Interpretive Analysis Beauty From Pain - 1628 Words

Ghadir J. Smallwood The purpose of this paper is to interpretative analysis lyrics of songs and relate its relevance to the field of abnormal psychology. Music can influence people’s feelings but, can they influence people’s actions? There is offcorse, the possibility that people hear what they want to hear and attach their own meaning to the lyrics. Is it possible that a song can cause suicide, or induce self-mutilation, eating disorders, depression and substance abuse? This paper will explore three songs called, Beauty from Pain by Superchick, Gloomy Sunday by RezsÅ‘ Seress and Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi. When reading, and listing to the lyrics of Beauty from Pain by Superchick the first verse leaves the audience with a sense of hopelessness and longlines. The female song writer known only as Superchick, conveys just how depressed she is with the lines â€Å"I know I m alive but I feel like I ve died and all that s left is to accept that it s over †¦ I feel like I m slipping away†. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Depression is a low, sad state marked by significant levels of sadness, lack of energy or, low self-worth (Comer, 183). Health and beauty in western society’s go hand and hand, as national obsession. The second and forth verse plays on the notion that there is no beauty from pain. The overall tone of the verses feels as if she is struggling with something that is going to make herShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Van Gogh s Agony By Lauren Soth And Under The Starry Night By Denis J. Billy Essay2419 Words   |  10 PagesOne of the most mysterious and thought-provoking images to date was painted in 1889 from a mental health institution in St. Remy, France by non-other than Vincent Van Gogh. The opulence of blues and yellows has the ability bring a viewer to its knees, mostly in a subconscious manner that evokes a kind of spiritual quest, per haps one that Van Gogh was on himself. The Starry Night is still heavily contemplated and its meaning is still relatively unknown and quite debated, as is the man himself. Read MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Snow Falling On Cedars 2079 Words   |  9 Pagesthe overall tone of the book? From the years leading up to this class, the main goal I had in mind when reading a book was to find the theme. However, I’ve never taken the chance to add a â€Å"language choice† highlight section to my usual highlighting key for books. Then today, I’ve realized something. Like a small, innocent gosling awakening into a new, fresh, open world, I’ve been sitting and growing in an abundant nest of language components, yet I’ve been far from growing out of the nest of languageRead MoreTechnical English and General English3240 Words   |  13 Pagesthe Germanic languages. It has lingua franca status in many parts of the world, due to the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the early 20th century to the present. Through the global influence of native English speakers in cinema, music, broadcasting, science, and the Internet in recent decades, English is now the most widely learned second language in the world, althoughRead More The Unreliable Narrator in Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita Essay examples2020 Words   |  9 PagesHumbert Humbert, the novels eloquent poet-narrator, observes the world through the bars of his obsession, his nympholepsy, and this confinement deeply affects the quality of his narration. In particular, his powerful sexual desires prevent him from understanding Lolita in any significant way, so that throughout the text what he describes is not the real Lolita, but an abstract creature, without depth or substance beyond the complex set of symbols and allusions that he associates with herRead MoreContemporary American Poetry and Its Public Worlds Essay8159 Words   |  33 Pages But who has the will to concern himself with such dangerous maybes? For that, one really has to to wait for the advent of a new species of philosophers, such as somehow another and converse taste and propensity from those we have known so far--philosophers of the dangerous maybe in every sense. (Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, sec 2.) This will not be one more lament for the sad state of contemporary American poetry. Yet to define some of the basic strengths of new work I haveRead MoreContemporary Applications of Schools in Psychology8487 Words   |  34 Pagesand its research and treatment methods. From each distinctive viewpoint there arose unique theories and concepts that can be seen applied widely in various fields in today’s world. These perspectives can be seen in contemporary fields within applied psychology like clinical psychology, social psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology, industrial or organizational psychology, community psychology, consumer psychology, applied behavioral analysis, environmental psychology, legal psychologyRead MoreKhasak14018 Words   |  57 PagesMonday, 26 October 2009 Preface This dissertation titled ART AS A RENDEZVOUS OF MYTH AND MIND: A PSYCHOANALYTIC AND MYTHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF O V VIJAYAN’S THE LEGENDS OF KHASAK explores how the judicious selection and use of literary theory can account for the universal appeal of The Legends of Khasak, a belated self translated rendering of a famous regional work in Malayalam, Khasakkinte Ithihasam authored by the eminent writer O V Vijayan, and thus assert its artistic value. Divided into fourRead Moreethical decision making16006 Words   |  65 Pagesasked to select patients for the medication program. A terminally ill cancer patient who is in great pain begs the nurse for more medication than the physician has ordered. What should the nurse do? A man was diagnosed and treated for a venereal infection by his family nurse practitioner. He agreed that his wife should also be treated but he did not want her to know that he acquired the disease from a prostitute and infected her. He asked the nurse practitioner if there was any way to avoid sharingRead MoreAn Evalution of the Attachment Theory Essay13038 Words   |  53 PagesAttachment Theory 7 2. Aims of the Study 9 Chapter 2: Methodology 2.1 Literature Review Theoretical Considerations 12 2.2 Secondary Research - qualitative or quantitative 15 2.3 Information gathering Content Analysis 16 Chapter 3: Literature Review Applying the Attachment Theory when working with Looked after Children 3.1. Part 1 - Early Attachment Theories, Criticisms Findings 20 3.2. Part 2 - Emotional and Behavioural difficultiesRead MoreQualitative Research and Celebrity Endorsement24767 Words   |  100 PagesMiller 1994) 1.2  Research  Aim   The topic of celebrity endorsements and its elements is heavily documented in academic literature, but what makes this research interesting is that it enables us to understand the celebrity endorsement process from an Indian consumers point of view. Not much work has 7 been seen in the Indian light despite the fact of it being perceived as a potential market for celebrity endorsed products. Indian consumer attitudes are changing at a rapid pace and they

