Monday, September 30, 2019

Museum Project Formal Analysis

ARTH 1001: Museum Formal Analysis Paper The Tiber Muse Winged Victory of the Nike of Samothrace Justinian and Attendants from San Vitale Adrienne Keiser TA- Anna, Tuesday Section April 23rd, 2013 The Tiber Muse, originally discovered in the vicinity of the Tiber River in Rome in 1885, is a product of the Graeco-Roman era and is dated around the 2nd-1st century BCE. This date and other formal qualities of the sculpture such as the pose, drapery and medium suggest that it was produced during the Hellenistic Period of Greece and Asia Minor, and then imported to Rome at a later date.The importation, copying, and public display of Greek art were common from the start of Roman conquering of Greek territories and throughout the Roman Imperial era. The formal qualities of this piece, to be explored later in this exhibition, are comparable to those of the Nike of Samothrace in that they both exhibit the dramatic, elaborate techniques common of the Hellenistic Period (323-30 BCE) that embrace a range of emotions, providing us with an overpowering, multi-sensory experience as we view these pieces.The qualities and purpose of art during the Hellenistic Period were quite different from those of the Byzantine Era, to be further explored by comparing these two sculptures with the Justinian and Attendants mosaic from San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Through a formal analysis of these three works, the meaning, purpose and values of the culture that produced them will become clear, and we can further understand the historical context of these two very different time periods. The Hellenistic Period is the time between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and the emergence of the Roman Imperial Empire.Greek cultural power and influence was at its height, and there was great prosperity and progress with the arts, theatre, literature, music, philosophy, science and architecture. During this period, Greek culture, influence and language was spreading to other parts of the world. This contributed to a wide variety in art, producing complex, individual and idealized works, allowing us to admire them from all angles. Hellenistic art seeks expressability and a forcefulness of details, focusing on the height of the moment by expressing the violence of movements.In great statuary, Hellenistic art explores themes such as suffering, sleep, age, victories, and real, intimate moments frozen in time. The Tiber Muse and the Nike of Samothrace both exhibit these qualities in many ways. The Tiber Muse is about four feet high and constructed out of marble. The pose and arm positioning of the subject suggests it is a sculpture of a muse caught in the moment of playing an instrument. Even though she is missing her head, most of her arms and feet/base, her pose is similar to other known muses.The oval tear (near her right arm) in her garment suggests a rare, iconographic tradition whereby musicians were represented with less restricting clothing on their playing arms. Thus, this tear does not suggest an erotic encounter, but rather a young female bending over a rock, caught in the moment of playing an instrument. This element of sculpture capturing an intimate moment in time is definitely a quality of Hellenistic sculpture. This statue projects into our space, and it is clear one needs to observe it from many different angles to fully understand it.This is very similar to the Nike of Samothrace, even though it is safe to say the Nike statue projects into our space more intensely than the Tiber Muse. This is because the Nike of Samothrace was originally placed on the front of a ship to commemorate a naval victory, and then turned in to an elaborate fountain structure at the head of the Daru staircase in the Louvre in Paris. The Tiber Muse was meant to be a smaller, more intimate piece that demonstrates the moment of a musician playing, whereas the Nike of Samothrace was sculpted to be a larger-than-life symbol of victory and strength.Both the Tiber Muse and The Nike of Samothrace show a mastery of form and movement in marble, that creates a deliberate relationship to the space around the statues. In the Nike statue, the wind that has carried her and which she is fighting off, straining to keep steady, is the invisible complement of the figure and the viewer is made to imagine it. The Tiber Muse’s pose draws us in to her moment, and forces us to imagine all sensory elements of the space around her—the sound of the music, her motions of playing, and the air around her.In this way, both statues create this sense of auditory drama as well as a multi-sensory, overpowering experience that encompasses many Hellenistic artworks. These two works both make us a participant while viewing, however, I would argue that the Tiber Muse reflects the range of real emotions and a more realistic view of people than does the Nike statue, because the Nike was used to commemorate a victory and was