Beethoven Essays (2869 words) - Classical Music, Music,

Beethoven Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770 to Johann van Beethoven and his wife, Maria Magdalena. He took his first music lessons from his father, who was tenor in the choir of the archbishop-elector of Cologne. His father was an unstable, yet ambitious man whose excessive drinking, rough temper and anxiety surprisingly did not diminish Beethoven's love for music. He studied and performed with great success, despite becoming the breadwinner of his household by the time he was 18 years old. His father's increasingly serious alcohol problem and the earlier death of his grandfather in 1773 sent his family into deepening poverty. At first, Beethoven made little impact on the musical society, despite his father's hopes. When he turned 11, he left school and became an assistant organist to Christian Gottlob Neefe at the court of Bonn, learning from him and other musicians. In 1783 he became the continuo player for the Bonn opera and accompanied their rehearsals on keyboard. In 1787, he was sent to Vienna to take further lessons from Mozart. Two months later, however, he was called back to Bonn by the death of his mother. He started to play the viola in the Opera Orchestra in 1789, while also teaching in composing. He met Haydn in 1790, who agreed to teach him in Vienna, and Beethoven then moved to Vienna permanently. He received financial support from Prince Karl Lichnowsky, to whom he dedicated his Piano Sonata in C minor, better known as The Path?tique . He performed publicly in Vienna in 1795 for the first time, and published his Op. 1 and Op. 2 piano sonatas. His works are traditionally divided into three periods. The first is called the Viennese Classical, the second is the Heroic, and the third is Late Beethoven. In the first period, his individuality and style gradually developed, as he used many methods from Haydn, including the use of silence. He composed mainly for the piano during this period. These works include Symphony no. 1 in C (1800), his first six string quartets, and the Path?tique (1799). His Moonlight Sonata in C# minor (1801) is known as the first of Heroic Beethoven. Beethoven learned that he would become deaf in 1802 and suffered sever depression. His composing skills were not affected by his deafness, but his ability to teach and perform was inhibited. It is said that he became deaf from his habit of pouring cold water over his head while composing, to refresh himself, and then not drying his massive amounts of hair afterwards. He wrote his only opera, Fidelio in 1805. The main theme of the opera revolves around fidelity, which reflects his personal desire to marry. Other works in the Heroic period include the Kreuzer Sonata (1803), symphonies 3 ? 7, the Violin Concerto in D major (1806), the Razumovsky Quartets (1806), the Emperor Concerto (1809) and the Archduke Trio, Op. 97 (1811). After 1813, during his Late period, Beethoven composed inwardly. He was totally deaf, as this is sometimes known as the "silent period." Some say that Beethoven was composing music for a different age. His life became more chaotic and he composed less and less. In his works, he used more miniaturization and expansion. The music began to become "odd" as he began to experiment with the number of movements, contrast in volume and dynamics, harmonic predictability, sonata movements and trills in his works. Beethoven became increasingly argumentative as he was further tormented by his deafness. Goethe described his attitude as aggressive, and perhaps understandable, but not easy to live with. He gave his last performance in 1814, on the piano, but continued to be a respected composer in Viennese society. Some of his late achievements include the Diabelli Variations (1820-1823), the last piano sonatas and six string quartets, the Mass in D major, Missa Solemnis (1823), the Choral Symphony, no. 9 (1824), in which he set Schiller's "Ode to Joy" in the final movement. At Beethoven's death in 1827, Franz Grillparzer best described him during his funeral address when he said: "despite all these absurdities, there was something so touching and ennobling about him that one could not help admiring him and feeling drawn to him." Berlioz Louis Hector Berlioz was born

Writing Your Thesis Proposal Like a Pro

Writing Your Thesis Proposal Like a Pro Satisfactorily completing a masters or PhD thesis- which includes background research, original research, and writing- indicates that you are qualified to join the community of scholars who advance our collective understanding of the world.Why write a thesis proposal?The purpose of writing a thesis proposal is to convince a faculty committee that you know enough to move forward with your Masters or PhD research. This transition from a masters or doctoral degree student to a masters or doctoral degree candidate amounts to a stamp of approval from the university, and comes with substantial benefits. You are authorized to conduct the proposed research, and can attach the universitys name to yourself and your research. Depending on the field and institution, this approval can come with direct financial support in the form of research or teaching fellowships.Approval of your thesis also comes with improved access to university resources, including faculty who can guide your research and c areer; research equipment