Definition of abnormality essay Free Essays

string(96) " be cured by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations, thus gaining insight\." Revision Notes- Abnormality Definition of abnormality * Failure to function adequately- An assessment of an individual whose disability prevents them from pursing normal goals and activities. Rosenhan and Seligman (89)-7 characteristics; Suffering- most abnormal individuals report that they are suffering Maladaptiveness- danger to self (usually occurs as a result of lacking relevant knowledge and skill) Vivid/unconventional behaviour- ways in which abnormal individuals tend to behave often differs substantially from most people. Unpredictability/loss of control- the behaviour of abnormal people is often very variable, uncontrolled and inappropriate. We will write a custom essay sample on Definition of abnormality essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Irrationality/ incomprehensibility- others cannot understand why anyone would choose to behave in this way Observer discomfort- social behaviour is governed by a number of unwritten norms or rules of behaviour (e. g. not standing too close to someone while talking) Violation of moral/Ideal standards- behaviour may be judged ‘abnormal’ when it violates established more standard Evaluation * Criticised as it depends heavily on subjective assessments- e. g. eople who engage in behaviour that is maladaptive may not consider themselves to be abnormal (adrenaline sports). * Does not sufficiently differentiate abnormal behaviour from behaviour that is non-conformist. * Deviation from social norms-Behaviour that violates implicit and explicit rules and moral standards of a given society. Evaluation * Norms not fixed-change over time. * Abnormal, eccentric or criminal? * Role of context including culture * Risk of abuse * Deviation from mental ideal health- A deviation from the ideal characteristic that people should possess if they are to live optimally. Marie Jahoda’s 6 characteristics; Small- Self actualisation People-Personal growth In-Integration America-Autonomy Poo-Perception of reality Everywhere-Environment mastery Evaluation * Criticised for being subjective as it may differ from person to person and there may be no agreement between people as to what constitutes normal or ideal mental health. * Culture bound by Western ideals of self-fulfilment and individuality (culture relativism) * Most people may fail on some criteria Biological Model * Assumes that psychological and behavioural abnormalities have biological causes. Biological causes include genes, infection, neuro-anatomy and biochemistry. * Genetic concept-supported by Kendler et al. (85)-relatives with schizophrenia and Gottesman (91)-Identical twins * Infection that gets into the brain can cause widespread damage and if the brain is damaged then a person may start to have abnormal experiences or to behave in abnormal ways. (Flu is linked with schizophrenia- (Barr et al. (90)). * Bio-chemistry- Brain relies on hundreds of different chemicals all being in the correct balance. These chemicals (neurotransmitters and hormones) are used to send messages round the brain and nervous system, too much or too little of them can cause the brain to function abnormally. Schizophrenia has been associated with an excess activity in the neurotransmitter dopamine. * Neuro-anatomy- illustrates that schizophrenia is cause by abnormality in the structure of the brain; these abnormality could be inherited. Concept supported by the case study of Phineas Gage. Evaluation * Criticised for being reductionist as it simplifies complex behaviour to its simplest form. Deterministic- As you have no choice over your behaviour or the development of a mental disorder. * Ethical issue –Labelling someone mentally ill as Szaz illustrates that apart from identified disease of the brain, most so-called mental disorders are really problems of living. * Objective- Based on mature biological science. Biological treatments; Drugs- for anxiety, depression and schizophrenia ECT- for severe depression Psychosurgery- for severe anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Evaluation Drugs-sometimes effective but side effect, might treat only symptom and ethical issues. * ECT- quick and sometimes effective, used to prevent suicide, mode of action unclear and ethical issues * Psychosurgery- used as last resort and controversial. Psychodynamic Model * Signifies the existence of the unconscious. * Psychological disorders are cause by emotional problems in the unconscious mind, the cause of these problems can be traced back to early childhood and the relationship between the child and parents is a crucial factor of mental health. 3 main part to the concept; * The Id- present from birth and is the pleasure drive. The Ego- present from the age of 2 and deals with reality by balancing out the ego and superego. The Superego- present from the age of 5 and is morality (knowing the difference between right and wrong). * Defence Mechanisms- operates at an unconscious level and help w ard off unpleasant feelings (i. e. anxiety) or make good things feel better for the individuals. 8 types of defence mechanisms; Displacement-redirecting repressed desires Sublimation- transforming aggressive and sexual desires into a socially acceptable expression Projection- Attributing your own acceptable impulses or characteristic to someone else Denial-denying what happen Repression-involves putting unacceptable thoughts and experience into the unconscious Reaction formation- where a person goes beyond denial and behaves in the opposite way to which he or she thinks or feels Rationalisation- involves supplying a logical or rational reason as opposed to the real reason. helps to protect our sense of self-esteem) Regression- Involves returning to a pervious stage of development. Regression is the giving up of mature problems solving methods in favour of child-like approaches to fixing problems to deal with stress. * Psychosexual stage- suggest that if you receive too much or too little at one of the stages you will become fixated at the stage and regress back to it in later life. Evaluation * Psychodynamic model has been criticised as it is unscient ific in its analysis of human behaviour. Psychodynamic model has been accused for being sexist as it proposes behaviour difference between men and women, especially women’s inferiority , are due to biology and not social and cultural factors, and so the difference are fixed and unalterable. * Deterministic- leaving little room for the idea of personal agency (i. e. free will) * Ethical issues- people are not to blame for their own abnormal behaviour, but may be partially responsible for the development of abnormal behaviour in their offspring. Treatment * Psychoanalysis- for anxiety disorders Dream analysis Free association-involves reading a list of words (e. g. mother, childhood etc. ) and the patient immediately responds with the first word that comes to mind. It is hoped that fragments of repressed memories will emerge in the course of free association. Ink blots * Found by Freud, who believed that people could be cured by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations, thus gaining insight. You read "Definition of abnormality essay" in category "Essay examples" * Psychoanalytic psychologist see psychological problems as rooted in the unconscious mind, typical causes include unresolved issues during development or repressed trauma. Evaluation The case study of Anna O (repressed traumatic experience of her father’s death) and Little Hans (young boy who developed a phobia for horses) supports the theory of psychoanalysis. * Psychoanalysis may speed up the rate at which clients get better. * The nature of Psychoanalysis creates a power imbalance between therapist an d client that could raise ethical issues. * Psychoanalysis – tends to be expensive and time-consuming * Psychoanalysis is generally considered more appropriate for treating neurotic disorders such as anxiety, but it is less suitable for patients with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Behaviourists’ criticism- behavioural approach to psychopathology think the abnormal behaviour is the disorder and so it is better to concentrate on changing the problem behaviour rather than spend time digging into distant childhood conflicts. Behavioural Model * Behavioural model approach focuses on the ‘behaviour’ of an individual in order to explain psychological problems. * Assumptions of the model- abnormal behaviour is maladaptive and what was learnt can be unlearnt by the same principle. Explains the emergence of specific, maladaptive, or dysfunctional behaviour such as phobia, anxiety and depression, through the process of classical conditioning, operant cond itioning and social learning. * Classical conditioning- consist of three stages; Before conditioning- the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) produces an unconditioned response (UCR) in an organism. This stage also involves another stimulus which has no effect on a person and is called the neutral stimulus (NS). During conditioning- during this stage, a stimulus which produces no response (i. . neutral) is associated the UCS at which point it now becomes CS. After condition-the conditioned stimulus has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus to create a new conditioned response. * Watson and Rayner study on Little Albert supported the conditioning theory. Before conditioningLoud noise Fear/crying(UCS) (UR)During conditioning Loud noise (UCS) +Fear/crying (UCR)White rat (NS)After conditioning White rat (CS) Fear/crying (CR)| * Social learning theory-Behaviours are learned through imitation, that is, by observing others. Observational learning is particularly powerful for those who model the behaviour are seen to be rewarded. Some phobias such as fear of spiders are learnt by observing other people showing fear when they see spider. Mineka et al. study on monkey illustrates that fear is not genetically inherited as parents of the young monkeys who already feared snakes did not automatically acquire this fear themselves. However, when some monkeys did observer their parent showing fearful reaction they did acquire an intense and persistent fear. Evaluation Behavioural model focuses on dealing with patients’ maladaptive behaviour derived or caused by their prior conditioning or reinforcement history. * Rejects role of genetic inheritance and the role of other psychological (cognitive and psychodynamic) factors in the development of psychological disorders. * Criticised for being reductionist- reduces all behaviour to simply learning by association, reinforcement, punishment and modelling. * Dete rministic- complex human behaviour includes thinking, language, reasoning, problem solving, and feeling will probably need alternative explanations. Much evidence for behaviourism comes from laboratory studies with animal. To suggest this is demeaning to some people, they point to human behaviour as being governed more by thinking i. e. cognitive and emotional factors. * Abnormal behaviour is determined by external environmental factors e. g. conditioning history and social and cultural factors, so individuals cannot be held responsible for their behaviour. Treatment * Classical conditioning includes systematic desensitization and aversion therapy. * Systematic desensitization- a behavioural therapy used to treat phobias and anxieties. After being trained in relaxation techniques, the phobic person is gradually exposed to situations that are more and more anxiety-provoking, until the fear response is placed by one of relaxation. For example: Dog causing Fear Needs to be changed to Dog causing Calmness and relaxation (pleasant feeling) * Aversion therapy- a behavioural treatment that aims to rid the individual of an undesirable habit (e. g. smoking) by pairing the habit with unpleasant (aversive) consequences. For example: Emetic (drug) Sick Emetic +smoke Sick Smoking Sick (aversive response) * Flooding is also another way to treat phobias. Flooding consist confronting the feared object or situation head on and not in small manageable steps. The idea is to flood or overwhelm the client with fear because after a time the fear will inevitably subside helping the client realise they won’t die and that really have nothing to fear. This procedure must only be carried out with the approval of the client. Token economy-a behavioural technique that reinforces appropriate behaviour by awarding tokens that can be exchanged for goods or privileges. Evaluation * Research support for systematic desensitization but implosion and flooding are quicker. * Some research support but ethical concerns over aversion therapy. * Research support for token economy but risk of institutional bias and token learning. Cognitive Model * Cognitive model stress the role of cognitive problems such as irrational thinking in abnormal functioning. Irrational thoughts are the causes for abnormality; if the thinking is changed the mental illness should be able to be cured. * Difference between the behavioural model and cognitive model is that behavioural model does not take the mental process into consideration. * Ellis (1962) called irrational thoughts ‘cognitive errors’. * Two processes that leads to irrational thinking; mustabation and awfulizing. * Mustabation is when a person stresses that they ‘must’ do something * Awfulizing is when a person over-generalises by saying e. g. â€Å" I didn’t go university so I must be stupid†. This theory can be challenged by questioning the assumption that people who don’t go university are stupid and give example of successful people that didn’t go university e. g. Alan Sugar. * Cognitive distortions are another example of faulty thoughts processes, and include over generalisation, magnifications and minimisation. * Generalisation- r efers to learning to reach a conclusion about the world based on evidence from a single events * Magnification- the tendency to magnify small events, usually setbacks, so they appear more serious that they really are * Minimisation- the tendency to turn something significant. Becks research supports this concept as he carried out a research which involved 48 adults with primarily mild or moderate intellectual disability. They participated in semi-structured interview, twice approximately 16 weeks apart, as did an additional 12 adults diagnosed with depression. Participants reported on depressed mood, the cognitive triad, as measured by views of the self, the world and the future, hopelessness and self-esteem. The finding showed that the cognitive triad inventory for children displayed adequate psychometric properties in this sample. It correlated with depressed mood, and individuals diagnosed with depression have significantly higher scores on the cognitive triad inventory for child ren than those with no psychiatric diagnoses. * A negative cognitive did not predict depressed mood 4 months later, but the inverse relationship where depressed mood predicted a later negative cognitive triad approached statistical significance. * Certain childhood and adolescence experience (such as the loss of a parent or criticism from teacher) leads to the development of a cognitive triad consisting three interlocking negative belief. These concern the self, the world and the future, and cause people to have distorted and constricted outlook on life. The beliefs lead people to magnify bad, and minimise good experiences. The cognitive triad is maintained by several kinds of distorted and unreasonable interpretation of real events that contribute to depression. Treatment * Cognitive behavioural therapy is a therapeutic approach in psychology that is intended to help individuals learn to cope with anxiety inducing or stressful situation by rationally addressing faulty cognition and the ways in which it leads to inappropriate and self-defeating behaviour. How to cite Definition of abnormality essay, Essays

