Thursday, October 31, 2019

Exam question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam question - Essay Example While it is irrefutable that not everybody can be creative, it is universally accepted that everybody can be rational. Andrews’ definition, therefore, exploits the very essence of every employee. Employees use logic on a daily basis, but they do not frequently express themselves in a creative manner. If reason is the most common attribute in employees, and creativity is scarce, then a majority of corporations rely on logic more than creativity. Andrews is, therefore right: strategy is a rational process that is accompanied by implementation based on administrative acumen. Ohmae’s views are only just starting to be embraced at the highest echelons of the corporate world (Wit & Meyer, 2010). For example, companies like Google and Apple have adopted strategies that emphasize creativity as much as logic. Organizational strategy is no longer about structures and efficiency. In the past, when logic dominated creativity, senior management was considered to be the preserve of business majors only. However, nowadays engineers can be found managing large business organizations and delivering results. While conventionalism and rigidity typified earlier management, the current corporate setting features and offers endless management opportunities to creative minds. While the balance has shifted in favor of creativity, the jury is still out as to whether it can match the proven record of logic. In past and current studies conducted on this subject, consensus has been that the generative approach to strategy needs logic to guarantee success, while the rational approach can deliver desired results – as it always has – in the absence of creativity. In the contemporary organizational environment, creative people are still dominated by rationally-inclined individuals (Lafley & Martin, 2013). For example, advertising agencies often have departments that are in charge of developing all the creative

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Explain The Relationship Between Money Supply And Inflation Essay

Explain The Relationship Between Money Supply And Inflation - Essay Example When money increases in quantity, the demand for it devalues consequentially. â€Å"According to Austrian Economics an increase in the money supply should result in inflation as the value of each old dollar is "diluted" by the printing of new dollars† (McMohan, 2009). Different theories of economy offer different explanation for the influence of money supply on inflation. According to the theory of quantity of money, which is often referred to as monetarism, relationship between the two terms is interpreted as MV = PT, where M = money supply, V = Money Velocity, P = Price Level, and T = Transactions (Ellis, 2011). Other terms being constant, price level is controlled by the money supply. As the velocity of money and the transactions generally remain constant, this essentially means that increase in the supply of money directly increases the price. Likewise, decrease in money supply decreases inflation. On the other hand, the Keynesian theory suggests the existence of several o ther factors that can influence inflation and price level, in addition to the supply of money. â€Å"Generally, the Keynesian theory stresses the relationship between total or aggregate demand and inflationary changes† (Ellis, 2011). Money supply is often varied to control the inflation. When the government intends to lower the inflation in a certain region, central banks stop lending the money frequently and raise the rate of interest. As a result of this, inflation drops. However, when it goes below the intended level, the lending patterns are loosed so that the economy may be stimulated. In other cases, when release of money becomes unreserved, it results into the situation of hyperinflation. When a bank issues loan, it adds to the amount of money in circulation, without a net increase in the wealth (Anon., n.d.). Economists mutually consent that an increase of inflation above 50 per cent per month is the symbol of inflation. The inflation typically increases when the incr ease of money supply is not accompanied with an equivalent increase in the production of goods. In a vast majority of cases, the federal banking system is used to impose limits of the trends of lending and setting interest rates. If more money is supplied at equilibrium, it makes the interest rate ti go down because the supply of money far exceeds the demand (Hornle, 2007). In order to keep that from happening, the federal banking system decides the limits making use of the economic data. Sometimes, it becomes hard to estimate the money supply, particularly when the trends changes constantly. The supply of money may increase frequently as a result of change in the patterns of storage of money on the part of people. The following chart displays the supply of money from 1985 to 2008. The per cent change in money supply of one year has also been shown: Supply of money vs inflation (McMohan, 2009). M1 is generally considered as the most accurate measure of supply of money in that M1 mea sures money in just its most liquid states. M1 is just limited to the currency that is in the public’s occupancy in various forms which include but are not limited travelers’ checks, and checks for money deposits. Sometimes, increase in the supply of money may not cause the inflation to increase. Certain factors play a role in it that include but are not limited to the speed of circulation of money, increase in the capacity of productivity and the state of economy. Increase in real output is one

