In the practical application of the resource-based view of the firm Essay

In the practical application of the resource-based view of the firm (the RBV) there is usually less emphasis placed on the management of resources than on the - Essay Example Jay Barney’s Resource Based View (RBV) is one such interesting tool. Because of its simplicity, engineers find it easy to understand the management perspective behind enterprises. This essay explains the concept of RBV, examples of key resources in well-known companies, managements’ approach in using the tool together with opinions on its utility and limitations. All firms are built on certain resources. In common parlance, we hear of money, materials and men as the resources of any business in a very broad sense. If all firms collect these resources and start operations to produce and market the same goods or services, then there will be intense competition and few would survive. In order to survive with normal profits and grow with supra-normal profits, a firm has to distinguish itself in some ways from the others competing with it. One way of looking at such distinguishing features of a firm is the so-called ‘resource-based view’, conceived and named as such by Jay Barney in the early 1990s. Barney1 postulated that a firm has to identify the resources it has in its command, evaluate them to identify the ‘key resources’ which give the firm its competitive advantage and guard them jealously to maintain the strategic advantage. In order to identify whether a resource can be treated as a key resource or not, Barney developed a four point criterion of resource evaluation, VRIN, that stands for: As can be seen, the emphasis is on resources as internal to a firm. From the simplest Mom & Dad stores, requiring no more than a couple of people, a few consumer items and a place to store and sell, to the very complex commercial or industrial firms of today with properties, unique products, patents and trained staff, we have a plethora of resources. Many of them are quite visible for all to see; but many more are what are known as intangibles, which are not seen or easily understood; for instance,

Joseph Hellers Catch 22 and Joan Littlewoods Oh! What a Lovely War Essay Example for Free

Joseph Hellers Catch 22 and Joan Littlewoods Oh! What a Lovely War Essay Compare the ways in which figures of authority are portrayed in Joseph Hellers Catch 22 and Joan Littlewoods Oh! What a Lovely War. Both Catch 22 and Oh! What a Lovely War are satirical comedies looking at the absurdity and tragedy of war. Being satires, they serve to expose the flaws in wartime situations and in doing so often develop criticisms of authoritative figures. Both texts approach the portrayal of authority in slightly different ways; being a play, Oh! What a Lovely War has a lot more scope for portraying its characters visually and aurally, whereas Catch 22 must work within its boundaries as a novel. Both texts employ humour to portray characters of authority; whereas Littlewoods play is more focused on dark humour, Heller uses his own brand of absurd irony throughout the novel this humour is central to most techniques used in both pieces of literature. Both texts were written in the 1960s, (Catch 22 was published in 1961 whilst Littlewoods play was performed two years later) an era synonymous with the development of youth culture and radical change. Although Catch 22 was initially snubbed by many of its critics, the novel found its readership amongst the emerging generation of men and women who were fiercely opposed to the Vietnam war. Littlewood did not face the same hostility in 1963 when Oh! What a Lovely War was first shown to the public. Performed by the Theatre Workshop a company she had co-created the play was warmly received by the audience and critics alike. Despite their different reactions, both texts were on the cutting edge of anti-war sentiment and continue to be modern classics. Although the texts focus on different wars and different perspectives (Littlewoods play explores World War One from a primarily British perspective and Hellers novel is an American outlook on World War Two) their main themes are similar. Both texts are exploring the tragedy of war, the utter absurdity of it, the thirst for power and money war brings, and the ignorance of authoritative organisations. Figures of authority are numerous in both pieces, and do not only include the upper ranks (such as Generals, Field Marshalls and Colonels) but also the representations of business and religious organisations, for they too can be viewed as having authoritative roles in society, especially in wartime. One technique used by both authors is a demonstration of the lack of communication between commanding powers. Littlewoods portrayal of the allied army leaders is very effective in signalling how inefficient they are at communicating with one another. The French General Lanzerac and British Field Marshall French do not even speak the same language, and Frenchs unwillingness to do so reveals the total futility and worthlessness of their meeting: Aide: Do you think I ought to organise an interpreter? French: Dont be ridiculous Wilson; the essential problem at the moment is the utmost secrecy.(p21) In this scene the obsession with secrecy over commonsense negotiations shows us how inefficient the allied army authorities are, and the analogy of the different languages spoken serves to demonstrate the complete lack of communication amongst authoritative powers that hold the fate of thousands in their hands. In the same way, Catch 22 looks at the problem of communication within the upper ranks. The call General Peckam receives from Ex P.C Wintergreen the sole words being T.S. Elliot'(sic) has no hidden meaning but is interpreted in an absurd way; Perhaps its a new code or something, like the colors of the day. Why dont you check with Communications and see if its a new code or something or the colors of the day? (p45). This sentence also shows us some insight into General Peckams intellect, which doesnt seem to be substantial demonstrated by the repetition and imprecision of speech. Another example of these communicative difficulties is the case of Major Major who receives documents to sign, which have his signature already. The squabbling within the upper ranks is evident in both texts and serves to show us the pettiness and idiocy of figures of authority. There are many instances in Catch 22 where the Generals are engaged in sneaky tricks against one another. General Dreedles hatred of his son-in-law Colonel Moodus for example, inspires him to keep a beautiful nurse just to torment him with, and the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade1 is started by Captain Black in an attempt to avenge himself on Major Major (who gained the promotion Captain Black was waiting for). Similarly in Oh! What a Lovely War, the Belgian, British and French army officials are at odds with one another. The Belgian army are in a sorry state, the French are angry at the British, and the British refuse to believe they have any responsibility in the war; Were not here under any obligation French persists in telling Lanzerac. The heated discussion only ends when Lanzerac is offered a medal on behalf of the King of