Five Effective Ways of Advertising

Question: Write about the Five Effective Ways of Advertising. Answer: Introduction The effectiveness of advertisement illustrates how well advertisement of a company achieves the intended. With the help of effective advertising, the company is able to reach to its targeted customers and they also come to know how many individuals actually view their advertisement. The key objective of effective advertisement is to augment sales and profits of the organization and as a result, a profitable advertisement is an effectual one. Brand awareness is considered as another major metric of effective advertising. Brand awareness helps to illustrate the percentage of individuals who recognizes the brand of the company (Madera et al. 2016). The report provides an overview about five effective ways of advertising that is considered as a major element in order to run a successful business. In order to find the best advertising methods for an organization, it is imperative to make the use of some experimentation that may differ according to the products and services. The Philippines is a brand aware market where advertisement plays a key role in the promotion of most customer products (Daz 2015). Effective Ways of Advertising The five ways of effective advertising are as follows: Effective Headlines A headline in advertising grasps the attention that is quite similar to that of headline in the newspaper. Effective headline acts as the initial contact with the targeted audiences. It is decisive in capturing attention with a fascinating title. According to Lai and Farbrot (2014), effective headline is considered about 70 percent liable for the effectiveness of the advertisement. It is imperative for the headline to generate a poignant response that encourages probable customers to persist to the ad content. The effective headline that is provided by Nike in order to grab more customers includes when the shoes get lighter, the moves get tighter (Lai and Farbrot 2014). It can be stated that a great headline starts with a great imaginative brief. It is mostly believed by most of the creative directors that a great headline acts as the unique selling proposition (USP) for all the products (Shaw, Jain and Chatterjee 2015). Effective headlines are also considered as natural attention-ge tters. Customers always have the propensity to view the headline of the product that they desire to purchase. As a result, headlines act an important guide that provides clear signal to help customers whether they should purchase the product or not. According to an advertising expert, individuals go through the headline five times before go through the body copy of the advertisement (Shafitri and Himmawati 2014). It is also known to fuel interest among the customers as effective headlines are also known to prepare the customers for what is coming next. With the help of a good headline, the customers set up a feeling of expectation as the reader expects discovering more. Cross Promotions This is the ideal method of advertising, by which an organization can expand its targeted audience. Cross-promotion has the probability for big marketing payoff, as it will become easier for the partners to expand the customer base of each other (Breugelmans and Campo 2016). Cross-promotion is a type of marketing promotion where customers of a particular goods or services are mostly targeted with promotion of an associated product. A distinctive example of cross-media marketing is media marketing or brand marketing. It mostly includes operation of two or more companies in promoting a service or a product in a method that benefits both (Breugelmans and Campo 2016). The cost of cross-promotion is also negligible that leads to a win-win situation for both the parties. It is also considered as the easiest and one of the most successful marketing strategies that helps in effective promotion. Local advertisers in Philippines make the use of electronic billboards as well as web advertisemen t that helps to promote their commodities. The Business Service Provider is a listing of Philippine-based Company that provides trade facilitation services to the US companies (Walton et al. 2016). Cross-promotion strategies help an organization to stand out with the help of which a company will be able to provide free products and services to the targeted customers that helps to increase the sales. Cross marketing involves the usage of touch points with the help of individuals interacts with a brand at several level and at several times. Most of the fast food restaurants often indulge in combined advertising with beverages like Pepsi and Coca Cola (Vaidyanathan 2015). With the help of cross-marketing, brand equity is mostly increased that leads to user engagement. Humor In case of advertising a product in the market, humor and outrageous are the effective ways to achieve a customer and the brand name. This way is also effective to the consumers who are not appropriately shopping or purchase the product. According to Walton et al. (2014), it can be mentioned that television and the commercial captures the public willingness and leave a permanent impression of a corporate brand to the consumers. Therefore, the marketing managers aim to conduct a memorable ad campaigns, which are tend to be funny. Advertisers follow this strategy in order to attract the consumers for their products. Hence, it can be mentioned that the consumers used to be entertained. In this context, it can be mentioned that the consumers will like to pay more attention towards the humorous commercial advertisement compared to the factual advertisement. This type of advertisement is effective o those consumers, who are thinking least about the product. On the other hand, Ward, Hancock and Macrae (2014) opined that the products, which are comparatively cheaper and the consumers hardly consume, can be marketed without considering a lot of facts. For example, chocolates, foods, alcohol, toys such type of products have proven to get additional advantage through the humor advertisement approach. On the other hand, it can be mentioned that humor advertisement strategy is helpful to differentiate a product among the entire competition. According to Shaw, Jain and Chatterjee (2015), it can be mentioned that advertising humor would be significant when it is used with the frequent purchase of the products. Therefore, an established organization has a stronger brand identity, which would be well known to the consumers. In addition, it can be stated that humor advertising would be able to increase the product recognition as well as reduce the skeptical behavior of the consumers. Freitas et al. (2013) cited that humor advertisement would be benefitted to get higher scores for recognition as well as product preferences. Internet Marketing Internet marketing or the online marketing implies the advertising and the marketing efforts, which use the web as well as emails to drive the direct sales through the electronic means of commerce. As opined by Papadopoulos et al. (2016), internet marketing is an effective approach for the organizations, which require a cost effective way to reach broader advertising markets. The effective business practices are the website reports, which would be helpful for the 70 per cent consumers who are used to make online shopping. In this context, it can be added that the organizations can take the help of social networking sites for marketing or promoting a new product in the market. In this connection, Daz (2015) mentioned that there are three types of internet marketing such as web marketing, email marketing and the social media marketing. Web marketing considers the e-commerce websites, informative or the promotional websites, affiliate-marketing websites for the effective means of advertisement. On the other hand, email marketing includes both the promotional and the advertising marketing efforts through mail messages for the present and the prospective consumers. Lastly, social media marketing includes both the advertising and the marketing efforts through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter or You Tube. In the points of Breugelmans and Campo (2016), it can be stated that internet banking can increase the visibility of the organizations. On the other hand, social media marketing is helpful to be connected with the potential and the returning consumers. It is helpful for the organizations to maintain the business competition against the small as well as larger online retailers. Therefore, it can be stated that online marketing team reflects to the lead generation to sales (Lai and Farbrot 2014). Premiums In case of advertisement for a business, the premium approach describes the displaying organizational names, logos, brand or the other relevant information, which would be given for free. In this connection, the organizations would make a small investment in the organization such as they provides T-shirts, hats, pens, writing pads, mouse pads, coffee mugs are an attractive way to get the name of the organization out there. As per the statement of Madera et al. (2016), it can be mentioned that such products achieve longevity for the sake of the consumers. This would leave a subconscious effectiveness. In this context, the organizations advertise in newspapers, magazines or the other print of publications before purchasing the advertising space. Purchasing premium space for the organizations print advertisement, which would expand the organizations strengthen and therefore, this would increase the effectiveness of the advertising approach. Moreover, right hand pages are helpful for the premium advertisement in larger magazines. Based on the target consumers, the organization want to run in a section, which might seem appropriate for the newspaper sales clerk (Shafitri and Himmawati 2014). Conclusion This study is helpful to identify the five effective ways of advertising, which are helpful to market or promote a new product in the market. Advertisement is helpful to increase the consumers attention towards the products and therefore, this would increase the sales of the organization. It can be concluded that humor and outrageous are considered as the fantastic method that helps to increase targeted audience as well as brand name. It can also be concluded that it is imperative for the headline to generate a poignant response that encourages probable customers to persist to the ad content. On the other hand, internet marketing is considered as the evolution of modern technology. Internet marketing is a form of promotional marketing that also includes media marketing as well as display marketing. Advertising in Philippines helps a company to earn passive income with the help of online advertising proceeds. It can also be concluded that small businesses in Philippines will also be a ble to make more money by augmenting brand awareness on the Internet by advertising in online Yellow pages or through search engines such as Yahoo and Google. References Breugelmans, E. and Campo, K., 2016. Cross-Channel Effects of Price Promotions: An Empirical Analysis of the Multi-Channel Grocery Retail Sector.Journal of Retailing,92(3), pp.333-351. Carter-Harris, L., Ellis, R.B., Warrick, A. and Rawl, S., 2016. Beyond traditional newspaper advertisement: leveraging Facebook-targeted advertisement to recruit long-term smokers for research.Journal of Medical Internet Research,18(6). Daz, N.R., 2015. English Private Tutoring in France: The Race for a Better Job Starts in Advertisement Campaigns.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,173, pp.176-180. Freitas, N.X., Conneely, S., Meyer, W. and Oakes, J., Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP, 2013.Flexible wireless advertisement integration in wireless software applications. U.S. Patent 8,458,286. Lai, L. and Farbrot, A., 2014. What makes you click? The effect of question headlines on readership in computer-mediated communication.Social Influence,9(4), pp.289-299. Madera, Q., Castillo, O., Garcia, M. and Mancilla, A., 2016, December. Interactive evolutionary computation with adaptive mutation for increasing the effectiveness of advertisement texts. InComputational Intelligence (SSCI), 2016 IEEE Symposium Series on(pp. 1-6). IEEE Papadopoulos, D., Demiris, C., Giotopoulos, K., Giannoukou, I. and Antonopoulou, H., 2016, June. Application of Neural Networks in Economy. The Influence of Advertisement in Business Turnover. In4 th International Conference on Contemporary Marketing Issues ICCMI June 22-24, 2016 Heraklion, Greece(p. 241). Shafitri, I.D. and Himmawati, D.R., 2014. Interrogative Sentence Of Cosmetic Advertisement Headlines In Cosmopolitan Magazine.Jurnal Mahasiswa Teknologi Pendidikan,2(03). Shaw, S., Jain, R. and Chatterjee, S., Google Inc., 2015.Delivering content to users based on advertisement interaction type. U.S. Patent 9,047,622. Vaidyanathan, R., 2015. Building Brand Equity Through Bundling: the Effect of Cross-Brand Promotions on Perceptions.NA-Advances in Consumer Research Volume 43. Walton, D., Retana, A., Chen, E. and Scudder, J., 2016.Advertisement of multiple paths in BGP(No. RFC 7911). Ward III, T.E., Hancock, K. and Macrae, D.B., Gemstar Development Corporation, 2014.System and method for modifying advertisement responsive to EPG information. U.S. Patent 8,635,649.

