The Reality Of Cornflower Skies free essay sample

When I looked up at the sky one fateful day ten years ago, a woman in a long wool skirt and v-neck sweater (trademark of the small private school I attended) said the sky was blue. I thought it looked a bit like the color of the cornflowers I put in my hair come spring. The color above seemed so much more elaborate than a plain, flat blue-colored plane, so I just nodded my head at her answer still thinking cornflower was the way to go that particular morning. Later on in the years I spent wearing gray and blue plaid skirts, I learned a lot of things I nodded to, but disagreed with. The whole fuss of finding the different object in our glossy workbooks of knowledge bothered me. Often I, myself, felt like that square in a line of circles, and I enjoyed it because it was an adventure. We will write a custom essay sample on The Reality Of Cornflower Skies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I looked at my own scarlet-colored dress shoes on dress-up days, glanced at all the other girls wearing nearly identical black patent leather, and smiled because the color amused me. It was as if I was the only one who understood the beauty of cornflower skies and scarlet shoes. The other girls put an X over me, just like Sister Lilian had us do in our math books when there was a pear in line with a row of apples. I never liked the idea of defacing the object that separated the boring pattern of mass-produced likeness, and it was always a tough chore swallowing down the X over me, but l nodded and did my math, and I nodded and wore the scarlet shoes. The different viewpoint I had separated me from the other girls and their club behind the big oak tree in the schoolyard. I saw their black patent leather shoes through the years peer out at me, and I longed for company, so I picked up a book of poems one day and made friends with all of the characters with fondness for color who would say that the sky was cornflower, or violet, or something other than the plain flat blue the girls behind the tree saw. And those girls hung out at the malls and their friends bedrooms, putting on mak-eup and talking about the issues one hears on a weekly TV teen show. I started to make friends with them, nodded to their empty conversation, and found my way home to my room or to the beach outside my house, to sit with my current book to read reverently, thinking in color and saying aloud the fancy words the girls behind the tree never used. Almost four years have passed since I graduated from that little school and moved on to the huge world of public education. I have found that there are others like me, who see the world painted in different tones and colors. My view of the world continues to expand as I open up to these people and places who each have their story to tell, and a different sky to view. Soon Ill be done with high school, still wearing my scarlet shoes and gazing into the cornflower sky of my own reality. With my history studies and my memorization of algebraic equations, perhaps I will also carry around something more important than just the knowledge I nodded to and learned in classes. Perhaps I will have retained the desire to touch, taste, and wonder about knowledge, never wanting to deface anything simply because some educated person says it doesnt belong.