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Found Footage Phenomenon Film Studies Essay

The Found Footage Phenomenon Film Studies Essay The Blair Witch Project is a story of an attempt of three documentary film students to investigate the legends of the Blair Witch. Apparently skeptical, Heather, Joshua, and Michael enter the woods around Burkittsville, Maryland, with two cameras. Heather was determined to document everything in  «as straightforward way as possible ». As the documentarians go deeper, the friends become unsure of their whereabouts. Soon, they realize that they have lost their way. At night, the filmmakers hear bizarre noises, and in the morning, find three fresh rock mounds built outside their tent. The mood is charged with fear, frustration, and anger as the trio is trying to find their way out of the woods but seem to be entrapped and walk in circles. Their sense of doom is enhanced as one night, Joshua vanishes without a trace. Following his screams, Heather and Michael come to a deserted house in the woods. They go inside and search everywhere until Michael runs to the basement claiming that h e has heard Joshua there. The footage ends with Heather screaming and dropping the camera on the floor, the last image being of Michael with his face to a wall in the semi-dark basement. Being a mockumentary, The Blair Witch Project primarily draws on all the elements of the documentary genre to achieve its effects. While the movie was being created, the directors launched a marketing campaign by creating a website with fake reports of the three filmmakers missing and documents of the Blair Witch. Thus, as Emily Shaw points out, billed as a factual piece, the phenomenon quickly gained a cult following (386). It should be remembered that the impression produced by a documentary film is that of greater authenticity than made by a fictional film. According to Joseph H. Boggs and Dennis W. Petrie, even the first documentary productions emanated from what we could call the documentary urge of their creators, who wished, quite simply, to document life » (460). However, the implication of the genre from which found footage takes its roots is more complex as documentary pictures do not merely record objective reality. Like nonfiction literature, a nonfiction film inevitabl y presents the subjective vision of its maker as well (461). Therefore, it is the blend of grainy-film objectivity and the subjective first-person narration of the camera-holder that seems to make the found footage genre so appealing. The director of photography of The Blair Witch Project Neal Fredericks recalls that most of the video footage was shot by Donahue, which was designed to provide a more immediate, you-are-there feeling for their day-to-day behind-the-scenes experiences on this fictional class project. Ive had some experience transferring video to film, so I knew that when we eventually transferred all of the footage to a 35mm print, the aesthetic qualities of the 35mm film would take some of the edge off the video, making it a bit softer and more pleasing to the eye (Pizzello, 100). Film experts have applauded Myrick and Sanchez for the enticing rawness of their approach. For example, Melinda Corey and George Ochoa noted that the movie shot on 16mm black and white and color digital video, was commended for its documentary style, blurring the lines between reality and fiction (131). Another expert, Kevin Harley, called The Blair Witch Project a guerilla-indie hit that, while drawing on mockumentary self-consciousness, channeled raw edge-of-sight fear. Blairs ambiguities amplify its resonances (110). The effect of their first-person narration technique of The Blair Witch Project was fascinating at the time; however, Myrick and Sanchez successors have since considerably ameliorated their method. The use of mirrors, for example, in Chronicle (director: Josh Trank, screenplay: Max Landis, cinematographer: Matthew Jensen), a story of three high-school students who acquire telekinetic powers, or Paranormal Activity (written, directed and filmed by Oren Peli) was innovative for the genre. In Chronicle, the mirrors not only advance its protagonists Andrews characterization as a narcissistic teenager but also help to make the movie more visually sophisticated than the early specimens of the genre. In Paranormal Activity, mirrors hint at its protagonists Katies and Micahs double selves as well as their relationships gradual disintegration. Another improvement in the found footage genre has been its expansion from the domain of horror (i.e. witches, spirits and daemons) to the science fiction film as illustrated, for example, by Cloverfield (2008) and Chronicle. The critic of culture Bruce Kawin has made a distinction between the effects that horror and science fiction films produce on the viewer. According to him, one goes to the horror film in order to have a nightmare, a dream whose undercurrent of anxiety both presents and masks the desire to fulfill and be punished for certain unconventionally unacceptable impulses. Moreover, Kawin claims that science fiction appeals to consciousness, horror to the unconscious (qtd. in Boggs, Petrie, 422). Another cultural critic J.P. Telotte commenting on sci-fi filmmaking points out that