risk of losing customers and other great deals. This companies have been rated to have borrowed different amount in the past five years to cater for the economical imbalances. Coca Cola Company $ 12 billion in the year 2003, Toshiba $ 22 million in the year2011 and BMW $ 17 billion in the year 2012. This has been a big challenge in determining and examining the growth of these companies because of the debts they incur yearly (Publishing,

Summery3-318 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Summery3-318 - Essay Example Therefore, a vertical line represents the GDP in the graph. Note that a change in employment or output implies a direct positive impact on the GDP and thus there will be a horizontal shift in the vertical line representing GDP in such cases. However, like the level of interest rate, changes in the price level also has no direct impact on the GDP and thus, the GDP line would remain stationary if there was a change in the price level. Figure 1: Graphical representation of GDP The next step is to add the APE into this set up. Assuming a simple linear form under typical assumptions, we can have the following expression:  Note that a, b and c are all positive fractions. ‘a’ represents the autonomous part of planned expenditure, while b represents the marginal propensity to expend out of income and c represents the marginal expenses induced by interest rate changes. Figure 2: Adding in the APE – the horizontal intercept of the APE line is a+b(GDP0) as i=0 along the ho rizontal axis by definition. To graph this relationship into the set up introduced previously, first note that the interest rate has an inverse relationship with APE implying that the graph will slope upwards to the left, i.e., the APE wil fall (rise) following an increase (decrease) in the interest rate. ... expression clearly implies that the IS relationship can be plotted as a straight line which has a horizontal intercept equal to  which lies to the right of a+b(GDP0) and rises upwards to the left with a flatter incline compared to the APE line (since the coefficient on I is c for the APE line while it is c/(1-b) for the IS line. This is shown in the diagram below (figure 3) Figure 3: Adding in the IS line Observe that due to the particular specifications of each of these lines, there will always be an intersection or a common point were the lines cross. Suppose that if there is a change in GDP, the GDP line will move horizontally to the right in case of an increase or to the left in case of a decrease and the APE line will also shift in the same direction but by a smaller magnitude. The shift will be b times the shift in the GDP line. The IS line will remain unchanged. Alternatively if there is a change in the APE line, then the GDP line will remain stationary but the IS line will shift upwards or downwards in accordance to the direction of the change in the APE line. However, the crucial point to note here is that due to these coordinated movements, that these lines will intersect is necessarily ensured. Since by definition the IS line is the locus of combinations of the interest rate and the GDP such that APE=GDP, we can trace the IS line by allowing the GDP to change, letting the APE curve shift in accordance and connecting the new intersection points. The final point to note in this context is that if the GDP shifts first, then the APE will also shift in response and the IS line shall remain stationary. However, if the APE line shifts by itself (say due to a change in a), then the GDP line remains stationary, while the IS line shifts. ASF which is defined as the

Swot and Pestel analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Swot and Pestel analysis - Essay Example In this era of globalisation, the wine industry is experiencing a nascent stage of growth in Germany. As a result, it has emerged as one of the promising sectors offering high influence over the GDP of the economy of Germany (Koch & et. al., n.d.). SWOT Analysis Strength: Strong Brand Image Operating for Nine generations Development of FitzSecco passion fruit High quality of white wines Location of Fitz-Ritter Smaller Wine Bottles Champagne Production Sparkling Wines Weakness: Medium Size High price Opportunities: Small Museum Bacchus Boutique Sponsoring Of Charity Events, Concerts Threats: Varied New Vinters Globalisation Source: (Koch & et. al., n.d.). Fitz-Ritter is one of the renowned and leading wine estates of Germany operating efficiently since nine generations. Moreover, it also includes champagne production along with wine in order to extend its portfolio in the market among other competitors. Fitz-Ritter always attempted to offer more concentration over introducing new prod ucts namely ‘FitzSecco passion fruit’ for the young citizens in order to enhance customer dependency and loyalty, resulting in augmentation of its total sales. Furthermore, another significant factor, which enhanced its equity, has been regarded as the high quality of white wines being strongly preferred by the customers of German market (Koch & et. al., n.d.). ... However, Fitz-Ritter also possesses certain weaknesses such as the medium size and high price of its products, which may not be affordable for lower income groups (Koch & et. al., n.d.). The introduction of a small museum along with a gift shop named Bacchus boutique also facilitated Fitz-Ritter to augment its brand image and uniqueness in this era of competitiveness. In addition, sponsoring of varied charity events, concerts on wine estates and art galleries also provided the opportunity of enhancing the awareness of its target customers resulting in amplification of the demand of FitzSecco passion fruit along with its brand. Due to globalisation and industrialisation, wine industry became highly competitive, resulting in attraction of varied new young aged vinters. It declined the productivity as well as the prosperity of Fitz-Ritter leading to reduction of its position and attributes in the market imposing threats to the company (Koch & et. al., n.d.). PESTEL Analysis In order to eliminate the custom duties over export operations of wine products, Johann Firtz also led the protest campaign named Hambacher Fest by young vintners which significantly affected the business operations of Fitz-Ritter. It declined the brand image, revenues and value proposition of Fitz-Ritter in the market of Germany. Consequently, the movement was not preferred by the citizens of Germany and France and so the entire business operations, shifted into the market of United States. Besides, the restricted laws of the government of United States also acted in a negative way resulting in reduction of the total productivity of Fitz-Ritter. Moreover, health consciousness of the citizens also declined the profit margin and fidelity of Fitz-Ritter