Our Essays - Our Town, English-language Films, Thornton Wilder

Our Town By Thornton Wilder 1. Thornton Wilder was one of the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated of American writers. Born in the Midwest on April 17, 1897, he was educated in China, in Germany language schools, in America, and in Rome. He was thoroughly familiar with classical literature. In 1938 he wrote Our Town. In this play Wilder gained admiration for his serious philosophical concerns and use of theatrical techniques. When reading Our Town it is difficult to find one major conflict. The ideas imbedded behind the scenes deal with the importance of love, the continuity of human life, the beauty of life, and the meaning of life. The topic of love is seen many times throughout the play. All the characters are brought together by love however, each relationship and each love is different. Throughout the play it is very easy to notice the different loves. In act one love is centered on the family, the main characters seem to show unconditional love for one another. In the second act the word of love changes to romance, as Emily and George fall in love. In act three love is shown in the most unconditional way. Unselfish love that expects no return. As the play moved forward we work constantly reminded that like this one continuous cycle. The play itself begins with birth and ends in death. The stage manager also insinuates this idea by comparing generations. The strongest theme in Our Town is the beauty of life. This theme helps show us the wonderful happenings of everyday existence that most people will ignore and is only sometimes grasped by poets and saints. 2. After a short analysation of Our Town the plot reveals itself very easily. It has been said that Our Town has no plot at all, in that the stage manager tells a few stories about life in Grover's Corners and sends the audience on their way. The simplicity behind the plot is what brought excellence to the play. Wilder tries throughout the play to show the importance of ideas not personalities, and let each individual audience member gain something different from the play. The play begins while people are still entering the theater and being seated. A character known only as the stage manager enters a bare, partly lit stage. He begins rummaging around on stage acting as a stagehand setting up for the first act. The stage manager begins by telling you that you are in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, in 1901. The first action seen on stage is everyday activity between the Webbs and the Gibbses. Dr. Gibbs comes home from the hospital and the wives catch up on gossip while they work. The stage manager interrupts with some more information and the children come home from school. Time passes very quickly. The stage manager tells you that act two will be love and marriage. George and Emily by the end of the act will be wed. In the middle of this act they take you back to a scene from George and Emily's courtship. Act three opens in the graveyard; the stage manager tells you that nine years have passed. Emily has died and her grave is being prepared. Night comes to Grover's corners, and the stage manager wishes the audience a good night. 3. In Our Town, the actors have plenty of room for their own influences to fit in, because Wilder depicts types rather than individuals. All the people in Grover's Corners are individualistic. By doing this Wilder left room for each audience member to connect with each character in their own way. Emily Webb is the daughter of the editor of the town paper. She marries George Gibbs and dies giving birth to their second child. She is the girl who grows up during the play. Her speeches at the end of the play are very important George Gibbs, the son of Dr. Gibbs, is the boy next door who marries Emily. Both George and Emily represent typical American children. He is nice and polite, but not very bright. Throughout his whole life he was always lagging behind in maturity. Doctor Frank Gibbs is the loving father and husband every man wants to be. He is at total peace with his living conditions and life. Mr. Charles Webb is the editor of the local newspaper and enjoys studying Napoleon. As presented before the parents of George and Emily are also typical and alike. Julia Hersey Gibbs is Doc Gibbs's wife and the mother of George and Rebecca.

Greenwood South carolina Hisotry essays

Greenwood South carolina Hisotry essays Greenwood County keeps growing every year new things are build , like houses , industries and many other things. Greenwood County has a diversified manufacturing economy some companies have more than a century , others have only recently selected Greenwood as the location of new Industries. Greenwood Mills , Inc. , began operations in 1891 , the town's first textile manufacturing plant , is now a major producer of denim and other fabrics . With 7,000 employees in South Carolina , Georgia , Tennessee . George W. Park Seed Company has been in business since 1868 and is international mail - order supplier of gardening materials and seeds . In 1918 Southern Brick Company was established , when rich deposits of clay were discovered in Ninety Six Creek ,and continues to manufacture building materials . Fuji photo film, Inc. , was established in Greenwood in 1889 . In early 1994 , Fuji announced the construction of its largest and most technologically facility in Greenwood .This factory has recently been completed and is ready to supply color photographic paper to the US Market . Fuji announced on June 20 , 1995 , that the construction was completed and production had begun at the Greenwood site . The construction of a Central Distribution Center was announced in January , 1996 . This facility has been completed and serves of all the manufacturing facilities at the fuji Greenwood complex . The Distribution Center is over 3,000,000 square feet in size and represents as investments of 20 to 25 million dollars . Also in January of 1996 , Fuji of Greenwood announced the construction of new 100,000 square foot facility which will expand Fuji's ability to serve the graphic arts market . The new plant will be operational in early 1997 , will employ about 70 new Associates , and will represent an additional investment of approximately 25 Million .In February of 1996 , Fuji of Greenwood...

How to stay eager and motivated during the summer

How to stay eager and motivated during the summer Which is worse: a case of the Mondays, or a case of the Summer Fridays? There’s always the coffee cure for that groggy feeling as you drag your feet to work on Mondays, but what about the long slow burn of the summer Fridays, when you’re surrounded by empty desks of people on vacation? Whether it’s the summer heat, the creeping envy of coworkers on vacation, or just the call of the outdoors, staying motivated and productive this time of year can be a challenge. Here are 5 ways to beat the summer blahs, stay focused, and enjoy your work more. Set micro-goalsReaching a goal you’ve worked hard for can make you feel a great sense of accomplishment. So why not get this feeling in smaller doses to help give you a boost throughout the day? Making a list of small goals- even â€Å"get coffee†- can help you get focused and get the ball rolling on the tasks you need to do. Checking something off your list can also help you feel productive and organized. Even better: set time goals. Turn your task into a small challenge. What can you get done in the next 15 minutes? To stay truly productive, schedule the next hour, the whole morning, and the rest of the day.DaydreamBut make sure you also schedule some break time. You may find yourself avoiding work to think about all the fun coworkers are having on vacation as you sit in your ghost town of an office, or to start planning out your ideal beach weekend. Use this tendency to daydream to your advantage by making it strategic. Letting yourself daydream (on a time limit) can refresh you and help you refocus before you go back to your work. It’s better to give yourself planned breaks rather than let your mind wander all day. And whatever you do, stay off social media (scrolling through posts of other people’s sunsets and palm trees won’t help you stay motivated).Reward yourselfWe’re not rats in a maze, but we are motivated to act by reward centers in our brains. If yo u’re absolutely burnt out at work and wishing you could take the day off and enjoy the sun, make your break times, evenings, and weekends count. Treat yourself by splurging on a really great lunch. Go to a movie after work. Rest well. Buy a new outfit as if you were taking a vacation. Plan a day trip for the upcoming weekend. Cost and time can prohibit you from actually going to the Bahamas, but even simply planning something you will enjoy later can boost your mood now- helping you be more productive in your everyday routine.Switch up your routineSpeaking of the everyday routine: if you just find yourself wishing you were elsewhere, bring a little something different into your everyday. Listen to calypso music on headphones or drink a nonalcoholic frozen pineapple beverage with your lunch. Even get an iced coffee instead of hot coffee. Walk a different way to work. One thing a vacation does is break up the everyday routine and give you a change of scenery – you can do this on a small scale. Let something in your day feel a little different to make the summertime special, even within your office walls.Bring the outdoors inSimilarly, if you are yearning to go outdoors in the sun, bring some nature into your office space. Listen to some ocean waves. Buy yourself a plant or some flowers for your desk. Look at pictures of nature or places you want to go. Spending a weekend on the beach can be restorative, but simply looking at nature can also actually make you calmer.Acknowledging your desire to be elsewhere will help you be more productive then trying to ignore it. Tapping into the small things that can help keep you motivated and help break up the rut will help you get through those long summer days.