and facilities; and specialized libraries, collections, and databases. A university affiliation also opens doors to many other resources. Do you need to interview survivors of childhood sexual abuse? Your recruitment flyers will get much better results if your name is followed with a university affiliation. Do you need tissue samples of rare brain tumors, or access to ancient Egyptian documents written on papyrus? That university affiliation will help.While a thesis proposal is specifically to fulfill academic requirements, youll likely use the same general strategy later in your career. You may write grant proposals to secure research funding from organizations like the National Endowment for the Humanities or the March of Dimes. You may write investment proposals to secure funding for the new drug your company is developing, or the new charter school you are planning with like-minded educators. In all these cases, you are describing a problem that needs t o be solved or a question that needs to be answered, and explaining why you and your idea deserve their support.What is in a thesis proposal?Different programs have different guidelines for a thesis proposal, but typical requirements are as follows:Title: A one-sentence summary of your thesis proposal.Project summary: A ~250 word summary of your thesis proposal. You should introduce your system and question, outline your research methods, and state your anticipated results and conclusions.Introduction: This section provides context for your research by providing background information on the questions being addressed and explaining how your work will fill a gap in our knowledge or change the way we think about something. You should also discuss why your study is of general interest. In the final introductory paragraph, clearly and concisely state your research question and hypothesis or hypotheses.Proposed study: Here you present, in as much detail as possible, the study you propose to conduct. Your study should be feasible with the time and resources that are available to you. It should also advance our collective understanding of the field, even if your hypothesis turns out to be wrong. Be sure to provide enough detail so that a reader with a basic understanding of your field can understand what you plan to do. Common techniques do not need to be explained, but be sure to describe the variations to the procedure that are specific to your experiment. Be sure to include appropriate controls, such as sham treatments for experimental manipulations. Consider your research methods carefully- do they really test your hypothesis or hypotheses?Anticipated Results: Consider the possible outcomes of your study, how you would interpret them, and how they would allow you to discriminate among your hypotheses. Will you be able to meet the goals you set out in your introduction? Be sure to consider how your anticipated findings would change the way we think about the topic and how they fit in the context of the field. This is also the place where you should consider potential shortcomings or limitations of your proposed study. You may also speculate on the generality of your findings and suggest follow-up questions that might stem from your work.References: Depending on your degree program and area of research, your reference list may include as few as 10 references (for a masters program involving a small research project) to well over 100 references (for a PhD program in an area of intensive study). The goal of earning a masters or PhD degree is to demonstrate competency as a scholar who can advance our collective understanding, so you must become familiar with the literature in your field of study. Plan on spending a lot of time assembling your reference list and working to understand the research described.Tables: If appropriate.Figures: If appropriate.How do I pick a topic?Whether youre working towards a masters degree or a PhD- or writing a the sis proposal as a classroom assignment- youll spend a lot of time working on your proposal. Be sure to start with a topic that is of genuine interest to you.In fields where research requires a lot of specialized equipment and resources- your possible thesis topics will be limited to what your thesis advisor and department are willing and able to support. In those fields (i.e., many of the biological sciences), you largely choose your thesis topic when you choose your department and your advisor. Choose carefully. Graduate students in these fields may spend less time choosing a thesis topic, but may spend more time on background reading in these areas of intensive study.Students in all fields will have some limitations. For sociology research, youll be limited by the populations you have access to. In the humanities, you may be limited by the availability of primary sources. If your research requires studying ancient calligraphy scrolls housed in a Taiwanese museum, you better be sur e you can get to Taiwan and gain access to those scrolls.Even with these limitations, the number of possible research topics can seem impossibly large. As you put together a list of possible topics, keep in mind that the goal of your graduate research is to contribute something new to our collective understanding. If you choose a research topic that has already been extensively studied- such as Shakespeares use of figurative language or unique