Rhetorical essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Rhetorical - Essay Example However, the forthcoming world cup in Brazil has raised numerous concerns among global stakeholders. The infrastructure in Brazil has continuously been an issue of discussion within the global media. The organizers have been placated by the high level of ticket sales that have been observed. The anticipated numbers of visitors to the country during the world cup is expected to exceed the previous tournaments. Straggling stadiums and poor construction practices have threatened the hosting of this global sporting tournament (Vickery). The FIFA world cup remains to be the most watched global event; hence, the increased concerns regarding the capability of Brazil in hosting the event. Within the global media, the fundamental question has been, â€Å"do the Brazilian airports have the capacity to cope with the influx of arrivals?† Despite the optimism of the Brazilian government in the stadiums being ready for the world cup, concerns have been raised regarding the delays (Krasnov). While the stadiums were expected to be ready before January 2014, half of them are still under construction, less than 100 days to the tournament. Continued construction delays and accidents also raise a safety question, as the country has previously had stadiums collapsing. Some of the construction processes have been delayed by collapses and equipment failure. This raises a safety concern for the people who will be watching the event from inside the stadiums. Discontent in the organization has also been present within the host nation’s population. The number of persons watching the world cup is extremely high, and the stakes are similarly high for Brazil not to disappoint the fans. With many stakeholders discontented with the preparation, the national team could make-up by winning the world cup for a record, sixth time. The immense focus on the countrys infrastructure comes from the contrast in the team’s performance. Based on the performance of the

Effective and Non-Effective Communication Research Paper

Effective and Non-Effective Communication - Research Paper Example At the very core of human resource success is the issue of communication. As with any practice, communication can either be effectively practiced or ineffectively evidenced. As a function of seeking to understand this dichotomy in a more full and complete manner, the following analysis will be contingent upon discussing the importance of effective communication strategies; alongside referencing key examples of communication failures that threaten the entire firm/organization/group in question. Communication is essential in every interaction because it is through this process that an individual makes clear his/her thoughts and ideas. The human resource specialist must understand the conversation cycle and look for other means for communication. Therefore, a best practice would be for the human resources specialist to be able to interpret and understand non-verbal communication as well as verbal communication. In addition, the caregiver should also understand cultural differences in order to understand what is being communicated. Asking questions is another skill that professional must be proficient in because they are able to bring out more necessary information about their clients through questioning. Lastly, they should also have listening skills; understanding what is said between the lines and not just grasping meanings from spoken words. There are indeed many facets of communication and these should be mastered for effective communication. An obvious opposite to the scenario that has been reflected and represented above would be a situation in which the human resource specialist was not cognizant of the deeper meaning that could be reflected within a conversation or particular interaction. Without a level of appreciation and knowledge for non-verbal cues, the degree and extent to which the human resources specialist can

Swot and Pestel analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Swot and Pestel analysis - Essay Example In this era of globalisation, the wine industry is experiencing a nascent stage of growth in Germany. As a result, it has emerged as one of the promising sectors offering high influence over the GDP of the economy of Germany (Koch & et. al., n.d.). SWOT Analysis Strength: Strong Brand Image Operating for Nine generations Development of FitzSecco passion fruit High quality of white wines Location of Fitz-Ritter Smaller Wine Bottles Champagne Production Sparkling Wines Weakness: Medium Size High price Opportunities: Small Museum Bacchus Boutique Sponsoring Of Charity Events, Concerts Threats: Varied New Vinters Globalisation Source: (Koch & et. al., n.d.). Fitz-Ritter is one of the renowned and leading wine estates of Germany operating efficiently since nine generations. Moreover, it also includes champagne production along with wine in order to extend its portfolio in the market among other competitors. Fitz-Ritter always attempted to offer more concentration over introducing new prod ucts namely ‘FitzSecco passion fruit’ for the young citizens in order to enhance customer dependency and loyalty, resulting in augmentation of its total sales. Furthermore, another significant factor, which enhanced its equity, has been regarded as the high quality of white wines being strongly preferred by the customers of German market (Koch & et. al., n.d.). ... However, Fitz-Ritter also possesses certain weaknesses such as the medium size and high price of its products, which may not be affordable for lower income groups (Koch & et. al., n.d.). The introduction of a small museum along with a gift shop named Bacchus boutique also facilitated Fitz-Ritter to augment its brand image and uniqueness in this era of competitiveness. In addition, sponsoring of varied charity events, concerts on wine estates and art galleries also provided the opportunity of enhancing the awareness of its target customers resulting in amplification of the demand of FitzSecco passion fruit along with its brand. Due to globalisation and industrialisation, wine industry became highly competitive, resulting in attraction of varied new young aged vinters. It declined the productivity as well as the prosperity of Fitz-Ritter leading to reduction of its position and attributes in the market imposing threats to the company (Koch & et. al., n.d.). PESTEL Analysis In order to eliminate the custom duties over export operations of wine products, Johann Firtz also led the protest campaign named Hambacher Fest by young vintners which significantly affected the business operations of Fitz-Ritter. It declined the brand image, revenues and value proposition of Fitz-Ritter in the market of Germany. Consequently, the movement was not preferred by the citizens of Germany and France and so the entire business operations, shifted into the market of United States. Besides, the restricted laws of the government of United States also acted in a negative way resulting in reduction of the total productivity of Fitz-Ritter. Moreover, health consciousness of the citizens also declined the profit margin and fidelity of Fitz-Ritter