meant to be more symbolic, honoring a godd ess and a sea victory, whereas the muse is nameless and captures a more intimate, real moment.The Nike depicts a more supernatural experience that blows us away with its incredible deep undercuttings, shadows and Phidian style drapery. While the Tiber Muse also uses similar drapery techniques as well as deep undercuttings and shadowing, the Nike is seen as an iconic depiction of triumphant spirit and the divine momentarily coming face to face with man. The Tiber Muse’s use of these techniques was to create an idealized portrait of a muse caught in the moment of playing, rather than to represent a goddess of victory and connection to the divine.This idea of capturing a raw, realistic moment and the movement from portraying the divine to portraying real people became more apparent later in the Hellenistic period, explaining why these two works differ in their purpose and meaning. Thus, although using similar mediums and sculpting techniques, the original contexts of these two w orks differ greatly, in that the Nike was meant to be viewed publicly on a grand scale, and the Muse is smaller and was probably meant to be a private display of one’s social status or education.Although the Justinian mosaic in San Vitale is very different from these two statues in medium, time period and display of figures, the idea of connecting man to the divine is alive in this work as well. Here, the purple on the robe of Justinian connects him to the divine, in that purple was considered a Holy color, often shown on representations of Christ. However, the purpose of this connection of Justinian to Christ was of propagandistic use, not to symbolize a great victory and a triumphant spirit, as in the Nike of Samothrace.During the early Byzantine Era, Justinian ruled from Constantinople, but expanded his rule into the west, making Ravenna a new Western outpost. He constructed San Vitale and the mosaics on the sides of the nave archade to display his ultimate rule and to por tray himself as being above most citizens and having a close relationship to Christ. Some even go as far as to argue that he believed he was a descendant of Christ. The colors in this mosaic and throughout San Vitale were of traditional Byzantine style in that they are meant to disorient you and bring you into a different world.The method of using glass tesserae to create mosaics is also a creation of the Byzantine times. The portrayal of the figures in this mosaic is what makes this work differ greatly from the other statues explored earlier. The figures are flat, clearly two-dimensional subjects depicted with little difference in size, facial expression and human anatomy. Their only difference between the figures comes from the color of the clothing or what they are holding. There is no clear depiction of human form, using little to no shadowing or drapery.This is due to the purpose and time period in which it was created. During Byzantine times, this portrait of Justinian and his ensemble was to demonstrate power to the illiterate people about the authority of Justinian Rule, thus making the original purpose of this work truly propagandistic. By exploring, comparing and contrasting formal qualities of the Tiber Muse, the Winged Victory of Nike of Samothrace, and the Justinian mosaic of San Vitale, we can deduce several conclusions about the purpose and historical contexts of each work of art.Although the two statues examined were from the same stylistic period, each has its own purpose for being. The Nike of Samothrace is a brilliant Hellenistic display of the multi-sensory drama that a great naval victory entails by projecting into our space. Its purpose was to symbolize a great victory over struggle and divine help or grace. The Tiber Muse also exhibits those Hellenistic sculpture techniques that the Nike statue has, such as drapery and shadowing, but is a more realistic display of an intimate moment.Both show intense detail of human anatomy, but the muse doesn’t have the â€Å"divine† element the Nike has, but rather a sensual element that brings us into her moment of playing music. The purpose of the Justinian mosaic was to demonstrate the fusion of his political and religious power, thus there is little attention to detail or the human form that is so pertinent in the two Hellenistic sculptures. Works Cited: Roberts, Christopher. How to Recognize and Date a Muse: Torn Garments, Marble Types, and the Tiber Muse in the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts.The Classical Association of the Middle West and South. N. p. , 2005. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. . Images of the Works of Art The Winged Victory of the Nike of Samothrace 220-190 BCE, Hellenistic Period The Tiber Muse 2nd-1st Century BCE, Graeco-Roman or more specifically, the Hellenistic Period Gallery G230, Acquisition Number 56. 12 Justinian and his Attendants from San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy 546 CE, Byzantine Era