England. This gesture pleases the General, who kisses French on both cheeks and leaves, suggesting that the upper ranks of the army are only interested in recognition and promotion. This is a very powerful notion in Catch 22, in which key characters such as Colonel Korn and Colonel Cathcart will do everything in their power to be promoted. Cathcart says of his ambition: What else have we got to do? Everyone teaches us to aspire to higher things. A general is higher than a colonel and a colonel is higher than a lieutenant colonel. So were both aspiring (p450). One of the most important aspects of both texts is how different the experience of war is for the upper ranks and the ordinary men. The inability of authoritative figures to understand the realities of war and their cruel, seemingly deliberate ignorance in many situations is demonstrated in a number of key scenes. An important example of this in Oh! What a Lovely War is on pages 50/51 where a commanding officer reveals his detachment from ordinary trench life, and his unawareness of the death that surrounds the men every day; Ye Gods! Whats that? he asks the Lieutenant upon encountering a German limb that holds up the parapet, immediately telling the men to get rid of it as soon as possible. The Sergeants response reveals how clueless those in authority are to the brutalities of war: Heads, trunks, blood all over the place, and all hes worried about is a damned leg. This warped, uninformed sense of priority and general detachment is evident in Catch 22, especially within Colonel Cathcarts storyline. Hellers novel is jumbled chronologically, but one dependable indication of time is the number of missions the men are forced to fly under Cathcarts orders, which steadily increases as the story progresses. What is simply a number for the colonel is a very real death threat to the men of his squadron, many of whom reach the target just as the missions increase. Cathcart raises them for purely selfish reasons he hopes to gain recognition for his squadrons record and receive a promotion. The Colonels constant cry of Doesnt he know theres a war going on when Yossarian refuses to fly further missions is one of Hellers brilliant lines of absurd irony, as it relates directly to the figures of authority in the novel. They seem to be playing an insane game, unaware of how their actions affect the men they themselves dont realise theyre fighting a war. Other instances of differences between upper and lower rank men can be found in both texts. The final scene of Oh! What a Lovely War portrays the men as lambs to the slaughter at the order of their glory-obsessed officer, and we find them shouting Baaa baaa baaa (p86) as they advance towards the guns. In Catch 22 the Colonels are amazed that the ordinary men worship the same God as them, and after the revelation from the Chaplain refuse to believe it saying What nonsense! Does he expect us to believe that? and Chaplain, arent you stretching things a bit far now?(p407). A noticeable aspect of both texts is the portrayal of other key figures of authority primarily those of big business and religion. Where Littlewood is severely critical of both, Heller holds some sympathy for his character the Chaplain (a representation of religion). Common to both writers is a disgust toward capitalists who exploit war for their own commercial gain. The munitions manufacturers in Oh! What a Lovely War are introduced on stage as members of a shooting party, an ironic analogy highlighting the part they play in the destruction of so many young men. They discuss the peace scares that threaten their income, and congratulate one another for their inhuman schemes in money making: Britain: German chappies were caught on their own barbed wire?.Dashed clever. (p46) In the same way, the character Milo Minderbinder in Catch 22 exposes the lack of morals and boundaries capitalism creates in wartime. His collaboration with the enemy goes unnoticed due to his profit-making, and he even ends up bombing his own men and planes as part of a German contract; If I can persuade the Germans to pay me a thousand dollars for every plane I shoot down, why shouldnt I?'(p273) he tells Yossarian. The forces of religious belief in Littlewoods play are greeted with hostility as tools for the war propaganda machine, who support the war effort rather than fighting for the rights of the soldiers; Chaplain: it is no longer a sin to labour for war on the Sabbaththe Chief Rabbi has absolved your Jewish brethren from abstaining from pork in the trenches. (p77) Religion is portrayed in a slightly more sympathetic light in Hellers novel. The Chaplain is the only character who really connects with Yossarian, and his efforts to help dissuade the Generals from raising the number of missions proves a real commitment and solidarity to the squadron. He is rejected from the Officers Hall and treated disrespectfully by the Colonels, showing us that even Christianity is powerless in the face of such frighteningly stubborn authority. Another key theme of both texts is the portrayal of war as a game, or as something frivolous and light-hearted by those in authority. The very form of Oh! What a Lovely War is as a musical show, with song and dance. Key song titles include Ill make a man out of you and the grand finale track Oh its a lovely war which paints the text as a Broadway extravaganza rather than a harrowing look at battle. This technique is very effective in creating a bitter and attacking tone towards authoritative powers especially considering the nature of the opening scene. In a circus like frenzy the MC brings on the players of the war game; France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Great Britain and Russia. This structural difference between the play and Catch 22 means that Oh! What a Lovely War parodies authority more consistently. Littlewood constructed the play as a show, so the ability of characters in power to undermine the seriousness of war is endless. The War Game is a classic example of this, as is the grouse-shooting party which consists of munitions manufacturers from the key nations involved in war. Other techniques were available to Littlewood lyrically bitter songs and the use of slides as an accompaniment to the speech, which both served as attacking forces against the power of authority in the play. Examples of this can be found in song titles such as If the sergeant steals your rum and ironic lyrics like with our old commander, safely in the rear in the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers. The use of slides and the newspanel is used on many occasions as a reinforcement of the ignorance seen in authoritative men such as Haig: Newspanel: BY NOV 1916 TWO AND A HALF MILLION MEN KILLED ON WESTERN FRONT Haig: I thank you, God; the attack is a great success. (p78) They are also used comically to outline the stupidity of the Generals: British Admiral: Have you got a plan? British General: Of course. Slide 5: A blank British Admiral: Yes, I thought so. (p6) In a structural sense, the techniques available to Heller with which to parody authority are much more limited. In a novel, all character representations are formed with literary descriptions and cannot rely on visual or aural aids like a play. His technique