the genre has obviously staked out as its special territory the latest possibilities of artifice through the very latest of technological development in cinema. Tellote goes on to compliment the creators of science fiction films for finally making this artifice seem to be less its end than its methodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ simply a most effective wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for gauging the human (qtd. in Boggs, Petrie, 422). It is true that found footage films have progressively focused on exploring the human condition. One of the pervasive themes that unite The Blair Witch Project, Chronicle, and Paranormal Activity is their respective characters inability to cope with reality and isolation; besides, their handheld cameras play a vital role in this. One of the directors of The Blair Witch Project Eduardo Sanchez claims that he drew his inspiration for the movie from such movies as The Shining and The Exorcist. And just like in The Shining (produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick), a 1980 film about a janitor going insane in a snowbound hotel and taking it out on his wife and child, the pervasive theme of Myrick and Sanchezs mockumentary is psychological and physical isolation, which, acco rding to Sanchez, is the key to horror films (Fletcher, 29). While the three young filmmakers searching for the evidence of the Blair Witch find themselves cut off from the outside world, their leader Heather, perhaps, has always been so, for as Joshua half-jokingly remarks to her at one point in the movie: We see why you like this video camera so much. Its not quite reality. Its totally filtered reality. Its like you can pretend everythings not quite the way it is. Heather has no comment on this, but Joshuas banter is echoed in Chronicle, where Steven questions Andrew about always putting up a camera between himself and the world as a barrier, whereas in Paranormal Activity, Katie repeatedly blames Micah for preferring the camera to human communication. However, while no reasons are given for Heathers self-isolation behind her cameras eye, the subject is much better elaborated in more recent found-footage. In Chronicle, it is obviously Andrews abusive and alcoholic father and the terminal illness of his mother that drive him to conquer reality through the camera lens. In Paranormal Activity, Micahs camera plays a role of its own, initially used by him to identify the supernatural activity in the couples house but actually stimulates its outbursts and brings about his demise. It is noteworthy that modern home-video-look directors have detached the camera from the actor, thus defying the very notion of handheld and not without success. For instance, the telekinetic high-schoolers in Chronicle can make the camera float in the air, just like they do, or, like Micah in Paranormal Activity, leave it working on a tripod and review the footage later, thus creating a juxtaposition of the past and present-time planes in the narration something unimaginable in the early found-footage days. Moreover, unlike the late 20th-century hand-held cam fiction, the modern found-footage makers have increasingly been using conventional themes and narration techniques. Chronicle, for instance, is nothing but an account of a duel between good and evil, a subject common to dozens of Hollywood productions that even transcends the limitation of one plot line: the initially ambiguous but eventually fixed relationship of Matt and Casey is opposed to the chronicle of Andrews downfall. Furthermore, Chronicle appeals to its target audience by addressing the adolescent obsession with sex as well as the nerd-turned-Superhero theme, whereas the violent outbreaks of Paranormal Activity could be seen quite conventionally as an artistic metaphor for the love-hate relationship between Katie and Micah. The success of this hybrid approach has made even the forefathers of the found-footage genre redefine their priorities. According to one of the men behind The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sanchez, he has recently been frustrated by the idea of always having to have the camera on. This year, Sanchez has released Lovely Molly, a horror film shot partly with the help of handheld and partly with conventional camera. The director says, Whether its found footage or conventional filmmaking, a good idea will transcend (29+). Works Cited Leonard, Michael Williams. Artisan Entertainment, 1999 Boggs, Joseph H., Petrie, Dennis W. The Art of Watching Films. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000 Buzz Section. The Movie Book of Records. Total Film. Dec. 2007: 44-45 Corey, Melinda, and George Ochoa, Eds-in-Chief. The American Film Institute Desk Reference. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. , 2002 Harley, Kevin,  «History of Horror. The 90s. » Total Film. Nov. 2007: 110+ Pizzello, Stephen. Rev of The Blair Witch Project by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. American Cinematographer. Apr. 1999: 97-100. Sanchez, Eduardo. Director Interview: Lost and Found. Total Film. Issue 195 (2012): 29+ Shaw, Emily. Daniel Myrick. Contemporary North American Film Directors. A Wallflower Critical Guide. London and New York: Wallflower Press, 2002

