Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Humanities - Essay Example The statue of david is a sculpture of a nude man standing and represents the heroic David of the bible. The eyes of the sculpture are turned towards Rome in what looks like a stare of warning. On the other hand, the Pieta depicts the dead body of Jesus on the laps of his mother, Mary. The sculpture portrays a balance of classical beauty and renaissance ideals. Michelangelo’s works were entirely involved in the services of the Catholic Church (Creighton 25). He was a man of pessimism in his poetry and optimist in his artwork. He is considered to be one of the greatest artists and architect during the Renaissance period. His artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that revealed humanity in its natural state. The renaissance was a period between 1500 and1700. During this period there was a rebirth of interest in the ideas of the classical period. In this period the ideas of Hippocrates and Galen were studied and the four humors become the focus of medical treatments and bloodletting became very popular (Lobenstine 78). Science began in this period (renaissance period) and it changed (got replaced) superstition into medicine. This period also saw the founding of the royal society, in the year 1660, a body of leading scientists. People in this period had to be educated and had to have knowledge in both science and arts like Leonardo da Vinci (Lobenstine 83). He was well known for his art works (like the Mona Lisa) and he was also a scientist and regularly attended dissections. The reformation happened during this period largely as people were thinking about the things around them and were not ready to accept what had always been. During the renaissance period (1517) Martin Luther brought out a list of things that he thought were wrong with the church to a door of a church in Wittenberg in Germany. These ideas threatened the Catholic Church as many people liked them and protested about the Catholic Church, these people came to be known as the Protestants

Managing Activiies to Achieve Results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing Activiies to Achieve Results - Essay Example Here, for this assignment, this author has chosen the example of a pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, where these themes are equally applicable. Pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive, and every step of functioning in this industry is governed by business process management to improve products and services to the customer with maximal efficiency. An efficient system must be usable, and people must be convinced about the usefulness of it. Thus the developmental journey must be people centric, where the trench people must not feel excluded. They need to be consulted, listened to, trained and communicated with on a regular basis. They must understand the business process and its benefits. Conviction of people about the reasons of the process change, the necessity of it would promote them to take ownership and responsibility. The organisational structure would enable that. The organisational structure and culture are important parameters and preconditions for fostering an environment where people would understand clearly what is expected of them and how they are significant in the new structure and process (Morrill, 2008). There are many components in the structure and culture. The components are logically connected in such a way that there is a meaningful concept of fitment among the different components of organisational struc ture and the cultural settings. In the stated organisation, the decision makers implement change processes interpret and utilise the environmental culture to shape the organisational structure. Sometimes depending on the situation, a double-loop change process is utilised where within the organisational structure, the members of one culture impose their favoured structures on organisational members coming from different cultures. Sometimes, again depending on the situation, the organisational hierarchy utilises the naturally socially constructed organisational structure and culture (Walsh, 2004). Mission and Aim of Organisation and Effects on Structure and Culture The objective and aim of the organisation has important impacts on its culture and structure. If by organisational structure we mean formalisation and centralisation and if organisational culture means participative decision making, support and collaboration, and learning and development, both must interrelate. The aim and objective of this organisation is to produce innovative pharmaceutical products, and thus it means technological processes, administrative control, and product manufacturing. Studies by Jantan et al. (2003) have shown that both participation in decision making and support and collaboration and learning and development have demonstrable positive effects on administrative innovation. Although structural variables appear to be unaffected, they may affect the cultural variables (Jantan et al., 2003). Bate et al. (2000) highlights the role of aims and goals of an organisation in shaping the structure and