of storytelling is not as varied or spectacular as Littlewoods, but the effects of his bizarre plots are as successful in criticising authoritative powers as the use of slides and song in Oh! What a Lovely War. Colonel Cathcarts bombing pattern is a sufficient example of this and bears comparison with the War Game approach by Littlewood. Disregarding the fact that men are risking their lives on the insane bombardier missions they are forced to fly, Cathcarts sole concern is whether their bombs create an aesthetically pleasing pattern from the air We didnt get the bridge he tells Milo whilst recalling a previous mission, but we did have a beautiful bomb pattern. I remember General Peckam commenting on it. (p The episodic form of both texts may disrupt the sense of progression, but it is noticeable that the tone of both pieces of literature changes as they near completion. The bitterness towards authority increases, and humour is more often interspersed with moments of seriousness and tragedy. In Act Two of Littlewoods play, a moment of chaos reaches a serious climax with the juxtaposition of Haig and the British Generals telephone conversations against a background of men singing They were only playing leapfrog. The two men speak simultaneously in broken sentences until Haigs final comment No, you must reserve the artillery; we are using too many shells is uttered at the same time as the Generals last words, Night has fallen. The clouds are gathering. The men are lost somewhere in no mans land. This uncharacteristically sombre moment is shocking and serves to signpost the ignorance and inhumanity of Haig in times of crisis. In a similar way the absurd force of bureaucracy in Hellers novel borders on seriousness when Don Daneeka is recorded as killed and remains dead due to the power of paperwork. His presence in the novel is a tragic reminder of the madness of war, and his character becomes a living ghost, the sacks under his eyes turned hollow and black, and he padded through the shadows fruitlessly like an ubiquitous spookthen, only then, did he realize that, to all intents and purposes, he really was dead. (p366) The endings of both texts leave the reader with a slightly different outlook of authority and war. Whereas Oh! What a Lovely War finishes as it started, with a grand song in the traditional musical style, Catch 22 is much more subdued and understated. Both endings tell us something about the intention of the author, and of their opinion on the subject of war and authority. Littlewood wants to leave the audience feeling embittered and slightly outraged at the notion of the Great War as a show, in order to demonstrate the atrocities committed by those in authority against the ordinary men. The final songs Chanson de Craonne, I dont want to be a Soldier, And when they ask us, and Oh its a lovely war express both comic elements (Id rather stay at home and live off the earnings of a lady typist) and the tragic undertones that run throughout the play (I dont want a bayonet in my belly). Although these final songs are more preoccupied with the tragedy and futility of warfare, their tone is still bitter towards commanding powers such as the King and the Generals who promised them a lovely war, and described the life of a soldier as the cushiest job they would ever have. The cause of this great tragedy is clearly explained in Littlewoods play as a direct result of the ignorance and greed of commanding powers, in particular the European Empires and Haig, along with his circle of title-seeking aristocrats. Within the play there are other specific objects of blame; firstly the British Generals, Field Marshall French, and the British Aristocracy. Other possible areas of criticism lie in the portrayal of religion, and of the capitalists who profited from the war. Oh! What a Lovely War is a text very much favouring the ordinary soldiers, all of whom are represented as decent, kind-hearted, and spirited young men. These soldiers are the victims of authoritative powers, they are the lambs going to slaughter, and the grouse at the shooting party. Littlewood is not vague or subtle in her attack of the commanding men, and portrays them as idiots, fat cats and cowards. She intends to show us that they were the main cause of madness in wartime, and that these men of authority should be held to blame for the destruction of a generation. The conclusion of Catch 22 is quite different, and ends with the spontaneous attempt by Yossarian to run away from the military base. Hellers ending is a very interesting final act of defiance for his character, against the powers of authority in the novel. Despite having an easy route out of the air force a simple but dishonest deal with Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn Yossarian chooses to reject it. The presence of Natelys whore at the very end of the novel, who unsuccessfully tries to stab him, is perhaps an indicator that Yossarian is making the right choice in escaping from the madness and corruption of bureaucracy (the main authoritative force in Catch 22). The specific targeting of key characters is evident in Hellers novel as it was in Oh! What a Lovely War, with the Colonels and Generals (Cathcart, Korn, Dreedle and Peckam among others) being the main hosts for criticism. However, I believe there is a difference between both texts regarding the role authoritative figures play in war. Whereas Littlewood shows us that the commanding men create the chaos due to their own callous stupidity, in Catch 22 the madness of war seems to be a character unto itself. Although the commanding officers are idiotic and dangerously selfish, this insane wartime logic affects most of the ordinary men except for Yossarian and the Chaplain. A good example of this is near the end of the novel when Aarfy one of the men in the squadron rapes and kills a young girl. wYossarians utter horror when he discovers the scene is elevated further with the arrival of the police, who arrest him for being in Rome without a pass, completely ignoring the dead body on the pavement. Aarfys explanation I hardly think theyre going to make too much of a fuss over one poor Italian servant girl, when so many thousands of lives are being lost every day seems to bear a lot of truth. The infuriating authority figures in this novel and the foolish stunts they are engaged in appear to be more a product of war madness than a cause of it. Therefore, although both texts portray figures of authority in similar ways, their intentions are fundamentally different. Littlewood blames the commanding individuals and glorifies the men who were sacrificed under ridiculous orders. Heller looks beyond these small but powerful characters to a greater evil the madness of war and the insane chaos it creates in all; Colonels, Generals, Capitalists and even ordinary soldiers. 1 The Great Loyalty Oath Crusade was created to divert attention towards Captain Black and thus gain him a promotion the men must swear an oath of allegiance to get their pay from the finance officerto have their hair cut by the barbers. (p125)

Some Reasons For Unhappiness