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Chaucer on marriage

Chaucer looks at male and female perspectives on marriage and shows the entire institution to be a farce, stereotyped by wealthy, flaccid old men and young, beautiful, deceitful wives. January, the old man in the merchant's tale, says â€Å"wedlock is so easy and so cline† (1264), which is sarcastic as the merchant has already spoken out against marriage, and women in particular. Yet January's motivations to get married are hardly pure, but more practical and shallow.For â€Å"sixty year a waffles man was heel and followed ay his bodily delete/ on women† (1248-50); after sixty years of fooling around with numerous women, he is ready to have a wife â€Å"on which he mighty engender hymn an heir† (1272). Rather than choosing a wife who is wise and loving and would care for him in his old age and sickness, he makes his decision as if he were choosing livestock, saying â€Å"l wool noon Old ‘. Nary Han†¦ / she shall Nat passe twenty year†¦ /and bet t han old beef is the tender feel† (1416-20).What is ironic is that January sees this way of approaching marriage as pure because it was so normal and standard. The purity of marriage would come if it were based on love and mutual respect, but instead for most men it is about having an heir and a beautiful wife. January can't see that he's leaving himself vulnerable to a young wife that will be deceitful and seek pleasure from younger more attractive men, instead thinking he can â€Å"a young thing may men gee,/ right as men may warm hex with handed Pyle† (1429-30).In the wife's tale, she shows that old men cannot actually mold their young wives into good, loving creatures. Although the wife of Bath â€Å"sits [she] twelve year was of age†¦ ‘ housebound at creche door [she has] had five† (4-6), she is no innocent. She manipulates and terrorizes her old husbands with her sexuality to gain money and control, until they are her â€Å"[detours] and†¦ [ thralls]† (155). She ends up molding her old husbands to her will.For her a husband is a source of income, and she always sakes sure she has one lined up on the sidelines. She had her fifth husband ready to marry her by the time her â€Å"fourth housebound was on beer† (587), and she â€Å"wept but small' (592), being already â€Å"purveyed of a make† (591). Even though the fifth husband that she takes is younger than her and she is now in the old man's position, she is still able to control her young husband to a certain degree, although it is much harder.It seems like an innate ability that women have to control their cabanas because its more than a survival method, but a way to find pleasure despite being in a technically submissive role. But a true marriage shouldn't be about control. This is what makes marriage such a Joke to Chaucer, and he is very cynical towards it. The tradition and sanctity of marriage means nothing because it is based on a foundation of lying and shallowness. Men and women conform to their stereotypes because of how society has shaped them and made marriage such a necessity.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Services Marketing and Customer Relationship

Spring 2010 (Jan-Jun) Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 4 MK0006 – Services Marketing and Customer Relationship Management – 2 Credits (Book ID: xxxxxxx) Assignment Set- 1 (30 Marks) Note: Each question carries 10 Marks. Answer all the questions. Q. 1 a. What do you mean by physical evidence in services? Give examples. (5 marks) b. Write a note on service development. (5 marks) Q. 2 a. Briefly explain the terms â€Å"customer expectation† and â€Å"customer perception†. (6 marks) b. What are the different bases for segmentation? 4 marks) Q. 3 Recall the different services offered in a bank. Evaluate the different characteristics of services that you found excellent, average and poor in the particular bank. How do you think the bank can improve its services? (10 marks) Spring 2010 (Jan-Jun) Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 4 MK0006 – Services Marketing and Customer Relationship Management – 2 Credits (Book ID: xxxxxx x) Assignment Set- 2 (30 Marks) Note: Each question carries 10 Marks. Answer all the questions. Q. 1 a. Discuss strategy formulation and implementation in services. (4 marks) b. Explain the scope of CRM. (6 marks) Q. 2 a. What do you mean by CRM? What are the emerging trends in CRM? (5 marks) b. Write a note on service quality with an illustration. (5 marks) Q. 3 Determine a service marketing mix for an established airline. Assume that the airline operates in more than 30 different countries and its customers are mostly regular ones. How can it distinguish its services from other competing airlines, so as to attract newer passengers? (10 marks)