Friday, October 25, 2019

False Perception of Equality in Society Essay example -- Literary Anal

In Kurt Vonnegut’s story, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† everyone is made equal by the United States Handicapper Genera1 while the country is under totalitarian control. Handicaps are forced upon the people by the Handicapper General to create an all-equal society. The character George Bergeron is forced to stay equal by the government’s laws of equality while his wife, Hazel Bergeron, is of only average intelligence, and consequently not given a handicap. Their son, however, has broken the laws of equality and is fugitive of the United States Handicapper General. The conflict between the United States Handicapper General and the Bergeron family helps to establish and develop the theme of a false perception of equality. George and Hazel Bergeron help to establish the theme of the false perception of equality in the society: â€Å"George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear† (1200). The handicap radio sends sharp noises ever few minutes to break his thought process. This handicap stops George from having an advantage over anyone in intelligence. George is also forced to wear a handicap bag around his neck to make him weaker: â€Å"She was referring to the forty-seven pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag, which was padlocked around George’s neck† (1201). In the eyes of the society these handicaps make him equal. His wife Hazel, however, does not have a handicap that she is forced to wear: â€Å"Having no mental handicap herself† she is already average, so there is no need for a physical or mental handicap (1200). The story explains this, â€Å"Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn’t t hink about anything except in short bursts† (1200). Hazel and George are a clear example of wh... ...he ballerina, the musicians, and Harrison all have the desire to break free of the government’s false perception of equality, for they acted out of accordance when given the opportunity without fear of punishment In the story the government has created an all-equal system in order to control society and to stop any chance of revolt. The government has clearly succeeded in their goal of brainwashing Hazel and George into believing in the system of equality even when it clearly has major flaws. Vonnegut’s point to the story is that Harrison has fallen short of the government’s accord causing chaos and proving that an all-equal system exists only for totalitarian control. The irony is that the gifted individuals are given handicaps and the average people are left free of any constraints, and the truth is, that within the equal society inequality is the sovereign.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Proposal for Innovation Day