Effective and Non-Effective Communication Research Paper

Effective and Non-Effective Communication - Research Paper Example At the very core of human resource success is the issue of communication. As with any practice, communication can either be effectively practiced or ineffectively evidenced. As a function of seeking to understand this dichotomy in a more full and complete manner, the following analysis will be contingent upon discussing the importance of effective communication strategies; alongside referencing key examples of communication failures that threaten the entire firm/organization/group in question. Communication is essential in every interaction because it is through this process that an individual makes clear his/her thoughts and ideas. The human resource specialist must understand the conversation cycle and look for other means for communication. Therefore, a best practice would be for the human resources specialist to be able to interpret and understand non-verbal communication as well as verbal communication. In addition, the caregiver should also understand cultural differences in order to understand what is being communicated. Asking questions is another skill that professional must be proficient in because they are able to bring out more necessary information about their clients through questioning. Lastly, they should also have listening skills; understanding what is said between the lines and not just grasping meanings from spoken words. There are indeed many facets of communication and these should be mastered for effective communication. An obvious opposite to the scenario that has been reflected and represented above would be a situation in which the human resource specialist was not cognizant of the deeper meaning that could be reflected within a conversation or particular interaction. Without a level of appreciation and knowledge for non-verbal cues, the degree and extent to which the human resources specialist can

The use of beauty in Disney movies Essay Example for Free

The use of beauty in Disney movies Essay Growing up nowadays most children in the US are brought up watching mostly Walt Disney movies. The Millennial generation was raised with the Disney renaissance film era, and the newer Generation Z is also being raised with the classic Disney films and the newer films like Tangled and The Princess and the Frog. As kids grow up, they begin to relate many of the stories and characters that they were so fond of to everyday things, whether it is their toys or Halloween costumes. Along with this is a clear placed biased view on behalf of the Disney corporation that most of the characters that are physically attractive or appealing to look at are going to be the â€Å"good guys†, while the less attractive characters are typically the â€Å"bad guys†. With this influence over children, it has led to greater stereotyping, body image problems, an ageism debate, and created greed to want to have Disney related memorabilia. These animated children/family based films have caused more controversy than ever expected. In the majority of the Disney films with the main exceptions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast, there is a clear and definite difference between good and evil within the characters simply by their appearances. In 2010, the University of North Carolina and Appalachian State University carried out a study analyzing twenty-one Disney films made since 1938, and asked the participants to rate 163 characters on a scale of one to ten in terms of â€Å"goodness†. They were asked to also score them on their attractiveness, intelligence, aggressiveness, romantic involvement, and their life outcome aka their â€Å"happily ever after† (Leach). In almost every movie, the â€Å"good† characters were the more attractive, more intelligent and less aggressive. Some of the characters that exemplified these ideals were Cinderella, Prince Charming, Princess Aurora, and the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. This study appeared in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology concluded that, â€Å"as ratings of beauty increased, so did ratings of friendliness, goodness, intelligence, favorability of the character’s outcome, and romantic involvement†. (Leach) Using this study as reference, researchers then set out to determine how much the idea of beauty is good and ugly is bad, is based off of a specific film. Forty-two children between the ages of six to twelve were put in a different study and had them watch either Cinderella or The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Those two films have both characters that are beautiful and good natured, and also an unconventional hero that is less attractive to the eye. From that researchers then showed the children photographer of other children and were asked what they thought of that person from their looks, and whether they would want to ever to friends with them (Jacobs). Doris Bazzini, Lisa Curtin, Serena Joslin, Shilpa Regan and Denise Martz were the people behind this extensive project. Bazzini and her colleagues were able to conclude that it didn’t matter which film the child watched, their answers were all pretty consistent to each other. The researchers were able to pull that the children all had a greater desire to befriend or talk to an attractive peer, rated them as being more desirable to be friends with, less likely to get into any form of trouble, and were seen as being the better person compared to an unattractive peer. These thoughts were not just applied on human characters but also animal ones as well. (Jacobs) Bazzini stated in response to this project, â€Å"It may seem heartening to many parents that a single movie viewing did not induce greater use of the beauty is good stereotype. However, this may be due to the fact that the stereotype [has] inconsistent depictions of the low-beauty bias film are simply not potent enough to unravel a steadily developing propensity to judge attractiveness positively, especially when such stereotypes involve females†. The researchers then decided to suggest to parents that these movies should be used in aiding the parents as they teach them valuable life lessons in their young age rather than just letting them watch those movies with no dialogue about what they just watched. (Bazzini) Even though these films are animation and not live action, they have created these images of the human body which have led to people striving to look like people who do not exist in real life. The Disney characters are drawn to look and coincide with their roles within the movie; this has led to the Disney Princess Effect. The Walt Disney film corporation has rendered the female leads of their animated motion pictures as archetypes of the perfect female figure. (Travali) This gender/image construction in Disney films is so important because of the messages to sends to the main audience: children. The messages that these characters give to children are how to act, look, and interact with others. While this can be good, the looks part can lead to high expectations and lower realities. (May) The Disney animators have created the heroines to be perfect in their physique. Almost every Disney heroine has a perfect waistline, a perfectly proportioned face, skin tight or even revealing clothing, and those ever so desirable curves that make them wanted by the male characters, or their Prince Charming. These images have become a prime factor in teenage eating disorders and depression because just like Barbie dolls, these unrealistic perfect bodies cannot be actually attained in real life. (Travali) Young girls feel such pressure from the media to look like perfect Barbie dolls, and with the media Disney is a large part since the female heroines all have these perfect bodies. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among girls between the ages of 12 to 25. And even sadder is that the mortality rate associated with anorexia is twelve times higher than the average death rate for young girls for all causes of death. (Growing) Young girls buy outfits to look like their favorite Disney characters, whether it is for Halloween or to wear for fun, and they strive to look just like them. Even young boys feel the need to look like the heroes or Prince Charming, being physically fit and handsome. (Travali) These body image problems start at a young age thanks to the Disney franchise. A vast majority of children with body image problems start young with their exposure to Disney princesses and their perfect bodies, then over time as they see more media and media begins to mold their ideals for the perfect body. (B. P) This has negatively impacted the self-confidence of today’s youth. Growing up on Disney films has created a stereotype of attractive ideals that most youth have come to expect from society and it often lowers their own confidence when they cannot look like the animated characters or cannot find their â€Å"Prince Charming’s†. (B. P) The Disney Princess franchise has molded many youth throughout the years and never received criticism about ethnic diversity until recently. And even since The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, there is still criticism about the lack of diversity or from the other end of the spectrum, the bias that an African American princess is not a true Disney Princess. (May) Tiana is much different from the other princesses as she is more independent and has future job orientated goals, but of course has the Disney wish for a prince charming. Tiana was the first new princess since the Disney renaissance of the 90s and the first since Mulan was released in 1998. Disney has tried to create Disney princesses that would reach out to a greater racial audience. Creating princesses like Mulan, Pocahontas, and Tiana, has shown how the Disney Corporation has branched out to fill ethnic diversity. (May) But the Disney franchise is never safe from criticism, they have called out for making the ethnic diverse characters carry too many of the stereotypical features that are associated with their races. From Dumbo’s crows to the ear cutting barbarians in Aladdin to the savages in Pocahontas, Disney combined racial stereotyping into their characters. (Bartyzel) Another cause of controversy within the Disney Princess franchise has been transforming old characters into newer, sexier ones. Figure’s One and Two show the changes that the corporation has implemented. Figure One shows the changes made to characters Mulan and Pocahontas, and Figure Two shows the most controversial change with Merida from the movie Brave. Merida from the movie Brave was a character specifically designed to challenge the Disney princess stereotype, but instead of sticking with this endured hero and her making the movie the eighth top grossing film of 2012, Disney decided to give her the â€Å"princess makeover† and officially coronate her into a Disney Princess. The fiery, rebellious Scottish girl that audiences fell in love with was turned from her wild hair and conservative dress into a hardly recognizable character. Her hair was tamed, her breasts enlarged, a smaller waist, and a more form fitting and revealing dress was part of her becoming a certified Disney princess (Bartyzel). And from this transformation, Disney then decided to give all the princesses a new sexier makeover. In Figure One there is the original Mulan in the center top frame, and on either side of her is the new version. She has gone from a young Chinese woman to a girl with regular features, the only Asian aspects are that her skin is pale and the animators gave her Asian eyes. Pocahontas received lighter skin, an elongated face, larger eyes, and more makeup. But these changes did not go unnoticed by the public. In fact especially over Merida, there was a massive public outrage to the point that Disney released a statement that Merida’s makeover was not an official redesign but more of a one-time thing to go with her coronation. Disney was not expecting such a public outcry to these changes and has even lightened Mulan’s transformation having her wearing less makeup and the corporation has made no other references to doing any like that again (Bartyzel). Disney princesses can positively affect children in terms of mentality. Minus the body image problems, the more attractive characters are most of the time the bravest characters and great role models for children. While there are the negative aspects of these super attractive, unrealistic characters, they usually are the good guys and were actually transformed role models for the youth. (Klein) Princesses like Mulan, Merida, and Pocahontas are the heroes in their stories. Mulan showed young girls that they could have strength and protect their families and not be seen as the weaker sex. Merida showed girls that they did not have to conform to the princess ideals and instead be a fierce warrior. And Pocahontas showed there should be peace between people of other cultures and to take time to understand other customs that may be unfamiliar. (Bartyzel) The appearance of the characters affects children more so than adults. Studies about the attractiveness/unattractiveness of animated cartoon characters have shown that with a broad audience including children and adults, that the younger audience is more affected by the physical appearance of said characters in relation to their actions. (Klein) Beautiful people are more superior to those who are not. Psychologists in the early 1970s first thought that, â€Å"highly attractive people were smarter, more socially adept and generally superior to the rest of us, and they tend to live happier lives† (Jacobs). This harsh stereotype based on looks learned at an early age, impacts peer interaction. Kids begin to associate good looking people as being the good guys, and less attractive people as being the bad