characteristics of the bacterium E. coli- you will have lots of previous studies to wade through and few options for novel research.Photo by Matt Ragland on UnsplashOn the other hand, if you pick a topic for which there is almost no previous work- such as the romantic habits of homosexual Alaskan scuba divers- you will likely have trouble convincing your thesis committee that you can gather meaningful data in a reasonable amount of time. In general, you want to pick a topic that has been covered in existing research- or that is a straightforwa rd extension of existing research- but that still has many important, unanswered questions.Searching the literatureWhether you were assigned a research project based on what your advisor can support, or start with a list of interesting topics, your next step is to dig into the published literature.A good place to start is to read several recent research papers on your topic of interest; most papers suggest follow-up studies in the discussion section. Alternatively, a review paper often considers what research might be pursued next. Remember that this is a research proposal, not a literature review. For your selected topic, you need to develop a testable hypothesis- that you have the resources to test. This is where talking to your advisor, senior graduate students, and other people in your field is essential. They can offer insight on what is really feasible.As you read these primary research papers, notice that the format closely parallels the format of a thesis proposal. If the ti tle doesnt catch your eye, you are less motivated to read the project summary (or abstract). If the abstract doesnt sound interesting, you are less enthusiastic about reading the introduction. If the introduction doesnt clearly and convincingly describe why the research is needed, you are unlikely to care about the results. Aim to write a clear and convincing thesis proposal.Final commentsIt often helps to start with an outline. Be sure to include citations and a reference list in your outline and early drafts. It is imperative to correctly cite the previous work that has led to your thesis proposal, and many hours have been lost trying to track down lost citations.Be sure to follow your graduate programs guidelines for the thesis proposal. There are often specific requirements for the font, margins, word count, tables, figures, number of references, and how citations should be formatted.Be objective in your language: test hypotheses, do not try to prove them. Discuss your thesis pr oposal with your advisor, your classmates, and anyone who is willing to listen to you. Talking about your ideas often helps to clarify them, and others might catch errors that you may have overlooked. This is a major benefit of being part of a community of scholars.

Regulations (Human Resource) Employee Labor and Relations Class Research Paper

Regulations (Human Resource) Employee Labor and Relations Class - Research Paper Example education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, n.d.). The EEOC is created under Title VII of Civil Rights Act which enforces a range of federal statutes prohibiting employment discrimination. Thus any employer, employment agency or organization shall comply with all the rules and regulations in the act. EEOC stated that any individual who believes that his or her employment rights have been violated may file a charge of discrimination with EEOC and an individual, organization, or agency may file a charge on behalf of another person in order to protect the aggrieved person's identity (Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination Questions and Answers, 2009). Under the EEOC-enforced laws, compensatory and punitive damages may be available if intentional discrimination is found (Federal Laws Prohibiti ng Job Discrimination Questions and Answers, 2009). Sexual Harassment Law The case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company became the landmark case which led to the passing of the Sexual Harassment Law. In this case, Jenson filed a case to her employer because of the harassment they received while working in the mining company. They were harassed and abused and there were incidents of unwelcome touching, including kissing, pinching, and grabbing and offensive language directed at individuals as well as frequent â€Å"generic† comments that women did not belong in the mines, kept jobs from men, and belonged home with their children (Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company, 1997). Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Facts About Sexual Harassment, 2002). This discrimination includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual haras sment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment (Facts About Sexual Harassment, 2002). For any federal complaint, a person can file an action for sexual harassment with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The best way to get rid of any sexual harassment in the workplace is prevention, thus the EEOC encourages the employers are encouraged to take steps necessary to prevent sexual harassment from occurring by clearly informing their employees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated (Facts About Sexual Harassment, 2002). The employers should take an immediate and appropriate action when an employee complains through an established and effective complaint and grievance process (Facts about Sexual Harassment, 2002). American with Disabilities Act This act can be traced back t o the return of veterans of the World War I and an increase in industrial accidents