The Truman Show Essays

The Truman Show Essays The Truman Show Paper The Truman Show Paper National Product of a small country. You have to remember the show has no breaks for adverts so therefore there are product placements throughout the film. For example every morning Truman is always pushed against a billboard for a few seconds by the two twins advertising Kaiser chicken, etc, Mococoa drinking chocolate, the Chefs Pal, etc. Even though the show has a very retro feel to it, the cars in the programme are always the latest models and are always the top brands of car. Trumans car itself is very new and made by one of the worlds top brands. By the show having the latest brands of car it means the Truman Show producers can ask the car companies to pay top dollar in order to have their car featured on the show, It also probably works out cheaper for the shows producers to have car companies provide cars then them buying prop cars. We are informed in the film that everything in the show is for sale and everything is available from the Truman Show catalogue, for example you can buy Truman cushions, t-shirts and baseball caps. When we are in Truman bar there is an old episode playing when Truman meets Lauren for the first time and the member of staff tell us, all you can watch that on the Truman Show video collection. The viewers can even buy videos of the Truman Show, to watch at their pleasure. I think this could be Peter Weirs way pf telling us that the modern world is full of product placements and advertisements, that the world us a very commercial place to be living in, in this century. In the last half of the film Truman starts to realise that everything isnt quite what it seems and that something is seriously wrong in his life. In Seahaven all the cameras are hidden; in the radio in Trumans and behind the mirror in Trumans bathroom. There are many cameras in different positions so the viewers get a better view of what Truman is doing. As for us (the viewer watching The Truman Show film) the whole concept of the film is not reality, but the worlds of the production team and the audience of the T.V show are filmed as if they are. Peter Weir does the opposite of normal filming i.e. we can see the mask of the camera lens i.e.when Truman is in his car and the camera is behind the dial in his radio. Peter Weir shows us the mask of the camera because he is creating a surveillance theme on Truman and to show that its not reality. Peter Weir also used hidden cameras in surprising places like in the mirror and the dogs collar. This distinguishes that we are watching the world of Seahaven (The Truman Show T.V). Peter Weir uses high angles at Truman meaning that he is the star of his own show. There is also a shot were the camera turns upside down, the camera was in the pencil sharpner and whilst Truman was sharpening his pencil the camera was upside down this also suggest that Trumans World will turn upside down and that everything will change sides. Christoff the director of The Truman Show T.V also does adverts for the show because The Truman Show T.v is being broadcasted world wide and will have a lot of dedicated fans buying products that are advertised via the show. When Meryl is advertising the multi purpose knife/kitchen gadget, Meryl is in the centre of the shot and purposely holding the product so the camera will have a good direct shot at the product. Our perspective is manipulated, as the product is shown bigger then it is in real.The camera does a close up on the product to show the viewer what they are advertising. When Meryl has stopped advertising, Truman asks her what the hell are you talking about! he says this because he had noticed a change in Meryls behaviour and wanted to know what was going on. The whole concept of advertising is to separate money from The Truman Show t.v ; this is the real motivation behind the show.  Wendy Stites, the films visual consultant chose the costumes for the actors to ware. Wendy got her ideas from a book called Everyday fashions of the 1940s. Wendy worked with Marilyn Mathews a cloths designer, Marilyn said Our challenge was to avoid making costumes too Cornish and also not to make them too tied into a specific period of time. By this they concentrated on checked patterns (which Truman wares) and red,black and yellow are worn by the other actors. Truman stands out because he often has creases on his cloths and the texture is rugged. All the other chracters i.e Meryl wares clothes that are perfect with no creases or any signs of ware. Meryls cloths are steroetypically feminine; as the colours she wares are mainly pink and femine colours. We often saw that trumans clothes were rugged and had creases on them. This may suggest that truman is having a mid life crisis.

Business Communication Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Communication Writing - Assignment Example It is of the essence for one to record whichever thoughts we have on these steps such that by the time you start working on the writing, you would not have forgotten your thoughts on these steps. It might look like cutting out some steps to make one of them actually more efficient and saving time. However, contrary to this belief, the first few steps are the most crucial since they give a writer a clear frame of mind of what you are about to say. Â  Planning messages saves time and improves efficiency, though some writers argue that it is all a waste of time since the plans are inevitably changed. Your answer to this argument is indeed correct since first and foremost planning helps the writer to know what to say in the write-up. Secondly, planning makes the actual writing of any paper much faster and easier since one can better allow the time to take for each step of the writing process. Lastly, through planning, the time saved in writing can be used to complete the documents by revising or proofreading.

Seoul City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Seoul City - Essay Example Ostensibly, the Korean people learned how a conflict can paralyze the economy of a country. The term is a representation of rapid industrialization, urbanization, economic boom, education boom, technological advancement, skyscraper boom, a rise in living standards and modernization. This culminated in the successful hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics Championship. Additionally, Seoul City co-hosted the 2002- FIFA World Cup. Consequently, the country transformed from the near destruction of the Korea War into globalization and democratization. The city is celebrated as wealthy, developed with sound economic viability and exerting a global economic influence (The Korean Economy - the Miracle on the Hangang River). Currently, it boasts of prominent multinational companies such as Samsung, Hyundai-Kia, and LG. More specifically, the term refers to the economic growth of Seoul city through which River Han flows. It is fascinating to note that it is termed a ‘miracle’ as it r epresents the economic rebirth of the country between the periods 1961 to 1996. Initially, the country was crippled by the Korean War that saw an escalation of poverty levels and unemployment rates. Interestingly, in less than four years, Seoul became a global city, a highly developed economic hub, center of business and commerce. It opened grounds for technological advancement and the development of communication infrastructure. Currently, the inhabitants consider the opulence as national pride as well as a symbol of self-sufficiency.