Ford Galaxy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ford Galaxy - Essay Example Ford Galaxy is a seven-seater luxury large Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) developed jointly by Ford and Volkswagen and was first introduced in 1995. During the Frankfurt Motor Show held last September 2005, the latest Ford Galaxy model was unveiled. It will be available in the market in the middle of 2006. In the Motor Industry Facts 2006 published by SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd.), total car registration in UK reached 2.4 million as of 2005. In table 1 below, Lower Medium segment remains to be the most dominant car type in the industry owning 31.2% of the market. Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, and Renault Megane are among the products included in this category. However, total car registration was down by 5% compared to 2004. Major factors attributed to such decline were lower consumer spending, increasing interest rates, and intense competition in the industry. Very evident in the last three years in the industry was the shift of consumer preferences in terms of car type. Share of Superminis like Corsa, Fiesta, and 206 went down by 3.9% while its alternative Lower Medium increased market share by 2.8%. Furthermore, SUVs or Dual Purpose 4x4s and MPVs increased share in the industry New car registrations can be classified as non-private (fleet and business) and private. An estimated of about 44.1% of total car registrations were categorised as private vehicles. ... In terms of non-private, 49% were contributed by business segment and the remaining 7.3% for fleet. Table 1 MPV's or minivans are slowly gaining popularity in the industry resulting to a 3-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% against total industry CAGR of -1.6%. However, total MPV declined by 8% which is somewhat similar to the situation of the total car industry. MPVs are also known as people carrier, multi-utility vehicle, or to some extent as minivan. A typical MPV can seat 7 people or more, relatively higher than normal sedans, and can be characterised as a family car. It is further segmented in three major categories - mini-MPV (e.g. Hyundai Matrix), compact MPV (e.g. Vauxhall Zafira), and large MPV (e.g. Ford Galaxy) depending on its body size and seating capacity. Market Needs In the survey involving 3,000 new car buyers conducted by Vauxhall Motors last 2003, reliability turned out to be the most important consideration affecting car purchase. Price which was the primary consideration in year 2002 fell to 4th position. Comfort, fuel economy, price, exterior size and space in vehicle are other leading considerations influencing car purchase in UK. Market Forecast Car registration forecast in 2006 is still negatively skewed according to SMMT. Expected new car registrations will be around 2.375 million or -2.7% compared to actual car registration in 2005. Weak economic forecast which is directly related to weakening consumer spending is considered as one of the significant deterrents in 2006. Conversely, diesel demand is predicted to increase in the coming years. Competition General target buyers for MPV are young families with children age 6 to 11 years old who want better fuel economic savings. The growing fierce

Quantitative and Qualitative methods Essay Example for Free

Quantitative and Qualitative methods Essay On being Sane in insane places Rosenhan, (1973). Rosenhan orchestrated one of the most famous studies criticising basic psychiatric concepts and practices; his intention was to test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are genuinely mentally ill and those who are not. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010).  Eight psychiatrically normal people presented themselves at the admissions offices of twelve different psychiatric institutions in the United States complaining of hearing voices or auditory hallucinations, all eight were admitted, eleven with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and one with manic depression; after which they stopped claiming to hear voices and assumed their normal selves. They were eventually discharged with schizophrenia and depression in remission; however it took an average of nineteen days to convince staff that they were well enough to be discharged. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010). Rosenhal has claimed that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference from those that are sane and insane, Rosenhal argues that psychiatric labels stick in a way that medical labels do not therefore everything a patient does is interpreted in accordance with the diagnostic label once it has been applied; he suggested that instead of labelling a person as insane we should instead focus on the individuals specific problems and behaviours. (Rosenhal D. L. 1973). The study demonstrated the limits of classification and also the appalling conditions in many psychiatric institutions; this has stimulated considerably greater research and has led to many institutions improving their philosophy of care. Rosenhal, like other anti-psychiatrists is arguing that mental illness is a social phenomenon and merely a consequence of labelling although those who suffer from severe mental illness might disagree. (Rosenhal D. L. 1973) Validity is much more difficult to assess than reliability as for most mental disorders there is no absolute standard against which diagnosis can be compared, the primary purpose of making a diagnosis is to enable a suitable programme of treatment to be chosen thus aiding in an individuals potential recovery. Bannister et al (1964) found that there was simply no clear-cut connection between diagnosis and treatment in one thousand cases, one reason for this seems to be that factors other than diagnosis may be equally important in deciding on a particular treatment. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010). Construct validity is the most relevant form of validity in relation to diagnosis, according to Davison et al (2004), the categories are constructs because theyre inferred, not proven entities; a diagnosis of schizophrenia doesnt possess the potential status of a physical disease, but even in the more extreme psychotic states its not possible to separate or divorce such a debilitating illness from the individual. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010).  Davison et al believe that the DSM diagnostic categories possess some construct validity, some more than others; however, according to Mackay (1975): The notion of illness implies a relatively discrete disease entity with associated signs and symptoms, which has a specific cause, a certain probability of recovery and its own treatments. The various states of unhappiness, anxiety and confusion which we term mental illness fell far short of these criteria in most cases. (Richard Gross 2010).  Pilgrim (2000) argued that that calling madness schizophrenia, or misery, depression, merely technicalises ordinary social judgements. What is gained by calling someone who communicates unintelligibly schizophrenic? Similarly Winter (1999), argues that: Diagnostic systems are only aids to understanding, not necessarily descriptions of real disease entities. (Winter, 1999).  Classifications are needed in psychiatry, as in medicine, primarily to aid communication regarding the nature of patients problems, prognosis and treatment. It is invaluable when exchanging and/or communicating information about individual cases if there is some agreed universal terminology available and if a label can be assigned that distinguishes one patients disorder from anothers. (Claridge and Davies, 2003; Gelder et al., 1989; Richard Gross, 2010). The fact that there are different classification schemes demonstrates that theres a certain degree of arbitrariness about how people are diagnosed, DSM-IV and ICD-10 merely represent the current beliefs of experts in the field regarding how such psychological disorders should be classified. (Richard Gross, 2010).  The fact that they, (DSM and ICD) are not identical indicates that the diagnostic categories they suggest are somewhat arbitrary and often represent compromise. This is bound to be the case, since the contents of both merely result from decisions made in committee by groups of professionals, experienced in their own fields, but often of differing theoretical persuasion or clinical expertise. (Claridge and Davis 2003; Richard Gross, 2010).

Emergence of management accounting

Emergence of management accounting Introduction Management Accounting deals with providing information for internal users, mainly the managers. Since they are the section of people who directs and controls the operations of the firm, the information that Management Accounting provides is very useful. Some of the basic management activities are: Planning: Considering various alternatives and choosing the best among them. Control: Ensure that the chosen plan is being followed and whether there are in line with the objectives of the firm. Directing and Motivating: Activities need to be monitored and employees need to be motivated and encouraged to ensure smooth and effective functioning of the organization (Seal, W et al., 2006). Emergence of Management Accounting The concept of Management Accounting evolved during the Industrial revolution of the 19th century. During that period, most of the companies were controlled and owned by a few managers. Elaborate financial reports were not demanded as there were no external shareholders. The 20th century saw a lot of changes in the economy; companies were required to submit detailed financial reports in order to satisfy the capital markets, taxation purposes and creditors (Seal, W et al., 2006). Earlier, production technology was simple, with products passing through a series of distinct phases of production. So, it was easier to identify the associated material and labor costs, thus direct labor was used as the basis for assigning indirect costs to products (Ashton, D et al., 1995). Role of Modern Management Accounting Organizations are under pressure to not only make decisions on a day to day basis but also to chalk out a plan that will help them to survive and grow in the ever changing market place, considering the fact that they will be faced with uncertain circumstances. The main role of modern management accounting is to provide the various levels of management with information that is relevant to make sound decisions and to add value to the company. It is slightly different from traditional accounting because they provide managers with essential information in time to set targets, minimize the cost, develop standards, monitor performances and compute variances, thereby improving the quality of the products with reduced wastage. Apart from these, Management accounting aids in improving the flexibility and innovative capacity of the organization, thus making continuous changes to improve its financial and non financial performance to stay on track with the rapidly changing economy (Atkinson, An thony A et al., 1997) (Prit, 2009). Shaping an organization Management Accounting can help shape an organization in the following ways: Provides accurate and timely information to help cut costs, measure and improve the productivity. Information on product costs helps in the introduction of new products in the market, pricing decisions and, if