Some Reasons For Unhappiness The true American dream of the pursuit of happiness might now directly change into the pursuit of material wealth because some people are becoming unhappy. I assume our immeasurable desires make us unhappy. Psychologists define unhappiness as a mental or emotional state of distress that is distinguished by negative or upset emotions fluctuating from contentment to intense misery. I started my journey reasons for unhappiness, by interviewing some Montgomery College students, and I continued interviewing many other people: my friends, co-workers and relatives. Then, I did some research and watched a great documentary film called HAPPY and some more videos from websites to strengthen my case. Next, I examined people different reasons and views for their unhappiness. The first reason is seriousness of their unhappiness. Some people are not happy because they have extra weight on their body, and others are unhappy because they lost someone they deeply love. Also, they have complex reasons from one another. Some people believe they hate their job because they dont have enough money to afford what they want to buy. Others are not happy because they dont have a job. Health is also another concerning reason. Some people are unhappy because they dont have good health and others are not happy because they dont have money to buy cigarettes. After I studied different types of unhappiness, I found out people can become unhappy in two different ways. One way to be unhappy is having bad relationships among families, co-workers and friends. Another way is having personal problem, such as health. There are also several ways to become happy. These can be reading the Holy Bible, traveling aboard and learning about different cultures, creating great social interaction with your neighbors, or building freedom of choices. Introduction Pressures we carried in our lives can produce destinations for our happiness or unhappiness, such as a final exam for a student, an interview for a job seeker, an experiment for a scientist, or a touchdown for a football player. These conditions are major deciders for our happiness or sadness. Even though it is obvious that every one of us seek a single outcome -joy, there are still many reasons for unhappiness. I believe our happiness can be achieved by feasible dreams or heart desires, but not unobtainable dreams that put us into miserable situations. My assumption is limitless desires for everything we could ask for and even more have made us to not appreciate life and to no be happy. During my study, I found several reasons and research papers about unhappiness, but I mainly focused the dimension, complexity or differentiate, and unhealthiness of unhappiness to support my hypothesis. In this trying research, my goal is study the danger of unhappiness and its consequences and to find recommendations that fulfill a person life with full of happiness. In addition, the purpose of this report is to scrutinize or avoid our unhappiness because I believe it may cause demise. I have included some people life experiences and interviews and expert analyses. Methods According to Ian Sample article, How to be happy? the Guardian newspaper in November 2003, most of us are born with a certain amount of happiness, and our happiness is a best way to achieve our goals. However, unhappiness has been an endless problem for most individuals. Thus, I started by interviewing to proof my assumption. I interviewed some Montgomery Community College students, my friends, my families, and my co-workers, and all the interviews was fun, and besides it helped me to get supportive evidences. After I had numerous interviews, I watched a one and half hour documentary film called HAPPY, directed and written by Roko Belic, on Netflix. The documentary has an extraordinary journey from small town India to the modern city Japan in pursuit of happiness. Also, it has actual life stories of individuals from around the world and influential interviews with some top experts and scientists. It also explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion, happiness. I watched the documentary many times, and I carefully took a note about why people are happy or unhappy. Next, I composed some information about happiness from different website articles, such as the Guardian daily newspaper. In addition, I watched several videos, on TED.com, about happiness and unhappiness, which help me to prove my hypothesis come up with strong conclusion and recommendation. Results Depths of unhappiness Nancy Etcoff, a professor of the science of Happiness at Harvard university, in her talk, Happiness and its Surprises on ted.com, explained that humans are very sensitive of negative things; hence, they can easily be unhappy. During my study, I mainly focused on the profundity of unhappiness because some people unhappiness was a slight lower-amid gloom. For instance, they were unhappy because they got a parking ticket while parking in No Parking! areas. I tried to avoid this common and ordinary unhappiness, which have easy solutions. For instance, if someone is unhappy about his weight, he can exercise. Also, it was pretty difficulty for me to record consultations about unhappiness. While I was fully concerning to get a negative life experience, some people I interviewed were giving me a commonplace sadness because they concerned about protecting their depressed stories. In general, the majority of my interviewer stories were very common unhappiness. They were simply unhappy in particular situations and overlooked it right away. However, some have emotionally wounded for long period of time, which allowed me to see how unhappiness deeply affected people lives. One of my good friends told me about his agonizing marriage story, and how it affected his life. He told me that he found his wife cheating; however, he has been willing to keep his relationship for the sake of his children. Even though he is still unhappy about it, he mentioned that he fears if he wanted a divorce, he will lose his children. As a result, he chooses to be unhappy and lives with his children than getting divorce. Complexity of unhappiness In my study, I also found that unhappiness can have a different involvedness between ages and situations. For instance, My nephew, age 10, want to play game during weekend if he didnt allowed to play a video game in weekends, he would be unhappy. And, some college students believe that they are not happy because of some bad professors. Their repulsions are even though they have a good or bad grade, they are not happy by the way they are learning in some classes. However, some other college students have different ideas, they believe that the reason why college students are unhappy because of stressful college course, which has various pressures and expectation, and most time these prevent students to earn good grades. Also, my co-workers have different explanation for their unhappiness. Most of my co-workers think they are not happy because of low payment in the company. In contrast, my unemployed friends feel miserable because they couldnt find a job. How unhappiness impact a person health? During my interviews, some people give me feedback of unhappiness concerning to heath. They said that when they feel like there are too many pressures or demands on them, they become stressful. For instance, when they are worrying about tests and schoolwork, they