Although there are many varieties of daikon, the most common in Japan, the aokubi-daikon, has the shape of a giant carrot, approximately 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) in diameter. One of the most unusually shaped varieties of daikon cultivated in Kagoshima Prefecture is the turnip-shaped sakurajima daikon, which often grows as large as 50 cm (20 in) in diameter and weighs as much as 45 kg (100 lb)( Japan National Tourist Organization, 1975 p. 837). The flavour is generally rather mild compared to smaller radishes.Korean varieties are larger and rounder than the typical long, thin Japanese types and are often spicier. (Chronicle Books, 1999. p. 10) Radishes are moderately high in Vitamin C, carotene and contain properties that appear to be beneficial for symptoms of colds, flu, fever, cough, respiratory problems, and digestive disorders. Radishes also is a good appetizer, mouth and breathe freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation , is a good treatment for headache, acidity, constipation, whooping cough, gastric problems, gallbladder stones, dyspepsia etc.Radish is especially beneficial for liver and gallbladder functions. It regulates production and flow of bile and bilirubin, acids, enzymes and removes excess bilirubin from the blood, being a good detoxifier. It also contains enzymes like myrosinase, diastase, amylase and esterase. It protects liver and gallbladder from infections and ulcers and soothes them. [4] Laboratory analysis shows the juice of raw daikon is abundant in digestive enzymes ssimilar to the ones in the human digestive tract.These enzymes are diastase, amylase, and esterase, which are known to transform complex carbohydrates, fats and proteins into compounds that is easy to assimilate. Raw daikon is a staple of the Japanese diet; it is used to complement most meals. Shredded daikon is used with fish and tempura dishes, and helps those with a compromised digestive system. The scientists in Japan at Tokyo’s College of Pharmacy have discovered that daikon juice actually inhibits the formation of dangerous chemicals in the body.One such chemical nitrosamine, a type of carcinogen, can form in the stomach from the chemicals in both natural and processed foods. Daikon juice contains substances called â€Å"phenolic compounds,† which can block this dangerous reaction. [5] Kingdom| Plantae| Division| Angiosperms| Subdivision| Eudicots| Class| Rosids| Order| Brassicales | Family| Brassicaceae| Genus| Raphanus| Species| R. sativus| Vvariety| R. sativus var. longipinnatus[1]| Table 1 : Scientific classification of Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus 2. Ananas comosus Figure 2-Ananas comosusAnanas comosus or pineapple is a tropical plant with edible multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries [6] as it is commonly known as is the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceae family. [Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge, Geo; Freddy Leal (2003)] Pineapples may be cu ltivated from a crown cutting of the fruit, possibly flowering in 20–24 months and fruiting in the following six month. [8][9] Raw pineapple is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, containing 44% and 58% of them per 100g respectively.Bromelain purified from pineapple stem or juice, has a wide vvariety of health benefits, and that many of these benefits may not be related to the different enzymes found in this extract. Excessive inflammation, excessive coagulation of the blood and certain types of tumor growth may all be reduced by therapeutic doses of bromelain when taken as a dietary supplement. Potentially important chemical differences appear to exist between extracts obtained from the stem versus the core fruit. However, the practical relevance of these differences is not presently understood.Although healthcare practitioners have reported improved digestion in their patients with an increase in pineapple as their â€Å"fruit of choice† within a meal pla n, we haven't seen published studies that document specific changes in digestion following consumption of the fruit (versus supplementation with the purified extract). [10] Bromelain also works to neutralize fluids to ensure that they are not too acidic. It also helps regulate the secretions in the pancreas to aid in digestion. Apart from that, since bromelain has protein-digesting properties, it can keep the digestive track healthy.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Conflict Management Plan

1. Identify the available conflict management strategies and their strengths and weaknesses.Strategy Strengths Weaknesses CollaborationMakes the team stronger while building morale. Ability to problem solve. Sharing in responsibility Not sharing same ideas Causes most popular vote Can be time consuming while coming to an agreement CompetitionForces team to think outside the box for better results Cause team members to disagree and never reach a solution AvoidanceRefocuses team to real problem Takes personal feelings out of the issue Problem still exist Team relationship becomes taintedAccommodationAllows the team to come to a resolution by giving and takingRequires some team members ideas to be put on the back burnerCompromiseAllows team to come to a solution in a timely mannerMay effect team negatively if one member feels they compromise more than others2. Which of the available conflict management strategies is most appropriate for the current situation with Clyde and Dan? Provide your rationale, including what factors you considered in making your selection. Your response should be at least 100 words.The most appropriate conflict management strategy for the current situation is collaboration. I feel if both men are brought together to discuss their issues in a non-hostile environment then the real problem will present itself. This will allow both team members to voice their opinions and a resolution can be offered up.Once the problem is in the open they can focus on how to resolve it. I made this selection because it sounds like maybe it could be a personality conflict with a lot of he said she said. The only way to resolve it is to know what the real problem is. The only way to know that is to bring the men together to talk about it.3. If the selected strategy is not successful, what is your alternate strategy? Provide your rationale for this selection. Your response should be at least 100 words.If the first strategy is not successful then the next option i s avoidance. This will force the team members to put their personal feeling toward each other aside so that they can focus on the project. Team members will not always get along. How they feel about each other can be a problem, but as long as they can put those feelings aside for the betterment of the team then they can focus on the common goal. As long each of the of participating and sharing the work load the team can be successful.4. What potential road blocks might be encountered in resolving the conflict? How would you address these? Your response should be at least 100 words.Some potential road blocks is the team members are hell bent on not working together. When every option for resolving the problem has been exhausted then there may be a need for different measures. The idea is to keep the team together and focused on the project. If the actions of these two men  lower the morale of the team and make it impossible to work together then it is my recommendation both team me mbers be replaced. The focus is the team and the project.