required, abandonment of obsolete products. For large and decentralized organizations, it is essential to motivate employees using appropriate incentives and benefits. This decision is based on the results provided by the management accounting system. Acts as a communication tool which the upper management uses to communicate with the middle and lower management and vice versa. Information about the organizational goals and strategy is passed on to the operational divisions and feedback is communicated back to the upper management (Kaplan, Robert S., 1987). Binds the operational and strategic goals together in order to ensure that the performances of the operational divisions are aligned with the organizational goals (Ashton, D et al., 1995). Management Accounting shaped by organization An organization can also have an impact on this accounting system in the following ways: In order to successfully grow in the rapidly advancing market, customer satisfaction has become the prime focus. This affects the kind of information required by the organization and demands sophisticated form of management accounting system. Since organizations are divided into sub units, the interdependence among them would be very high. As a result the dynamics of the information needed has changed. Due to increased coordination among organizations, the gap between suppliers and employees are getting narrow. This has led to changes in the way that organizations collect and use management accounting information (Atkinson, Anthony A et al., 1997). A major computer revolution has brought about a significant reduction in the information collection and processing costs and has eased the work of accountants (Kaplan, Robert S., 1987). Management Accounting a Global phenomenon The challenge faced by companies today is; the alignment of local business processes with the global objectives and strategies. Since the organizations are widely dispersed and decentralized, integration of the sub units and its operations has become vital in order to compete in the global market. This requires management of various organizational relationships, internal, external, vertical, hierarchical, horizontal and lateral ties. In the growing global economy, management accounting is required to: Manage the flow of vertical and lateral information within organizations. Integrate and coordinate activities of units located in various locations (Scapens, R et al., 2007) (Ashton, D et al., 1995). Reduction in tariffs, ease in worldwide transportation and removal of other trade barriers has increased competition as more and more companies are entering the market, thus, the need for management accounting is increasing too. For example: Since business is expanding widely, outsourcing has become a great deal and countries like India and China are leading the way in this area and have a competitive edge over other firms (Seal, W et al., 2006). Impact of globalization Management accounting is shaped by various changes in the global environment, such as: Rapidly changing business climate has increased the research opportunities in the area of management accounting. Many of the countries in the world are re-structuring themselves. Countries like Taiwan, India and parts of Eastern Europe are slowly moving into large scale privatization. This has the altered the global competition scene. Shaping global organization Management Accounting plays a major role in shaping the global: Aids in stabilizing transfer of currency and the transfer of goods and knowledge between companies located in different countries. Manages the fluctuations in currency by the purchase of financial instruments like futures and options. Enables coordination and integration among the various activities of a globally dispersed organization. Helps to monitor and evaluate the performance of its subsidiaries (Ashton, D et al., 1995). Helps in building stronger political relationships between the firm and the government of the country where it has its operations. These ties can have positive impact in the form of tax breaks, subsidies etc. 3 Recent developments in Management Accounting Techniques a) Balanced Score card This technique consists of an integrated set of performance measures that are derived from and also helps the companys strategy. It develops a strategy for the company to further it objectives successfully (Seal, W et al., 2006). The characteristics of this technique: Helps the management to clearly state the vision and strategy in a tangible form. Helps in communicating the objectives and strategy to the employees and encourages them to set individual goals and align them to the organizational objectives. Develops measures to evaluate the performance. Four perspectives of a Balanced score card: Financial- concerned with profitability. Customer- concerned with customer satisfaction, retention of previous customers and acquiring new ones. Internal Business process- concerned with the internal processes that will help in attracting and retaining customers. Learning and growth- concerned with the long term growth and development of the organization. The balanced score card is used in both the manufacturing and service sectors. An example of a company in a service sector that uses this technique is the National Insurance Company. It is the property division of one of the major US insurance companies. In the year 1993 they launched the score card technique with revenue of $4 billion dollars. Unfortunately this never worked for the company and ended up making huge losses, until