Friday, September 27, 2019

Human and Animal Interrelationships from Domestication to Present Term Paper

Human and Animal Interrelationships from Domestication to Present - Term Paper Example Additionally, the roman farmers used various tools for farming. They used the ard to plough the land because it could break the soil into fine particles. According to Gedacht (9) they ploughed the land in right-angled directions to create an even surface. At times, the soil was heavy because it contained roots and vines. This forced the farmers to use heavy oxen to plough the land. During harvesting, they used sickles and scythes. However, they improved the sickle by moving the lever at a slant to the hilt to ensure minimal strain on the arm. Additionally, they developed an animal driven machine that could remove the crop’s head and insert into a container. During the hot climate, irrigation was vital for favorable crop growth. The farmers constructed dams and reservoirs lined with water-resistant cement to provide the requisite water to enhance production (Gedacht, 12). Irrigation was vital in dealing with the growing population because it assisted in sustaining the food grai ns output. These farmers exercised hoeing and weeding in a similar way as the present non-mechanized communities. They had adequate knowledge of growing diverse crops concurrently to minimize weed growth. Additionally, they were also conversant with the benefits of manure. This prompted them to graze their livestock on fallow land because this approach would replenish the land with manure (Frank 10). Additionally, the farmers incorporated the rotary practice in milling grain, a development that resulted to setting up of a water mill. However, the outcome of the diverse milling methods was varied flour grades. Hand milling was also an important practice among the Roman farmers. One hand controlled the mill while the remaining hand fed the machine with grains. Animal husbandry was prevalent among the Romans. They used donkeys and oxen during work and reared sheep for milk and wool. Apart from provision of food, the farmers reared goats because they provided hair for

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Revelation by Flannery O'Connor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revelation by Flannery O'Connor - Essay Example Through her interactions with other characters in the room, the real character of Mrs. Turpin is well brought out, and consequently, the central theme of the story is advanced. Mrs. Turpin is a self-opinionated woman who believes to be superior and of a higher social class. The experiences of life cause her to reflect on her life, and correct the errors of the past, and finally realize that she isn’t as righteous as initially thought. While at the doctor’s office, the attitudes and characteristics of Mrs. Turpin are clearly brought out. First, Turpin is portrayed to be a judgmental individual with a negative perception of others. For example, while at the waiting room, she looked at the boy and the old woman and â€Å"could tell by the way they sat- kind of vacant and white-trashy, as if they would sit there until Doomsday†. Through such thoughts, it is clear that Turpin never thought positively of those around them but instead was quick to pick out the real or perceived negativities about them. Her hate for others is further illustrated by her choice of either being white or black. If she had been given a choice by Jesus of either being a nigger or a white trash, she would have chosen â€Å"a nigger then-but that don't mean a trashy one†. Here, one can clearly see that she disliked white people to the extreme. She is intolerable and looks down upon everyone around her. Second, the story furth er reveals Turpin to be an egoistic woman with an extreme worldview. She perceives herself to be a very important person, belonging to an elite class of only a few. For instance, she spent most of her time at night putting people into various categories. The colored and the white-trash people were ranked lowly. She felt that she wouldn’t want to be in this category. However, for her and the husband, they belonged to a higher class of â€Å"the home-and-land owners†.

Goat Farm Making Chees and Yoghurt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Goat Farm Making Chees and Yoghurt - Essay Example It also involves taking into consideration the short-term and long-term goals. The visits to various goat dairy firms will also help one to learn various demands of the business and how to build goat milk houses, cheese plants, and yoghurt plants. These visits will also help to understand the challenges they are likely to encounter in the business (Hempler, 2002, p. 1). Individuals should consider location of their business. This will ensure that they are able to plan their marketing strategies and be able to determine the available market for the given products. Physical location of any business is an important aspect in marketing. It also determines the means of accessing markets for the products, which ensures business success. It is important to identify the target markets for the products which are being produced, as well as to assess the available markets. This can be achieved by carrying out a market viability survey. During the analysis, one is able to create good relationshi ps with the customers and gather responses from them regarding the products to be made. This ensures that the farmer is able to gauge and evaluate the returns they are likely to get from the business (Hempler, 2002, p. 1). ... An entrepreneur should identify equipment, materials and resources needed for the business and the potential supplier. This will ensure that the farm gets the necessary requirements at the right time. Ensure that the supplier of equipment and other materials is able to provide the farm with spare parts and repair services before having these equipment and materials installed in the farm. The equipment and items needed for the cheese and yoghurt plants should be approved by the department of agriculture and markets. The farmer should also seek help of an agricultural inspector. During these sessions it is important that one indicates what they intend to accomplish. This will help the inspector to give the farmer the best methods and means to apply in order to attain success (Roberts, 2001, p. 70). Consultations with the veterinary officer would also help the farmer select the suitable breeds for the business and provide more information on their health, vaccinations and feeding. Obtai ning insurance for the business is an important step in the process. Farmers should, therefore, ensure that they have adequate liability coverage and product liability (New Zealand Food Safety Authority, 2009, p. 18). Regulatory Framework The farmer should also consider various rules and restrictions regarding farmland. There are accepted agricultural practices which every farmer should ensure they are observed on their farms. According to Act 250 on the Land Use and Development, farmers should ensure that they obtain a permit allowing them to use the land. The farmer should also obtain a health permit from the ministry of health allowing them to produce cheese and yoghurt. They should obtain a manufacturing license and medical