Legality of professional boxing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Legality of professional boxing - Essay Example Key focus is laid on professional boxing, with the current set of safety measures placed in consideration. The paper will source t support from future litigation involving the complaints associated to the brutal nature of the sport. Various sporting events source contrivances over their legality, and the ethical attributions accorded unto them. Boxing is amongst the most controversial sporting events in the history of recreation. The sport involves the utilization of fists over the opponent in a scenario akin to a fight. The difference between the two is the restrictions and the rules invoked in boxing. Additionally, boxing involves the utilization of officiating officers who oversees its success. However, the rest of the aspects of boxing may be confused to those of a fight with ease. There exists a sense of bad blood between rivals, a factor that fuels the energy witnessed in a match. Professional boxing, commonly referred to as PRO boxing has attracted an increased number of inter ests from the legal dimensions. This focuses on both its legality and the safety of the participants. However, prior to examining these interests, it is vital to examine the opinions shared by other partisans over the matter. This is because legal concerns are built from such interests. On this regard, the art of boxing invokes considerable number of support, as well as loathers in almost equal proportions. There are various reasons that explain this development. Amongst them is the central purpose of any sporting event. Analysis Sports are meant for recreation based effects, as well as physical fitness.1 While viewed from that dimension, boxing promotes this understanding via all of its aspects. The participants engage into rounds of action that help them keep fit. On the other hand, the fans utilize the moment for their recreation gains by enjoying each occasion. Under professional settings, the boxers enjoy earnings in as a supplement to their performance. PRO boxing is a real ca reer that can see the participants lead a successful life. The earnings coupled to the fights make the boxers adjust their lifestyles to a flamboyant one, while still boasting of fans under their names. Their determination that sees them several rounds of senseless thumbing may be echoed as a source of motivation to the respective fans. Boxers can thus be viewed as outstanding role models to the society. This, while coupled with their fame in the ring, assists to elevate their legacy in the glimmer of their fans, as well as the general public. Subsequently, boxing as a profession offers wide opportunities to make global tours. This can be utilized in funding other campaigns that steers towards unifying the community and eliminating various vices that affect certain communities. Some boxing tournaments may be established in support of certain ambitions for the welfare of the marginalized. This helps unite communities, as well as upraise the marginalized communities. Another vital con sideration in the field of boxing is the self will deployed in the acquisition of pugilists.2 This reflects on the understanding that the boxers are recruited into a combat by their own free will. The legal restrictions accorded to this process only focus on the age of the recruit. This is in accordance to the specification of the responsible country of citizenship. In a majority of the cases, eighteen is the ultimate age upon

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 BANDARI RAMESH Introduction Many of the countries are believed children are big resources of their country in the context of well being and development. According to the eminent person Herbert Hoover, 31st president of United States said that â€Å"children are our most valuable resources†. Therefore, government of the each country start many programs and laws for protecting children from various conditions. I would like to explore the topic about â€Å"Child labour (prohibition and regulation) act† in the year of 1986. Along with why government look into this act and provisions, what are the significant impacts of child labour by this act? These would be explained in the following paragraphs. First and foremost, what are the reasons behind causes of child labour, Child labour is socio-economic phenomenon. This phenomenon is trapped in vicious circle by poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, demographic expansion, deep social prejudices and above all the government interest are commonly consider as the most prominent causative factors for large scale employment children. It has been officially started that â€Å"child labour no longer of economic exploitation but it necessitated by economic necessity of the parents and many cases that of the chid himself†. Moreover, there are several causes which have failed to check out child labour. Particularly in India the causes of failure are poverty, low wage of the adult, unemployment, migration to urban areas, large families, lack of subsistence income and children ignorance by parents