Structure And Culture Ikea And Lego Commerce Essay

Structure And Culture Ikea And Lego Commerce Essay In this assignment I am meant to be working for an organization holding a trainee management consultant and at the end of my training I have to submit a report. My report will be about two private organizations where I discuss their structure and culture, how it affects the business performance. I also need to research how each company deals with their employees and problems faced with employees. An important figure is picked for each company and have discussed the leadership style used by both. In addition I explore the classical approaches which are being used in the companys and the different techniques to management used by each organization. In my PowerPoint presentation, I offer a consultation to my client organization on motivational theories and effective teamwork. Acknowledgement I Sayarah Saleem confirm and acknowledge the fact that this assignment was done by me alone. I have researched and studied the tasks given and have given the references from where I have obtained the information. Executive Summary The two private organizations that I have chosen are IKEA and LEGO in my report because I think its they are good examples of describing the structure and culture of each organization. They are both different in their own way , with how they deal with employee issues and how the organization is run. One is family oriented and the other , which got an outsider as a CEO in 2004 in order to change the company around. Table of Contents Task 1 1.Report 1.1 Analyze the structure and culture if the two organizations. In your analysis you have to engage in a comparison and contrasting of their structure and culture. 1.2 Further clearly evaluate how the structure of each company supports its culture and how this relationship effects business performance. 1.3 Explore and state what each company does in order to identify and solve employee behavioral problems. 2. Understand different approaches to management and leadership. 2.1 Select a prominent figure one from each company and compare the effectiveness of their leadership styles. 2.2 How to the two companies practice the classical approach to management. 2.3 Evaluate the different approaches to management used by the two organizations. In discussing your answer you have to use your knowledge on contingency approach to management. Task 2 Presentation References Bibliography Task 1 Task 1:Report Understand the relationship between organizational structure and culture IKEA LEGO 1.1 Lego began in the early 1930s by a gentleman named Ole Kirk Kristiansen and till date kept with the family, passed on by generation to the next generation. Lego has been named twice the toy of the century and has maintained the toy, the building brick. The organizational structure that Lego uses which best suits them is the functional structure, this structure is most widely used by companies. Basically the company has different departments to which they have delegated people to, and heads of that department according to the function. Some of these departments are Sales, Accounts, product development etc. Using this structure allows them to show the pyramid of hierarchy. It gives a clear view of the organizational chart and who are at the highest rank. Lego being based in so many countries uses a divisional structure which consists of three segments, and these are market, product and geographical. The other company which I have chosen to analyze is IKEA. IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad . IKEA is the worlds biggest furniture company that concentrates on innovative, fashionable furniture at inexpensive prices. Mr. Kamprad didnt want any normal organizational structure for the company, instead he formed a complex system of foundations, holding companies and trusts. The companys structure then divided into three for each of his son. The reason he did this was to prevent taxs and also to make sure that the company would not be divided due to family dispute. In actual fact IKEA is being held by a foundation which has a group under them that controls the companies that runs IKEAs individual operations. Between the two companies it is evident that while one has a typical corporate structure , the other is so committed in creating equality amongst the family and a fool proof method to ensure that the company will not be divided in the future. 1.2 The same way that Ikea has created their organizational structure they have also supported the company culture by sharing that they not just want to hire people but have a chance of bringing in unique individuals to share the same values of the company. To make them feel as they are all associates in the company. Not only does IKEA evaluate the person based on skills and expertise but also if they have the same culture as IKEA themselves. The assumption is that skills are easier to develop than personality traits, attitudes and values This in return promises happier employees who feel as if they are working for their own. Employees who like, themselves want to buy furniture, take it home and assemble at home will also make the customers feel the same. Lego on the other hand concentrated on their Danish values of hard work , modesty and teamwork. They look after their employees with respect and high standards, also incorporating global principles for those working overseas. Lego has always been strict about following all laws, rules and regulations in the countries they are in. Their employees in return offer their company which is so largely respected , great service, hard work and offer nothing but the best to their customers. 1.3 There are several different leadership methods which companies take on, IKEA however have not confined themselves to one particular method, instead taken the best parts of each method and combined their own. There is the Autocratic style, which is the basic team and supervisor style, Democratic , which allows the employee to think and make decisions on behalf of the company. Laissez Faire , where employees are given few guidelines and limits to carry out activities , which gives them freedom but may result in less productive work. Consultative is like the democratic style, very alike. Finally we have paternalistic where the manager , supervisor has tough ideas where he will require input and ideas for developing the business from the employees. By doing this IKEA has been able to avoid large scale employee behavioral problems. This is not to say that they dont have employees who have been disappointed either by not keeping their promise on pay raises and not even considering thei r opinions. IWAY which is IKEAs code of conduct, assures their employees the right to organize and order all overtime be voluntary. They also ensure wages are paid on time and not be withheld. Employees are entitled to medical, social insurance and pension. This way IKEA allows their co-workers their freedom and benefit all legal rights. IKEA hires a law firm called Jackson Lewis to encourage workers to attend meetings in order to discourage unions. One of Legos