might lose sleep. When they have busy schedules, they might eat on the run. Also, everyone experiences stress at times; adults, teens, and even kids, but there are ways to minimize or to manage those health problems. However, not like the following story. Markus, my co-worker in JCP, told me a poignant story of his ex-girlfriend. He told me that his ex-girlfriend became drug addicted because she was unhappy in her life. When she took drugs, she felt false happy. Thus, she continued to use drugs because if she didnt take drugs, she believed she would have a stressful day. Markus was unhappy by her situation and he tried to stop her for several months. However, she couldnt listen to him. Finally, she ended up death while taking drugs. Discussion During my study of reasons for unhappiness, I found out about two ways of unhappiness which support my hypothesis: one there is dependent unhappiness, and there is independent unhappiness. Dependent unhappiness is unhappiness that we feel when we lost what we had. For instance, if suppose we keep expecting from others: friends and co-workers including our relatives, we finally end up unhappy because people are capable of making mistake. Daniel Kahneman on his talks, The Riddle of experience vs. memory on ted.com, explained even though every one of us want to make happy one and another, still people are becoming unhappy because what other people did to them. Independent unhappiness is melancholies that happen when we have desire that has never-ending. For instance, when we comparing ourselves to others. When we want more of something things weather it is bad or good. We are not pretty skillful about thinking quickly before we act, so we need not be disgraceful about our own deeds. If we can solve problems in our life then there is no need of worry, but we still deeply stressed and become unhappy plus hurt our health with the thing we cant solve. During my studies, I have perceived whether it is dependent or independent unhappiness, people are becoming unhappy because they dont have a limit for things. Most of our unhappiness came from the unrestricted desire of achievements. We should have to know our capabilities and potential what wed, and has to keep little expectations from others as much little as possible also from ourselves. Even though our unhappiness is bring those various types of problems and different reasons. Some reasons are depth and some are easy, and some reasons are complex and have health issues. Recommendation to become happy They are many recommendations for our unhappiness. J.D. Roth, a founder of award-winning website Get Rich Slowly, in his article, The Psychology of Happiness: 13 Steps to a Better Life, on GetRichSlowly.org, has recommended how to avoid unlimited desires and some step for a better life. Also, he mentioned that people should not compare physically or socially to one another, and to focus to their personal goals. In addition, getting away of unhappiness might have different recommendations, but all have the same impact, which is becoming happy again. No one ever found happiness alone, gazing at his navel. Happiness is not personal. It is relational. If we improve our relationships, we will surely boost our happiness. Thus, traveling aboard and exploring new things, becoming closely connected or associated with neighborhoods are some of freedom of choice: doing what someone loves to do and knowing limitation: avoiding life pressures can help us to get away from unhappiness. Work cited: Sample, Ian. How to Be Happy. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 19 Nov. 2003. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . The Psychology of Happiness: 13 Steps to a Better Life. Get Rich Slowly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Personal Finance That Makes Sense. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . Nancy Etcoff: Happiness and Its Surprises. TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . 2005, World Values Survey. Happiness Net Statistics Countries Compared. NationMaster.com. NationMaster, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . Daniel Kahneman: The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory. TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . Happy. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012

Climate Change: The Sciences, the Media, and Politics Essay -- Global W

The roles of science, the media, and politics greatly influence public opinion and understanding of the world around us. These three spheres of information and action are invariably linked when discussing complex global issues like climate change. However, the presentation and resolution of disagreement within the three spheres is incredibly independent. The many ways that climate change, specifically the debate on the existence of climate change, is portrayed within these spheres can greatly affect public emotion, knowledge, and policy of such an issue. This is particularly evident in the United States (US) (Boykoff & Boykoff, 2007). This paper attempts to briefly outline the portrayal and settlement of the debate on the existence of climate change within the three spheres of the sciences, the media, and politics. In the field of science, a well defined procedure exists to create scientific debate and controversy. The procedure begins with the scientific method, a generalized series of steps used to collect data and accept or reject hypotheses. It is important to note that the scientific method exists not only to prove ideas, but also to disprove them and to continually build upon understandings. From data collection and interpretation of the results, a synthesis of the experiment and discoveries made are submitted for peer-review. The peer-review process is formal review from other professionals in the scientific community, and is used to attribute credibility and academic quality to an article prior to publishing (UVictoria). Legitimate arguments in the sciences are based on data and, â€Å"sustained debate within the broader scientific community† (Egger & Carpi, 2010). Thecontinued interest and skepticism in the scientific commun... ...Works "Science" HowStuffWorks, Inc. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. . Seymour, Julia A. "U.S., European Media Worlds Apart on Climate Change." Reuters.com Article Worries 'U.S., European Media' 'Worlds Apart' on Climate Change. Media Research Center - Business & Media Institute, 07 July 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. . "What Does Peer-review Mean?" UVic Library. University of Victoria, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. . "The Discovery of Global Warming." Introduction - Summary. American Institute of Physics, May 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. . Climate Change: The Sciences, the Media, and Politics Essay -- Global W The roles of science, the media, and politics greatly influence public opinion and understanding of the world around us. These three spheres of information and action are invariably linked when discussing complex global issues like climate change. However, the presentation and resolution of disagreement within the three spheres is incredibly independent. The many ways that climate change, specifically the debate on