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

A Socio-Psychology Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Socio-Psychology Study - Essay Example Choosing people with the same overall qualities such as those mentioned will lower the chances of external causes of stress or fatigue causing emotional or irrational behavior. Interviews with potential participants in the study will help determine these characteristics and rule out people with cause for emotional reactions. In addition to the interviews, potential participants will need to be offered an informed consent document. This document will detail the ideas of the study, explain any potential risks to participating in the study, and assure the privacy and protection of participants' information. Additionally, potential participants will be encouraged to be completely honest regarding their personal lives; an inaccurate answer regarding issues, such as stress and sleeping patterns, can not only skew the results of the study but also place these participants at risk during the study. Once the list of participants has been finalized, a study of their normal behavior and reactions will need to be conducted. This portion of the study will involve analyzing their reactions to various things such as news, familial situations, job stress, and other problems that sometimes arise during daily life. Creating a controlled environment that limits the level of outside influence on emotions will prove to be the most difficult part of performing such a study. Additionally, participants must be told or shown situations that are real to them; natural reactions may not be had if the participants do not believe the situations they are being shown or cannot relate to these situations. During this time, each participant will be given a recommended level of restful sleep. Monitors can also be used to measure things not verbally or visually seen, such as heart rate, breathing, and swea--similar to the machines used by police departments during lie-detector tests. Additionally, the group of participants will be placed together to enable social interaction during the study. They will be introduced to each other under the pretenses of a social setting. During this meeting, activities and features that promote social mingling, such as board games, card games, and refreshments will be offered. Once participants are able to overcome the awkward introduction phase of social interaction, researchers can begin to study their reactions to each other in a social setting. This portion of the study will need to be performed for an extended time period; participants must interact with each other long enough to get to know the other participants in a variety of ways, including long enough for possible pet peeves to arise and cause reactions. After being satisfied with the level of analysis and an understanding of the behavioral patterns and reactions of each participant, the study group will be deprived of several hours of restful sleep over an extended period of time. This will ensure that their fatigue levels are high but not outside of safety levels for normal functioning. At this point, the study will be carried out in the same manner as before; this time watching for signs of emotional reactions, behaviors, and decisions. To minimize the chances of coincidence,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

World History Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

World History Paper 1 - Essay Example In this respect, these cultures believed that disobeying the laws of the Lord would result to punishment. According to the First Book of Moses, called Genesis2it is written that from the start Adam and Eve were punished by God for eating fruit from the forbidden tree. This clarifies that disobedience of God’s laws and commands has serious repercussions to the society. Further, the book cites that the Hebrews and Mesopotamians were expected to live a life without sin. Sins and wickedness caused the people to lose favor with God just as it is written about the time of Noah. The people in the era of Noah sinned greatly against God and he had to destroy the entire world. Noah and his family together with the animals in the world were saved because he was the only person devoid of sin3. God’s curse was a concern for the Hebrews because it meant that the person would have to die. The laws and codes of the Hebrews declared that God would place a curse against people who wronged prophets ordained by God. They were expected to listen to the words of God’s messengers else, they had to suffer the curse. For instance, the First Book of Moses, called Genesis speaks of king Pharaoh who stole the wife of Abraham and God sent a curse inform of plague into his household. The Hebrews and Mesopotamians were also concerned about the worship ofidol gods. God had forbidden the worship of idols and required all the people to worship him alone. In the same manner, they had to deter from mentioning the name of God in vain since it is a way of ignorance of his words. This requires people to worship the Lord but not joke in his name for punishment would be placed upon them. These ancient communities were not expected to kill, steal, or commit acts of adultery within the society. Such grave sins were punishable through death and God’s anger would be upon those that disobeyed his commands. In addition, the Hebrew and Mesopotamian people were expected to respect each other and not