Human Resource Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Human Resource Planning - Essay Example Human resource management strategies usually involve adopting several organizational objectives and goals. After this adaptation, the organizations try to translate the objectives and goals into an integrated, complementary and consistent set of policies and programs for employee management process (Mello, 2011). However, it does not imply that the strategic human resource management is kneejerk in nature. Although human resource management strategy is basically derived from business or corporate unit strategies, this human resource management strategy generally developed in a proactive manner. Under the human resource management strategies, several HR staffs try to design and develop suitable HR systems in order to meet the expected workplace condition that can enhance several organizational operations. Senior HR professionals are considered as the important member of the top management team. These HR professionals should significantly involve in the business or corporate unit strat egic planning. It will help the top management of the organization to integrate key HRM concerns with overall organizational planning. On the other hand, several HR executives in the organization should inform the top management of the organization about the skills and competencies of the organizational workforce. This will help them to measure the impact of developed strategic plans. (B) There are several components and processes associated with the HRM strategy development. Human resource planning is the first and most important component of HRM strategy. This human resource planning considers translating corporate strategic initiatives into an effective workable plan. Effective HR planning allows the human resource function to significantly contribute to the effectiveness of an organization by arranging a foundation for the proactive management (Mello, 2011). Most importantly, human resource planning helps to facilitate several key processes within an organization. Effective huma n resource planning enhances the leadership activities through significant planning. Effective leadership process helps to reduce the threat of the disruption of daily organizational operations. On the other hand, effective human resource planning basically facilitates several strategic planning through the examination of the availability of skilled employees and skill sets. Moreover, it facilitates the realization of trends and shifts in the labor market by the examination of employee capabilities and job requirements. Employee development is the key process that is associated with human resource planning. Effective human resource planning enhances employee development through the determination of skills and competencies of those employees. Appropriate budget planning and suitable resource allocation can be enhanced through effective human resource planning. Last but not the least; it can be stated that employee shortages and surplus can be facilitated through this human resource p lanning. Question 2 It is clear from above discussion that human resource planning is the major component of human resource strategy. The organizations generally develop their human resource strategies after developing and understanding corporate and business unit strategies. Once the business objectives and goals are understood, an effective understanding of workforce, planning for assumed surplus and shortages in specific skill sets and occupation will be needed. Several important demographic

Hersey blanchard situational leadership Final paper Research

Hersey blanchard situational leadership Final - Research Paper Example Moreover, effective leadership style based on the nature of a particular situation can help an organization to provide effective solutions to the developed issues and challenges. This research paper will evaluate the value of Hersey-Blanchard’s situational leadership theory or model or theory in order to improve the performance of healthcare organizations. Healthcare industry can be considered as one of the sensitive industries in this global market place. It is important for the organizations in this particular industry to ensure the implementation of effective leadership style in order to maintain effective workplace environment. The Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory can be considered as important theory for the healthcare organizations. This particular theory was introduced and presented by Dr. Paul Hersey (Blanchard, 1983). It is highly important for the healthcare organizations to be prepared for different types of situations. On the other hand, it is important for the management of these healthcare organizations to develop and implement different types of situational leadership styles based on the demand of the situation (Graeff, 1983). According to this leadership theory, an effective leader should have the flexibility to change his or her leadership style and implement change management process in the organization by adopting different types of leadership styles based on the demand and nature of the situation. However, the leadership theory of hersey and Blanchard can be divided into four different styles, such as telling, selling, participating and delegating. Telling can be considered as one of the important situational leadership styles. In this leadership style the leaders used to tell the followers and sub-ordinates what exactly to do and what is the process or procedure to complete the task (Vecchio, 1987). The managers in the healthcare organization can adopt and implement

French culture Essay Example for Free

French culture Essay France is a Western Europe country with a population of approximately 60. 4 million people as by July 2004. France has a diversity of religions but the dominant religion is Roman Catholic with Jewish religion having the least followers (Kwintessential, 2010). These preliminary diversities in ethnicity and religion signal a diverse French culture. This paper discusses French culture by looking into different beliefs and attitudes common to French people. Language is also a central part of French culture as well as other important values. A diverse French culture Every people have their identity which is mainly entrenched in their culture. The French are not exceptional for the French culture is rich in almost all dimensions. The culture is usually best felt when you explore philosophy or by looking at the unique literary and art work. The input of French people in philosophy is outstanding with prominent philosophers like Rene Descartes (1600s) prided as the pioneers of modern philosophy. Montaigne is also a renowned sixteenth century philosopher who is celebrated for his ability to institute as part of art. Other French philosophers include Voltaire, Pascal and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (LERC, 2010). Having such renowned philosophers indicate that the French culture has been very influential not only in European countries but also in the Western nations and practically the whole world. A people’s art is a mirror of the people and what their values are all about. French art is in the form of literature, theatre as well as other forms of art. Some of the art works are very old thus portraying a rich history of the French culture. Some of the French artists who are known worldwide include Claude Monet who is known for his contribution to impressionist art which is an impression of ones view about nature (Cauderlier, 2009). Other artists include Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir and Armand Guillaumin. The cathedrals of France such as the Notre Dame and Chartres cathedral are popular structures that showcase French artistry. In particular, the Notre Dame cathedral has its walls decorated with statues as well as gargoyles. On the other hand, Chartres cathedral has its windows made of about 3,000 m2 of stained glass (LERC, 2010). All these are magnificent features of the French art work. Writing, poetry and theatre make up a beautiful French literature. France prides of the Academie francaise which is made of prominent writers. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was for instance the work of novelist Victor Hugo in the 1800s. Among other French writes whose works have been influential in development of culture include Alexandre Dumas and Charles Baudelaire (LERC, 2010). In poetry, the works of Ronsard and Lamartine regarding nature and love are still influential (French Language, 2010). French theatre is also a unique symbol of French culture. For instance, Moliere has several comedies which portray the vanities of human nature as a satire. Other playwrights include Racine and Corneille. These pieces of literature unique to French people are a source of pride and identity to the French people thereby displaying one aspect of their culture. Language is an important aspect in the French culture. French is the predominant language with about 88 percent of the communicating through French with even most of the rest speaking French and another language. Other spoken languages which are spoken by a small percentage of people include German dialects, Flemish, Italian, Catalan dialects, Breton and Basque. Immigrants have such dialects as the Corsu, Kabyle as well as Antillean Creole (Kwintessential, 2010). French people not only utilize verbal communication but they also regularly use non-verbal communication mainly in form of gestures. For instance, an eye contact is mainly used to signify equality or to act as a cue for friendship request. Shaking hands among acquaintances is also highly regarded by French people. Specific gestures are used for counting (using fingers starting from the thumb) whereas covering ones mouth with the hands indicates making an apology or an acknowledgement that one has made a mistake (LERC, 2010). French people also have their food which is unique and defines them. French cuisine varies mainly according to regions in France as regions influence availability of food. The most common traditional meal is the baguette and cheese accompanied by wine. Other meals have several courses with an air of sophistication. Since each region has different ingredients, each region seems to specialize in such ingredients but the foods have commonalities such as use of olive oil and tomatoes. In addition to the influence of local availability, French foods also vary depending on the influence of bordering countries and immigrants (sauerkraut common Alsace which borders Germany) Lunch break usually takes about two hours for most people (FPSi, 2010) The French society also has unique family and societal values, customs and etiquettes which are an important feature of the French culture. The family is highly valued and they are families are composed of few children. The roles of each family member are clearly defined with the parents being guardians and providers. The extended family offers support either financially or emotionally. French people usually develop open and polite dealings with family members and friends. Exchange of gifts bears some given etiquettes. For instance, one is not supposed to give an even number of flowers. Nevertheless, number thirteen is said to be unlucky and therefore such a number of flowers should not be given. It is also a requirement to open gifts immediately they are received (Kwintessential, 2010). French people are time conscious and they value keeping time. For instance, one is not supposed to be late for dinner for an invited dinner for more than ten minutes without prior explanation for being late. There are unique table manners such as being a requirement to finish food in ones plate. Business is usually conducted formally and courtesy is among the most important etiquettes. For a person who cannot speak French, it is always preferable for them to apologise if they are to establish a meaningful relationship. Dark-coloured suits are recommended for as business wear for men while women can do with either business suits or if it has to be a dress, then it must be elegant and having soft colours (Kwintessential, 2010). This is an exemplary culture as it has been adopted in the business environment virtually all over the world. Conclusion French culture is interesting, unique in many ways and has influenced other cultures in the world. The philosophy, art and literature are renowned worldwide and are an identity for the French people. French culture is also clearly defined in language, foods, general etiquettes in the society as well as unique business etiquettes. The French culture is undoubtedly interesting and influential especially if one considers every minor detail of the culture. As French, one finds reason to be proud of their culture which is outstanding even in the modern world. Bibliography Cauderlier, A. (2009). Monet. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://giverny. org/monet/welcome. htm FPSi. (2010). French food culture. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. france-property-and-information. com/french_food. htm French Language. (2010). French culture. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. frenchlanguageguide. com/french/culture/ Kwintessential. (2010). France-French culture, customs and etiquette. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/france-country-profile. html LERC. (2010). French culture, communication and gestures. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://lerc. educ. ubc. ca/LERC/courses/489/worldlang/french/frenchcultandcomm. html

The Study of Anthropology and the Humanities Essay -- exploring the hu

The humanities are a broad multidisciplinary field of study where its disciplines aren’t in just one department. Therefore, studying the humanities correlates to the study of anthropology. Simply put, anthropology is the study of humanity and the origins of human beings. Learning about the humanities can help those studying anthropology because the humanities looks into understanding and exploring the human condition. There is an idea of culture that is used to describe what humans do. Anthropology explores what culture is, how it influences society, and why the idea of culture is important. Studying anthropology also looks into the various cultures around the world and the diversity that makes the human race. A basic concern for anthropologists is what defines human life and its origins. How has the evolutionary past of humans influenced the contemporary culture? Reading R. Crumb’s The Book of Genesis (Illustrated) opens doorways for studying anthropology becau se it looks into the history and beginning of humankind. Studying the humanities relates to the study of anthropology because the graphic novel The Book of Genesis depicts ancient human culture. Crumb’s 2009 graphic novel helps better understand today’s society and comprehend how humans live today. The study of man and civilization connects with other subjects of education because it involves the reasoning for life today. The real effect of Anthropology is rather to lighten than increase the strain of learning (Tylor preface). When a scholar knows of early history, he knows how humankind arose and is able to take a better hold of himself and his own society. For example, if a paleontologist is studying the theory of the how humanity began, a book that depicts anc... ...here is a better comprehension of today. Studying different historical texts provides insight into features of the past which some anthropologists may first find difficult to comprehend or examine. Humanities deal with society and serve as a basis for studies in other fields, like anthropology. Anthropologists use methods in humanities to better understand society, people, and culture. In order to understand such a complex system of people, a history of culture and humanity must be taken into account. Works Cited Crumb, Robert. The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb New York: Norton, 2009 Lassiter, Luke E. Invitation to Anthropology. Lanham, MD: AltaMira, 2009. Print. Linton, Ralph. The Study of Man; An Introduction. New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1936. Print. Tylor, Edward B. Anthropology. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1960. Print.