the existence of climate change, is portrayed within these spheres can greatly affect public emotion, knowledge, and policy of such an issue. This is particularly evident in the United States (US) (Boykoff & Boykoff, 2007). This paper attempts to briefly outline the portrayal and settlement of the debate on the existence of climate change within the three spheres of the sciences, the media, and politics. In the field of science, a well defined procedure exists to create scientific debate and controversy. The procedure begins with the scientific method, a generalized series of steps used to collect data and accept or reject hypotheses. It is important to note that the scientific method exists not only to prove ideas, but also to disprove them and to continually build upon understandings. From data collection and interpretation of the results, a synthesis of the experiment and discoveries made are submitted for peer-review. The peer-review process is formal review from other professionals in the scientific community, and is used to attribute credibility and academic quality to an article prior to publishing (UVictoria). Legitimate arguments in the sciences are based on data and, â€Å"sustained debate within the broader scientific community† (Egger & Carpi, 2010). Thecontinued interest and skepticism in the scientific commun... ...Works "Science" HowStuffWorks, Inc. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. . Seymour, Julia A. "U.S., European Media Worlds Apart on Climate Change." Reuters.com Article Worries 'U.S., European Media' 'Worlds Apart' on Climate Change. Media Research Center - Business & Media Institute, 07 July 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. . "What Does Peer-review Mean?" UVic Library. University of Victoria, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. . "The Discovery of Global Warming." Introduction - Summary. American Institute of Physics, May 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. .

Business and the Economic Environment Essay

Introduction In this assignment I will be talking about Marks and Spencer and how the economic environment could have an effect on them. The economic environment is basically all the economic factors brought together. By saying economic factors, I mean aspects such as; employment, inflation, interest rates, productivity and wealth. All of these elements mentioned above have an influence on the buying behaviour of consumers and organisations. P1 In terms of economic variations for marks and spencer, the best way to explain the effect it would have on them is by using the business cycle. The business cycle is basically the periodic but irregular up and down movement in economic activity, measures by fluctuations in real GDP and other macro- economic variables such as inflation, interest rates and unemployment to mention a few. In simple terms it is the ups and downs of a nation’s economy. The business cycle mainly has four cycles; recession, recovery, growth and slump which repeat themselves over time. Recession is a period of reduced economic activity (economic growth slowing down) in which levels of buying, selling, production and employment go down. This means that during recession, Marks and Spencer would be affected because there will be a change on the buying behaviour of consumers. This will then lead to a sales revenue and profit decline for them. Due to low profits, they will cut their spending essentially cut back on hiring new employees and cut jobs for other by making them redundant in an effort to keep their business on track. They will also cut back on productions costs because consumers will cut back on spending as well which means they will not be buying as much. Recovery is the turning point from depression to expansion. During the period of recovery, there are expansions and rise in economic activities. For Marks and spencer there will be a steady rise in output, income, employment, prices and profits. During recovery for Marks and spencer will mean higher demand for products and services. There will be more hiring, because Marks and spencer will resume investments due to an increase in profits because customers are willing to spend more. They will steadily start opening other stores nationwide due to consumer demand hence more people to recruit. As more people will return to work, spending will increase, which will the demand for more goods and services hence they will start making a profit. Slump/trough during the slump period output slows down due to a reduction in demand. A slump can lead to recession (two negative quarters of economic growth). This can put Marks and Spencer under pressure because they will be forced to reduce costs, which will lead to increased unemployment as they make people redundant The rate of high unemployment will then mean that people will have less money to spend thus contributing to a downturn in the economy. During a slump output and income will fall leading to fall in consumption so basically Marks and Spencer will see a fall in sales because customers will not be spending and they will cut down on production costs as well so that they can save money. Growth: When the economy is at boom or peak, it is an increase in the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services. This is the stage where by Marks and Spencer will hire more people and there will be low unemployment. Customers will also be willing to spend more money therefore boosting sales for Marks and Spencer. Demand for goods and services will be high which means that production will be high so Marks and Spencer will be having high imports to stock up their shelves for consumers. There will be high investment levels for them; they can therefore use that money to pay off their suppliers or debtors. Inflation is the measurement of the annual percentage rise in average price level. A reduction is purchasing power an increase in the cost of living. With the rise in price levels Marks and Spencer will buy fewer goods because consumers will not spend as much money. As a result the purchasing power of money will be reduced with inflation. High inflation will distort consumer behaviour for Marks and Spencer. Consumers will spend less or buy their requirements in advance as inflation may destabilize markets and create unnecessary shortages. Employees in Marks and Spencer may demand higher wages in time of high inflation. If the claims are accepted it may make the inflation get worse. During high inflation, wide variations in inflation rates may make it difficult for Marks and Spencer to predict the future and calculate their sales returns. This can therefore challenge their confidence to predict their financial reports In the future. Inflation is measured by RPI (Retail Price Index) this is when government inspectors go round the shops every month and take samples of what consumers buy and add up the prices and compare them with the previous month’s prices. RPI normally includes mortgages. In 2012 it was measured at 2.9% Also CPI (Consumer Price Index) this is a measure of price in consumer goods and services e.g. food, clothing, etc. The CPI does not include mortgages. It was measured at 2.5% in 2012. Unemployment Marks and Spencer will be affected in a variety of ways when