Monday, September 23, 2019

Minor Assignment 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Minor Assignment 4 - Essay Example The greatest support for this model has been the finding that several experimental variables, such as frequency of feedback and practice conditions, differentially affect the accuracy of the underlying GMP and the assigned temporal and parameters (Heuer, Schmidt, & Ghodsian, 1995; Wulf, Lee, & Schmidt, 1994; Wulf, Schmidt, & Deubel, 1993). Answer: Schmidt et al. (1979) suggested that time constraints affect temporal parameterization in that larger neuromuscular forces are required to produce movement amplitudes in short versus longer movement times. Also immaturity in the neuromuscular system or the central pathways regulating visuomotor integration would be expected to result in greater performance variability (Motor Control). 3. Wulf, G., Schmidt, R. A., & Deubel, H. (1993). Reduced feedback frequency enhances generalized motor program learning but not parameterization learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 19(5), 1134-1150. 4. Motor Control in Children and Adults during a Non-Speech Oral Task. http://www.asha.org/NR/rdonlyres/7B1B6246-9009-46A5-A66D-F48956B5D3ED/0/11448_1.pdf. Accessed 22 October 2008. 5. Schmidt, R. A., Zelaznik, H., Hawkins, B., Frank, J. S., & Quinn, J. T. (1979). Motor- output variability: A theory for the accuracy of rapid motor acts. Psychological Review, 86,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Hotel Rwanda Essay Example for Free