Identity and Belonging: Witness

‘Where we come from and our attitude to it are powerful forces in our lives. ’ â€Å"This gun of the hand is for the taking of human life. We believe it is wrong to take a life. That is only for God. † The conflicting notions and difference between cultures is thoroughly represented throughout Peter Weir’s stunning and thematically moving film ‘Witness’ in which two different worlds with two different value systems are profoundly presented to its viewers. Having a sense of belonging is essential to identity; it is a basic human instinct to belong and to have faith in certain beliefs, the preoccupations meaningfully explored within Weir’s creations. Moreover, through the use of film techniques and representation, Weir has managed to captivate and compel his audience to indulge into the hardships and strategic traditions in which the Amish community follow and also allows the audience to gain a further understanding to the extreme disciplinary law of the ‘Ordnung. The protagonist, John Book, faces a tedious journey to bring justice to contemptible crime and must undergo an ultimate sacrifice of ‘changing his ways,’ which would cause a crucial disregard to all his life lessons that have shaped and guided him, in order to gain the acceptance he subsequently strives for from his ‘former carers’ and unique counterparts of the Amish community. Book also faces the riveting dilemma to assert or deny his d isreputable love with Rachel as well as apprehend where he truly belongs. Weir’s film is positioned between two worlds; the good and the evil, decency and corruption, head and heart, the Amish and the ‘English’. Throughout the film, the complexities of parallel worlds are explored where the different worlds begin to sporadically intertwine. ‘We want nothing to do with your laws,’ at the beginning of the film when Rachel first becomes subject to Detective John Book’s questioning and police procedures, she is taken out of her comfort zone and is presented with a world she knows not of. Rachel is more so driven by the forceful nature of her own predecessors and ‘elders’ which intuitively leads to her attitude of not wanting to abide by the laws of a different world from her own. The passiveness of the Amish is explored as they are depicted as being self-cast as outsiders, basing their lives solely on natural things due to their own stringent belief that it will bring them closer to God. Furthermore, the audience is able to gain an insight to the cultural restrictions in which the Amish live by; living in a rural society where there are no radios, telephones, or televisions, where the only means of transportation is a horse and buggy, and where one dresses to look â€Å"plain. † The depiction of the Amish community in the film is extraordinarily contrasted with the modern contemporary society of the Americans, otherwise known as ‘the English’ by the Amish people. Book’s world is portrayed as being the human function of corruption where ‘somewhere along the way [cops] lose their meaning. ’ Book is inevitably accustomed to deceit, brutality and violence that it consumes him and is the very essence in which drives him forward and acts accountable for his actions. He is inescapably surrounded by it, so much so that he is not completely oblivious to the corruption occurring within the very organisation that is meant to oppose it, his own police department. Book’s duty to investigate corruption within his police department leaves him shot. This violence from Book’s own world and place of belonging is what ironically leads to him going into hiding amongst the Amish people in order for him to protect Rachel and Samuel. He is significantly driven by his job of policing that it acts as a powerful force in his life in which he is suited to, ‘[Elaine] thinks you like policing because you think you are right about everything and you're the only one who can do anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Evidently, Book is quite complacent living his own life in his contemporary society as it composes of his identity and sense of belonging. At a further contrast, the contemporary society of the Americans deem to be utterly dependant on technology, not just as helpful tools but also for ones own sense of luxury. In the film, when Book is in town with Eli accompanied by other Amish they are ambushed by tourists who simply treat them as though they are placed there for their own amusement, the Amish are not acknowledged as being actual human beings. The tourists bombard them with taking photos and Book does not follow the placid way of the Amish, ‘Lady, you take my picture with that thing and I'm gonna rip your brassiere off†¦ nd strangle you with it! You got that? ’ Though Book attempts to conform to the ways of the Amish he is still so accustomed to his old ways that where he comes from is his own sense of belonging. Furthermore, Book’s trial of ‘fitting in’ with the Amish is ultimately tested when he cannot rid himself of his urban assertiveness and simply turns to violence when a g roup of ‘townies’ harass Daniel Hochleitner, of the Amish, to which Book violently punches one of them in the face though ‘it’s not our way [of the Amish]. Book is fundamentally fixed in his ways, ‘it’s my way,’ and initially disregards his attempts to fit in with the Amish and gain their acceptance. Consequently, Book’s violent actions lead to Schaeffer and his despicable partners being able to locate and track down where Book is staying in hiding. Though Book has sufficiently failed in his attempts to conform to the ways of the Amish, it is evident that he finally makes a connection with the Amish community during the traditional barn-raising scene in the film where Book helps out and realises that for the Amish, community is more important than any other modern necessity. Despite Book’s connection with the Amish he is still mildly branded as an outsider to their community and is only truly accepted through the eyes of Rachel. During the course of the film, Book and Rachel begin to grow affectionate for one another. The attraction between the two only grows stronger as the film progresses and Weir uses intended camera angles and film techniques to represent a change in the status quo. When Book and Rachel are together, they are always filmed through doorways. Book is depicted as always being in the doorway, symbolising that he cannot get past it whereas Rachel is always in through it. However, as the attraction grows stronger, specifically after they kiss, Book talks to Rachel through the door of chicken wire, the holes in the wire imply that Book can now get through to the Amish community yet some of his own identity and predispositions will always remain behind the chicken wire. More so the attraction is shown within the scene in the barn in which Book is fixing his car with his radio on, an ultimate defiance of the ways of the Amish, to which Rachel responds positively. They begin to dance and although Book appreciates the moment, he does not fully understand that he is breaching the wishes of the elders in the community and ominously causes Rachel to act in such a manner which is stupendously frowned upon by her peers. Despite Eli's warning that she will be â€Å"shunned† if she becomes too close to John, Rachel defiantly gives in to her feelings for the outsider. Though they come from two different worlds, hold different values, nd live different lives, their emotions and feelings towards one another prove to be the same. Eventually Book comes to terms with his limitations and realises that he does not belong in Lancaster County with Rachel despite his utmost attempts to try and change himself in order to belong. Book remains too dependant on things from his world and his reliance on technology bounds him. The life lessons and fixed ways in which Book continuously holds onto prove to a big part of his identity that to completely disregard t hem would be a vital sacrifice. His attempts to try and belong with the Amish are boldly thwarted by his own understanding of his significant influence on young Samuel, ‘I would only kill the bad man. ’ His very presence brings danger and the aspect of life in which the Amish try to avoid, that is, murder. The place in which one comes from, one’s home and upbringing, proves to be a powerful force in one’s life. Having a place to belong is essential to identity and life lessons taught prove to be guidance throughout life. It is essential to belong and people will try and change themselves in order to feel as though they fit in. However, to merge two completely different worlds together would be controversial and ultimately unprincipled. The love shared between Book and Rachel would never work because they were two different, they were bestowed with different values, different upbringings and essentially different morals. Book could never stay with the Amish, â€Å"He's going back to his world, where he belongs. He knows it, and you know it, too. †