guys. The concept of judging a book by its cover. (Bazzini) Disney movies and the media go hand in hand with the ideals of beauty are good. While the media does not constantly showcase â€Å"beauty is good†, â€Å"ugly is bad†, in most advertisements, the idea is that sex sells. (Bazzini) The more attractive characters are happier and more apt to live ‘happily ever after’. This creates an ideal for youth that the more attractive they are, the more likely they are to find romance and have their own fairy tale endings. The more attractive a character is, the more likely they are to be loving. While there is a clear exception with this with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this is an accurate portrayal of most characters. (Klein) Research with kids has shown that they will lean more towards an attractive person. Consistent outcomes have shown that kids have â€Å"an overall greater desire to befriend an attractive peer, rate the child as more likely to be desired as a friend by other children, less likely to get into trouble and as nicer relative to an unattractive peer† (Jacobs). The beauty is good, ugly is bad stereotype is not only limited to the human animations. Studies show that kids even will view the cute, good animal like Flounder in Little Mermaid as the good guy rather than the big, bulky, mean Gantu in Lilo Stich. (Bazzini) The good is beauty and evil is ugly debate also brings ageism into light. In many Disney movies the older characters are portrayed as being more dependent on others or they are not present whatsoever in some films. (Jamieson) The media does not always support the less attractive characters, even if they are the good guys. Disney’s Pixar’s film Up, was turned down by investors and toy manufacturers because the main character was a grumpy 78 year old man, who by media standards was not commercially attractive. (Jamieson) Disney portrays characters in a one dimensional manner, and leaving out older characters affects children. In a 2007 study at Brigham Young University at Provo, found that animations could be a leading cause to ageism. The persistent portrayal of elders could lead to children forming the wrong impression of their seniors. (Leach) From the study at Brigham Young University, it looked at 93 characters that appeared to be by definition elderly in 43 Disney films going from Snow White to The Lion King. While the majority of these characters were actually good guys in the movies, the more memorable characters were the bad guys. Characters like the Wicked Queen and Cruella de Vil have been accused of creating a negative image for older people as in numerous films they are the villains. Cruella de Vil is seen as one of Disney’s most evil character. She is ominous with an unhealthy and frightening interest in the puppies, and has an obsession with their fur in 101 Dalmatians. (Womack) While the movies have good stories of triumph and moral battles, it creates greed. Part of the Disney franchise is to make sure their merchandise sells, and mostly their film merchandise, the need for movie novelties creates greed with young kids. To need to have more and more. (Wynne-Jones) A clear example of this is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at the Disneyland resorts, where girls can be transformed into princesses and boys into princes/knights. This shows the need to look like the film characters and the extremes that the parents will allow their children to go through by paying vast amounts of money to become â€Å"pretty†. Parents anywhere up to almost two hundred dollars for their daughter to be turned a Disney princess. These princess packages include anything from simple makeup to an elaborate, fully detailed princess outfit and getting to meet a Disney princess. (Disneyland) The need for Disney related propaganda has sparked discussion of whether Disney is â€Å"exploiting spirituality† to sell its products according to Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex. He brings the point that while the stories in the movies do have a moral message to take away from; it has in turn created an even more materialistic culture. Fr Jamison believes that stories have messages showing good triumphing over evil; he reasons that it is a ruse to convince people that they should buy Disney related products to be like those stories and characters in the films. Films like Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians have strong moral struggles, and they are also popular in terms of merchandise (Wynne-Jones). Fr Jamison strongly criticizes the Walt Disney Company for their selling tactics of their movie and character products to the public, â€Å"The message behind every movie and book, behind every theme park and T-shirt is that our children’s work needs Disney†. The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 and has grown into one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies. To date it owns eleven theme parks around the world, and several television networks. They own networks like ABC, ABC Family, ESPN, ESPN2, and the numerous Disney channels. In addition they have their Hollywood studios that have produced more than two hundred feature films, and have recently purchased Lucasfilm. (Wynne-Jones) While they are entertainment powerhouses, they are now seen as faces of many everyday household items. Disney related items include children foodstuffs like cereal or fruit snacks, to the ever popular Disney related clothing. Almost anything related to infant merchandise has some sort of Disney character on it whether it is clothing to diapers to pacifiers. The public is completely surrounded by the Disney franchise without even realizing it and it has become an engrained part of culture. People will say that these films are a major part of culture and that people are simply reading too far into these films. While this makes sense that it is just people simply overanalyzing these family oriented family films, but these films have truly affected the public in many different ways. The Disney films offer an escape from reality and open the door for imagination for the viewers. But even then the films carry such strong messages that can be taken too literally like to be a princess, one must have their Prince Charming otherwise they won’t be happy in life. This has led to children having these unrealistic expectations of how their life is going to play out like a fairytale. The Walt Disney Company started out so small in 1923 and has since turned into a multi-billion dollar global franchise. Who would have ever thought that a man making simple animation would turn into a global faucet? The Disney movies and franchise need to be careful and start taking into consideration the criticism about their role in media, society and the lives of the growing generations. They are the future, and they are filled with racial stereotyping, unrealistic body images, ageism, and the firm grip on society of a powerful, global corporation.