these are incentives to the children comprises in the activities. In order to tackle this problem government has initiated some acts before enacted this act that are Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 Mines Act, 1952 Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961 Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966 Due to improper implementation of existing acts and the lack media coverage these acts sufficiently not benefited to children. That is why; government has taken step to reduce child labour in the field of formal and informal sector. At that time act was come out that is child labour (prohibition and regulation) in the year 1986. In addition, Indian constitution provides many provisions to the child, prohibited child labour and it also mention the rights of the child. They are, Article 23: prohibition of employment children from factories Article 39: certain principles of policy to be followed by state that are referring to the secure of children that the health and strength of workers, men and women and the tender age of age children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter evacuation and unsuited their age and strength. Article 45: provision for early childhood care and education to the children below the age of six years. Article 21-A: right education the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children age of six to 14 year. Even though, children were exploited by the factories and small scale industries. Therefore, the government of India enacted that was â€Å"child labour (protection and prohibition)† in the year 1986. This is an act prohibit the involvement of children in certain employments of hazardous places and to regulate the conditions of doing work for the children in certain other employments of non hazardous nature. Although there are little legislation which prohibit employment of children below 14 years and 15 years in certain specified employments but there is no specified procedure laid down in the legislation for deciding matters relating to employment, occupation are processes which necessities the prohibition children employment therein. At the same time there is no law for regulating the working condition of the children in the most of the employments where employment of children is not explicitly prohibited and the children are working exploitative conditions. Therefore the m ain intension of this act basically, which is ban the employment of the children below the age of 14 years in the specified occupation and processes to lay down for procedure introducing modification to the schedule of banned occupations or processes from time to time whenever need arises to regulate the condition of the children in employment where they are not prohibited works to prescribe the enhanced penalties employment for children if they are violation by the employers and management as per the child labour(prohibition and regulation) act 1986 the committee addressed that is â€Å"child† means a person who has not completed 14 years old the act prohibit employment of children in engaging 18 occupations like, transport at passengers and goods or mails by railway, work relating to the at construction and railway works, foundries, handloom and power loom industry, mines and plastic factories, domestic houses and automobile workshops and garages. Similarly, 65 process works for example, beedi making, carpet weaving, manufacture of matches and explosive or fireworks as well different industries, factories, coal mines, manufacture industry above these placed in part A, part B areas. Regarding these works children are prohibited by this act under the act, â€Å"the child labour technical advisory committee† constituted to advice the central government for the purpose of additions of occupations and processes in the schedule parts the act regulates the condition of all employment in all occupations and processes The main provisions are, no child shall be permitted to work in any establishment in excess of such number of hours, as may be prescribed for such class of establishment. The period of work each day shall be fixed no time to exceed three hours and that no child should not work more than 3 hours. Moreover, every child employed in an establishment shall be allowed in each week, a holiday or whole day, which day shall be specified by the occupier In a notice, every occupier shall maintain, in respect of children employed or permitted work in any establishment, register should be available for inspection by n inspector at all times during working hours or when work is being carried on there is tendency first, should be noted nm end date of birth of the every child employed to work, hours and periods of work of any such child on the intervals of rest to which is entitled, the nature of work such child, like that related information should be prescribed. In addition, the government made ga zette form for chid basis on health and safety on the children employed as well addressed minimum amenities should be provided by the owner at the working places. When the children are working in hazardous places it is found by someone he has right to complaint to the near police station. In addition, consequences of child labour, it is impact children physical and mental growth development as well health disease like, respiratory problem, skin disease, they will