Continuing Professional Development Essay

With the rapid pace of change, many people may find that their skills and knowledge, acquired over the recent past, are outdated. In order to update their members, many professional groups have introduced the concept of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). (Foot and Hooks, 2002). The Royal Town Planning Institute (2001) holds that CPD is the means by which members of professional associations maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop their personal qualities required in their professional lives. A guide for employers of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST, 2001) states that CPD is the term that describes how employees maintain their competence in the workplace. CPD comprises of updating particular areas of competence, developing personal and management skills and broadening experience leading to new opportunities. The challenges and opportunities of the work experience provide the central mechanism for maintaining CPD and professional and other organizations should encourage and support their members to maintain their CPD. Here, CPD can be organized so that it can be carried out almost automatically. It is a continual process of planning, completing activities, assessment of those activities and review/feedback to the plan. A system that encompasses these four stages must be set up. Many employers have a system in the arm of the Human Resource Department and professionals should be encouraged to include their employers in the CPD process, as ideally, it should be a partnership that will benefit employee, employer and the company. The annual appraisal interview is the ideal time to plan development targets and assess progress. The details of CPD are very much the property of individuals and one should not rely on the company’s personnel system. If not maintained properly, it may be of no support to an employee if he no longer works for that particular company. The planning stage is the most important of the four core aspects of CPD. There should be an analysis of the current job, concentrating on knowledge and skills. Then, the same thing should be done for the job/position targeted. Consultation with a mentor at this stage may be helpful. A skills and knowledge gap analysis will identify appropriate learning and  development activities. Available opportunities and personal constraints, such as money availability, should be taken into account and targets should be high, practical, achievable and challenging, bearing in mind that the plan will change regularly. (Porter 1998). Relevant information such as technical subjects, foreseeable career opportunities and in – house or external development courses should be gathered. An outline plan stating objectives, priorities, target dates and appropriate activities must also be developed. If suitable, the plan should be agreed with interested parties such as colleagues, employer, and mentor or development specialist. The outline plan should be developed into a structured detailed plan to include such information as targets agreed resourced, agreed support, agreed control and responsibility. To meet development need and to achieve targets, a wide range of activities may be chosen and support of the employer may sought. Activities may be formal and structured, for example, as in courses, distance learning, conferences, presentations or research. The advantage of formal activities is that they will often offer tangible evidence that can be incorporated into a record of CPD, the disadvantage being that the employee may feel some of the cost, especially in the cases of external courses. CPD will be a combination of this formal structure as well as less structured activities such as work experience, assignments, on the job training or mentoring. Advantages derived here are the unexpected challenges and the professional contact leading to better learning. Successful development usually requires that learning activities be matched with practical applications. An important outcome of activities is the compilation of a detailed record of activities undertaken, which should show what activities have actually occurred and with what consequence. A suitable log/record book should include certificates of attendance at events, training syllabuses, completion certificates, performance appraisals as well as a personal development record. The review against the CPD plan must be measured in terms of new/improves  levels of competence. Some useful questions to ask at this stage include ‘ What added value was gained from this activity? What can I do now, do better, that I could not do before? How do I plan to use my new abilities? Am I making progress towards achieving my learning objectives? What lessons have I learned and what should I do next?’ As stated previously, CPD is a continuous process of planning, completing activities, assessment of those activities and review/feedback. Having completed the review and feedback stage, the plan must now be amended to start the process again. The benefit derived here is the regular updating of achievements, which will act as a useful historical record and a powerful document when in discussion with a current or potential employer. In terms of CPD, professional associations are particularly helpful in conducting a skills audit gap analysis, determining the knowledge and skills required for a particular job, setting development objectives and assessing learning experience. They also aid in deciding the next necessary steps and may offer encouragement and provide motivation to persist with a CPD activity, as well as suggesting other CPD activities. Advantages and disadvantages may arise from choosing professional associations from within and external to an organization. Benefits may include a structured plan being presented, mindful of deviations and credible certification. A downside from an internal association may be the training to a specific and specialized field, as in the case of Information Technology, thereby limiting employees. The advantages and disadvantages of CPD in relation to professional associations, employees and employers may best be shown by how CPD obligations affect those particular groups. CPD is important to employers because it involves the competence and efficiency of the workforce. Professionals aged under 30 ranked career development opportunities higher than salary, while those over 30 still place it high on their demands. (IMarEST 2001). Today, technology is  changing at such a rapid rate that individuals must keep up to date in order to remain competitive and employable, and, businesses must invest in their workforce in order to remain competitive and profitable. The crucial role played by people in a company is now widely recognized and now many firms are becoming involved with initiatives such as ‘ Investors in People.’ The employee who maintains his competence through CPD will be a highly valued member of the workforce, giving assurance to the truism that ‘ the investment in people appreciates, whilst investment in equipment depreciates.’ (IMarEST 2001). This investment by employers may be double edged, as people in the U K change their employers every 4.5 years on average, either voluntarily or compulsory, for example as a result of redundancy. Thus, one employer after investing in an employee’s CPD may find that he has prepared his employee for another employer. Investment in employee development provides a benefit to the company which result in ‘ bottom line profit.’ Even in the short run, payback can significantly exceed the outlay because when employees understand the processes they are working with, and appreciate the business objectives that they are working towards, their productivity and creativity improve. Individuals also gain greater job satisfaction which lead to a greater commitment to the company’s performance and therefore a lower rate of staff turnover, an advantage to employers. Employees should be encouraged to take a proactive role in deciding what training and development activities they should undertake, whilst employers should be helping and guiding such decisions to ensure that corporate goals are met. Individuals have a responsibility to themselves and their employers to consider what might be required in the future and to prepare themselves to be ready when opportunities occur and when changes are necessary. At the same time, employers have a responsibility to their company and their employees to provide an environment where people can develop the necessary skills and knowledge to take on new responsibilities as the need arises. (Christopher 1998). The days when we did a three to four year course and thought we’d been  trained for life have gone. Evolving technology, faster rate of product development and the need for employees to work across several disciplines, require everyone to be aware of the need to regularly update their skills. CPD offers a well recognized mechanism for all to update their technical competence, communication and management skills, and an appreciation of the commercial aspect of their industry. CPD will allow a person to spot opportunities and exploit new ideas effectively. From the point of view of not performing CPD, we can highlight some inherent disadvantages to all concerned parties. Clients are becoming more involved with their investments in terms of scrutiny. Vocal groups of shareholders may be ready to arm themselves with litigation, lobbying powers and letters whenever they feel professional standards may have slipped. CPD will be the proof of continued development and reviewing of professional standards, reducing an organization’s vulnerability to its professionalism being brought into question. Correctly maintained CPD will also have the benefit to review and explore one’s career and to discover strengths and weaknesses, holding to the adage ‘ to learn now ensures that you earn later.’ (Evans 1997). Every company need some form of career development program to produce a succession of motivated upward moving employees. Even employees who are destined to remain at the same level may need career development as their job change or become obsolete. Employers may invest in the CPD of their employees by some transparent actions. They need to clarify how business objectives may best be met by the investment in employees, and should use opportunities like annual appraisals to discuss individual development. They should listen to employees’ ideas and encourage them to consider personal goals, and setting realistic expectations, as there will be limited resources of time and money. Employers should persevere in CPD of employees, with regular review progress reports, as it will lead to tangible improvements in productivity and in the competitiveness of the business. A mentoring scheme should be established to assist in setting medium and long-term career goals. The wide ranges of activities that take place, daily, in the workplace provide many of the most important learning skills. People should be given the chance to experience different situations and develop a wide range of skills. In specific instances, formal, off the job training may be required. Employees should be encouraged to read widely to gain an appreciation of the wider issues related to their job. (Beer 1985). The professional development of staff should not be confined just to technical competence but should include the wider issues of environmental protection, health and safety, interpersonal skills, management techniques, and legal and financial knowledge, where necessary. Employers should actively encourage their employees to attend events organized by local groups of professional institutions and similar relevant organizations. These meetings offer both technical updating, by means of formal lectures, and the opportunity for discussion with other professional people working in related fields. Encouraging staff to network in this way is a key means of increasing competitiveness. It is of great benefit to employees to have help in reviewing their progress and guidance in choosing which routes to follow. Managers within a company should be aware of the importance of individual development and be able to guide those for whom they are responsible. They should be aware not only of development goals, but also of the different types of training requirements that different people have. (Bernardin and Russel 1993). It is strongly recommended that, where possible, a fellow professional act as a mentor to facilitate the CPD of employees, as helping individuals improve their performance will improve overall business results. There are no hard and fast rules for the amount of time to be spent on staff development. It is the benefit of an activity to a particular employee rather than the activity itself that is important and all learning opportunities, however informal, should be seized when they arise.

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan essays

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan essays Teotihuacan is situated in the central section of the Valley of Teotihuacan. The valley is in the northeastern part of the Basin of Mexico, a plateau over 2,000 meters high with a temperate semiarid climate. The later Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, grew up about 700 years after the collapse of Teotihuacan 60-km southwest on an island in the shallow lakes that spread in the Basin at that time. The Spaniards destroyed Tenochtitlan in the 16 th century. Teotihuacan arose as a new religious center in the Mexican Highland around the time of Christ. The next two centuries were characterized by monumental construction, during which Teotihuacan quickly became the largest and most populous urban center in the New World. By this time, the city already appears to have expanded to approximately 20 square km, with about 60,000 to 80,000 inhabitants. The development of the city seems to have involved inter-site population movements, exploitation of natural resources, an increase in agricultural prod uction, technological inventions, establishment of trading systems and other kinds of socio-political organizations, and attractive belief systems.The city was dominated by three enormous pyramids called "Pyramid of the Sun" and the "Pyramid of the Moon," and the .Feathered Serpent Pyramid. The Avenue of the Dead was the main street of Teotihuacan. The name stems from an early rumor that this was where the Teotihuacanos buried their kings. While most scholars have discarded this idea due to the lack of burials, others note the possibility that mummy bundles of ancestors once lined the "Avenue of the Dead". It ran for more than 2.5 km, beginning at the Moon Plaza to the north and extending beyond the Ciudadela and the Great Compound complexes to the south. The avenue divided the city into two sections. Apartment compounds with pyramidal constructions were arranged on both sides of the avenue, often symmetrically and sharing the...