there is high unemployment. They will observe low consumer spending. When more people are out of work they do not have money to spend hence Marks and Spencer will be affected because there will be fewer people buying from their stores. People will then target inferior goods basically Marks and Spencer branded goods that are cheaper than brands and also may be of less quality to satisfy their needs. Employees working for Marks and Spencer may work for long hours and Marks and Spencer may not be able to give them a pay rise due to the low demand of goods. Managers will be less motivated because their business will be going down due to low profits. However, Marks and Spencer will benefit in the sense that if they wanted to employ anyone they will have the advantage to pick and choose due to the high number of applicants for one job role. P2 Government spending is also known as public spending and in UK it takes up to 45%of GDP. Government spending is classified in three areas; Transfer payments; this are payments made available through social security system. They include JSA, child benefit, Housing benefit, Income support etc. its main aim is to provide a basic income for unemployed people or a minimum standard of living for people with low income. Current government spending; this is basically spending on goods provided by the government e.g. salaries paid to people working in NHS and resources for education and defence etc. Capital spending; this is spending for infrastructure e.g. motorways and roads, schools, hospitals etc. Government policies on the other hand, are a set of policies produced by the government that are used and developed to influence the UK economy. They are divided in to different areas that influence the way that a business operates. Economic Policy, economic policies are actions taken by the government to influence its economy. Economic growth will be essential for government and Marks and Spencer as well. This will mean that the living standards will increase so it means that people will have more money to spend in Marks and Spencer and other retail shops. There will also be high demand for Marks and Spencer therefore they will be making profit. However if the government decide to increase tax rates, Marks and Spencer will grieve because it means that they have to increase the prices of their goods and services which means customers will be reluctant to spend money. Industrial Policy this relates to the government increasing industrial activity in the UK. This mostly focuses more on jobs and skills. For example if Marks and Spencer opens new industries to manufacture goods, they will create more jobs and find skilled labour to satisfy their customers. This policy is mainly used to raise people’s income, new technologies and demographic changes. Competition Policy this is a government policy to prevent and reduce abuse of monopoly power. Abuse of monopoly power can lead to market failure and be against the public. Therefore that’s why government steps in to protect the interests of consumers. To ensure that competition takes place in UK Competition Act 1998 is used to stop forcing rivals out of business, selling goods and services at different prices for different customers and limiting supplies to make sure prices go up among others. Fiscal Policy this covers the spending and taxation decisions of the government. The main aim of fiscal policy is to influence aggregate demand (total demand in the economy) by increasing government spending or reducing taxes. The effect of fiscal policy on Marks and Spencer is that when the Bank of England increases tax, they will have less money for hiring and investing and this may affect consumers because prices may increase. However if they decreased tax rates, this will stimulate investment spending and more job opportunities. Environmental Policy this regards to the environment. Basically for Marks and Spencer they need to make sure that they are protecting the environment by recycling and reducing carbon foot print. The Climate Change Act states that climate change risk management must be completed every five years. Businesses like Marks and Spencer must show how they are reducing carbon foot print and how they are protecting the environment. Monetary Policy comprises of changes in the rate of interest to influence the growth of aggregate demand, money supply and inflation, this works by changing the rate of growth of demand for money. If the Bank of England sets high interest rates prices will start falling and Marks and Spencer will see the changes in spending from consumers. This is mainly used to control inflation. However if it was vice versa, low interest rates will lead to more spending hence Marks and Spencer receiving more sales therefore more to pay dividends to shareholders or invest. The diagram below shows the increase in interest rates which lowers demands so prices fall from P to P1 and demand falls from AD1 to AD. M1 The government produces set of policies that it uses and develops to influence the economy. Â  Fiscal Policy is the use if taxes and government expenditure to control the total demand of the economy. Increase in taxes will decrease the demand. Government expenditure on the other hand, encourages people to purchase by reducing the price. Taxes and expenditure both use law of demand in order to control aggregate demand. The advantages of using fiscal policy for Marks and Spencer will be that if the government increases demand e.g. by cutting income tax or indirect tax, it means that people would be willing to spend more because prices will go down hence they can get more with their money. Marks and Spencer will benefit because the demand will be high and hence they get more profit at hand. With this profit they will be able to invest more in to the business and also pay their corporation tax. The corporation tax will then be taken by the government again and this will help the society and people in need e.g. NHS and Education. A disadvantage of fiscal policy is that another problem can arise when solving the other. For instance stimulating demand in the economy to decrease unemployment may worsen inflation because a right shift in aggregated demand will cause a rise in price levels. Therefore when prices rise go up, as much as there is more demand, some people may be hit by inflation and may have to pay more for their goods in Marks and Spencer than normal. Below I have illustrated what I have just explained. On the contrary decreasing demand to control inflation will cause short demand therefore unemployment arises. In the diagram it shows that increase in government expenditure, will increase inflation basically prices will shift from P to P1. Also there will be more demand so it will shift from AD to AD1.This will benefit Marks and Spencer because the more the demand the more they pay corporation tax therefore helping the society i.e. education, NHS etc. In the diagram it shows that increase in government expenditure, will increase inflation basically prices will shift from P to P1. Also there will be more demand so it will shift from AD to AD1.This will benefit Marks and Spencer because the more the demand the more they pay corporation tax therefore helping the society i.e. education, NHS etc.