become disabled, bone fractured. These are lead to ill development. Interventions Education is very important part of the development. Lack of schooling and engaging family needs daily then, studies have found low enrolment and high children employment, schools are the platforms for the early intervention against child labour. Child labour can be controlled by economic development increasing awareness and making education affordable across all levels, and enforcement of all anti child labour laws. The government of India has taken certain initiative to control child labour started a program in 9 district that is â€Å" NATIONAL CHILD LABOUR PROJECT (NCLP)† under the schemes funds given to the district collector for running special school for child labour as well under this scheme provides formal and non-formal education, vocational education and spends 100 rupees per month. In one hand, how this act impacts on children life, primarily, based on this act government has expended this act in 2008. As well as, two acts were came that are â€Å"the juvenile justice (care and protection) in 2000, this act made prevent the bondage child labour as well if any one procure the children for domestic and industry works those persons punished by regarding this act. In the year of 2009, government has made act for education to the child that is â€Å"Right to education (RTA)† by this act free and compulsory education to all children between six to fourteen years. According to this act government has addressed that 25 percent of seats should be allocate for the disadvantages people. Moreover, between the 1981 to 1991 national sample survey organization conducted 43rd round of surveys it’s convey that the estimates the number of children was to the tune of 17.30 millions. As per the 1991 census, revealed that the number of working children in India was 1 1.28 million. This Number gradually decreasing in the following years. Because implementation of labour act by the legislation. The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour to be at 12.6 million out of total 250 million of child population. This count was reduced to 5 million in the year 2009. The 2011 national census of India found that the national number of child labour , aged five to fourteen to be 4.30 million out of the total 260 child population. By this enumerate we have observed child labour was gradually reducing due to child labour acts as well another government schemes. For example, in the â€Å"domestic households† before implementation of act the children are working in restaurant and as a domestic labour more than 20 million than when the government of expanded the child labour prohibition and regulation act and banned the children from domestic works as result of, as per the 2011 census, less than 0.1 million children are engaged as a child l abours. In addition, effect of this child labour act 1986, influence on children education and health as well as human development these all are contributed to increasing Indian economy and human development index. This act has impacted on education of children as well it is lead to improve aggregate literacy rate by in the year 1981 total average literacy rate is around 44 percent. This was increased to 52.3percent in the year of 1991, as per the 2011 this literacy rate was increased to 74 percent we observed contribution of provision of act stop to children in work places and push them in to schooling as well according to the 2011 census, children are engaging a fewer in the factories and industry as a result, child death rates were gradually decreased. On the other hand, loopholes and weakness in the child labour (prohibition and regulation) act 1986, while prohibiting bonded child labours from hazardous industries also allow it to thrive in other forms. A child working in a factory consider hazardous and is not to allowed. But if the child is a part of family labour, he is allowed to work. Hence the act 1986 has a large scope of exploitation of children. If they could be brings under the family-child labour phenomena. Eventually, poverty is one of the important factors of raising child labour. Hence enforcement alone cannot help solve it. So the government has been laying lot of emphasis rehabilitation of these children and should be improving economic condition of their families. In India many NGO’s working for eradicate child labour like, CARE and CHILD ROGHT TO YOU, government need to boosting these NGO’s, similarly, government need to enforcing right to education in the tribal areas. Moreover, government has to be expanded NCLP schemes to maximized districts. Government should be takes a fore step to domestic child labour and extract laws from other countries and implement in India. As well, Supreme Court shall takes significant steps whether punishment or control for exploitation of articles 23, 24 and 21A. Individually who are educated they should be provide awareness to ST’s, SC’s and below poverty level people about important of child for our country development . References Fuller, R.G., (1994), â€Å"Child Labour and Constitution†, Ashish Publishing House,  New Delhi, page no.283. Dewan, V.K.,(2009), â€Å"Child labour A Socio-legal Perspective†, pentagon publication,  NewDelhi, p.582. Purushottam kumar,p., (2010,june 25), â€Å"Need to look in to Child Labour act 1986†, Lawers  Club India website., google.