Rethinking Thanksgiving Old Holiday, New Traditions

Rethinking Thanksgiving Old Holiday, New Traditions If you’re the kind of person who isn’t a fan of traditional family dinner Thanksgiving celebrations, it doesn’t mean you have to give up on the holiday altogether. In fact, there are many fun, freaky ways to celebrate Turkey-Day in a style that’s all your own. With a little food, and a creative outlook, this year’s Thanksgiving can be one that you and your friends will remember forever. Eat a Non-Traditional Turkey Although Thanksgiving is traditionally turkey day, you can make it your own way by creating your turkey out of anything but turkey. Carve a cheese turkey, tofu turkey, or create a turkey made out of hamburgers. In fact, your new tradition can be making your turkey as untraditional as possible. If youd like to go vegetarian or just want to try some new holiday menu, check out these great, non-turkey turkey recipes: Cheese Ball Turkey (tasteofhome.com/recipes/turkey-cheese-bal) Vegetable Turkey Tray (princesspinkygirl.com/make-veggie-turkey-tray) Tofu Turkey (allrecipes.com/recipe/tofu-turkey-i) Do a Modern-Day Thanksgiving Play Everyone has seen that hashed-out thanksgiving play where pilgrims get cooking advice from the Native Americans. Instead, infuse a little fun into your Thanksgiving by producing a personalized Thanksgiving production. Choose an event that happened this year that made you thankful about something. Reenact or tell your story to keep your guests laughing and thankful. Make a Thankful Pumpkin No need to throw out those Halloween decorations just yet. For your new Thanksgiving tradition, create a â€Å"Thankful pumpkin.† Not only is this a fun way to get you and your roommates thinking about the good things that have happened this year, but they are a cute addition to your holiday dà ©cor. Just grab a couple of pumpkins (small or large) and some Sharpie markers. Then, have your guest write the things they are thankful for this year. You can even make a tradition of writing a single thing each day between Halloween and Thanksgiving to make the thankfulness last all month long! Eat Small Although Thanksgiving is traditionally known for it’s huge food, invent your own Thanksgiving tradition of eating small. Create a menu of miniature cupcakes, turkey cutouts, and apple pie pops. Not only will it impress your friends, but you’ll be less likely to overeat and overspend on the holiday of excess. Start a Thanksgiving Journal A cool way to remember what you’re grateful for is to start a Thanksgiving journal. To start your journal, try to remember all the amazing things that happened during the year and write them down. Then, starting the day after Thanksgiving, write a single thing each day that you’re thankful for – no more than a sentence or two. Next Thanksgiving, you can review the wonderful things that happened all year long. Hide the Pope’s Nose The â€Å"Pope’s Nose† is the fatty extra part of the turkey. As a fun Thanksgiving tradition, hide this weird-looking turkey part under the mashed potatoes of someone before the feast begins. It’s a guaranteed way to get people laughing, and fun surprise that your guests will look forward to every year. You can even have the person who gets the â€Å"pope’s nose† start the round-table discussion of what they’re thankful for. Try Thanksgiving Drinking Game If you want to really get into the spirit of the holiday, there is nothing more traditionally untraditional than turning the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade into a drinking game. Or, if you’re not a drinker, it’s a spice up your Thanksgiving with a little truth or dare. Rules of the Game: Drink (or do a dance) every time a float features a Broadway musical. Drink (or take off an article of clothing) every time a singer messes up his lip-syncing. Drink (or switch seats with someone) every time someone mentions the word â€Å"Snoopy.† Drink (or do the Chicken Dance) every time someone says the word â€Å"Turkey.† Drink (or sing â€Å"Santa Claus is Coming to Town) when you see Santa. Drink (or kiss a stranger) every time an announcer says â€Å"Wow.† Drink (or tell an embarrassing story) every time you call it the â€Å"Macy’s Day Parade.† Say goodbye to boring, emotionally-fraught holidays of the past. All it takes is a little creativity and a willingness to have fun to make your Thanksgiving into a fantastic holiday. With a couple of creative recipe ideas, some brand new holiday traditions, and even a drinking game or two, Thanksgiving could easily become your new favorite holiday. What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year? Do you have some unusual traditions for the holiday? We are waiting for your comments and feedback!

How can a manager motivate a workforce and what are the major benefits Essay - 4

How can a manager motivate a workforce and what are the major benefits of this to a company Support your answer with examples - Essay Example This model states that there are five different main elements of a job that can result in motivating employees, these five main elements include, skill variety, task identity, task significance along with independence and reaction being the two most important elements of a job (DAFT, 2011, p.421). Body The model of job characteristics states that employees are motivated to perform those jobs where they can use different sets of skills and the skills that are required for such a job must require an employee to use that are of higher level. For example: managers can motivate an entry level employee in Human Resource Department if the employee is allowed to work on tasks that require higher level skills such as screening of resumes, creating training and interviewing schedules and other skills. According to Bremner and fellow researchers, skill variety is one of the main job characteristics that led to making employees feel that their work was meaningful and this feeling employees are m otivated as they feel that their skills are being used to perform are important for the job (Bremner, 2011, p.15). The job characteristic model asserts that employees are motivated to work on those tasks in which they feel that they are in control and due to their contribution a particular task was completed from the moment it started to the moment it ended. For example: a recruitment specialist will be motivated from hiring an employee in which he performed the duties of conducting job analysis and ended the task by hiring a suitable employee for a particular position. The employee would end up being de-motivated if he was only allowed to conduct job analysis and screen employees and selection of the employee was done by another employee. According to a literature search conducted by Rizwan and other researchers, there is a positive relationship between employee performance and job involvement (Rizwan, 2011, p.81). They state that the higher the level of an employee in a job, the h igher is the performance level of the employee. A third element of a job emphasized upon by the model is the element of task significance and the model states that employees are motivated to work on those assignments that are significant for others who are within the organization as well as outside the organization. For example: managers can motivate employees by assigning them tasks that are of significant importance to the top level of the management as this will make employees feel that they are needed by the organization. According to Grant, employee performance as well as dedication of lifeguards was positively impacted due to the significance of their task for others (Grant, 2008, p.120). A fourth important component of a job that leads to employee motivation is the amount of freedom to make decisions regarding how a particular job should be performed. For example: a teacher who is handed over a curriculum and course outline to follow by the supervisor will be less motivated t o perform his/her job as compared to a teacher who is allowed to design the curriculum as well as the outline to teach the students. According to Cordery and fellow researchers, employee team performance was degraded when they were faced with uncertain situations, but employee team performance became better due to higher level of autonomy even when they faced uncertain situati

Companies would benefit from using a multidomesric [polycentric] Essay

Companies would benefit from using a multidomesric [polycentric] strategy in prefernce to a global marketing strategy [Anon] Discuss - Essay Example eriod of time since Dunning (1977) has driven home the point of why and how does a Multinational Enterprises (MNE) obtain this advantage away from their home bases. He developed the eclectic paradigm that explains the various factors that influence the MNE’s to decide on Internationalization through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Globalisation has become a necessity for companies in search of competitive advantage (Porter 1980). This has meant shifting of operations, especially production to other countries in preference over home countries. There is a twin objective for companies to go global; the first is to find new and cost effective production centres and the second is to find new markets. Motives for locating Production away from home countries may be summarised in a categorization formulated by Behrman (1972). The classification identifies four types of multinational activity; the resource seekers, the market seekers, efficiency seekers and strategic asset or capability seekers. The market versus hierarchy organisation of production (internalisation) was modified by the eclectic paradigm of Dunning (1980; 1988a; 1988b) who has evaluated Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in terms of ownership, location and internalisation (OLI). Market and Resource seeking motives have been the two most recognised categories of motives (Dunning 2000). These two are the main reasons for most first time internationalisation attempts by firms. It often happens that resources fall short in the home country which limit growth of firms and in turn maces them inefficient, whereas the required resources may be readily available abroad. This would tempt the firm to go international for just the reason of acquiring resources to become competitive in the home market. Many an MNE have exploited cheaper labour and raw material abroad for reducing costs of their products for sale in the home countries. This has direct bearing on the profits of the company. Most Western companies

The main factors affecting the quality of the external audit in the UK Dissertation

The main factors affecting the quality of the external audit in the UK - Dissertation Example This therefore requires an improvement in the quality of the external audit and how it can be improved in order to ensure that the external audit could help to safeguard the interests of different stakeholders. This topic is important in the sense that it can help to identify, within specific context of UK, some of the factors which can contribute towards improving the quality of the audit. Investors and shareholders can be more assured about the overall credibility of the audit and what factors they can look into when assessing the overall quality of the audited financials. Researcher aims to explore the overall nature and the extent of factors affecting the quality of the external audit. On a broader level, this research study will explore different concepts related with the quality of the audit, identification of different methods which are used to improve the quality of external audit as well as the quality and nature of the impact of such factors on the overall quality of the ex ternal audit in UK. ... (Causholli & Knechel, 2009) As such when a conflict of interest arises between agent and the principal, agents may take actions which may not be entirely in the best interests of the principals. In order to narrow that gap, a financial reporting mechanism is prepared which is duly supported by the independent external auditors to ensure that the financial reporting made by the management is free from errors and frauds. The overall concept of audit quality therefore is linked with how well the function of external audit is successful in highlighting and detecting material errors in the financial statements while at the same time reduce the information asymmetry between the shareholders and management of the firm. Underlying the concept of external audit is also the reduction of the information asymmetry between the shareholders and the management of the firm. Preparation of financial statements is one of the key functions management has to perform in order to inform the shareholders a nd other stakeholders about the overall performance of the firm during given period of time. As such, it is through the financial statements that the management informs the shareholders regarding the overall quality and effectiveness of the management as the same has to translate into better financial position and profitability for the firm. Reducing the information asymmetry therefore can further improve the credibility of the financial statements but also provide a third party endorsement that the financial statements are prepared in true and fair nature. The concept of Audit quality and factors affecting it Audit quality is one of the much