important rules was to maintain employees safety, therefore they set a goal to reach the top ten safe places to work for employees by 2015. Their main concern was to improve and maintain the work-life balance; this is basically to retain the employees motivation and satisfaction with their position at Lego. Lego has their system of flexible work hours, work from home option which are all ideal mainly for a working mother has made themselves enter Working Mother Magazine 100 best companies list . Lego involve themselves in providing wellness programs and leave entitlement for the mother up to 26 weeks of leave with their job assured of. Families looking to adopt are entitled to $5000 and fertility treatments are fully covered. Task 2 2.1 Lego Jorgen Vig Knudstorp is a leading and most prominent figure at lego, he has had the most challenging role of having revive Lego as the company had taken a turn for the worst. Mr. Knudstorp knew that in order to change things around he needed to be trusted and relied on. Doing so Mr. Knudstorp would be able to incorporate new methods to revive Lego from its low. He was an intelligent man to believe that for things to be done he needed to managing at eye level which meant liaising with the production workers, engineers , discussing to reduce sales declining with the sales and marketing department. Jorgen Vig Knudstorp reminded the management that they were there to maximize the firms value, this would be identififying why till date the lego group exists. He wanted their to be a less strict structure and a more free management style from the bottom to the top, empowering employees to make decisions at all levels. Jorgen Vig Knudstorp used the strategic leadership style, this which made employees share values,visons and goals, strengthening them to make decisions with minimum monitoring. It is defined that a strategic leader persuades for change and looks for new ways ideas, and improvement to better the company in order to allow the company to move onward. IKEA Ingvar Kamprad the founder of ikea, being a school dropout and began making furniture at the age of 17 uses the democratic style of leadership to run his company. Mr. Kamprad encouraged parallel management so that each can manage their purpose effectively. The reason for this same level management was so that employees opinion and feedback will help them feel like they are required in the company. This in return makes the employees want to work harder and feel as if they are working for their own. Mr. Kamprad however did have many things under his control like the financial details and of the companys structure. He encouraged his employees to work hard with stern business beliefs however to still have fun whilst working for IKEA, he preferred giving guidelines, showing methods of how things should be done instead of revealing authority and giving out orders. 2.2 Since the classical approach is purely based on acknowledging the idea that only the economical and physical needs of the employee are important and that their personal life and job satisfaction are irrelevant, Lego however believes strongly in allowing their employees to work freely within the organization. It is a place where all share the same value, of empowering children to learn. Lego wanted to strive to be the best toy company instead of being the biggest. The classical approach includes scientific, administrative and bureaucratic management. The scientific management theory was developed by Frederik Taylor (1856-1915). This theory had 4 steps, firstly by sorting the job into smaller pieces, then to pick the most capable employees to perform the job and train them, finally supervisors are used to monitor them. This theory came about at the time that organizations were large and industrialized to increase productivity to its maximum. Henri Fayol ( 1841-1925) developed a fourteen principles of management. These principles were: Division of Labor: to increase production and quality through specialization Authority and Responsibility: Where authority is shown, responsibility must be given and this works both ways. Discipline; Respect and order for the agreements between the company and their workers. Line of Authority: Clear view of the company hierarchy Centralization: Authority is given only to the highest in command. Unity of Direction: All are on the same track to lead the organization. Unity of command: Employee receives instructions from only one supervisor/manager. Order: Every employee is placed where they would contribute the most. Initiative: Creating action plans and carrying it out. Equity: Take care of all employees fairly with respect. Remuneration of personnel: Payment of salaries to employees accordingly. Stability of Tenure: to provide long term employment. General interest over individual interest: the companys priority will be before the employees. Esprit de corps: Harmony of the employees brings a strong union. Mr. Kamprad of IKEA believed that the workplace should be like everyday life, being free and at ease, instead wearing formal work attire, addressing colleagues in a personal manner. The company arranges once a year for at least week for the managers to work in the showrooms and warehouses. New ideas and innovations were always welcome at IKEA, the employees were always encouraged to come up with creative solutions. How did the concept of customers picking up their purchases arise? This is when they realized in order to cost cut and provide quick service, to engage in customers in self-selection. The customers choose their items, write them down and go down to the warehouse to collect their items. IKEA has a mission of spreading the companies philosophies and practices throughout the organization by assigning IKEA ambassadors that had been specifically trained and placed strategically within the company. They would in turn train their subordinates and act as role models. In my report it is evident that both IKEA and Lego do not have a strict list of management procedures which have brought them to where they are today. Bearing in mind that in 2004, when Lego CEO Jorgen Vig Knudstorp joined the organization he needed to save the company from the dire state that it was in. This required that whichever practices that were taking place needed to be evaluated and changed in order to revive the company. IKEA being a family oriented company, is not particularly head by the founders sons. Instead created a holdings company that managed the IKEA organization which was run by Mr. Kamprads sons. By studying and researching both companies it is safe to say that there is no exact approach to management followed by each. The contingency approach also known as situational approach supports the thought that there is no one best way to management. Each organization just like humans and conditions can change and differ from time to time. Therefore by studying the current situation of the organization, will the management of the company know what practices to enforce. Management had to think of environmental factors, for example weather, technology that could alter the organizations productivity.