Similarities and differences of a leader and a manager

Similarities and differences of a leader and a manager The terms leadership and management are seen very differently by diverse people. Some individuals see these terms as synonyms and frequently use them interchangeably throughout phrases and sentences. Others approach them as extreme opposites; so extreme, in fact, they would argue that you cannot be a good manager and a good leader at the same time. Still other people reside somewhere in the middle and realize that while there is a difference between leadership and management, with the right knowledge an individual can successfully navigate both from the same position. The field of leadership has been a fast-growing part of management knowledge since the beginning of the 20th century. in most conceptions of management and organization, leadership has given a central place in enforcing principles, motivating employees and communicating future goals and visions to strive for. . Management and leadership have been partners in the successes and failures of countries and companies before the start of recorded history. The basic concept of both are well understood but despite a large amount of information available, there is still confusion and disagreement on the implementation of management skills vs. leadership principles. Successful creation of professional development program is dependent on the recognition that technical/management skills are learned abilities .they are the backbone of the companies core capabilities. These capabilities must b augmented with leadership attributes that allow the team to move forward in implementation of the core business (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007). (Ballinger,G Schoorman, F Lehman, D, 2006) The terms management and leadership are often interchanged. In fact, many people view them as basically the same thing. Yet management is as distinct from leadership as day is from night. Both are necessary, however, for a high-performance organization. By contrasting them and understanding their differences, we can better balance and improve these essential roles. Therefore, both are two distinctive and complementary systems of action and necessary for success in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment. Each has its own function and characteristic activitiesstrong leadership with weak management are no better, and are sometimes actually worse, than the reverse. the real challenge is to combine strong leadership and strong management and use each to balance the other. One key distinction between management and leadership is that we manage things and lead people. Things include physical assets, processes, and systems. People include customers, external partners, and people throughout our team or organization (or internal partners).when dealing with things, we talk about a way of doing. In the people realm, we are talking about a way of being. (Jovanovic, Z Sajfert ,D, 2009) There are differences between leadership and management. Leadership is influence and challenging future actions enterprises and it deals with effectiveness and manager efficiency. Managerial skills are prerequisite for leadership. it is possible to be an excellent manager, and to never become a leader. Good managerial skills not only provide the basis for good leadership, but also enough time to conduct, because it is not possible to become a good leader and the management of the operations do not happen successfully. Often indicates the following differences between the management and leadership. The leadership based on the relative impact and management in relation authority. The secondly, leadership and leaders engage followers, and the management of managers and perpetrators They are both complete action systems neither is simply one aspect of the other. Each has its own distinctive purpose and characteristic activities. People who think of management as being only the implementation part of leadership ignore the fact that leadership has its own implementation processes. Literature Review: 2.1 Concept of management (Haslam, 2004) Management is basically the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people and it tends to involve direction of day-to-day operational tasks, management and maintenance of budgets and deadline oriented, directing teams to achieve goals by establishing objectives. (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007) management the term which can be defined functionally as the action in measuring a quantity on a regular basis and adjusting an initial plan and the actions taken to reach ones intended goal . 2.2 Concept of leadership (Haslam, 2004) Leadership is quite possibly the most-researched aspect of social and organizational psychology. As a result, a lot has been written on the topic. have a look at the business section of your local bookshop and see just how many books are devoted to an attempt to explain leadership. It is fascinating to both academics and practitioners. (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007) The term leadership as a process or action that affects the actions of an organized group when it is heading for goal setting and goals. The main qualities of leadership are abilities for long-term strategic thinking, communication skills, integrity and ambition. in popular language, leadership usually refers to motivating and committing people- in short, leading people. leadership comes from personality. Companies spend a lot of time, money, and effort on the selection of their high-level leaders. Yet consistent leadership traits have been very difficult to identify. Two things that are clear are: (1) Leadership is a relationship between people. (2) An effective leader is different in different situations. Based on (Jovanovic, Z Sajfert ,D, 2009) leadership can be defined as the process by which members of a group activity directed toward the achievement of objectives. Here it can have several meanings:  · Leadership involves other people-the employees or followers that means not equal distribution of power between leaders and group members .  · Leadership is the ability to be in different ways using various forms of power to impact on the behavior of followers. 2.3 What is a manager? (Haslam, 2004)in many organizations, Manager is a formally conferred title. you can even go to college and learn to be a manager. Managers are possibly part of but often separate to the group they manage. Offices rarely have more than one office Manager. Being a good manager is about using the authority attached to your role well and appropriately. Managers focus on day to day tasks to make sure work is completed. They use rules and processes, tactical direction and control, to manage others activities. 2.4 What is a leader? (Kent, 2005) Leaders achieve change. They use ideas and dialogue to influence, inspire, help, and encourage change in peoples attitudes leading to changes in behavior. it is often said: management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things. leadership involves the risk of following new ideas to create opportunities, while management diligence produces tangible results. Being a good leader is very much about developing relationships. Sometimes they are personal, other times they are idealogical. Either way followers connect with the leader on a personal level. 