a management team was brought in to make repairs. They moved the company from a generalist strategy to a specialized one, thus, helping National Insurance to regain the profitable position in the economy. The balanced score card technique has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: Helps in providing periodic and systematic feedback. Helps in quantifying the vision and objectives of the organization. Helps to set individual goals and aligns them with the organizational objectives, thus, uplifting the morale of the workforce. It focuses on both, financial and non financial factors (Kaplan, R.S Norton, D. P,1996) (â€Å"Balanced Scorecard for Corus Group PLC†). Disadvantages Balanced score card is all about developing a strategy and if the management devises an ill-defined and unclear one, it will lead to a futile and confusing score card. Sometimes looked upon as a purely top down approach, where the strategy is created at the top and imposed upon the employees (â€Å"Balanced Scorecard: Panacea or poisoned chalice?†). The implementation of this technique can be time consuming and difficult and may not include the interests of the shareholders, suppliers and employees (â€Å"Balanced Scorecard for Corus Group PLC†) (Kaplan, R.S Norton, D. P, 1996). b) Just in time This management technique was first developed in Japan by Taiichi Ohno in the 1970s. Toyota Motors Corporation was the first one to adopt Just in Time technique as part of its production system. In this technique raw materials go into production as soon as they are received, the manufactured parts are completed just in time to go into the assembling process and they are shipped to the customers as soon as they are completed. The main features are, materials would be purchased only for the day to day requirement and there would be no goods in process at the end of the day as they are all delivered to the customers immediately (Seal, W et al., 2006). The Just in Time technique is most commonly used by the manufacturing and merchandising sectors. An example of a manufacturing firm using this technique: In the year 1992, the sales of one of the leading car manufacturers, Porsche declined to less than 15,000 and had a loss of about $133 million. The timely appointment of two Japanese experts identified the problem as wasteful inventory in the shelves. A quality control program was introduced to reduce the number of defective parts. Ever since, their earnings have jumped to about $55 million and huge sales of about 34,000. It would be appropriate to mention about a service sector using the Just in Time technique. McDonalds adopted this technique to compete with their competitor Burger King and Wendys. They had to carefully study the system and spend approximately $25,000 in each of its outlets. This was implemented to ensure that the customers would be served with the freshest food within 90 seconds of ordering and also to cut stock costs, which would ultimately lead to staff savings (Garrison and Noreen, 2003). The benefits and disadvantages of Just in Time technique are: Advantages: Reduction in warehousing and ordering cost. Can make use of the extra floor space which would otherwise be occupied by inventory, thus, avoiding any planned expansion that could result in extra expense (Kaplan, Robert S., 1987). Throughput time is reduced; as a result, the companies can give quicker responses to customers. The rates of defective units are reduced, therefore, less wastage and cost effective production. Disadvantages: If any parts are found defective, the whole production process would be held up. Companies are fully dependant on their suppliers, since they have to be able to provide defect free goods. Implementation can be slightly difficult as the workers required to operate under this system needs to be multi skilled and flexible (Garrison and Noreen, 2003). c) Activity Based Costing Towards the end of 1980, Activity Based Costing became a popular form of costing among the organizations. This provides managers with cost information to make strategic decisions. Under this system, overhead cost pools are allocated to the products and other costing objects using a measure of activity. The indirect costs are also allocated to different cost pools, based on the activity. The costs are all attached to each product on the basis of the cost drivers associated (Garrison and Noreen, 2003) (Ashton, D et al., 1995). A large number of organizations have adopted Activity Based Costing. One example of a company in the service sector, in a developing nation, that is successfully using this technique is Tata Consultancy Services; one of Indias largest consulting organization. They used this method to identify issues in their software business. With the help of Activity Based Costing, Tata Consultancy was able to find out that the quality assurance, testing and correction costs were having a negative impact on their profitability. This costing technique provided the required cost information to help the managers set appropriate priorities and monitor the detection costs (Garrison and Noreen, 2003). Activity Based Costing has its own advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: Simple to operate and can be easily understood. Focus is mainly on what causes the costs to increase. Absorption rates are closely linked to causes of overheads. Disadvantages: Implementation and maintenance is expensive. The changes may not be accepted easily by the employees, they may resist. Managers sometimes insist on including sustenance costs and idle capacity costs, this may result in overstated costs. Activity Based costing reports does not conform to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. This may require the companies to have two cost systems which can be an expensive affair (Garrison and Noreen, 2003). Bibliography Seal, W., Garrison, Ray H. Noreen, Eric W., 2006. Management Accounting. 