Hotel Rwanda Essay Hotel Rwanda describes the rivalry between two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Both groups shared the same language, culture, territory, customs and beliefs but had different physical features and belonged to different ‘classes’. On the 6th of April 1994, the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed when their plane was shelled by rocket fire as it attempted to land at the airport in Kingali, Rwanda. The assassination of the Hutu president was attributed to the Tutsis just as a pretext to begin violence since it is believed his own people, the Hutus, murdered him. Then the genocide begins. The film focuses on the story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a Hutu hotel manager at the Mille Collines, a Belgian-owned luxury hotel. We also learn early in the film that his wife and her family is Tutsi. Along with checking in guests, Rusesabagina must use his wise business sense to buy supplies from a rebellious Hutu who strives to get him involved in taking a stand against the Tutsis. As chaos ensues, United Nations forces, previously stationed to help, leave the Rwandans with nothing but their own will. Tutsi refugees turn to the Hutu Rusesabagina for help. Paul becomes the hero of the film saving over 1,000 refugees from death by harboring them in the hotel that he manages. Hotel Rwanda is a film made to show the world the violence and cruel things that were going on in South America. Nearly 1 million people were killed in less than 3 months. Paul Russesabegina (Don Chedle) was an amazing actor in the movie. He made a point. He was a true actor. He showed the viewers that he loved his people and wasnt going to let neither himself nor anyone else give up. European guests and staff at the hotel are flown out of the country, and Paul is left in charge. He finds that his conscience wont allow him to watch as the innocent are slaughtered, and before long, the hotel has become a well-appointed refugee camp. Some sees Paul as a traitor putting his life in danger. The predicament of his guests grows more precarious every day, but despite good intentions on the part of a journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) and a UN peacekeeping colonel (Nick Nolte), the rest of the world is not eager to intervene and stop the massacre. For me, the main theme of this movie is writing a wrong that is so terrible in nature that everybody is just unwilling to take a stand. The wrong is so unabashedly violent and righteous that everybody is willing to take a step back and wait for somebody to handle it. In this movie’s case, all hope was on the UN. However, only the foreign nationals initially got the aid of the UN. The nationals were left to figure things out on their own. In this case, Paul Rusesabagina became the unlikely hero. Doing the right thing at that time proved to be dangerous on himself and his family. It would have been easier for him to sell his soul rather than go against the majority movement. And yet, he did go against the tide and did the right thing by using his cool intellect and calm manner of dealing with his staff, the military, the militants and the rest of his family members and neighbors. Seeing death being done is bad enough. I can only imagine how devastating that can be. However, I understand his emotions when he saw his son traumatized by the situation. As a parent myself, I would not want any of my sons to witness such brutal acts of humanity on another human, let alone the violence that was done to the boy, too. Although Mr. Rusesabagina acted cool and composed in the film, I cannot help but wonder if, indeed, he was composed during the entire time he was still in the country. The atmosphere of the entire movie came across to me as harsh. That is, the scenes were unforgiving in their abrasive, visceral violence. The discordant scenes of killing and women being abused and disrespected were forceful. The film strived to be earnest and honest in the depiction of this inhumane genocide that affected the world. While watching the film, I was reminded of Hitler’s move to eliminate Jews from the world. This was WWII. It was and still is a horrible way of thinking. Yet, Hitler still found people to commiserate with his vision and ideal world. 50 years later, this genocide happens in Rwanda. Horrible. And yet, this incident did come to pass and it’s a true story. How can people treat their fellow human beings in this manner? Why act like savages when we have the capacity for love and compassion? What is it that drives such a crooked point-of-view to gain momentum? I’ve thought about this the whole weekend. The only answer I can come up with is that God gave mankind the gift of free will with our intellect and humanness. It is really up to us to use these gifts to the best of our ability. The choice to do right and wrong will always be upon us. Therefore, the consequences of our decisions and the foregoing actions that ensue because of these decisions will shape our lives. As such, the genocide that happened in Rwanda cannot be undone. But, we can learn the lessons needed to become better people. As with Paul Rusesabagina, his choice to fight passively with single-minded intention of getting his family and friends safely out of the country helped these individuals continue a life on this Earth. For just this trait, I salute him not only for standing on his belief and principles but for letting love and compassion identify the living force within him and having him translate this into the saving of human lives.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Authority-responsibility relationships