Theme of Power in Harold Pinters The Homecoming :: Harold Pinter Homecoming Essays

The Theme of Power in The Homecoming Author: Sarah Marchant In Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" one of the important themes is power. Many of the characters try to exert power. Many of the characters try to exert power over others through various means such as sexuality and intelligence. The use of violence within the household is believed by the men to be the most important tool of power. However, when Ruth, the only woman in the play, enters, she appears to defeat the men's power, but not with violence. Her sexuality and apparent intelligence become part of the way in which she takes control of the house. Power itself is the ability to take control and exert authority over others. Violence is a physical form of this. It usually takes the form of a display of force and this could be an unjust or even unlawful action. There could be a use of violent language or an element of threatened violence. However, the degree of power this holds is determined by the reaction of those threatened, or whether or not anything comes of the threat. Teddy introduces his wife, Ruth, into his childhood home that is a scene of tense threats and reports of violence - both sexual and physical. As soon as the play begins there is conflict between Lenny and his father, Max. Having been insulted by Lenny, Max threatens him with his stick, saying "Don't you talk to me like that. I'm warning you". However, nothing comes of this threat. The only element of power that can be inferred comes from the way in which Lenny makes no response. Perhaps he has previous experience of Max's anger, or it could be that both parties know that there is no point in pursuing the matter. The power that is expected to come with a threat is non-existent in this household as the threats are well-worn and always empty. Max demands that Teddy and Ruth leave his house, yet by the end of the play, he is sobbing and yearning for attention from Ruth. The insults and derogatory terms used within the family are not so much an element of power as a way of life. As there is no real mother figure within the household, the men have lapsed into a way of life in which they can show no affection to each other. Instead they insult each other in ways usually reserved for women: "bitch" and "slag".