Rappaccinis Daughter Essay: Allegory of the Garden of Eden

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the literal sense, Nathaniel Hawthorn's Rappaccini's Daughter is the story about the rivalry between two scientists that ultimately causes the destruction of an innocent young woman. However, when the story is examined on a symbolic level, the reader sees that Rappaccini's Daughter is an allegorical reenactment of the original fall from innocence and purity in the Garden of Eden. Rappaccini's garden sets the stage of this allegory, while the characters of the story each represent the important figures from the Genesis account. Through the literary devices of poetic and descriptive diction, Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the symbolism of these characters, as well as the setting. The story takes place in mid-nineteenth century in Padua, Italy and revolves around two major settings; the mansion of an old Paduan family, and Rappaccini's lush garden. The mansion is described as, "high and gloomy†¦the palace of a Paduan noble†¦ desolate and ill-furnished†¦" This description establishes a dark mood throughout the story. Hawthorne writes, "One of the ancestors of this family†¦had been pictured by Dante as a partaker of the immortal agonies of his Inferno†¦" The allusion of Dante refers to The Divine Comedy and the Inferno describes the souls in Hell. Furthermore, Baglioni converses with Giovanni in this mansion chamber and tries to manipulate him in his attempt to destroy Rappaccini. In a sense, the dark and gloomy mansion symbolizes the domain of evil. The second major setting is the garden. The author uses poetic diction to describe Rappaccini's garden. Hawthorne writes, "There was one shrub in particular†¦that bore a profusion of purple blossoms, each of which had the luster and richness of a gem†¦seemed enough to illuminate th... ...ce 35 (1989): 43-69. Male, Roy R. Hawthorne's Tragic Vision. Austin: Texas University Press, 1957. Marder, Daniel. Exiles at Home: A Story of Literature in Nineteenth Century America. Lanham: University Press of America, Inc., 1984. Norford, Don Parry. "Rappaccini's Garden of Allegory." American Literature 50 (1979): 167-186. Phal, Dennis. Architects of the Abyss: The Indeterminate Fictions of Poe, Hawthorne and Melville. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1989. Person, Leland S., Jr. Aesthetic Headaches: Women and Masculine Poetics in Poe, Melville and Hawthorne. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1988. Shurr, William H. Rappaccini's Children: American Writers in a Calvinist World. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1981. Waggoner, Hyatt H. Hawthorne: A Critical Study. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1955.  Ã‚     

Policy and Strategy in Global Competition Essay

Discussion Question 11.1: Why is it important for an organization to have alignment between its strategy and organizational structure? The relationship between an organization’s strategy and structure are extremely important because it â€Å"directly impacts a firm’s performance† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 309). Also, as an organization grows, it should reevaluate the current strategy and structure to ensure that it remains the optimal choice for the organization (Rothaermel, 2013). The four types of organizational structures, listed in order of least to most complex according to Rothaermel (2013), are: (1) simple, (2) functional, (3) multidivisional, and (4) matrix. The simple structure is for small firms or organizations that are just starting out (Rothaermel, 2013). The decision-making structure is quite flat, as â€Å"the founders tend to make all the important strategic decisions† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 309). Growth will often cause the higher-ups to feel o verwhelmed under this type of structure, requiring the organization to adopt a different, more complex structure (Rothaermel, 2013). A functional structure groups employees into teams, allowing for increased decision-making at lower levels of the managerial chain (Rothaermel, 2013). The opportunity for specialization allows for the functional structure to be employed with each of the business-level strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, or integration (Rothaermel, 2013). One of the hurdles to overcome would be the likely increase in difficulties which arise from departmentalization of the varying teams (Rothaermel, 2013). The best way to overcome such a hurdle is through cross-functional teams (Rothaermel, 2013). Whenever the organization seeks greater diversification, into varying product lines and service offerings, it will likely look into utilizing a multidivisional structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Under this structure, the organization is further compartmentalized  into strategic business units (â€Å"SBUs†) which are governed by their own profit-and-loss (â€Å"P&L†) responsibilities (Rothaermel, 2013). At this level, each of the SBUs is viewed as its own independent entity, pursuing its own profit-creating goals (Rothaermel, 2013). While organizations with a corporate-level strategy with a single or dominant business would be best served by a functional structure, organizations seeking related or unrelated diversification would be wise to utilize a multidivisional structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Lastly, the matrix structure is a combination of the functional and multidivisional structures (Rothaermel, 2013). It is most appropriate when an organization needs a structure which allows for both centralized and decentralized decision-making, and can be organized by geographic areas and product divisions (Rothaermel, 2013). While a global strategy does not automatically lend to a matrix structure, a transnational strategy which has the requirements above is better served through a matrix structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 11.3(a): What commonalities across the products would likely be enhanced by flexible cross-functional teams? Gore has product lines which include consumer products like guitar strings and vacuum filters, cables and cable assemblies, electronic and electrochemical materials, fabrics, fibers, filtration products, medical products, pharmaceutical processing, sealants, and venting products (Gore, 2015). Its product lines are used in industries ranging from aerospace and automotive to military and textiles (Gore, 2015). Gore utilizes cross-functional teams to help develop its many products within varying lines (Rothaermel, 2013). Cross-functional teams allow for individuals from differing functional areas within an organization to temporarily come together and work on a particular project (Rothaermel, 2013). These teams would allow for the differing products, though developed for a particular function, to be developed for use in more than one of the organization’s products (Rothaermel, 2013). As an example, the cables developed for aeronautics can likely be used in other electronic or automotive applications if developed by members from the appropriate cross-functional teams. Discussion Question 11.3(b): What would be your expectations of the type of norms found at W. L. Gore? Organizational norms â€Å"define appropriate employee attitudes and behaviors† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 318). The norms which exist at Gore likely arise from founder imprinting,  which means that Bill Gore, the founder of W. L. Gore & Associates, has helped to establish and define the company’s culture (Rothaermel, 2013). The organization’s four core values, stated succinctly, are: (1) fairness, (2) freedom, (3) individual commitment, and (4) consultation and collaboration (Rothaermel, 2013). These values, coupled with the open nature of the organization’s structure, result in organizational norms which encourage the free exchange of ideas and collaboration up and down the organizational ladder (Rothaermel, 2013). Employees, associates as they are called at Gore, likely show great respect to one another and to the customers for whom their products are developed (Rothaermel, 2013). Chapter 12 Discussion Question 12.1: How can a firm lower the chances that key managers will pursue their own self-interest at the expense of the stockholders? At the expense of the employees? Corporate governance tools are utilized to help align the interests of principals and agents, or organizations and employees (Rothaermel, 2013). A board of directors is one such tool which helps to prevent key managers to avoid pursuing their own self-interest at the expense of the stockholders (Rothaermel, 2013). A board of directors is independent, made up of both inside and outside directors, and answers directly to the shareholders (Rothaermel, 2013). Another tool is executive compensation which links compensation to the performance of the company (Rothaermel, 2013). This means that the CEO would receive certain stock options in lieu of pay (Rothaermel, 2013). If the company’s stocks are doing well, likely showing that the company is successfully operating, then the CEO receives greater value in the stock options (Rothaermel, 2013). The concept of the market as a corporate control has the potential to protect both stockholders’ and employees’ interests through a key manager’s fear of being replaced if the company performs poorly (Rothaermel, 2013). If a company is not performing well, then the stock prices will begin to plummet, increasing the opportunity for an entity to purchase enough shares to exert significant control over the company (Rothaermel, 2013). Such control would likely result in the removal of current management, and possibly the dismantling of the organization (Rothaermel, 2013). This clearly injures the management, employees, and shareholders of the failing organization. As  such, managers are motivated by the external market to perform well, thereby protecting the interests of stockholders and employees alike (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 12.2: Why are these two roles typically separated? Is it a positive development for so many firms to have a combined CEO and board chair? The two roles of management and ownership are typically separated to ensure that the board of directors maintains its necessary independence (Rothaermel, 2013). Where a board of directors is   The decline stage differs from those above, as it introduces four strategic options for firms to pursue: (1) exit, (2) harvest, (3) maintain, and (4) consolidate (Rothaermel, 2013). The exit strategy is precisely as it says: it involves the firm choosing to leave the market to pursue other endeavors (Rothaermel, 2013). The harvest strategy means that the firm will still sell the product or service, but will reduce the level of investment in its maintenance and development (Rothaermel, 2013). The maintain strategy is also exactly what it sounds like: the firm continues offering the product or service at the same level as it has been, despite the declining demand (Rothaermel, 2013). The consolidate strategy involves the purchasing of rivals in an effort to shrink the industry, which provides firms employing this strategy to reach near-monopolistic status (Rothaermel, 2013). References Rothaermel, F. T. (2013). Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Walmart. Our story. Retrieved on January 25, 2015, from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/