2nd ed. Berkshire: McGraw Hill Education, 1:2-12, 17: 763-765, 19: 840-844. Garrison, Ray H. Noreen, Eric W., 2003. Management Accounting. 10th ed. New York: McGraw Hill/ Irwin, 1:13-17, 8:316-320, 338-339, 10:445-454. Ashton, D., Hopper T. Scapens, Robert W., 1995. Issues in Management Accounting. 2nd ed. England: Pearson Education Limited, 1:3-5, 3:46-47, 6:115-116, 14:300. Hopper T., Scapens, Robert W. Northcott, D., 2007, Issues in Management Accounting. [e-book] England: Pearson Education Limited, 4:65-69. Available at: Google e-books http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=k3La7WnBBGICprintsec=frontcoverdq=issues+in+management+accountingcd=1#v=onepageq=f=false. [Accessed 16 January 2010]. Johnson, H. T. Kaplan, R. S., 1987, Relevance lost: The Rise and Fall of Management Accounting. [e-book] USA: Harvard Business School Press, 1:4-6, 9:215. Available at: Google e-books http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=yUgXuMBxAx4Coi=fndpg=PR11dq=Importance+of+Modern+Management+Accounting+Practices+in+Modern+Business+Organizationsots=eSpMcqbPoDsig=uHxwYxFfTyR-Sw5iT-dB6v1Y45U#v=onepageq=f=false. [Accessed 16 January 2010]. Atkinson, A. A et al., 1997. New Directions in Management Accounting Research. Journal of Management Accounting Research, [pdf] 9 Available at: http://miha.ef.uni-lj.si/_dokumenti3plus2/196128/Atkinsonetal.-1997-NewdirectionsinMAresearch.pdf. [Accessed 17 January 2010]. Kaplan, R. S. Norton, D. P., 1996. The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action. [e-book] USA: Harvard Business school Press. Available at: Google e-books http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=mRHC5kHXczECoi=fndpg=PR7dq=balanced+scorecard+in+manufacturing+industryots=wv4Ut7B5Lasig=ryw-8YdLQig50o9bzJAnPXPUQto#v=onepageq=balanced%20scorecard%20in%20manufacturing%20industryf=false. [Accessed 16 January 2010]. Bizcovering, 2009. Importance of Modern Management Accounting Practices in Modern Business organizations. [online]. Available at: http://bizcovering.com/management/importance-of-modern-management-accounting-practices-in-modern-business-organizations/. [Accessed 16 January 2010]. â€Å"Balanced Scorecard for Corus Group PLC†. [online]. 123HelpMe.com. Available at: http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=149201. [Accessed 17 January 2010]. Davies, R. W. (Dr.), 2009. Balanced Scorecard: Panacea or Poisoned Chalice? [online]. Available at: http://www.drrobertdavies.com/balancedscorecardsuccess.php. [Accessed 16 January 2010].

Essay on Yeatsian and Western Influences on Chinua Achebes Things Fall

Yeatsian and Western Influences on Things Fall Apart      Ã‚   The Igbo culture is flexible and continuous; its laws are made by men and are not solid and permanent. Change is implicit in oral culture. Igbos have been able to retain their core beliefs and behavior systems for 5000 years because of the flexibility and adaptability of their culture. Yeats says things collapse from within before they are overwhelmed by things from without- Umuofia's collapse is its loss of faith, and that is also its strength, it's refusal to fight. But this self-destruction, this bending of societal codes is what keeps the culture from being annihilated. One fundamental question that occurs while trying to figure out how Yeats fits into an understanding of this book is whether or not things really do fall apart. From Okonkwo's point of view they certainly do, but Okonkwo's is not the only point of view in the book. Do things fall apart for the rest of the Umuofia tribes, and for the Ibo people, or does their center still hold, and it is just a center that they never shared with Okonkwo? It is important to look at the construction of the novel and the way it ties in with Yeatsian theory on the rise and fall of civilizations, and on personal tragedy.    The Yeatsian vision of Western history is of a world of "alternating civilizations, each giving way to one another through its inability to contain all human impulses within the enclosed scheme of value and being replaced by all that is overlooked and undervalued"(Wright 80). A fundamental principle of Yeats' vision is that things must "collapse from within before they are overwhelmed from without" (Wright 79). The falcon must lose the connection with the falconer before the center begins to l... ...escapeÉHe wiped his machete on the ground and went away" (205). An enduring aspect of the center of the Igbo people is the ability of that center to change and adapt. In an unchanging time, OkonkwoÕs inflexible will guaranteed his success as a clansman of the Igbo, a culture remarkable for its flexibility, but when the culture had to change to prosper, Okonkwo lost his center, and became a truly tragic figure.    Works Cited Kartennar, Neil ten. "How the Center is Made to Hold in Things Fall Apart." English Studies in Canada. Downsview, Ont. University of Toronto Press. 1975 Simola, Raisa. "World Views in Chinua AchebeÕs Works." Frankfurt am Main: New York. 1995. Wright, Derek. "Things Standing Together: A Retrospective on Things Fall Apart." Heinemann. Oxford; 1990. Chinua Achebe: A Celebration. Ed. Holst, Peterson. Rutherford.      