Forest Gump essays

Forest Gump essays Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what youre gonna get. This is probably the most popular quote from Forest Gump. It simply states how Forest felt about life. He lived his life according to his values. Three of the important values that he lived by were being non-judgmental, helping people, and loyalty. Forest Gump faced many obstacles in his life, but he still stayed strong, and he became the best person he could be. The first value that Forest Gump lived by was being non-judgmental and accepting people for who they are. Jenny had a lot of faults and was not always there for Forest, but he never gave up on her. She was always coming and going out of his life, but he was always there when she came back. Bubba, one of Forests friends, was of a different race and background, but Forest accepted him without even looking at those things. Lt. Dan, another friend, was not an easy person to get to know and get close to, but Forest was still his friend. Forest always took the positive with the negative. He showed this value in accepting his own limits and his strengths. The second value that Forest Gump lived by was helping others. Jenny had problems at home, and at nights, she would come over to Forests to sleep. He would always let her stay with him. He never asked what was wrong at her home, but he knew she needed him, so he let her stay, because he knew he was protecting her. When Forest was in the war, and they were being bombed, he was determined to save anyone he could. He ran back and forth rescuing fellow soldiers. Lt. Dan was handicapped from the war and became very depressed. He did not feel like living anymore, but Forest became his friend and helped him to overcome his disabilities and enjoy life. The third value that Forest lived by was loyalty. Forest always helped his mother out around the house, and when she got sick, he immediately went to her. He ran his b ...

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Abstract Chronic insomnia is the most common sleep complaint among individuals. The present paper will attempt to discuss the non-pharmacological treatment of insomnia. Specifically, a psychological model will be outlined in forming a comprehensive framework in conceptualizing the onset of insomnia. Moreover, a cognitive model will be reviewed and discussed. The efficacy of cognitive interventions in treating insomnia will be explored. Future implications of non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia will ensue. Insomnia is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders, causing individuals chronic distress as well as impediments in social, interpersonal, and occupational functioning. Drawing on validated cognitive models of the anxiety disorders as well as on theoretical and empirical work emphasizing cognitive processes to insomnia, a cognitive model of the maintenance of insomnia is presented. It has been suggested that individuals who suffer from insomnia tend to be overly worried about their sleep and about the daytime consequences of not getting enough sleep. This excessive negatively toned cognitive activity triggers both autonomic arousal and emotional distress (Walsh, 1999). The cognitive model proposed by (Walsh, 1999) assesses that an anxious state triggers selective attention and monitoring of internal and external sleep-related threat cues. When taken together, this anxious state and the attentional processes triggered by it deceives the individual into exaggerating the extent of the perceived shortage in sleep and daytime performance. Therefore, it is proffered that the negatively toned cognitive activity will be fuelled if a sleep-related threat is encountered. Damaging behaviors such as thought control, imagery control, emotional inhibition, difficulty with problem solving and erroneous beliefs about sleep and the benefits of worry are referred to as exacerbating factors. The ... Free Essays on Insomnia Free Essays on Insomnia Abstract Chronic insomnia is the most common sleep complaint among individuals. The present paper will attempt to discuss the non-pharmacological treatment of insomnia. Specifically, a psychological model will be outlined in forming a comprehensive framework in conceptualizing the onset of insomnia. Moreover, a cognitive model will be reviewed and discussed. The efficacy of cognitive interventions in treating insomnia will be explored. Future implications of non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia will ensue. Insomnia is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders, causing individuals chronic distress as well as impediments in social, interpersonal, and occupational functioning. Drawing on validated cognitive models of the anxiety disorders as well as on theoretical and empirical work emphasizing cognitive processes to insomnia, a cognitive model of the maintenance of insomnia is presented. It has been suggested that individuals who suffer from insomnia tend to be overly worried about their sleep and about the daytime consequences of not getting enough sleep. This excessive negatively toned cognitive activity triggers both autonomic arousal and emotional distress (Walsh, 1999). The cognitive model proposed by (Walsh, 1999) assesses that an anxious state triggers selective attention and monitoring of internal and external sleep-related threat cues. When taken together, this anxious state and the attentional processes triggered by it deceives the individual into exaggerating the extent of the perceived shortage in sleep and daytime performance. Therefore, it is proffered that the negatively toned cognitive activity will be fuelled if a sleep-related threat is encountered. Damaging behaviors such as thought control, imagery control, emotional inhibition, difficulty with problem solving and erroneous beliefs about sleep and the benefits of worry are referred to as exacerbating factors. The ... Free Essays on Insomnia Insomnia Insomnia comes in many forms and worries people of all ages, most commonly for just a night or two, but sometimes for weeks, months, and even years. Insomnia has many causes. Insomnia is a symptom, much like fever or stomachache. There three symptoms commonly shown by people who have insomnia: difficulty falling asleep, no problem falling asleep but difficulty staying asleep with many awakenings, and waking up too early. Difficulty sleeping at night may be related with the following daytime symptoms: sleepiness, anxiety, impaired memory, impaired concentration, and irritability. 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