2.5 Leading and managing (Haslam, 2004) Perhaps it is true that we must be able to see things separately before we can understand how they can  ¬Ã‚ t together. while it is recognized that the two processes, managing and leading, must work together and reside within the same individual, it is useful in order to understand each process more completely to comprehend them separately. It is argued then that the two processes, while distinct, cannot effectively work without each other working in tandem. From the standpoint of the purposes of the two processes, how effective is it for a leader to develop a vision for the organization and to muster support and motivation to pursue it if the manager in him/her does not procure and efficiently allocate the resources to accomplish the vision? Or, the manager can effectively select and allocate resources, but if he/she has no vision or sense of direction what is that allocation based on, and where is it taking the organization. Leading Managing purpose: To create direction will to pursue it through the development of peoples thinking and valuing. Products: The establishment of thrust toward a purpose or end the creation of social orderliness to carry out that thrust higher states of behavior and thinking in terms of principles, values, morality, and ethics. Processes : Creating vision, aligning people within a team, managing their Self, recognizing and rewarding, communicating meaning and importance of the vision. Purpose: To determine and compare alternative uses and allocations of resources and to select that alternative which is most energy effective toward accomplishing or producing a product, end or goal. Products : Resources, organized effort, and awareness of performance and progress toward goals the creation of a desired mode of working among people and other resources The creation of the most energy effective way of dealing with the causes of events and situations in accomplishing a purpose tied to a particular situation Processes : Planning, organizing, controlling, and coordinating. There must be a constant hand off, or changing of hats, within a single leader/manager to be effective. The leader part of the leader/manager develops the vision and sense of direction and the manager  ¬Ã‚ gures out how to get there in terms of the right alternative path, acquiring and allocating the resources that are needed. Wearing his/her leader hat he/she works the people issues and engenders commitment, and motivation while advancing the organizations ethics and values. Handing off to the manager in him/herself she insures that goals are set and helps determines the most effective way of accomplishing those goals. The mission is carried out through this constant handing off (within the same person) from leader to manager and back to leader. 2.6 Leading or managing (Kent, 2005) The leader/manager must act in the manner appropriate to the given context. If the vision is clear and well communicated, it is probably time to get working on its execution. That would include establishing goals, making assignments, following up and other managing functions. It is probably safe to say that most would agree that there are (at least) two signi ¬Ã‚ cant functions that are important to the success of any organization leading and managing. The two functions are, practically speaking, inseparable. Theoretically and conceptually, they can be differentiated. They can be studied, to some extent, separately. But in reality, they reside within, and are practiced by single individuals. Organizations need both functions in order to thrive. It is probably an acceptable proposition that most positions in modern day organizations that require some degree of leadership also require some degree of managing (using those words as de ¬Ã‚ ned above). but one might ask what is the degree of leadership and of managing that is required by a given position? Would it not be possible, given the argument to this point, that we could calibrate the leadership requirements of any position and the managing requirements of that position as well? We can imagine jobs that require a high degree of managing and a low degree of leading perhaps a manufacturing engineer who is responsible for installing a new section in a manufacturing line. this does not suggest that the job does not require any leadership. We might see that the engineer must gain the commitment of the line workers, enlist their cooperation, recognize their assistance and contributions, etc. but for the most part, the job requires managing many details and resources. yet a different job, say a team leader for a self-directed work team might be described as demanding a great deal of leadership and only some managing. again, the team leader must manage some things it is not that they have nothing to manage; but the greatest demand of the team leader is on her leadership. a third job, such as a project manager for a new product introduction, may require a great deal of both managing and leading. a fourth job, perhaps a receptionist in a law  ¬Ã‚ rm, requires little managing or leading.  ¬Ã‚ nally, some supervisory positions require the incumbent to perform the hands-on work itself, coordinate and problem solve the work, and to lead a number of others who are also performing the work. 2.7 How management and leadership can work together (Haslam, 2004) the difference between a manager and a leader is that a manager says, Go, while a leader says, Lets go. Management researchers concede that leadership is an integral part of a managers job, but how much depends on the circumstances. although some companies use job titles like team leader, a leader fulfils a role rather than a position. anyone in an organization could be a leader, given the right situation. This principle is sometimes used politically, where each person takes on the role as leader at different times. one well-known example is the rotating Presidency of the European Union, where each EU country gets a six-month turn at being the leader. The Presidential country is not the manager of the European Union. management tasks are dealt with in Brussels. during its term, the EU President takes care of diplomacy, both within and outside of the EU: a relationship issue. 2.8 Can a Manager be a Leader and a Leader be a Manager? (Ukko, J. Tenhunen, J . Rantanen, H., 2007) the answer to the question is yes. The skills to be a leader or a manager are not exclusive in nature. A leader who only displays leadership skills will be ineffective when it comes to checking time cards, completing employee reviews, and scheduling employee vacation time; things that employers require their managers to do on timely bases. Similarly, a manager who spends all his/her time completing paperwork and reading reports; only creates more problems for him or her because they lack a developing relationship with their employees. If you are a manager who has spent too much time managing and not leading his/her employees, start spending 10% of your time each week leading until you can establish 25% of your time in leadership practices. If you are a leader who only likes to lead, either become a politician, hire an assistant to be the manager, or start spending 50% of your time getting the paperwork done. 2.9 Differences between leadership and management (Lightfoot, W Kehal ,M, 2005) management and leadership are often considered interchangeable. Yet relatively recent evidence argues in favor of the two becoming separate disciplines related, but clearly different. Regarding leadership, there are set of fundamental truths about all leaders as follow : 1. Leaders always create (and need) change 2. Leaders always create (and need) followers 3. Leaders have a rock-solid value system, which is congruent with their followers. (Gill, 2005) the differences between management and leadership simply.Managers plan, allocate resources, administer and control, whereas leaders innovate, communicate and motivate. vision is one of the key differences between a manager and a leader. Other differences can be illustrated as follow: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about path following; leadership is path finding. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about planning and budgeting; leadership is about establishing direction. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management is about controlling and problem solving; leadership is about motivating and inspiring In addition , leadership represents one of the oldest, most natural and most effective of all human relationships. Management is a later product, with neither so romantic nor so inspiring a history. leadership is of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision; its practice is an art. Management is of the mind, more a matter of accurate calculation of statistics, of methods, timetables, and routine; its practice is a science. managers are necessary; leaders are essential. (Crevani,L. Lindgren, M. Packendorff, J., 2010) the biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of what they do. Many people, by the way, are both. They have management jobs, but they realize that you Cannot buy hearts, especially to follow them down a difficult path, and so act as leaders too. leaders manage and managers lead but the two activities are not synonymous. management functions can potentially provide leadership; leadership activities can contribute to managing. Nevertheless, some managers do not lead, and some leaders do not manage. There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. to manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. (Kent, 2005) one way to understand something is to identify how it is different from something else. Since the 1980s most scholars trying to understand transformational leadership have attempted to differentiate between leading and managing and to understand leading as something distinct and separate from managing. Some characterizations of these differences include the ideas of: managers do things right; leaders do the right things; managing is an authority relationship; leading is an in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence relationship; and managing creates stability; leading creates change. While these ideas are provocative and stimulating, they do not provide a basis for study and deep understanding of the dynamics behind the two processes of leading and managing. We can de ¬Ã‚ ne both the leading function and the managing function in three terms. Each term or perspective is distinctly different from the other two. the  ¬Ã‚ rst term provides the perspective of the purpose of each function. this answers the question why does each function exist? the second term describes the products or outcomes or results of each function. this answer the question what does each function result in or create? the third term has to do with the processes involved in each respective function and it answers the question how does each function come about, or how is each manifested? 3- Discussion Leaders have followers. Managers have subordinates. The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they inspire the people who work with. There are some key differences. Managers usually have people whose output they are responsible for. They have a positional authority over their follower and their output. Alternately, following a leader is always a voluntary activity. Leadership is often situational rather than positional the right person in the right place at the right time to lead the troops forward. It is clear that manager and leader both may know the business well. But the leader must know it better and in a different way. He must grasp the essential facts and the underlying forces that determine the past and present trends in the business, so that he can generate a vision and a strategy to bring about its future. One telling sign of a good leader is an honest attitude towards the facts, towards objective truth. Subjective leader obscures the facts for the sake of narrow self-interest, partisan interest or prejudice. Effective leaders continually ask questions, probing all levels of the organization for information, testing their own perceptions, and rechecking the facts. They talk to their constituents. They want to know what is working and what is not. They keep an open mind for serendipity to bring them the knowledge they need to know what is true. An important source of information for this sort of leader is knowledge of the failures and mistakes that are being made in their organization. Leaders investigate reality, taking in the pertinent factors and analyzing them carefully. On this basis they produce visions, concepts, plans, and programs. Managers adopt the truth from others and implement it without probing for the facts that reveal reality. . Leaders base their vision, their appeal to others, and their integrity on reality, on the facts, on a careful estimate of the forces at play, and on the trends and contradictions. They develop the means for changing the original balance of forces so that their vision can be realized.. The most dramatic differences between leaders and managers are found at the extremes: poor leaders are despots, while poor managers are bureaucrats in the worst sense of the word. Whilst leadership is a human process and management is a process of resource allocation, both have their place and managers must also perform as leaders. All first-class managers turn out to have quite a lot of leadership ability. We can sum up the key differences between manager and leader as follow: The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager is a copy; the leader is an original. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager imitates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person. To summarize, leadership and management are certainly different but are essentially complementary to each other. Manager uses a formal, rational method whilst the leader uses passion and stirs emotions If you want to lead employees to very high performance, treat them with great respect and not like robots, thus leading them to treat their work, their customers, each other and their bosses with great respect. Its vital for senior individuals in positions of great responsibility to be able to play both roles: the boss who cannot manage will kill an organization just as fast as one who cannot lead. But the person who can do both, they are on the path to success. 4- Conclusion Although there are clear differences between management and leadership or manager and leader, there is also a considerable amount of overlap . when managers are involved in planning, organizing , staffing and controlling , they are involved in management . Both processes involve influencing a group of individuals toward goal attainment.

The Importance of Joseph Conrad’s Congo Journey Essay -- Biography Bio

It was the year 1868. A young boy of about nine years of age stood looking at a map of Africa. The boy raised up his hand and stuck his finger directly into the middle of the â€Å"dark continent.† â€Å"When I grow up I shall go there,† said this boy with great enthusiasm (Conrad 13). Little did he know that some years later his childhood wish would come true. Joseph Conrad grew up to become quite the sailor, starting as an apprentice on a French vessel in 1875 and working his way to become a master of English ships from 1878-1889 (Jean-Aubrey 19). He spent fifteen years at sea, traveling to destinations all over the globe. After much traveling he returned home to Europe. While there, he tried desperately to find a new ship to command, but there were none available. He spent months searching and still could not find a ship to call his own. It was then, while stuck in Europe with nothing to do, that Conrad wrote Almayer’s Folly, his first novel. When Conrad was presented with the opportunity to go to the Congo in 1889, he did not hesitate. After months of correspondence between himself and members of the Societe Anonyme pour le Commerce du Haut-Congo in Brussels and the killing of a steamboat captain by natives in the Congo, Joseph Conrad was ready to journey deep into the heart of Africa. The first part of Conrad’s trip would take him to Brussels, where he would sign the final contract, obligating himself to serve for three years as an officer on river steamboats in the Congo. Conrad was to sail on the Ville de Maceio to get to â€Å"Boma, seat of the Government of the Independent State of the Congo since 1886† (Jean-Aubry 46). On the steamer, he traveled with a man by the name of Harou. He was a â€Å"Belgian officer who had mad... ...e, including â€Å"attacks of fever and gout† (Jean-Aubry 73). But, more importantly, the trip had changed who Conrad was. The best way to describe this change would be to quote his lifelong friend Edward Garnett who said, â€Å"Conrad’s Congo experiences were the turning-point in his mental life and that their effects on him determined his transformation from a sailor to a writer† (Garnett 8). Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. A Personal Record. New York: Harper, 1912. Garnett, Edward. Letters From Joseph Conrad 1895-1924. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1928. Jean-Aubry, Georges. Joseph Conrad in the Congo. New York: Haskell, 1973. Karl, Frederick Robert and Laurence Davies, eds. The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad Vol. 1-6. New York: Cambridge U., 1983. Najder, Zdzislaw, ed. The Congo Diary and Other Uncollected Pieces. New York: Doubleday, 1978.