Marketing Strategy Essay

From the table above it is evident that the decline of the economy segment has had little impact on Hein and Mann because their main target market entails exclusive and export markets. The score of 18 shows that there has been a huge impact of the competitor marketing campaigns to increase awareness on middle section segment of Hein and Mann, hence there have limited target market and are not able to reach a wider potential target market. The weight of 18 has a negative impact on Hein and Mann as there are losing their main target customers who purchase exclusive furniture, such as executives and professionals who are being retrenched and leaving South Africa. The score of 32% shows that Hein and Mann have shown growth in export business and expansion of their product range in the UK would competitive advantage in the market. Slow service delivery score 32 which means that Hein and Mann has faced low turnover of customers as most of them are considering using other suppliers who deliver on time promised and offer discounts. The score of 28 shows, that customer relationship with customers is important. However Hein and Mann do not show empathy towards customers. This in turn results in low turnover of customers. 2. Industry analysis of Hein and Mann Threat of new entrants There are many barriers that include high entry costs, in this case new entries in the furniture business would not succeed because heavy investment is required in marketing and purchasing equipment. This is an advantage for Hein and Mann as there have a guaranteed higher position in the industry. This is so because there have been operating in the industry for a long time and have vast experience, equipment, loyal customers and clients are aware of them in the market place. Hence the extent to which barriers to entry exist, the more difficult it is for other furniture firms to enter the market, therefore, Hein and Mann can make relatively high profits. Bargaining power of suppliers Hein and Mann as suppliers produce exclusive and quality pine furniture, this in turn makes them acquire a distinctive image in the industry. It could be difficult for dealers to switch to other suppliers in the industry because of the loyalty of customers to Hein and Mann furniture, therefore Hein and Mann would make profit because there are few alternatives of furniture firms that dealers would switch to. Competitive Intensity or rivalry Hein and Mann is faced with rivalry as there is increase of competition between existing firms, this proves to be a challenge to generate high profit because companies such as Furniture City and Beares are opting to switch to other suppliers that provide discounts and value customer relationships. Threats from substitute of buyers Hein and Mann customers, such as beares and Furniture City have shown the ease with which they can switch to another supplies of furniture. This is so because customers perceive other alternatives to be similar to Hein and Mann furniture. The furniture industry for Hein and Mann is attractive, as there have experience in the industry and understand the market in which there are operating in. 3. Market Orientation Market orientation is defined as is an organisational culture dedicated to delivering superior customer value, that is concentrating on designing and selling products that satisfy customer needs in order to be profitable, (Gronroos, 2010). In relation to the case study on Hein and Mann, it is evident that there do not value customers as there show no empathy and provide slow services and do not consider to implement new strategies such as offering discounts such as their competitors. However the products that they design are of high quality which shows that they sell products that satisfy their target markets. Advantages of market orientation * According to Wang & Ahmed (2009) an organisation that is market oriented has improved market-sensing capabilities and thus improved market responsiveness, particularly in more hostile and unpredictable environments. * An organisation through market research will have a strong understanding of the needs of the customer and this would reduce product failure as new products have a greater chance of gaining success in the market, (Modi & Mishra, 2010). An organisation that is market oriented is flexible to changes in the environment as it enables to adapt and adjust successfully, (Wang &Ahmed, 2009). Disadvantages of market orientation * For an organisation to be market oriented it is highly expensive. As extensive market research, to understand the market need to be conducted, (Gronroos, 2010). * An organisation has to constantly change internally as needs of the market are met. * Risk of underestimating the market and the consumer can be a result of market orientation, which might led to product failure.