Authority-responsibility relationships Modern organizations are constantly trying to incorporate a humanistic approach in order to keep their employees happy. Organizational behavior is greatly affected by changes that occur inside the company. One that is seen as most important is that of the changes in organizational structures. The old way of doing things with bureaucratic models have given way to modern models using project and matrix designs. Every organization has objectives and goals that it strives to achieve. In order to do so, the people in the organization must work together. The activities of each of these individuals are broken down by authority-responsibility relationships. These relationships are often formed on the basis of the job hierarchy (Organizational behavior and basics, n.d.). An organization is a group of individuals that are broken down into different levels of authority and segments based on specialty for the intention of achieving the goals and objectives that have been set by the organization. When objectives are established for these groups a process is used to identifying and group the work that is to be performed. Responsibility and authority roles are also defined and delegated while relationships are established for the purpose of enabling the people to work most effectively together (Organizational behavior and basics, n.d.). Administration of an effective organization determines the goals that the company as a whole strives towards. Organizations often evolve out of a need clear, well defined system or structure, that allows people to execute their work responsibilities. This structure helps employees to relate to each other, organize their activities, and achieve the goals or objectives that have been set by the organization. It helps to minimize confusion, maintain an ideal environment and maximizes effectiveness (Organizational behavior and basics, n.d.). Hewlett-Packard is an example of a company that uses modern organizational behavior in order to emphasize productivity and good employee relations. In 2000, Hewlett-Packard was one of five winners of the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership. This company was founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and David Packard. Early on this company has a good philosophy that encouraged good employee relations. David Packard fashioned the concept of management by walking around as a means to achieve a high involvement and open work culture. HP has been both a leader in technology and in human resource management practices. As a leader in technology HP designed and produced the first handheld scientific calculator. As a management innovator HP introduced the radical notion of flexible work hours and removed time clocks as a way to show respect for and trust in its employees (Organizational Behavior in Changing Times, n.d.). HP is a $41-billion-a-year business that consists of seven major product lines and three service lines. HP products include computer desktops and workstations, mobile products, printing and digital imaging products, storage products, servers, networking products, and software. The services lines include e-services, personal services, and business services. HP has approximately 88,500 employees and was one of the first companies to formalize telecommuting policies for its employees. The company has more than 540 sales and support offices and distributorships in 120 countries worldwide (Organizational Behavior in Changing Times, n.d.). The Santa Rosa Systems Division of Hewlett Packard (SRSD) was created in 1992 in order to target a new systems integration opportunity in the ever growing communication business sector. In 1994 SRSD faced many challenges that threatened its success as well as that of its leadership team. Those in the organization saw the following things as major issues: There were two competing strategies that were threatening to divide the organization There were problems between two functions that were competing for common engineering resources. This problem was caused by a functional structure that had very poorly designed cross-functional business teams The cross-functional teams that were not effectively led or managed and did not produce any needed coordination There was a top team that was not effective. There was a general manager who was not confronting and resolving key strategic and organizational issues. There was low trust throughout the organization that prevented organizational problems from being discussed and managed. There was underperformance in the rate of growth and profitability as well as low morale and turnover of key technical people (Beer, 2002). In order to help address these issues HP used a technique know as Organizational Fitness Profiling (OFP). This process enabled the leadership team to bring these problems to the surface and make changes that allowed the business unit to capitalize on many market opportunities. The leadership team and many of the key managers in theSanta Rosadivision had grown up in Hewlett Packards traditional business environment. Fitness Profiling enabled the leadership team to have an honest organizational conversation about the behaviors that were silent killers and diagnose the root causes (Beer, 2002). HP is a technology company that operates in more than 170 countries worldwide. They explore how technology and services can help people and companies address their problems and challenges while pursing their own possibilities, aspirations and dreams. They apply new thinking and ideas to create more simple, valuable and trusted experiences with technology. They are continuously improving the way that their customers live and work (Hewlett-Packard, 2009). Not many other companies offer as complete a technology product portfolio as HP does. They provide infrastructure and business offerings that range from handheld devices to some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. They offer consumers a wide range of products and services from digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home printing. This comprehensive portfolio helps them match the right products, services and solutions to their customers’ specific needs (Hewlett-Packard, 2009). Hewlett Packards motto for their employees consists of Stretch. Strive. Succeed. This is a standard that they demand not only from themselves but from their employees as well. When a person goes to work at HP, they are given every opportunity to stretch their talents, strive for new solutions and succeed beyond what they thought was possible. And when the employee does this they are recognized and rewarded as they grow with the company (Hewlett-Packard, 2009). This approach is what has made HP the worlds leading information Technology Company and keeps them moving in new and interesting directions. This is how they have been able to provide ideas that help people around the world connect, create and accomplish amazing things. Its why their people are experts in so many areas including marketing, finance, HR, sales, IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, business technology solutions, global services, and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises, and small and medium businesses. They believe that when you bring great minds together in over 170 countries, each person has a hand in driving the innovations that make the world a better place (Hewlett-Packard, 2009). The Sociotechnical system (STS) redesign process that was used by HP in order to chronicle the process as it actually occurs includes documenting how changes in managers’ and employees’ beliefs and behaviors as they are produced. STS redesign is not a new management trend but was first detailed by Eric Trist and his associates of the Tavistock Institute in 1963. Central to STS redesign are two principles. The first is that work is comprised of both social and technical components, while the second is that organizations are open systems. The second concept is composed of two important concepts. Organizations are open meaning that they are constantly interacting and negotiating with their environment. Just as significant is the character of their system. Real change occurs only with attention to all aspects of the organization. In order to implement STS redesign, top management must sponsor and demonstrate commitment to the change and the redesign team must be composed of employees from all levels of the organization. This is a change process designed by the workers whose work is being redesigned. Guiding principles include employee involvement, the reallocation of power and authority down the hierarchical ladder, open communications, and system wide transformation. Structurally, the result is an organization composed of self-managing teams (Besser, 1999).Â