Fast Food Nation Essay

Summary: All Americans effect the huge growth of fast food but adolescents play even more of a vital role in than the average consumer. Not only do teenagers consume fast food, but they work for it and steal from it because they are attracted to it the most. The fast food industry provides the easiest way for young people to get started and continue to succeed in our â€Å"Fast Food Nation. † Our country loves fast food, there is speedy service with cheap tasty food in over one million restaurants world wide. Though we all love it, we do not like the stories behind it. In 2004, Americans spent over 110 billion dollars on fast food, that’s more than higher education, computers, computer software and new cars combined (Scholosser, 3). Teenagers provide a huge role in the fast food industry. Teenagers work at these restaurants, eat at these restaurants, are objects of advertisements by these restaurants and steal from these restaurants more than any other age group. Ever since the age of three more than 75 percent of American children can recognize the face of Ronald McDonald. Since our nation is currently being raised around fast food it is only inevitable that as children grow, they only become more of a part of it everyday. The average American child begins to work around the age of 16 doing low wage low labor jobs. At anytime a teenager can walk into any fast food restaurant and apply for a job. Fast food restaurants prefer to employ teenagers because they are easily trained, less expensive to tend to than adults and are easier to control. Also since most teenagers still live at home they can afford to work for wages too low to even support an adult. â€Å"No other industry in the United States had a workforce so dominated by adolescents. About two-thirds of the nations fast food workers are under the age of twenty† (Scholosser, 68). Working in McDonalds is not difficult, but just tedious and long. Since most fast food restaurants are run my machines, it is up to these 17 year-old employs to push buttons and say commands. All Burger King wants is for things to get done faster, not how much effort is put into work, so teenagers feel working at Taco Bell or KFC won’t be as difficult as it will a strain. Any teenager working behind the counter at any fast food restaurant is given less respect than animals at the pet store. .†.. she hates the job and is desperate to quit. Working at the counter she has to deal with rude remarks and complaints. She is often yelled at by strangers angry that their foods taking to long or that something is wrong with their order. One elderly woman threw a hamburger at her because there was too much mustard on it† (Scholosser, 81). Though rudeness is a downside to a fast food job, there are perks for kids who do not need a lot. Many of the 200 dollar a week salary is used for teenage spending; clothes, nights out, cars and other desirable things. Teenagers run and continue the fast food work force every day, not because they have to but because it’s the best option available to them. Though we may not like the way the food is cooked or served; the way it tastes is still great. McDonalds makes a huge profit off of everything; soda fries and sandwiches all profit so largely, and teenagers are one of the most popular customers. A medium soda in McDonalds is $1. 29, it cost McDonalds $4. 25 per gallon of soda syrup, only about 9 cents worth of syrup is used in a medium drink, giving McDonalds almost a 95% profit. Soda consumption among teenagers has doubled within the past 20 years, reaching an average of twelve ounces of soda a day per child. (Scholosser, 54). With French fries McDonalds buy them frozen for 30 cents a pound, then sells them reheated in oil for 6 dollars a pound, pure profit pulled from the hands of teenagers. McDonalds makes billions upon billions of dollars annually by selling things for such a low price but really making the largest profit possible. Recently, fast food restaurants have become more attractive to armed robbers than a clothing store or gas station. Since fast food industries do almost all of their business in cash, others rely on credit card transactions. Robbery in fast food chains is not uncommon at all, even when most of it happens by their own employees, underage teenagers who are desperate for money. Though most of these robberies occur early in the morning or late at night when few people are working. â€Å"The typical employee stole about $218 a year and according to industry studies, about two thirds of the robberies at fast food restaurants involve current or former employees. † (Scholosser, 84). Employees have low pay, high turnover and know the restaurant, why not steal? McDonalds is already a billion dollar industry, many of the people think, its not going to hurt their business, they won’t even notice. However these robberies have led to deaths and injuries, and make teenagers realize what horrible conditions they are working in. All Americans effect the huge growth of fast food but adolescents play even more of a vital role in than the average consumer. Not only do teenagers consume fast food, but they work for it and steal from it because they are attracted to it the most. The fast food industry provides the easiest way for young people to get started and continue to succeed in our â€Å"Fast Food Nation. â€Å"